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

In This Issue
Worship
Subscriptions & Deadline
Why We Pledge
Ring the Tower Bell on Sunday Mornings
Officer Nomination Deadline Is This Sunday
Psalms and Worship Next Wednesday Night
Our Latest Financial Summary
Engaging Volunteers: Current Needs
Taking Trunk-or-Treat to Fairmount for Halloween Fun
Fairmount Snack Program Resumes
Communion Community
Us vs. Them
Music Notes
Pray for One Another
Gifts to the Church
Church Calendar
Our Church Officers
Worship
September 30
26th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lessons
Psalm 96
1 Kings 18:17-40
Sermon
Limping Along
Sam Weddington
Hymns
Christ Is Made the Sure Foundation
God Is Calling
Anthem
It Is Enough
Last Sunday's Attendance
8:30: 81; 11:00: 99
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

September 27 , 2018
Why We Pledge
As we begin our season of stewardship and kick off this year's pledge campaign, I wanted to share with you the significance of pledging. Some of you may be faithful pledgers over many years. Some of you may be new to pledging. And others may be contemplating or wondering why it is so important to pledge when you know you are already contributing on a weekly or monthly basis.
Pledging may be a relatively new concept for you. If so, I can say that I completely understand. I recall having questions like yours when we became members several years ago. We made our weekly contribution and felt like that was sufficient. However, as we became more involved and engaged in the activities of our church, we realized the importance of pledging.
Pledges are used to provide structure for the finances of our church and to allow for appropriate planning and designation of funding. By making a pledge commitment, we essentially became part of the strategic planning and growth initiatives for our church. So not only are we benefiting the benevolences our church supports, we are also making a commitment to assist the Finance Committee and Session as they make annual budget preparations for our church.
I also would like you to know it is not about the amount you give. Giving at all levels is significant and important.
This year's pledge campaign goal is $646,000. If pledging remains the same as our current year, we will face an $11,000 deficit. And, with the excitement and energy we have in our church right now -with our new pastor, Sam; our Christian education programs; all that is being done with our children and youth groups -we want to see continued growth and engagement. By pledging, we can all become part of the effort to further enhance our ministries.
I hope this will help some of you to either recommit to pledging or become a new pledger for this year's stewardship campaign. My family will continue pledging, and we are in prayerful consideration of increasing our pledge this year. I'd like to ask you to also be in prayerful consideration and join us by stepping out in faith and increasing your pledge as well. If each family considered an increase to their current pledge, our church and the benevolences we support would be able to sustain and even grow many of the services they offer.
If you have questions or would like more information, please feel free to reach out to me or any member of the Stewardship Committee. Thank you. / Rebecca Beck
Ring the Tower Bell on Sunday Mornings
Don't wring your hands, ring the bell! The Big Bell. In the tower. The one with the rope pull. We want this bell to ring out for the weekly 11:00 service to announce to all in hearing distance that we are ready to worship! We are now looking for volunteers who can pull the bell rope around 10:40 on Sunday mornings. To reach the rope, you must be at least 5 '8 " tall and able to climb the tower stairs. Larry Connolly will train you in how to properly pull the rope and how many times to ring the bell. Anyone (church officer? young adult?) interested in volunteering can email Beth Flannagan at bethflannagan74@gmail.com or call her at 423-764-7875. Let's hear it!
Officer Nomination Deadline Is This Sunday
A few days remain before the September 30 deadline to nominate FPC members to serve as Elders, Deacons, and Trustee. If you haven't turned in a nomination form, please do so. We don't want to miss your suggestions of those you see as particularly gifted for serving as officers of the church. (A table of all current officers is at the end of this newsletter.) Forms are in the narthex and Fellowship Hallway and may be turned in to the church office or one of the Nominating Committee members: Chuck Thompson (Chair), Nancy Butterworth, Debbie McMillin, Laura Ong, and Kathryn Parker. Feel free to consult any committee member for more information. The committee will review nominations in October and will bring a slate of names to the annual congregational meeting, which will be held after the Session has approved a date.
