First Presbyterian Church  |  701 Florida Avenue  |  Bristol, TN 37620  |  423-764-7176  |  fpcbristol.org

In This Issue
Worship
Subscriptions & Deadline
Pastor's Reflections
Whiteboards for Prayer Requests
Final Prayer and Budget Information Meeting Sunday
Pledge Campaign Update
Five Cents a Meal Offering Oct. 28
Sydney Peltier Leads Again Next Wednesday
FPC Arts Series: Early Music Trio Here Next Thursday
We'll Get Out the Rakes Nov. 3
At Last! Celebrate with Us Nov. 4
The Greatest: Sunday Night Student Fellowship
Engaging Volunteers: Current Needs
Little Cookies for Little Hands
Final Soliloquy of the Interior Para-mower
Music Notes
Pray for One Another
Church Calendar
Our Church Officers
Worship
October 21
29th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lessons
Hebrews 5:1-10
Mark 10:35-45
Sermon
Wonderbad
Sam Weddington
Hymns
Holy God, We Praise Your Name
By All Your Saints Still Striving
Anthem
Love Consecrates the Humblest Act
Last Sunday's Attendance
8:30: 104; 11:00: 110
Subscriptions & Deadline
To receive our e-newsletter, email your name and preferred email address to the editor, Kathy Acuff, at kacuff@fpcbristol.org. The newsletter is emailed a minute after midnight on Thursday morning. It is posted to our website later that day.
Deadline for contributions is the Monday of the week of publication. Windows is a publication of First Presbyterian Church, Bristol, TN.

Windows

on First Presbyterian Church

October 18 , 2018
Pastor's Reflections
Well, here we are, right in the middle of stewardship season, as well as on the cusp of a One Worship, installation, and communion service at 11:00 a.m. on November 4. Regarding that worship service, there is a great deal of change from what you are accustomed to as a church community. One Worship will be at a different time and longer than usual, it will be in one particular worship style, and it will contain the peculiar act of installation, not to mention communion. Of course, all of this occurs in the middle of discerning our church's budgetary situation with its big, unanswered question: Will we make our $646,000 pledging goal?
Some of us are anxious; I know I am. Though measured, change is happening. Some of you may have questions about the changes you have seen. Others may wonder how long it will last. I am sure there are members of the staff who question what the future holds. As the pastor-to-be-installed, I fear that I don't have the answers or solutions. Do folks like me? We pastors want folks to like us! Oh, and did I mention that audio problem in the sanctuary, or how small that screen is?
When I feed my fleshly desires --the desire for safety, stability, predictability; my preferences; my anxieties because I'm convinced that things hinge on me- -I am thankful for Paul's command in Galatians: "Walk by the Spirit!" Earlier in chapter five, Paul tells us we are free in Christ, but we ought not use our freedom to further personal projects. Instead, we ought to use our freedom in Christ for service and love in Christ's name. It's hard to feed the flesh, it's hard to be anxious, it's hard to focus on a particular pet project or peeve, when we have our eyes on Jesus and his call that we strive for the sake of others. It's hard to be a worried pastor when I walk by faith towards the calling Christ has for me at this time and in this place.
And so I plan on walking down that aisle on November the fourth in faith, leaning not on my own understanding (Proverbs 3:5). Oh, sure, my palms will be sweaty. There will be a million things to accomplish in the coming years. I'm sure that both you and I will feed the flesh. There will be moments of disagreement and uncertainty. Who knows, we might not make our budgetary goals.
However, there is one thing of which I am convinced: if we will walk by the Spirit; if we will follow the One who has called us by name (Isaiah 43:1), there is no challenge from here to "there" that we cannot meet, for it is the Lord who goes before us. (Deuteronomy 31:8) With the help of the Spirit, we will walk there together.
In Christ,
Pastor Sam
Whiteboards for Prayer Requests
Look for one of the newly placed whiteboards as you come to worship on Sunday mornings, and be sure to add your requests for prayer to it. We will collect requests from the boards before each service begins so that we can incorporate them into our worship together.
Final Prayer and Budget Information Meeting Sunday

