We resume our questing Wednesday evening programs by trying to answer a question Jesus himself posed. Dr. Mark Hutton, a Presbyterian minister and the first Pastoral Research Fellow at Tactical Faith, will talk to us on the topic "Getting to Know Jesus ... Again" on January 14 at 6:15 in the Fellowship Hall.

The question is "Who do people say that I am?" Dr. Hutton writes that an answer to that question today depends on whom you ask: "People have their ideas about Jesus; those ideas come from a variety of sources, and they are often communicated in movies, books, music, artwork, and you name it. What about you? Who do you say Jesus is? Why?"

Please join us at 5:30 for our fellowship dinner and stay for the discussion. Student small groups and Wednesday Night Kids will meet as usual at 6:00. Meanwhile, you can learn more about our speaker and Tactical Faith at www.intheperpetualruins.com and http://www.tacticalfaith.com/what-we-do/.

Congregational Meeting Set for January 18

PCUSA seal small A congregational meeting for the election of church officers is set for Sunday, January 18, at 10:20 a.m. in the Fellowship Hall. All active members of the church are eligible to vote. The following slate of proposed officers will be placed in nomination by the Officer Nominating Committee.

For the Session of Elders, Class of 2017

Ann Abel

Beth Flannagan

Ernie Pennington

Con Sauls

John Vann

For the Board of Deacons, Class of 2017

Nathan Heacock

Jim Mayden

Mark Mervis

Robin North

Byron Schiesz

For the Board of Trustees, Class of 2017

Alice Moore

Expanding the Conversation

Since mid-2014, a committee appointed by the Session has been examining how our church is living its mission and vision today and how our strengths as a congregation might enable us to consider new opportunities for service, both locally and globally.

Guided by Holy Conversations: Strategic Planning as a Spiritual Practice for Congregations,the committee met initially to identify and consider the church's strengths and challenges. We then incorporated demographic data into our discussion to better understand our operating environment. The initial conclusions point to the fact that we are living our mission in many effective ways, but that opportunities do exist to enhance and strengthen our efforts. The goal now is to identify key areas for continued growth and development of our gifted and spirit-led congregation.

The committee has been intentional to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit. Your continued prayers for this effort for our church are so important. And your involvement as we enter the next phase of gathering information from the larger body will also be most valuable.

The committee will soon be seeking input from you and the entire church body in various forms and forums regarding our church's life.

Being finalized is a survey that we will encourage all members over 15 years of age to complete. The survey will ask you to gauge, from your point of view, the effectiveness of all aspects of the church's mission as well as your vision for the future.
Gatherings for discussion will also be part of the equation, and there will be opportunities available to you to have dialogue about the issues most important to you in the life of the church.
One-on-one opportunities for discussion will also be available to anyone who cannot attend one of the gatherings and who wishes to have two members of the committee meet with them for conversation.

Following this period of information gathering, the committee will provide its findings and recommendations for action to the Session by their April meeting. We will also make plans to share this information with the entire congregation after the Session's review.

Our congregation's mission and vision statements follow.

Mission Statement

As disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ, we are a community of believers, called by God to glorify and serve God through worship and witness.

Empowered by the Holy Spirit, we reach out to share God's saving love and grace with people in Bristol and throughout the world.

Vision Statement

By the grace of God, the love of Jesus Christ, and the power of the Holy Spirit, we seek:

To offer worship that invites and gathers a growing and diverse community of participants to celebrate God's glory and respond to God's grace, providing opportunities for both contemporary and traditional styles of worship.
To become more effective and intentional in reaching out to our neighbors locally and globally with a deepening commitment each year of spiritual, financial, and human resources.
To provide an exemplary ministry of Christian education and spiritual nurture so that a growing number of people of all ages can find resources for growth in discipleship to Jesus Christ.

You Can Help Support Our Ministries in 2015

It is not too late to pledge financial 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 in 2015, please communicate that desire by filling in your pledge card and sending it to the church or placing in the offering plate on Sunday. If you do not have a pledge card, you may call Betsy Galliher at 423-764-7176 or email her at bgalliher@fpcbristol.org to tell her the amount you want to pledge.