The Duties of Elders
The Book of Order, G-2.0301, states: "As there were in Old Testament times elders for the government of the people, so the New Testament church provided persons with particular gifts to share in discernment of God's Spirit and governance of God's people. Accordingly, congregations should elect persons of wisdom and maturity of faith, having demonstrated skills in leadership and being compassionate in spirit. Ruling elders are so named not because they 'lord it over' the congregation (Matt. 20:25), but because they are chosen by the congregation to discern and measure its fidelity to the Word of God, and to strengthen and nurture its faith and life. Ruling elders, together with teaching elders, exercise leadership, government, spiritual discernment, and discipline and have responsibilities for the life of a congregation as well as the whole church, including ecumenical relationships. When elected by the congregation, they shall serve faithfully as members of the session."
The Duties of Deacons
The Book of Order, G-2.0201, states: "The ministry of deacon as set forth in Scripture is one of compassion, witness, and service, sharing in the redeeming love of Jesus Christ for the poor, the hungry, the sick, the lost, the friendless, the oppressed, those burdened by unjust policies or structures, or anyone in distress. Persons of spiritual character, honest repute, exemplary lives, brotherly and sisterly love, sincere compassion, and sound judgment should be chosen for this ministry.
The Duties of Trustees
The Book of Order, G-4.0101, states: "The corporation so formed, or the individual trustees, shall have the following powers: to receive, hold, encumber, manage, and transfer property, real or personal, for the congregation, provided that in buying, selling, and mortgaging real property, the trustees shall act only after the approval of the congregation, granted in a duly constituted meeting; to accept and execute deeds of title to such property; to hold and defend title to such property; to manage any permanent special funds for the furtherance of the purposes of the congregation, all subject to the authority of the session and under the provisions of the Constitution of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). The powers and duties of the trustees shall not infringe upon the powers and duties of the session or the board of deacons."
Psalms and Worship Next Wednesday Night
It's not impossible that the psalmist David was known to his friends as Dave, is it? His namesake, our own Dave Welch, will lead a study of Psalms in the Adult Learning session next Wednesday, October 3, in the Fellowship Hall. We will also have opportunities for worship. Come early, at 5:30, to share a fellowship supper of fried chicken, a vegetable, salad, and dessert. High School Small Groups, Middle School Gathering, and Wednesday Night Kids will meet at 6:00. Handbell ringers or fun-loving wannabes (we urgently need one more) will go upstairs to practice in room 212 at 6:20.
Our Latest Financial Summary
FPC's most recent financial summary shows pledges and offerings continuing to exceed expectations. Here are the financial highlights through August 31, followed by a table of revenue and expenses.
  • Pledges/Offerings through August 31 are outpacing expectations by $31,877.
  • Other Gifts, Income & Reimbursements are tracking very close to budget, as expected. These are income items that typically have a direct offsetting expense.
  • Expense Notes:
    • Evangelism & Outreach efforts were over budget by $7,063. Most expenditures were incurred in accordance with income received for benevolent offerings.
    • Programming and ministry areas of Worship/Music and Christian Education & Nurture are tracking favorably year-to-date.
    • Administrative expenses continue to be below budget through August. The last five months of the year are weighted more heavily and should outpace the first seven months of the year, still remaining safely within our budgeted provision. This is primarily a result of our being fully staffed as of August 1.
    • Similarly, Building & Grounds expenditures are typically more heavily concentrated in the second half of the year, as deferred maintenance items are set aside, pending any unexpected building maintenance that may arise, earlier in the year.
    • Capital Loan: The balance with Eastman Credit Union on August 31 was $512,029. This represents a year-over-year principal reduction of $62,014. Interest expense on the loan (which flows through our Operating Budget) was $13,370 for the eight months ending August 31. Interest expense for the same period last year was $14,952.
 
