Upon Jesus' resurrection, and after his many sightings among the disciples, Matthew presents him to us as Jesus readies himself to return to the Father. In this last, direct speech in Matthew, Jesus commissions the disciples to carry out some specific tasks, particularly the commands to go and make disciples through baptism in the name of the triune God, and teaching them Jesus' ways. In other words, these are not optional parts of a Christian life, they are the sine qua non, or the absolutely indispensable elements of being a disciple of Christ.

In other words, and here I am being bold, being a Christian means that we are all, in some way or another, evangelists for Christ. We are to be "evangelical," in the purest sense of the word, sharers of the good news of his lordship in all areas of our life and existence. In order to do that, we must "go" out into our communities, as well as the larger world, sharing Christ with all that we are.

With that in mind, I am so excited about two new opportunities God is giving our congregation. The first is that Dave Welch will be staying with us next year, and he will be doing so, in part, by changing his job description. Though we haven't settled on a name yet, Dave will be spending part of his work week partnering with Christian Hands Ministry and other mission agencies, helping us develop more opportunities to partner with and serve in the community. We will also begin meeting soon to plan our mission trip to Brazil, reuniting with our brothers and sisters there and discerning new and exciting things God would have us to do together in Christ's name.

So as we seek to fulfill the obligation Christ has placed on us through these two opportunities, please be in prayer for the church, for Dave, and for our mission team. Also, ask whether God may be calling you to travel with us to Brazil. In all things, may we live and work to proclaim Him.

In Christ,

Pastor Sam

We are blessed and delighted to share with you news of upcoming baptisms scheduled in worship this month, and to share the good news that we also have new members to welcome into our church family.

The Zeilers

This Sunday, November 18, we will baptize Joseph Zeiler during the 11:00 service. Joseph is the son of Susan and Ned Zeiler, and brother to Kate. Ned and Susan were married in our courtyard in September 2011. Kate is four years old, and Joseph turned one in October.

The Rutherfords

On the following Sunday, November 25, we will baptize Remington Rutherford during the 8:30 service. Remington (Remi) is the daughter of Brittany and Tyler Rutherford, our newest members. Brittany was born and raised in a small town in Michigan and has lived in Bristol for about four years now. Tyler was born and raised in Bristol and grew up as an "unofficial" member of FPC, participating in our youth program and attending many mission trips with the church. Tyler, Brittany, and Remi live in downtown Bristol. Tyler runs a small, family-owned manufacturing business in town, and Brittany works for Prestige Homes as a Realtor. Remi was born August 23 and is nothing but pure joy and sweetness!

It's here! A work of love, our homegrown Daily Devotions for Advent will become available for pickup at the church Sunday, November 18. You can find copies of this booklet of devotionals composed by FPC members, with a special message from the Friendship Class at its heart, in the narthex and the Fellowship Hallway. Please take only one per family. The devotions are also available as a downloadable PDF file here.

A reminder to our acolytes and their parents: Our final rehearsal will be on Wednesday, November 28, at 7:15 p.m. in the sanctuary.

We are pleased to announce that we have two new search committees up and running to help us find the music leadership God is calling to our church. Specifically, we have one search committee for a Director for Early Worship and a second search committee for a Director for Traditional Worship (titles pending) meeting together. We ask that you pray for these committees, and that God will send us the ministers of music that will help our church grow, flourish, and thrive in the future.

On Sunday, November 25, at 7:00 p.m., we will gather in room 123 for an orientation and organizational meeting for our May mission trip to Brazil. Interested students and parents, after communicating their intentions to Katie Arnold, will gather with adults interested in joining this mission venture. Our hope is to continue planning, praying, and preparing ourselves for a rewarding discipleship experience with our brothers and sisters in Brazil. You can reach Katie through the church office or at [email protected].

The Children's Ministries will hold a Parents' Night Out from 6:00 to 8:30 tomorrow, Friday, November 16, in the Education Wing. This event is for newborns through sixth graders. Please let Lilly Osborne know the number and ages of the children to expect so that she can provide dinner and materials for all of them. To sign up, email Lilly at [email protected], call or text her at 423-383-5476, or use the Children's Ministries Facebook page.

Because next Wednesday, November 21, is Thanksgiving Eve, the calm before the stupor, we will cast our regular programs into suspended animation, to be revived the following week. We hope everyone has a blessed and even relaxing holiday!

Bring on the competition and serve the Bristol Emergency Food Pantry, too! After dinner at 6:00 p.m. on Sunday, November 18, Student Fellowship will break into teams and head out on an epic scavenger hunt to collect canned goods for our local food pantry. Each team's goal is to collect items that would be used in a Thanksgiving meal. The team that collects the best Thanksgiving meal wins! Turn your porch lights on, FPC, because you may be chosen for a scavenger hunt stop!

