Our Church is pleased to support Cooperative Baptist Fellowship Global Missions in moments like these offering hope and hospitality to Muslim neighbors in Southeast Asia:
"September began with our neighbors celebrating Eid al-Adha, the Feast of the Sacrifice. This is an important Muslim holiday that commemorates Abraham’s faith through the sacrifice of sheep, goats and cows. It was fun teaching our children about the holiday and how to pronounce the Arabic words (eed-al-odd-ha!). They asked, “Dad, why don’t we do sacrifices?” We had the opportunity to share this month with our children and our neighbors that Jesus is the final sacrifice.
We came to this country knowing God called us here to walk alongside people as they made their way through the decisions of life and faith. This month has been full of one-on-one conversations with students and young adults. Our study of the Song of Solomon has opened the door to many private discussions with students about their relationships. One does not feel loved, and other is unsure of which path is right. Another is recovering from abuse from within the church, but is running back to Jesus who she desperately missed during her time away."
- Mike and Brooke CBF Field Personnel serving in Southeast Asia
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.
Cuba Connections
The Cuba Connections team will be having a brief meeting on Sunday, Oct. 16 immediately following the worship service.
Goals:
1. Assess Ernesto's stateside trip
2. Determine next steps in our walk together
All are invited to come to the meeting! We hope to see you there!
How We Pass the Time
Last Sunday afternoon, a part of my soul retreated into shadow like a sugar maple’s leaf drifts to the ground in autumn. The regular season of baseball came to a close and my team’s season is over.
And like any good thing that comes to a close, I find myself pondering why I feel forlorn.
As many of you know, my love for the game of baseball is well documented. For years dating back to my youth, my evenings from April through October are filled with the familiar sights and sounds of baseball. The consistency of the broadcasters’ voices is calming. The beauty of baseball’s architecture and geometry feels transcendent. The story lines of team standings, pennant races and hitting streaks are narratives that tie me to a kind of alternative reality that sets my mind at ease. Baseball and its 162 game regular season is how I pass the time.
Yes, I am aware that our nation’s infatuation with football has not ebbed over the years. The seemingly ‘made for TV’ sport—with our screens strikingly similar to the dimensions of a football field—has a rabid fan base. I, too, enjoy football but my heart and my time belong to our nation’s pastime.
Despite being overtaken by the draw of football, baseball remains our nation’s pastime because the arc of baseball’s life cycle encompasses such a significant portion of time. According to Merriam-Webster’s dictionary, a pastime is, “Something that amuses and serves to make time pass agreeably.”
Why this diatribe on baseball, you may wonder? Aside from the fact that I wax poetic about baseball at least once a year in my ‘Five-Day Forecast,’ why this dribble on pastimes?
Quite simply, it is this.
Sunday is our church’s homecoming. It is the day that we will celebrate our church’s impact and legacy over its 128-year history. This Sunday, we will pause to consider who we have been together and what we have accomplished as we have sought to be God’s People at 669 West Main Street. We’ll take note of the fact that our church serves as a library of memories, stories and life-changing events.
Our children have grown up in our church. Our grandchildren have walked our halls and played on our playground. We have been married at First Baptist. We have sat on the front row in our sanctuary, the communion table replaced with a coffin. We have had baby dedications, recognized graduates and have been stirred to action by the stories of missionaries. We have dined together, planned together, argued together, wept together, laughed together and prayed together. We have celebrated holidays together over the years. We have dripped melted candle wax on our pews during Christmas Eve Services, and have tripped on our steps. We have hosted baby showers, picked weeds and served hot cocoa on our church steps. We moved across the street, occupied a new worship space and built a Mission and Fellowship Center together. And throughout our history, the sound of bell chimes have filled our valley and reminded us of our faith family on Main Street.
First Baptist, church is how we have chosen to pass the time together. Church is our pastime. It is the one consistent, unifying experience by which we distill and measure our lives. Church is how we choose to be with ourselves, with one another and with God. Church is uniquely positioned to interpret both the world and our lives for us.
And this Sunday, we’ll pay tribute to this most-significant pastime. I hope you’ll join us as we look back, look around and look forward.
For truly, our future together is as full of promise as Opening Day.
Staff Spotlight
Get to know our First Explorers staff with "Staff Spotlight!" Every week, we will highlight a 1E staff member so that everyone can get to know our team a little bit better.
Meet Geoffrey Mace!
Geoffrey works on our 1st Explorers Ministry Staff in our After School Ministry.
Where are you from: I am from Indian Trail, North Carolina
What year are you in school: I am a sophomore and my major is History Education.
What did you want to be when you grow up: I wanted to play baseball for the Boston Redsox.
Now, today what kind of career do you want to have: I would like to either be a youth pastor at a church or a high school history teacher and coach.
My favorite Bible verse or story is 1 Timothy 4:12- "Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity."
I spend a lot of my time outside, reading, or playing sports with friends.
One thing I love about living in Western North Carolina is there are a lot of pretty places to do your quiet time and to be in touch with God through nature.
One thing I want to do before I graduate is hike the top 100 trails in North Carolina.
Homecoming Sunday
Join us this Sunday, October 9th for Homecoming Sunday! We will have a performance from our children's choir and a men's chorus during the service. Meghan Beddingfield will be our pulpit guest. After the service, we will gather as a congregation on the front porch steps for a photo. Also, a potluck supper will follow in the MFC, so make sure to bring something delicious to share! We hope you can join us this Sunday!
Men's Chorus
This Sunday, a men’s chorus will be leading in worship. I have invited the men of Phi Mu Alpha Fraternity to join us. We will rehearse from 8:45 until 9:30 in the choir room Sunday morning. Don’t miss this opportunity to sing “I’ll Fly Away,” and “Those Good Old Gospel Songs.” - Bob
The Table with No Edges
The Table with No Edges
By Andrew King
We will sit down where feet tire from the journey.
We will sit down where grief bends the back.
We will sit down under roofs wrecked by artillery.
We will sit down where cries sound from cracked walls.
We will sit down where heat beats like hammers.
We will sit down where flesh shivers in cold.
We will sit down where bread bakes on thin charcoal.
We will sit down where there is no grain in baked fields.
We will sit down with those who dwell in ashes.
We will sit down in shadow and in light.
We will sit down, making friends out of strangers.
We will sit down, our cup filled with new wine.
We will sit down and let love flow like language.
We will sit down where speech needs no words.
We will sit together at the table with no edges.
We will sit to share one loaf, in Christ’s name, in one world.
Gupta Baby Shower
WMU would like to thank all who came together to make last Sunday’s baby shower a complete success! Rakash and Aarti Gupta were overwhelmed and wanted to thank everyone for the nice shower and gifts. The baby and his big sister are beautiful!