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Windows
April 27 & May 4, 2023
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Word from the Pastor:
Open the Door
The following is a devotional by Charles Spurgeon, that great Reformed Baptist preacher of the 19th century.
If any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him.
—Revelation 3:20
“What is your desire this evening? Is it set upon heavenly things? Do you long to enjoy the high doctrine of eternal love? Do you desire liberty in very close communion with God? Do you aspire to know the heights, and depths, and lengths, and breadths?
“Then you must draw near to Jesus; you must get a clear sight of him in his preciousness and completeness; you must view him in his work, in his offices, in his person. He who understands Christ, receives an anointing from the Holy One, by which he knows all things. Christ is the great master-key of all the chambers of God; there is no treasure-house of God which will not open and yield up all its wealth to the soul that lives near to Jesus.
“Are you saying, ‘O that he would dwell in my bosom’? ‘Would that he would make my heart his dwelling-place forever’? Open the door, beloved, and he will come into your souls. He has long been knocking, and all with this object, that he may sup with you, and you with him. He sups with you because you find the house or the heart, and you with him because he brings the provision. He could not sup with you if it were not in your heart, you finding the house; nor could you sup with him, for you have a bare cupboard, if he did not bring provision with him.
Fling wide, then, the portals of your soul. He will come with that love which you long to feel; he will come with that joy into which you cannot work your poor depressed spirit; he will bring the peace which now you have not; he will come with his flagons of wine and sweet apples of love, and cheer you till you have no other sickness but that of ‘love o’erpowering, love divine.’ Only open the door to him, drive out his enemies, give him the keys of your heart, and he will dwell there forever.
“Oh, wondrous love, that brings such a guest to dwell in such a heart!”
In Christ,
Pastor Sam
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Come to the Wade Reading Room Dedication Sunday
We will dedicate our Wade Reading Room after the 11:00 service this Sunday, April 30, at approximately 12:30. The Wade Reading Room is a place where you can borrow books and an oasis where you can read, wait for a meeting to begin or end, or just enjoy some quiet time. The children’s corner has age-appropriate books as well as paper and crayons. On the walls and enhanced by new lighting is art by church members and mementoes of church history. Two stained glass windows from our former downtown church have been mounted and backlit to highlight their beauty and the skill of the hands that created them.
A few additional features are coming, including QR codes for accessing church history, and information about all the stained glass windows that grace our church, some of which were created by a craftsman who was awarded the French Legion of Honor. Come and see!
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Final Days of Our April Mission Focus
You can still help with our April mission focus on A Place to Be by bringing any size of packaged, nonperishable breakfast and snack foods with you when you come to worship this Sunday. A Place To Be is Family Promise of Bristol’s day center for people who are homeless. It provides food and other services for about 40 people each day. This food is all some people will get all day, so please bring a few items to church and put them in one of the collection boxes you’ll see outside the fellowship hall and in the narthex. We are not collecting monetary gifts for this work.
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Congratulations, Steve and Vicki Fey!
We are delighted to announce that Steve and Vicki Fey were recently honored by the Presbyterian Association of Musicians as Honorary Lifetime Members. The Feys served our church in many ways, particularly through their work as Directors of Music, for more than 18 years, and they were an important force in the Tri-Cities community of musicians and music appreciators. We are certain that everyone who knew the Feys and their work will join us in congratulating them for this recognition.
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Worship
April 30
4th Sunday of Easter
Scripture
Psalm 110
Colossians 3:1–17
Sermon
“Frienemies”
Sam Weddington
Last Sunday’s Attendance
9:00: In person: 122; Livestream: 22; Playback: 51
11:00: In person: 104; Livestream: 21; Playback: 57
May 7
5th Sunday of Easter
Communion
Scripture
Psalm 31:1–5, 15–16
Acts 7:55–60
John 14:1–14
Sermon
“Promises, Promises”
Dave Welch
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Calendar
Sunday, April 30
9:00 a.m.
Contemporary Worship
Fellowship Hall
10:20 a.m.
Sunday School
11:00 a.m.
Traditional Worship
Sanctuary
6:00 p.m.
Student Fellowship
Fellowship Hall
Monday, May 1
10:00 a.m.
Staff
Room 123
Tuesday, May 2
7:00 p.m.
Boy Scout Troop 3
Scout Hall
Wednesday, May 3
6:15 p.m.
Handbell Choir
Room 212
7:15 p.m.
Sanctuary Choir
Room 202
Praise Band
Fellowship Hall
Thursday, May 4
7:00 a.m.
Men’s Bible Study
Parlor
1:00 p.m.
Women’s Bible Study
Room 123
5:30 p.m.
Scout Roundtable
Fellowship Hall
Sunday, May 7
9:00 a.m.
Contemporary Worship
Fellowship Hall
10:20 a.m.
Sunday School
11:00 a.m.
Traditional Worship
Sanctuary
Monday, May 8
10:00 a.m.
Staff
Room 123
6:00 p.m.
Scout District Committee
Fellowship Hall
7:00 p.m.