Join FPC Middle School Ministry on a summer adventure to the Great Escape! Our group will leave the church on Sunday, June 9, and head to Lee University in Cleveland, TN. There we will join middle school students from all over the USA for a wild 'n' crazy week of incredible music, captivating speakers, engaging entertainment, and the messiest games you can imagine! We will return around noon on Friday, June 14.

Register and pay the nonrefundable $100 deposit by January 27 to get the early bird price of $415. After that date, the price increases to $450. The balance is due May 5. (Please see the trip cancellation policy on the back of the brochure.) We do our best to offset the cost and make camp available to students for the lowest price possible. Scholarships are available upon request.

What does the cost include?

This is an event you won't want to miss! Start inviting your friends now! Questions? Contact Katie Arnold, Director of Student Ministries, at [email protected].

Join FPC High School Ministry for Summer Serve in Orlando! Departing from the church on Sunday, June 16, the FPC group will travel to Grayson, GA, for an overnight with Grayson United Methodist Church. The next morning, FPC students will join Grayson UMC student ministry and head to Florida for a week of missions, beach, and fun. The mornings will be filled with serving in different ministries throughout Orlando. The afternoons will be full of adventure and fun. The week will end with a day at Universal Studios! We will return home Sunday, June 23.

Register and pay the nonrefundable $100 deposit by January 27 to get the early bird price of $450. After that date, the price increases to $500. The balance is due May 5. (Please see the trip cancellation policy on the back of the brochure.) We do our best to make camp available to students for the lowest price possible by offsetting the trip cost by 50 percent per person. Scholarships are available upon request.

What does the cost include?

This is an event you won't want to miss! Start inviting your friends and register early for the best price! Questions? Contact Katie Arnold, Director of Student Ministries, at [email protected].

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!

Sunday's music: Our anthem, "Rendez a Dieu," is an arrangement of one of the most famous melodies in all of Christian hymnody. It is speculated that it was written by Louis Bourgeois (ca. 1510 -1559), an important composer and compiler of Calvinist hymn tunes during the 16th century. The French title translates as "return to God," which is a good reminder for all of us during the Thanksgiving and Advent seasons. Claude Goudimel (ca. 1505 -1672) composed the musical setting, which was later edited by Anne Heider of GIA Publications.

Sunday's music participants: Pat Flannagan, Bob Greene, Sanctuary Choir.

Organist's footnotes: Herbert Howells (1892 -1983) composed "Master Tallis's Testament" (our prelude) in 1940. It unfolds "Quasi lento, teneramente" in a gentle six-eight rhythm and in G minor. It consists of three variants of a theme that falls into three phrases (eight plus six plus four bars). The music rises gradually to a climax at the end of the third variant. A quiet echo of the last two bars supplies a coda and a peaceful ending in the major. Howells considers the piece most typical and regards it with particular affection. Its title pays tribute to a father of English cathedral music, Thomas Tallis.

	Timothy Albrecht

Dr. Timothy E. Albrecht (b. 1950), holds a joint faculty appointment as Professor of Music at Candler School of Theology, where he has taught since 1982, and in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences' Department of Music. He also serves as Emory University Organist. "I'm a Christian, and I love the whole notion of serving the Lord through music. I love the church, and I love music, and when you can put those two together, then it's a tremendous joy." I think you can hear that joy in his rendition of "Ein feste Burg" (our offertory).

Ronald Kent Arnatt (1930 -2018), Fellow of the American Guild of Organists and an internationally known composer and conductor, was AGO National President from 1986 to 1990, after serving as Vice President from 1979 to 1986. His more than 400 compositions include choral, liturgical, keyboard, and brass ensemble pieces, as well as an opera. The "brassy" side of Arnatt's music clearly comes through in his setting of "Crucifer" (our postlude).

Memorials and honoraria are published in the newsletter only after the family has been personally notified by our business office. Today we gratefully acknowledge the following gifts to the:

Minister's Discretionary Fund: In honor of the marriage of Camille Burt & Derick Miller on October 27, from an anonymous donor

Music Fund: In memory of Joy Huber, George Huber's mother, from Karen & Ernie Pennington

Sunday, November 18

8:30 a.m.       Worship, Fellowship Hall

9:45 a.m.       Sunday School

11:00 a.m.     Worship, Sanctuary

3:30 p.m.       Christmas Play Rehearsal, Sanctuary

4:00 p.m.       Evangelism & Outreach Comm., Room 117

6:00 p.m.       Student Fellowship, Youth Wing

Tuesday, November 20

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

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

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

6:15 p.m.       Handbell Choir, Room 212

7:15 p.m.       Sanctuary Choir, Room 202

Thursday, November 22

Church office closed for Thanksgiving

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