REV. DON HANSHEW, SENIOR PASTOR

REV. RACHEL COLLINS, PASTOR OF DISCIPLESHIP

We look forward to seeing our church family next week for the kick-off of Fountain City Fellowship on Wednesday nights! On August 20, we will welcome everyone back with a delicious meal and guest speaker, Michael Feely. Michael serves as the Director of Missions and Congregational Care at Christ UMC in Chattanooga. He has degrees from the University of Georgia (B.A. in history and political science); Wesley Theological Seminary (M. Div.) and Missouri State University (M.A. in history).

Michael is the chair of the Southeastern Jurisdiction (SEJ) Commission on Archives and History of the UMC, a member of the UMC General Commission on Archives and History, as well as a member of the Holston Conference Historical Society, SEJ Historical Society, and a member of the Historical Society of the UMC (where he is one of the editors of their publication Historians Digest). He chairs the Holston Conference Commission on Archives and History and works with several missions and outreach programs in both Chattanooga and Knoxville. Michael grew up on Lookout Mountain, Georgia and is married to Annette. They have four cool young adults and a famous elderly dog. We look forward to hearing Michael's presentation!

Check out the list of adult classes on our website!

Wednesday Night Fellowship Meal

August 20 Menu: BBQ chicken, baked beans, broccoli salad, sandwich buns, and chocolate cake. A light meal of baked chicken tenders with mixed steamed vegetables is available each week. Register here.

For the month of August, fellowship meals are free! Please register those attending so we may be good stewards of the church's finances and reduce waste. You can register on the FCUMC website, in the notes section of a pew pad or by calling the church office at 865-689-5175. Registration closes at midnight on Tuesday.

SERVING OTHERS



An Invitation to Lead and Serve

The word church means gathering, and at Fountain City UMC, we have ministry teams and committees who gather regularly to carry out the holy work of ministry. Most leadership roles are on a 3- to 4-year rotation, and our Nominations Team is now prayerfully discerning leaders for teams starting in January, 2026. Final recommendations will be presented to Church Council in November.

We need your help.

You can join the process by:

• Praying for our Nominations Team and those being considered
• Completing a self-nomination form or nominating someone else
• Encouraging others to do the same
• Reaching out with ideas or questions to your pastors or a nominations team member

Self-nominations help us connect people to ministry where they can serve with joy and impact and help overcome the challenge of knowing the giftedness and interests of all who call this their church home. While submitting a form doesn’t guarantee placement, your interest will be considered for all appropriate roles. Forms are kept on file for two years. To be included in this year’s cycle, please submit by October 1.

Who qualifies for leadership?

• Faithful church membership (not just attendance) who support FCUMC with their prayers, presence, gifts, service, and witness
• A life reflecting the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22–23)
• Have evidence of fairness, compassion, and a heart for all God’s children
• A commitment to our mission: Making Disciples. Changing Lives

Self-nominate or nominate someone else >>

Questions? Contact your pastors or one of the Nominations Team members: Melissa Charles, Gail Clift, William Hunley, Lucy Kron, Carolyn Latham, Misty McComas, Kim Meade, Carol Sewell, Pam Walker.

Operation Inasmuch Day of Service Is Tomorrow!

August 16, 2025

We will begin our day in the FCUMC Sanctuary at 8:30 a.m. Please make plans to attend and participate in this joint service with other community churches. Donations are being accepted online by many worthwhile agencies. Check out ways to donate and serve through Operation Inasmuch. A celebration service will be held at Central Baptist Church Fountain City on Sunday, August 17 in their Gym at 6 pm. See you tomorrow!

United Women In Faith

On Friday, August 8, the Wesley House WISE group visited the Ruth and Sarah Circles of UWF. We had lunch and played bingo with prizes!

Blessing Box Needs:

• Chunky soups
• Peanut butter
• Spaghetti noodles
• Canned spaghetti
• Water
• Juice boxes
• Snack bars
• Snack crackers
• Cottonelle wipes
• Tampons

Thank you for supporting this ministry!

