Our Session of Elders invites all members of First Presbyterian Church to join them Sunday evenings during Lent for a focused season of prayer. Elders will gather in the chapel from 5:00 to 6:00 p.m. on March 4, 11, 18, and 25 to engage members of the congregation in conversation and to lead a time of prayer for discernment regarding the mission, ministry, and staffing of FPC. If you are unable to join us on these evenings, we ask that you set aside your own time for this needed, focused prayer.

Our worship Sunday observes the season of Lent, the seven weeks of the church year preceding Easter. Recalling Jesus' 40-day temptation in the wilderness, Lent invites us through introspection and penitence to consider the costliness of Christ's sacrifice for our sin. Lenten worship is hence more subdued, signified by the purple liturgical color as well as by the temporary absence of flowers and "alleluias."

Congratulations to our brothers and sisters in Natal on the 18th anniversary of the organization of the Independent Presbyterian Church of Brazil (IPIB) in Felipe Camar ão. The anniversary was marked with special celebrations and worship this past Sunday, February 25.

Our first visit to the church in the Natal neighborhood of Felipe Camar ão was in 2002 on the invitation of Paul and Linda Fahnestock. Since then, we have sent nearly 100 people on teams to visit and serve the church, school, and community of Felipe Camar ão. We have thrice welcomed pastors from Brazil to Bristol, most recently on the visit from Jo ão Batista and Rosangela in 2016. God has richly blessed our communities of faith through the deep love we share for one another and the prayers we lift up on each other's behalf. What a gift such partnerships are for all!

As we continue to view stewardship as an ongoing ministry of the First Presbyterian Church congregation, we want to focus now on the giving of our talents. When members give of their talents freely and generously, we will surely reap God's abundant blessings.

Think of the following as a checklist that you can use to identify some of your abilities. Can you paint; welcome people; make something out of cloth, wood, paper, or plastic; mow grass; vacuum; pick up trash; rearrange tables and chairs; read aloud; wash dishes; fold bulletins; cook a meal; visit shut-ins; lead a Bible study; care for children; or garden? If you mentally checked any one of these abilities, or recognized other abilities in yourself, then you can serve God in this place.

The scripture from a devotional that I read recently seems fitting for this topic. I refer you to Exodus 35: 1-40:38 that provided God's instruction to Moses in regard to the construction of the tabernacle. The emphasis today is on Exodus 35:30-36:1: "Then Moses said to the Israelites. 'See, the Lord has chosen Bezalel, of the tribe of Judah, and he has filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, ability, and knowledge in all kinds of crafts to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver, and bronze, to cut and set stones, to work in wood and to engage in all kinds of artistic craftsmanship. And he has given both him and Oholiab, of the tribe of Dan, the ability to teach others. He has filled them with skill to do all kinds of work as craftsmen, designers, embroiderers in blue, purple, and scarlet yarn and fine linen, and weavers - all of them master craftsmen and designers. So Bezalel and Oholiab and every skilled person to whom the Lord has given skill and ability to know how to carry out all the work of constructing the sanctuary are to do the work just as the Lord has commanded.' " In this passage, Moses asked people with various abilities to help with the tabernacle construction. Those who could spin cloth made an important contribution, those such as Bezalel and Oholiab with artistic skills cut jewels and carved wood.

Moses laid out the steps as God had given them to him. Another Israelite was asked to serve as the scribe for the project. God did not ask Moses to do all this alone, but to motivate others to perform the tasks. Once the tabernacle was completed, ongoing care was required, just as our church requires ongoing care in many dimensions. Today, churches and neighborhoods require this same kind of pulling together in order to provide many essential services.

All of us have been given special talents and gifts. We are responsible for developing these abilities and to use them for God's glory. We can become skilled through study, by watching others, and through practice. This principle is important to remember today when we recognize the church, not as a building, but as a community of believers. Many seemingly unimportant tasks must be done and are vital to the ministry of the church. These tasks also have crucial importance in our worship. Won't you consider ways in which your talents can be developed, shared, and utilized here at First Presbyterian Church?  /Karen Pennington

Easter lilies will be placed in our sanctuary on Easter Sunday, April 1, in memory of those we love and honor. To order a lily plant, simply fill out a form and return it, with payment, to the church office by Monday, March 26. To ensure correct acknowledgment in the Easter worship bulletin, please print all names exactly as you wish to see them. Order forms are available on the kiosk in the office hallway and in the bulletin, the sanctuary, the Fellowship Hall, and the office. Lilies cost $15 per pot.

