I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.

2 Timothy 4:7 NRSV

In early July, I made my annual pilgrimage to my mom's church, Green Spring Presbyterian in Abingdon. I began pastoral ministry as a student intern at this church. My son used to crawl on the carpet. My father, a long-time Pentecostal minister, left that tradition behind and, along with my mother, joined the church soon after my internship. He ended up becoming a Presbyterian lay pastor. Of course, this was after a couple years of theological wrestling with him.

I've preached there on numerous occasions and have counted its last two pastors my friends. I presided over my dad's funeral service at that church. I still remember the warmth and kindness of the congregation that day as they prepared an enormous meal for us. Too bad my unwieldy family decided to act like a herd of cats and do their own thing. A plaque bearing my dad's name is attached to the piano in the choir room. When I go, I enjoy reconnecting and listening to my mom in the choir.

All in all, I genuinely enjoy my annual visit to Green Spring. Every time I go, "precious memories ... flood my soul." After this last visit, we all decided to visit my father and my grandfather at their burial site in Forest Hills Memorial Garden in Abingdon. The kids really don't remember my dad; they were too young. They may not have the memory, but I know that they were adored and loved. I told them so.

I hate to wax a bit too personal in this article. I usually try to make a point, reinforce a lesson, or cheer you up. Today, however, I want to talk about expectations. What is it that you expect from life? What is it that we expect from the sum of our days? What is it that we expect life to give us?

Is it success? If we die with enough wealth and accolades to "earn" a trust in our name, bestowing lavish gifts annually, will it have all been worth it? How about a building in our name, complete with a large portrait in the lobby? If lots of people show up to my service, will the attendance record serve as an indicator of my success?

Is it comfort? If we never had to face too hard a time, or if we always had access to what we wanted, will our expectations have been met? If we make it in life without having suffered too much pain and loss, will our lives be well lived?

As I stood outside my grandfather's and father's vaults, it's funny, none of those things came to mind. All I remembered is that I missed them, and I would give a hefty sum to talk for just 15 minutes. Even if no one else were to ever remember they existed, I would remember. They lived, I would tell myself. They loved and were loved. They were there when I needed them. I wouldn't have made it without them.

So what is it that you expect, and what is it that we ought to expect from life? I can't answer that question for you. You must examine your own heart.

All I can give you is what Scripture tells us. I think Paul gives us three great markers to measure our expectations: he struggled in the noble fight, he finished the race, and he, to the ability granted him by God, kept the faith. He fought, he finished, and he clung to God. How is that for an epitaph?

For all of us, life and the evils we must endure will deal each of us a losing hand. Give it enough time, and your body will betray you. Those you adored will experience the same, and the time will come when they leave you behind. I wish I had a more comforting answer for you than "That's life." Honestly, it doesn't help to say that this is life under the conditions of sin. We know we are sinners, but it still hurts.

No, what we ought to expect of life, of ourselves, and of others is that we will be granted the grace to have done as well as Paul. With everything that we were, we entered the fray. We struggled. We had our hearts broken. We got up and dusted ourselves off. We bore the wounds. Time healed slowly. Actually, we never fully healed in this life. Yet we ran anyway in the hope that we would finish the race, and finish it well. We loved. We were loved. We shared in others' burdens. Sometimes, we took their wounds onto ourselves so as to spare them the pain.

If we are given the grace to do this, then we will have lived well, and we will not have done it in vain (1 Corinthians 15:58). You see, in Christ, we will have done it all sustained by God's grace. If we have done it well, it will have been by faith (2 Corinthians 5:7). Our expectations may have been muted by this kind of realism, to be sure, but in a way our eternal hope will have promised us more than we could ever begin to imagine. We will have kept faith with the One who promises to "further clothe [us], so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life" (2 Corinthians 5:4). All our struggling, our eventual finishing, and all our clinging will be made more alive, more real than it is now. It will be transformed by God's grace, and with "eager longing" all creation will finally sing the praises of God as we take our rightful place at God's side as God's children and adopted heirs (Romans 8:19).

Fight. Finish. Faith.

In Christ,

Pastor Sam

In anticipation of their return to their role in our 11:00 traditional worship service on September 8, our acolytes will participate in an orientation session this Sunday, August 25, at 12:30, directly after the traditional worship service. The acolyte ministry is open to any child in grades 5 -12. If you and your child are interested in serving in this capacity, please let Pastor Sam know by email ( [email protected]) before Sunday.

