Windows

January 19th, 2024

Wednesday Night Kids

We are looking forward to our Wednesday night kids resuming on January 24! The younger kids (ages 4-first grade) will have Bible time with Ms Sujean, Ms. Alice, and Ms. Sujean and will have Sing and Play music time with Ms Melissa. The older kids will enjoy Bible Trivia with Clathon and will begin learning recorder with Ms Melissa! We hope to see you at 5:30 on Wednesday!

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.

Join us Friday February 9th, 6:00 pm-9:30 pm and Saturday February 10th, 8:00 am-3:30 pm for the annual FPC Women’s Retreat! We will meet at King University Chapel and Dining Hall for Worship, Scripture, Reflection, Fellowship, Food! Our speaker is Laura Hicks Hardy, sharing on the topic of Sabbath Rest. Any women who would enjoy this time of rest, rejuvenation and friendship! Invite your friends and family! Register online, or by filling out a paper registration form at church. $75 total cost (includes 3 meals and all retreat materials), with $25 deposit due by February 2nd. Scholarships are available! Be sure to register here.

Our fabulous youth choir will begin rehearsals on Wednesday, January 24 from 7:15-7:45. This choir is for kids and youth from third grade through eighth grade. We will rehearse on January 24, 31, and February 7. The Youth Choir will sing during the Ash Wednesday service on February 14. We are excited to see everyone!

Lace up your skates and get ready to glide into a night of laughter and fun! Join us for the First Pres. Skating Party at Bristol Skateway on Sunday, January 21st from 5:00-7:00 pm. All ages and skill levels are welcome, so grab your friends and family and get ready to make some memories!

Chili Cook-Off and Talent Show

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!

Our Annual Congregational Meeting is happening on Sunday, January 28th at 10:15 AM. We'll be reviewing the past year, sharing exciting plans for the future, and enjoying fellowship together. Come and see what God has done in our church!

Remember to Return your Pledge

We are slowly bridging the gap in our funding for our ministries in 2024. We have now received $620,552 in pledges for next year and need $164,448 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.

Zambia Mission Trip

Greetings from FPC Members Mark and Catherine Bell,

We would like to invite you all to prayerfully consider joining us for our next mission trip to beautiful Zambia, Africa from May 16-31, 2024 through our ministry partnership with the Phoebe Foundation Africa (PFA). If you decide to go, you will be an answer to prayer for our Zambian friends. Over the years, since our first trip to Zambia in 2011, this beautiful African country has become our second home. We fell in love with the culture, the people, and the churches and are in awe of the spiritual maturity of our friends and leaders that live in this majestic part of the world. We feel blessed that, through our friendship with Pastor Chris and Phoebe Chanda, the Zambian founders of PFA, we have been a part of carrying out the mission of this Christ-centered ministry. There are various roles that you can engage in during this trip including, leading Bible studies, sharing the gospel through fellowship @ soccer matches, playing soccer, sharing sermons, facilitating group discussion at a counseling conference, speak at the counseling conference, provide meals to vulnerable children at a feeding program, attend &/or pray at home visits and/or distribute Bibles & donations. The deadline to sign up for this trip is February 1st. To apply and learn more about this mission opportunity, email the Bell's at ezer072663@gmail.com Thanks so much!

Yours in Christ, Catherine & Mark Bell

Serve Orlando

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.

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:

• Betty Kirksey: to the Minister’s Discretionary Fund from an anonymous donor
• Blaine Hunigan: to the Minister’s Discretionary Fund from an anonymous donor
• Carl McGrady: to the Minister’s Discretionary Fund from an anonymous donor
• Dave Whitesides: to the Minister’s Discretionary Fund from an anonymous donor
• Joyce Samuel: to the Minister’s Discretionary Fund from an anonymous donor
• Nancy Carter: to the Minister’s Discretionary Fund from an anonymous donor
• Peggy Nicar: to the Minister’s Discretionary Fund from an anonymous donor
• Wayne Ausmus: to Minister’s Discretionary Fund from an anonymous donor
• Ron Grubbs: to the Minister’s Discretionary Fund from Lee & Barbara Grubbs
• Claire Varina, mother of Nancy Allerton: to the Minister’s Discretionary Fund from Peggy Hill

Organist's Footnotes

I have an organ student who is learning to play a transcription of “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring” by Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750). As my student struggles to learn to play this beloved piece, it suddenly struck me that, in spite of literally hundreds of arrangements of this piece, none that I have seen “solo out” both the obligato line and the chorale tune. I decided to create such an arrangement for our opening voluntary. To be clear, Bach never a wrote a piece called “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring.” That is the popular English title of the chorale from his cantata Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben, BWV 147. This chorale occurs twice in the cantata, with different texts each time (neither of which matches the English). The English title derives from a famous transcription made by Myra Hess (1890-1965) in 1926 for piano solo, which I will play for our closing voluntary. (Yes, we will hear this lovely piece twice!) Hess’s transcription is elegantly understated, moving the chorale tune back and forth between the tenor and soprano voices. Hess had an amazing career where she performed with major symphony orchestras worldwide and organized a daily concert series during WWII for which she was knighted. Our offertory is a brand-new setting of Hymn No. 170, “You Walk along Our Shoreline.” I felt Sylvia Dunstan’s 1984 text was mismatched with a hymn tune from the 1500s. - Bob Greene

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



Condolences

Condolences to Karen Haaser and family in the death of her mother Teresa “Teddy” Ridout on January 12th in Navasota, Texas.

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