July Mission Focus: Fairmount

Let’s Bless Fairmount Elementary School with School Supplies

 This July, First Presbyterian Church is once again partnering with Fairmount Elementary School to provide essential classroom supplies for teachers and students. Over the years, this partnership has blossomed into a meaningful connection—one rooted in care, compassion, and community.

Education is a shared journey, and when churches, families, and neighborhoods work hand in hand, children flourish. Research shows that students perform better academically and socially when their school community is supported. By contributing classroom supplies, we help give every student at Fairmount a greater opportunity to succeed.

Our support goes beyond pencils and paper. These small gifts relieve families of financial burdens, equip teachers with tools they rely on daily, and help students stay focused and encouraged in their learning. Fairmount Elementary has expressed deep gratitude for the continued support from FPC, and we are honored to serve in this way.

How to Help:

Throughout the month of July, we invite you to bring your donations to one of the collection bins located outside the Fellowship Hall and Sanctuary. Donations are also welcome during office hours: Monday through Thursday, 9 AM–5 PM. (Please note: we are not collecting monetary donations at this time.)

Supply Wish List:

- Crayons  

- Pencils  

- Student scissors  

- Kleenex tissues  

- Paper towels  

- Highlighters  

- Composition notebooks (non-spiral bound)  

- Glue sticks  

- Clorox disinfecting wipes  

- Ziploc bags  

- Expo dry-erase markers  

- Five-subject Star notebooks  

- 3-ring binders with pockets  

- Pocket folders (blue or yellow, with three-prong fasteners)  

 Let’s continue showing Christ’s love through our generosity and presence.

Student Volunteer Training

VBS Student Volunteer Training

Calling all rising 7th–12th graders! If you’re interested in volunteering at this year’s Vacation Bible School (July 13-16, 5:30-8:15 p.m.), we’d love to have you on the team—but first, we need you to register and join us for a required training session on Sunday, June 29 at 5:30 p.m.

Training will last about an hour and will include everything you need to know to be ready to lead and serve our youngest VBS attendees with confidence and care. And yes—pizza is included! 

After the training, high school students are invited to stay for High Devos, our weekly hangout and devotional time, which will wrap up by 8:00 p.m.

Don’t miss this chance to be part of one of our church’s most fun and faith-filled weeks of the summer. Come ready to serve, grow, and have a great time doing it!

Register HERE today to reserve your spot!

Opportunities to Serve

We will be serving the homeless at A Place to Be (June 18) and Sharing Christ Ministry (June 21).  We are looking for volunteers to bring Baked Ziti casseroles (find recipe HERE), applesauce, dinner rolls, and Little Debbie cakes. We are also looking for volunteers to help set up, serve and clean up for both locations. If you can help, please sign up HERE. If you have questions or need more information, contact Cyndi Madison.

June Mission Focus: Young Life

This month for our special mission focus, we will be raising funds to help YoungLife and their mission here in Bristol. Many of you know the leadership of YoungLife Bristol who attend our church, and others have been intimately involved in volunteer work with them. We are blessed to have them in our midst. If you have been involved with YoungLife, you know what a powerful resource organization they are in helping young people encounter the risen Lord. 

YoungLife’s three-part mission statement: 

1. Going where kids are and building personal relationships with them

2. Providing fun, adventurous, life-changing experiences

3. Working in community alongside like-minded adults (volunteer leaders, committee members, donors and staff)

We acknowledge the reality on the ground for all of our young people. There are so many influences like home life, substance abuse, virtual/e-culture, and the increasing sense of isolation and alienation we all feel these days that can drag kids into pretty dark places. That there are loving volunteers and workers for Christ willing to come alongside kids at an already difficult time to help them navigate these problems, and most importantly, point them to Jesus, is something for which we should give thanks to God. 

