June 30 will be Pat Flannagan's last as our interim music director. To thank him for his dedication and for his inimitable contribution to our worship together over the years, we will give a reception for him after the late service this Sunday.

It has been my joy and privilege to serve our church as Interim Director of Music for the past two years. This is the fourth time that I have served a church as an interim music director. For me, the position of interim is loaded with all sorts of preconceived notions: "do no harm," "maintain," "keep the program together," etc. While I hope that I fulfilled those assumptions, I have also tried to bring some new ideas and new choral and congregational literature to the position. Some of you have commented to me about the new choral music, and some of you have gently chided me about the selection of new hymns. I heard you, and I attempted to respond within the boundaries presented for each and every worship service.

One of the important mentors in my life was the great choral director Robert Shaw, who once wrote: "for authentic worship to happen, two things must be present: (1) a sense of awe and (2) an acknowledgement that we as humans need the redemptive grace of God." Throughout the past two years, I have talked with the choir about providing authentic worship each and every Sunday morning. Never was it my goal to entertain but, instead, to embellish God's word for each of us, whether we were singing or listening. I pray that these efforts were successful more often than not.

I want to thank the Session and the pastoral staff for allowing me to serve, and I want to offer thanks to God for providing me with the talent and resources (the committed members of the choir and Bob Greene as organist) that made our work together possible.

Just so you understand, I am being promoted back into the tenor section of the Sanctuary Choir, where I get to learn and sing under Chris Bingham, our new Director of Traditional Worship. I wish for Chris the same joys that I experienced working with a wonderful choir, a superb organist, and a supportive staff and congregation. / Pat Flannagan

The Stewardship Committee shares the following devotional from Dave Ramey's website.
It has been edited for Windows .

Each morning you wake up, God gives you a day full of opportunities to praise Him. Whether it's the food in your pantry, your access to running water, or your loved ones greeting you when you get home from work, you have so many chances to notice the small but extraordinary gifts from your heavenly Father.

It's easy to take the little things for granted. Sometimes we get caught up in this idea that stewardship is just about the big things like our budgets, marriages, or careers. We think the best way we can serve God is to do something big. But there is so much more to living out true stewardship than all of our grand gestures and big decisions. Stewardship means managing God's blessings God's ways for God's glory. That means all of His blessings, not just the ones that feel extravagant and life-changing.

Think about an ordinary moment in your daily routine. Maybe it's something that feels mundane or monotonous. Something average by all accounts. Now imagine that as a gift from God. What if that is something He gave you to handle for His glory? What if those five extra minutes in the morning are a chance to get to know your neighbors, spend some quality time with your daughter, or pray for a friend in need? God might want you to use those small moments to set something huge in motion.

With all of that in mind, imagine what the world would look like if we got serious about stewarding as many of these small moments as we could. That's what is really behind stewardship. We get the chance to see every little moment, interaction, and opportunity as a reminder of who made us and loves us more than we could possibly put into words.

So don't get hung up on the idea that stewardship only involves big and extravagant actions. Start small with your daily routine. What moments and circumstances in your life can you view through the lens of stewardship, no matter how mundane or average they may seem? Every moment counts. Every person counts. Every single thing in your life, no matter how big or small, is an opportunity to remember we are blessed, loved, and called to live for Him and His glory.

The Worship Committee invites the congregation to participate in our 2019 Advent Devotional by submitting devotions of no more than 300 words. Your contributions will enhance our time of expectant waiting and preparation for the celebration of the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ.

If you would like to share a devotion, complete the form available at the church and place it in the offering plate or leave it in the church office. The committee needs to hear from you by August 1 to determine whether we will have the number of devotions needed for a booklet. If we do, they will need to be submitted by October 1; Han Ong will collect them. You may email your devotion to him at [email protected] or leave it in the church office. If you have questions, please contact Candy Phelps at [email protected] or 423-538-8801. / Candy Phelps

Make a gift of your talent and enthusiasm for music to our 9:00 a.m. congregation, and have a good time doing it! Our early worship group is looking for volunteer musicians and audiovisual personnel. For more information or to volunteer, email Anthony Childress, Director of Contemporary Worship, at [email protected].

Are We the People, or we the editor at any rate, getting our weather forecasts from the wrong source? What are we to think when the precipitation radar shows not a cloud over the entire Southeast, then a drenching assault falls on us from skies described as merely "overcast"? Where is Alexander Hamilton when we need him? The Declaration of Independence needed no explication, or Hamilton would have provided reams of it. The Constitution itself is silent on the vexing question of weather, thus he wrote no Federalist Paper clarifying it. Like the Founders before us, however, we must soldier on, no doubt through alternating dust and mud and (who knows?) perhaps even snow. Before us we see a smooth path to the fifth Sunday of the month (thanks, Ron Fox, June 26-29). Midway between that rarity and Immigration Sunday, Independence Day will burst upon us (thanks, Randy Cook, July 3 -6). If we all hang together, we shall surely convene on the fifth Sunday after Pentecost (thanks, Larry Connolly, July 10 -13). On the way there, let us have a happy Fourth!

June 30 music participants: Pat Flannagan, Bob Greene, Men of the Sanctuary Choir.