All interested parties are invited to participate in a final prayer and discussion meeting in the chapel from 5:00 to 6:30 p.m. this Sunday, October 21. The twofold purpose of the meeting is to enter into prayer, earnestly asking God to guide our church and instill in us the energy needed to move forward on his ministry for us, and to provide an open forum for questions and discussion regarding the 2019 operational budget.
Elders and members of the Finance and Stewardship committees will host the meeting. Participants will be able to ask questions about the 2019 operating budget, the pledge campaign, and other church matters. The expectation is that our prayers will be answered and members will gain a deeper understanding of the operating budget. / Jerry Poteat
Pledge Campaign Update
We are two weeks into our stewardship campaign. During these two weeks, we are reminded of how God continues to weave our individual stories into one beautiful tapestry of generous love. One of the ways we express that love is by pledging our financial support for the 2019 operating budget.
This year's campaign goal is $646,000; to date, 53 donors have pledged a total of $276,574. That is 42.8% of our goal. We are well on our way, and your decision to pledge will make all the difference.
You may be new to the experience of pledging, or this practice may have been a part of your Christian journey for many years. Either way, pledging matters. Let's look at three ways pledging engages you and why it matters.
  1. Pledging engages your identity. Regardless of the amount, a pledge card says, "I am a part of something greater than myself." It says, "I am a part of the body of Christ, working toward a common goal: to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever." When we do the math and sign the card, we are proclaiming, "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." A pledge card says, "We believe in what we are doing as a church and in who we are becoming together in Christ." Your pledge card says, "Count me in!"
  2. Pledging engages you in accountability. Deeply rooted in our concept of church is the conviction that we are a dynamic community of strength and grace, intended to serve others in the name of Christ. Even with the best intentions and on our best days, we can neglect or overlook our deepest convictions. When you pledge, you create for yourself a mechanism of accountability. You empower our church to empower you.
  3. Pledging engages you in the operations of our church. From a practical standpoint, it is necessary to develop and manage a healthy church budget. Our operating budget is one of many tools that make it possible to support the benevolences to which we are committed and on which so many in need depend. Another tool is prayer. Last week, you heard Dave Welch describe the prayerful commitment each of the staff members makes to the success of FPC. This Sunday evening, you are invited to join elders and members of the Finance and Stewardship committees in the chapel at 5:00 for prayer and budget discussions.
Stewardship charges each of us to deliberately seek out and serve those in need by sharing our gifts. Remember our stewardship vision verse from 1 Peter 4:10: "Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God's grace in its various forms." The total number of pledges from our congregation is one measure of our engagement. When you pledge, you show the church leadership and staff that they have your faithful support.
This is why we, your Stewardship Committee, are calling on you and your family to submit your pledge today. Engage in the beautiful story being written within the life of our congregation. / Jerry Poteat
Five Cents a Meal Offering Oct. 28
5 cents a meal logo
We will collect our quarterly Five Cents a Meal offering Sunday, October 28, at both services. The suggested offering is $13.65 per person, or about a nickel for each meal you eat in a three-month period. Your offering will provide hunger relief through both local and global ministries. Last year, our Five Cents a Meal offerings enabled FPC to help feed the hungry in Bristol through Haven of Rest and Bristol Emergency Food Pantry, and in Ethiopia and Brazil through our missions in those countries. Please be generous!
Sydney Peltier Leads Again Next Wednesday