 

Acolyte Orientation & Practice
Sunday, August 25, 12:30 p.m.	Acolyte Team Orientation
Wednesday, August 28, 7:15 p.m.	Acolyte Rehearsal with Choir
Sunday, September 1, 12:30 p.m.	Acolyte Final Rehearsal
Sunday, September 8, 11:00 a.m.	Acolytes Resume Worship

If you can count, you count with the Sanctuary Handbell Choir! Can we count on your help? We need a few more regulars and a couple of substitutes. We practice from 6:15 to 7:15 on Wednesday evenings in the handbell room (212) upstairs. The ability to read music is helpful, but that's something we can teach you pretty quickly. Some coordination also helps, but we're not looking for acrobats. It's the ability to count that counts! These bells add an element to worship that can't be duplicated in any other way, and we play for the late worship service about once a month. Please email or call Bob Greene ( [email protected], 276-696-9091) to talk about joining this fun-loving group.

Do you enjoy our Wednesday night fellowship dinners? Then why not come over to the big kitchen early and help prepare them? If you can lend a hand, or even two, please call our new fellowship dinner coordinator, Sara Gannaway, at 423-573-2680, and find out how you can help.

When is a thank-you more than words? When it captures the smiles, excitement, and sheer joy of someone blessed beyond words. This past month, Nathaniel Sproles, Greg Roberts, Matt Kingsley, and Heidi and Fred Harkleroad spent many hours in the home of one of our Fairmount neighbors, and they weren't there for tea. These volunteers in our Christian Hands Ministry tore out damaged walls, hung beadboard, fitted molding, caulked, prepped walls and cabinets, and then painted it all, giving one family a beautiful and functional kitchen.

My thanks to these incredible servants doesn't begin to capture the joy and the thanksgiving of the homeowner whom they never saw while working, but it will have to do. So thank you, Nate, Greg, Heidi, Fred, and Matt for bringing joy to one of our neighbors!

If you would be interested in serving in a similar fashion, please contact me at [email protected]. No skills necessary! / Dave Welch

The Fairmount Elementary School supplies collection may be completed, but it's not over! The faculty is overwhelmed by our congregation's generosity. We collected more than 25 full, full, full boxes of pens, staples, staplers, files, Sharpies, pencils, and other items that took three loads in Dave's hatchback to deliver. Not just this semester but throughout this whole year, teachers will remember with thanksgiving the outpouring of love that accompanies them every time they go to their supply cabinets. As one teacher shared with me, "Your folks really love us!" So thank you, FPC, for loving so well and showing Jesus Christ in everything you do, especially with our Fairmount neighborhood: students, families, and teachers.

An orientation for Fairmount Elementary School's Reading Buddies program will be held at 6:00 p.m. Thursday, August 29, in the Fellowship Hall. The goal of the Reading Buddies program is to build a positive relationship with a child. No previous teaching experience is required. For more information, contact Kay Ward at 423-652-9251 or visit www.readingbuddiesbristol.org.

Please mark your calendars for this year's Fairmount Neighborhood Trunk or Treat. It will take place at Fairmount Elementary School on Thursday, October 24, at 5:00 p.m. Sam Weddington already has his costume, and Linda Welch is brainstorming new car-decorating ideas. It's time to plan!

August steams toward September, suggesting that the inspiration for the ice maker was in the perspiration of its inventor. Despite the heat, our mowing team faithfully cares for our church lawn, benefiting both our congregation and our neighbors. Randy Olson carries out this ministry August 21 -24, as we will see when we come to church for programs during the week and worship on Sunday. The following Sunday, September 1, is World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, and Randy Cook will play his role in that great work August 28 -31. Put your feet up on Labor Day, fellas, and have a glass of something cold!

Our annual fall youth retreat is coming up rapidly. This special weekend for students in grades seven through twelve is August 31 through September 2 at Doe River Gorge. We will leave Saturday and return Monday afternoon. Join us for a weekend of fun and fellowship with your friends!

The $175 cost for the weekend covers everything and includes a T-shirt. You can register and pay the $50 deposit at the link below. Turn in money to the church or pay online  at https://onrealm.org/fpcbristol/Give .

Ready to go? ==> REGISTER HERE <==

The FPC Finance Committee meets monthly to review financial reports, assess receipts and expenditures (budget vs. actual), and address any issues pertaining to financial matters.

The church's financial condition for 2019 through July remains positive. Following are some key items we are tracking:

At the Finance Committee's August meeting we received and approved a proposed budget for 2020 that was carefully developed by the business office after receiving input from all staff members and committees. This proposed budget will be presented to Session for their approval at their meeting next week.

