1st Explorers Wishlist
1st Explorers is doing great things in our Wee Explorers Pre-School, After School Ministry, Summer Camp and many other offerings!
From time to time we need assistance with supplies. I wanted to share with you some needs:
- Bottle glue and glue sticks
- Washable markers
- Sharpie Permanent Markers
- Expo Dry Erase Markers
- Crayons
- Pencils
- Scissors
- Varied colors of construction paper
- Loose leaf paper
- 1-1/2inch binders
- White Computer Paper
- Scotch Tape
- Beach Balls
- Hand Sanitizer
- Rulers
- Lysol Spray
- Clorox Spray
- First Aid Kits
- Sanitizing Wipes
- Pots and Pans
Please consider helping us with some of our needs throughout the year! Check out our Amazon wish-list at: https://www.amazon.com/gp/registry/wishlist/LKIDY053QS5O/ref=bnav_topnav_lists_2
If you have any questions please feel free to contact me at 828-339-0130 or brownkellyg@gmail.com
Spring Break Care
We invite school-age children to sign-up for Spring Break Care, March 5 - 9, 2018. Care will be provided each day 7:30 - 5:30 and students must bring their own lunch. Each day students will go on field trips and participate in fun and exciting activities!
Fee are:
$100 for one child
$150 for two children
$225 for three children
$35 per day if you would like to attend specific days.
Spaces are limited for Spring Break Care!
Sign up here: http://firstbaptistsylva.com/giving/
Congratulations, Tommy Brennan!
Congratulations, Tommy Brennan! Tommy surpassed the 1,000 point mark in his basketball career at Smoky Mountain High School this past week. Well-done, Tommy! We're very proud of you.
Duke v. UNC Game
The Anonymous People
A Good Day for a Mental Workout
“Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body.” -Joseph Addison
It’s a good day for a good book. And judging by the weather, we’ve had dozens of quality reading days lately.
There are few things more enjoyable than having a good reason to bundle up in a chair or couch and to digest new ideas or be transported to a far-off land on some grand literary adventure.
Some have understandably scoffed at my affection for digital books. True, I love a good bookstore and yes, I love the smell and feel of an old book. But I’ve found that having a veritable library in my pocket or at my fingertips outweighs the sacrifices I make in feeling the weight and heft of a good tome. Proximity and accessibility win out over the touch and feel of physical pages.
I’m a techno-sell-out, I know.
The book—as a physical construction—has been heralded by historians as one of the greatest inventions in human history. Known early on as a codex, the book quickly became a cherished and treasured way to traffic in new ideas. Books would prove to be far more effective than cave writings or scrolls. A book could preserve histories, ancient thinking and fantastic story-telling. The book also enabled these ideas and teachings to be portable and to spread. Without the invention of the codex, the Good News of Jesus Christ might never have reached our collective doorstep. We are, after all, People of the Book.
So, what are you reading?
For me, I find myself drawn to a variety of literature. Yes, I read a variety of translations of Holy Scripture each week. And yes, I also lean on the professional library I have in my study. I am blessed with a hearty collection of books from seminary, and from the generosity of retired pastors that I’ve encountered along the way.
Additionally, I have to be reading fiction. I love a good story, and am partial to historical fiction, suspense and even a wee dram of spooky literature.
Since beginning my post-graduate work, I’ve added a daily dose of non-fiction, as well. My first semester was filled with reading that dealt with the modern-day challenges of the church and pastoral leadership. My classes this fall also reminded me how to be a student by reacquainting me with research methodologies (which didn’t exactly make my heart sing).
This semester, I’m doing a deep-dive in Irish Church history. I find the subject matter to be fascinating and insightful as the development of Celtic Christianity has many parallels to our current culture. I whole-heartedly believe that we can learn something from the way the Irish were faithful, even though our contexts are separated by a big pond and more than a few centuries.
Are you curious to discover why I’m so drawn to this time period? Why don’t you join in reading alongside me? I’ll even buy your coffee when we arrange to talk about what we’ve learned together.
Here are a few books that I’ve found to be particularly helpful:
The Celtic Way by Ian Bradly
An excellent first-read, this book provides a thorough historical survey of the development of Christianity in the entirety of the British Isles. Bradley provides a condensed rendering of the Celtic Christian narrative.
How the Irish Saved Civilization: The Untold Story of Ireland's Heroic Role from the Fall of Rome to the Rise of Medieval Europe by Thomas Cahill
Cahill’s book makes a compelling case for how the Irish monastic community preserved the advances of Western Civilization when Rome’s demise gave rise to the Dark Ages. Cahill’s work lifts up Celtic Christianity’s impact on a much broader scale. Thorough, accessible and fascinating, Cahill highlights the role that the church on the periphery played to bridge the gap between the ancient classical world and the early stages of the enlightenment.
