The next Family Fun Event will be held at Cheryl Beck's family farm in Graham County, near Stecoah, on Sunday afternoon, October 29. Families with children and teens are invited to visit the farm, enjoy a cookout, see the cattle, ride horses, and maybe have a hayride! We will carpool from the church right after worship service. Please let Cheryl know if your family will be participating.
1st Explorers After-School Ministry Update
Another busy week for 1st Explorers and staff! Along with regular guest Emily Taylor, the children enjoyed lots of outdoor play time. Cheryl Beck continued the series “Children in the Bible” for Chapel, sharing the story of Daniel last week. Generation Kids came on Thursday and everyone enjoyed games, candy, and a Bible story.
Marina Hunley-Graham has cast the principal parts for the Christmas program, “Heaven and Nature Sing”, which will be held in the MFC on December 20. The children are doing a great job!
A totally unexpected surprise came on Friday when the Pizza Hut of Bryson City provided a dozen boxes of cheese and pepperoni pizza for the program! The children loved it. Thank you to Tammy Terry for such a great surprise.
Hurray for Our Nursery Workers of the Week!
Thank you, Janelle Messer for providing a fun experience in the nursery for the children
who were there on Sunday. We appreciate you!
Nancy McConnell will be in charge of the nursery on October 8. Thank you, Nancy!
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.
Recipes Appreciated!
Each week we include a recipe in the Church Chimes and we hope that you are enjoying reading and trying them. You can add your favorite recipes to the Chimes by sending them to Cheryl Beck at cabeck@ncsu.edu. This is an ongoing WMU project.
Thanks for participating!
Giving the Jesus Way
United Christian Ministries is in need of pasta sauce, ramen, pancake syrup, applesauce (6-pack individual cups), and laundry detergent. To donate items, please drop them off at UCM’s building at 191 Skyland Drive. Thank you!
Hands on Jackson: Thursday, October 12
Hands on Jackson will be on Thursday, October 12, and we will be providing breakfast at 8:00 a.m. in our Mission Fellowship Center. If you are willing to volunteer for one day of community service, please call the church office (828) 586-2095.
Dawnings Continues TONIGHT, October 4
The second of our of four congregational meetings will be TONIGHT, October 4 beginning at 6:00 PM in the Mission and Fellowship Center. A blessing for our potluck meal together will be at 5:30 PM.
Childcare will be provided for children up through the fifth grade in our nursery. Youth are encouraged to be a part of our congregational meeting in the MFC alongside adults.
Dawnings is a narrative-based approach for personal and congregational visioning and discernment. Our four congregational meetings this fall will help us determine together who God is calling us to be and what God is calling us to do. Our entire church's participation in this process is critical to our determining what our future will look like.
"This is what God says,
the God who builds a road right through the ocean,
who carves a path through pounding waves,
The God who summons horses and chariots and armies—
they lie down and then can’t get up;
they’re snuffed out like so many candles:
“Forget about what’s happened;
don’t keep going over old history.
Be alert, be present. I’m about to do something brand-new.
It’s bursting out! Don’t you see it?" Isaiah 43:16-19
Brian Foreman, the Coordinator of Congregational Ministries for the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, comments that "These last two lines of scripture are both encouragement and command. The former encourages us to remember that God is still in control. The latter reminds us of our responsibility to notice and join God in doing something brand new."
"Dawnings is a congregational resource that helps you accomplish both of these things. By leaning into a spiritual discernment process through listening and responding to stories, your congregation will open itself to its place in God's sacred story for the community."
"Congregational postures of prayer and curiosity cultivate a sense of calling, not just for the congregation, before individuals as well. What better way to "be alert, be present," and to be a part of the "something brand new" God is doing!"
NEW Bible Study to Continue THIS Monday, October 9
A Bible Study will continue THIS Monday, October 9 at 10:00 a.m. in the Gathering Room. Janet Ford will lead a study based on the book Praying Backwards by Bryan Chapell. Books ($15) are available in the church office. Plan to come and learn different ways to pray.
Sunday School Open House Was a Success!
Thank you to the parents, children, and youth who came to the Open House last Sunday. The Sunday School teachers were recognized and each shared news about their classes. The teachers are: Judy Seago (preschool), Gaye Buchanan (children grades 1–5), Sarah Davis (youth). Each child and teen received a prayer journal while preschoolers received a Bible story book. Parents were encouraged to participate in the Prayer Challenge for their children during the month of October. It was a good event!
Clothing Donations Needed
We have a clothes closet for our students in need at Jackson Community School and are currently in need of belts (both male & female), bras/sports bras in larger sizes (L, XL, 2XL). Also, hot weather clothing such as shorts, short sleeve tops, etc. in larger sizes.
I hope we can collect some donations of these items with the help of our congregation. There will be a collection box in the Loving Kindness Room. Thank you for your consideration. –Brooke Drum