Pen pals—adult and children—please continue writing to your friends. Both groups love receiving mail from their pen pals.
On June 7, from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., there will be a Wonderful Water Day to celebrate the Pen Pal Project. This takes the place of the carnival we have had for the last 2 years. You will be hearing more about it, but in the meantime, get your water clothes together for a fun-filled afternoon!
If you would like to provide flowers in the sanctuary for Sunday morning services, please contact Gwen Messer at 828-506-8370, or Janice in the church office to be placed on the calendar.
The North Carolina Boys Choir and the North Carolina Girls Choir will be providing special music during our service on Sunday, June 4. The group was founded in 1971, and named the Durham Boys Choir. Following an impressive performance of Britten’s WAR REQUIEM in 1983, along side the choirs from Meredith, NC State University, and the NC Symphony Orchestra, Governor James B. Hunt designated them at the NC Boys Choir.
In 1992, the Chamber Choir of tenors and basses was founded to supplement the touring Concert Choir. Most of the mature male singers are fathers of the children, or alumni of the Boys Choir. 2011 marked the addition of the girls choir. Members of these choirs have performed in several prestigious sites, including the Governor’s Mansion, Duke Chapel, and Carnegie Hall. They have appeared on area TV specials, and sung at the Spoleto Festival in Charleston, SC.
The ensemble is directed by Robert Unger, Director of Worship and Music at Resurrection Lutheran Church, in Cary, NC. He formerly served at the director of the Raleigh Boychoir, and was founder and conductor of the Badger State Girl Choir, in Neenah, WI. Accompanist for the choir, and serving as pianist for the worship service will be Professor Ramon Brito, music faculty member at Elon University in Burlington, NC.
You will not want to miss this special music by a highly distinguished choir from eastern North Carolina.
The CDC recommends that you wear a mask indoors.
Maximize protection from the Delta variant and prevent possibly spreading it to others.
Our worship service will be streamed online at firstbaptistsylva.com.
Sign up here to provide goodies and beverages on Sunday mornings after worship.
When we are hospitable, our congregation can become a church on the sidewalk after worship while munching on a cookie or sipping fruit punch. Click here and find a Sunday to host our Hospitality Table!
Father’s Day is Sunday, June 18, and we would like to encourage you to submit a photo of your father to be displayed during the month of June at the church.
You can email the photo to Diane White at degenaro@bellsouth.net. Also, be sure to include the name of your father and your name so that it can be added to the photo as shown in the sample shown.
If you don’t email, you can bring the photo to the church office, and Janice will help you. All photos need to be received by Friday, June 9.
Add this email address to your contacts list on your devices so that our staff and Pastoral Care Team can learn of your prayer requests as quickly as possible. And yes, you may still contact the church office directly at 828-586-2095 to share your prayer concerns, as well.
Let’s raise our voice and the walls will fall! These words resounded in our spirit in a Saturday morning service. Among the things they gave us was a cardboard megaphone that invited us to raise our voices in unison. And it is then when we raise our voice in prayer, from the depths of our spirits, something must happen. Faced with the social walls that we face in the 21st century, such as indifference, discrimination, racism, violence, poverty, marginalization, among many others, prayer accompanied by action causes a powerful transformation.
Regularly our prayers are focused on our needs; however when we go into the scriptures, the word exhorts us to look first at the kingdom of God and God’s justice and other things will follow. Thinking less about our needs and appropriating this word will give a different focus to our prayer life. It will allow us to be more aware of the needs of others and in turn will encourage us to act as the hands, feet and heart of God in someone’s life.
Since our beginnings, prayer has had a great impact on our lives, as we were taught that praying with faith causes great miracles. The first miracle occurs when we become part of God’s purpose. When praying, we must ask ourselves: How can we be a blessing to the people that God puts in our path? In Matthew 25:40, we read: “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of my brothers, even the least, you did for me.” It is there where we begin to raise our voice and the walls fall. When people come in need, prayer brings peace, comfort and strength. Prayer transforms a moment of tears into one of joy and a moment of crisis into one of opportunity. It is in that moment of relationship with God that circumstances take a turn towards the arms of the Lord, to our place of refuge.
Scott McConnell and the Department on Aging are seeking volunteers to build another ramp. The date is Tuesday June 6, with location and time TBD. Please call, text or email Scott if you are interested and available. Scott wishes to thank Chris Moore, Guy Hall and John Dills for their help with the last ramp.
Vacation Bible School will be here before you know it! The date for our community VBS is June 12-16. First Baptist is in charge of the set-up and take-down each day, the daily Bible story, and youth activities. Right now, we need adult volunteers to be group leaders. Let Cheryl Beck know if you can help.
Children and youth and adult volunteers, please register now for VBS. See link or QR code.