Passport Camp Car Wash Fundraiser
June 16th from 10 AM —1 PM
Church Parking Lot
Help us raise money to fund our children and youth’s mission camps
Knowing and Being Known
"When I walk down the street of my neighborhood in the inner city, I do not see thugs, delinquents, or terrorists. I see my friends, people I know. When we seek to know the other and understand who they are as people and we let ourselves be known and understood, it is virtually impossible to stereotype. You can't lump everyone together because you know the person and you know how that person is different from others you know. So the next time you see a person you would normally shy away from, just say hello. It will go a long way towards knowing and being known."
- Nell Green, CBF field personnel, Houston, Texas
Friendship of Beloved Community
"Human trafficking is the slavery of our time. Women who have been trafficked often times have been subjected to profound trauma both physically and mentally. They also face social rejection, discrimination and humiliation both in their own society and the one for which they are forced to work. In France, a group of Christian women have joined together through the Ladies in Waiting ministry. This group aims to reach out and minister in holistic and meaningful ways to prostitutes.
The first time we met Jessica, we invited her to a Ladies in Waiting picnic and invited her to bring a friend if she would like. Jessica said, 'I don't have a friend.' That is what this ministry is all about; building beloved community with those who do not have a friend."
- Joel and Tiffne Whitley, CBF field personnel in Strasbourg, France
Mission Bite
"The Gospel compels us to bring about a transformation in people's lives and into the communities because all people in all communities have a contribution to make. There are over 3,000 refugees in North Carolina. We look for ways that will seek to be beloved community to those who literally spent years on the refugee highway, unable to work and far away from family. We advocate on behalf of them and look to find ways to help their transition. This ministry of welcoming refugees is all about building beloved community together as we practice radical hospitality by being willing to go outside of our comfort zone. Because in order to truly cultivate beloved community, we need to somehow, some way walk in each other's shoes."
- Marc and Kim Wyatt, Cooperative Baptist Fellowship field personnel, Research Triangle, North Carolina
Mission Bite
Bite 77: That's the heart of Jesus
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 working at Walmart 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 the community 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, Cooperative Baptist Fellowship field personnel, Danville, Virginia
Mission Bite
Bite 76: A true mosaic ministry
"Last summer we held a week of sports camps in different parts of the Paris, France region for people ages 15-30. We had 300 participants from 25 different churches -- a true mosaic of cultures, languages, and different styles of worship. From this diverse group we created sports teams that were composed of young people from different churches. It was a beautiful thing to see them reaching across language and cultural boundaries to work together, pray together and learn that we are stronger when we are united. The future of the church is multicultural and our young people are leading the way. Pray that connections made between the youth at the sports camps continue to bear fruit."
- David and Julie Brown, CBF field personnel in Paris, France
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.
Charlie's Challenge
Book Drive for Appalachia Mission
Dear Fellow Members of First Baptist,
The gift of reading can be a powerful tool for any child.
However, for those who live in poverty, their resources are slim, as are the schools and parents that support them.
We are starting a book drive to support Scarlette Jasper and Paula Settle, The Baptist Missionaries in Kentucky, who are supported by WMU.
Our thought is that most of us will be visiting extended family and friends this month for the CHRISTmas Season. Many of these people may have children’s books (Ages 3-17) that are simply sitting on the shelf and no longer being used.
We are thinking it would be wonderful if they would donate these books to this Mission.
Also, Dollar Tree has some terrific books for the youngest readers.
Our goal is that no one needs to spend a lot of money, or any money, to participate!
This is the start of our Children’s Books for Appalachia Mission. We are looking to collect books for children ages 3 to 17. There is a bin in The Loving Kindness Room located by the elevator where you can leave your book donations.
We feel confident that we can reach our goal of 1,000 books by the end of January 2018, with your help and God’s Blessing.
Gratefully, Diane and Charlie White
UPDATE: We now have 612 books! Please continue to help us reach our goal of 1,000!
Mission Trip Donations
We now have an account open year-round that is designated specifically for mission trips! If you would like to make a contribution to our Summer 2018 Mission Trip, please write "Mission Trip Fund" in the memo line. Thank you all for your support in helping us to do God's work!