Windows

January 19, 2023

Special Offering for Visions of Glory Jan. 29

In this new year, we of FPC have resolved to feed children through Visions of Glory in Kenya. The nondenominational church is in one of the areas hardest hit by a four-year drought and other climate catastrophes. The church is committed to doing the work we read about so often in scripture: caring for the poor and placing the needs of others above our own.

They are struggling to feed the children in their community. Because poor harvests and the high costs of importing food are worsening a desperate situation, Visions of Glory has asked us to send them any amount we can to enable them to store up foodstuffs like maize, beans, rice, cooking oil, and sugar while they are still available. Our help in offsetting the costs of these foods will go a long way toward providing for many families who have gone without food.



We will take up a special collection for this purpose in both services on Sunday, January 29. You can also give online here. If you prefer to send a check, mail it to Visions of Glory, 284 Mount Zion Church Road, Jonesborough, TN 37659. You can learn more about the ministry here. /Justin Miller

Help Count Bristol’s Homeless

We are looking for volunteers to count the homeless in Bristol in late January. Teams are being formed to survey folks in different areas all over town. The annual Homeless Point-In-Time Count will begin around dinnertime on Wednesday, January 25, and continue throughout the day on Thursday, January 26. If you can help, please contact Doug Murray of the Appalachian Regional Coalition on Homelessness or Chelsey Collea of the US Department of Veterans Affairs.

Chili Cook-Off & Talent Show

Our Chili Cook-Off & Talent Show is coming up on Sunday, February 19. If you would like to perform on our stage, please contact one of our talent scouts, Lilly Osborne and Katie Arnold. The chili chefs among us know what to do: make it hot!

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 also send your pledge, offering, or special gift by texting fpcbristol to 73256, or mail your check directly to the church.

Register Now for Women’s Retreat

Join the women of First Presbyterian Church for our annual women’s retreat! It’s happening Friday and Saturday, February 10 and 11, at Jubilee Retreat Center in Abingdon. We will share Bible-based learning and worship in a relaxed environment with time for individual reflection and prayer. We’ll get to know one another while enjoying good food and fellowship. We welcome women of all ages; invite your friends and family to join us!

Sarah Varnell, pastor of Trinity United Methodist Church in Greeneville, TN, will be our speaker. She previously served as pastor at St. Paul UMC in Fountain City/Knoxville and as an associate pastor at Church Street UMC in downtown Knoxville. She has been on staff in various roles in churches since she was 19 years old.

Register online here or by using the QR code above, or complete a paper registration form available from the Welcome Center at church.

You can commute or stay overnight at the retreat center located at 822 East Main Street. The prices below include three meals and materials for group sessions. Secure your spot with a $25 deposit.

• Commuter: $75
• Double or Triple Occupancy: $110
• Single Occupancy: $125

Pay online here; choose “Women's Retreat 2023” in the Fund drop-down menu. Or write a check payable to FPC Bristol with “Women’s Retreat 2023” in the memo line.

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:

• All deceased choir members: to the Music Development Fund from Jim White
• Betty Bingham: to the Minister’s Discretionary Fund from Jim White
• Imogene Browning: to the Minister’s Discretionary Fund from Jim White
• Robert Foster: to the Minister’s Discretionary Fund from Jim White
• Marjorie Harr: to the Minister’s Discretionary Fund from Jim White
• JoAnne Hatcher: to the Minister’s Discretionary Fund from Les & Sissy Heaton, from Jim White
• Eddie Hill: to the Minister’s Discretionary Fund from Jim White
• Porter Hillery: to the Minister’s Discretionary Fund from Jim White
• Betty Kirksey: to the Minister’s Discretionary Fund from Jim White
• June Lamb: to the Children’s Ministry Fund from Jim White
• Ernie Pennington: to the Minister’s Discretionary Fund from Jim White, from an anonymous donor
• Millie Pippin: to the Minister’s Discretionary Fund from Jim White
• Jim Reuning: to the Minister’s Discretionary Fund from Jim White
• Frances Rowell: to the Minister’s Discretionary Fund from Jim White
• Mr. & Mrs. James M White Sr.: to the Flower Fund from Jim White

At the AGO National Convention in Seattle last summer, Darryl Ray Miller, organist at St. Andrew Lutheran Church in Franklin, presented a program called Gems for the Busy Organist. His program was so good that we decided to invite him to come and reprise his presentation for us here in the Tri-Cities. He came to our October meeting at Sinking Spring Presbyterian Church in Abingdon and presented a wealth of material. One of the composers whose music he presented was Jeffrey Blersch. Impressed by what I heard, I purchased Blersch’s Firm Foundation: Five Preludes on Shape-Note Tunes, published in 2021 by Concordia Publishing House. I will play two excerpts from that collection Sunday. Our opening voluntary, Blersch’s setting of NEW BRITAIN (“Amazing Grace”) is gentle and not too sentimental. In contrast, his setting of JEFFERSON (“Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus”), our closing voluntary, is a lively jig, with the melody played in the pedals.

Blersch (b. 1967) is an organist, choral conductor, and composer of music for the church. Since 2002 he has served as Professor of Music at Concordia University, Nebraska, where he teaches organ, music theory, composition, and arranging, and conducts the Cantamus Women’s Choir. He is a graduate of the Oberlin College Conservatory of Music, where he received degrees in organ performance and music education, and of the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, where he earned the Doctor of Musical Arts in Organ Performance. His principal teachers have included Roberta Gary, Garth Peacock, and Marilyn Mason. He currently serves as Dean of the Lincoln Chapter of the American Guild of Organists. 

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 Dabbs and his family in the death of his father, John Morris Dabbs, January 12; and with Doug Williams and his family in the death of his sister, Joyce Rodgers, January 14.

In Our Prayers

Please also pray for the members of our community who wish to remain anonymous.

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.

Monday is the deadline for contributions to Windows. Subscribe to our free e-newsletter by sending your name and preferred email address to the editor.

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