Special Word from the Pastor:
Community Prayer
We, our families, our communities, our nation, and our world have been through so very much over the past year. Sometimes all we can do is pray, so I’m inviting our church family to gather by Zoom conference for prayer tonight, Thursday, January 7, at 7:00. We’ll pray together. If everyone wants, we can meet the following night, and for as often as you like, to pray together as best we can.
We get a choice as to what our response will be. We are a resurrection people. We pray.
To join by Zoom, use these directions:
Topic: FPC Community Prayer
Time: January 7, 2021, 7:00 p.m.
Meeting ID: 826 4875 1043
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In Christ,
Pastor Sam
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Rev. Jeremiah Swamsidi with his wife, Rachael, and his son, David,
at the Nigerian embassy in New York City.
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Word from the Pastor:
New Year, New Faces
Let mutual love continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality
to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels
without knowing it.
—Hebrews 13:1-2
Happy New Year! A little digital housekeeping this week renewed my awareness that a new year is upon us. It feels so strange to put the 1 behind the second 2; I never thought we’d escape the gravitational pull of the 0 that defined our experiences last year. With you, I am excited to see what God has in store for us in 2021. I am praying for renewal. I am praying for rest. I am praying for joy and peace.
While I am praying for that, however, I acknowledge the challenges ahead as well as the pain we are feeling as a community. I received word Tuesday that David Akard Jr. went to be with the Lord that afternoon, and long-time member Gene Haskins passed several days ago. 2021 begins with hope for a better tomorrow, but it also begins with loss. In challenging times like these, the admonition that we ought to let mutual love continue is worthy of our attention; we need each other!
I am hopeful that God is already seeding some of this renewal, joy, and peace in our community. In the coming weeks, two finalists for our Director of Contemporary Worship and King Campus Ministry Coordinator position will lead worship for us so that God may help us to discern who God is calling to lead us in worship and evangelism. Even more exciting is that the way has been made clear for us to begin a mission and evangelism outreach to King’s campus, something that has been needed for a long time.
Our first candidate will be Pastor Jeremiah Swamsidi, the Associate Worship Director at Highlands Baptist Church, a megachurch in Waco, Texas. You can watch him leading worship at Highlands here. I met Jeremiah in Seoul, South Korea, when I worked at the PCL megachurch in Jamsil as he was working on a ThM in missiology at Seoul’s Presbyterian College and Theological Seminary. I was blessed to work with him on several occasions and was amazed at the talents God has given him. He is scheduled to lead worship for us on January 17, and we look forward to the ministry God will share through Jeremiah’s leadership that Sunday. |
Rev. Dr. Nehemiah Maji with his family:
(from left) Faith, Favour, Gladys, and Felix.
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This Sunday, January 10, we will again welcome my friend the Rev. Dr. Nehemiah Maji, founder of the Spurgeon Hope Ministry in Kaduna State, Nigeria, to preach for us. It will be good to connect with Nehemiah once more, to hear about the wonderful things God has accomplished through his ministry and the ways we have been able to partner with our persecuted Nigerian brothers and sisters.
This visit brings Nehemiah’s daughter Favour to us as well. I cannot begin to describe the awesome blessing involved in her arrival. After a second attempt to get her a study visa so that she could begin at King University (an unlikely occurrence by any measure), God made a way. By God’s grace, the generosity of our church and the Missionary Emergency Fund, and the kindness, diligence, and generosity of the university, Favour will begin her freshman year at King. She will also be joining us at First Presbyterian, and I am looking forward to all of you getting to know her.
If anything, 2021 is going to be event-filled; let us pray that God mixes blessing in with all the other realities in store for us. God is sending his angels among us, to minister with us and to us. He is also calling us to minister to one another.
In Christ,
Pastor Sam
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Worship
January 10
Baptism of the Lord
Virtual Only
Gospel
Mark 4:25-31
Sermon
Sailing into the Unknown!
Rev. Dr. Nehemiah Maji
Attendance
Christmas Eve: Livestream: 122;
Playbacks: 437
Dec. 27: Livestream: 60;
Playbacks: 196
Jan. 3: Livestream: 79;
Playbacks: 151
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Calendar
Sunday, January 10
9:00 a.m.
Worship,
Virtual
10:10 a.m.
Sunday School,
Virtual
Monday, January 11
7:00 p.m.
Building & Grounds Comm.,
Virtual
7:00 p.m.
Worship Comm.,
Virtual
Tuesday, January 12
10:00 a.m.
Staff Meeting,
Virtual
Thursday, January 14
7:00 a.m.
Men’s Bible Study,
Virtual
8:30 a.m.
Meals on Wheels,
Fellowship Hall
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In the Pulpit
We rejoice to welcome to our pulpit this Sunday our friend and partner in ministry the Reverend Dr. Nehemiah Maji. Nehemiah founded and courageously operates Spurgeon Hope Ministry in Kaduna State, Nigeria.