NEWS AND NOTES

Visit our Bicentennial Celebration Hallway

We have a hallway dedicated to our rich history located across from Entrance 3 near Wesley Hall. This month we highlight Music Ministry and Celebrate Recovery!

Visit the History Hallway to check out photos of past choirs!

As we move from the times of camp meetings and white frame churches, this most interesting anecdote is recorded from Mrs. Margaret E. Moore in her church recollections compiled for the Centennial Celebration in 1926. This story is told of the Last White Church (that burned) circa 1890.

“Either Mrs. C. F. Trent or Miss Maggie Morgan always played the organ, and the choir was composed of the young people of the church……How well I see them now, for to me there were none prettier nor more dainty and no one ever held a book more gracefully that they, and the height of my ambition was to be able to play the organ and sing in the choir.

A few years later this desire was granted, for one Sunday morning the organist was not there and the leader asked me to play for Sunday School. He allowed me to select the songs, for I could play only a few, and those songs are ringing in my ears now, for my dream had come true and I felt then that I could at least, conquer the world. It was only the dream of every little girl, but it leaves a memory that never fades.”

As the congregation moved into the new brick building in 1893, they had a proper pipe organ, a piano, and a choir of 20 or so that sang on Sunday morning, and a youth choir that sang on Sunday evening. That organ was sold to a Mr. Rule before the building was raised, the brother of one of our later Directors, Albert Rule, and is housed in a very European style manor just off of Tazewell Pike, on the way to Gibbs.

The Celebrate Recovery display is set up across from Wesley Hall. Come check it out!

Something Special for Our Bicentennial!

Second Sunday in September | 9:45 AM | Wesley Hall

As part of our 200th Anniversary celebration, we’re shaking things up on the Second Sunday of September and you’re invited! Whether you’re part of a Sunday School class or just dropping in, come be inspired by the living story of our church.

September 14 – Rev. Jim Dougherty: 200 Years By The Big Springs

Rev. Jim Dougherty will guide us through the sweeping history of Fountain City UMC, making history come alive from our earliest days to where we are now. His engaging teaching will follow the history booklet he recently compiled and highlight the faithfulness that has carried this church for 200 years. Bring a friend, and your whole class if you like! All ages welcome!

Listening Together, Moving Forward

We are deeply committed to making disciples and changing lives through worship, community, and compassionate ministry. As part of this commitment, we are in a time of intentional listening and discernment around two vital parts of our mission: our cherished Preschool and the Warming Center ministry that cares for unhoused neighbors.

These sessions are open to all who care about our shared mission: parents, preschool staff, volunteers, church leaders, and community supporters. Our goal is to hear the hopes, concerns, and perspectives of everyone involved.

Church Council Meeting • August 26 • 6:30 p.m. in the Choir Room

Executive Team will present recommendations and next steps for Council’s prayerful decision. This information will be shared ahead of the meeting. On August 26, Church Council may make a decision or delay for further reflection or fact finding.

Who will be in the room: Church Council, Executive Team (presenting), and other interested individuals. Only Church Council members may vote. All those present have a voice.

Next Steps Gathering • September 8 • 6:30 p.m. in Wesley Hall

Partner churches will gather to discuss next steps (regardless if the warming center is on property or not). Erin Read will be present to provide updates on City/County decisions and offer input on next steps.

Who will be in the room: partner churches, organizations (volunteers welcome too), and other supporters of the Warming Center.

Did you get yours yet? FCUMC's Ruth Circle of United Women In Faith is selling tea towels to commemorate our 200th anniversary and to benefit missions!

You can pick up one of these special tea towels on the Sunday mornings of August 17 and 24. They will be available from 9:45-10:45 a.m. for $10 each in the hallway across from the church office. Please pay with cash or check to FCUMC/UMW. What a beautiful keepsake in memory of this special anniversary year!

