First Presbyterian Church  |  701 Florida Avenue  |  Bristol, TN 37620  |  423-764-7176  |  www.fpcbristol.org
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In This Issue
Sharing Christ Needs Food and Hands
We Still Need Help for Family Promise Week
August Session Highlights
Learn How to Be a Reading Buddy
Save the Date: Sept. 10
Off to a Good Start
Music Notes
Sunday's Guest Preacher: Don Hudson
Pray for One Another
Memorial Gifts
Church Calendar
Worship
August 28
22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lessons
Jeremiah 2:4-13
Psalm 81: 1, 10-16
Luke 14: 1, 7-14
Sermon
Where Is God?
Don Hudson
Songs (8:30)
Come to the Water
Great Are You, Lord
How Great Thou Art
Clear the Stage
Give Us Clean Hands
Anthem (11:00)
See What Love Hath the Father
Hymns (11:00)
For the Beauty of the Earth
Lord, I Want to Be a Christian
How Firm a Foundation
Last Sunday's Attendance
8:30: 116; 11:00: 111

Windows

on First Presbyterian Church

August 25, 2016
Sharing Christ Needs Food and Hands

FPC's upcoming rotation at the Sharing Christ Mission in downtown Bristol is this Saturday, August 27. Our most urgent needs now are for chicken casseroles (recipe provided) and for volunteers to heat and serve food and to clean up, from 5:00 to around 8:00. We also need large cans of green beans and corn. All can be delivered to the little kitchen at the church before noon on Friday or brought at 5:00 p.m. on Saturday to the Sharing Christ Mission at the corner of Sixth and State streets. If you have questions or would like to help, contact Dottie Havlik at 423-956-6747 or dhavlik@charter.net. Thank you for your service to our neighbors downtown!
We Still Need Help for Family Promise Week
Our weeklong turn in the local church rotation for Family Promise of Bristol begins Sunday, September 4. We need volunteers to help us care for a homeless family in any one or more of the following ways. Our most urgent needs are for overnight hosts on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday, and dinner for the family at 5:30 p.m. on Sunday, Wednesday, and Friday. You may stay to eat with the family or bring dinner and leave. 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. For more information or to volunteer, contact Dottie Havlik at 423-956-6747 or dhavlik@charter.net. Thank you so much for your hospitality to our guests!
August Session Highlights
PCUSA seal small After being challenged by Ernie Pennington in Monday's meeting to "step out of the boat," the FPC Session of Elders asked for God's leadership and moved forward on several projects. The first was approving Larry Sharrett's application to move from being an Inquirer to a Candidate in his ordination process.
The Administrative Committee continues to encourage the work of the Membership Task Force in its efforts to reconnect members with FPC. It also reported that a committee has begun the work of focusing the church's stewardship efforts in both short- and long-term contexts. Several opportunities for the congregation to serve are ongoing, including the Sharing Christ Mission and Family Promise of Bristol. Anyone interested in serving either ministry, or needing more information, may contact Dottie Havlik at 423-956-6747 or dottiehavlik@gmail.com.
The Worship Committee has secured worship leadership through September, and the new interim pastor, Stuart Wilson, will be in the pulpit for World Communion Sunday, October 2. We will unite in ONE worship service at 10:30 a.m., and welcome Stuart together in a reception afterward.
The current FPC Elders are Ann Abel, Aaron Brooks, Kevin Buck, Randy Cook, Tom Daniel, Beth Flannagan, Dottie Havlik, Tom King, Debbie McMillin, Brian Miller, Stuart Parker, Ernie Pennington, Chuck Thompson, and John Vann.
Learn How to Be a Reading Buddy
As Dr. James Comer of Yale University observed, "No significant learning occurs without a significant relationship." In the interest of both, Fairmount Elementary School is recruiting adult volunteers for its Reading Buddy program. A Reading Buddy meets with an assigned student once a week to read together or take part in other activities to build reading skills. This program improves a child's reading ability as it builds a crucial relationship with a caring adult.
An hourlong orientation meeting for this year's program will be held Tuesday, September 13, at 6:00 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall. For more information, please contact school liaison Kay Ward at wardk@btcs.org or (423) 652-9251.
Save the Date: Sept. 10

Men of the church! Mark your calendars now to save Saturday, September 10, as a Men's Breakfast and Work Day for Habitat for Humanity of Washington County. Look for details in upcoming newsletters.
Off to a Good Start

