June 28: Jump In! 

Working Community 

Toss a Nickel in the Bucket, Win a Meal for the Hungry 

This offering takes its name from the way it works: each of us sets aside five cents for each meal we eat. By the end of three effortless months, each of us has accumulated a personal offering of about $13.50, and together we make a healthy contribution toward feeding the hungry. If you'd rather not bring in a sack of coins, you may write a check payable to FPC, noting on the memo line that it is for Five-Cents-a-Meal.

Our hunger-relief work truly makes a difference at home and abroad! Last year, Holston Presbytery awarded each of our six requests for Five-Cents-a-Meal grants with $1,158.51. Locally, we were able to help the food programs of Abuse Alternatives, Bristol Emergency Food Pantry, Fairmount Elementary School, and Haven of Rest. Internationally, we gave food aid to two of our long-time partners in ministry, the Bethel School in Felipe Camarão, Natal, Brazil, and the Western Wollega Bethel Synod in Ethiopia.

Thanks in advance for your personal donation to this important special offering!

EPIC Trek Takes Us to Christmas in June 

Register or Volunteer for Vacation Bible School 

Remember to register your children or young friends for Vacation Bible School, coming up July 20-22. Sign-up forms are available on the kiosk near the front office, at the VBS display in the Fellowship Hallway, and in the narthex. As you can tell from the wonderful displays outside both worship spaces, our theme this year is Jesus as a child in Nazareth, and our setting is a Middle Eastern marketplace.

We would love to have a few more volunteers to help our program leaders create a fun and meaningful event for the children. If you can help, please contact Lilly Osborne at 423-764-7176 or losborne@fpcbristol.org.

One way to help is to provide props, labeled so that we can return them to you. Please note the new item in our wish list, small glass jars:

• Artificial fruit
• Artificial greenery/palm trees
• Easy-up canopies
• Flat sheets in solid colors
• Small glass jars (like those for baby food, jam, condiments)
• Wicker baskets
• Woven rugs

And we really can't say this often enough: Please label all items. Thank you!

Music and Worship, Maestri, Please! 

The Montreat Worship and Music Conferences, long and lovingly planned by our music directors, Steve and Vicki Fey, begin Sunday! The first week is June 21-26, and the second week will be June 28-July 3. The public is invited to a number of day and evening events each week. Please feel free to attend!

With the one exception noted below, all events will be held in Anderson Auditorium, including morning worship, Monday through Friday of each week at 11:00. Musical evenings are scheduled for the following dates, and all at 8:00, except for the Friday night concerts at 7:30:

• Monday, June 22 & 29: Organ recital by Joby Bell, at First Presbyterian Church of Asheville.
• Tuesday, June 23 & 30: Youth/children talent show.
• Wednesday, June 24 & July 1: Hymn festival, featuring Asian hymnody and song.
• Thursday, June 25 & July 2: Concert by Adult and Senior High Chamber Choirs (auditioned groups).
• Friday, June 26 & July 3 (7:30): Closing concert featuring all the singing choirs, several handbell choirs, and an instrumental ensemble.

As folks prepare to attend one of the weeks of the Montreat Worship and Music Conference, we ask prayers for the following conferees, chaperones, and staff from our church:

Week 1 Conferees

Tobin Chambers, Anna Comer, Isabel Gross, Zora Gross, Daniel Osborne, Ginny Osborne, Madison Ratliff

 Week 1 Chaperones

Dawn Eubanks, Dan Gross, Lilly & Ray Osborne

Week 2 Conferees

Karen Boone, Charles Webb

Faculty & Staff

Steve & Vicki Fey, conference directors; Dan Kreiss and Mickensie Neely, Middler Bible Study

Great Escape Draws to a Close 

FPC Great Escape Work Crew

Wesley Burleson

Alex Eleas

Emily Estes

Abby Frick

Danae Kreiss

Alison Looney

Austin McReynolds

Annie Osborne

Josh Pruner

Jordan Scott

Melody Wallen

Stephen Welch

Yonna Worley

FPC Great Escape Attendees

Alie Bassett

Gracie Brooks

Gracie Buckles

Evie Cozart

Hope Godsey

Carter Harris

Hannah Hawk

Jason Kreiss

Riley McCracken

Daniel Osborne

Madison Ratliff

Lily Rosser

Chandler Smith

Ginny Osborne

Big Doings: BigStuf and Baseball 

The following students will take part in this mission trip. Please keep them in your prayers!

