Sundays in June we will study a worship series entitled “Seasoned” through which we will discuss weather in the Bible. We hope you can come worship with us this June as we celebrate our appreciation of the summer season in this unique way.
Congrats to Our Corn Hole Tournament Winners!
Congratulations to John Nelson and Caleb Bonner for winning our annual Corn Hole Tournament at our Deep Creek Picnic this past Sunday. They received gift certificates for Jack the Dipper so they can celebrate with ice cream! Thank you to everyone who came out and participated, and to those who cooked all of the delicious potluck dishes that were provided.
United Christian Ministries Fundraisers
10% of Proceeds go to UCM to Help Jackson County Families in Need
Mad Batter – Tuesday, June 21, 5-9 PM
Coach’s at the Jarrett House – Thursday, June 23, 4-9 P
Relax. It's Not All Up to You. – Jeff Mathis
It would be comical if it didn’t hit so close to home.
“Elijah, the great prophet of Israel triumphantly defeats the prophets of false gods and celebrates by deserting the sphere of influence to commit suicide.”
It sounds like the premise of a TV drama that network executives wouldn’t green light into production.
It’s not fiction, though, is it? 1 Kings 19 tells the story of Elijah’s rise to power and his great victory on Mt. Carmel against Baal’s false prophets. You don’t have to make this stuff up—Elijah’s story is exceedingly human and eerily familiar.
We may have more in common with Elijah than we might care to admit.
How many of us, for example, have experienced a devastating low after such a mountaintop high? It would seem that we are most vulnerable at the moment we experience our greatest triumph.
Elijah bottoms out when he learns that Jezebel is going to kill him just as certainly as Elijah had killed the prophets of Baal. Elijah flees into the wilderness before the headline, “Elijah Achieves Victory over Baal,” can dry on the following days’ newspapers. Oh, it gets worse. Not only is Elijah fleeing the theological battlefield; he now wants to die.
And yet, even with Elijah’s retreat, God still provides for the depressed prophet. God sends an angel (twice, no less!) to feed Elijah while he sleeps and recovers his strength. Does he then return to Israel to reengage? Uh, no. He continues to run in the opposite direction.
As we learned this past Sunday, Elijah takes up residence at Mount Sinai in an apparent homage to Moses’ encounter with God’s glory. But God seems put-out to find his premier prophet in hiding hundreds of miles from where he’s supposed to be.
“What are you doing here, Elijah?” God asks.
Elijah spills it. God’s people have deserted him, choosing Baal over the One True God. Elijah stands alone as God’s remaining representative and is under attack, himself.
God’s reply is fascinating. “Go out and stand on the mountain before the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by,” He tells Elijah.
But God does not show up in the ways that we might imagine. First, there’s a great wind. Nope, God’s not in that. Second, Elijah experiences a terrible earthquake. No, God’s not there. Then, fire engulfs the mountain, but God is not in that, either. Lastly, an unexpected silence overtakes Mount Sinai and that’s when God speaks.
It’s the same question as before—“What are you doing here, Elijah?” And the prophet repeats himself.
Then God weighs in on what will happen next.
Spoiler alert: It’s not what you think. God does not comfort Elijah like a parent might comfort a discouraged child. Neither does God simply make everything right. Here’s one other thing God doesn’t do. God doesn’t give Elijah what he wants—that is, to die.
Instead, God directs Elijah to empower others to help in God’s cause.
“Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus; when you arrive, you shall anoint Hazael as king over Aram. Also you shall anoint Jehu son of Nimshi as king over Israel; and you shall anoint Elisha son of Shaphat of Abel- meholah as prophet in your place.” (1 Kings 19:16)
The anecdote to Elijah’s sense of failure and defeat is recruitment and delegation. The moral and meaning of the story is straightforward: When one of us hits a wall, we are to solicit the help of others.
The world needs more prophets of God, not less of them. The story of Elijah is not confounding, as some commentators have suggested. If anything, it’s a tale of encouragement as God continues to care for his demoralized prophet and yet ensures that His will be done through the work of others.
God cares for each of us and is aware of our individual weaknesses and obstacles. Even in our moments of despair, God cares for us. Lastly, God overcomes our shortcomings by directing us to find help in others.
I don’t know about you, but that sure sounds like the mission of the church and the Body of Christ, to me.
Supplies Needed for After School and Summer Camp!
Here is an updated list of supplies needed for After School and Summer Camp. Thank you so much for your generosity and support of our ministries!
