On Sunday, November 6, our ladies will hold a worship service at Blue Ridge on the Mountain Nursing Home from 2-3 PM. All women are invited to participate!
Operation Christmas Child
WMU is sponsoring Operation Christmas Child this year. There will be two boxes in the Loving Kindness Room for your donations—one for girls and one for boys. Please DO NOT donate any of the following: Used items, toy guns, knives, or other war related items; chocolate or perishable items; liquids of any kind; medicine, and breakable items. Boxes are due by Weds. November 16. Thank you!
Letter to First Baptist
Dear Members of First Baptist Church,
I began coordinating Jackson County’s Circle of Hope program in May of this year. My first meeting has remained with me in spite of my spotty memory. Everyone seemed happy, shining smiles everywhere and eyes eager to meet mine, a complete stranger. Since then, every Tuesday has been a Tuesday I eagerly anticipate at First Baptist Church. Thanks to your fabulous facility, mouthwatering meals and caring childcare our program has continued to grow and help people help themselves out of poverty. With the support of many in your congregation, our first cohort of Circle Leaders increased average income or returned to school, improved savings, increased friends and feel better about themselves and their future. Our next cohort began recently. Ten new Circle Leader candidates eager to get their lives in order while growing spiritually, emotionally and economically. Each candidate visited us and shared dinner before being interviewed and invited to become Circle Leader candidates. Your warm, welcoming environment encouraged them to become part of our Circles family. Thank you for all you do to support Circles of Hope, people in poverty and our community!
Ron Robinson Coordinator, Circles of Hope Jackson County
Fire Pit Needed
Dear church family,
We are in need of assistance. It seems after many wonderful uses our fire pit has given out on us. What does that mean for us as a church? This means we are unable to provide a fire and s'mores for our trick-or-treaters and family this year. We need your help and this is where you come in. We are asking if you or someone you know has a fire pit they would like to donate or even let us use just for Halloween. We would gladly appreciate it. We would love to provide some warmth and fellowship for the families that will crowd our church steps and need your help to do so. Please contact the church office if you have any information on locating one for us.
Thank you.
Thank You to the Kitchen Team!
We want to extend a huge thank you to the Smoky Mountain High School's JV football team for coming out and to all who helped prepare and serve their meal! It was a great time of fellowship and fun!
Help Needed in Recovery from Hurricane Matthew
Please be in prayer for Baptist Children's Homes of North Carolina (BCH).
As is the case with others who were in the path of Hurricane Matthew, several of
BCH's statewide locations have been hit hard by this devastating storm.
The good news is all the children and families we serve are safe. However,
as a result of the storm's impact, some of the residents and staff were evacuated.
We will need work volunteers once the damage has been assessed as well as
immediate financial support. See the information at the end of this post if you can help.
Here is what we know at this time:
- Kennedy Home, BCH's eastern area campus in Kinston, has been evacuated
due to power outage (lasting for as long as 10 days) and wind-driven rain
resulting in fallen trees and high water levels. The potential for more damage is high.
Flooding is expected later this week as the rivers and creeks continue to rise.
Water has already entered some of the buildings on campus. It is predicted that all
of Kennedy Home's buildings will have water inside them by the end of the week.
Accompanied by their houseparents and staff, the boys, girls and mothers
have been relocated to BCH's Mills Home campus in Thomasville where they will be for
the foreseeable future. The staff have rallied and the children are holding up very well.
Damage, which is expected to be substantial, will be assessed once the water recedes.
Around a dozen trees have fallen at Kennedy Home in Kinston.
Wind-driven rains at Kennedy Home. Flooding expected to worsen.
- Odum Home in Pembroke evacuated this past weekend gathering at the local
high school gymnasium due to wind-driven rain causing fallen trees, power
outages and high water levels. Conditions have improved and the residents and staff
have returned to campus. They have generator power at the Odum Home gym, but it is
unknown when power will be restored to the residential cottages and offices. The
children are doing well and staff are using grills to cook meals.
- Cameron Boys Camp and Camp Duncan for Girls, BCH's residential
wilderness camps in Moore County, both experienced power outages and fallen trees. The campers spent two nights indoors and have returned to their campsites. Power at both camps is now back on. There does not appear to be substantial damage but conditions will be assessed in the coming days.
- Three of BCH's Family Care homes, Oak Ranch near Sanford, Britton
Ministries in Ahoskie and Smith Home in Marston, all lost power power this weekend.
However, the mothers and their children are doing well and there does not appear to be
any damage.
As with the camps, things will be assessed further in the days ahead.
Please help! The need for funding and volunteers to help with clean-up is
vital.
If you or your volunteer group wish to assist with clean-up, please
contact BCH's Sam Barefoot at 336-474-1278 or svbarefoot@bchfamily.org
WMU Pillows
The Ruby Daniel WMU group making pillows for Children's Hope Alliance!
A Wonderful Homecoming Sunday!
We want to say a huge thank you to everyone who helped to make Homecoming Sunday a success!
Thank you to all who gave offerings of music during the worship service: our children and youth choir, the men from Phi Mu Alpha Fraternity who played brass instruments and sang with our men's choir, and Jay Coward, Meghan and Ed Beddingfield.
We also want to thank everyone who prepared and brought food for our potluck lunch! Not to mention the kitchen helpers who served and cleaned before, during and after the lunch.
Lastly, thank you to everyone who was part of the photo that we took on our front porch steps.
Book Project
For over a year our members have been donating books to be used in an outreach program for prisoners in jail in Jackson, Macon, and Swain counties. Unfortunately, this program has been discontinued, but another opportunity has arisen.
Elois Clegg, widow of Bob, a former pastor, has been actively ministering to the residents at the Baptist Retirement Home in Asheville where she is also residing. She has said she would welcome books that would be appealing to the residents and could use hardbacks or paperbacks fiction or nonfiction. There is also a need for coloring books and crayons, puzzle books or other activity books. Please leave you donations in a designated box in the Loving Kindness room, and materials will be delivered to Elois.
Many thanks for your participation.
1st Explorers Receives Grant
The 1st Explorers Ministry at First Baptist Church of Sylva has received a Grassroots Arts Program Sponsorship Grant for $1,000. This grant will provide art supplies for students in our Wee Explorers and After School Ministry to learn about art from Ann Melton, a former Art Teacher and School Administrator. Periodically we will post pictures in our Newsletter an on Social Media showcasing student’s art work and what they are learning. For more information about this project please contact Kelly Brown, 1st Explorers Director.