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Connect and Communicate
Can you make a quick call once a month to approximately eight members of the church, to see how they’re doing and share what’s new at FPC? If so, please let the church office know. We want you on the team!
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How to Join Us Online
Subscribe to our YouTube channel to watch the livestream of our early worship service and other activities. Just click here and hit “Subscribe.” You will receive notifications of new videos. We also suggest that you connect to us on Facebook. On Facebook, type in “FPC Bristol,” and several accounts will show up. Some are open to the public, while others are restricted. In either case, “Like” the page, or ask to join a group if it is closed. |
Sunday Bible Study Online
We are continuing to offer an adult Bible study on Sundays on our YouTube channel. This study, Praying With the Psalms, looks at the Book of Psalms through the lens of prayer. All you need is a Bible and an open heart. Our short midweek Bible study will be available again mid-January.
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Only Virtual Worship for Now
We have done our best as a church community to offer a hybrid worship experience of in-person and online services through most of this pandemic. However, our reasonable precautions are not enough to stem the rising tide of infections in our area. Therefore, to protect the health of the congregation and the staff, and to be a good neighbor in our community, we are suspending in-person worship at the church through at least the second Sunday in January. This is also in line with our previous action to tie our church’s gatherings to the Bristol Tennessee City Schools schedule. Until we can meet again in person, join us online on Sunday mornings at 9:00, as we worship God together. And please keep our church and our community in your prayers.
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Give Safely
During the pandemic, we encourage you to use text, mail, or our website for your continued, faithful support of our ministries. You can give online by going to fpcbristol.org and clicking on “Give” in the upper right corner. You can send your pledge, offering, or special gift by texting fpcbristol to 73256. You can also mail your checks directly to First Presbyterian Church, 701 Florida Avenue, Bristol, TN 37620.
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No Rehearsals or Gatherings
To minimize the time that FPC folks spend in public or at the church, we have suspended group activities, including choir and handbell practice. Services like Meals on Wheels continue, but all volunteers must take the well-known protective measures. Please call the office before you come, and avoid in-person contact. Pray for our community as we combat the coronavirus.
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We Are Praying Together
We are asking all members of our congregation to join our 7-12-7 Prayer Campaign. Please choose the time convenient for you (7:00 a.m., 12:00 p.m., or 7:00 p.m.) and join us daily in prayer. Together we will ask for God’s guidance, deliverance, and mercy for our church, community, nation, and world. If you cannot pray at those hours, please pray when you can! We are facing great challenges, but God is greater still.
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Birthday Prayer Fellowship
Jan. 10 Susan Abel, Helen Grace Gannaway
Jan. 11 Emma Booher, James Buck
Jan. 12 Debbie McMillin, David Phelps
Jan. 13 Pete Holler, Dale Keller, Nell Stigers
Jan. 14 Chris Blankenship, Fritz Reuning
Jan. 15 Bailey Bechtold
Jan. 16 Dale Davis
Condolences
Our love and sympathy are with Al and Loretta Thomas in the death of their brother-in-law, Dutch Kiser, in December; and with Bonnie Haskins and the family and friends of previous member Gene Haskins, who died January 1 in Tampa, Florida.
To the Church Triumphant
David W. Akard Jr.
January 5, 2021
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Deadline & Subscriptions
Deadline for contributions to Windows is the Monday of the week of publication. Subscribe to our free e-newsletter by sending your name and preferred email address to [email protected].
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In Our Prayers
Please also include in your prayers the members of our community who wish to remain anonymous.
Adam
Family of David Akard Jr.
Brian Alderman & family
Wanda Barnes
Scott & Mary Bechtold
Joe Bell
Christy Blevins
Booher family
Sujean Bradley
Sue Ellen Bridgers & family
Bristol Tennessee City Schools
Kip Brown
Becky Busler
Carrier family
John Crewey
Sara & Sam Ferguson
Family of Keith Foster
DeeDee Galliher
Deborah Garritson
Family of Martha Graham
Scott Greene
Emma & Gina Grubbs
Ron & Sandra Grubbs
Lou Hebb
Nate, Angela, Addelynn Higgins
Davan & Kristi Johnson
Gene & Betty Keith
Marty Keys & family
Morgan & Josh King & family
June Lamb
Patsy Leonard
Nancy Lilly
Earl & Harriet Linderman
Laura & George Linke
Favour Maji
Dot Mattison
Kathy McGlothlin & mother
Emily Millwood
Alice Moore
Breanna Necessary
Martha North
Fred Parker & family
Louise Phipps
Rosa Poteat
Jodi & Kreg Ramey
Meg & Drew Rice
Family of Austin Rowell
Brittany Salter
Mark & Julianne Stapleton
Jim Swartchick
Bill & Margaret Wade
Patsy Ward
Amy Webb & family
Dave & Linda Welch
Deborah Whittaker
Laura Wilkinson
Katie Wright
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701 Florida Avenue | Bristol, TN 37620 | 423-764-7176 | fpcbristol.org
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