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First United Methodist Church

Bristol, Tennessee

Your Weekly e-Newsletter and Events Schedule

September 19-25, 2019

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Fifteenth Sunday After Pentecost

September 22, 2019

Luke 16:1-13

Rich Man Parable #1: Good Stewardship of Stuff

Rev. Brandon Berg

From the Pastor’s Pen

There is a squirrel who comes to the church and sits on our overhead brick structures to crack open nuts and have a meal. I watched him after a Sunday service once, and he didn’t seem at all perturbed about having an audience. He looked at me and went back to his business. I’ve seen the shells he has left on top of our brick entryways to the sanctuary and on top of our rain collectors. He doesn’t apparently have just one place to perch himself, but he definitely likes to be up above everybody.

I’m not really sure what to make of that. Maybe there’s no lesson to be learned from his practice. I don’t suppose he is trying to gather an audience, to eat as a performance practice. I assume he just feels safer from a higher vantage point.

I’m glad he and his refuse caught my attention. I’m glad I allowed my attention to be caught. I get awfully busy sometimes, and I’ve noticed that I’ve been busier than usual lately. It can be easy for me to focus on a goal or be lost in my own thoughts and planning going from place to place. It can be easy for me to miss what is happening all around me.

I need to quiet myself, unlock my driven gaze, and let God distract me more.

I know there’s a place for being focused. I know there are deadlines to be met. But there are also things going on around me all the time, and they’re not clamoring for my attention. They’re just waiting to be noticed.

God, help me notice more. In the moments of surprise and joy, that’s where I’ll find you.

Peace,

Brandon

In Loving Sympathy

First United Methodist Church

extends our love

and deepest sympathy to

Richard and Beverly McCallum

in the loss of Richard’s brother,

Bruce McCallum.

Congratulations

Elizabeth Anne Sietins, daughter of Alexis and Jenny Sietins,

was born September 16, 2019.

Proud grandparents are Bob and Ellen Mueller.

Feed the Hungry Offering

Our Feed the Hungry offering this week is for

Local School Missions.

This fund helps families in need within the Bristol School System.

NEEDED: Meals on Wheels Coordinator

Over 600 meals per year have been served, with a grand total of some 11,400 meals over a 19-year span at FUMC-Bristol.

Please prayerfully consider whether you can assume this vital mission role and keep

Meals on Wheels alive at our church.

Contact Brenda Hobbs or Julie Blanton

423-967-6638 423-914-9820

FUMC First Annual Harvest Fete Fundraiser

Saturday, September 28, 10am to 4p

We are almost ready to celebrate the fall with our Fete.

A few final pieces of the planning remain and a few jobs:

Make cornbread on Wednesday evening, September 25, at 6 pm in the church kitchen. We can freeze it for Saturday. Please contact Sue Dietz if you are interested in helping.

If possible a hand mixer, muffin pans and cupcake papers

will be a great help. With two ovens we can probably take no more

than a couple hours to make enough.

We will be setting up the jumble sale on the stage on Monday, September 23. Please come in the morning if you can give a few hours to work on moving and gathering items for the sale. Bring your items now. We can’t accept last minute items. If you need to know more, contact Peggy Wilson.

Friday afternoon and evening we will plan to set up Tankersley Hall. Some of the vendors may want to set up then. We will open at 8 am for vendors on Saturday also.

Have you signed up to help on Saturday? If not, and you are available, contact Sue Dietz.

We are close!

Let’s have FUN and work together!

We are asking our churches to begin preparing Cleaning Kits and Hygiene Kits for UMCOR (United Methodist Committee on Relief) to use for their disaster relief.

Click on the links below for instructions on preparing kits.

UMCOR Hygiene Kit Instructions

UMCOR Cleaning Kit Instructions

Mission Project for Liberia

Remember the “Hands -On Mission Project”

kits that we donated earlier this year?

The kits arrived in Liberia in late July.