Worship Committee
Room 123
Tuesday, May 9
7:00 p.m.
Boy Scout Troop 3
Scout Hall
Wednesday, May 10
6:15 p.m.
Handbell Choir
Room 212
7:15 p.m.
Sanctuary Choir
Room 202
Praise Band
Fellowship Hall
Thursday, May 11
7:00 a.m.
Men’s Bible Study
Parlor
8:30 a.m.
Meals on Wheels
Fellowship Hall
1:00 p.m.
Women’s Bible Study
Room 123
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Arts Alliance Honors Dottie Havlik and Ann Holler
The Arts Alliance Mountain Empire annually recognizes five living individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the arts in the Tri-Cities area. Over the years, recipients of the Arts Achievement Awards have included our own Nancy DeFriece, Pat Flannagan, Judy and Fred Slaughter, and Laura Ann Warner. Please join us this year as Dottie Havlik and Ann Holler are honored at the AAME Arts Achievement Awards Gala Saturday, May 20, at 6:00 p.m. in the Bristol Convention Center at the Delta Marriott.
Learn more about the gala and reserve your tickets by May 15 here. You can purchase tickets online here. The Marriott is located at 3135 Linden Drive, Bristol, Virginia, across from Legacy Theaters.
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Call for Graduate Information
On Sunday, May 14, we will celebrate all the new graduates in our church family. We’re asking for each graduate’s name; the school or program being completed; the degree, certificate, or rank achieved; and future plans, if applicable. The deadline for submitting this information is Monday, May 8. Please email it to Scottie Bales or call the church office at 423-764-7176. We look forward to celebrating these achievements!
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Watch for Stellar VBS in July
Save the dates for Vacation Bible School at FPC from Sunday, July 16, through Wednesday, July 19, 5:30–8:30 p.m. It’s going to be stellar! Get in touch with Lilly Osborne, if you’d like to help.
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Write a Legacy Letter to a Graduating Senior
As we look forward to celebrating our graduating seniors in worship services they will lead May 14, we are collecting Legacy Letters to present to them on that Sunday. We invite family, teachers, coaches, neighbors, friends, and others to write. It is a wonderful opportunity to encourage our seniors in their future plans and faith as well as to acknowledge the beautiful gifts God has given them.
Legacy Letters describe the impact the senior has had on the writer’s life. Letters can share memories, stories, lessons learned, or significant moments. Our hope is that these Legacy Letters will give family and friends an opportunity to share the influence the seniors have had on those around them. The letters will be a beautiful collection of love and truth that they can read as they begin their new journey after high school, and serve as a reminder of the loving community that is cheering them on.
Class of 2023
Claire Hankins
Paige Helms
Payne Ladd
Tom Meredith
Chelsie Proffitt
Laynie Richardson
Maddie Smith
Logan Tudor
Ethan Webb
Grayson Webb
Jeremiah Webb
Wade Witcher
If you would like to participate, please email, snailmail, or deliver all cards and letters to Katie Arnold at the church by Friday, May 12.
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Encourage Our Confirmands
Since September 2021, our confirmation students have participated in weekly classes that have taught, informed, and challenged their ideas of faith. Watching them grow over the past school year and take ownership of their faith has been a joy and an inspiration! It will soon be time to share this joy with all our congregation.
In the combined service on Sunday, May 21, these young people will have the opportunity to proclaim their faith to our church family and become members of First Presbyterian Church. As we prepare for this special day, we ask friends and family to send in cards and letters of spiritual encouragement for our confirmands. The kind words you share will not only encourage them as they prepare to be confirmed but also be kept for years as a reminder of the great cloud of witnesses that surrounds them and that will continue to love, guide, and encourage them as they run the race.
2023 Confirmands
Palmer Akard
AJ Arnold
Lucy Bechtold
Lilly Hankins
Sylvia Kingsley
Rob Meredith
Branch Sword
Katie Arnold is your contact for more information. Please deliver all cards and letters to her attention at the church by Friday, May 19. Thank you for joining in the celebration of this important and exciting time in the lives of our students!
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Please Help Maintain
Our Courtyard
It doesn’t take a lot to maintain the beauty of our courtyard. Can you contribute an occasional 20 minutes of mowing or trimming? The courtyard is a lovely area for reflection in the center of the main church building. There are two doors into this secret garden. You can enter it from the parlor or from the hall that connects the front hall to the fellowship hallway. Call or text Beth Flannagan at 423-956-3837 to volunteer.
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The lighter side of mission work during our 2021 trip.
You Can Still Sign Up
for Serve Orlando
Rising seventh grade to college students, families with rising first graders and up, and adults of all ages are invited to join us on our summer Serve Orlando mission trip. We will leave from the church on Saturday, June 17, and return Saturday, June 24.
The cost of $400 per person includes all necessities but travel meals; a day at Universal Studios Florida Theme Park is an additional $115 per person. Pay the deposit of $100 per person when you register. The balance is due by June 17. Scholarships and family pricing are available.
