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.
Join Us for Worship!
Join us for worship on Sunday morning at 10:30 a.m. in the sanctuary! Also join us for Sunday School at 9:30 a.m. for all ages!
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.
Forward Progress
by Dr. Jeff Mathis
In thinking about the journey ahead, let’s maintain a clear and straightforward perspective.
Undoubtedly, the act of rowing a boat a mile at a time demands focus. Yet, to truly reach one’s intended destination, it’s imperative that we know where we’re headed.
As a congregation, we find ourselves tasked with a dual mission: both propelling the boat forward in the present and charting our course for tomorrow and beyond. Our current actions and future aspirations must harmonize.
To do just that, we are embarking on a process of discernment framed by two pivotal questions:
Who is God calling us to be?
What is God calling us to do?
This process of discernment and exploration is called Dawnings.
Dawnings encompasses a series of four congregational meetings where we will delve into God’s teachings, share stories from our church’s history, present, and envisioned future. Through spiritual practices, we will listen to our own voices, each other’s perspectives, and the direction of the Holy Spirit. Beginning on the evening of Wednesday, September 20th, our Mission and Fellowship Center will host our first of four meetings scheduled for the fall.
The insights gained from Dawnings will illuminate our navigation, much like illuminating the act of rowing a boat. These four gatherings are not about grand, long-term planning as much as they will be an exploration of immediate opportunities bestowed upon us by God.
Dawnings seeks to answer the twin questions: “Who does God want us to be?” and “What does God want us to do?”
Our focal point rests upon our identity and our divine calling.
When considering the broader direction we, as part of the Universal Church, are heading, I encourage you to join me in reading the work of historian and theologian Phyllis Tickle. Her book, The Great Emergence: How Christianity is Changing and Why, offers a historical survey on the Church’s evolution. Tickle adeptly portrays how the Church undergoes profound transformations roughly every five centuries. And guess what? We’re in one of those shifts right now.
Tickle’s preface introduces Anglican Bishop The Right Reverend Mark Dyer, who correctly observes that every five hundred years, the Church undergoes a monumental shift, akin to a colossal rummage sale.
A study of Church history reveals three consistent outcomes when the Church sheds its old skin for the new:
“A new, more vital form of Christianity does indeed emerge.”
“The organized expression of Christianity which up until then has been the dominant one is reconstituted into a more pure and less ossified expression of its former self.”
“The faith has spread—and been spread—dramatically into new geographic and demographic areas.”
Fascinating and hopeful, isn’t it?
I invite you to join me in the coming months as we continue our diligent rowing while simultaneously reexamining our focus on our shared destination. As I boldly mix my metaphors—do forgive me, please—it is through this dual effort that we build a bridge connecting our past to our future.
Actually, the concepts of movement and transition are inherently linked metaphors. Whether rowing a boat or constructing a bridge, our objective remains the same:
Forward progress.
Eight-Week Life Coaching Sessions
Life can be difficult, and challenges present themselves regularly. In the coming weeks of September and October an eight (8) session course will be offered to address the major concerns facing each of us. These will include financial, health, spiritual, personal, social, and retirement planning. Each week a topic of interest in one of these areas will be presented, discussed, and questioned. Attendees will be challenged to address these issues in order to improve their lives and those around them.
The course is free and open to all adults. The first session will begin Monday, September 11 at 7:00 PM at First Baptist Church Sylva, rear entrance. Each session will continue on Mondays through October.
The program will be lead by Homer and Marilyn Royals. Both have extensive experience and real life training in each of these areas. Please join us each Monday evening as we provide you with answers to the challenges of this world. If you would like more information contact Homer or Marilyn at 828-293-7786 or cell- 813-469-1400.
From Seeds to Harvest: Mapping Our Financial Assets
How can we position First Baptist Church of Sylva to continue its mission to “Do Justice, Love Kindness, and Walk Humbly with Our God,” both now and in the years to come? Our annual budget, while critical, is only one part of the picture. Effective stewardship of the resources with which our church has been blessed requires deliberate and periodic review, discussion, and decision making. Such an effort is especially needed when, as in recent years, the church has experienced significant and mostly positive financial events.
To that end, the Deacons, Trustees, and Budget and Finance Committee will be meeting together on Wednesday, August 30, 2023, in the Mission and Fellowship Center. We will serve a light meal beginning at 5:30 p.m. and at 6:00 p.m. we will begin a conversation about our off-budget financial resources. The goal of this conversation is to promote awareness and understanding of what those resources are, where they come from, and how they are being used in alignment with our mission to Do Justice, Love Kindness, and Walk Humbly with Our God.
This meeting is open to anyone in the church who is interested in participating, whether it is to engage in the discussion or just to listen and learn. As the purpose of this conversation is primarily to be informational, there will be no proposals or motions to debate, no votes to tally, no offering plate passed, and not a pledge card in sight.
Please join us on August 30!
Hurray for Our Nursery Workers of the Week!
Thank you to Ally Lima and Jan Snotherly, part of the 1st Explorers After School Ministry staff,
for working in the nursery last Sunday. It was a good day! We appreciate you two!
On September 3, Gaye Buchanan will be in charge of the nursery.
Thank you for all your help, Gaye!
There is still room on the schedule to serve “the least of these”
on Sunday mornings. It is a blessing to see their smiles and enthusiasm as you spend
time with our infants, toddlers, and preschoolers.
Please contact Cheryl Beck (cabeck@ncsu.edu) if you would like to help.
1st Explorers After-School Ministry Update
Such a busy and fun week! Cheryl Beck, Reverend Blake Daniel, and Generation Kids led Chapel this week. On Tuesday, 1st Explorers watched in awe as Emily Taylor dissected the center of one of the sunflowers that were planted in the spring on the front lawn of the Mission and Fellowship Center.