Next Wednesday, March 7, Katie Vande Brake will present the first of two programs on Melungeons in Appalachia and their Christian faith in our Adult Learning session at 6:15 p.m. Everyone is invited first to the Fellowship Hall at 5:30 p.m. to enjoy a dinner of beef stew, salad, cornbread, and dessert. The Middle School Gathering and Wednesday Night Kids will meet separately at 6:00. High School Small Groups will meet at 7:00.

A major Will Graham evangelistic celebration has been scheduled for April 27 -29 at Freedom Hall in Johnson City. Will Graham is the son of Franklin Graham and the grandson of Dr. Billy Graham, and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association is sponsoring this event. FPC's Evangelism & Outreach Committee wants to encourage each member of our congregation to prayerfully consider how you may want to get involved in this unique and wonderful evangelism and outreach effort, which was prayerfully planned over the past two years. Above all, we hope that as many members as possible will attend this Christian evangelistic event that is devoted to leading the unchurched in our community to the saving grace of Jesus Christ and to connecting them with a church in their local community.

Here are three ways you can participate in this process:

For more information, see the Celebration website at www.tcrcelebration.org, email [email protected], or call the Celebration office at 423-461-0057.

Four big events have been planned for the Will Graham Celebration, and all will be held in Freedom Hall Civic Center, located at 1320 Pactolas Road in Johnson City. Admission to each event is free. No ticket is required.

Several other preparatory events for participants in the process will take place before the Celebration:

The Samir Family

Last October, Tom King approached the Missionary Emergency Fund Advisory Committee requesting support toward The Outreach Foundation's purchase of a car for a minister serving the Presbyterian congregation in Basra, Iraq. The Reverend Amgad Samir, his wife Mary, and their two children had moved to Basra from Egypt to minister to the 15 families in the church and to oversee the church's thriving kindergarten and nursery, which serves 200 children. They reach many different faiths in their community, several members of which now worship with them and are quietly under their discipleship.

With a large geographic area to cover, the Samirs were dependent on public transportation. This severely hampered their ability to respond and minister to those around them. The MEF was able to contribute $2,500 toward a $15,000 goal for the vehicle, the purchase of which has now been completed!

A note received last week through The Outreach Foundation from the pastor says it all:

Dear People and Churches that donated:

Thank you so much for your generous gift of buying a car for me to use as the pastor in Basra! I have pastored here for a year and a half, and a lot of things have been more difficult because I didn't have a car. It was especially difficult to visit church members in their homes.

Because of your gifts, I will be able to visit church members and visitors much more easily. This will be a real blessing to the church. It will also be a blessing to my family and me, as we can visit others and do more family activities together.

Thank you for your generosity! May God bless you!

Blessings,

Pastor Amgad

Basra Iraq

First Presbyterian is one of the recipients of the Missionary Emergency Fund, created nearly 100 years by A.D. Reynolds to respond to missionary needs such as this. This gift as an example of the kinds of projects touching lives around the world each year. In the weeks ahead, the MEF Advisory Committee will present in Windows an overview of the MEF and information about the projects funded each year.

The MEF is an important outreach of First Presbyterian Church and is worthy of our celebration and praise to God, reminding us all of the bounty given to and through our church. Praise God from whom all blessings flow!

Holston Summer Camp seeks motivated, energetic, Christian counselors for summer camp staff positions. Resident staff must be at least 18 years old with a high school diploma and one year of higher education or work experience. Counselors will be expected to participate in vigorous physical activity. Holston Summer Camp prefers previous youth camp or counselor experience. Background checks and references will be required. Applicants must love to work with kids. Positions include Internship Summer Director, Adventure Leaders, Resident Counselors, Swim Instructor/Lifeguard, Day Camp Director, Day Camp Counselors, and Nurse. Applications are available at www.HolstonCenter.org.