Sydney Peltier will lead our Adult Learning session again at 6:20 p.m. next Wednesday, October 24, in the Fellowship Hall. She will continue a discussion she calls "Cigarettes, Prozac, and a Father's Heart: Reconciling our vices and vulnerabilities in a broken world." In her role as a licensed professional counselor, Sydney is known for her thoughtful, relaxed, empowering, and fun style, and she brings those qualities to our Wednesday gatherings. She graduated from Appalachian State University, earned her master's degree with honors in counselor education from Radford University, has a postgraduate certificate in Autism Spectrum Disorders from Longwood University, and has completed specialized training at The Colorado School for Family Therapy.
Do come to the Fellowship Hall early, at 5:30, for fellowship and BBQ sandwiches, baked beans, slaw, and dessert. High School Small Groups, Middle School Gathering, and Wednesday Night Kids will meet at 6:00. Handbell ringers and anyone who would like to learn (we urgently need one more bell handler) will head upstairs to practice at 6:20.
FPC Arts Series: Early Music Trio Here Next Thursday
The first program in our new season of the FPC Arts Series will be held in our sanctuary Thursday, October 25, at 7:30 p.m. Ensemble Chaconne, an early music trio from the Boston area, will perform masterpieces of 18th-century European chamber music on period instruments. The concert is free and open to the public; the suggested donation is $10. Pat Flannagan has created a Facebook event for this concert.
The members of Ensemble Chaconne are Peter H. Bloom, baroque flute; Carol Lewis, viola da gamba; and Olav Chris Henriksen, baroque lute and (the rarely heard) English guitar. They will perform works by George Frideric Handel; Antonio Vivaldi; Johann Christian Bach; viola da gamba virtuoso Carl Friedrich Abel; oboist Johann Christian Fischer; violinist Felice de Giardini; and lutenist/harpsichordist Rudolf Straube, a favorite student of J.S. Bach.
Ensemble Chaconne performs internationally, with tours in England, Ontario, and the United States. The group has been acclaimed for "virtuosity, balance and charm" (The Portland Press Herald) and praised for "vitality and character ... style and verve" (MusicWeb International). The trio has performed at London's National Gallery, Atlanta's Spivey Hall, The Royal Shakespeare Company's residency at Davidson College, the Edison Theatre in St. Louis, The National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa, the Bach Festival Society of Winter Park Florida, and the Yale Center for British Art.
We'll Get Out the Rakes Nov. 3
rake and leaves
Our annual Fall Cleanup Day is scheduled for Saturday, November 3. The cleanup crew will meet in the church parking lot at 9:00 a.m. then head out to work till noon. We are recruiting crew members and seeking church members who would like help with such chores as raking leaves, cleaning gutters, and changing smoke detector batteries. You will find sign-up sheets in the narthex and the Fellowship Hallway. You may also call Scottie Bales in the church office at 423-764-7176 to request help or to volunteer.
At Last! Celebrate with Us Nov. 4
With communion and bagpipes, we will celebrate the installation of Sam Weddington as our head pastor during One Worship from 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on November 4 in the sanctuary. The guest preacher will be the Reverend Eungyoung "Grace" Kim, Sam's wife. The installation service will be followed by a small reception in the Fellowship Hall, a wonderful opportunity to grow better acquainted with Sam's family.
During the service, ushers will collect a special offering for the Holston Presbytery Pastoral Care Fund. This offering will be used to help provide medical emergency funds to pastors, associate pastors, and other church professionals. Special offering envelopes will be available; make checks payable to Holston Presbytery.
Please make plans now to participate in this long-awaited occasion!
The Greatest: Sunday Night Student Fellowship
Middle and high school students are invited to come to the Youth Wing Sunday night for Student Fellowship. It's the final week of our series, The Greatest. From 6:00 to 8:00, we will consider the greatest commandment Jesus gave us. It included three things: loving God, loving others, and loving our lives. But how do you actually do all three of these things day in and day out? As we wrap up this series, we'll look at a way Jesus said we could live out our faith: by staying connected to Him. Hope to see you there! #TheGreatestSeries
Engaging Volunteers: Current Needs

