Members of the FPC Session are gathering to pray specifically for God's wisdom and guidance regarding the 2016 budget. The first gathering was Monday, January 18, and they will continue through Monday, January 25. They encourage members of FPC to come to the chapel at 6:00 on each of those evenings to join them in this prayerful quest. For ease of access, the rear door by the kitchen will be unlocked during this time.

Our 8:30 worship service on January 31 will feature all bluegrass music, with mandolin, guitar, dobro, bass, percussion, fiddle, and banjo. We will sing good, traditional hymns, such as "Brethren, We Have Met to Worship," "Lily of the Valley," "Love Lifted Me," "Amazing Grace," and "He Leadeth Me." Matt Richardson will bring the message that Sunday. Please plan to join us for a spirited morning!

Mark Hutton

The Heart to Heart Read and Feed, a time of warm food and fellowship for the women of FPC, has been moved from this Saturday, January 23, to next Saturday, January 30. We will still gather at Jennifer Kennedy's home at 11:00 a.m. to share a bowl of soup and talk about good books.

Our annual Women's Retreat is scheduled for February 26-28. We will meet again this year in Blowing Rock, North Carolina, and Cary Umhau, who spoke at our fall gathering, will join us once more.  Her topic will be "The Value of Disruption."

The Heart to Heart Women's Ministry is teaming with Student Ministries to send valentine care packages to our college-age students. FPC has done an incredible job nurturing students, and we want to continue that nurturing after they finish high school!

Collecting addresses: We are collecting addresses for FPC's post-high-school students! Please send those addresses to karnold@fpcbristol.org.

Collecting goodies: During each of the next three weeks, we will collect different goodies for the care packages. In the week of January 24 we will collect mechanical pencils, pens, post-its, and highlighters, as well as $5 gift cards to fast food and coffee establishments.

Look for the decorated Valentine's Day box in the Fellowship Hallway, and join us in showing our love to our college-age students!

Middle School Mania will be in full force next Friday, January 29! We will meet at the church at 6:45 p.m. and head out to the Bolicks' home for a movie and game night. We will return to the church around 10:30 p.m. All seventh to eighth graders are invited!

Our FPC Fusion group of fifth and sixth graders got the jump on fun at the Just Jump Trampoline Park in Johnson City on Sunday, January 17. Here you see them flipping and flying for Fusion!

Students are back in school, and we are beginning to collect small pretzels to keep our young friends at Fairmount Elementary School alert in the afternoon. The small sticks and the small curved pretzels fit best into snack-sized portions. We'll continue to collect pretzels through February. As always, please place your contributions in the little red house in the Fellowship Hallway. Thank you!

Sunday's music participants: Sanctuary Choir.

Sunday's music: The Sanctuary Choir anthem, "The Lord Is a Mighty God" by Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847), is from a larger work that is a setting of Psalm 95. This vigorous and stirring music, completed in 1841, is the third and middle movement of the work. Mendelssohn set the text, originally German and based on Psalm 95:3, as a musical canon between the men's and women's voices that confidently proclaims the sovereignty of the one true God. As part of the scripture readings at 11:00, after Psalm 19 is read, the congregation will sing a metrical version of verses 7 through 14 made by Keith Landis (1922-2006) and set to a melody from a German hymn of the 17th century by Melchior Vulpius (1570-1615). The practice of singing the Psalms in metrical versions has strong connections to Presbyterian heritage, going back to Calvin's worship practices in Geneva. Calvin believed there were no more appropriate words to use to sing God's praise than those found in the Psalms.

Cherub Choir helpers needed: This is just a reminder that every time the Cherub Choir meets (most Sunday mornings during the program year at 9:00 or a little earlier), a helper is needed to take attendance, escort children to the bathrooms, and maintain general order during our rehearsal time. Anyone can volunteer to do this: parents, grandparents, older siblings, nonrelated adults and teens, etc.! Please contact Vicki Fey to work out dates, if you are willing to assist. The more people volunteering, the less often she will need to ask for assistance. Everyone will have a great time! Thanks!

 

Becky Busler

Jude Chambers

Jane Crewey

Dorothy Dollar

Mark Dollar

Fred Frazier

DeeDee Galliher

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

 

Jan. 30      Norma Roop, Herb Van Nostrand

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

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

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

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

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

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

9:30 a.m.       Lorri Looney's Heart to Heart 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

6:00 p.m.       Student Small Groups

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

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

6:45 p.m.       Middle School Mania, Bolick Home

11:00 a.m.     Heart to Heart Read and Feed, Kennedy Home