Windows

July 27 & August 3, 2023

Back-to-School Bash Outdoors Aug. 13

Join us Sunday, August 13, for a back-to-school bash on the church grounds! We will celebrate the start of another school year with One Worship, food, and fun. Everyone is invited to gather at 10:00 for coffee and other beverages from River & Roads Coffee Truck. At 11:00 we will worship under the oak trees with guest pastor João Batista from our sister church in Brazil. After worship, the Bear Necessiteas food truck will serve lunch. The front lawn will be covered with bounce-house water slides and games. Bring a lawn chair, money for food, and, if you want to get wet, a bathing suit and towel. This is a churchwide event. All are welcome!

Share a Table with João Batista and Rosângela

Two weeks from today we will welcome João Batista and Rosângela to Bristol. What a wonderful reunion this will be, and a wonderful time to show hospitality to our visitors from Natal, Brazil!

João Batista is the pastor of Felipe Camarão Presbyterian Church, and Rosângela, his wife, is the director of the Bethel School. Both the church and school have been an important outreach of First Presbyterian for more than 20 years.

João Batista and Rosângela couldn’t be coming at a better time: we will just be kicking off our fall activities. Be on the lookout for information about worship on August 13, when João Batista will preach, and about special activities on that day and in the following week to celebrate their presence in our community.

Several fun activities have already been scheduled for smaller group interaction, but there are still opportunities to invite them into your home or to your favorite local dining place for lunch or dinner, or to a local coffee shop or bakery. Don’t miss out! Contact John (423-360-1153) or Karen (423-503-0114) Vann to discuss options for you, your family, and friends to share table and time with these good friends and partners in mission! 

Strong Special Offering

for Young Life

Throughout the month of June, our special mission focus was on Young Life. Young Life's mission is to provide guidance, mentorship, and a safe space for students, equipping them with essential life skills and nurturing their personal growth. Through engaging activities, meaningful relationships, and uplifting programs, they empower young individuals to reach their full potential, fostering a stronger, more vibrant future for Bristol.

Through a special offering, our church collected an incredible total of $2,558.60. We are grateful to all of you who donated, thereby demonstrating your commitment to empowering young lives in our community. Your contributions will make a lasting impact, enabling Young Life to continue its transformative work. /Justin Miller

King Faith & Culture Series Begins Aug. 8

The King Institute for Faith & Culture fall series will begin August 8 and continue through November 13. Esau McCaulley will present the 2023 Frederick Buechner Lecture, “How Far to the Promised Land,” in our sanctuary November 6. Copies of the schedule with descriptions of events are available at the church.

VBS Was Truly Stellar

We had a fantastic week at Stellar VBS! The 68 kids who attended learned that Jesus is the Light of the World and we can shine the light of Jesus on everyone! Ably assisted by more than 50 volunteers, we had tremendous fun singing, playing games, learning Bible stories, making cool crafts, and conducting science experiments. We closed our VBS with a program for parents, a hot dog dinner, and a foam party. Thank you to everyone who gave of their time to shine the light of Jesus on these children! Until next year! /Lilly Osborne

Gratitude from Bristol Faith in Action

We recently received the following letter from the staff and volunteers of Bristol Faith in Action, which FPC helped to found. BFIA’s mission is to enable local churches and agencies to act together to assist and advocate to meet the immediate needs of those in financial crisis, and to share with them the love of Christ and the compassion of our community. The vision is to see people break cycles of poverty and move toward financial stability while connecting with a church community to support their spiritual growth.

BFIA would like to thank you for your past support of the organization. Without the donations from every one of you, our organization would not be able to fulfill our mission of helping the needy in our community. We have helped over 5,000 individuals annually. In our area, 1 in 5 people are below the poverty level, and 10,000 of those are children. With your assistance, we have helped these families maintain a roof over their heads and keep the lights on since 2001.

Our initial group pf 13 churches has grown to over 60 churches, allowing us to assist more and more families in our area. That initial group worked together to form an organization to allow those in crisis to have a central location from which to receive aid rather than going from church to church requesting help. BFIA has a screening process in place to ascertain that there is a legitimate need and that the charitable intentions of the donors are not being taken advantage of.

One of our newer programs, called A Heavenly Hand Up, is geared toward assisting our clients with practical strategies and training to prosper, inspiring and motivating them to have belief that it is possible.

Please thank your congregation for past help and assure them that the need is still very much present. For more information and to donate, they may visit our website at bristolfia.org or our Facebook page.

Potential Mission Trip to Zambia Next May

Over the years since FPC members Mark and Catherine Bell made their first trip to Zambia in 2011, this beautiful African country has become a second home to them. They fell in love with the culture, the people, and the churches and are in awe of the spiritual maturity of the friends and leaders that live in this majestic part of the world. They feel blessed that, through their relationship with the Zambian founders of the Phoebe Foundation Africa (PFA, a Christian non-governmental organization) and with Chris and Phoebe Chanda, they have been a part of carrying out the mission of this Christ-centered ministry.