- Toilet Paper tubes
- 2 liter bottles
- Old Magazines
- Index Cards
- Velcro
- Beads
- Mason Jars
- t-shirts (various sizes)
- buttons
- water guns
- paper plates
- play dough
- yarn
- fabric scraps
Free Rafting Trip in Support of UCM!
Sunday, June 5th from 10 AM to 3 PM
Bring 10 cans of food for United Christian Ministries… Receive a FREE rafting trip from these Rafting Companies!
*** 10 cans of food per person please ***
Smoky Mountain River Adventures, Dillsboro River Company, and Tuckasegee Outfitters
Tai Chi Begins June 6th
The on-going Health and Wellness classes sponsored by WMU will feature a 6-week series, Tai Chi for Arthritis, on Mondays, June 6, 13, 20, and 27, and July 11 and 18. The classes will be held in the Mission and Fellowship Center from 10:00a.m. until 11:00 a.m. Jeanne Mathews, with the Southwestern Commission Area Agency on Aging, will be the instructor.
Recent studies have shown how the slow, graceful exercise, which originated centuries ago in China as a martial art, can improve balance, reduce stress, and offer arthritis pain relief. Other benefits include: increasing flexibility and muscle strength, increasing heart and lung activity, and aligning posture.
No pre-registration is required. Just show up! Hope you can participate!
Kick Off the Summer Tubing at Deep Creek!
When: Sunday, June 12th
Where: Deep Creek, Bryson City, NC
Cost: $5
What We Are Doing: Before the FBC annual Kick Off the Summer Cookout at Bryson City, the youth and several chaperones will be going over early to go tubing down Deep Creek. We will all meet up as a group about 30 minutes after church ends that morning, in the parking lot. From there, we will take the church bus over to Deep Creek to pick up the tubes. It will be $5 per person. After we are done, we will meet up with the church at the pavilion for the cookout at 4 p.m.
What to Bring: Appropriate swimming attire, sunscreen, water, hat
If you have any questions, call Caleb Bonner at 828-467-9347
FBC Yard Sale!!
First Baptist Church of Sylva is having a yard sale of old items in our church to clear out space and to raise money for new furniture/equipment.
Here is a list of available items!
- Regular Chairs with Plain Green Cushions - 7
- Captains Chairs with Green Cushions - 9
- Chalk/Cork Board Assortment - 20
- Little Tables -- Assorted Sizes - 10
- New -- Still in Factory Box -- Large Roof Vents - 6
- Small Vents - 3
- Metal Chairs - 101
- Large Metal Rack for Brown Tables - 2
- Ping Pong Table - 1
- Walkers -- 3, Crutches - 3 sets
- Metal Cabinet with Bins - 1
- 1 Old Baby Crib
- Brown Wooden Tables - 11
- Wooden Portable Pulpits - 7
- Wooden Captain Chair - 1
- Red Bottom Regular Chairs - 4
- Green Flowered Bottom Regular Chairs - 4
- Cardboard File Cabinets - 9
Extra Dishes:
- Dinner Plates - 7
- Salad Plates - 20
- Bread/Dessert Plates - 1
- Small Dessert Bowls - 12
- Coffee Saucers - 28
- Sugar Bowls without Lids - 4
- Serving Bowls - 2
- Serving Platters - 3
39 Piece Place Setting for 6—12 sets
Includes:
- 6 Dinner Plates
- 6 Salad Plates
- 6 Bread/Dessert Plates
- 6 Small Dessert Bowls
- 6 Coffee Cups
- 6 Coffee Saucers
- 1 Sugar Bowl with Lid
- 1 Creamer
- 1 Serving Platter
37 Piece Place Setting for 6—6 Sets
Includes:
- 6 Dinner Plates
- 6 Salad Plates
- 6 Bread/Dessert Plates
- 6 Small Dessert Bowls
- 6 Coffee Cups
- 6 Coffee Saucers
- 1 Serving Bowl
8 Piece Place Setting for 1—1 Set
Includes:
- 1 Dinner Plate
- 1 Salad Plate
- 1 Bread/Dessert Plate
- 1 Small Dessert Bowl
- 1 Coffee Cup
- 1 Coffee Saucer
- 1 Serving Bowl
- 1 Serving Platter
If you would like to buy one of these items, please come by the Loving Kindness Room and write in your name and number. The sign-up sheets will be available in the Loving Kindness Room on Sunday, May 29 before and after worship.