Wednesday was the RA and GA kickoff party. The children cheered on the leaders during a frozen T-shirt competition! Generation Kids came on Thursday for an exciting time of games, dancing, candy, and glow sticks. In spite of the heat, a lot of time was spent outside.
Thank you to the door volunteers and everyone that donated items from the wish list. A special thanks to Dennis Wilkey for making new cornhole boards for the 1st Explorers to enjoy!
And, speaking of the Wish List, because of your generous spirit, our list is getting smaller, but, there are a few things we still need. An on-going and very important need is SNACKS -- popcorn, apples, applesauce, graham crackers, cookies, fruit cups, gelatin cups, snack crackers, etc. If you or your Sunday School class or missions group would be interested in providing snacks occasionally during the year, please contact Melanie Stokely. Otherwise, just leave snacks on the cart at the back door. Snacks are needed for 36-40 people.
We are still in need of hula hoops, a checkers set, a chess set, and card table. Thank you for your willingness to be part of this important ministry of our church!
Adult Book Study to Begin in September
Join us on Wednesday, September 13 at 6:00 PM as we discuss Phyllis Tickle's book, The Great Emergence: How Christianity Is Changing & Why.
"Rooted in the observation that massive transitions in the church happen about every 500 years, Phyllis Tickle shows readers that we live in such a time right now. She compares the Great Emergence to other "Greats" in the history of Christianity, including the Great Transformation (when God walked among us), the time of Gregory the Great, the Great Schism, and the Great Reformation.
Combining history, a look at the causes of social upheaval, and current events, The Great Emergence shows readers what the Great Emergence in church and culture is, how it came to be, and where it is going. Anyone who is interested in the future of the church in America, no matter what their personal affiliation, will find this book a fascinating exploration."
If you are a student of history and have a heart for the future of our church, obtain a copy of this thoughtful and faithful book and dive in! You can order it on Amazon here.
Wednesday, September 13 from 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM in the Gathering Place Room
-Please come to our discussion having read Part 1.
Wednesday, October 11 from 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM in the Gathering Place Room
-Please come to our discussion having read Part 2.
Wednesday, November 15 from 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM in the Gathering Place Room
-Please come to our discussion having completed the book (through Part 3).
Please Join Us for Dining for Jackson!
We hope you will join Dining for Jackson County and be a part of helping hundreds of people in the county. Isn't that our wish? Isn't that our goal for our life to make a difference in the lives of the poor, the disadvantaged, the abused? Well, here is a way to do just that!
The pandemic had a serious effect on non-profits as they were unable to hold fund-raisers to support their organization. Donations were also down and therefore non-profits need our help. It is for this reason that a new support group has been organized. The new group is called Dining for Jackson.
This group will meet the first Tuesday of each month at 11:30 at the Mission and Fellowship Center of Sylva First Baptist Church. We hope you will join us September 5 for our first meeting. Bring a covered dish and fellowship with other individuals who want to help our non-profits.
When you come in you will put your donation in a basket — perhaps what you would pay if you ate at a nice restaurant. Then we will eat and fellowship together. Each month we will give to a different nonprofit. Let's suppose twenty-five people come and each gives at least twenty dollars. That would mean five hundred dollars for a non-profit! That will make a real difference!
This first meeting we will give to United Christian Ministries. Please have your check ready to drop in the basket. Then we will draw the name of one of the other eleven non-profits for each of the next eleven months so you will know where your donation will go each month.
The other eleven are in alphabetical order: AWAKE, Center for Domestic Peace, Circles of Jackson, Equinox Ranch, Full Spectrum Farm in Cullowhee, Habitat for Humanity, Hands on Jackson (once called Neighbors in Need), Meals on Wheels, REACH, Rolling Start, and The Community Table. These non-profits do amazing work in Jackson County! They are our unsung heroes that make our county the wonderful place that it is!
The Center for Domestic Peace needs things like mouthwash, hairbrushes, combs, hair ties, deodorant, body wash, shaving cream, wet wipes, lip balm, hand sanitizer, pocket tissues, hair conditioner, lip balm, travel size hygiene supplies that survivors of sexual assault, trafficking, or abuse need when they have come for help with nothing but the clothes on their backs.
So you may want to bring one of these items each month. If you have stayed in a motel or hotel lately you have just the perfect size items. Please bring them.
Please mark your calendar for September 5 and plan to come and help us make a difference in the lives of hundreds of people!
Mission Moment 8.30.23
Rev. Dr. Carita L. Brown Chaplain Major
Pennsylvania Air National Guard, 193rd Special Operations Wing, Middletown, PA
From the moment I reached out to God when I was 21, I have felt God’s presence down to the core of my very being. It is as if God hears my words before I even say them. God’s presence is a companionship for me that has kept a peace inside my heart for over 40 years, even when everything is chaos around me and worries pile up on top of me to crush me. I am not crushed or overcome deep in my heart.
I am not a prayer warrior, as many are described. And I don’t have a list or schedule for prayer. When someone asks me to pray for them or someone they know that needs prayer, I look to God beside me and ask in the moment. God takes it, and I move on, and I know the work is being done to touch the person needing prayer by God’s presence around them.
Prayer is constant.
Prayer is the touch I feel in my heart
From God’s spirit that is most certainly alive
And always present within me.
Prayer is being a companion to God’s spirit
That hears my deepest thoughts
And acknowledges my slightest glance in its direction.
Prayer is being in the living love of God
And feeling the constant touch of God’s hand
That reminds me that I am never alone.