YoungLife is part of the kingdom-oriented project, and we invite you to come alongside them and support their work. We will take up donations throughout the month of June, with an in-person collection the last Sunday of the month. You can give online, or you can use the special envelopes at the church or write a note to accompany your offering designating it for YoungLife. However you determine to give, give generously because God is doing a great work through this ministry. 

For more information, visit Young Life/Bristol’s website.

May Mission Focus

Endure International

“Changing Lives for Eternity”

Endure International helps establish viable, Biblically-sound and self-supporting churches in every major city across the Middle East, Africa, Central Asia, and beyond.*

For nearly 20 years, Endure International has reached Christian believers and congregations throughout the Middle East and beyond. Today, their mission continues through:

· Sharing the gospel through mass media

· Producing biblical programs for TV, digital, and social media

· Broadcasting the gospel via digital media across the globe

· Providing medical care to impoverished communities

· Training local leaders and pastors

· Extending aid to refugees and disaster victims

· Promoting and supporting the church, globally*

Our church began supporting the efforts of Endure International by sending emergency relief funds for persecuted Christian refugees in southeast Asia in November, 2023. Last year, we helped fund a school that educates believing girls in an area in the middle east where girls are typically denied an education.

Endure International shares the gospel throughout the 10/40 Window of the world. It broadcasts in 8 different Middle Eastern languages and programs, has 160,000+ weekly viewers across their media outlets, and over 500,000 social media followers in this broad area that has the greatest poverty and lowest quality of life as well as the least access to the Christian message in the world.

Dr. Hanna Shahin and his wife founded this organization over 20 years ago. We were privileged to welcome Dr. Shahin to our pulpit for both services on April 27.

During the month of May, you’re invited to financially support this very worthy cause.

For more information, you may access the Endure International website.

*Source: Endure International website

Team Ethiopia Presentation

You’re invited to hear exciting news about what God is doing among our mission partners in Ethiopia.

Come hear Helen Grace Gannaway, Sarah Gannaway, and Peggy Hill share a few of the highlights of their amazing trip last month.

The program will be Wednesday, April 23 at 6:15 p.m., following fellowship supper at 5:30 in Fellowship Hall.

April Mission Focus

April Mission Focus: Phoebe Foundation Africa

Greetings Everyone from The Bell’s. We have continued to partner with the Christian ministry, the Phoebe Foundation Africa (PFA) in the beautiful African nation of Zambia. 

The month of April, we as a church will turn our attention to the Phoebe Foundation Africa (PFA) for our monthly Mission Focus. Their needs continue to be significant and your offering and devotion to this ministry literally saves lives in 10 severely impoverished villages in Zambia. Here are the top 3 needs that PFA has shared with us at this time:

 1. Access to Clean Water and Sanitation - 40% of households lack access to safe drinking water - 60% of communities rely on outdated and unsafe latrines. Water-borne diseases like cholera and typhoid fever are prevalent. Our Plan: Constructing boreholes and water towers - Building eco-friendly toilets and promoting hygiene practices. 

 2. Food Security and Sustainable Livelihoods - 70% of families struggle to access nutritious food - Limited agricultural knowledge and resources hinder crop yields - Unemployment rates exceed 50% among youth. Our Plan: Training farmers in climate-resilient agriculture - Providing seeds, tools and irrigation systems - Supporting entrepreneurship through vocational training and microfinance. 

 3. Quality Education and Economic Empowerment Trainings - 30% of children drop out of school due to poverty - ⁠High levels of unemployment. Our Plan: Child sponsorship program (providing educational materials, backpacks and quality education) - Economic empowerment through vocational training and entrepreneurship - Sponsor women to be trained in life skills programs e.g. tailoring, catering - Disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation - Community engagement and capacity building.

 Together, we strive to create sustainable solutions, empowering communities to break the cycle of poverty. Goals: - Improve access to clean water and sanitation for 80% of households - Increase food security for 75% of families - Enhance educational and healthcare outcomes for 90% of children.