Sunday's music participants: Pat Flannagan; Bob Greene; Sanctuary Choir; Adult Handbell Choir; Lauren Castor, flute.

	Franz Josef Haydn

Sunday's music: Sunday's offertory anthem, "Agnus Dei," is yet another setting of the text from the final section of the mass liturgy. The composer of this setting is the famous Franz Josef Haydn (1732 -1809), whose music is acknowledged as the epitome of the Enlightenment. Indeed, his music is the textbook for understanding classicism. Haydn was a great influence on all who followed him, especially Mozart and Beethoven. Characterized by a simple elegance, Haydn's music becomes a marvelous vehicle for illuminating the text.

Organist's footnotes: Fanny Mendelssohn (1805 -1847), sister of Felix Mendelssohn (1809 -1847), introduced the keyboard music of Johann Sebastian Bach (1685 -1750) to Charles Gounod (1818 -1893), who came to revere Bach. For him The Well-Tempered Clavier was "the law to pianoforte study ... the unquestioned textbook of musical composition." It inspired Gounod to devise a melody and superimpose it on the C major Prelude (BWV 846) from The Well-Tempered Clavier Book 1. To this melody in 1859 (after the deaths of both Mendelssohn siblings), Gounod fitted the words of the Ave Maria, resulting in a setting that became world famous. When not sung, Gounod's melody is often played on the violin. I have arranged and performed his melody as a solo handbell ringer, accompanied by piano. Today the roles are reversed, with handbells playing the accompaniment, and a flute playing Gounod's melody.

	Johannes Brahms

We conclude this third Sunday of Lent with another selection from Elf Choralvorspiele für die Orgel (Eleven Chorale Preludes for the Organ), Op. 122, by Johannes Brahms (1833 -1897). Brahms wrote these short pieces in 1896 near the end of his life, and they were published posthumously in 1902. They are based on verses of nine Lutheran chorales, two of them set twice. "O Gott, du frommer Gott" (O God, Thou faithful God) was written by Johann Heermann (1585-1647), who was a German poet and hymnodist. Its tune was published in the Neu ordentlich Gesangbuch of 1646 and was later harmonized by Johann Sebastian Bach. Brahms's setting has the chorale tune weaving in and out of the dense harmonic texture, one isolated phrase at a time. This tune is obvious to the organist, who can see the melody highlighted in the score with German text. It is perhaps not so obvious to the listener, but beautiful to listen to nonetheless.

Church Officers
ELDERS
Class of 2018	Class of 2019	Class of 2020
Aaron Brooks	Anna Booher	Nancy Allerton
Randy Cook	Lee Galliher	Rebecca Beck
Debbie McMillin	Pete Holler	David Hyde
Stuart Parker	Han Ong	Jordan Pennington
Chuck Thompson	Pete Stigers	Jerry Poteat
DEACONS
Class of 2018	Class of 2019	Class of 2020
Adam Abel	Sujean Bradley	Blake Bassett
Nancy Butterworth	George Linke	Rhonda Comer
David Ginn	Greg Roberts	Brenda Lawson
Rett Stocstill	Nate Sproles	Barbara Thompson
Ann Woods	Bill Whisnant

Sunday, March 4

8:30 a.m.       Worship, Fellowship Hall

9:45 a.m.       Sunday School

11:00 a.m.     Worship, Sanctuary

Monday, March 5

5:30 p.m.       Adult Handbells

7:00 p.m.       Board of Deacons, Room 123

Tuesday, March 6

9:30 a.m.       Staff Meeting, Room 117

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

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

Wednesday, March 7

9:30 a.m.       Women's DVD Bible Study, Coffee Klatch Room

5:15 p.m.       Baby & Toddler Care, Rooms 34 - 36

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.       Pastor Nominating Comm., Room 117

6:15 p.m.       Adult Learning Program, Fellowship Hall

7:00 p.m.       High School Small Groups

7:15 p.m.       Sanctuary Choir

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

Thursday, March 8

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

5:00 p.m.       Human Resources Comm., Room 117