Windows
November 25, 2021
Creating a Legacy Together

But Jesus called them to him and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. It will not be so among you; but whoever wishes to be great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be your slave; just as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.”
Matthew 20:25-28

What are we truly thankful for? This is the question before each of us as we make our tables ready for Thanksgiving. Are we thankful for food, family, and other provisions? Wonderful, so give thanks! Are we thankful for the blessings of health, or relationships, or the navigation of yet another year? Great, so give thanks!

However, as we gather to give our thanks, let’s not lose sight of the great thanksgiving we are to offer because of what the Lord has done for us. As Jesus himself tells us in Matthew 20:28, the Son of Man came to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. All of us are bought at a price. Thanks be to God.

Our knowledge that we are precious to God through the Son also shapes us. Service in the name of Jesus Christ is central to who we are as individuals and as a community of faith. Our Christian walk is greatly influenced in meaningful ways by our involvement in the ministries and life of First Presbyterian Church. Over the years, many have asked how best to make gifts from their estates to FPC as an expression of their faith and gratitude to God in support of the ongoing work of the church.

Our recently established Legacy Giving Ministry enables all of us to participate meaningfully in the future and vision of FPC by making bequests from our estates or gifts in our lifetime, beyond our annual pledges, to sustain the work of the church beyond our earthly life.

Your gifts to one of the Legacy Funds will be invested with other gifts received. Distributions each year of a small portion of each fund’s balance will directly support the mission of FPC:

  • Gifts to the General Legacy Fund have the broadest impact. The session will allocate the annual distribution based on the needs of the church, with at least 50% from each distribution devoted to missions.
  • Gifts to the Designated Legacy Funds direct your investment in the church’s future to the specific areas of your choosing: Worship/Music; Education/Youth; Facilities; or Missions.

The Legacy Giving Ministry adds another important dimension of stewardship for the FPC family by helping to support the growth of ministries and the care of the building and campus in perpetuity for the greatest long-term impact to the glory of God. Contact the church business office if you are interested in learning more.

With all of that said, whether in word or deed, give thanks to God for the immeasurable grace given to us in Jesus! /FPC Finance Committee
It’s Poinsettia Time
It’s time to purchase poinsettias! Order forms will be in bulletins for the first two Sundays in Advent. The plants are $15 each, and the deadline for orders is Monday, December 6. Your poinsettias will grace the sanctuary and fellowship hall from the third Sunday in Advent through Christmas Eve.
Worship
November 28
1st Sunday of Advent
 
Scripture
Psalm 25:1–5
Jeremiah 33:14–16
Luke 21:25–36
 
Sermon
The Righteous Branch
Jerry Swam Sidi
 
Last Sunday’s Attendance
9:00: In person: 144;
Livestream: 31; Playback: 74
11:00: In person: 108;
Livestream: 17; Playback: 45
Calendar
           Sunday, November 28  
9:00 a.m.
Contemporary Worship
Fellowship Hall
 
10:10 a.m.
Sunday School
 
11:00 a.m.
Traditional Worship
Sanctuary
 
3:00 p.m.
Christmas Play Rehearsal
Sanctuary
 
6:00 p.m.
Student Fellowship
 
Monday, November 29
10:00 a.m.
Staff Meeting
Room 123
 
Tuesday, November 30
6:15 p.m.
Handbell Practice
Sanctuary
 
7:00 p.m.
Fellowship Hall Exploratory Committee
Fellowship Hall
 
Boy Scout Troop 3
Scout Hall
 
Wednesday, December 1
5:30 p.m.
Fellowship Supper
Fellowship Hall
 
6:15 p.m.
Gingerbread House Event
Fellowship Hall
 
6:15 p.m.
Handbell Practice
Sanctuary
 
7:00 p.m.
Praise Band Practice
Fellowship Hall
 
7:15 p.m.
Choir Practice
Room 202
 
Thursday, December 2
7:00 a.m.
Men’s Bible Study
Parlor
 
5:30 p.m.
Scout Roundtable
Fellowship Hall
 
Saturday, December 4
9:00 a.m.
Drop and Shop
Education Wing
 
7:30 p.m.
King Christmas Concert
Sanctuary
Required Minimum Distribution

If you are planning to make a year-end gift to First Presbyterian Church and are required take a Required Minimum Distribution (RMD) from a taxable retirement plan, please consider talking to your financial advisor about a Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD).

A QCD is a direct transfer of funds from your IRA, payable directly to a qualified charity as defined in the QCD provision in the Internal Revenue Code. Amounts distributed as a QCD can be counted toward satisfying your RMD for the year, up to $100,000. In addition, the QCD is excluded from your taxable income and lowers your adjusted gross income and income tax!

Gifts may be designated to church general operations to help fulfill our annual operating budget or to one of our current mission partnerships. A new option is to designate gifts to one of the recently established Legacy Funds: the General Legacy Fund (which provides the broadest impact for years to come) or one of several Designated Legacy Funds specific to various program areas in the church, such as Worship/Music, Christian Education, Missions, or Facilities.

