Windows March 12, 2020

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Windows

on First Presbyterian Church

March 12, 2020

Word from the Pastor: Precautions and Prayers

You who live in the shelter of the Most High, who abide in the shadow of the Almighty, will say to the LORD, "My refuge and my fortress; my God, in whom I trust." For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence; he will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler. You will not fear the terror of the night, or the arrow that flies by day, or the pestilence that stalks in darkness, or the destruction that wastes at noonday.

Psalm 91:1-6 NRSV

I'm sure I don't need to remind you that the world and our community are on high alert in regard to the outbreak of COVID-19, also known as coronavirus disease. According to the Tennessee Department of Health, there are, as of Wednesday, one confirmed case of coronavirus in Sullivan County and four confirmed cases in and around Nashville. According to another report, two suspected cases of coronavirus in southwest Virginia have turned out to be negative, and the Virginia Department of Health is reporting that there are no confirmed cases in that area. Given the ease at which the disease spreads, however, it may be only a matter of time before there are.

I say all of this to assure you that we are aware of the situation, and we will continue to monitor it as it relates to our public gatherings as a church community. We take your health seriously and want you to be healthy and share in fellowship with us as the body of Christ.

To that end, here are some of the things we are doing, and/or suggesting you do, as this situation progresses:

We will continue to gather, and we will continue to share the peace of Christ. This may change in the near future, depending on how the situation develops. We recommend that in exchanging the peace of Christ, you give thought to those who may be wary of handshakes and the like. We also ask that everyone make liberal use of hand sanitizer during worship and please, please, wash your hands regularly.
If you are sick, we ask that you refrain from coming to church. We have several members of the church whose immune systems are not as strong as yours may be. If you are sick and need anything, even just fellowship, please call the church office, and we will arrange for a visit to your home during your illness. You can also worship with us over the internet by livestreaming our service. You can find the livestream both on our website and on our YouTube channel, "FPC Bristol."
Depending on how COVID-19 progresses, we may change the way we observe communion in the coming months. We have taken the step of securing sanitary, single-serve communion "fellowship cups" that may be used as a provisional change to our observation of communion. There are other changes the Session will consider at its next meeting.
Depending on the seriousness of the COVID-19 outbreak in our region, we may take further steps, including eliminating some events. The Session will continue to assess the situation and respond accordingly. We will do our best to keep you abreast of any necessary changes to our schedule.

We ask that you be in serious prayer for our community, its members, our region, country, and world community. Many are suffering from this disease, so please pray for a quick end to its rapid spread, and pray that God would give strength and healing to those who suffer.

More than anything, never forget to whom you belong. God is our refuge, fortress, and shelter, and as the Psalmist tells us, God will provide for us if we abide in Him. Do not fear.

In Christ,

Pastor Sam

Lenten Evensong Sunday

Our Music Ministries will present a Lenten evensong service this Sunday, March 15, at 5:00 p.m. in the sanctuary. Evensong is an ancient tradition in which the choir serves as worship leader. Please take advantage of this opportunity to deepen your experience of this season of penitence and reflection, as you enjoy the beauty of the music and the fellowship of the congregation.

Wednesday Night Fellowship Takes a Break

Our midweek fellowship and enrichment programs will not meet March 18, while the Bristol schools are on spring break. When we return the following week, we will conclude our monthlong focus on missionaries and ongoing mission projects.

Zachary Hughes Brings Beethoven Back to FPC

Zachary Hughes

A musical odyssey continues Friday, March 20, at 7:00 p.m., as pianist Zachary Hughes returns to our sanctuary to play more works by his hero, Beethoven. In the first of his two spring recitals at FPC, he will play three sonatas: the two of Opus 14 and the iconic Pathetique. His next performance is scheduled for April 17 and will be followed by three further recitals at FPC in the fall. All these performances are free and open to the public.

Men Meet to Munch and Mull March 28

The Men's Ministry Team will gather once more on Saturday, March 28, at 8:00 a.m. in the Fellowship Hall for breakfast. We want to get an idea of who plans to attend, so look for sign-up sheets around the church or call the church office and let them know. Beyond the food and fellowship, we will talk about our plans for a community barbecue the following weekend, and how you can get involved in this emerging ministry. / Pastor Sam

FPC Gives a Block Party for Easter

Mark this date on your calendar: Saturday, April 4. That's when FPC will give a community Easter Block Party! This free event for all ages will begin at 4:00 p.m. with an Easter skit and egg hunt for the children (infancy to 6th grade). After the fun of the hunt, we will enjoy fellowship, music, door prizes, and barbecue prepared by the men of the church. If you would, please bring a side dish (last name beginning with A -M) or a dessert (last name beginning with N -Z) to share. We will have a hoppin' good time! / Lilly Osborne

Please Donate Candy for Our Easter Party

Easter alert! We need bags and bags of candy to fill the treat bags for the children who will attend our community party Saturday, April 4. Please bring your donations to the bin outside Lilly Osborne's office (by the back breezeway doors) by Wednesday, April 1. No fooling! Thank you!

