Tom Graham (May 3)
Marina Hunley-Graham (May 4)
Sherry Maney (May 5)
Janet Ford (May 6)
Cheryl Beck (May 6)
Layla Stillwell (May 7)
Siler Messer (May 8)
Virginia Milligan (May 8)
Lucille “Lou” Gosnell (May 29)
Frank Wilkie (May 30)
New Sunday School Class to Begin
Our toddlers now have their own Sunday School class starting May 5! Melanie Stokely will be the teacher and they will meet in the nursery. The 4- and 5-year-olds already meet in the nursery area where Judy Seago is their teacher. Sunday School is from 9:30 a.m. to 10:15 a.m. Parents can take their children to the nursery and then are welcome to attend their own Sunday School class.
Giving the Jesus Way
United Christian Ministries is in need of: shampoo (prefer 2-in-1 shampoo & conditioner), body wash, deodorant, toothpaste, child diapers (all sizes), cereal, spaghetti sauce and spaghetti noodles. To donate items, please drop them off at UCM’s building at 191 Skyland Drive. Thank you!
Yard Sale is Fast Approaching!
The Yard Sale to assist with the cost of PassportKids is Saturday, May 11, from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon at the Mission and Fellowship Center. Please bring any items you would like to donate to the sale to the Sunday School Room beside the Choir Room by Thursday, May 9.
Donations of homemade cakes, breads, and pies are appreciated for the sale. These should be brought to the MFC on Friday between 1:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. or to the sale by 8:00 a.m. on Saturday.
Thank you for helping our children with this endeavor!
Sunday School and Childcare is Available!
Dining for Jackson to Help Full Spectrum Farms
Please join us on May 7, 11:30 a.m. in the Mission and Fellowship Center of Sylva First Baptist Church as Dining for Jackson County works to support Full Spectrum Farms. This organization was founded in 2002 by parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Full Spectrum Farms is a non-profit organization serving individuals with ASD in western North Carolina. Their programs are 100% supported by the generosity of donors and all donations directly support their client programs and core farm operations.
The farm has thirty-four acres where individuals with ASD can live, work, and explore in a safe and encouraging environment. Full Spectrum Farms provides a unique model for ASD services as a nurturing community where individuals with ASD can live and work with a focus on organic farming and natural crafts and art.
Autism spectrum disorder is a condition related to brain development that impacts how a person perceives and socializes with others, causing problems in social interaction and communication. The disorder also includes limited and repetitive patterns of behavior. The term “spectrum” in autism spectrum disorder refers to the wide range of symptoms and severity.
The Farm helps individuals with autism spectrum disorder develop lifelong learning and living skills through projects such as woodworking, pottery, and weaving, as well as growing and selling organic produce and flowers. Their clients have access to a fully-functioning organic garden, chickens, and grounds to partake of a wide range of farm activities.
They also offer Neurodiverse Life Coaching for people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and for parents/caregivers of people with ASD. In June they will offer two sessions of youth summer camp in cooperation with Southwestern Community College’s Occupational Therapy Assistant Program. Applications for both programs are available now; email erin@fullspectrumfarms.org for a copy or more information or you may call Erin McManus, the director at 828-293-2521. Erin works tirelessly to coordinate weekly programs, plan special events, manage donations, and cultivate relationships in the local community.
We hope you will bring a covered dish and join us as we work to support Full Spectrum Farms. We promise a lunch filled with good food, warm fellowship, and an opportunity to learn more about Full Spectrum Farms.
Take Note of the Accompanying. . .
There is so much going on in the next month. We hope that you will download and print out the attached list of events so you can be sure not to miss all of the fun!
Baptist Children’s Homes of NC Food Roundup
Each year churches, businesses and other community members unite for the Annual Food Roundup which allows hundreds of boys and girls living at Baptist Children's Homes to have their bellies well-fed. The goal is to collect nonperishable food, supplies and gift cards. Gift cards are extremely helpful in purchasing perishable food items. Please see the list of needed items here. We have placed a box in the Loving Kindness Room to receive your gifts.
Joe's Window
By Dr. Joe Yelton
Interim Pastor
Having just celebrated our commitment and friendship with our sister congregation in Cuba, and having completed a wonderful time with Pastors Ernesto and Marisol, we can take a moment to be grateful for much. At the outset, let us give thanks to God for those gifted and giving members of our church who made this opportunity happen. To those who planned, housed, fed, arranged, transported, and a myriad of other necessary tasks and duties, please receive our gratitude. Your sacrifices did not go unnoticed.
For perspective, Cuba is just over 1,000 miles away or, approximately 500 miles closer to Sylva than Denver, Albuquerque, and Cheyenne.
One would think that proximity would translate into similarity. It doesn’t. Cuba is a struggling nation with a desperate economy, broken transportation system, and an overreaching government. A few years back while participating in a mission experience there, I saw their poverty first hand. I have no words to describe it. However, I do have words to describe other things I saw ... children playing outside all day long, much as I did when I was their age. I saw doting mothers and fathers lavishing love upon their children. I saw church families gathered in humble, block buildings, singing praises to their God, at an almost cathedral-like experience.
Whatever the Cuban government and our government might want us to believe, the people of Cuba I encountered do not loathe or fear us. They genuinely love us and hope that the ties that bind us will grow stronger and those things that separate us will fall away.
Thank God for our sister church in Cuba. Thank God for the camaraderie we share. Thank God that we are so much alike. And yes, thank God that the more we submit to the Lordship of Jesus, the less sway any differences we may have will carry.
1st Explorers After-School Ministry Update
A week full of a mixture of things that kept 1st Explorers busy! Earth Day was observed on Monday with the viewing of a documentary on penguins. On Tuesday, Lorie Meservey visited and shared the importance of Passover with the children. The children planted flowers in their decorated flower pots for the fundraiser for Greening Up the Mountains that day also. Generation Kids came on Thursday and used games and activities to teach about Jesus being the only foundation for building your life. The week ended with a visit from our Cuban friends who answered some questions about their country. And, of course, we enjoyed Mission Friends, GAs, and RAs on Wednesday!
