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Windows
February 16th, 2024
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Word from the Pastor: Lent, Not Lint | |
But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. -Matthew 6:33
This past Wednesday marked the beginning of the Lenten season. I hope all of you got a copy of the wonderful Lenten devotional we are giving out. If you haven’t, pick up a copy in the narthex, or outside the doors of the fellowship hall.
For many of us, Lent is a familiar season. It’s a time of introspection, prayer, and reflection on the meaning of our faith in the life, death, resurrection, and ongoing reign of Jesus. In the best sense, Lent is a time of preparation (40 days, in fact) of our coming celebration of Easter.
For others of us, Lent isn’t so familiar. Maybe we come from a non-liturgical background. For others, Lent sounds a bit too “Roman Catholic” for us. I understand. But don’t forget that we’re all Catholic because we’re all members of the universal body of Christ (which the word Catholic actually means).
Whether you find yourself in one camp or another, what Lent cannot be is an exercise in piety for the sake of going through the motions. If God is calling you to push away from the box of chocolates for Lent, I won’t stand between you and God’s call. However, I would ask you whether or not you are listening closely. Maybe the call to push away from the box of chocolates is an entry way into questioning how all of us are prone to excess, whether of food, delectables, or other vices. It can also be the start of a call to examine how blessed we are, and the ways we can use our resources to bless others who may not have the same privileges.
In short, Lent shouldn’t be an exercise in spiritual navel gazing. It’s not a time for us to stare down at those little holes in our stomach that collect lint and flagellate ourselves for being human. Lent, at its best, is a celebration of sorts. We celebrate that we are God’s creatures, and that we are utterly dependent on God for every good thing. Most of all, we are dependent upon God in Christ for our redemption and freedom from slavery to the powers of sin and death.
So, let’s celebrate Lent and be done with the lint.
In Christ,
Pastor Sam
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Directory Issues
We want to apologize to everyone. We are having a problem with the online directory. We are in the process of fixing it, and we will let everyone know when it is back online. We want to assure you that no information has been compromised by this problem, and we are being proactive in fixing this issue.
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Officer Ordination and Installation
This Sunday, we will gather to witness the sacred ordination and installation of our new officers entrusted with guiding our community with faith and wisdom.
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The Lenten Devotional
The 2024 Lenten Devotional is 40 Days with Jesus by Sarah Young. The devotionals will be available in the narthex and the Fellowship Hallway beginning February 4th. Please take only one per family.
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Worship
February 18
1st Sunday in Lent, 38th Sunday after Pentecost
Scripture
Matthew 4:1-11
Sermon
“A More Excellent Way”
Rev. Dr. Samuel Weddington
Last Sunday's Attendance
9:00: In person: 153
11:00: In person: 101
9:00: Online: 160
11:00: Online: 160
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Calendar
Sunday, February 18
9:00 a.m.
Early Worship, Fellowship Hall 9:30 a.m.
Handbell Rehearsal, Room 212 10:20 a.m.
Sunday School for Adults and Children
11:00 a.m.
Late Worship, Sanctuary
4:00 p.m.
M&O Committee, Room 123
6:00 p.m.
Student Fellowship, Fellowship Hall
7:00 p.m.
KU Worship Night
Monday, February 19
10:00 a.m.
Staff Meeting, Rm, 123
7:00 p.m.
DSF Committee, Rm. 123
Tuesday, February 20
7:00 p.m.
Troop 3, Scout Hall
7:00 p.m.
A&O Committee, Room 123
Wednesday, February 21
4:30 p.m.
Congregational Care Com., Room 117
5:30 p.m.
Wednesday Meal, Fellowship Hall
6:15 p.m.
Wednesday Night Activities
7:15 p.m.
Adult Choir Practice, Room 202
7:15 p.m.
Praise Team Practice, Fellowship Hall
Thursday, February 22
7:00 a.m.
Men’s Bible Study, Parlor
1:00 p.m.
Women’s Bible Study, Rm. 123
Friday, February 23
6:00 p.m.
Parents Night Out
Saturday, February 24
9:00 a.m.
