During our ONE worship service on Sunday, December 27, we will gather as one congregation in the sanctuary at 10:30 a.m. It will be the last Sunday of the year, so we will collect the quarterly Five Cents a Meal Offering to fight hunger. Sunday School will begin at 9:30, and there will be no Cherub Choir rehearsal. We look forward to worshiping together on the first Sunday after Christmas!

The church office normally opens at 9:00 each weekday morning and closes at 5:00 each afternoon but Friday, when it closes at 1:00. On Thursday, December 24, the office will close at 1:00 p.m. for Christmas Eve. The office will be closed all day on Friday, December 25, for Christmas Day, and on Friday, January 1, for New Year's Day.

Today's issue of Windows is the last in 2015. We will resume publication January 7, 2016.

The Christmas Pageant and Joy Gift Dinner brought our fall semester of Wednesday night programs to a glorious conclusion! We will take a program break until January 13, when we will once again meet most weeks for our fellowship dinner and learning sessions for adults, youth, and children. We will announce plans in early January.

Mother Nature is so far behind in her Christmas preparations that she has forgotten that winter officially begins Tuesday. If she should happen to look at the calendar and resolve to make up for lost time, remember that FPC follows the lead of the Bristol Tennessee City Schools in foul weather. Please tune in to a local radio or television station to learn whether the school system has decided to remain open. When BTCS closes the schools, we close our office, but we always make every effort to gather for worship on Sundays, even in severe weather.

A Christmas party for 18-20somethings will be held at the home of Katie and Brad Arnold, 900 Oakwood Street in Bristol, at 7:00 p.m. on Monday, December 21. Please bring a $10 gift for the crazy gift exchange!

Last winter's Read and Feed nourished body and soul.

The Heart to Heart Read and Feed, a wonderful time of food and fellowship for the women of FPC, will be held on Saturday, January 23, probably around 11:00 a.m. We'll share a bowl of soup and talk about good books. Mark your calendars now and look for more details in the new year.

Music participants: This Sunday, December 20: the Sanctuary Choir, with Michael Long on violin and Lilly Osborne at the piano. Next Thursday, Christmas Eve: the Sanctuary Choir, Jubilate Youth Choir, and various instrumentalists. Next Sunday, December 27: soloists Rachel Barker and Shannan Miller.

Rory Cooney

Sunday's music: The Sanctuary Choir will sing "My Soul Doth Magnify the Lord" at the 11:00 service. The text is a recent English metrical, poetic setting of the Song of Mary from Luke, often called the "Magnificat," as that is the first word in the Latin translation of this song. The musical setting is by Michael Praetorius (1571-1621), one of the most important composers and music theorists of the late Renaissance and early Baroque period working in Lutheran Germany. The straightforward nature of the music allows the power of the text to shine through. In a different take on the Song of Mary, Rory Cooney (b. 1952) created a hymn text that reflects the song's recognition that with the coming of the Christ Child, "the world is about to turn." He set his words to the vigorous Irish folksong "Star of the County Down." This will serve as our second hymn of the day.

Rehearsal schedule: The Cherub Choir (from age 4 through grade 1) will not rehearse again until January 10; Kids' Kirk will be offered instead. The Savior's Singers Children's Choir (grades 2 through 6), Children's Handbells, and Youth Handbells have a break until regular Wednesday programs begin again on January 13. The Jubilate Youth Choir (grades 7 through 12) will have a brief rehearsal after caroling this Sunday, December 20, and will sing on Christmas Eve; they will then take a break until January 10. The Sanctuary Choir, rehearsing December 23 and singing Christmas Eve, will have December 27 and 30 off, then resume leadership on January 3. Sanctuary Bells will resume rehearsing Monday, January 11. The 8:30 Worship Team will follow Shannan Miller's schedule. As always, we are grateful to the many volunteers who participate in the entire music program of the church. Your leadership is appreciated by all!

Dan Kreiss

Two members of our congregation who are pursuing ordination will deliver our sermons on the next two Sunday mornings. At both regular services on December 20, we will hear Dan Kreiss, who has been in youth ministry for 30 years and served in both New Zealand and the US in a variety of positions, including Youth for Christ, church youth pastor, boys' home supervisor, and school chaplain. Dan has also coached a multitude of sports in an effort to connect with young people on their terms. He currently teaches in and directs the Youth Ministry degree program at King University and is studying toward his Master of Divinity degree. Dan is particularly passionate about working with youth outside traditional ministry contexts: in urban settings, athletics, and camps and through outdoor adventures. He has been married to Cindy for 25 years, and together they have four children ranging in age from 12 to 23.

The Sharretts last year

On December 27, Larry Sharrett will preach at ONE worship at 10:30 in the sanctuary. He and his wife, Courtney, are missionaries with The Antioch Partners and currently focused on additional preparation for cross-cultural ministry in Bulgaria. Larry is continuing the ordination process under the care of FPC Bristol and the Holston Presbytery, while completing a Master of Divinity degree at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Chicago. Courtney is completing an undergraduate degree in Christian Ministry as part of Trinity International University. The Sharretts and their daughter, Julianna, attend First Presbyterian Church of Deerfield, Illinois, where Larry is a ministry intern.

Becky Busler

Jude Chambers

Jane Crewey

Dorothy Dollar

Mark Dollar

Fred Frazier

DeeDee Galliher

Dorothy Giesler

Bill Goforth

Ron Grubbs

Will Hankins

Gene Haskins

Sharon Hatcher

Vivian Hill

Andrea Hyde

David Moore

Nancy Preston

Mary Rice

Brenda Rogers

Virginia Rutherford

Faye VanNostrand

Herb Van Nostrand

Deborah Whitaker

 

 

8:30 a.m.       Worship, Fellowship Hall

9:45 a.m.       Sunday School

11:00 a.m.     Worship, Sanctuary

4:00 p.m.       Caroling, Fellowship Hall

4:00 p.m.       Evangelism & Outreach Committee, Room 117

4:45 p.m.       Administrative Committee, Room 117

7:00 p.m.       College-Age Christmas Party, Katie Arnold's Home

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

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

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

6:00 p.m.       Venture Crew 3, Room 123

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

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

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

1:00 p.m.       Church office closes for Christmas Eve

7:00 p.m.       Christmas Eve Candlelight Communion, Sanctuary

Church office closed for Christmas Day

9:30 a.m.       Sunday School

10:30 a.m.     ONE Worship, Sanctuary

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

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

7:30 p.m.       8:30 Worship Team Rehearsal, Fellowship Hall

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

Church office closed for New Year's Day

Passion 2016 College-Age Conference, Atlanta

8:30 a.m.       Worship, Fellowship Hall

9:45 a.m.       Sunday School

11:00 a.m.     Worship, Sanctuary

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

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

7:30 p.m.       8:30 Worship Team Rehearsal, Fellowship Hall

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

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

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