Our Clinch Mountain District had a goal of

400 kits; the actual number collected was

1,000 kits!

Thanks to everyone who was able to

participate this year.

Bristol Faith In Action

Bristol Faith in Action is an

extension of member churches in the Bristol, Blountville, Bluff City, and Piney Flats areas.They use a Christ-centered approach to help people in financial crisis.

Currently BFIA has a critical need for non-perishable food, personal care and cleaning items. Please support them with these or monetary donations.

www.BristolFIA.org

276-466-8292

Children’s Ministry

If God is calling you to help, contact our Children’s Coordinator, Suzanne Goyette. (home 423-753-7172 or cell 423-967-4247)

As a part of their worship last Sunday, our children made Christmas

ornaments, which will be sold at the Fete.

Safe Gatherings

We need multiple church attenders to be trained in

appropriate ways to assist children and adults in our church and how to

handle situations that may arise.

If you have not yet participated in training but desire to do so,

please contact Suzanne Goyette.

(home 423-753-7172 or cell 423-967-4247)

First UMC Monthly Financial Report

August 31 Balance: (-$19,678.48)

Worship Last Sunday

Message by Rev. Brandon Berg from Luke 15 :1-10 Recovering Lost Things

Great news was shared during prayer and praise time, Tuesday is her birthday!

The church joined in singing happy birthday.

To God be the glory, great things he hath done!

So loved he the world that he gave us his Son,

who yielded his life an atonement for sin,

and opened the lifegate that all may go in.

O perfect redemption, the purchase of blood,

to every believer the promise of God;

the vilest offender who truly believes,

that moment from Jesus a pardon receives.

Great things he hath taught us, great things he hath done,

and great our rejoicing thru Jesus the Son;

but purer, and higher, and greater will be

our wonder, our transport, when Jesus we see.

Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, let the earth hear his voice!

Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, let the people rejoice.

O come to the Father thru Jesus the Son,

and give him the glory, great things he hath done!

~ Fanny J Crosby, 1873

As Autumn draws near, our Committee on Lay Leadership is prayerfully discerning the best teams to guide FUMC through 2020 and beyond.

If you have felt God tugging at your soul to take on or continue specific ministries within our church and community, please talk to a member of the Committee ASAP:

Brandon Berg, Rebekah McGrady, Alan Hale, Nate Hubbard,

Suzanne Rollins, Sue Dietz, Trinka Felty, Alan Gorrell

The Board of Trustees

invites you to take home

to your garden

some of the richly fertilized soil under the blue tarp beside our Vance Road sign.

Take as much as you like,

and leave the tarp.

This quarter our church will receive a check for $68.78 based on sales of FUMC families who shop at Krogers and have joined Kroger’s Community Partnership Program with FUMC as the beneficiary.

Thank you to those who participated! If you are not currently participating and would like more information, contact the church office.

District Conference

September 29

3:00 p.m.

Pleasant View

United Methodist Church

CROP Hunger Walk –

We are five weeks away from the

Southwestern Virginia CROP Hunger Walk

on October 6 at Emory & Henry.

We can make a difference in the lives of those who are hungry

if we will all pitch in and help.

Click here for more information, to sign up to walk, or to sponsor a walker.

You may also contact David St. Clair at 276-944-4614 for more information.

Group of “Eight”: reserve the date! On Saturday, October 5 we will meet at

the church at 5:00 p.m. and ride together on the van to Mountain City for

supper at La Cucina restaurant.

District Youth Festival of Gifts and Talents

October 20

4-6 p.m.

Emory & Henry College

November 3

All Saints Sunday

November 17

Charge Conference

5:30 – 7:30 p.m.

Weaver Memorial UMC

Hiwassee College Alumni Association, Inc. (HCAA, Inc.) is trying to contact all persons who attended Hiwassee College to keep them informed regarding efforts to revive Hiwassee and restore it to the service it was built upon.