January 4

2nd Sunday after Christmas

Communion

Lessons

Jeremiah 31:7-14

John 1:1-18

Sermon

Seeing God, Knowing God

Gordon A. Turnbull

Hymns

As with Gladness Men of Old

O Word of God Incarnate

To God Be the Glory

Anthem

Brightest and Best

Sanctuary Choir

Attendance

Dec. 28: 8:30: 92; 11:00: 90

Christmas Eve: 410

Windows

Another Opportunity to Discuss GA Actions with Session

Our Session is hosting another gathering for anyone interested in discussing recent actions by the PCUSA General Assembly or our church's response. The discussion is scheduled for Wednesday, January 7, at 6:00 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall.

Approximately 65 people met in the chapel on Sunday, November 23, to hear about the General Assembly's actions regarding same-sex marriage and divestment of PCUSA funds from three corporations whose products it believes contribute to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Church members have also communicated with the Session individually. Our Session meetings are open, and time is allotted for anyone who wishes to address the Session on any issue. Printed materials on these GA actions are available upon request through the church office.

Please note that the January 7 event does not include dinner! Our regular schedule for Wednesday evening supper and programs resumes the following week, on January 14. 

It is not too late to pledge support of our ministries in 2015! Our budget depends on pledged offerings; we cannot plan responsibly for ministry without these commitments. If you know that you want to support Christ's work through our church, please communicate that desire by submitting a pledge toward our work together in 2015. You can do so conveniently through the online giving option on the homepage of our website, www.fpcbristol.org, or by pledge envelope.

The financial work of our church serves and equips the greater, spiritual work to which we are called. Please join in asking God to enrich our life and direct our work together so that every aspect of our ministry glorifies the Lord we serve. Thank you for your continued commitment to the ministry of Jesus Christ through our church!

The new year has arrived, and the books that accompany our new churchwide study series, EPIC: Through the Bible with Jesus, follow close behind. The Jesus Storybook Bible will be available for pickup at the church beginning this Sunday, January 4. Sermon texts will be taken from this children's book, and we will start the series together January 11. You can still order free copies of the book. Order forms are available at the church.

Women's Bible Study Plans for the New Year

Our ongoing women's Bible study groups have something for every woman. We have two weekly morning meetings, one weekly afternoon meeting, and a biweekly evening meeting, each with its own style. In addition, Presbyterian Women gather once a month, and a Bible study led by Gordon Turnbull is an always anticipated part of their meeting.

Jackie Burt's Bible study will resume January 13 and follow the churchwide series EPIC: Through the Bible with Jesus. If you would like to gather with a group of ladies for fellowship, coffee, and Bible study around the dining table, just let Jackie know by calling 423-646-7405. This HeartsBurn Group meets in her home at 1:00 p.m. on Tuesdays, so come as you are, dressed for fun, work, or play!

Lorri Looney's DVD Bible study will start the new year January 14 with He Speaks to Me: Preparing to Hear from God, by Priscilla Shirer. Workbooks will be available at the first meeting for $11, and the series will continue through March 4. This Heart to Heart group meets Wednesdays at 9:30 a.m. In the church parlor. All women of the church and their friends are welcome.

Elizabeth Patrick's Bible study continues a consideration of the virtue of contentment January 7. They are studying scripture, guided by Laurie Cole's Experiencing Contentment in Every Season of Life. Through a combination of group Bible study, mutual sharing, and Cole's audio messages, they examine the different seasons of their own lives, seek to be honest about their own level of contented living, and learn principles to help them live contentedly in all seasons and circumstances.

This Heart to Heart group meets Wednesday mornings from 10:00 to 11:30 in the New Mothers' Room, and they encourage women in all seasons of life to join them. This study is definitely not just for mothers of young children, but a nursery is available. If you have any questions, please contact Elizabeth at 423-956-9716 or elizabethpatrick22@hotmail.com.

Presbyterian Women meet on the second Tuesday morning of every month in room 123. They meet for circle at 11:00, then have Bible study with Gordon at 11:30. Afterwards, they lunch together in the church parlor. The first meeting of 2015 is scheduled for January 13. Please contact the church office to reserve your place for lunch. They welcome all women of the church.

Betsy Turnbull's inductive Bible study will follow the churchwide read-through of The Jesus Storybook Bible, a children's book by Sally Lloyd-Jones that tells the biblical story from the perspective that "every story whispers" Jesus' name. The focus will be on the biblical texts at the root of each of the stories in the book.

This Heart to Heart group will begin the new year's meetings on January 20 with a consideration of Psalm 19, Hebrews 1, and Genesis 1-2. They will resume their regular meeting schedule of first and third Tuesdays at 7:00 p.m. on February 3. They meet in room 123, and they welcome all women of the church to come and bring a friend.

Lindsay Fooshee

Come hear Lindsay Fooshee, Christian thinker, blogger, and mom, talk about the great joy of the good news! At Heart to Heart's annual women's retreat February 27 through March 1, Lindsay will lead us through a consideration of Paul's encouraging letter to his friends in Philippi. She will remind us that, if we're looking for joy, we're not going to find it in our circumstances or in the people around us but in the good news of Jesus.

Lindsay is married to John, and together they serve Jesus in Johnson City by planting churches and raising children, seeking to live out discipleship in both their church and their home. Lindsay spends most of her time with her four kids, who challenge her to soak up the daily joys of toddlers and teenagers at the same time. She holds an M.A. in Christian Thought from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and enjoys teaching and writing about what she's learning. She blogs regularly about discipleship at kitchenstool.wordpress.com and writes an online devotional for girls and their mentors at www.hisgirlstogether.com.

