Church family,

We are in week two of our nation's response to the world health crisis involving coronavirus. There will be much to consider, weigh, and measure in the coming months, when this is behind us, about how we can be better prepared for future crises. In the interim, many of us are sequestered in our homes, trying our best to work and carry on with some semblance of normality in our routines.

However, try as we like, this crisis is eating into that veneer of control over our circumstances we tend to harbor in the recesses of our hearts. Our anxiety levels are up. Some are having a hard time sleeping or concentrating. Some of us are glued to news telecasts. Others are weeping as they see the bottom line on their account statements. Amidst all this anxiety, I find myself making less time for the important things, as I try to react to what is going on around me. How are we going to keep things rolling here at the church, I ask myself? As a result, I've found that I have taken less time over the last week to have quiet time with God. I've got things to get done, and God will understand, I tell myself.

It is here that our hearts inevitably land on a series of questions, especially as our present circumstances drag on in the coming weeks. They aren't new questions; in fact, they are as old as the human race. The psalmist asks them in Psalm 77:

7 "Will the Lord spurn forever, and never again be favorable? 8 Has his steadfast love ceased forever? Are his promises at an end for all time? 9 Has God forgotten to be gracious? Has he in anger shut up his compassion?

We aren't sure of the circumstances surrounding the writing of this psalm. According to the superscription at its heading, it is "according to Jeduthun," and, unfortunately, we don't know much about who Jeduthun was or what he was going through. Was he sick? Had he experienced a great loss? Was he facing some sort of political, economic, or martial oppression when he wrote this? Again, it isn't clear.

But what is clear is the precision of his questions and description of the state of his heart in the first ten verses of this psalm. If you have time, go back and read the whole thing. It is crystal clear: the time of trial comes, our hearts cry out, and as our anxiety increases, we begin to question God's faithfulness. Here, verse 9 summarizes us at our worst: has God forgotten about us?

Yet it is the honesty of this psalm that leads us, by God's grace, to remember to whom we belong:

11 I will call to mind the deeds of the Lord; I will remember your wonders of old. 12 I will meditate on all your work, and muse on your mighty deeds.

The first thing we are to do in times of trial, this psalm tells us, is to remember who God is, and what God has done for us. It is God who is mighty, and God who has provided for us time and time again. Verse 16 pulls this memory as far back as creation itself. It was God who hovered over the waters of chaos to bring creation into being, and that watery chaos trembled before God's might. The psalmist then pulls our memory to the exodus event in verse 19. It was just when the people thought the end was nigh and Pharaoh would decimate them that God showed up and parted the waters of the sea so that people could pass through untouched.

I have no crystal ball and make no predictions about what is coming in the near-term. What I do know, however, is that just as we are told in verse 20, God has always been sure to lead us through. Whatever comes, cling to this hope. God will always make a way.

In Christ,

Pastor Sam

During this present crisis, we encourage you to consider shifting your giving to our website or to text or mail. We must hold together, and your continued, faithful giving ensures that we will have the resources to continue our ministries. You can give online by going to our  website and clicking on "Give" in the upper right-hand corner. You can send your pledge, offering, or special gift by texting (all one word) fpcbristol to 73256. You can also mail your checks directly to the church. Our address is 701 Florida Avenue, Bristol, TN 37620. Thank you, as always, for your generosity.

In the coming weeks, we are asking you to spend more time in prayer for our church, our community, the nation, and the world. Pray for our leaders, first responders, frontline workers, and the vulnerable. We also ask that you pray for a swift end to this disease.

Church Officers
Class of 2020	Class of 2021	Class of 2022
ELDERS
Nancy Allerton	Ann Abel	Anna L. Booher
Rebecca Beck	Randy Cook	Bruce Gannaway
David Hyde	John Graham	Will Hankins
Jordan Pennington	Katie McInnis	Dottie Havlik
Jerry Poteat	John Vann	Laura Ong
DEACONS
Blake Bassett	Fred Harkleroad	Mike Cleland
Rhonda Comer	Matt Kingsley	Geneva King
Ron Fox	Lisa McClain	George Linke
Brenda Lawson	Drew Rice	Charlie Taylor
Barbara Thompson	Joyce Samuel
TRUSTEES
Peggy Hill	Jack Butterworth	Nancy Cook