Fall Laity Retreat • August 22-23, 2025

Enjoy great fellowship with a time of learning and spiritual growth with Bishop Debra Wallace-Padgett as she teaches and leads the weekend. This is a joint event of the West Virginia and Holston Conferences.

Dinner on Friday and Lunch on Saturday will be provided. Registration for this event is only $10! Register >>

The Chancel Choir will present a concert at 3 p.m. on Sunday, September 7 celebrating our musical heritage. We will be joined by some singing saints of decades past, as well as some former music staff members. We will also have a youth choir reunion. This is an open invitation to all former choir and youth choir members! If you would like more information on rehearsals or details, contact Leslie Hill, Director of Music Ministries.

Mark your calendars! On Sunday, September 14, we will gather for our annual church picnic at the Iglehart farm. Every year, the Igleharts graciously welcome us to their home for some games, fellowship and a delicious barbecue meal! The address is 6161 Edmondson Lane. 

Please bring a side dish or dessert to share. Doug Shipman and his crew will provide the barbecue. Bring some lawn chairs or a picnic blanket and any outdoor games you want to play. As always, the picnic is free for our church family to enjoy!

Worship Service Celebrating our 200th Anniversary

Sunday, September 21 • 10:30 a.m.

Guest Preacher, Bishop David Graves

Mark your calendars for this very special worship service celebrating 200 years at Fountain City UMC. We will not have 8:30 or 11 a.m. worship. Our guest preacher will be Bishop David Graves, Episcopal Leader of the Kentucky-Tennessee Episcopal Area of The United Methodist Church. Bishop Graves grew up in our church! We will have a free meal to follow.

Invite your friends, family, and neighbors—near and far—to take part in this momentous 200th Anniversary Celebration. Come worship with us, share in Holy Communion, enjoy fellowship over a meal, and rejoice in God’s continued blessings! We look forward to celebrating with you.

FOUNTAIN KIDS & FOUNTAIN LITTLES



Sunday School in August is cool!  

Working our way through the Old Testament starting with creation.

Fountain Kids Wax Museum • This Sunday, August 17

Have you ever thought what it would be like to meet Jesus as a boy, his mother Mary, Mary Magdalene, Doubting Thomas and even John, the Disciple?

Fountain Kids will share their version of a Bible Wax Museum on Sunday, August 17 from 10:30-11 a.m. Our Bible characters will gather along the main hallway from in front of Wesley Hall to the Narthex. They will be costumed and frozen until you push the red circle on the wall beside them. Then they will come alive and speak. Following their short talk, they will “freeze” until the next person touches the red circle. They will also have displays about their characters. You don't want to miss the Fountain Kids Wax Museum!

Mark your calendars! Fountain Kids & Fountain Littles Resume Wednesday Night Activities on August 20, 2025

6:30–7:30 p.m. (following the Fellowship Meal). 

Don’t miss this Fountain Kids event. Bring a friend to Battle Zone and get a prize!

YOUTH MINISTRY

Operation Inasmuch Service Day • August 16

Youth are invited to participate in morning service projects beginning at 9 a.m. We will then deliver flowers to porches from 3-5 p.m. starting at Fountain City Ministry Center.

Student/Parent Meeting • August 17 at 12 p.m.

Matt Randle will meet with students and parents to share some plans for the year as well as address any questions. Stop by!

Fountain City Fellowship on Wednesday Nights

Middle school students (6th-8th grade) will get together on August 20 to kick things off for fall Wednesday night programming. On August 24, we will have the kick-off for 9th-12th grade students. We can’t wait to see everyone on Wednesday nights this fall!

ADULT MINISTRY

Prayer: The World’s Greatest Wireless Connection

Ladies, come join a circle of faith as we lift up our church, our community, and one another through the power of prayer. As John Wesley said, "God does nothing but by prayer, and everything with it."