AnnaLee Adams

Blakesley Bassett

Olivia Fox

Abby Frick

Rhiannon McCallus

Annie Osborne

Dewey Pendley

Spencer Pruner

Rose Rosser

JT Scott

Marquze Thompson

Maddy Wolfe

Lexie Worley

Yonna Worley

FISH Your Way through Summer 

FPC students can fill summer with Fellowship in Someone's Home. They can FISH for five weeks, studying the Bible and sharing snacks, activities, and a lot of fun! Middle school students will meet from 7:00 to 9:00 on Tuesday nights, and high school students will meet at the same time on Thursday nights. The first middle school FISH meeting will be July 7; the first high school FISH will be July 9. Meeting places will be announced. Contact Katie Arnold at karnold@fpcbristol.org to take the plunge!

Looking Down the Road 

Next Family Fun Fellowship Evening: July 1 

Our next Family Fun Fellowship of the summer will be held Wednesday, July 1. Kids and their families are enthusiastically invited to Lilly and Ray Osborne's home at 5:30 p.m. to have a lot of summer evening fun together! These gatherings will continue on July 15 and 29, so be sure to mark your calendar. 

Here We Come Rejoicing 

The Newlyweds!

Rejoicing in the May 10 marriage of their daughter, the Rev. Mary Margaret Flannagan, to the Rev. Adam Brian Fischer, Pat and Beth Flannagan invite you to celebrate with them at a party they will give on Saturday, June 27, from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m., in the Middlebrook Club House (76 Kingsbridge). Come and congratulate the son of Mr. and Mrs. Scott P. Fischer of Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, and wish our own Meg all happiness. Please contact Beth at bethf@bvu.net or 423-764-7875 to let the Flannagans know whether you can join them. 

Sam Samuel Says Thanks! 

Sam Samuel thanks everyone who came to his birthday party June 7. Your presence meant a great deal to him. He hopes to do it all again next year!

Our May 2015 Financial Summary 

We here present the highlights of our year-to-date financial summary as of May 31, followed by a tabular summary.

Highlights

• Pledges/Offerings through the first five months of the 2015 were below budget by $18,113. For the same period last year, we were $25,505 over budgeted expectations.
• Expenditures year-to-date are tracking over budgeted expectations, coming in $3,501 over budget through the end of May.
• Expense Notes: (1) Interest paid to date on our Eastman Credit Union capital loan was $11,469; (2) utility expenses, year-to-date, were $29,254, over budgeted expectations by $5,254 and $2,144 more than the same time last year.
• Capital Loan: The balance with Eastman Credit Union at May 31, 2015, was $718,055. At May 31, 2014, the balance was $914,831.
• Anticipated Budget Shortfall: Through May 2015, we have had to utilize $15,000 of our budgeted $21,723 surplus carryover from prior years to meet current year operating requirements. Last year we did not have to utilize any of these funds.

*Anticipated Budget Shortfall is an estimated amount of money that is expected to be drawn from our emergency reserve funds in order to fulfill our ongoing budget. Our reserve funds are limited and comprise monies from prior years that were above and beyond what was required to meet those years' respective budgets.

From Father's Day to Independence Day 

That's the maturation process in a matter of days! Father's Day is this Sunday, but don't worry, Dad, you'll be proud of our lawn. Braving the heat June 17-20, Randy Cook will have it looking just as it should for your big day. When he isn't directing the choir while the Feys are at Montreat, Pat Flannagan will conduct the grass into a state of harmony June 24-27. And if we're mown on the Fourth of July, it's because Larry Connolly will be on the job July 1-4.

Do we field a great team or what? To join it, call Randy Cook at 423-956-1541 or email him at npolecook@aol.com. If you've never used a Scag mower before, Randy will be happy to show you how. 

Music participants for June 21 & 28: Sanctuary Choir; Pat Flannagan, director; Alan Hunter, organist. The Feys will be at Montreat.

Music for June 21: The Sanctuary Choir anthem will be "Is a Murmuring Dove Nearby?" with text by Richard Leach (b. 1953) and music by David Ashley White (b. 1944). This anthem, while centered on the birth of Jesus, reflects on the whole of his life, death, and resurrection, just as the Bible narrative for this week reminds us that his birth is part of a large plan. Leach, a native of Maine, is a Lutheran pastor who has written a large body of hymn texts. White, a Texas native, has served as head of the music program at the University of Houston for many years.

