FPC Women’s Ministries announces Second Saturday Circles, a series of gatherings for women of the church. The first circle is scheduled for Saturday, October 10, at 10:00 a.m., both in person and online. Saturday Circles won’t be quite like Presbyterian Women Circles of the past, but they will provide us with some of the same benefits: the edification of Bible study, the joy and comfort of Christian fellowship, and the blessing of shared prayer. We hope you and your friends will join in!

To a time for Bible study, discussion, and prayer. Some groups will meet in person at the church; some will meet online. In-person meetings will be outside, if possible. We ask that masks be worn inside and, if not socially distanced, outside.

What does it mean to not be anxious during a pandemic?

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:6-7).

To attend a circle in person, just come to the Fellowship Hall on Saturday at 10:00 a.m. Bring a Bible, a lawn chair, a mask, and your own beverage. Some chairs will be available.

To participate in the online circle, please call or text Elizabeth Patrick at 423-956-9716 or email her at [email protected].

Contact Elizabeth as noted above.

Our anthem this week, “Lord, You Have Searched Me Out and Known Me,” is by American sacred composer David Hurd. Born in 1950, Hurd has held numerous positions as organist, director of music, and professor throughout America. He is now Director of Music at the Church of Saint Mary the Virgin in Times Square, New York City. He studied at Juilliard and Oberlin before receiving honorary doctorates from Yale, Seabury-Western, and Church Divinity School of the Pacific. He has published more than 100 choral and organ works, and his compositions are regularly used in churches of all denominations. The lyrics of Sunday’s anthem reflect on our personal relationship with God and affirm that, as our Creator, He knows us better than we know ourselves. /Chris Bingham

Organist’s footnotes: Our composer du jour is Eugène Gigout. Gigout (pronounced “zhee-goo”) was born March 23, 1844, in Nancy, France, and died December 9, 1925, in Paris. He studied in Paris under Saint-Saëns at the Niedermeyer School, where he subsequently taught. For 62 years Gigout was organist at St. Augustin, in Paris. From 1911 until his death, he was professor of organ and composition at the Paris Conservatory. He was renowned as an expert improviser, and his output as a composer was considerable. Widely known as a teacher, he founded his own music school. His nephew by marriage was Léon Boëllmann, another distinguished French composer and organist.

The 10 Pièces pour orgue (composed in 1890) include the “Toccata in B minor” (Sunday’s postlude), Gigout’s best-known creation, which turns up as a frequent encore at organ recitals. Also fairly often played, and to be found in the same collection, is “Scherzo in E major.” Other notable pieces by Gigout are Grand chœur dialogué (1881) and “Marche Religieuse” (our prelude).

His pupils included his nephew Boëllmann, Victoria Cartier, André Fleury, Henri Gagnon, André Marchal, André Messager, and Albert Roussel. /Robert Greene

701 Florida Avenue | Bristol, TN 37620 | 423-764-7176 | fpcbristol.org