Join us during Adult Bible Study this Wednesday, April 17 and Wednesday April 24 in the Mission and Fellowship Center to watch the documentary about Fred Rogers, “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” The movie documents Fred Roger’s desire to “Have Mercy” in his life and through his career.
Easter Sunday 2019
Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed!
Celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ at the First Baptist Church in Sylva on Easter Sunday morning, April 21st at 10:30 AM. An Easter Egg Hunt for children will take place on our playground immediately following our service. Join us for worship on Easter Sunday morning at 10:30 AM as we rejoice in the Good News of the resurrection.
As a tradition, on Easter Sunday, we decorate the cross on our front porch steps with beautiful flowers brought in by our congregation. If you would like to bring flowers to decorate with, please bring them to the foyer of the church before Sunday School, or bring them on Good Friday and leave them in water.
Maundy Thursday Service
Join us as we commemorate the Lord’s Supper on Maundy Thursday evening, April 18, in the Gathering Place room at 5:30 PM. We will hear the old, old story of Jesus and his love, and will share communion with our family of faith. Choose to gather with us for this intimate experience as we remember Jesus’ life, ministry, and commandments. Childcare will be provided.
Church-League Softball Schedule
Below is this year’s Church-League Softball Schedule. All games are on Monday nights at the Cullowhee Rec Park.
April 22 @ 8PM
April 29 @ 8PM
May 6 @ 7PM
May 13 @ 7 PM
May 20 @ 7 PM
Feeding the Hungry and Thirsty Project
The Have Mercy Challenge’s “Feeding the Hungry and Thirsty” team has decided to adopt the Jackson County School of Alternatives (formerly known as “The Hub”). Our group learned about the need from Brooke Dills, who is a teacher there. Brooke shared with us that the students there are hungry.
Our group will supply snacks for the kids there (about 125 of them). We need a steady supply of individually wrapped snacks and drinks to provide for them. Examples: packs of crackers, granola bars, small bottles of water, Little Debbie snack cakes, etc.
Tonya Lloyd is the team leader and is asking you to pick up an extra snack or two when at the grocery store. There is a container in the Loving Kindness room that you can put those items into. Brooke Dills has offered to take the items to school as needed.
Contact Tonya Lloyd for more info:
586-5917 (h), 226-9663 (c)
Templo
In a humble tin structure that serves as the templo (sanctuary) in Carmen Grande, Manuel and his older brother begin to sing in beautiful harmony, accompanied by their guitars.
In the far south of Mexico, in the rural state of Chiapas, the future is bleak for young men and boys. Land is essential for survival, and poor, indigenous families own little land. Subsistence farming is the norm; families grow beans and corn and raise chickens and hogs. Between growing seasons, many men head to El Norte (the north) to work in northern Mexico or the United States.
Pastor Manuel’s family has suffered much. They’re a family of all sons where the oldest son inherits land from his father – and there simply isn’t enough land to divide among them. One brother committed suicide; two others are working in the U.S.
“It’s hard,” said Manuel. “There’s a lack of hope here. My younger brothers send money back so we can rent land to farm.” Leaving home is a necessity. There’s no work in the community to generate income.
Pray for the indigenous peoples of Mexico who live in communities with little hope and see migration as necessity for survival.
- Sue Smith, field personnel serving Latino immigrants in Fredericksburg, Va.
Adopt a Widow Project
The Have Mercy Challenge Widows Team has decided to "adopt" widows and widowers and do special things for them throughout the year. We have already had several people sign up to "adopt" at least 2 people. Because we have 37 widows and 5 widowers connected with our congregation, we are in need of other people who would be interested in helping. We sure don't want to leave anyone out!
Our group is already starting to reach out to their "adopted" friends and will continue to do so throughout the year. We've suggested things like taking them to lunch, sending cards, phone calls, visits, etc. We felt a short term project would not be as beneficial as one that is on-going.
Cheryl Beck is the team leader and has a list of names of people who haven't yet been adopted. Please contact her at 828-421-3820 if you are interested in being a part of this project.
Fear and Loathing During Holy Week
When I was nine years old, my family was involved in the annual Passion Play and Easter Cantata at our local church.
My mother sang in the choir. Dad was Barabbas, the prisoner released in favor of crucifying Jesus (He accepted the role, I think, because Barabbas didn’t have to memorize any lines). My sister had a part as an ‘extra’ in the crowd scenes. My brother may have had a behind-the-scenes role. I honestly can’t recall.
But this is what I can remember. The Easter program was a very big deal. The production had demanded much rehearsal and investment during the winter months. The purpose of the event was to tell the story of Jesus and to depict the critical scenes of the Last Supper, Good Friday, and the Resurrection.
The part that I played in the production was also clear. I sat in the audience.
