The Church Officer Nominating Committee (CONC) has been authorized by the Session to nominate a Pastor Nominating Committee (PNC) representative of the entire congregation. The PNC's duty shall be to nominate a full-time, installed pastor for election by the congregation.

The CONC is now asking the congregation for nominees for the PNC. To nominate a member of our congregation to serve on the PNC, fill out the form that will be available at Sunday worship on May 22 and May 29 and either place it in the collection plate or return it to the church office. Alternatively, the nomination may be made by emailing Dave Welch at dwelch@fpcbristol.org. Once the CONC has selected the slate of nominees for the PNC, the Session will convene a called meeting of the congregation for the specific purpose of electing the Pastor Nominating Committee.

The job description for the PNC has a focused scope. The PNC's first task will be to complete a Ministry Information Form (MIF). The MIF will serve as an announcement of what we are looking for in a full-time pastor and who we are in terms of the size of our congregation, our programs, our vision, and other essentials. Once approved by the Session, this form will be posted online with the PCUSA Church Leadership Connection to advertise the position so that interested pastors can apply.

Statistics show that the term of this search process is most often between 18 and 24 months. Meetings are usually weekly but can be more frequent, as the committee digs into the task before them. After an extensive search and interviews of finalists, the PNC will ultimately recommend a candidate to the congregation. Members of the PNC will be challenged to pray and discern who will be our next installed pastor.

The Church Officer Nominating Committee is composed of Chuck Thompson, Chair; Scottie Bales, Andrew Beck, Beth Flannagan, and Heidi Harkleroad. We encourage you to contact any member of this committee to ask questions or seek clarity on the duties and/or expectations for the Pastor Nominating Committee.

The first full week of June brings our turn in the local church rotation in the Family Promise of Bristol program. We are looking for volunteers to help us care for a homeless family at one or more points from late afternoon on Sunday, June 5, through early morning on Sunday, June 12. Here is a reminder of our volunteering needs.

We need volunteers to bring in breakfast items or prepared dinners. Breakfast items and supplies should be brought to the church and left in the little kitchen by Sunday, June 5. Dinner should be brought in ready to serve at 5:30 each evening from Sunday through Saturday. This is most easily done by a family or a team.

Dinner hosts come to the church by 5:30 to welcome our guests, eat with them, and stay until the overnight hosts arrive at 8:30. Some people find it easy to fix dinner and stay to host.

Overnight hosts arrive at the church by 8:30 p.m., spend the night, and help with continental breakfast the next morning. Guests leave the church around 7:00 a.m., except on Saturday, when they leave a little later.

On the morning of Sunday, June 12, we will have piles of sheets, towels, and comforters to wash with bleach and return to the Family Promise closet at the church. This is a task that can be done at your convenience.

To volunteer for any or all of these tasks, or to ask a question or make a suggestion, please email Dottie Havlik at dhavlik@charter.net. If you know of folks who may want to help in any way, please encourage them to step forward, or ask Dottie to contact them. Thank you so much for your hospitality to our guests!

We will feed Bristol's hungry this Saturday, May 21, at Sharing Christ Downtown Ministries. FPC folks are donating food, packing sack lunches, serving dinner, and cleaning up. We're nearly there! All we need now are a few large jars of grape jelly. We will begin gathering at Sharing Christ Mission (corner of State and Sixth streets downtown) at 5:00 p.m. For more information or to help, please contact Dottie Havlik at dhavlik@charter.net. 

Dan Kreiss will lead a team from FPC on a mission to bring light and love to inner city youth in Camden, New Jersey, this summer. This opportunity is open to all. We will serve with Urban Promise from Sunday, June 26, through Saturday, July 2, supporting established educational and social programs there. The total cost to FPC participants is $300. The deadline for registration is Sunday, May 15. Please prayerfully consider this opportunity to join in Christ's ministry of love, peace, and justice. For more information, contact Dan at dskreiss@king.edu.

Sunday's music participants: Sanctuary Choir.

Sunday's music:

	William Rowan

As an anthem, the Sanctuary Choir will sing a hymn copyrighted in 2002, "The Play of the Godhead," with text by Mary Louise Bringle (b. 1953) and music by William Rowan (b. 1951). Professor of Philosophy and Religious Studies and chair of the Humanities Division at Brevard College, Bringle grew up in Greensboro, North Carolina. Rowan, from San Diego, California, received his music education at Southern Illinois University and the University of Michigan, and serves as musician at a Catholic church in Lansing, Michigan. Bringle writes, "Rowan's minuet with its melodic figure that repeats three times made me think of the 'threefold dance of the Trinity,' celebrated in the early church's doctrine of perichoresis. In this doctrine, the persons of the Trinity are held to 'dance [chore] around [peri]' one another as equal partners in an interchange of love. The second stanza notes various 'natural analogies' for the Trinity that have historically been tried and found wanting: steam, water, and ice; root, shoot, and fruit." As an introit, the choir will sing "O Come, Let Us Sing to the Lord," by the ever popular Hal Hopson; it is a brief setting of Psalm 95:1.

Parament color: For Trinity Sunday (this Sunday in the Church Year), the traditional color is white. White is considered a symbol of joy, light, and glory, all appropriate for celebrating the gift that is the Trinity. As Elizabeth Patrick continues her series on the Holy Spirit, it is appropriate for us to consider its equal place in the Trinity.

Program of Note: This Sunday, May 22, at 3:00 p.m. in the King University Memorial Chapel, former Bristol Music Club scholarship winner (and FPC Arts Series performer) Zachary Hughes will present a program of piano music. Zachary previously studied piano with Ann Holler. He has completed a degree at the Juilliard School of Music and is raising funds to assist him in launching a performing career. There is no charge, but donations will be accepted at the door. If you are wary of the steps in the circle drive behind the chapel, please continue down to the right and park in the lot where the Fine Arts Building is; you may enjoy a lovely walk on the new bricks in the oval and enter by the front door of the chapel. If necessary, you may contact us and we will arrange for King security to provide a golf cart for transport from that lot to the chapel.

Achievement Award: We want to congratulate church member Nancy DeFriece on being one of five recipients of Arts Alliance Mountain Empire's second Arts Achievement Award. Nancy has long been a supporter of the arts in this region. She has served on the boards of many organizations in our area, including Bristol Ballet, the Hands-On Museum in Johnson City, and Autumn Chase, which became Bristol's Rhythm and Roots Reunion. She was serving on the Tennessee Arts Commission when A! Magazine for the Arts won the Governor's Award. You can read more about Nancy in the May issue of A! Magazine for the Arts. She will receive her award at a gala celebration to honor the recipients this Saturday, May 21.

Except on the Sundays when we observe communion, we beautify the sanctuary with flowers for our late worship service. If you would like to place flowers in honor or in memory of someone, contact Karen Boone at 423-538-8423 or karenboone10@aol.com to arrange for a Sunday and to put the notice in the worship bulletin. You can pick up the flowers following the service or, if you wish, the Care Shepherds will distribute them to members observing birthdays, recovering from illness, or in assisted living.

 

The deadline for contributions to, or suggestions for, the newsletter is the Monday of the week of publication. Windows will be published every two weeks in June and July: on June 9 and 23 and on July 7 and 21. We will return to our regular weekly schedule on August 4.

8:30 a.m.       Worship, Fellowship Hall

9:45 a.m.       Sunday School

11:00 a.m.     Worship, Sanctuary

1:30 p.m.       Fusion, TBD

7:00 p.m.       Session of Elders, 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

6:00 p.m.       Open Prayer Gathering, Chapel

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 p.m.       Middle School Lock-In, Fellowship Hall