Windows

October 29, 2023

Sharing Christ Gives Thanks 

We would like to thank everyone who provided casseroles and other food items for the supper at Sharing Christ last Saturday, as well as the downtown community. The Symphony of the Mountains provided a special musical treat, and they also reminded us about their upcoming free concert at the Paramount on October 28th. We had so much food that we were able to share it with Harmony and Hope House, as well as Gray House, both missions of FPC.

Vamos ao Brasil!

First Presbyterian Church has periodically traveled to the city of Natal in northeast Brazil over more than twenty years to visit our partner churches in the poor neighborhoods of Felipe Camarão and Cidade Nova, as well as the Bethel School that serves more than 130 children grades Pre-K through 3rd in the Felipe Camarão community. Our mission each visit is to encourage and support the pastors, school staff, and congregations, along with students and their families, during a week’s worth of activities and opportunities for meaningful worship and interaction. The time there allows us to walk alongside our brothers and sisters in person and strengthen our understanding of the joys and challenges they face every day. Our next trip is tentatively scheduled for May 24 – June 3, 2024 and is open to all adults, high school juniors or seniors (with accompanying parent/responsible adult), and college students. Is God calling you to join the team for the first time (or a next time) to see firsthand how God is at work in these communities? Is God calling you to support this partnership in other ways? If so, join us for an information session on Sunday, November 12 at 10:20 a.m. in the Chapel to learn more!

Join us Sunday, October 29th at 2:00pm for this fall favorite! Choose a pumpkin to paint and decorate, and take it home to enjoy. Get your face painted with a fall-inspired design, play a variety of fun and festive fall games, enjoy delicious fall treats and wonderful fellowship. Spend time with your friends and family and make new friends at our fall festival. We'll have plenty of space to play games, eat snacks, and relax. We hope to see you there!

Join us Friday, October 27th for our Ladies Night Out at Red Pepper any time between 5:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. for a dinner of food and fellowship. Celebrate your community and build bonds over a delicious meal!

Next Wednesday Fellowship: Through Jesus, part 1

As a community being made whole by God, we love, serve, and grow through Jesus.

You’re invited to the next session of our mission statement series on Wednesday! We will be discussing how to unite in love, even through difficult times. Our scripture readings for this lesson will be Psalm 31:21-24, John 17:20-26, and 2 Corinthians 5:11-15. Fellowship dinner will begin at 5:30 PM in the fellowship hall, followed by the adult study and activities for youth and children.

If you don't already participate in a Home Group, please sign up here. Access the resume on our website or watch for it to drop on our Home Groups Facebook site. If you need help finding or starting a Home Group, please email Dave Welch. 

Let’s Get Connected! In Our New Online Church Directory



The wait is over – a new online church pictorial directory is in the works! Everyone who is a member or attends worship services on a regular basis is invited and encouraged to participate. Our data source for the directory will be Realm®, the church management software platform our church already uses for our membership database and giving records. (All giving information is completely secure and is not available to anyone other than the giver and FPC’s Business Administrator.) Those with online capabilities will access the directory from a computer and/or smart phone after setting up a personal Realm account. Those without online access can chose to have their information updated/included for them and will be provided with a paper copy of the directory. Whether you are a technical genius, have never touched a computer or smart phone, or are somewhere in between – we want you to join us in the directory. ONLY members of the FPC community who chose to participate will have access to the online directory. By electing to be in the directory, your name will be visible to everyone with directory access. If you decide to add a photo to your profile, the photo will be visible as well. As you set up your personal Realm account, you can choose to limit visibility of other personal information such as address, phone number(s), email address(es).

READY? - CLICK HERE TO GET STARTED

NOTE: The final Directory Help Session will be held this Sunday, Oct 29 from 10-10:50 AM in the Parlor. Please stop by if you have any questions or want a photo taken. If homebound, we will be contacting you in November to offer sign up at home.

King Institute Speaker: Esau McCaulley

“Storytelling, Place, and the Christian Imagination” is coming to King University Memorial Chapel, Bristol, Tenn. on Monday, November 6 at 9:15 a.m. and later “How Far to the Promised Land: Faith, Community, and the Black Memoir” at 7:00 p.m. here at First Presbytherian Church. Attend a talk on how the ways in which story influences the beliefs, values, and practices of Christians. Join us at 7:00 p.m. for a discussion on how Esau’s faith was shaped by his experiences in the Black community. These events are open to everyone, so we can’t wait to see you there!

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:

• Tom D. King: to the Sharing Christ Fund from Tom & Leigh King
• Dave Whitesides: to the FPC Troop 3 Scout Fund from Bill & Ann Woods

Organist's Footnotes

For our opening voluntary this Sunday our handbell choir will play arrangements of “Three Menuets” from the Notebook for Anna Magdalena Bach. Anna Magdalena Bach (1701-1760) was a professional singer and the second wife of Johann Sebastian Bach (1680-1750). This notebook contains Bach’s French Suites and many other favorite pieces copied from their composer friends. Attributions to each composer were often omitted, leading to much speculation. It is now widely believed that Christian Petzold (1677- 1733) is the composer of the first menuet, the Menuet in G major BWV Anh. II 114. Petzold was a German composer and organist living in Dresden.

The composers of the other two menuets, the Menuet in C minor BWV Anh. II 121 (which Vaclav Nelhybel transposed to B minor to fit his two-octave handbell arrangements) and Menuet in G Major BWV Anh. II 116, remain anonymous. The other menuet attributed to Petzold, the Menuet in G minor BWV Anh. II 115, is intended to be played immediately after the G Major Menuet BWV Anh. II 114, then Da Capo back to repeat the G Major Menuet. Nelhybel has not included the Menuet in G Minor in his arrangement, so I will play it on the organ for our offertory. A chance conversation with Justin Miller in the parking lot at the Fairmount Elementary School’s Trunk- or-Treat Tuesday evening has influenced me to play J. S. Bach’s most famous organ piece, the “Toccata and Fugue in D Minor” for our closing voluntary. Consider it my “tip-of-the hat” to “All Hallows’ Eve” (Halloween). - Bob Greene

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



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