BFIA Needs Commodities and Volunteers

Bristol Faith In Action urgently needs many commodities, especially toilet paper, body soap, toothpaste, shampoo, dish soap, cleaners and disinfectants, and nonperishable food items. The organization is also seeking volunteer receptionists and appointment bookers. Donations can be placed in the grocery cart in the Fellowship Hallway or dropped off at BFIA, 1534 Euclid Avenue (276-466-8292).

Teddy Grahams on a Mission

One of our ongoing missions in our immediate neighborhood is to make sure the children of Fairmount Elementary all get a snack during the school day. About 80% of the students get help with lunch, but their families can't buy snacks. This month we are collecting Teddy Grahams for these kids. Please bring your donations to the Little Red House in the Fellowship Hallway, and we will take it from there. Thank you!

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:

Betty Jo Cox (sister of Barbara Daniel): to the Memorial Fund from John & Karen Vann

Michael Ehrie (father of Meg Rice): to the Memorial Fund from John & Karen Vann

Kevin Flannagan (nephew of Pat Flannagan): to the Memorial Fund from John & Karen Vann

Jack Fleming (father of Debbie McMillin): to the Memorial Fund from John & Karen Vann

Jimmy Goebel (brother of Jane Nickels): to the Memorial Fund from John & Karen Vann

Jim Mayden: to the Technology Fund from Andy & Lori Fleming, from Julie King, from Jason, Alicia & Max Mumpower, from John & Karen Vann

In honor of:

Randy & Nancy Cook: to the Building & Grounds Fund from Sarfraz & Audrey Zaidi

Music Notes


	Maurice Duruflé

Sunday's music: Our anthem this week is "Sanctus" from Maurice Duruflé's Requiem. Duruflé (1902-1986) began his musical studies at the Rouen Cathedral Choir School, where he studied piano and organ with Jules Haeling, a pupil of Alexandre Guilmant. At Rouen, the tradition of choral plainsong (Gregorian chant) was strong, and it influenced Duruflé's compositions throughout his life. As a teenager, Duruflé moved to Paris and began studies with Charles Tournemire. In 1927, he became Louis Vierne's assistant at Notre Dame. Later in life, Duruflé taught many composition students, including Francis Poulenc, and in 1943 he became a Professor of Harmony at the Conservatoire de Paris.

Duruflé completed Requiem in 1947, and it has become one of his most frequently performed works. It was composed for choir, soloists, organ, and orchestra, but he also made arrangements that omit the orchestra. Duruflé was known as a perfectionist; his compositional output was relatively small but polished. Requiem contains melodies based on ancient chants, and lush organ accompaniment.

Organist's footnotes (morning service): On the third Sunday in Lent, I have decided to explore three passion chorale preludes from the Orgelbüchlein (little organ book) by Johann Sebastian Bach. These are, for our prelude, "O Mensch, bewein' dein Sünde gross" (O man, bewail thy grievous fall); offertory, "O Lamm Gottes, unschuldig" (O Lamb of God, pure spotless); and postlude, "Christus, der uns selig macht" (See the Lord of Life and Light).

The Orgelbüchlein BWV 599−644 is a set of 45 chorale preludes for organ, one of them given in two versions. All but three were written between 1708 and 1717, when Bach served as organist to the ducal court in Weimar; the remainder and a two-bar fragment came no earlier than 1726, after the composer's appointment as cantor at the Thomasschule in Leipzig.

The plan was for a collection of 164 settings of chorale tunes sung during the church year, so that each part of the year was represented. Although this number was not to be, the Orgelbüchlein does span the calendar and, more importantly, signals a maturity and new breadth in Bach's compositional style, not only with regard to this instrument.

Each setting takes an existing Lutheran chorale, adds a motivic accompaniment, and quite freely explores form. Many of the preludes are short and in four parts, requiring only a single keyboard and pedal, with an unadorned cantus firmus. Others involve two keyboards and pedal. These include several canons, four ornamental four-part preludes with elaborately decorated chorale lines, and one prelude in trio sonata form. Indeed the Orgelbüchlein manages to be a collection of music for church services, a treatise on composition, a religious statement, and an organ-playing manual!


