July 18, 2019

I wait for the Lord, my soul waits,
and in God's word is my hope. [Psalm 130:5]

Dear Friends,
    Saturday marks the 50th anniversary of the first moon landing. It is impossible to imagine the courage of all those involved in the early space missions. There were so many unknown factors. Did the astronauts wonder if, by leaving Earth, they were leaving God as well? Would God be with them in space? This is the question I'll be asking on Sunday in my sermon Sacred Space.
    I look forward to seeing you all on Sunday.
    In Christ,

[SPECIAL MUSIC]
On Sunday, for our Sanctuary Worship, our guest musician will be Wayne Ray. An Instructor of Music at Cumberland University, Wayne is a graduate of Cumberland University and Old Dominion University. Through Wayne’s efforts, the C.U. Phoenix Marching Band was resurrected in 2018. He serves as band director.

[TEAM KATE FUNDRAISER]
Saturday, July 27
9:00 am to Noon
1409 Medical Center Drive, Lebanon
(Next to The Pavillion)
There will be a Crohn's and Colitis Fundraiser for Team Kate. This will be a Family Field Day. Tickets are $20, $25 at the gate, kids under 3 are free. There will be music, inflatable obstacle courses, challenge course, and more.
For more information and to purchase tickets, click here.

Starting Monday, August 5, FPC will offer the Disciple Bible Study for any interested adults who want to learn more about our Holy Scripture. Disciple is a well-regarded Bible curriculum that covers both the Old and New Testaments. The classes will be led by Catherine Hanson and Robin Orewiler. To sign up, please contact the church office at 615-444-1360.
This Fast Track course is the Disciple One survey of the Old and New Testaments. There will be homework (but no tests or essays). Each class begins with a brief video presentation followed by discussion. Participants will have the opportunity to complete a spiritual gifts assessment and discover meaningful ways to serve and live out your discipleship.
The Disciple Bible Study courses are not just about information, but about transformation. Lives are changed through their encounter with God’s Word in Scripture. Faith becomes stronger.

Mondays at 6:00 to 7:15 pm
Starting August 5
24 weeks

[NEEDED FOR LOCAL MISSIONS]
FPC has two ongoing collections benefiting the following organizations:
1. Wilson County Schools Family Resource Center. We collect food and personal hygiene items for students whose families are struggling. Donations can be left in the plastic tub in the back hallway.
2. Wilson County Community Help Center.
Monetary donations are used to purchase food items for the Help Center. Write Help Center on your check.

Sunday July 28
Preacher Rotation - Rev. Michael Davis (Hendersonville)

August 5
Disciples One begins

An archive of sermons and bulletins
(audio and text) can be viewed here.

  Jul 14 - Plumb Line text | audio
  Jun 23 - King of the Mountain text | audio
  Jun 16 - True Grit text | audio
  Jun 9 - Clothed with Power text | audio
  Jun 2 - Witness text | audio
  May 26 - Left Behind text
  May 19 - New Heaven, New Earth text | audio
  May 12 - Works of God text | audio
  May 5 - The Light of Christ text | audio
  Apr 28 - Peace Be with You text | audio

          ...more sermons

[WORSHIP LITURGY]
Scripture - Psalm 139
1    O Lord, you have searched me and known me.
2    You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from far away.
3    You search out my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways.
4    Even before a word is on my tongue, O Lord, you know it completely.
5    You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me.
6    Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is so high that I cannot attain it.
7    Where can I go from your spirit? Or where can I flee from your presence?
8    If I ascend to heaven, you are there; if I make my bed in Sheol, you are there.
9    If I take the wings of the morning and settle at the farthest limits of the sea,
10    even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me fast.
11    If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light around me become night,”
12    even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is as bright as the day, for darkness is as light to you.
13    For it was you who formed my inward parts; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14    I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; that I know very well.
15    My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
16    Your eyes beheld my unformed substance. In your book were written all the days that were formed for me, when none of them as yet existed.
17    How weighty to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them!
18    I try to count them—they are more than the sand; I come to the end—I am still with you.
19    O that you would kill the wicked, O God, and that the bloodthirsty would depart from me—
20    those who speak of you maliciously, and lift themselves up against you for evil!
21    Do I not hate those who hate you, O Lord? And do I not loathe those who rise up against you?
22    I hate them with perfect hatred; I count them my enemies.
23    Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my thoughts.
24    See if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

Prayer of Confession
Holy Lord, You know us completely. You knew us even before we were born. You know our thoughts and all our plans. And yet we confess that we choose to reject your presence in our lives. We believe we can run and hide from you. We imagine there is a place we can go where you can’t find us. Forgive us of our sins and remove the darkness from our lives. May we bathe in your sacred light forever. Amen.

Click here to watch J.D. play the Kilgen Organ Recital at Saint Patrick's Cathedral in New York City on May 26.