Zambians love soccer, and Mark has felt called to continue to collaborate with the Africa Impact Project to share the gospel with Zambians through the sport. In response to the global mental health crisis, Catherine has been invited to continue to share counseling education with pastors and community leaders through Mapalo Counseling Ministries. These two ministry initiatives are under the PFA umbrella.

The Bells are the co-chairs of the PFA USA Board of Directors and are currently praying about and planning a trip that they hope to lead from May 16 through May 30, 2024. It will be their eighth mission trip to Zambia and an opportunity for them and those interested in joining them to engage and serve this beautiful community, and to experience what the Bells describe as “the multilateral and transformative mutual learning” that takes place every time they spend time there.

To learn more about this mission opportunity, come to a presentation about the ongoing work in Zambia Wednesday, August 23, after our fellowship dinner. The meal will be at 5:30 p.m. in the fellowship hall, and the presentation will begin at 6:15 in the chapel. Justin Miller has offered to connect interested persons with the Bells. You will find more information here.

Student Fall Retreat Sep. 2–4

Sixth through 12th graders, sign up for a weekend of fun and fellowship with your friends! Student Ministries invites you to our Fall Retreat weekend at Look Up Lodge in Travelers Rest, SC. This is an annual favorite that you won't want to miss!

We will share wild fun and adventure in the great outdoors, worship together, and bond with our church family. We’ve reserved nice cabins for our stay. We will leave from the church Saturday morning and return Monday afternoon.

If you register with a deposit by August 15, you will receive a T-shirt, and your total cost for the trip will be $175, which includes transportation, lodging, meals, camp activities, and programming. After August 15, the price will increase to $200, and T-shirt size cannot be guaranteed.

Ready to go? Submit the registration form and pay the nonrefundable deposit of $50. Pay online here. Choose “Fall Retreat” in the drop-down menu. If you have any questions, email Katie Arnold or call or text her a 770-296-1671.

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:

• Carl McGrady: to the Minister’s Discretionary Fund from John & Karen Vann
• Joyce Samuel: to the Minister’s Discretionary Fund from Kelley Mayden, from John & Karen Vann

Organist's Footnotes

July 30: As our summer survey of blind organists moves into the ninth week, we consider the music of Alfred Hollins (1865–1942) an English organist, composer, and teacher who was blind from birth. His mother died while he was young, and little is known about his father. After his mother’s death, Hollins was sent to live with his aunt, who gave him his first piano lesson. At the Wilberforce Institution for the Blind in York, which he attended from the age of nine, his musical interests were fostered by the head of music there, William Barnby, brother of Joseph Barnby.

Hollins studied at the Royal National College for the Blind at Upper Norwood and quickly ascended in the musical world with a performance before Queen Victoria. His reputation continued to grow, and he held several organist’s positions. The Reverend Hugh Black, assistant minister at the Free St. George’s Church in Edinburgh, persuaded the Presbyterian kirk to allow the installation of an organ at St. George’s. An organ was procured. According to some stories, Black traveled to Nottingham to hear Hollins play and offered him the position then and there. Hollins accepted the offer and was committed to St. George’s for the rest of his life.

Hollins made many concert tours, traveling to the United States, New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, and Germany. It has been estimated that he traveled some 600,000 miles on his concert tours.

He composed more than 50 organ works. The first of the two pieces I will play is “Prelude” (opening voluntary) a tuneful, laid-back, schmaltzy, Victorian piece. In contrast, his “Trumpet Minuet” (our closing voluntary) is in the Baroque style, complete with ornaments. Enjoy!

August 6: Joséphine Pauline Boulay (1869–1925) was a French organist, composer, and professor. Born in Paris, she became blind at age three. She began her studies with the Blind Sisters of St. Paul and then with the National Institution for the Blind. She was admitted to the Conservatoire de Paris in 1887 and studied with César Franck and Jules Massenet. In 1888, she became the first woman to win a first prize in organ at the Conservatoire.

Appointed a professor at the National Institution for the Blind, she took charge of the organ and composition classes there, while continuing her musical apprenticeship at the Conservatoire. There, she went on to win a second prize for harmony in the class of Charles Lenepveu in 1890, a second prize for counterpoint and fugue in 1895 in the class of Jules Massenet, and a first prize in 1897 in the composition class of Gabriel Fauré.

For thirty-seven years she taught piano, organ, composition, and harmony for young blind students at the Institute. She was decorated with the Palmes académiques in 1899 for her work. She died in Paris at 56 years of age.

I will be playing Boulay’s “Trois Pièces pour Orgue” (“Three Pieces for Organ”) for the opening voluntary (“Prélude”), communion (“Andante”), and closing voluntary (“Fugue”). I will play her “Petite Carillon” for the offertory. /Bob Greene

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



Condolences

Our love and sympathy are with John and Mary Connor in the death of John’s brother, Roy Connor, July 26 in Pharr, Texas.

The session continues to encourage masks for those at higher risk of complications from COVID-19 or not fully vaccinated. The session encourages everyone to consult their medical professional about vaccinations and boosters.

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