	Norberto Guinaldo

Organist's footnotes (evensong): The Argentinian organist and composer Norberto Guinaldo (b. 1937) has written music for both organ and piano, as well as choral works and works for symphonic and chamber ensembles. Many of his works have been championed by national and international artists. He has been organist at Temple Ner Tamid in Downey, California, since 1962 and at the United Methodist Church of Garden Grove, where he premiered most of his organ works in church services, concerts, and regional conventions of the AGO, since 1965.

Guinaldo attended the School of Fine Arts at the University of La Plata and Catholic University in Buenos Aires. In both institutions he studied organ with Hermes Forti, a graduate of the Academy of St. Cecilia in Rome and a former pupil of the renowned organist Fernando Germani. At Catholic University he also studied harmony with Alberto Ginastera, who, as head of the School of Music, named him assistant to Forti. Forti, likewise, chose Guinaldo to be his assistant at the great four-manual Cavaillé-Coll organ at the Basilica of the Holy Sacrament. Guinaldo played there from 1953 to 1959, when he immigrated to the US.

Guinaldo holds a master's in Theory and Composition from the University of California at Riverside and the Diplome Superieure d'Orgue from the Schola Cantorum in Paris, where he studied with Jean Langlais.

Join the handbell choir: We are always looking for more folks, either regulars or substitutes, to help us ring those bells! We practice from 6:15 to 7:15 on most Wednesday evenings in room 212 upstairs, and we play for the late service about once a month. It isn't hard and it's a lot of fun! Please contact Bob Greene at [email protected] or 276-696-9091 to join us, or just come to a Wednesday practice.

Pray for One Another

In Our Prayers

Please also include in your prayers members of our community who wish to remain anonymous.

Tilly Betts

Sujean Bradley

Craig Buchanan

Becky Busler

Calleigh Cairns

Eddy Carter's family

Jennifer Chang & family

Christians in Nigeria/ECWA

Rhonda, Mark & Anna Comer

Cookeville tornado victims

Raymond Dickenson

Dorothy Dollar

Ethiopian brothers & sisters

Trinka Felty

Garrett Foster

Andrew Fox

DeeDee Galliher

Diane Glymph

Ron Grubbs

Sarah Haas

Lou Hebb

Eddie & Peggy Hill & family

Marty Keys & family

Josh & Morgan King & family

Nancy Lilly

Drew Long

Brandon Luttrell

Dot Mattison

Kelly Mayden & family

Roger McCracken

Bob Millard

Alice Moore

Brianna Necessary

Brook Pate

Evan Patrick

Meg Rice & mother

Peggy Rutherford

Virginia Rutherford

Scott Sams & family

Joyce Samuel

John Scott

Katie Sword

John & Karen Vann

Bill Wade

Vicky Wood

Birthday Prayer Fellowship

March 15 Blakesley Bassett, Michael Bryant

March 16 Kevin Crutchfield

March 17 Taylor Connolly, Jordan Scott, Meredith Webb

March 18 Brenda Rogers

March 19 Tammy Connolly, Isabel Gross, Reveley McGrady, Angelica Poteat

March 20 Lilly Osborne, Cooper Peltier, Erin Reardon

March 21 Brie Kite, Issac Reardon, Finn Sproles

Church Calendar

Sunday, March 15

9:00 a.m. Worship, Fellowship Hall

10:10 a.m. Sunday School

10:15 p.m. Sanctuary Choir, Room 202

11:00 a.m. Worship, Sanctuary

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

5:00 p.m. Evensong, Sanctuary

Monday, March 16

11:00 a.m. Group Bible Study, Room 123

Tuesday, March 17

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

6:00 p.m. Finance Comm., Room 117

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

Wednesday, March 18

9:30 a.m. Women's Bible Study, Room 117

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

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

Thursday, March 19

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

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

Friday, March 20

7:00 p.m. Zachary Hughes Recital, Sanctuary

Our Church Officers

Church Officers
Class of 2020	Class of 2021	Class of 2022
ELDERS
Nancy Allerton	Ann Abel	Anna L. Booher
Rebecca Beck	Randy Cook	Bruce Gannaway
David Hyde	John Graham	Will Hankins
Jordan Pennington	Katie McInnis	Dottie Havlik
Jerry Poteat	John Vann	Laura Ong
DEACONS
Blake Bassett	Fred Harkleroad	Mike Cleland
Rhonda Comer	Matt Kingsley	Geneva King
Ron Fox	Lisa McClain	George Linke
Brenda Lawson	Drew Rice	Charlie Taylor
Barbara Thompson	Joyce Samuel
TRUSTEES
Peggy Hill	Jack Butterworth	Nancy Cook