Living Between Worlds: Places and Journey in Celtic Spirituality by Philip Sheldrake
This book occupies itself with a more particular element within Celtic Christianity. For those who are fascinated by the idea of ‘thin places,’ I think you’ll enjoy how this book zeroes in on the unique relationship that location and movement have within the Celtic Christian tradition. Using Celtic Christian history as a timeline, the author provides a compelling argument for why space and boundaries play such a significant role in the faith experience of the early church in Ireland.
Parents Night Out
We will be having Parents Night Out on February 2nd from 5:30 - 9:00 PM.
Sign up for Parents Night Out here: http://firstbaptistsylva.com/giving
Mission Moment
Mission Bite 69: Our daily bread
"Food ministry has been part of what we do from the beginning. Mike tells this story of how his bread ministry came to help create Beloved Community at Grace & Main: 'After starting a relationship with Josh, I was at Walmart working and a lady from Grace & Main came up to me and said she needed some bread because she had 3 homeless people living with her. That really got to me. Each week I started delivering bread to her house. One day they invited me to come in and help fix lunches and I have been with them ever since. To sit down and have a meal with somebody, to help the marginalized and less fortunate, that's the heart of Jesus, with the forgotten people of the world.'"
- Jessica Hearne, CBF field personnel in Danville, Va.
Summer Explorers Camp 2018
We're excited to share information about 1st Explorers summer 2018! Tentatively camp will officially begin on June 18th and the end date will be determined once the Jackson County Schools 2018 - 2019 school calendar is released.
New this year we will offer mini-camps the week before Summer Camp begins and the week after Summer Camp ends with limited enrollment, information about those camps are available below.
Our Kindergarten - 4th graders will have grade specific groups. In their groups they will be led by summer counselors in activities that are designed specifically for their age group and are tailored to make their camp experience fun and memorable!
5th and 6th graders will have a newly designed camp experience that will assist them with the transition into their middle school years! They will participate in activities and trips that are tailored to their development level.
7th - 12th grade students will participate in an exciting new leadership and mentoring program. This group will have the opportunity to work with our Youth Minister, Carol Cloer, and learn ways they can serve as peer leaders in our camp groups. Each week they will spend time planning and leading an activity for younger campers and will participate in team and leadership development courses.
We're excited about all of the learning, sharing and growing that will happen this summer through a variety of activities, including faith development through Bible study and chapel, trips to the pool, gardening, cooking, going to the library and various places.
Mini-Camps
Traditionally we are closed the week following the end of school and the week before school begins in August, but this year we will be offering limited enrollment mini camps during those weeks.
Fees are:
$100 for One Child
$150 for Two Children
$225 for Three Children
*$35 per day if you would like to attend select days.
*Campers must bring their own lunch.
Wee Explorers Preschool
(3 and 4 year olds)
Will offer a half-day camp from 7:30 AM - 12:30 PM
Cost: $250 per month
Summer Explorers Camp (K-8)
7:30 AM - 5:30 PM
First Day of Camp is June 18, 2018
One Child $650 ($100 dollars of tuition due by March 5th)
Two Children $1,000 ($200 dollars of tuition due by March 5th)
Three Children $1,400 ($300 dollars of tuition due by March 5th)
Summer Explorers Camp + Passport
his summer, children and youth will be able to attend an overnight Christian camp experience called PASSPORTkids! in Montreat, NC, July 2 - 5 or PASSPORTchoices in Greensboro, NC, July 1-6.
PASSPORTkids! is for campers going into the 4th, 5th or 6th grade at the start of the school in August. While at PASSPORTkids! Camp, campers will participate in Bible study, worship, missions and many other fun activities with campers from all over the Southeast!
A deposit of $50 per camper is due on February 16th.
Total cost per camper is $295.
PASSPORTchoices is for campers going into the 7th - 12th grades. While at PASSPORTchoices Camp, campers will participate in Bible study, worship, missions and many other fun activities with campers from all over the Southeast!
A deposit of $50 per camper is due on February 16th.
Total cost per camper is $225.
Sign up for PASSPORT Camp on our church website here: http://firstbaptistsylva.com/giving/
*Some scholarships are available.
Additional Information
Applications for camp are open until February 2nd. Upon acceptance to Summer Explorers Camp, your family will receive an email confirming your child's acceptance and how to begin paying.
Families with balances from other 1st Explorers programs will need to pay their balances before being accepted to Summer Explorers Camp.
All payments are non-refundable and accounts must be paid in full no later than May 15th.
Paying for Passport Camp is separate from paying for Summer Day Camp.
For more information about PASSPORT, visit them on the web at http://passportcamps.org/kids-camps/
Breakfast, lunch and snacks are provided at Summer Day Camp.