FPC has something for everyone who likes to be of service to our congregation and our neighbors. Just run your eye down the list below! To volunteer, call the church office at 423-764-7176 or get in touch with the contact person listed for each opportunity.
Fusion. We need a male helper for our great group of fifth and sixth grade boys. Contact Lilly Osborne, losborne@fpcbristol.org.
Halloween Help. We need volunteers to decorate car trunks and donate treats for our contribution to Haunted Halls at Fairmount Elementary School. The event will be held Thursday, October 25, at 6:00 p.m., but you should probably be in the parking lot by 5:30 p.m. to set up. We expect about 350 kids to attend, so each car will need about 700 pieces of candy. We are accepting donations of candy without the car! Contact Lilly Osborne, losborne@fpcbristol.org.
Handbell Ringer. We urgently need one more ringer for the Sanctuary Handbell Choir, which practices Wednesdays from 6:20 to 7:15 p.m. Contact Beth Flannagan, bethflannagan74@gmail.com, or Bob Greene, bobthecomposer@gmail.com.
Kitchen Cleanup. We still need folks to clean up after our Wednesday fellowship suppers. Please pitch in! Contact Scottie Bales, sbales@fpcbristol.org.
Nursery. We need volunteers in the nursery during both services and Sunday School. Sign up for one week, one month, or a specific day. Contact Lilly Osborne, losborne@fpcbristol.org.
Little Cookies for Little Hands
We are collecting vanilla wafers for the many students of Fairmount Elementary whose families can't buy them snacks for the afternoon break. We collect snacks from our generous church family, and the Christian Hands Ministry folks make sure they get to the school. Please bring boxes of any brand of vanilla wafers to the Little Red House in the Fellowship Hallway to help our friends at Fairmount pay attention through the fall afternoons. Thank you!
Final Soliloquy of the Interior Para-mower*
* No apology. Wallace Stevens is sturdy enough to withstand a clumsy pun.
Summer finally bothered to consult the calendar last week and suddenly flew off south, leaving us with fall and the fast approach of the first frost of the season. Randy Olson (October 17-20) and Jim White (October 24-27) selflessly stayed behind to mow the church lawn. Our mowing roster and the month of Sundays in October end together, along with our weekly soliloquies. Pastorales and roster will return with the robins. Until then, as you plan your holidays and dream about your next garden, take a minute to contact Randy Cook at npolecook@aol.com or 423-956-1541 and tell him you want to be on the field when the grass springs back on the far side of winter. It's the pastoral thing to do.
Music Notes
Sunday's music: Our anthem, "Love Consecrates the Humblest Act," was composed by Lim Swee Hong (b. 1963). The text of the anthem reminds us that all deeds of kindness are an act of worship. Dr. Hong is the Deer Park Associate Professor of Sacred Music at
Lim Swee Hong
Emmanuel College at the University of Toronto and the Director of the Master of Sacred Music Program. Before joining Emmanuel in 2012, Swee Hong served as an Assistant Professor of Church Music at Baylor University in Texas. Swee Hong is currently the Director of Research for the Hymn Society in the United States and Canada. In 2013 he served as the Co-Moderator of the Worship Committee for the 10th General Assembly of the World Council of Churches for its meeting in Busan, South Korea, and was a member of the Worship Planning Committee for the 2011 Ecumenical Peace Convocation sponsored by the World Council and held in Jamaica. From 2006 to 2011, he chaired the Committee on Worship and Liturgy for the World Methodist Council and designed and supervised the worship services of the 20th World Methodist Conference in Durban, South Africa. Swee Hong holds a PhD in Liturgical Studies from Drew University, where he won the Helen LePage and William Hale Chamberlain Prize for Outstanding Dissertation. He also holds a Master of Arts in Sacred Music from Perkins School of Theology. He completed his undergraduate work in Church Music at the Asian Institute for Liturgy and Music in the Philippines. He is well published in global music, with his monograph, Giving Voice to Asian Christians, known especially among global musicians. He is also a prolific composer of hymnody.
Our final hymn is new to this congregation, yet it has been part of the hymn literature since the early 20th century and is popular in England to sing on All Saints Day.
Organist's Footnotes: Today we welcome the Sanctuary Handbell Choir back with two contrasting pieces [Prelude, Offertory]. Our postlude is a rousing march composed by John Baptiste Calkin (1827-1905), who was an English composer, organist, and music teacher.
Handbell ringer wanted: We urgently need one more ringer for the Sanctuary Handbell Choir, which practices Wednesdays from 6:20 to 7:15 p.m. Please talk with Beth Flannagan, Mary Ellis Rice, Rebecca Tate, Jim White, or Bob Greene. Join us upstairs in room 212 after the fellowship supper and ring a bell with a fun-loving group!
Sunday's music participants: Bob Greene, Pat Flannagan, Sanctuary Handbell Choir, Sanctuary Choir, Gary Robertz (flutist).  
Pray for One Another

