First United Methodist Church of Bristol, Tennessee

Your Weekly e-Newsletter and Events Schedule

Welcome to In-Person Worship Again….

If you are uncomfortable with worshiping in person or unable to join us for whatever reason, please tune in as we live-stream the service on Facebook.

> Enter the narthex doors beside the sanctuary.

> Wear a cloth mask that covers your mouth and nose continuously.

> Maintain at least six feet of space between yourself and anyone outside of your immediate household.

> Minimize your use of the lavatory and sanitize the spaces you use, and

> Exit the Sanctuary through the side doors closest to the parking lot.

Schedule Adjustment:

In-person worship at 11:00a.m. Sundays in the sanctuary can also be viewed on the church Facebook page.
If you have not connected to FUMC via Facebook, please go do that. You can also connect to Rev. Berg on Facebook, on Twitter, and on Instagram. He will try to share uplifting and empowering things on those media.

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From the Pastor’s Pen
 October 14, 2021

When Noah was tiny, I was serving as the worship leader at a United Methodist church outside of Atlanta. In between rehearsals and worship times, our drummer would sit Noah on his lap and let him bang away on the electric set.



On Noah’s fifth birthday, we took our annual trip to Michigan and popped on up to Karoline’s alma mater, Central Michigan University. Mount Pleasant, which is pretty pleasant but certainly no mount, was hosting a concert series that Summer, and by an astounding coincidence, one of my favorite bands was playing the series on Noah’s birthday! We got in touch with the organizers, who gave us all concert series tees and got us into the after-concert event at a local art venue. Not only did we get to meet the band, but Noah got a brief lesson with the band’s drummer, Randy Guss, who also gave Noah his playlist from that evening.



We were very clear with him that no birthday celebration would ever top that one.

Toad the Wet Sprocket has continued to tour, but Randy has since retired. In a rare social media post, he shared what he has been up to, which gave us an opportunity to thank him for encouraging Noah on his musical journey. Whether he ever responds is irrelevant. Sometimes it’s just good to offer thanks.

It seems like there’s something biblical about that. In all things… something like that.

Try it on for size. I think it’ll be a nice fit, and it’ll look nice on you, too. Thankfulness is flattering for everybody.

Oh, and thanks for reading my little story today.

Peace,
Brandon

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Last Sunday at First UMC

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Morning Prayer

Rev. Berg streams morning prayer live on Facebook on weekday mornings in the 8:00 am hour.
Share your prayer requests with him or join him online.

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HELP FOR HAITI UPDATE

The items collected for the Haiti earthquake are on their way to Haiti.  The Preptits took them to Memphis to start them on their way.  There is a person chosen to pick them up and save them until they can be used.  Right now the Preptits are not able to travel to Haiti. The situation is just too dangerous.

Please pray for the Haitian people and the Preptits.  This is a most difficult time.

It’s not too late to join us in a thought-provoking book study

From the Finance Committee:

Red Number Report from Finance

As of September 1, we were-$9,929.91 in our General Fund.  As of September 30 we are -$27,253.18
There are no more loans to count on.  If you have not had the opportunity to give to the church, please consider donating at this time.  There are three months left in our fiscal year to change the report to BLACK Numbers.

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It’s Charge Conference Time!

Charge Conference is the Election Season of the local United Methodist Church. The mission and the membership (that’s you!) of the local church is represented in the work of multiple teams, including (but not limited to):

Administrative Council

Finance Committee

Board of Trustees

Staff Parish Relations Committee

Lay Leadership Committee

Missions Team

Worship Team

I hope you’ll do a handful of things in preparation for this year’s Charge Conference.

1. Pray. We need the power and guidance of your prayer for us, but also because prayer (as noted below) guides you to…
2. Get Involved. The gifts you bring to Christ’s Body are unique and beautiful and important. You see the needs of our community and the gifts of our church in a way that nobody else does, and we need your voice, your hands, and your feet.
3. Be Present. Charge Conference is the one regularly scheduled time we, as a church, are democratic. This is when your vote counts loudly and clearly. This is also when we get to see what ministries and miracles other churches around us are celebrating, and that’s an exciting thing to hear!

So put Charge Conference on your calendar, and in the meantime, talk to your Lay Leadership Committee about how God is nudging you to get involved and active at FUMC Bristol this year. We need to hear from you.

The Lay Leadership Committee is:

Brandon Berg

Sue Dietz

Sandy Gorrell

Trinka Felty

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Annual Conference Nominees Needed

Each District of the Holston Conference is allotted a certain number of at-large members of the Annual Conference in addition to those elected at Charge Conference and in other ministry areas. There are currently more laity positions available than nominees. If you are interested in being a member of the Holston Annual Conference in 2022 with full voting rights, please contact Rev. Berg or our Clinch Mountain District Administrative Assistant, Monika Hunter. 

The Emmaus Ministries Virtual Walk and Challenge takes place October 1 – November 12, 2021. During this six-week period, we challenge you to walk 14,000 steps (7 miles/ 11.5 kilometers) (approximately the distance between Jerusalem and Emmaus) at your convenience and in the area of your choice, wherever you might be. Learn more here or at the registration link above.

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Calendar of Events

Oct 14-20, 2021

First United Methodist Church
Rev. Brandon Berg, Pastor (276.237.6498) 
322 Vance Dr., Bristol, TN 37620
www.fumcbristol.org

Our Vision – Building A Community Where Anyone Can Become A Deeply Committed Christian