Windows

November 24, 2022

Women’s Advent Worship Dec. 6

The Women’s Advent Worship service will be held in the chapel Tuesday, December 6, 7:00–8:30 p.m. We will set the tone for Advent and Christmas as we join other women to worship with music, prayer, and a message from Rev. Elizabeth Patrick. Afterward, we will enjoy dessert, warm drinks, and warm fellowship.

This event was a meaningful annual tradition for many of us before Covid. Let’s draw near to the Lord together again this season. Consider inviting a friend or two to join us! If you need child care, please contact the church office (423-764-7176) by 10:00 a.m. Tuesday.

Remember to Return Your Stewardship Pledge

We have now received $631,572 in pledges, leaving us $83,808 short of the $715,380 needed to fully fund our ministries in 2023. If you have not yet sent in your pledge, you can still submit the card you received in the mail (also available at the church) or access online giving through the QR code at right.

If you have any questions about stewardship, reach out to any member of the committee or read this. The members of the Stewardship Committee are Barb Duncan, Chase Mitchell, Matt Peltier, Karen Pennington, Jerry Poteat, Annette Tudor, and John Vann.

DIY Fun for Students Sunday

Student Ministry invites all 6th–12th graders to a night of DIY fun this Sunday, November 27. Come fellowship with friends while you make decorations or Christmas presents! We will gather at 5:00 p.m. at the AR Workshop in the Foundations building at 626 State Street.

To participate, you must preregister and pick out the project you would like to do. If you would like to customize wording or do a Bible verse, please specify it in the notes when registering. FPC is offsetting the total cost, so you will not be asked to pay when registering, but you will need to bring $20 with you to the event.

Register here (password: GIFT).

Poinsettia Purchases Pending!

It’s poinsettia season! Order forms will be in the bulletins November 27 and December 4 as well as in the church office. The plants are $20 each, and the deadline for orders is Monday, December 5. Your poinsettias will grace the sanctuary and fellowship hall from the third Sunday in Advent through Christmas Eve.

We’re Back in the Sanctuary

The First Sunday of Advent, November 27, will welcome our 11:00 worshipers back to the sanctuary after their sojourn in the fellowship hall. Beginning December 4, the children’s Christmas play rehearsals will be held in the sanctuary from 3:00 to 4:30.

Help Us Hang the Greens Sunday

We would love to have your help with the annual Hanging of the Greens, this Sunday, November 27! Come help us decorate the church for Advent and Christmas. A delicious lunch will be provided to thank—and bribe—you to maybe even help us take it all down in January! We’ll work after both services, so you can come when you can that morning. It’s a great way to get the holidays started! To join us or learn more, call or text Katie Sword at 423-914-2181.

Final Wednesday Night Fellowship Next Week

Our next Wednesday Night Fellowship on November 30 will also be the last of the semester. We will gather at 5:30 in the fellowship hall to share supper, and stay to make gingerbread houses. Please join us!

Churchwide Christmas Caroling Dec. 14

Come caroling with us Wednesday, December 14! We will meet in the fellowship hall at 5:30 and go from there. All carolers are invited to Chick-fil-A at the Pinnacle afterward.

Save These December Dates

Mark your calendar now for two mid-December events. On Tuesday, December 13, we will again participate in Bristol’s Journey’s End celebration. The children’s Christmas play, The Innkeeper, will be presented Sunday, December 18, at 5:30 in the sanctuary.

Pick Up Your Advent Devotional

Our Advent devotionals are available for pickup at the church. Reflect on the person and coming of Christ with daily scripture readings, meditations, and prayers from NIV Once-A-Day, 25 days of Advent.

Women’s Retreat Feb. 10–11

Save the date! Our ever-popular Women’s Retreat is scheduled for Friday and Saturday, February 10 and 11, at Jubilee Retreat Center, 822 East Main Street, Abingdon.

How to Join Us Online

You can watch the livestream of our worship services and other activities at FPC Bristol on YouTube. Click on the link and hit “Subscribe” to receive notifications of new videos. To connect to our Facebook sites, go to Facebook and type in FPC Bristol. Several accounts will show up. “Like” the page or ask to join a group.

Give Safely

As a variety of viruses swirl around, we encourage you to use text, mail, or our website to safely continue your faithful support of our ministries. You can give online by going to our website and clicking on “Give” in the upper right corner. You can send your pledge, offering, or special gift by texting fpcbristol to 73256, or mail your checks directly to the church.

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 the following gifts in memory of:

• JoAnn Hatcher: to the Minister’s Discretionary Fund from D/M Daniel Dietrich, from Greg & Mary Easley, from John & Karen Vann
• June Lamb (mother of Alice Graham): to the Children’s Ministry Fund from John & Karen Vann
• Peggy Nicar: to the Memorial Fund from Charley & Lynn Hodges

John Hebden Schaffner (1945–1995) was born in Louisville, Kentucky, and educated at Kentucky Southern College and the University of Kentucky. A self-taught pianist and organist, he composed and published a number of works for keyboard. Schaffner was adept at composing music which sounded old yet new at the same time. His “Hymn Prelude on Veni Emmanuel” (our opening voluntary) is from a collection of pieces called 5 Christmas Carols in a Baroque Style. Veni Emmanuel is the name of the tune associated with the best-known Advent hymn, “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.” Schaffner takes this tune, one phrase at a time, and carefully lays out a four-part fugue. Three of the four voices are played on the manuals. (Today, one of those voices will be played by Michael Long on the violin.) The fourth voice is played on the pedals, one phrase at a time, with breaks between. So slowly does it move, it takes the entire piece for the melody to play just once.

Alec Rowley (1892–1958) was an English composer, organist, pianist, lecturer, and writer on music. He composed a large number of works that were mainly on a small scale and often of an educational nature, although he also wrote some larger-scale orchestral and choral works. He was a dedicated teacher, broadcaster, and writer; after his death the Alec Rowley Memorial Prize was established at Trinity College of Music. Rowley’s “Fantasia on Veni Emmanuel” (our closing voluntary) begins with a strong opening statement, explores some quiet, lush harmonies in the middle, and concludes with an even stronger closing statement, containing a creative twist or two.

We want to pray for and celebrate with you! Send us your prayer requests and glad tidings.

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