2018
August
Actual YTD ($)
August Budget YTD ($)
Annual
Budget
($)
Revenue
Total Pledges
437,752
423,248
649,436
Offerings
72,039
54,667
82,000
Other Gifts, Income & Reimbursements
57,688
54,405
104,713
Total Income:
567,479
532,320
836,149
Expenses
Evangelism & Outreach
18,286
11,223
50,297
Worship & Music
42,832
52,033
76,105
Christian Education
164,735
163,838
244,040
Administration
116,963
131,802
231,280
Building & Grounds
93,246
101792
151,962
Fellowship & Stewardship
14,251
21,034
32,520
Total Expense:
450,313
481,722
786,204
Surplus/Deficit (-)
117,166
50,598
49,945
 
Engaging Volunteers: Current Needs

FPC needs help with the following tasks. To volunteer, call the church office at 423-764-7176 or email the listed contact person.
Children's Sunday School. We need one more helper. Sign up for one week, one month, or a specific day. Contact Lilly Osborne, losborne@fpcbristol.org.
Fusion. We need a male helper for our great group of fifth and sixth grade boys. Contact Lilly Osborne, losborne@fpcbristol.org.
Handbell Ringer. We are in immediate need of a 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. We are using disposable plates and cups, so you can really pitch in! Contact Scottie Bales, sbales@fpcbristol.org.
Newsletter Mailing. Come to the church to prepare the print version of Windows for mailing, then get it to the post office on time. Contact Scottie Bales, sbales@fpcbristol.org, or Betsy Galliher, bgalliher@fpcbristol.org.
Student Ministries. Work with our youth in Student Ministries. Contact Katie Arnold, karnold@fpcbristol.org.
  • Planning Team. Meet monthly with the Director of Student Ministries to plan, vision, and pray for student ministry. Assist with Student Ministries tasks and events.
  • Student Fellowship behind the Scenes. Set up for Sunday night student gathering and clean up afterward. Be present in the hallways and be around to assist with activities.
  • Student Fellowship Small Group Leader. Invest in the lives of a few teens to encourage authentic faith. Attend Student Fellowship on Sunday night from 5:30 to 8:00. Assist with activities and spend time with teens through dinner, games, and worship. After worship, guide discussion in your small group.
Tower Bell Ringer. We need folks who can pull the bell rope around 10:40 on Sunday mornings. You must be at least 5'8" tall and able to climb the stairs in the tower. We will train you in how to properly pull the rope and how many times to ring the bell. Contact Beth Flannagan, bethflannagan74@gmail.com or 423-764-7875.
Taking Trunk-or-Treat to Fairmount for Halloween Fun
trunk or treat trunk w/toddler
Trunk-or-Treat fun in the FPC parking lot in 2010.
Entertain the idea of decorating the trunk of your car in the Halloween spirit! It's a fun family project, and it will bring joy to the children in our neighborhood (and everyone you pass on the street). When Fairmount Elementary holds their annual Haunted Halls event Thursday, October 25, at 5:30 p.m., we want to treat them to Trunk-or-Treat in the school parking lot. We are now looking for partners in fun to be there with their decorated cars and candy. We also will accept donations of candy without the car! For more information or to volunteer, contact Lilly Osborne at losborne@fpcbristol.org.
Fairmount Snack Program Resumes
We are again collecting snacks for the students of Fairmount Elementary. About 80% of the children get help with lunch, but their families can't afford to buy snacks to get them through the afternoon slump. That's where we come in. We collect the snacks from our generous church family, and the Christian Hands Ministry folks make sure they get to the school. We are now collecting boxes of vanilla wafers. Please bring any brand of these little cookies to the Little Red House in the Fellowship Hallway to help our friends at Fairmount pay attention through the fall afternoons. Thank you!
Communion Community
The theme of the next two Sundays on the PC(USA) calendar is the gift of greater community. September 30 is Gifts of New Immigrants Sunday, and October 7 is World Communion Sunday. Both welcome gifts of all kinds as well as wise stewardship. How very fitting that our fall stewardship campaign is now under way! As we look inward, outward, and upward, those stewards of the lawn, JB Madison (September 26-29) and Fred Harkleroad (October 3-6), will take time to also look down and around as they care for the grounds.
Join the mowing team! We welcome men and women, adults and teens, and entire families: younger children can move debris to the curb, and a parent or elder sibling can mow. It's easy, and you suit your own convenience, mowing once or up to three times. Simply contact Randy Cook at npolecook@aol.com or 423-956-1541. If you're new to Scag mowers, he will be happy to give you a lesson on ours.
Us vs. Them
Come to Student Fellowship Sunday night for week 4 of The Greatest. Bottom Line: Move people from a category to a conversation. There's something in all of us that tends to divide people into two categories: We and They. We hang out with people who are like us (We), and we distance ourselves from those who are unlike us (They). Is this the way we're supposed to live? This week in our series The Greatest, we'll learn that a simple conversation can bridge the gap between We and They. #thewomanatthewell
Music Notes
Sunday's music: Our anthem for Sunday, "It Is Enough," is taken from 1 Kings 19:14, which Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy used in his great oratorio Elijah, written in 1846. The text is set as a baritone solo representing the thoughts of Elijah, who is despairing over his inability to turn the Israelites away from their false gods and back to Yahweh. One of the more poignant moments in the oratorio, it highlights our own reluctance to trust in God's omnipotence.
Handbell ringer needed: We are in immediate need of a ringer for the Sanctuary Handbell Choir, which meets Wednesdays from 6:20 to 7:15 p.m. Please talk with Beth Flannagan, Mary Ellis Rice, Rebecca Tate, Jim White, or Bob Greene. Come upstairs to room 212 after the fellowship supper and make music with a fun-loving group!
Organist's footnotes: Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy (1809 -1847) was a skilled organist and, during his visits to Britain, gave a number of well-received organ recitals. His six Organ Sonatas, Opus 65 were commissioned as a "set of voluntaries" by the English publishers Coventry and Hollier in 1844 and published in 1845. Although British critics rated the music highly, Mendelssohn himself never performed any of these sonatas in public, either in England or elsewhere.
Sonata in C minor, Op. 65. No. 2 has four distinct sections. In order they are "Grave," "Adagio," "Allegro maestoso e vivace," and "Fuga: Allegro moderato." While the sonata was intended to be performed without interruption from beginning to end, the integrity of each section holds together well.
Sunday's music participants: Bob Greene, Pat Flannagan, George Huber, Sanctuary Choir.
Pray for One Another