Officer Training, Fellowship Hall
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Hey parents! Do you need a night out? A little rest and relaxation? A fun activity for your children? Parents’ Night Out will be Friday, February 23 from 6:00-8:30. Dinner for kids provided! Please register here. Contact Lilly Osborne if you have any questions. | |
Great Escape is a camp for middle schoolers (rising 6th - 8th) to breakaway, grow, learn and have the best week of their life! Get ready for a week of high energy games, engaging speakers and an awesome worship band. First Pres will be attending the Smokies location, held at the Ocoee Retreat Center in Ocoee, TN. The group will depart Monday, July 22 and return Saturday, July 27. Mornings include breakfast, quiet times and recreation. Afternoons include lunch, recreation, free time, small groups and an afternoon session! Evenings include dinner, evening sessions, counselor meetings, and aftermaths. This is an event you won’t want to miss! Start inviting your friends and get your $100 deposit turned in ASAP to reserve your spot. | |
Our Chili Cook-Off & Talent Show is coming up on Sunday, February 25. If you would like to perform on our stage, please contact Lilly Osborne or Katie Arnold. We always have a variety of talents of all ages! We would love to see your talent! Also, you can dust off that award winning chili recipe and get ready for the contest! Spice things up or bring something sweet! We're looking for chili or dessert contributions to this must-attend gathering. | |
 | Join FPC on an intergenerational summer adventure to Orlando, Florida to serve and play! Departing from the church on June 22, the group will head down to Orlando, Florida for a week of missions, beach, and Orlando fun. Experience the richness of working along side people of all ages and building new relationships within our church family. Participants will have the opportunity to serve with different ministries around Orlando. Each day is full of new opportunities and mission experiences. The group will be housed in dormitories at Forest Lake Academy. Meals will also be provided by the academy. The week will include beach time and an optional day at Universal Studios! We will return home June 29. The schedule will be flexible for families who are attending. We want it to be a rich and enjoyable experience for all! This is an event you won’t want to miss! Start making plans and inviting friends and get your $100 deposit in by March 1 to reserve your spot! Fill out the registration form here. | | |
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Inspired by Matthew 25:35-36, our church joins a "giving in kind" initiative this winter. Donate snacks, gloves, and hats to support local ministries A Place to Be and Haven of Rest. Collection bins are outside the sanctuary and fellowship hall. Haven of Rest's specific needs list is available alongside the collection bins. Let's make a warm impact together! | |
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Double Your Blessing: Both Yours and Those You Serve
In addition to serving dinner at Sharing Christ, this year Mission & Outreach (M&O) is adding A Place to Be (APTB) to our week of service and also provide their Wednesday noon meal – yes, the same week we serve at Sharing Christ!
For those not familiar with this outreach effort, here is a bit of background:
- Family Promise of Bristol coordinates A Place to Be, a day center to provide care for unhoused people in Bristol in the Salvation Army building. APTB is open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. A noon meal is provided each of those days, with a hot lunch served on Wednesdays.
- Sharing Christ Ministries and Worship Center is a small non-denominational, evangelical church called to fill a need in downtown Bristol. They host a free meal each Saturday night from 5:30-6:30 and have a clothing ministry. When we serve at Sharing Christ, we usually provide approximately 25 bagged lunches (PB&J, banana, Little Debbie cake). FPC has volunteered for many years.
You are invited to be part of providing the meal and serving at either or both of those venues, both to occur on the same week. The first opportunity will be the week of Wednesday March 13 and Saturday March 16. We will provide the hot lunch at APTB on Wednesday 3/13 and a few days later, provide the same meal to guests at Sharing Christ on 3/16.
The recipe for the casserole to be served will be provided, which is easily doubled. We anticipate the need for 12-14 single casseroles for those weeks we serve the meals.
What we need is those with a servant heart to –
Provide casseroles (recipe to be provided; can be prepared ahead and delivered to the church at any time prior to the dates)
Purchase
- Large cans of green beans and another side TBD
- Little Debbie cakes or something similar
- Dinner rolls
Willing hands to serve and clean up (Wednesday 11:30-1:30, Saturday 5-6:30) For the lunches at Sharing Christ, we will still need: Sandwich bread for 25 sandwiches
Little Debbie cakes (25)
Bananas (25)
Becca Tate (404-790-1223) and Beth Flannagan (423-956-3837) will be coordinating the meals, so contact them to sign up. AND if you’re interested in scheduling your service for all FOUR dates of the year, the additional dates are June 12 & 15; September 18 & 21; December 11 & 14.
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Remember to Return your Pledge
We are slowly bridging the gap in our funding for our ministries in 2024. We have now received $702,492 in pledges for next year and need $82,508 more to reach our goal of $785,000. If you have not yet sent in your pledge, you can still submit the card you received in the mail (also available at the church) or access online giving through the QR code. If you have any questions about stewardship, reach out to any member of the committee. The members of the Stewardship Committee are Bruce Gannaway and Pete Holler.
