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.

> 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

LOCATION Adjustment:

In-person worship at 11:00a.m. Sundays in the Tankersley Hall (temporarily) 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.

---

Last Sunday at First UMC

---

Deadline to Register March 18 

May 2-4, 2022

Black Fox Lodge

3171 Parkway, Pigeon Forge, TN

---

Camp News

February 2022

Current Camp Needs

We are currently looking for used EMPTY Lysol wipe containers, they do not need to be the Lysol brand just the cylindrical containers. If you would like to help us accumulate these please let us know by contacting us at 423-349-8401. We appreciate your generosity. 

Amazon wish list 

We have an Amazon Wish List that has been created for Camp Bays Mountain. There are multiple items on the list that we will need before summer camp gets started. If you are interested in purchasing something from our wish list please follow this link. https://campbaysmountain.us10.list-manage.com/track/click?u=4a17cbf2bb496b3ced2b9319b&id=8beadc862d&e=f23250abd0

We are Hiring! 

If you are someone you know is interested in working at camp this summer please apply online. We are looking for counselors (18+ years old), support staff (16-18 years old), and adventure staff (21+ years old). https://campbaysmountain.us10.list-manage.com/track/click?u=4a17cbf2bb496b3ced2b9319b&id=1bf8d98617&e=f23250abd0

---

From the Pastor’s Pen
March 31, 2022

I’ve been walking through the story of Joseph recently in our cycle of texts for the Daily Office that I pray. If you’ve tuned into the Holston Conference Read Together offerings, you’ll have been encountering the same stories. It’s almost as if the daily readings are organized at least in part from that much older cycle, like somebody decided to use an old tool instead of reinventing the wheel.

Huh.

But that’s not what I intend to point out. On Tuesday morning, I was struck by an odd image from that story.

Jacob calls to his bedside all his sons, but pulls Joseph aside for special instruction. He makes Joseph vow to bury him with his father and grandfather in Canaan, and Joseph, being good for his word, does that. But he doesn’t just take his brothers and some meager supplies for the journey:

With him went up all the servants of Pharaoh, the elders of his household, and all the elders of the land of Egypt, as well as all the household of Joseph, his brothers, and his father’s household. Only their children, their flocks, and their herds were left in the land of Goshen. Both chariots and charioteers went up with him. It was a very great company. (Genesis 50:7b-9 NRSV)

The folks in Canaan have likely never seen anything like this. I’m not even sure I know how to compare that to something we might see, especially when we have such ready access to images of other cultures. It might just be like aliens landing in the middle of the community, having their own massive party for seven days, and then leaving without interacting with a soul.

Sometimes we have no idea what’s going on. We have no idea what somebody’s going through. And sometimes we never know.

Of course, we never can know if we don’t reach out. I wonder if any of the Canaanites tried that.

I don’t suppose I have any helpful revelations or reflections about that story. Sometimes the best I can do is marvel at how weird the stories are. I invite you to dig into it and see it, too. Let it make you wonder, like gazing at a Jackson Pollock painting.

What on earth am I looking at?

Maybe that’s enough.

Peace,
Brandon

Tips for April 2022

Refuse fast fashion allure and consumerism pressures. Reduce the amount

of clothing you buy. Reuse your garments for many years. Repair minor problems like a missing button or a loose hem. Recycle textiles responsibly. Remember the “lilies of the field” and Jesus’ assurance

(Matthew 6:28-33).

From our UM Social Principles: “We urge United Methodists to adopt sustainable habits and practices, including refraining from overconsumption, repurposing and recycling materials, avoiding products that pollute or otherwise harm the environment, and reducing the carbon footprints of individuals and families by reducing overall reliance on fossil fuels for heat, transportation, and other goods.”

Go thrifty; save the earth! When you purchase from a thrift or second-hand store, your choice uses fewer resources, generates fewer emissions and less waste, gives other people work, extends the life of the clothing, and keeps textiles out of the landfill. Try Thred Up, an online source, or one of the 4,245 Goodwill stores. Some churches also offer “nearly new” clothing at low or no cost. 

Read the clothing labels. Avoid fossil-fuel-based synthetics (polyester, nylon, acrylic, spandex, lycra). Choose items made of natural fibers (organic cotton, linen, wool, silk, hemp), recycled materials and fibers (including polyester), or sustainable plant-based Tencel.

Have eco-friendly fun with friends. Host a party for passing along the clothes children outgrow so quickly or for exchanging outfits with friends of the same size. Set a stitch-it-up time for learning the how-tos of mending, getting the repairs done, and talking about caring for the earth and one another.

When you need to buy clothing, shop for the company not just the product. Support businesses that practice sustainability and fair worker treatment in their products and production. Here’s a list of 35 Ethical and Sustainable Clothing Brands.

Make your clothes last longer. Wash them in cold water, which is less damaging than hot. Wash a full load, which reduces the agitation’s wear-and-tear on the items. Add a few pinches of salt rather than color-“safe” chemical bleaches, which are hard on the materials. Choose other natural remedies for getting stains out.

Avoid the landfills. Charities, thrift stores, “upcyclers,” and selected manufacturing all benefit from your donations through Retold, a mail-in service for recycling not just clothing but also household textiles, such as blankets, towels, and so on)—even wedding dresses. Retold takes items in poor condition as well as those worthy of resale. By carefully sorting through donations, the company has already diverted 18 million tons from landfills.

Look at what you are wearing. Whose hands cut the fabric? Whose labor stitched the pieces? Were they safe in their working conditions? Were they paid a living wage? Pray and advocate for garment workers. When you dress, say a blessing for those who provide for you.

Nurdles (microplastics) leached from the wastewater of washing machines cleaning clothing made of synthetic (petroleum-based) fibers, end up in the water systems of the world. Untold numbers of fish and other marine life try to eat them and starve to death. Untold numbers of people eating fish are ingesting plastic. Switch to clothes made of organic fibers or use a GuppyFriend Washing Bag to stop microwaste.

---

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.

---

---

---

The Love Beyond Borders campaign aims to raise funds for the equitable distribution of COVID-19 vaccines around the world. The initiative has emerged from First United Methodist Church, Boise, ID and seeks to engage The United Methodist Church in supporting COVAX alongside UNICEF, the key vaccine delivery partner.

All funds raised will be sent to UNICEF for this project. More information about Love Beyond Borders is here.

A Note From Our Lay Leader

---

---

Calendar of Events

Mar 31-Apr 6, 2022

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