Bristol Tennessee City Schools will be on Fall Break next week, and we will too. That means no Wednesday night programs or other activities on the evening of October 11. We look forward to more fellowship with you on October 18!

By the time your digital newsletter lands in your digital mailbox, Bristol will have seen three weeks without rain. The folks farther south have much more than is good for them, with more on its way. Depending on the way the wind blows, we might eventually get a trace of it. Our ever-faithful mowers are much more dependable than the weather, so we have no doubt that in the run-up to the eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost, Roger Sikorski will be out on the field making sure it's ready for the day. Drought or damp, JB Madison will roll out to the job the following week.

Feeling faithful? Join our mowing team! You can sign up at any time of year. We welcome men and women, adults and teens. Make a family outing of it: children can move debris to the curb, and a parent or an elder sibling can mow. If you're unfamiliar with Scag mowers, Team Captain Randy Cook will be happy to give you a lesson on our Tiger Cat. If you can mow even once during the growing season, please email Randy at [email protected] or call his cell at 423-956-1541. Thank you! 

Mark your calendar now to gather at Central Presbyterian Church to sing and hear what is going on with Family Promise of Bristol! This Annual Celebration Worship Service is a time of thanksgiving for the work of this organization. The service will be held Sunday, October 22, at 3:30 p.m., and a reception will follow. Anyone interested in Family Promise is warmly invited.

Central Presbyterian Church is located at 301 Euclid Avenue in Bristol, VA. For more information, please email the Reverend Ann Aichinger at [email protected].

Sunday's music participants: Sanctuary Choir.

Sunday's music: The anthem, "Alleluia! Sing to Jesus," is a choral arrangement of Hymn #260. The arranger, Benjamin Harrison, was not our 23rd president and, in fact, nothing can be found about him. Even the publisher claims to have no information about him.

	William Chatterton Dix

The author of the text, however, is a different story. William Chatterton Dix (1827-1898) was born in Bristol, England. His contributions to modern hymnody are numerous and of value. His fine Epiphany hymn, "As with gladness men of old," and his plaintive "Come unto Me, ye weary" are examples of his compositions, many of which rank high among modern hymns. The greater part of his hymns were contributed to Hymns Ancient & Modern, 1861; S t. Raphael's Hymnbook, 1861; Lyra Eucharidica, 1863; Lyra Messianica, 1864; Lyra Mystica, 1865. Dix also wrote many Christmas and Easter carols, the most widely known of which is "The Manger Throne." In addition to pieces in prose and verse for various magazines, he published two devotional works, Light and The Risen Life (1883) and a book of instructions for children entitled The Pattern Life (1885).

Organist's footnotes: Each Sunday in October we are exploring new compositions from the Augsburg Organ Library's publication, Reformation, recently released for the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation.

The traditional Norwegian melody "Romedal" (Prelude) is named for a municipality in Norway. It has been associated with a text written by Peter Dass (1647-1707), Norwegian poet and priest. Robert Buckley Farlee (b. 1950) is Associate Pastor and Director of Music at Christ Church Lutheran, Minneapolis, and serves on the worship editorial staff of Augsburg Fortress Publishers.

"O Heiliger Geist" (Offertory) [O Holy Spirit] appears in the Geistliche Kirchengesäng, Köln, published in 1623. It has been wed to the Pentecost text "O Spirit of Life," harmonized by Johann Sebastian Bach. Marilyn Biery (b. 1959) is an organist, conductor, hymn writer, and freelance composer. She is married to James Biery (b. 1956) who is Minister of Music and Organist at Grosse Point Memorial Church in Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan.

The Swedish folk tune "Vårvindar friska" (Postlude) has been associated with the Spanish-English text "Soplo de Dios viviente (Breath of the living God)" since the publication of The New Century Hymnal, 1995. Emma Lou Diemer (b. 1927) is Professor Emeritus at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and Organist Emeritus at First Presbyterian Church, Santa Barbara.

Dr. Dan Donaldson is a PC(USA) pastor who retired recently after serving First Presbyterian Church in Greeneville for 19 years. Previously, he was the Director of Calvin Center, the Camp and Conference Center for the Greater Atlanta Presbytery. He also served as Associate Executive for Youth Ministry and Camping for the Presbytery of East Tennessee. Dan has been pastor of Cross Roads Presbyterian Church in Knoxville as well as Ruby and White Oak Presbyterian Churches in South Carolina. He and his wife, Pat Pickel Donaldson, are both graduates of King University. They have two children and one granddaughter.

We gratefully acknowledge recent gifts to the Memorial Fund in memory of these individuals:

Diane Flannagan: from John and Karen Vann

Sharon Hatcher: from Jeff and Lorri Looney

Sunday, October 8

8:30 a.m.       Worship, Fellowship Hall

9:45 a.m.       Sunday School

11:00 a.m.     Worship, Sanctuary

5:30 p.m.       Finance Committee, Room 123

Monday, October 9

5:30 p.m.       Adult Handbells

7:00 p.m.       Building & Grounds Committee, Room 117

7:00 p.m.       Worship Committee, Room 123

Tuesday, October 10

9:00 a.m.       Staff Meeting, Room 117

10:00 a.m.     Morning Prayer Group, Conference Room

6:00 p.m.       Venture Crew 3, Room 165

7:00 p.m.       Boy Scout Troop 3, Scout Wing

Wednesday, October 11

6:00 p.m.       Pastor Nominating Committee, Room 117

7:15 p.m.       Sanctuary Choir

7:30 p.m.       8:30 Worship Team, Fellowship Hall

Thursday, October 12

7:00 a.m.       Men's Bible Study, Parlor

8:30 a.m.       Meals on Wheels, Fellowship Hall

12:00 p.m.     Noon Bible Study, Room 117