In Our Prayers
Kevin Buck
Becky Busler
Jane Crewey
DeeDee Galliher
Ron Grubbs
Nancy King
Debbie McMillin
Larry Mullins
Don Preston
Virginia Rutherford
Chuck Thompson
Bill Wade
 
Birthday Prayer Fellowship
Oct. 1        Asha Delaney, Patsy Frizzell, Dee Ginn, Evelyn Lindamood, Bob Simmons
Oct. 2        Charlotte Parker, Leigh Beth Phipps
Oct. 3        Jill Converse
Oct. 4        Cathy Newton, Scott Sams, Whitney Singleton
Oct. 5        Sujean Bradley, Maria Poteat, Jim Wiseman
Oct. 6        Camille Burt, Amelia Cordon
Gifts to the Church
Memorials and honoraria are published in the newsletter only after the family has been personally notified by our business office. Today we gratefully acknowledge Bettie H. Carroll's gifts to the Building & Grounds Fund in memory of Bill Stone and in honor of Trish Stone.
Church Calendar
Sunday, September 30
8:30 a.m.       Worship, Fellowship Hall
9:45 a.m.       Sunday School
11:00 a.m.     Worship, Sanctuary
5:00 p.m.       Stewardship Comm., Room 117
6:00 p.m.       Student Fellowship, Youth Wing
Monday, October 1
6:30 p.m.       Board of Deacons, Rooms 117 & 123
Tuesday, October 2
9:00 a.m.       Staff Retreat, Off Campus
10:00 a.m.     Morning Prayer Group, Conference Room
1:00 p.m.       Jackie Burt's Heartsburn Bible Study, Room 117
6:30 p.m.       Nominating Comm., Room 117
7:00 p.m.       Boy Scout Troop 3, Scout Wing
Wednesday, October 3
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 Program
6:20 p.m.       Handbell Choir, Room 212
7:15 p.m.       Sanctuary Choir, Room 220
7:15 p.m.       Worship Team, Fellowship Hall
Thursday, October 4
7:00 a.m.       Men's Bible Study, Parlor
12:00 p.m.     Noon Bible Study, Room 117
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