Pastor Jeff has been meeting with our after school children to talk about making a profession of faith and being Baptized. The children have been invited to fill out an activity book on Baptism. These two children completed their book and are receiving a small cross as a reminder of God’s love for them. Please be in prayer for our children and their families as they consider God’s invitation to follow Jesus. And if your child has not received a Baptism book, please see Pastor Jeff as he has many to distribute.
Acteens Help with Veteran's Dinner
Acteens went to the Dept. on Aging to help serve at the Veteran's Dinner. Thank you Pearl, Sandy, Emma, Mattie and Breanna.
Nursery Information Session
Sunday, November 5th at 12:30 in the MFC
We are hosting an information session for all nursery volunteers and workers. A pizza lunch will be provided.
Please RSVP if you can attend the session to Meredith Keskula at m.keskula@yahoo.com or by texting 706-836-6941.
Nursery Volunteers Needed
The nursery is growing, and we need your help! We need two volunteers each Sunday morning in the nursery during the worship hour. Please contact Meredith Keskula at m.keskula@yahoo.com to sign up or ask any questions.
Introducing Carol Cloer
We are happy to welcome Rev. Carol Cloer to our church family as she begins her service as our part-time Youth Minister.
Carol, a graduate of Charleston Southern University and of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in 1988, lives in Franklin, NC. Carol is an adjunct instructor at Southwestern Community College in Sylva and teaches classes in music appreciation, jazz and college student success.
Carol has served in a variety of ministerial capacities including service as a youth minister and as a music director. More recently, Carol served as a youth minister at the First Baptist Church of Franklin for nine years, and then as the Associate Pastor at Centerpoint Community Fellowship in Franklin for the last eight years.
Carol will continue her work at Southwestern Community College while she works to develop our youth ministry at First Baptist--particularly on Sunday mornings and on Wednesday evenings. Both the 1st Explorers Ministry Board and the Personnel Committee are excited about Carol’s wealth of experience in youth ministry, and her commitment to developing long-term relationships with our youth and their families. These church committees are enthusiastic in their recommendation of Carol to us and in their approval of her part-time employment.
Welcome to First Baptist Church, Carol! We look forward to serving alongside you!
A Note From Carol:
"My name is Carol Cloer. I have spent much of my career working with youth and feel a definite call in that capacity. Most of my positions have been either a combination of Music/Youth or, most recently, Associate Pastor. I began my journey as a Counselor in Training at the WMU State camp in South Carolina. I spent 6 Summers serving there in positions ranging from Counselor in Training to Cabin Counselor to Music Director, Lifeguard and Waterfront Director! Acteen camps were always my favorite part of the Summer, partly because it was during an Acteen camp, when I was 14, that I experienced a call to ministry.
My degrees include a BA in Music from Charleston Southern University, a Master in Church Music, with additional studies in Youth Ministry, from Southern Seminary in Louisville, KY and post-graduate work in Spiritual Formation at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in Massachusetts. The study in spiritual formation made a strong impact on my thoughts about spiritual community, which has been an important aspect of my ministry in recent years.
Currently I teach Music Appreciation, Introduction to Jazz and College Student Success courses at Southwestern Community College. I see my work there as a ministry and have had many opportunities to work directly with students, assisting with issues they have encountered. In searching for a church position that would be compatible with my work at SCC, I became aware of the position here. I am excited about the possibilities here at FBC Sylva and I am looking forward to getting to know all of you as we begin this journey together!”
Summer Explorers Camp Video
We had a great summer here at First Baptist Sylva! Check out this video made by Elise Parham that shows a few of the fun things our Summer Explorers Camp got to do this summer!
Nursery Director
Please welcome our new Nursery Director, Meredith Keskula to our church family!
Meredith started at First Baptist with the church nursery in December of 2015. She is excited to be back in Sylva full time and in a more permanent role with the church. She is a graduate of the University of Georgia with a Bachelor’s degree in Health Promotion. Meredith hopes to attend a graduate program in physical therapy in the future. She grew up in Augusta, GA and was an active member of Wesley United Methodist Church. She then joined the Wesley campus ministry while at UGA and was a part of several small groups. Meredith also went on a mission trip to Port Maria in Jamaica with Wesley. Some of her interests include traveling, cooking/baking, and spending time with family and friends.
Backpack Blessing
We will have a backpack blessing on Sunday, August 13th. We invite children and youth to bring their backpacks to church and place them around the communion table prior to the start of worship (Worship starts at 10:30). During the service we will have a time of prayer and encouragement for our children and youth. We are collecting various school supplies for students who are in need.
Vacation Bible School
We would like to extend a huge thank you to all those who have volunteered at VBS this past week! Our volunteers have come out to set-up/ tear down each day, to help with registration, to lead the groups and to help make our week the success that it’s been thus far.
If you are interested, come out and see what we’ve been up to this week during Friday’s closing event in our Mission and Fellowship Center at 11:30 AM! Campers will sing songs & share what they learned this week. There will be a FREE pizza lunch for campers, parents, & volunteers to follow!
RAs and GAs
Girls in Action and Royal Ambassadors meet each Wednesday at 4 p.m. These are mission groups for girls and boys from kindergarten through 5th grade. Come join in the fun!