If you like the look of the lawn on the first Sunday in September, thank Erin and Matt Kingsley, who lead our list of mowers for the month. Aaron Brooks continues the good, green work the following week, when our regular Wednesday programs begin.
If you would like to help mow the church lawn but need a lesson on the church mower, Randy Cook will be happy to give you one. We welcome adults and teens, men and women for what we hope will be regular duty. If you can help us for even a single morning or afternoon, please email Randy at npolecook@aol.com or call his cell at 423-956-1541. Thank you!
From Steve & Vicki Fey
Music Notes
Sunday's music participants: Sanctuary Choir; Pat Flannagan, cantor. Jordan Pennington served as the Psalm cantor August 21.
Sunday's music: The Sanctuary Choir anthem at the 11:00 service, "See What Love Hath the Father," is a setting of I John 3:1 by Felix Mendelssohn. Although German by heritage, Mendelssohn was much loved by the English, as he often visited, performed, and composed in England. This short work is from an early oratorio, St. Paul, which was translated from German into English and performed during the composer's visits to England. In 2009, the Sanctuary Choir joined the King University Symphonic Choir to perform Mendelssohn's better-known oratorio Elijah as part of our Arts Series. For this setting, Mendelssohn looked back to older composers by making use of contrapuntal styles more closely associated with the eighteenth century, but his anthem is clothed in the expressiveness more common to his era, the early nineteenth century. This richness of expression matches the power of the words of the scripture.
Arts Series: Donations are now being received for the 2016-2017 Arts Series. Donations of any amount are always welcome, but donors at the following levels will receive tickets to each of our programs:
  1.       $50-$99: one series season ticket
  2.       $100-$249: two series season tickets
  3.       $250-$499: three series season tickets
  4.       $500+: four series season tickets
Your support of these programs is gratefully received and much appreciated. Meanwhile, mark your calendars for Sunday, September 11, at 3:00 p.m., when soprano Cheryl Parrish will kick off the season!  
Sunday's Guest Preacher: Don Hudson
Don Hudson

Dr. Don Michael Hudson teaches Biblical and Religious Studies as an Associate Professor and Chair of the Philosophy and Religion Department at King University. He lectures and writes in the areas of Hebrew Language and Literature, Religion and Politics in a Global Context, Levantine Archaeology in the Late Bronze/Iron 1, and Religious Radicalism. He serves on the governing board of the King Institute of Faith and Culture and manages King's participation in the Tel Azekah archaeological dig with Tel Aviv University and Heidelberg University. He is the author of books and articles in the academic and trade arenas and is the cofounder of The Seattle School of Theology and Psychology.
Pray for One Another
An extensive list of prayer concerns, "Pray for One Another," is available for pickup at the church each week.
 
In Our Prayers
Jude Chambers
Frances Duncan
Fred Frazier
DeeDee Galliher
Sarah Galliher
Bill Goforth
Jo Ann Hatcher
Sharon Hatcher
Vivian Hill

To the Church Triumphant
Faye Elizabeth Sayre VanNostrand
August 19, 2016
 
Birthday Prayer Fellowship
Aug. 28         Steve Fey, Vance McCracken, Breanna Necessary, Katie Vande Brake
Aug. 29         Aaron Addison
Aug. 30         Jackie Burt, Logan Tudor
Aug. 31         Gracie Buckles, Susan Buckles, Ann Davis, Molly Keller
Sept. 1          Sue Barr, Chuck Bolick
Sept. 2          Jillian Madison
Sept. 3          Nancy Carter, Kinser Crutchfield, Randy Van Horn
Memorial Gifts
We gratefully acknowledge recent gifts to the Bristol Emergency Food Pantry Fund in memory of Betsy Galliher's father, Stacey Mott, from Julie King and from an anonymous donor.
Church Calendar
Sunday, August 28
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
5:00 p.m.       Stewardship Task Force, Room 117
5:15 p.m.       Jubilate Youth Choir
6:00 p.m.       Student Fellowship, Youth Wing & Fellowship Hall
Monday, August 29
4:30 p.m.       MEF Advisory Committee, Room 123
Tuesday, August 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, Chapel
Wednesday, August 31
4:15 p.m.       Children's Handbells, Room 212
4:45 p.m.       Savior's Singers Children's Choir, Room 209
6:00 p.m.       High School Devos, Katie Arnold's Home
7:00 p.m.       8:30 Worship Team Rehearsal, Fellowship Hall
7:15 p.m.       Sanctuary Choir, Room 202
Thursday, September 1
7:00 a.m.       Men's Bible Study, Parlor
12:00 p.m.     Noon Bible Study, Room 117
Saturday, September 3
Fall Youth Retreat Begins

Windows is a publication of First Presbyterian Church, Bristol, TN.  Please direct questions and suggestions to the editor, Kathy Acuff, kacuff@fpcbristol.org. Deadline for contributions is the Monday of the week of publication.