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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:
Lee North: to the Memorial Fund from Katherine Taggart Crutchfield
Tom D. King: to the Memorial Fund from Katherine Taggart Crutchfield
Nancy Carter: to the Student Ministries Fund from Katherine Taggart Crutchfield
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 |  | This Sunday is the First Sunday of Lent: a time of penitence and reflection. While our music can be somewhat restrained, it does not mean me we must hang our heads low! Today’s music is intended to be as uplifting as ever. Our processional hymn, “God Is Here!”, sets the tone well. Its tune, ABBOT’S LEIGH, was composed by Cyril V. Taylor in 1941 to replace Franz Joseph Haydn’s AUSTRIAN HYMN, which became associated with the Nazi regime. Our opening voluntary “Abbots’ Leigh: Passacaglia, Fughetta, Finale” is an arrangement of this hymn by Austin C. Lovelace (1919-2010). Lovelace was called by many the “Dean of American Church Music”. Over many years he worked at a number of Methodist and Presbyterian churches in Colorado, North Carolina, Illinois, and Nebraska. He also worked at Union Theological Seminary in N.Y.C., Garrett Theological Seminary in Evanston, Ill, and Iliff School of Theology in Denver, Colorado. He traveled widely as a Director of Music for general conferences, lecturer, and consultant. He was the organist for the Assembly of the World Council of Churches in 1954. He was a prolific writer and composer with over 700 compositions for church in print, as well as numerous articles and books on church hymnody. All of the Congregational Responses we will sing during Lent are hymns which Lovelace arranged. That includes our closing hymn, “Listen, God Is Calling”, which comes from Kenya. Its first line in Swahili, NENO LAKE MUNGA, is its tune name. Anne Krentz Organ (b. 1960) has created an engaging arrangement of NENO LAKE MUNGA which I will play for our closing voluntary. -Bob Greene
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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.
Bill and Patsy Ward
Dot Mattison
Lou Hebb
Bud & Marg Branscomb
Rachel & Ben Cherry and Dean Millard
Ricky Adams
Mardia Long
John Graham, Sr
Harold Rutherford
Barbara Daniel
Frances Emerson
Fitz Anderson
Ginger Alvarado
Debbie Garritson
Debbie Turner
Bill Coleman
Laura Ann Buckles
Patsy Adams
Billie Peterson
Patty King
Bill Woods
Nelson Pyle
Adam, Nicole, & Warren Hodgson
Darrell Wilson
Phyllis Phares
Loretta Thomas
Dale Bechtold
Darnell Anderson
John McGill
Sarah Ferguson & family
Martha Mueller
Jon Eakes
Betsy Tate Kegley
Lillian Rhoades
Al Smith
Shane Rollins & family
Lois Smith
Peggy Peters
Sandee and Jack Wooley
Mark Byington
Lisa Cronin
Shirley Ferguson
Grieving
Masters family
Mark Davis and family
Family of Cora Lee Raccioppo
Family of Louise Bowdoin
Region/Nation/Special
Schools, Colleges, & Universities
Ukraine
Israel & hostages
Those suffering with addiction
Mission & Ministry
Young People in Detention Center
Marthina Chapel/Phil Blevins
Ethiopian brothers and sisters/Dembi Dollo
Onesimus Ministry/Addis Ababa
Christians in Nigeria/ECWA
Felipe Camarão & Cidade Nova Churches
Joao & Roseangela
Gil & Adailza
Rui & Ariel Damasceno
Lawrence and Courtney Sharrett
Kate Hill
Goddards (Paraguay Missionaries)
Chris & Phoebe Chanda in Zambia
Paul Htay in Myanmar
BCCR/Gray House & Harmony & Hope House/Steven & Ann Davis
Montana Indian Ministries/Bruce Plummer
Serve Orlando
Younglife
Sunday school teachers, leaders, mentors @ FPC
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Given the recent resurgence in COVID cases in our area, the session encourages everyone to consult their medical professional about appropriate safety measures, especially those who are at higher risk of complications from COVID-19 or who are not fully vaccinated. | |
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Wednesday of the week of publication is the deadline for contributions to Windows. Subscribe to our free e-newsletter by sending your name and preferred email address to the editor. Livestream our worship services and other activities at FPC Bristol on YouTube. Click on the link and hit Subscribe to receive notifications of new videos. Find us on Facebook at FPC Bristol. Several accounts will show up. “Like” the page or ask to join a group.
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. Text fpcbristol to 73256 to send your pledge, offering, or special gift to the church. Messages and data rates may apply. Message varies frequency. Text HELP to 73256 for help. Text STOP to 73256 to cancel. If you prefer, you may mail your contribution to the church.
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701 Florida Avenue | Bristol, TN 37620 | 423-764-7176 | fpcbristol.org | | | | |
