Center for Domestic Peace and REACH of Macon County are looking for volunteers! CDP & REACH of Macon County are in a collaborative partnership to provide services to the victims and survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault in Jackson County. We are proud to now have our office doors open 9-5 Monday through Friday but we still have some growing to do! We are looking for volunteers to help us complete our client and children’s waiting areas. Many who come into our office are in a state of crisis and having a space where clients can rest while their children play safely is a vital component to our services. If you or a group are willing to donate 3-4 hours of your time to help us bring this safe space to life, please contact Destri Leger at (828) 586-8969 or dleger@reachofmaconcounty.org
Prayer Request Alerts
We are starting a text message alert group that will notify individuals about prayer requests that need immediate attention. If you sign up to receive these messages, a text message alert will be sent to you so that you can join us in praying for God’s intervention in a particular circumstance. If you would like to receive these updates, you can sign up by emailing the church office (fbcsylva@gmail.com) or by calling us at 586-2095 and give us your name and cell phone number.
The 3rd Annual Alternative Christmas Fair: Christmas with a Cause!
Join us at The Mission & Fellowship Center at First Baptist Church, Sylva on Saturday, November 17th from 12:00pm-4:00pm for an opportunity to give a gift that transforms lives in our community and world this holiday season! Local, national, and international ministries and agencies will host tables during the fair, selling handmade goods, raffling off items, and accepting donations in honor of your loved ones.
Participants include: United Christian Ministries, HIGHTS, The Community Table, READ Ecuador, Clean Slate Coalition, Full Spectrum Farms, Vecinos, Circles of Hope, UMCOR Hurricane Relief Fund, Heifer International, The Department on Aging Senior Christmas Boxes, and Blue Ridge Health - Jackson.
Cash and Check encouraged. Some groups may accept Credit Cards. All donations are tax deductible!
Crafting Your Last Will and Testament
How do you capture someone’s life in less than 60 minutes at their funeral?
Short answer? You don’t. But still, the question haunts me.
One of the greatest honors that I am bestowed as pastor is to be present with families when a loved one dies. I can freely testify that God’s love, God’s strength, and God’s peace are felt at these most-important moments. The ground is transformed into Holy Ground, and it is a privilege to bear witness to a person’s entry into life eternal.
A different kind of energy, however, is required in the coming hours and days. We all know this. Unlike other ceremonies and services, funeral arrangements require swift attention. Although the bereaved have often had the chance to get some rest in the hours since their loved one’s death, there is still the unmistakable air of disbelief in the looks of those who meet with me to discuss the funeral.
At these times, we need help and assistance to make the necessary arrangements for family travel realities, visitation, the funeral service, burial possibilities, etc. Some have reflected that the business of death is helpful; one can focus on the logistics and delay the inevitable tidal wave of grief.
“I know that daddy would have wanted this hymn sung at his funeral,” one bereaved child once mentioned to me when we were planning his funeral service.
Her mother, however, snapped to attention at the suggestion: “I don’t like that song. I’ve never liked that song.” There was a moment of awkward silence. “But I think you’re right. He would have liked that song to be played.” Resolution and disappointment clouded her face.
I couldn’t help but to speak up and to give some perspective at this difficult moment.
“Actually, the funeral is not for the one who died. The funeral is for you, the family and your friends. The service is a time for you to grieve and to be comforted in the solidarity of your church family. You may choose whatever you may wish to help you memorialize your husband's life. But you should consider a song that would be meaningful for you.”
When I was in seminary, I took a class where I was directed to write my own funeral. Interestingly, I was also working on the service for my Ordination to the Gospel Ministry at the same time. One of my friends remarked, “Aren’t they one and the same?”
It’s a good exercise to write your own funeral, and I can certainly commend that experience to you. And yet, you probably shouldn’t take it too seriously. Why? The funeral service is for the living, not the dead.
The purpose of a Christian funeral is to give thanks for God’s presence in a life that we held dear. It is a time of bearing witness to someone’s life. But the funeral is also a time of remembrance of Jesus’s life, death, and resurrection, as that gives us assurance and hope in the reality of the deceased’s journey into eternal life.
The funeral cannot bear the weight or responsibility of capturing the power and significance of a person’s life. Yes, we will remind the congregation of your birth, your vocation, the facts and figures of your life’s journey. There will probably be some music played or sung. And yes, we will reflect on how your story and God’s story intersect. We will most definitely pray for your friends and loved ones, and we will seek comfort in scripture passages that you held dearly.
But that moment does not belong to you. It belongs to the survivors, to the congregation, to friends and family, and to us.
The funeral service that I wrote for myself is my own assessment of my life. The truth is, however, that the life that I choose to live is the only testimony I’ll ever really have. Our lives and how we choose to live them are our real legacy; our true last will and testament.
So, if we find ourselves anxious about what will be said at our funeral and wish to script it out in the framework of our own choosing, we’d best remember this: It’s our life, our love, our sacrifice, our service, our actions and decisions that really matter.
And once you live your life, you entrust it to others.
Focus on your life now. Be grateful for the gift of life! Let someone else worry about your funeral service. Trust me. If you live your life faithfully and well, your funeral will write itself.
Christmas Break Bags
Our church has been asked to provide 450 cans of Spaghettios and Ravioli for the United Christian Ministries break bags which will be distributed to the 46% of the children who qualify for free breakfast and lunch when school is in session. Meeting the needs of hungry children locally is our way of responding to Jesus’ command to “go first to Jerusalem”. Donations are to be put in the UCM box in the Kindness Room.
News from the Cuba Team
We have communicated with Ernesto and are hoping to have a group from FBC go to Cuba March 11-15. This is a relationship building mission and wonderful opportunity to experience Christian Koin.
Group transportation in Cuba limits us to 6 participants from our church. There will be an informational meeting this Sunday, Nov. 11th in the Gathering Room after church. Anyone interested is encouraged to attend.
Gracias,
Judy Seago
Hands on Jackson Event
Thank you to Ruth McConnell, our ramp-building crew and everyone who helped to make Hands on Jackson such a great success.
Treat Street
Treat Street was a huge hit again this year! We loved having the chance to gather with our local community in fellowship. Thank you to everyone who stopped by and to our church members for helping to make it such a great success.
Joyful and resilient in the face of floodwaters
Over 90 percent of homes in Trenton, N.C., were damaged by floodwaters from Hurricane Florence.
During a recent visit to help local volunteer coordinator, Daynette Snead, as she prepared for teams from CBF churches to assist in the recovery effort, much of our time was spent in the hard-hit neighborhood of Haiti (pronounced hay-tie). Residents were still cleaning up—some preparing to rebuild, while others face uncertainty due to lack of resources.
This close-knit community includes the family of Ms. Mattie, pictured above, whose husband drowned during Hurricane Floyd in 1999. Even though they recently lost possessions and must replace the floor and walls of Ms. Mattie’s home, this is a joyful and resilient family, blessing us with a song of benediction as we departed.
-Rick Burnette, CBF field personnel and coordinator for U.S. Disaster Response
Celebrating College Students this Sunday
We will be celebrating the presence and leadership of college students this Sunday, November 11. We will be hosting them for lunch immediately following the worship service. Please invite your favorite college student to join you for worship!