Music for June 28: The anthem is an arrangement by Philip Ledger of an Austrian Christmas carol, "Still, Still, Still." This carol, with quiet reflection, expresses our joy in the knowledge that "the God of love has left his throne, made this humble world his own." Ledger (1937-2012) had a noted career as an English choral conductor and composer. For a number of years he was choirmaster for the world-famous Choir of King's College Cambridge.

July soloists: As the Sanctuary Choir takes a well-deserved break, we are pleased to offer the talents of the following singers in the choir's absence: July 5, Chelsea Herron; July 12, Samantha Robertson; July 19, Jordan Pennington; July 26, George Huber; and August 2, Nancy and Randy Cook.

Greg Allen-Pickett

Montreat bios: Greg Allen-Pickett and Brian Shivers are sharing responsibility between week 1 and week 2 for the Senior High Seminar, Living the Life. Greg is the General Manager of Presbyterian World Mission. Prior to attending Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary, Greg worked as Youth Director at Wellshire Presbyterian Church and was the Field Operations Manager for a small faith-based water organization called Healing Waters International. Greg grew up in Flagstaff, Arizona, and lived in Washington, Alaska, Ecuador, and Colorado before landing in Louisville, Kentucky, where he works at the Presbyterian Center with the most amazing group of people in World Mission. Greg is married to his best friend, Jessica. They have a gregarious five-year-old daughter named Esther and a very sweet lab-beagle mix named Luna. Greg loves to read, hike, kayak, canoe, ski, and spend quality time with his family.

Brian Shivers has directed youth ministries at Second Presbyterian Church, Indianapolis, Indiana, since 1990. He received his MDiv degree at Christian Theological Seminary in 2010 and was ordained in the spring of 2011, after which he was called and installed as the Associate Pastor of Youth and College Ministries. Brian was born and raised in Marion, Indiana, where he attended Marion High School, involving himself in sports and the school choir. Brian met his wife, Jennifer, at church while in high school, after which they both attended Taylor University in Upland, Indiana, where Brian received a BA in Christian Education and a certificate in youth ministries. The couple married in December 1987. The Shivers have a teenage daughter named Allison, a chocolate lab named Godiva, and tuxedo cat named Bella.

In Our Prayers

Becky Busler

Jane Crewey

Dorothy Dollar

Fred Frazier

DeeDee Galliher

Dorothy Giesler

Ron Grubbs

Will Hankins

Sharon Hatcher

Hawley Heglar

Vivian Hill

Carolyn King

Sue Olsen

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.

Birthday Prayer Fellowship

June 21         Con Sauls

June 22         Robin North

June 23         Ruthie Blair, Jon Blankenship

June 26         Tom Faucette, Jon Lundberg, Mollee McClain

June 27         Kaye Crutchfield, Robert Havlik

June 28         Nora Smith

June 29         Noah Ong

June 30         Julia Sikorski

July 1             Nancy Hoffer

July 4             Andy Mumpower

We gratefully acknowledge recent gifts in memory of the following individuals:

Juanita Goforth: from Dr. and Mrs. Raymond Feierabend, to the Memorial Fund; from Eddie & Peggy Hill, to the Capital Campaign Fund/MEP

Phyllis Green: from Eddie & Peggy Hill, to the Capital Campaign Fund/MEP

Mary Nell Harris: from Eddie & Peggy Hill, to the Capital Campaign Fund/MEP; Dorothy Royston, to the  Children's Ministries Fund

Sunday, June 21

8:30 a.m.       Worship, Fellowship Hall

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

11:00 a.m.     Worship, Sanctuary

Monday, June 22

7:00 p.m.       Session Meeting, Room 123

Tuesday, June 23

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

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

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

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

Wednesday, June 24

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

Thursday, June 25

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

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

Sunday, June 28

8:30 a.m.        Worship, Fellowship Hall

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

11:00 a.m.     Worship, Sanctuary

6:00 p.m.       Congregational Pool Party, Haynesfield Pool

Tuesday, June 30

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, July 1

5:30 p.m.       Family Fun Fellowship, Osborne Home

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

Thursday, July 2

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

7:30 p.m.       Troop 3 Committee, Room 163

Friday, July 3

Church office closed for Independence Day holiday