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.

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Last Sunday at First UMC

It’s been a long winter, as they say, but we have wonderful news!

We’re delighted to announce 𝗙𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗣𝗶𝗮𝗻𝗼𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝗶𝘀𝗲 will be in concert again, May 14, 3:00 & 7:00 pm, at the ETSU Martin Center for the Arts! Proceeds benefit Isaiah 117 House, a marvelous ministry that serves kids awaiting foster care placement.

Need convincing? Have a sneak peek:

Book your groups TODAY–and together, we will celebrate what God is doing for precious foster children in East TN & beyond!

Tickets: www.milavox.org
$25 individual, $20 groups of 10 or more. See you soon!

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Deadline to Register March 18 

May 2-4, 2022

Black Fox Lodge

3171 Parkway, Pigeon Forge, TN

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Camp News

April 2022

Male Camp Counselors needed!!
We have a great group of young adults already secured to work at camp this summer. We are still looking for two young adult males to finish our crew. We need these counselors to love Jesus, love working with children, and love the outdoors. They must be 18 years or older when camp starts (June 5th). The weekly salary starts at $325. We pay for all training certifications along with housing and food while they are at camp. They can apply online at www.CampBaysMountain.com

Registration is open!

We have reached almost 50% of our registration goal! Help us to get to 400 campers this summer. Spots are filling up, so if you want to make sure your camper is at camp this summer register today! Register online at www.CampBaysMountain.com

Amazon Wish List
Are you wondering how you can help Camp Bays Mountain? Well purchasing something off our Amazon Wish List would help us tremendously. Please have the items shipped to the camp at 500 Hood Rd Kingsport, TN 37660. 

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From the Pastor’s Pen
April 21, 2022

Tomorrow is Earth Day. I guess we’ve been commemorating that for 52 years now, longer by a hair than I’ve been around. I recall it being perpetually an unpopular day to commemorate - and maybe that’s because I grew up where I did - but it seems to have fallen further out of favor and into disrepute recently.

It seems to me that care for the world around us is fundamental to following Jesus. Maybe we think that our neighbor, whom we are called to care for as ourselves, does not include any part of creation outside of humanity. Still, if the way we treat the earth is expediting desertification and shrinking coastlines and causing increasingly extreme weather, then how we care for the earth is certainly doing harm to our neighbor.

We aren’t loving our neighbor as ourselves if our consumption of fossil fuels and our prodigious production of waste is doing harm to someone else.

But, of course, if you’re already convinced that climate change is a hoax, I lose you at “Earth Day.”

So if I’ve still got your attention, I encourage you to find a way this weekend to commit to doing good. There’s a cleanup organized by the Friends of Steele Creek on Saturday morning at 9:00, and the Appalachian Paddling Enthusiasts are simultaneously coupling their efforts with those to attend specifically to the lake itself. If you’re into more of the festival/education sort of thing, Jonesborough is hosting a Community Celebration downtown at 10:00.

I hope you find a way to live out good stewardship of God’s creation this weekend. I hope it transforms you into a more responsible disciple. After all, “fill the earth and master it” (Genesis 1:28) is a command toward more perfect living within the good creation we’re given, not toward beating the earth into submission.

A little kindness toward the earth will go a long way.

Peace,
Brandon

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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.

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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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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

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Calendar of Events

Apr 21-26, 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