Let's connect in faith and purpose. Your presence matters!

GriefShare 

August 6-November 5, 2025 • 10 a.m.–12 p.m.

It hurts to lose someone. Find help at GriefShare, a friendly, caring group who will walk alongside you through one of life’s most difficult experiences. You don’t have to go through the grieving process alone. Join GriefShare on Wednesdays from 10 a.m.-12 p.m. in Room 137.

Register >>  Facilitator: Dixie Bopp.

COFFEE & FELLOWSHIP ON SUNDAYS AT THE WELCOME CENTER

Stop by the Welcome Center before or after worship (8:00-10:45 a.m). and let us bless you! See you Sunday!

We are phasing out single-use water bottles and plastic cups so we may be good stewards of our resources. Beginning August 24, the Welcome Center will feature ceramic mugs and water refill stations. We ask that you please return your mug to the designated tray at the end of the morning. Each mug will be washed and sanitized before its next use. You are also welcome to bring your own mug to fill with our delicious coffee! If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please reach out to Britney Barthol. Thank you!

SUNDAY SCHEDULE

8:30 a.m. Traditional Service in the Sanctuary

9:45 a.m. Sunday Morning Discipleship

11 a.m.Traditional Service in the Sanctuary

11 a.m. Journey Contemporary Service in the Gym

Childcare and children's ministry is provided from 8:30 a.m. through the conclusion of the 11 a.m. worship services.

FOUNTAIN KIDS SUNDAY SCHEDULE

Fountain Kids Sunday School • 9:45 a.m.

Fountain Littles Sunday School • 9:45 a.m. 

Fountain Kids Bible Experience • 11 a.m.

Fountain Littles Childcare • 11 a.m.

THE SPIRIT NEWSLETTER

Check out the August 2025 edition of The Spirit Newsletter.

CHURCH OFFICE HOURS

Monday-Thursday: 9 a.m.-3 p.m. 

Friday: 9 a.m.-12 p.m.

NEXT UP AT FCUMC

MARK YOUR CALENDARS

August 16: Operation Inasmuch Day of Service

August 17: Youth Student/Parent Meeting after 11 a.m. worship services

August 18: Finance Committee Meeting at 6:30pm, in Room 137

August 18: Missions Committee Meeting at 6:30pm in the Office Conference Room

August 20: Fountain City Fellowship Kick-off at 5:30 p.m.

August 26: Church Council Meeting at 6:30 p.m. in the Choir Room 

August 27: Adult Fountain City Fellowship programming begins

September 7: Homecoming concert at 3 p.m. in the Sanctuary

September 8: Warming Center next steps gathering at 6:30 p.m. in Wesley Hall

September 9: Nominations & Leadership Development Committee at 6:30pm in Room 210

September 11: Stewardship Committee Meeting at 6:30pm in the Office Conference Room

September 14: Church Picnic beginning at 5:30 p.m. at the Iglehart Farm

September 17: Trustees Committee Meeting at 4:00pm in Room 210

September 21: Worship Service Celebrating the 200th Anniversary of FCUMC • 10:30 a.m.

September 22: Staff-Parish Relations Committee (SPRC) at 6:30pm in Room 137

September 28: Visioning Team Meeting from 2:30-5:30pm in Room 210

September 29: Nominations & Leadership Development Committee at 6:30pm in Room 137

Pastor On Call

After Hours & Weekends

When you need urgent pastoral care while the church office is closed, text or call 865-689-7894 to reach the

pastor on call.

Pastor Don's email:

Pastor.Don@fountaincityumc.org

Pastor Rachel's email:

Pastor.Rachel@fountaincityumc.org

Live-Streamed Worship Services:

11:00 a.m. The Journey Contemporary worship and 

11 a.m. Traditional worship

 are live-streamed on our YouTube channel. Our Tuesday night Celebrate Recovery service is live-streamed on the CR North Facebook page and available on YouTube after its conclusion.

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