Pledges can be paid by mailing a check to the church, by placing a check or cash in the offering plate, or by using the online payment option on our homepage, www.fpcbristol.org. Pledge commitments cannot be made online, but other donations can be made through the online giving button.

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!

EPIC Series Begins This Sunday

We will start our new churchwide study series, EPIC: Through the Bible with Jesus, this Sunday, January 11. You can pick up your preordered companion book, The Jesus Storybook Bible, in the front office. Sermon texts will be taken from this children's book. You can still order free copies of the book. Order forms are available at the church.

Always on Sunday

When the weather grows arctic or makes the roads hazardous, FPC will follow the lead of the Bristol, Tennessee, city schools. Please tune in to a local radio or television broadcast to learn what that may be. As always, we will make every effort to gather for worship on Sundays, even in severe weather.

Bloodmobile at FPC January 21

The Marsh Bloodmobile will be in our front parking lot Wednesday, January 21, from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m., a convenience for those who come for our fellowship dinner and program. Give blood and receive a T-shirt, coupons for local businesses, and the pleasure of knowing you are helping to save lives.

Men's Breakfast This Saturday

The Men's Breakfast and Men's Committee will have their monthly Bible study over breakfast this Saturday, January 10, at 8:00 a.m. in the Fellowship Hall. Be there for your square!

Go Ahead, Drop the Ball!

The FPC Deacons invite the congregation to an afternoon of bowling on Sunday, January 25, from 3:00 to 5:00 at Belmont Lanes. All ages and skill levels should come prepared for serious fun. The bowling alley is located at 100 Belmont Drive on the Tennessee side of town, and its telephone number is 423-764-5135.

Presbyterian Women Meeting Canceled

The Presbyterian Women meeting scheduled for January 13 has been canceled. This group welcomes all women of the church to their monthly meetings, normally held on second Tuesdays. They meet for circle at 11:00 in room 123, then have Bible study with Gordon Turnbull at 11:30. Afterwards, they lunch together in the church parlor. Their first meeting of 2015 is now scheduled for February 10.

New Date for Read and Feed

Heart to Heart's annual Read and Feed has been rescheduled for Saturday, January 31. More information will be provided as it becomes available. Heart to Heart welcomes all women of the church and their friends!

Women's Bible Studies in 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.

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 returned to 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.

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.

Joy Is Theme of Women's Retreat

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 a family, 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 great weekend at the Blowing Rock Conference Center. Registration begins Sunday, January 18. Forms and flyers are available throughout the church.

Student Meetings Resume

Sunday Night Student Fellowship resumes this Sunday, January 11. All students in seventh through twelfth grades are invited to the Youth Wing and Fellowship Hall at 6:00 p.m. for dinner, games, worship, learning, and fellowship. We hope to see you there!

Student Ministries Small Groups resume Wednesday, January 14. These same-age, same-gender groups meet once a week for fun, sharing, and a devotion. They are intended for relationship building and walking with each other through life's ups and downs. Small groups are now meeting at the church from 6:00 to 7:00, after the Wednesday fellowship dinner. Join us!

Thank You for Warming Hearts and Hands

Thanks to all who festooned our Mitten Tree with scarves and gloves this Christmas! Your donations will benefit local children and families through distributions by Kay Ward and BTCS. Keep a warm thought for them in your heart!

From Steve & Vicki Fey

Music Notes

Sunday's music participants: Sanctuary Choir; Alan Hunter, organist; Pat Flannagan, director. The Feys are taking a vacation Sunday, but will be back in time for Jubilate Youth Choir at 5:15 p.m.

Carl Daw

Sunday's music: In his oratorio of 1798, The Creation, Franz Joseph Haydn (1732-1809) set the first verses of Psalm 19 ("The Heavens Are Telling") as a hymnlike anthem, and early in the 19th century the melody was turned into a hymn-tune. Contemporary hymn-text writer Carl Daw (b. 1944) has taken the full text of the psalm and created a metrical version set to Haydn's hymn-tune. It proclaims that both God's creation and God's instruction give joy to God's servants. The Sanctuary Choir will be singing this hymn as an anthem, as it reflects appropriately on the beginning of our year with The Jesus Storybook Bible.

