FUMC Bristol Newsletter December 28, 2017 – January 3, 2018
O Beautiful Star of Bethlehem
Shine upon us until the Glory dawns
Give us a light to guide the way unto the land of perfect day
Beautiful Star of Bethlehem, Shine on.
                                                                                            Pace/Boyce
    
First Sunday of Christmastide
Sunday, December 31
Luke 2:22-40
Looking for Messiah

  

Rev. Brandon Berg
 
This week’s Feed the Hungry offering is for
Holston Home for Children.
Holston Home ministers with the belief that kids and families deserve our very best and that every child deserves the opportunity to reach their God-given potential.
With Heartfelt Sympathy
We offer our  love, support and prayers to the family of Dollie Cartwright who passed away Christmas night. Dollie’s family will receive friends at Akard Funeral Home on Thursday, December 28, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.
We will hold a Service of Death and Resurrection for Dollie on Friday, December 29, at 11:00 at Glenwood Mausoleum.
A gift has been received in honor of
Richard McCallum
by Jeff and Debbie McMillin

To Our Church Family,
Please consider a year-end gift to your church and a 2018
pledge.
(Gifts must be turned into the church or postmarked by December 31 to apply toward your 2017 giving.)
We are still running a deficit, but you are helping to close the gap. That is good news. We have new pledging units. More good news.
Now we need those of you who have not yet pledged to please turn pledge forms into the church. (Forms will be available in your bulletin and in the River.) You have pledged $96,884 to date. We ended last year at $142,042. Please help the Finance Committee in their work to plan a budget for the 2018 year.
Thank you for your faithfulness to the work of the church both in missions and administration. We need both to be a church doing God’s work.
                                                                                                                              The Finance Committee

From the Pastor’s Pen . . .
There are probably more renditions of “The Twelve Days of Christmas” around than anyone would ever want to explore. Most of them, including my personal favorite, are much more comedic than the song originally intended.
The song is intended to be a coded teaching tool, or a fun lesson within the catechism to help children remember a set of details about Christian faith. I’m not sure how well it works. Frankly, I never remember exactly which set of characters fits with which days, so I’m sure I wouldn’t be able to make their relative associations. But they’re a whole lot easier to remember than:
12 points of belief in the Apostles Creed,
11 faithful apostles,
10 Commandments,
9 fruits of the Spirit,
8 beatitudes,
7 gifts of the Spirit,
6 days of creation,
5 books in the Pentateuch,
4 gospels,
faith, hope, love,
the Old and New Testaments,
and Jesus.
That doesn’t sing very well.
But maybe during this Christmastide, it gives us something to ponder. Maybe on Boxing Day, as I’m writing this, I can spend a bit more time being thankful for the Canon that includes the Hebrew Bible and the Christian fulfillment thereof. Maybe on Thursday, when this missive is sent out into the ether, we can spend some reflection on the importance of having four different versions of the story of Jesus.
Maybe, as the Twelve Days of Christmastide proceed this year, we can let this time shape us and deepen our faith.
And maybe, as Epiphany approaches on January 6, we’ll have happened upon a personally new revelation of our faith in a God far beyond our imagination.
Maybe.
Maybe it’s worth a shot.
Seems a whole lot healthier than a lot of other things we could be doing during this time.
See what you think. Let me know how it works out for you. I’d love to hear it.
A Partridge in a Pear Tree
Straight No Chaser – The 12 Days of Christmas Original from 1998
Peace,
Brandon
Last Sunday . . .
 
Luke 1:26-38
 Magnificat: What Makes Your Soul Sing?
 

 
                                                 
The Magnificat:
Mary’s Song of Praise:
Oh, how my soul praises the Lord.
How my spirit rejoices in
God my Savior!
For he took notice of his lowly servant girl,
and from now on all generations
will call me blessed.
For the mighty One is holy,
and he has done great things for me.
He shows mercy from 
generation to generation
to all who fear him.
His mighty arm has done tremendous things!
He has scattered the proud and haughty ones,
He has brought down princes
from their thrones
and exalted the humble.
He has filled the hungry
with good things
and sent the rich away
with empty hands.
He has helped his servant Israel
and remembered to be merciful.
For he made this promise
to our ancestors,
to Abraham and his children forever!
                                             
 Go with your soul singing of the glory of our world-upending God.
FUMC TEENS
Biblical Exploration
Every Sunday
9:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.
Youth recently went caroling at Cambridge Nursing Home
and took cookies they had made to the residents.
Youth will not meet on
Wednesday, January 3.
Blessings and
Have a Happy New Year!
In Children’s Church Last Week . . .
 
Please call Kathy Wagner at
if you would like to place flowers on the Altar in honor or in memory of a loved one
or for a special occasion.
Cost per arrangement — $50.00.
Church offices will be closed
New Years Day.

 

 

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Calendar & Events Schedule
Week of December 28, 2017 – January 3, 2018
Thurs, Dec 28:    6:30pm-Mankind Project-Youth Room
                             6:30pm-Girl Scouts
                             8:00pm-AA
 Fri, Dec 29:        5:30pm-Belly Dancing Class-Yoga Studio
                            6:30pm-Belly Dancing Class-Yoga Studio
                            7:00pm-NA
 Sat, Dec 30:       9:00am-Simmer Down Catering (until 2 pm) – Kitchen/TH
                            3:00pm-Girl Scout Cookie Rally (until 8:30pm) – TH
 Sun, Dec 31:     9:30am-Sunday School Hour
                            9:30am-The River Worship Service, TH
                         10:00am-Common Ground Service, Chapel
                         11:00am-Traditional Worship, Sanctuary
                                          (childcare is provided from 9:30am to 12:00pm;                                                                  children may be picked up at any time)
                          12:15pm-Choir Rehearsal
                            8:00pm-AA
Mon, Jan 1:        1:00pm-Food Pantry Volunteers-Bristol Food Pantry (until 4 pm)
                            6:00pm-Belly Dancing Class-Yoga Studio
                            7:00pm-Hispanic Congregation PVUMC
                            7:00pm-NA
Tues, Jan 2:       8:00am-Men’s Prayer Group-TH
                            8:00pm-AA
Wed, Jan 3:       Youth will not meet
To make changes or additions to the calendar
contact Alan Gorrell 423-652-7377
orSandy Gorrell 423-652-1987.
Our Vision-
Building A Community Where Anyone
Can Become
A Deeply Committed Christian

First United Methodist Church

Rev. Brandon Berg, Pastor (276.237.6498)

 322 Vance Dr., Bristol, TN 37620

       www.fumcbristol.org
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First United Methodist Church of Bristol Tennessee, 322 Vance Drive, Bristol, TN 37620