 Thank you for your continued support of this Christ-Centered Ministry! If you would like to donate online, please visit the FPC website or bring a check to the church office. /Catherine & Mark Bell

Easter BBQ

Come one, come all!

Easter Egg Stuffers

FPC Children’s Ministry will be hosting an Easter egg hunt for all children on Sat. April 19 at the Easter BBQ. 

We are in need of small, individually wrapped items for stuffing in the eggs!

If you are able to donate, please drop off items in the office no later than April 12!  

Easter Lily Orders

Lilies given in honor or in memory of a loved one enhance the beauty of our Easter worship services. Giving lilies to be placed in the Sanctuary or the Fellowship Hall is a wonderful way to celebrate the resurrection of the One who gives meaning to our lives. If you would like to order one or more lilies for this purpose, please fill out the form below and pay online. $25 each.

https://onrealm.org/fpcbristol/-/give/now
Click on "fund" and choose "Easter Lily" in the drop down.
Orders are due by Wednesday, April 9.
Contact Scottie Bales in the church office for any questions.
423-764-7176
sbales@fpcbristol.org

March Mission Focus

Our special focus for missions during the month of March is A Place To Be, which serves our community by providing important services, snacks, meals, and a safe place four our unhoused neighbors to gather every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. On-gong needs include individually wrapped healthy snacks, including:

• Soft/chewy bars

• Peanut butter or cheese crackers

• Goldfish or Cheez-Its

• String cheese

• Applesauce/pudding

For more detailed information about this mission, visit the Family Promise of Bristol website.

Ethiopia Mission Trip

The Ethiopia Mission Trip is March 11 - 22, 2025.

Your Ethiopia Mission Team wishes to express its heartfelt gratitude to those of you who donated much-needed items and funds which will be transported to our mission partners in Dembi Dollo, Ethiopia. They will be a tremendous blessing for all who receive. God bless you for your generosity!

Please continue to pray for the team: Helen Grace Gannaway, Sarah Gannaway, Peggy Hill, and Jerry Swam Sidi. Pray for wisdom as they prepare to travel, safety and health for all, and eyes and hearts to form relationships and see the needs of our partners.

Spring 2025 Home Groups

The new Spring 2025 Home Group study series, entitled “Living Together in Christ,” explores the unity for the church that Jesus spoke about in John 17:21-22, “I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one—I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.”

Utilizing passages from the book of Ephesians, we will discover that unity in faith, purpose, and love is crucial for the Church’s effective functioning, spreading the Gospel, and glorifying God.

Home Groups began the week of January 13-19 and will meet through the week March 31 - April 6.

Plan to gather with friends, neighbors, as a single family, or with lots of families for this exciting Bible study and lots of good fellowship.

If you would like to be part of a Home Group, facilitate a group, or start your own Home Group, sign up here and we will help get you plugged in.

January Mission Focus

FPC’s mission focus for January is targeting a critical need voiced by our mission partners in Brazil: closing the financial gap for the poorest students in the school.

Let’s help Bethel School kids this month! The Bethel School in Felipe Camarão enrolls 130 students each January. A fee of US$80 per student covers the cost of uniforms, textbooks, workbooks, supplies, and special events/fieldtrips for the entire year. This amount is small compared to the value of their education, but for about 15% of the families, paying this fee is simply out of reach. Our support to cover this cost can make a tremendous difference in these precious lives and the school’s success! 

When making your donation please note “January Brazil Mission Focus.”

Women’s Retreat

Women's Retreat 2025: A Time for Renewal and Connection

Mark your calendars for February 21-22 and join the women of First Presbyterian Church for our annual Women’s Retreat at King University in Bristol, TN. This special weekend is an opportunity to step away from the busyness of daily life and experience renewal through:

· Bible-Based Learning and Sharing: Grow deeper in your faith through meaningful teaching and discussions.

· Worship in a Relaxed Environment: Enjoy inspiring worship sessions that nurture your soul.