June 30 music: June 30 is the end of the choir season. The Sanctuary Choir will take a break during the month of July and will return in August to lead in worship. Anthems during the month of July will be provided by soloists each Sunday for the 11:00 a.m. service. The anthem, "Just a Little Talk with Jesus," is being sung by the men from the Sanctuary Choir. A familiar gospel hymn that was made popular by the Oak Ridge Boys, this anthem was composed by Cleavant Derricks (1909 -1977), a Baptist minister from Chattanooga. As is common with the theology of gospel music, the text focuses on a personal relationship with God.

	Daniel Gawthrop

Organist's footnotes: Daniel E. Gawthrop (b. 1949) is an American composer, primarily of choral music. His output includes a substantial body of works for the organ, as well as orchestral and instrumental works. He has been the recipient of more than 100 commissions to write original music. His works have been published by Warner Brothers, Theodore Presser, Sacred Music Press, and others. He now runs his own publishing company, Dunstan House. Gawthrop used to live here in the Tri-Cities but now resides in Idaho. He composed Sketchbook III for Organ (published in 1996) on commission from National City Christian Church of Washington, D. C., in honor of Dr. Lawrence Schreiber for his 35 years of service as organist and choirmaster.

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July 7 music participants: Chris Bingham; Bob Greene; Randy and Nancy Cook, soloists.

July 7 music: The anthem this week is "He Never Said a Mumbalin' Word," an African-American spiritual from the Deep South that also goes by the names "They Hung Him on a Cross," Mumblin' Word," "Crucifixion," and "Easter." Recording sessions hosted by John and Alan Lomax in prisons throughout Louisiana and Mississippi brought the tune to the light of day, but as with many tunes from this genre, its exact origins remain unknown. In 1945, the Lomaxes did a recording session at the Louisiana State Penitentiary where folk icon Lead Belly (who learned the song from his mother, Sallie Brown) recorded it and other tunes. In 1989, Lead Belly fan Kurt Cobain of Nirvana recorded this tune. Today, longtime FPC members Randy and Nancy Cook will sing it, accompanied by Bob Greene.

	Gerre Hancock

Organist's footnotes: Gerre Hancock (1934-2012) was an American organist, improviser, and composer. He was Professor of Organ and Sacred Music at the University of Texas at Austin. For more than 30 years he was Organist and Master of the Choristers at St. Thomas Church on Fifth Avenue in New York City. His composition "Air" (prelude) was composed in 1960 and dedicated to his wife, Judy. It begins quietly with a simple motivic theme on a solo stop. Then things begin to change when the theme enters the pedals, growing in intensity until the pinnacle is reached, employing the full resources of the organ. Thereafter, it subsides into protracted beauty, fading to a hushed final cadence.

John Rutter CBE (b. 1945) is an English composer, conductor, editor, arranger, and record producer, mainly of choral music. Rutter's compositions are chiefly choral and include Christmas carols, anthems, and extended works such as the Gloria, the Requiem, and the Magnificat. His "Toccata in Seven" (postlude) is from his A Second Easy Album for Organ, composed in 1975. Its outer sections are raucous and playful, framing a calmer section in the middle.

Sunday, June 30

9:00 a.m.       Worship, Fellowship Hall

10:10 a.m.     Sunday School

11:00 a.m.     Worship, Sanctuary

Monday, July 1

6:30 p.m.       Board of Deacons, Rooms 117 & 123

7:00 p.m.       Middle School FISH, Off Campus

Tuesday, July 2

10:00 a.m.     Staff Meeting, Room 117

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

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

Wednesday, July 3

6:00 p.m.       Worship Team, Fellowship Hall

7:00 p.m.       High School Dinner & Devo, Off Campus

Thursday, July 4

Church office closed for Independence Day

Sunday, July 7

9:00 a.m.       Worship, Fellowship Hall

10:10 a.m.     Sunday School

11:00 a.m.     Worship, Sanctuary

Monday, July 8

7:00 p.m.       Middle School FISH, Off Campus

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

Tuesday, July 9

10:00 a.m.     Staff Meeting, Room 117

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

6:00 p.m.       Venture Crew 3, Room 165

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

Wednesday, July 10

5:30 p.m.       Fun Family Fellowship, Steele Creek Park

6:00 p.m.       Worship Team, Fellowship Hall

7:00 p.m.       High School Dinner & Devo, Off Campus

Thursday, July 11

7:00 a.m.       Men's Bible Study, Parlor

8:30 a.m.       Meals on Wheels, Fellowship Hall

12:00 p.m.     Noon Bible Study, Room 117

7:00 p.m.       Scout Order of the Arrow, Scout Hall

Friday, July 12

8:00 p.m.       High School BroDown Showdown, Youth Wing

Church Officers
Class of 2019	Class of 2020	Class of 2021
ELDERS
Anna Booher	Nancy Allerton	Ann Abel
Lee Galliher	Rebecca Beck	Randy Cook
Pete Holler	David Hyde	John Graham
Han Ong	Jordan Pennington	Katie McInnis
Pete Stigers	Jerry Poteat	John Vann
DEACONS
Sujean Bradley	Blake Bassett	Fred Harkleroad
George Linke	Rhonda Comer	Matt Kingsley
Greg Roberts	Ron Fox	Lisa McClain
Nate Sproles	Brenda Lawson	Drew Rice
Bill Whisnant	Barbara Thompson	Joyce Samuel
TRUSTEES
Nancy Cook	Peggy Hill	Jack Butterworth