Rehearsals resume: The Cherub Choir (age 4 through grade 1) will resume rehearsals this Sunday, January 11. Miss Lilly will be in charge of this first rehearsal. Also this Sunday, Jubilate Youth Choir will kick off the new year at 5:15 p.m. Sanctuary Bells will ring in the new year Monday, January 12, at 5:30 p.m. New ringers are always welcome! Finally, as the regular Wednesday program starts back next week on January 14, Children's Handbells (4:15 p.m.), Savior's Singers Children's Choir (4:45 p.m.) and Youth Bells (4:45 p.m.) will all be back on a regular schedule. The Sanctuary Choir began the new year this past Sunday. New singers are always welcome ! We rehearse on Wednesdays at 7:15 p.m. You can find a table of choirs and rehearsal times here.

Pray for One Another

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

Carolyn King

Nancy King

Ruth Musser

Nancy Preston

Mary Rice

Brenda Rogers

Virginia Rutherford

Katy Sikorski

Faye VanNostrand

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

To the Church Triumphant

Opal Burton Johnson

January 5, 2015

Condolences

Our love and sympathy are with Kaye Crutchfield in the death of her sister, Presley Taggart Downs, December 30 in Peoria, Illinois; and with John Dabbs in the death of his aunt, Lois Browning, December 31 in Bristol.

Birthday Prayer Fellowship

January 11 James Buck

January 12 Debbie McMillin, David Phelps

January 13 Pete Holler, Nell Stigers

January 14 Chris Blankenship, Amanda Mills, Fritz Reuning

January 16 Tom Daniel, Dale Davis

January 17 Mack Blevins, Gordon Turnbull

Memorials and Honoraria

We recently received gifts in memory or in honor of the following individuals:

Mack Calcote: by Manfred Stibbe, to the Capital Campaign Fund/MEP

Sue Cannon: by Jim White, to the Minister's Discretionary Fund

Pat Bibee Felty: by Jim White, to the Minister's Discretionary Fund

Richard King: by Tom & Leigh King, to the Capital Campaign Fund/MEP; by John & Laura Ann Warner and by Jim White, each to the Building & Grounds Fund

Tom & Leigh King: an anonymous gift to the Good News Jail Ministry Fund

Dr. Louis Mattison: by Jim White, to the Capital Campaign Fund/MEP

Ruby Poteat: by Tom & Leigh King, to the Capital Campaign Fund/MEP

David Sangid: by Jim White, to the Capital Campaign Fund/MEP

Dr. Gordon Turnbull: by Charlie & Alice Moore, to the Blake Looney Memorial Montreat Scholarship Fund

Dr. Dave Welch: by Charlie & Alice Moore, to the Blake Looney Memorial Montreat Scholarship Fund

Church Calendar

Sunday, January 11

8:30 a.m. Worship, Fellowship Hall

9:00 a.m. Cherub Choir, Room 209

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

11:00 a.m. Worship, Sanctuary

5:15 p.m. Jubilate Youth Choir, Music Wing

6:00 p.m. Student Fellowship, Youth Wing & Fellowship Hall

Monday, January 12

5:30 p.m. Sanctuary Handbells, Handbell Room

7:00 p.m. Building & Grounds Committee, Room 117

7:00 p.m. Worship Committee, Room 123

Tuesday, January 13

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

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

1:00 p.m. Jackie Burt's Bible Study, Burt Home

6:00 p.m. Venture Crew 3, Cub Scout Room

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

Wednesday, January 14

9:30 a.m. Lorri Looney's DVD Bible Study, Parlor

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

4:15 p.m. Children's Handbells, Room 212

4:45 p.m. Youth Handbells, Room 212

4:45 p.m. Savior's Singers Children's Choir, Room 209

5:15 p.m. Baby & Toddler Care, Rooms 34-37

5:30 p.m. Fellowship Dinner, Fellowship Hall

6:00 p.m. Student Ministries Small Groups, Youth Wing & College Classroom

6:00 p.m. Wednesday Night Kids, Rooms 11 & 31

6:15 p.m. Adult Learning, Fellowship Hall

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

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

Thursday, January 15

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

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

Windows is a publication of First Presbyterian Church, Bristol, TN. Please direct questions and suggestions to the editor, Kathy Acuff, kacuff@fpcbristol.org.