· Individual Reflection and Prayer: Take time to connect with God and focus on your spiritual journey.

· Building Relationships: Get to know other women in our church and community.

· Good Food and Fellowship: Share delicious meals and joyful moments with one another.

We welcome women of all ages and encourage you to invite your friends and family to join us for this enriching time of connection and growth.

Our featured speaker is Catherine Bell, a licensed professional counselor and professor of Clinical Mental Health Counseling at Grand Canyon University. Catherine is also the founder and director of Mapalo Counseling Ministries in Zambia, Africa. During the retreat, Dr. Bell will guide us through the vital topic of soul care and emotional wellbeing, providing insights and encouragement for maintaining a healthy and balanced spiritual life.

Don’t miss this chance to nurture your spirit and build meaningful relationships. Click here to register now! We hope to see you there!

Men’s Breakfast

Join us for Bristol area’s Men’s Fellowship Breakfast that happens the third Saturday of each month

Saturday, February 15, at 7:30 am - DON’T MISS IT!

Meetings are held at First Presbyterian Church of Bristol

All men are welcome

Last Call To Sign Up

Ethiopia Mission Travel : March, 2025

Don’t miss the deadline! January 7 will be the last day to sign up for FPC’s 7th mission trip to Ethiopia since we began our partnership in 2005.

We will spend 6 days visiting our various mission partners in Ethiopia: Onesimus Ministries in Addis Ababa and the four schools that we support in the western highlands of Ethiopia, all in Dembi Dollo: Berhane Yesus Elementary School (BYES), Bethel Evangelical Secondary School (BESS), Bethel Tulama Elementary School, and Gidada Theological College.

Our days will be stimulating as we participate in amazing worship, immerse ourselves in Ethiopian culture, learn of the joys and hardships of the Ethiopian people, and visit classrooms where we connect with students, teachers, and leaders of each of the ministries. It’s a wonderful opportunity to see and share in the life of our Ethiopian brothers and sisters and learn how we can better serve their needs.

Because we want to go during the dry season when school is in session, we are targeting the months of February, March, or April, with participants choosing the most convenient travel dates. We anticipate the trip to take 10 or 11 days total including two weekends (5 days travel; 6 days on the ground with our partners).

Prayerfully consider if God is calling you to participate in this mission. To learn more, please contact Jerry Swam Sidi, Peggy Hill, or fill out an interest form here.

December Mission Focus

During the month of December, our special offering collected goes towards the Minister’s Discretionary Fund. Contributions to this fund have a huge impact assisting the local community as well as other special projects that may arise. This is perhaps the broadest reaching fund that FPC is able to utilize. Whenever needs arise in the community or church that may not fall into an existing support fund category, the Minister’s Discretionary Fund can help fill in the gaps.

Your contributions have a lasting impact throughout the entire year to come. If you feel led to contribute to this fund, we encourage you to give online to the “Minister's Discretionary Fund” in the dropdown menu on our GIVE page. If you prefer to give by check, please note “Christmas Offering for MDF” on the memo line. The entire offering collected during the Christmas Eve Candlelight Service will go towards this special offering.

Christmas Poinsettias

Lovely poinsettias always enhance the beauty of our Advent and Christmas worship services. Given by our members in honor or in memory of a loved one, they are a wonderful way to celebrate the birth of the One who gives meaning to our lives. If you’d like to order poinsettias, please fill out the form below, attach payment and return it by Wednesday, December 4.

See more information or order online

Youth Camp Opportunity

Great Escape is a camp for middle schoolers to get away, have an insane amount of fun, grow in their faith and build great relationships. All current 5th - 8th grade are invited to attend. Get ready for a week of high energy games, engaging speakers and an awesome worship band.

First Pres will be attending the Smokies location, held at the Ocoee Ridge Camp in Ocoee, TN. The group will depart Sunday, July 27 and return Thursday, July 31. There are opportunities for high schoolers to join Work Crew!

Check out the details here.