In Our Prayers
Kevin Buck
Becky Busler
Parker Carroll
Jane Crewey
DeeDee & Sarah Galliher
Ron Grubbs
Nancy King
Marty McCloud
Debbie McMillin
John Melkowski
Larry Mullins
Robin North
Osborne Family
Stuart Parker
Karen Pennington
Don Preston
Virginia Rutherford
Chuck Thompson
Bill Wade
 
Condolences
Our love and sympathy are with George Huber and Frances Emerson in the death of George's mother, Joy Belle Groves Huber, October 10, in Flower Mound, Texas.
 
Birthday Prayer Fellowship
Oct. 22      Cliff Bailey, Peachy Bane, Nancy Cook, Gwen King, J.T. Scott
Oct. 23      Junella McClellan, Carl McGrady
Oct. 24      Trent Dowdell, Alice Graham, Lance Tudor
Oct. 26      Martin Kent
Oct. 27      Ralph Booher, Peggy Hill, Peggy King
Church Calendar
Sunday, October 21
8:30 a.m.       Worship, Fellowship Hall
9:45 a.m.       Sunday School
11:00 a.m.     Worship, Sanctuary
12:00 p.m.     Choir Retreat, Chapel & Room 202
4:00 p.m.       Evangelism & Outreach Comm., Room 117
5:00 p.m.       Congregational Stewardship Meeting,
Chapel
6:00 p.m.       Student Fellowship, Youth Wing
Monday, October 22
7:00 p.m.       Session of Elders, Room 123
Tuesday, October 23
9:00 a.m.       Staff Meeting, Room 117
10:00 a.m.     Morning Prayer Group, Conference Room
6:00 p.m.       Venture Crew 3, Room 165
7:00 p.m.       Boy Scout Troop 3, Scout Wing
Wednesday, October 24
9:30 a.m.       Women's Bible Study, Room 117
5:15 p.m.       Baby & Toddler Care, Rooms 34 - 37
5:30 p.m.       Fellowship Dinner, Fellowship Hall
6:00 p.m.       Wednesday Night Kids
6:00 p.m.       Middle School Gathering
6:00 p.m.       High School Small Groups
6:20 p.m.       Adult Learning, Fellowship Hall
6:20 p.m.       Handbell Choir, Room 212
7:15 p.m.       Sanctuary Choir, Room 202
7:15 p.m.       Worship Team, Fellowship Hall
Thursday, October 25
7:00 a.m.       Men's Bible Study, Parlor
12:00 p.m.     Noon Bible Study, Room 117
5:30 p.m.       Trunk or Treat Setup, Fairmount School
6:00 p.m.       Haunted Halls/Trunk or Treat, Fairmount
7:30 p.m.       FPC Arts Series Concert, Sanctuary
Our Church Officers
Church Officers
ELDERS
Class of 2018
Class of 2019
Class of 2020
Aaron Brooks
Anna Booher
Nancy Allerton
Randy Cook
Lee Galliher
Rebecca Beck
Debbie McMillin
Pete Holler
David Hyde
Stuart Parker
Han Ong
Jordan Pennington
Chuck Thompson
Pete Stigers
Jerry Poteat
DEACONS
Class of 2018
Class of 2019
Class of 2020
Adam Abel
Sujean Bradley
Blake Bassett
Nancy Butterworth
George Linke
Rhonda Comer
David Ginn
Greg Roberts
Brenda Lawson
Rett Stocstill
Nate Sproles
Barbara Thompson
Ann Woods
Bill Whisnant
 
TRUSTEES
Class of 2018
Class of 2019
Class of 2020
Charles Webb
Nancy Cook
Peggy Hill