In our adult learning segment next Wednesday evening, Dr. Ray Bloomer will talk to us about what we have learned about the universe from the Hubble telescope. We will gather in the Fellowship Hall on September 9 at 5:30 for dinner, and the adult program will follow at 6:20. Wednesday Night Kids and Student Ministries small groups will meet at 6:00. Please join us!

We need volunteers to help prepare our fellowship dinner on the following Wednesdays: September 9, 23, and 30; October 21; and November 4. Prep work takes place in our big kitchen from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Come and enjoy a day in the kitchen, then return at 5:30 to enjoy the results of your labor! To volunteer, contact Ruthie Blair at 423-797-1815.

The men of the church will have their monthly breakfast and Bible study this Saturday, September 5, at 8:00 a.m. in the Fellowship Hall. All men of the church are encouraged to come for good fellowship and a great start to the weekend. Bring a friend!

Lorri Looney's Wednesday morning Heart to Heart DVD Bible study group will resume meeting September 9. We will begin a five-week study of Priscilla Shirer's Breathe. Workbooks will be available for purchase at the first session. All women of the church are invited to join us at 9:30 in the church parlor. Bring a friend!

FPC youth will lead worship on Sunday, September 27, when we gather in the sanctuary for a single service at 10:30 a.m. Our youth will also collect the Five-Cents-a-Meal offering that morning, so be saving your change! Look for details of this service soon.

Cary Umhau

Heart to Heart will hold its annual Fall Gathering on Thursday, October 1, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall. The  program will begin at 6:15; the supper buffet will open just after 5:30. We are looking forward to an amazing program from Cary Campbell Umhau, author of Burning Down the Fireproof Hotel: An Invitation to the Beautiful Life and founder and director of SPACIOUS, "a movement of folks who want to create ways to bring people together to banish loneliness and foster deeper connections and community," according to its website. Several years ago Cary led our annual Women's Retreat in Blowing Rock, where she touched many of us with her warmth, humor, and winsome faith.

All FPC women are warmly encouraged to come and bring a friend. We will provide child care and a children's dinner of pizza and fruit. If you plan to attend, please let us know by calling the church office at 423-764-7176, emailing Jane Prater at jprater@fpcbristol.org, or responding on Facebook. And please let us know how many children you will bring, and their ages. We look forward to sharing a wonderful evening with you!

Our annual men's service retreat will be held in a new location this year. We will travel together to Louisville on Friday, October 23, to work with WaterStep, a ministry that teaches people in developing countries how to purify their water, repair their wells, and take care of their own water needs. We'll enjoy Bible study as well as cultural events in the area. We plan to worship at Calvin Presbyterian Church on Sunday before returning home.

The total price of $60 covers travel, two nights' lodging, and food (except for Saturday night dinner). Scholarships are available. Space is limited, so reserve your place with a $10 deposit. Registration forms are available at the church.

If you're willing to drive your car, let Dave Welch know. We'll pay for the gas. Please note: We will be sleeping on the floor of Calvin's Youth Building, so bring an air mattress! For more information, contact Dave at dwelch@fpcbristol.org. 

All FPC high school students are invited to Fifth Quarter, a party after the Virginia-Tennessee high school game Friday, September 11, at Velocity Sports Performance. We'll have a dodgeball tournament and a great time until midnight. Food and drinks are free! Velocity is located at 515 Melrose Street in Bristol. You can let Katie Arnold know you'll be there by contacting her at karnold@fpcbristol.org.

Fusion, FPC's fifth and sixth grade fellowship group, will play putt-putt next Sunday evening, September 13. We will meet in the Fusion room at 6:00 and eat a quick deli sandwich before heading out. Pickup will be in the church parking lot at 8:00. Wear your Fusion t-shirt! If you need a shirt or a different size, contact Lilly Osborne at losborne@fpcbristol.org. 

We are collecting boxes of original and multigrain Cheerios for neighborhood schoolchildren who cannot afford to bring snacks from home. We want all the young students at Fairmount Elementary School to get the energy boost they need to stay focused in the afternoon. You can help by bringing in one or more boxes of Cheerios and placing them in the little red house in the Fellowship Hallway. We appreciate it, and so will our hungry young friends!

Sunday's music participants: Sanctuary Choir; Mariel Story, guitar; Brandon Story, bass.

Graham Kendrick

Sunday's music: For the offertory, the Sanctuary Choir will sing the joyous new communion hymn, "The Trumpets Sound, the Angels Sing" (no. 505 in Glory to God). Written by Graham Kendrick (b. 1950), its rejoicing reminds us that the feast here is but a foretaste of the joyous feast to come. Kendrick, the son of a Baptist minister, is one of the most prolific singer-songwriters in the United Kingdom. For this song, he uses a calypso-style rhythm to reinforce the idea that we are glad to gather at Christ's table.

Musical thank you: Our sincere and grateful thanks to the children and youth who offered the musical to the congregation this past Sunday. Your gifts are appreciated! Thanks also to the parents who made sure they were at rehearsals when possible and that they knew their lines and music!

Back to normal rehearsals: Now that the musical is over, the Children's Handbell Choir and Savior's Singers Children's Choir (grades 2-6) have begun rehearsing for World Communion Sunday and the Christmas pageant. Rehearsals for these two groups are each Wednesday (with a few exceptions) at 4:15 p.m. (bells) and 4:45 p.m. (choir) upstairs in the Music Wing. In addition, Youth Handbells (grades 7-12) is now rehearsing each Wednesday at 4:45 p.m. in the bell room. All youth (grades 7-12) are also welcome to join the Jubilate Youth Choir, which meets at 5:15 p.m. each Sunday (except September 6 and a few other dates) right before Student Fellowship. 

This Sunday, September 6, in our EPIC journey through The Jesus Storybook Bible we meet "The Friend of Little Children," which draws from the many parables and slices of life in Matthew 18 and 19, Mark 10, and Luke 18 to emphasize the love Jesus had for children. Please join us!

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

8:30 a.m.       Worship, Fellowship Hall

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

9:45 a.m.       Sunday School

11:00 a.m.     Worship, Sanctuary

11:15 a.m.     Kids' Kirk (dismissed from worship), Room 32

Church office closed for Labor Day

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

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

7:00 p.m.       Board of Deacons, Room 123

7:00 p.m.       Called Session Meeting, Room 125

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

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

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

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

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

5:15 p.m.       Baby & Toddler Care, Rooms 34 & 35

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

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

6:00 p.m.       Student Ministries Small Groups, Youth Wing, Conference Room, Parlor

6:20 p.m.       Adult Learning, Fellowship Hall

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

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

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

6:00 p.m.       Parents' Night Out, Fellowship Hall

10:00 p.m.     5th Quarter, Velocity Sports Performance