Register here and pay the deposit. You can pay online here; choose “2023 Serve Orlando Mission Trip” in the Fund drop-down menu. Contact Katie Arnold for more information.
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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:
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Tony Mitchell: to the Minister’s Discretionary Education Fund from Chuck & Suzee Bolick
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Joyce Samuel: to the Minister’s Discretionary Fund from Chuck & Suzee Bolick
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April 30: On the 4th Sunday of Easter I will play two voluntaries based on the tune in dir ist freude (“In Thee Is Gladness”). in dir ist freude is one of many balletti (dancelike songs) written by Giovanni G. Gastoldi (1554–1609), a priest and composer from Mantua, Italy. It was originally published in his Balletti a cinque voci (1591 ), where it was set to “Alieta vita, Amor ciinuita,” which like so many balletti had a "fa-la-la" refrain.
Johann Lindemann (1549–1631) published a Christian text for this tune in 1598 in his Amorum filii Dei decades duae. This text was translated from German into English by Catherine Winkworth (1827–1878), and the English-speaking world has sung her hymn ever since. In 1991, Delores Dufner, OSB, composed a resurrection text to this tune, and that is the version we will sing today.
Diane Bish’s (b. 1942) setting of this tune (our opening voluntary) is light-hearted and playful, with colorful registrations. Listen closely to the melody: it will help with singing the hymn a short time later. Johann Sebastian Bach’s setting (our closing voluntary) is a complex counterpoint but no less jubilant.
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May 7: On the 5th Sunday of Easter we will turn our attention to the music of Henry Purcell (1659–1695), considered to be among the greatest of English composers, even though he died at age 36. His tune westminster abbey was named posthumously in honor of the cathedral where Purcell grew up and where he worked his entire adult life as organist and choirmaster. The soaring melody is an adaptation of his song “Fairest Isle” from Act V of his opera King Arthur. We will sing this tune to the text most often associated with it, “Christ Is Made the Sure Foundation.”
For the opening voluntary, I am playing Richard Proulx’s (1937–2010) setting of westminster abbey, which captures Purcell’s style so well that it sounds as if Purcell himself composed it! Proulx’s setting is in four short sections: Diapasons, Cornet, Ayre, and Trumpet Tune.
For the closing voluntary I will play “Trumpet Overture” from Act III of The Indian Queen, one of Purcell’s last works, composed in 1695, the year of his death. It is arranged for organ by S. Drummond Wolff (1916–2004).
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In Our Prayers
We have several unnamed or private requests. Please pray for the members of our community who wish to remain anonymous.
Ricky Adams
Wayne Ausmus
Olivia Bowen
Bud & Marg Branscomb
Bristol Tennessee City Schools
Rachel & Ben Cherry & Dean Millard
Bill Coleman
Jacob Daston
Russell Fogelman, Kelli Krajeck & Kendall
Martha & Bill Gesling
John Graham Sr.
Lou Hebb
Mike Hodge
Nancy Lilly
Mardi Long
Dot & Diana Mattison
Gabe Maxfield
Carl McGrady
Fisher Mitchell
Montana Indian Ministries
National & international leadership
Lee North
Alex Plummer & Brother
Pastor Bruce Plummer
Delaney Porter
Bill Prince
Cora Lee Raccioppo
Bob “Homer” Reynolds
Lynn Richards
Greg Roberts
Brenda Rogers
Harold Rutherford
Tom & Delma Slagle
Denny Smith
Teachers & school administrators
Those suffering with addiction
Scott VanNostrand
Bill & Patsy Ward
Williams family
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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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May Birthday Prayer Fellowship
To protect your personal data, we now publish our birthday lists without dates.
Nancy Allerton
Audrey Arndt
Hal Arndt
Wayne Ausmus
Phil Bailey
Blake Bassett
Mendy Bechtold
Bill Bingham
Karen Boone
Allison Brooks
Martin Dotterweich
Trevor Dowdell
Frances Emerson
Bruce Gannaway
Robert Bruce Gannaway
Debbie Garritson
Sandra Grubbs
Davan Johnson
David Johnson
Jane Keeter
Morgan King
Sylvia Kingsley
Brenda Lawson
Rob Meredith
Mary Caroline Mumpower
Maxwell Mumpower
Myers Mumpower
William Mumpower
Matt Peltier
Jimmy Phipps
Jerry Poteat
Don Pridemore
Evie Quickel
Jim Ratliff
Sherry Ratliff
Hugh Rice
Brittany Rutherford
Kendall Sampson
Amy Scott
Misti Shaw
Ford Sikorski
Andrew Smith
Henry Strickland
Branch Sword
Kristen Tallman
Lenita Thibault
David Tudor
John Vann
Dave Welch
Linda Welch
Susan Zeiler
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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.
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We encourage you to use text, mail, or our website to safely continue your faithful support of our ministries. Give online here; choose a fund from the drop-down menu. Or send your pledge, offering, or special gift by texting fpcbristol to 73256 or mailing your check to the church.
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701 Florida Avenue | Bristol, TN 37620 | 423-764-7176 | fpcbristol.org | | | | |