Financial reports are always available for your review in the church office. Feel free to contact any member of the Finance Committee with your comments and questions. We will be glad to find the answers! We are Jack Butterworth, Mary Connor, Nancy Cook, Barb Duncan, Ron Fox, Betsy Galliher, Dottie Havlik, Peggy Hill, and John Vann (chairman). / John Vann

	Mark A. Miller

Sunday's music: Our choral anthem this week is "I Believe" by American church musician Mark A. Miller. Miller believes passionately that music can change the world. He also believes with Cornel West that "Justice is what love looks like in public." The lyrics to this beautiful setting were scrawled on a cellar wall in Cologne by a Jew hiding from the Nazi Gestapo during WWII. American soldiers discovered it below a Star of David when searching the bombed house.

Miller received his Bachelor of Arts in Music from Yale University and his Master of Music in Organ Performance from Juilliard. Since 1999 he has travelled to every part of the country, delighting congregations with the power and joy of music making. After his early career in New York City, where he was Assistant Organist and Music Associate at Riverside Church then Director of Contemporary Worship at Marble Collegiate Church, he now lives and works in New Jersey, where he is Associate Professor of Church Music and Composer in Residence at Drew University, a Lecturer in the Practice of Sacred Music at Yale, Minister of Music of Christ Church in Summit, and Composer in Residence of Harmonium Choral Society.

	Jean Langlais

Organist's footnotes: Jean Langlais (1907 -1991) developed severe glaucoma when he was two years old and was completely blind by the age of three. But this condition did not prevent the French organist and composer from becoming famous as he performed recitals all over Europe and the United States. His style is not terribly dissonant, especially compared with that of many of his contemporaries, but by using harmonies unrelated to each other, sometimes in quick succession, he avoids establishing a tonal center. Three Characteristic Pieces is written in this free tonal style. This is especially true of the second movement (offertory), which often alternates between major and minor modes.

Because his style requires using many accidentals in the printed score, Langlais often notated and published his music without key signatures. After all, what's the point of notating a tonal center if you're not going to be staying there? It also assists the performer in determining the proper notes to play, which I hope I have done! In the final movement (postlude), Langlais is more tonal than in the previous movements. On the flip side, he's almost completely removed from any sense of meter from the middle of the piece. It is intended to sound like bells ringing out of control. I can't help but think of the poem "The Bells" by Edgar Allan Poe!

Sunday, August 25

9:00 a.m.       Worship, Fellowship Hall

10:10 a.m.     Sunday School

10:30 a.m.     Sanctuary Choir, Room 202

11:00 a.m.     Worship, Sanctuary

12:30 p.m.     Acolyte Orientation, Sanctuary

6:00 p.m.       Student Fellowship, Fellowship Hall

Monday, August 26

7:00 p.m.       Session of Elders, Room 123

Tuesday, August 27

10:00 a.m.     Staff Meeting, Room 117

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

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

Wednesday, August 28

5:00 p.m.       Baby & Toddler Care, Rooms 34 - 37

5:30 p.m.       Fellowship Dinner, Fellowship Hall

6:00 p.m.       Wednesday Night Kids

6:00 p.m.       Middle School Gathering

6:00 p.m.       High School Small Groups

6:15 p.m.       Handbell Practice, Room 212

6:15 p.m.       Adult Enrichment

7:15 p.m.       Acolytes Rehearse with Choir, Sanctuary

7:15 p.m.       Worship Team, Fellowship Hall

Thursday, August 29

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

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

6:00 p.m.       Reading Buddies Orientation, Fellowship Hall

Saturday, August 31

Fall Student Retreat, Doe River Gorge

Church Officers
Class of 2019	Class of 2020	Class of 2021
ELDERS
Anna Booher	Nancy Allerton	Ann Abel
Lee Galliher	Rebecca Beck	Randy Cook
Pete Holler	David Hyde	John Graham
Han Ong	Jordan Pennington	Katie McInnis
Pete Stigers	Jerry Poteat	John Vann
DEACONS
Sujean Bradley	Blake Bassett	Fred Harkleroad
George Linke	Rhonda Comer	Matt Kingsley
Greg Roberts	Ron Fox	Lisa McClain
Nate Sproles	Brenda Lawson	Drew Rice
Bill Whisnant	Barbara Thompson	Joyce Samuel
TRUSTEES
Nancy Cook	Peggy Hill	Jack Butterworth