The production was divided into two parts. The first act was about Jesus’s life and ministry. The second act was the events of Holy Week. Anticipation for the crucifixion scene—which was to incorporate special effects to make Jesus’s death as realistic as possible—was palpable and tickets had to be claimed for each performance.
I loved the first act. As I sat midway back, on the left side of the auditorium, I marveled at the acting, the singing, the spotlights, and the well-staged storytelling. But there was a growing sense of dread that began to rise within me. Increasingly, as I watched the first act, I felt panicked and claustrophobic by the prospect of what was to come. I knew, you see, how the story would go. I did not want to watch them crucify Jesus.
I knew, of course, that they were only pretending. And yes, since I was a child of the 1970s and 80s, I had been exposed to a great deal of violence on TV and in the movies that I saw. None of this mattered. I did not want to see Jesus die.
So, I left.
At intermission I left the auditorium and elected to ‘help out’ in the nursery. One of my childhood friends even came and invited me to sit with his family. I refused. I did not want to see Jesus bathed in blood. And so, I didn’t.
Palm Sunday begins Holy Week in the Christian tradition. It is a week that is described in detail in the Gospel stories. We Christians remember Christ’s triumphant entry into Jerusalem on Sunday, but we also know that the accolades that Jesus receives are fleeting. Jesus becomes angry soon thereafter, stomping and yelling in the Temple. He tells apocalyptic stories to his followers and the crowds. They, in turn, get increasingly nervous. He makes statements that offend Rome. He makes statements that offend the Jews. His followers begin to look at him with suspicion and doubt. There is a discernable sense of dread at this point in the Gospel story, just as we might feel it with the dimming lights and creepy music of a scary movie. Holy Week is like that; it feels like something bad is about to happen.
Perhaps you remember the study that made headlines some years ago about 6th graders’ first experience with the opera. Many of us were surprised to learn that when 12-year-olds were taken to the opera, the emotion that they experienced wasn’t indifference, or even boredom. It was fear. The children were scared of the opera because of the intensity of the emotions that were on display.
Holy Week is not something that many of us look forward to each year. We don’t want to give our attention to a story that tells the truth about Jesus’s death. We don’t want to confront the suggestion that our own sinfulness makes us co-conspirators to his murder. Holy Week is a painful slog through betrayal, tear-jerking sacrifice, abandonment, and hopelessness. It is a journey into the worst of human nature. It is a corridor through a horror show where God is strung up and killed. What begins in light earlier in the week, ends in utter darkness. Holy Week finds us on death row accompanying a dead man walking.
So why can’t we just jump to Easter Sunday morning in all its glory, lilies, and proclamations of Hallelujah? Because the journey to redemption is through the valley of the shadow of death. Whether we’re nine years old or ninety, no one wants to walk that journey. But regardless of whether we want to or not, we will travel that road in life. Darkness, loss, grief, and death are inescapable realities in our world. But, and here’s the Good News, death does not win the day.
Holy Week and all its disappointments, sorrows, and terrors are the way to God’s victory over darkness. Although we may want to avoid this chapter in the story, the events of Holy Week describe the depths of God’s love for us. And besides, people: we know how the story ends.
Travel with a friend. Sit with a companion. Journey with Christ along the way. It’s the way to Easter Sunday morning.
Join us as we commemorate the Lord’s Supper on Maundy Thursday evening, April 18, in the Gathering Place room at 5:30 PM. We will hear the old, old story of Jesus and his love, and will share communion with our family of faith. Choose to gather with us for this intimate experience as we remember Jesus’ life, ministry, and commandments. Childcare will be provided.
Upcoming BALL Club Events
Inviting all adults 50 and over
Please Save These Dates
Thursday, April 25
BALL Club Kick-Off Luncheon
11:00 am – 1:00 pm
Mission Fellowship Center
Thursday, May 23
BALL Club Road Trip to Maggie Valley
Thursday, June 27
Thursday, July 25
Thursday, August 22
We will need volunteers to help especially with the April 25 Kick-Off Luncheon. We also are looking for a bus driver with a CDL license. If you are willing to help, please call or text Linda Phelps at 270.784.2547.
PASSPORTkids! Camp 2019
This summer children and youth will be able to attend an overnight Christian camp experience called PASSPORTkids! in Montreat, NC, June 30 – July 3, 2019.
PASSPORTkids! is for campers going into the 4th, 5th, 6th, and 7th grades at the start of 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!
This year's theme is "Fearless" based on 1 Corinthians 16: 13-14.
For more information about Passport Camp click here: https://passportcamps.org/camp-theme/
A deposit of $50 per camper is due as soon as possible as spaces are limited.
Total cost per camper is $300.
See Kelly Brown, 1st Explorers Ministry Director for more details