Your Pastor Nominating Committee (PNC) met for the first time August 31. We are very excited and nervous, and committed to the task set before us. Our prayer is that God lead and guide us, that He go before us and help us discern and trust Him. In this initial meeting, our task was to elect a chair, set a weekly meeting date, and set a date to meet with Presbytery representatives who will act as our consultants and set us up for success. We are pleased to announce that we elected Nancy Allerton as our chair. The other members of your PNC are Ann Abel, Randy Cook, Stuart Parker, Matt Richardson, Annette Tudor, and John Vann.

We believe that prayer is the work as we move forward in this process. Would you join us in praying for the process? We are praying for unity in our committee, for listening ears, for eyes to see what God is doing and where He is leading us. We are praying for our next Pastor, that he or she will be sitting at the feet of Jesus and listening just as we are. More to come from the PNC! Stay tuned. /Matt Richardson

Preparing for the continued work of being the church, the "body of Christ," we will spend the next several Wednesday evenings thinking about and discussing together the idea of stewardship. Christian stewardship is about more than the money we drop into the collection plate; stewardship is everything we do after we say we believe. Dave Welch will present a four-part video series that will invite us to think critically and biblically about areas of responsibility and to engage one another in conversation about these thoughts. Join us next Wednesday, September 14, to kick off this series.

We will begin by gathering at 5:30 in the Fellowship Hall for a dinner of BBQ sandwiches, beans, slaw, and dessert. The adult program will follow at 6:20, and Wednesday Night Kids and Student Small Groups will meet at 6:00.

Wednesday Night Kids will take up week two of their nine-week series of fun and simple hands-on science experiments designed to help them understand God. Lilly Osborne and her Children's Ministries volunteers will gather the children after dinner.

Striving to be the best stewards of our church's resources and to provide a meal to everyone who comes to our fellowship dinners, we are asking those who plan to join us for our Wednesday evening meals to make reservations by noon on Mondays.

You can make a reservation in any of three easy ways:

If you anticipate being here on most Wednesday nights, you may make a standing reservation. But life is change! If you fall ill, have an emergency, or need to be absent for another reason, please let the church office know of your change in plans. And thank you!

Our Fairmount children are back in school, and our snack program will join them soon. We are collecting Teddy Grahams, the plain kind, to share with Fairmount Elementary School students. Please bring your donations to the Little Red House in the Fellowship Hallway. The Neighborhood Initiatives Steering Committee will take them to the school, where teachers will divide them into portions for the youngsters whose parents cannot afford to send snacks to school with them. Thank you for giving these children a boost!

It looks like sunny skies for Dan Gross as he mows the church lawn next week. We hope they will smile on Jim White when he takes the Tiger Cat for a run the following week. If the only thing standing between you and joining our mowing team is unfamiliarity with our Scag mower, Randy Cook will be happy to give you a quick lesson on it. 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!

Noted soprano Cheryl Parrish sings at FPC Sunday afternoon.

The Reverend Bradley Long is a graduate of King College ('07) and Princeton Theological Seminary ('10). Since being ordained as a Teaching Elder in the PCUSA, he has served as a hospital chaplain and solo pastor. He is now transitioning, with his wife Jessica and daughter Susie (19 months), to serving in overseas, cross-cultural ministry with The Antioch Partners. Bradley is the nephew of FPC member Sujean Bradley.

 

8:30 a.m.       Worship, Fellowship Hall

9:00 a.m.       Cherub Choir

9:45 a.m.       Sunday School

11:00 a.m.     Worship, Sanctuary

3:00 p.m.       Arts Series Recital, Sanctuary

5:00 p.m.       Stewardship Task Force, Room 117

5:15 p.m.       Jubilate Youth Choir

6:00 p.m.       Student Fellowship

4:30 p.m.       Finance Committee, Room 123

5:30 p.m.       Sanctuary Handbells

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

7:00 p.m.       Building & Grounds Committee, Room 117

7:00 p.m.       Christian Education Committee, Room 124

7:00 p.m.       Worship Committee, Room 163

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

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

6:00 p.m.       Reading Buddies Orientation, Fellowship Hall

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

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

9:30 a.m.       Heart to Heart DVD Bible Study, Coffee Klatch Classroom

4:15 p.m.       Children's Handbells

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

4:45 p.m.       Youth Handbells

5:15 p.m.       Baby & Toddler Care, Nursery

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

6:00 p.m.       Wednesday Night Kids

6:00 p.m.       Student Small Groups

7:15 p.m.       Sanctuary Choir

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