For more information, please call Betsy Galliher in the church office or email her at bgalliher@fpcbristol.org.
Join Us for Bluegrass Dec. 5

The Goose is loose! Rev. Grace Kim and the Wild Goose community she pastors in Floyd County will be with us on the second Sunday of Advent, December 5, to lead music in worship at 9:00 and also play a few pieces during the 11:00 service. Grace will preach at both services. There will be a third service with more extensive musical offerings at 5:00 in the fellowship hall. We will take up a love offering. The Wild Goose community plays and preserves the old-timey, mountain-style music that served as the precursor to modern bluegrass music. All are invited.
Eat, Pray, Paint

The women of the church are invited to an Advent gathering on Tuesday, December 7, 6:00-8:00 p.m., in the fellowship hall. The Reverend Liz Lambert will speak, and we will share a meal prepared by Sarah Gannaway. We will be invited to do a watercolor painting in response to Rev. Lambert’s message from Isaiah 41, “Comfort, comfort my people, says the Lord.” For more information, email Elizabeth Patrick at elizabethpatrick22@hotmail.com.
Students Have Happy Friendsgiving at FPC
Jerry Swam Sidi’s college group enjoyed a Friendsgiving lunch Tuesday in our fellowship hall. There was even more on offer than in these photos. We give thanks with the King University students that they feel at home at FPC!
Advent Devotionals Available
The season of Advent begins Sunday, and our 2021 Advent Devotional, composed by FPC members, is ready! You can pick up a copy (one per family) in the narthex or the fellowship hallway or download a copy from our website homepage or from our Facebook page. Call the church office to have a devotional mailed to you.
Returning Pledges
If you have not yet made your 2022 pledge, you can do so now by picking up a pledge card at the church or downloading a copy here. You can drop off the completed card at the church office or mail it in, or email your pledge directly to our business manager, Betsy Galliher.

Give Safely
We encourage you to use text, mail, or our website to safely continue your faithful support of our ministries during the pandemic. 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.
Looking Forward to
Gingerbread House Night
After our Wednesday night meal December 1, we’ll stay in the fellowship hall and make gingerbread houses. Join us for this intergenerational treat!
Drop and Shop Dec. 4
We will have a Drop and Shop from 9:00 to noon on Saturday, December 4. Drop your kids off at the church, and finish your shopping, wrapping, cooking, and maybe even cleaning. Just a little holiday cheer from Children’s Ministries!
New COVID Protocols
We encourage masks for those not fully vaccinated, or at higher risk of COVID-19 complications. In line with CDC guidelines, please consult your healthcare provider about vaccination.

Final 2021 Sharing Christ Opportunity Dec. 4
Our final service date with Sharing Christ this year will be Saturday, December 4. Our youth will serve at the downtown mission, and the rest of us are providing the food. If you would like to contribute, please email Beth Flannagan or Becca Tate to find out how you can help.
Christmas Play Rehearsals
Rehearsals for the children’s Christmas play are being held on Sundays at 3:00 p.m. The rehearsal on November 28 will be held in the sanctuary. If your child would like to take part, please see Lilly Osborne or Sujean Bradley.

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 various Facebook sites, go to Facebook and type in FPC Bristol. Several accounts will show up. “Like” the page or ask to join a group.
Organist's Footnotes

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 keyboard works. Schaffner was adept at composing music that sounded old yet new at the same time. Schaffner’s “Hymn Prelude on ‘Veni Emmanuel’” (our prelude) 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 most well-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. The fourth voice is played on the pedals, one phrase at a time, with breaks between. So slowly does it move that 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. His numerous compositions were mainly small in scale and often of an educational nature, though 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. His “Fantasia on ‘Veni Emmanuel’” (our postlude) begins with a strong opening statement, explores some quiet, lush harmonies in the middle, and concludes with an even stronger closing statement and a creative twist or two.
Pray for One Another
We want to pray for and celebrate with you! Send your prayer requests and glad tidings to praycelebrate@fpcbristol.org.
Birthday Prayer Fellowship
for December
To help protect your personal data, we now publish an alphabetical list of a month’s birthdays, without dates of birth, in the Windows published on or just before the first day of the month.

Brady Arnold
Jim Arnold
Renny Arnold
Todd Booher
Kat Borsch
Jack Butterworth
Tom Carter
Anna Comer
Jane Daniel
Linda Darnell
Derek Dowdell
Pat Flannagan
Braxton Foster
Macie Foster
Wes Foster
Jo Ann Hatcher
Dottie Havlik
Lou Hebb
Blaine Hunigan
Greg Jordan
Vonda Kent
Julie King
Jason Kreiss
J.B. Madison
Wendy Olson
Daniel Osborne
Reese Peltier
Deidre Pendley
Linda Poteat
Rosa Poteat
Lynn Richards
Laynie Richardson
PJ Stigers
Hugh Testerman
Teddy Testerman
Dottie Whitesides
Tina Witcher
In Our Prayers
Please also pray for the members of our community who wish to remain anonymous.

Anna Arbo & family
Mendy Bechtold
Bill & Betty Bingham
Bud & Marg Branscomb
Bristol Tennessee City Schools
Bullock family
Becky Busler
Chandler family
Collins family
Janette Cross
Ariel Damasceno
K.D. Forsha
Garrett Foster & family
DeeDee Galliher
John Graham Sr.
Emma Grubbs & Gina Roberson
Haiti
Lou Hebb
Eddie Hill
Porter Hillery
Davan & Kristi Johnson
Joiner/Schiesz family
Jim & Joan Keith
Marty & Kara Keys
Morgan & Josh King & family
Nancy Lilly
Mary Jane Luffman
Diana Mattison
Dot Mattison
Roger McCracken
Kathy McGlothlin
Montana Indian Ministries
Abigail Myers
National & international leadership
Breanna Necessary
Palestine & Israel
Pastor Bruce Plummer
Don Pridemore
Cora Lee Raccioppo
Bob Rhea
Roberts family
Michelle S.
Susan Solomon
Malcolm Sprinkle
Teachers & school administrators
Margaret Wade
Bill & Patsy Ward
Michael Weller
Deadline & Subscriptions
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