Be sure to mark your calendars for this weekend at the Blowing Rock Conference Center, and look for details in future newsletters and web postings.

Sunday's music participants: Sanctuary Choir.

Richard Shephard

Sunday's music: The text of the anthem, "Brightest and Best," was first published in 1811, when the author, Reginald Heber (1783-1826), was only 28. A gifted poet, this English clergyman wrote a series of hymns for each Sunday in the church year; his best-known work is "Holy, Holy, Holy," written for Trinity Sunday. Heber wrote the text of "Brightest and Best" for Epiphany Sunday, the celebration of the visit of the Magi, which also represents Christ's revelation to the world. About this text, Paul Westermeyer writes, "It drives to the fourth stanza, where the heart's adoration and the prayers of the poor count for more than oblations we make as if by our efforts we could secure God's favor." The musical setting by Richard Shephard (b. 1949) rises to a peak at the end of each stanza to match the climax in the text. Shephard, in addition to being a prolific composer, served for a number of years as headmaster of York Minster School of York Cathedral in England, where he now is Director of Development, coordinating fundraising.

Rehearsals resume: After a short break, the Sanctuary Choir will resume regular rehearsals Wednesday, January 7, at 7:15 p.m. Cherub Choir and Jubilate Youth Choir will follow on Sunday, January 11, at their respective rehearsal times of 9:00 a.m. and 5:15 p.m. Sanctuary Bells will ring in the new year with rehearsal on Monday, January 12, at 5:30 p.m. As our weekly programs resume Wednesday, January 14, Children's Handbells will pick back up at 4:15 p.m., and Savior's Singers Children's Choir and Youth Handbells at 4:45 p.m. You can find a handy chart of choir rehearsal times on the Music page of our website. New folks are always welcome!

Stephanie Wiltse

Montreat bio: Stephanie Wiltse, handbell clinician, first picked up a handbell 1982 at the tender age of 29. She began directing handbells in 1992. In 1995 she was one of the founders of the community group Embellish, and she has been music director of the group since 1998. Under her leadership, the group has performed for two Pinnacle (Handbell Musicians of America community/professional) events, various area and national events, and numerous concerts throughout the United States and France. Stephanie has directed the Valenti Handbell Ensemble of Aquinas College since 1998 and has been director of the Calvin College Handbell Ensemble since the fall of 2001. She has served as conductor for mass rings and directors' events in California, Indiana, Michigan, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, and Texas. In 2012, she conducted a mass piece for the International Handbell Symposium in Liverpool, England, and shared conducting duties with Lee Afdahl for an auditioned US All Star Ensemble at the same event. She has taught handbell classes for the Calvin College Symposium on Worship as well as at various area and national Handbell Musicians of America events. Stephanie just completed her final year of a six-year term on the National Board of Directors of the Guild.

Stephanie serves her church, Trinity United Methodist in Grand Rapids, both as a handbell director and a leader of worship and music for an informal, piano-led contemporary service. One of her strong passions is hymnody and the integration of music and the word. She is also a choral singer and a vocal soloist, and keeps a busy performance schedule throughout the greater Grand Rapids area.

Montreat registrations: While the deadline for early bird registration is January 2, one can register for the Montreat Worship & Music Conference any time; it just costs a little more! Early bird registrations started out with a bang, and we are excited that we are in the six-month "home stretch" of things to do before our conference!

In Our Prayers

Becky Busler

Jane Crewey

Barbara Daniel

Dorothy Dollar

Laura Francis

Fred Frazier

DeeDee Galliher

Dorothy Giesler

Juanita Goforth

Ron Grubbs

Will Hankins

Mary Nell Harris

Sharon Hatcher

Rebekah Heacock

Hawley Heglar

Opal Johnson

Carolyn King

Nancy King

Ruth Musser

Nancy Preston

Mary Rice

Brenda Rogers

Virginia Rutherford

Katy Sikorski

Faye VanNostrand

Ann Woods

An extensive list of prayer concerns, "Pray for One Another," is available for pickup at the church each week.

Condolences

Our love and sympathy are with Graham Barr in the death of his cousin, Helen Louise Marion, of Blountville, December 22.

Birthday Prayer Fellowship

January 4       Scott Sams, Whitney Singleton

January 5       Sujean Bradley, Maria Poteat, Jim Wiseman

January 6       Camille Burt

January 8       Charles Cavatoni, Heidi Harkleroad

January 10     Susan Abel, Chuck Thompson

Sunday, January 4

8:30 a.m.      Worship, Fellowship Hall

9:45 a.m.      Sunday School, Education Wing

11:00 a.m.    Worship, Sanctuary

Tuesday, January 6

9:00 a.m.      Staff Meeting, Room 123

10:00 a.m.    Morning Prayer Group, Conference Room

7:00 p.m.      Boy Scout Troop 3, Scout Wing

Wednesday, January 7

10:00 a.m.   Elizabeth Patrick's Women's Bible Study, New Mothers' Room

4:45 p.m.     Heart to Heart Steering Committee, Room 117

6:00 p.m.     Session Discussion of GA Actions, Fellowship Hall

7:15 p.m.     Sanctuary Choir, Room 202

7:30 p.m.     Praise Team, Fellowship Hall

Thursday, January 8

7:00 a.m.      Men's Bible Study, Parlor

8:30 a.m.      Meals on Wheels, Fellowship Hall

12:00 p.m.   Noon Bible Study, Room 117

Saturday, January 10

8:00 a.m.      Men's Breakfast & Men's Committee, Fellowship Hall