When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slaughtered for the word of God and for the testimony they had given; they cried out with a loud voice, "Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long will it be before you judge and avenge our blood on the inhabitants of the earth?" They were each given a white robe and told to rest a little longer, until the number would be complete both of their fellow servants and of their brothers and sisters, who were soon to be killed as they themselves had been killed.

The past six months have been rough for all of us. As conflict and mutual contempt rise within our society, things seem rather bleak and hopeless. This is the story I've been telling myself for several weeks, as I've struggled to make my way through many difficulties, both personal and pastoral.

However, my relationship with my brothers and sisters abroad has reminded me how truly blessed I am. The worst day of headlines in our nation is a picnic compared with what our fellow believers in Nigeria face for the sake of bearing witness to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

It has been my conversations with my brother, the Rev. Dr. Nehemiah Maji, founder of the Spurgeon Hope Ministry in Kaduna State, that have reminded me how pampered I really am. He and his family are in hiding, afraid for their lives in light of the terror perpetrated by the militant Fulani herdsmen, the killers of hundreds in a recent spate of violence. Among their victims is one of Nehemiah's friends, the Rev. Alibura Audu, who proclaimed the Gospel at Spurgeon Hope the morning before he was killed. That ministry to retired and persecuted pastors, their families, and displaced Christian refugees seems to enrage those who persecute and murder Christians.

As I have spoken and prayed with Nehemiah, I have come to realize how blessed I truly am, and how I am called to share the burdens of my brothers and sisters undergoing this hardship. Theirs is the testimony John speaks of in Revelation 6, and I don't mean that in an "end of the world is nigh" sense. The efforts and faithful witness of the Revs. Audu, Maji, and many, many others, too numerous to count, cry out in perpetual echo before the throne of God, "How long?"

It is here that we realize something very remarkable. The fact that God has not consummated all things is a testimony to his long-suffering patience. God has a redemptive purpose being worked out so as to redeem even greater numbers of individuals, tribes, and nations. And it is the faithfulness of the Lord Jesus and the faithfulness of the voices and lives of those called by his name that keep the question alive before the Father, awaiting the appointed time.

And we wait with them. We join our prayers with theirs. We share their burdens. We weep and mourn with them when they suffer, and we rejoice with them when they overcome. When we learn to take the focus off ourselves and off the limitations of our immediate circumstances, and focus instead on the larger movement of God's grace and the perennial witness of Christ's church to the world, we realize that God is truly sovereign, and his redemptive purposes are at work in us, even in the broken places.

I ask you to pray for Nehemiah and his family. Pray for the Spurgeon Hope Ministry. Pray for all pastors and members of the Evangelical Church Winning All. Pray for Nigeria. Pray that peace would prevail, and Christ's faithful presence would be revealed in the end.

In Christ,

Pastor Sam

During the 11:00 service on Sunday, September 27, we will feature a demonstration to measure speaker performance in our sanctuary. The service will be followed by a sound study that will require the participation of several individuals. Please attend the service in person that day, if you are interested in leaving feedback as we progress in our acoustic update project.

If you are interested in discussing ways you might follow their lead, or have questions about planned giving to the church, please contact our Church Business Administrator, Betsy Galliher. You can email her at [email protected] or call her at the church office at (423) 764-7176.

Christian Education Week opens this Sunday in the PCUSA, as we at FPC cautiously open the new year for children's Sunday School (see "In-Person Children's Sunday School Begins, Nursery Opens"). Pat Flannagan (September 9-12) is mowing for the occasion. Bruce Gannaway (September 16-19) will make sure the lawn is ready for One Worship September 20.

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

Virginia Rutherford: to the Minister's Discretionary Fund from Don & JoLynn Evans, from Jack & Anne Southerland, from Bill & Margaret Wade

	Robert J. Greene Jr.

This Sunday I am exploring arrangements that are based upon early American hymn tunes. "Come, Ye Sinners, Poor and Needy" (our prelude) is based on the tune RESTORATION, written by William Walker, from The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion (PHH 44), published in 1835. I treat this rustic tune by playing it at normal tempo in the right hand, half tempo in the left hand, and quarter tempo in the pedals. The manuals wait patiently for the pedals to catch up before proceeding. The final two variations use strong, rhythmic chords to accompany the tune in the manuals and the pedals.

	Peter Pindar Stearns

"Prelude on NEW BRITAIN" (also known as AMAZING GRACE) is our offertory. It was originally a folk tune, probably sung slowly with grace notes and melodic embellishments. It was first published as a hymn tune in shape notes in Columbian Harmony (1829) to the text "Arise, my soul, my joyful pow'rs." It was first set to "Amazing Grace" in Walker's Southern Harmony. The setting by Peter Pindar Stearns (1931-2016) breaks the tune into phrases, and intersperses 20th-century harmonies around it. Stearns taught music composition for 32 years at the Mannes School of Music, in New York City.

	Franklin D. Ashdown

Our postlude, "Toccata on 'All Who Hunger, Gather Gladly'" by Franklin D. Ashdown (b. 1942) is based on the tune HOLY MANNA. HOLY MANNA is traditionally attributed to William Moore, though this is not beyond doubt. Moore published the earliest known instance of this tune in his Columbian Harmony. Ashdown's toccata arrangement is animated but not as flashy as some other toccatas. Ashdown is a composer and medical doctor who has pursued dual careers for the past three decades. A resident of Alamogordo, New Mexico, he enjoys a full life as an internist, composer, and organist-choir director for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

You can watch last Sunday's 11:00 traditional service on the church's YouTube channel.