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!
Watching the Sunday worship services has become much easier to stream for remote viewers who have smart TV devices. Rather than navigating to the First Baptist Church website or to YouTube on a computer, iPad, or phone, you can now download the “Boxcast” app on the following smart TV devices: Roku, Apple TV, Fire TV, or any smart television having direct Internet connectivity. Using your device, go to the “App” icon and search for “Boxcast.” Once the “Boxcast” app is downloaded, search for First Baptist Church of Sylva. For future viewing of the service, simply click on the “Boxcast” app and click on our church’s service for that particular Sunday. Viewing the worship service on a TV screen instead of a computer device will hopefully provide a more meaningful worship experience for the remote viewer.
Support our students by donating to the Back-to-School Bash co-sponsored by Jackson County Public Schools and the Jackson County recreation department. The bash will be held on Saturday, August 3 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the Jackson County Recreation Center (Cullowhee). School supplies needed include: Crayola crayons, glue sticks, marble composition books and pencil pouches/boxes.
If you prefer to donate funds, please make your check payable directly to: Jackson County Public Schools (“JCPS”). Be sure to include “Back to School Bash” in the memo line to ensure proper application and tax deductibility. Donations can be left in the box designated for this project in the Loving Kindness Room by July 18.
Drop off your donation at or mail it to:
Jackson County Public Schools
398 Hospital Road
Sylva, NC 28779
For more information or to have a booth, reach us at 828.586.3211 or info@jcpsmail.org.
Vanessa and David McDonald had a good morning in the nursery on Sunday with a crew of little boys! Thank you both for your willingness to volunteer in the nursery.
Melanie and Izzy Joiner will serve in the nursery on July 14. We appreciate this mother-daughter team for helping with the little ones.
Nursery volunteers are reminded to check their emails for the schedule
for July through December.
Two summer picnics have been scheduled. The first one will be Sunday, July 21 at East LaPorte Park from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. The next one will be Sunday, August 25 at Deep Creek Pavilion from 4:00 to 8:00 p.m. Please plan to attend one or both of these events for fellowship and family fun!
Growing up in a Baptist church, I remember having many Bible studies over the years. They all seemed to be great; but it often seemed to me that we would go from Bible study to Bible study without seeing any long-term effect. Maybe there were changes in people; but I personally did not notice any. I do not know why, but there was one Bible study that has really influenced me throughout the last 25 years in ministry. It made so much sense then and it still does today. I have adopted the seven realities of the study:
1. God is at work.
2. God wants to be in a relationship with us.
3. When God shows us something, that is an invitation to join God.
4. God speaks to us.
5. We have a crisis of belief.
6. We allow God to make the adjustments in our lives.
7. We will experience God.
Whenever I get stuck or do not know what to do, I stop and run through these spiritual truths and wait, pray and look for a hint from God.
I had my plan on how we were going to do ministry in India. I was convinced that it was a great plan. Once we arrived, we were overwhelmed with so many things hitting us at the same time. The number of people, the extreme poverty, the not knowing the language or being unable to understand the English accents and our being way out of our comfort zones. It all had us wanting to pack our bags and return home. Maybe God had made a mistake; or better yet, we had made the mistake of thinking we could do this. We literally wanted to go home.
After our pity party, we began to pray for guidance. It was then that we remembered, “God is at work.” God had been at work in India way before we arrived there. We were only there for the ride. As soon as we realized that, a big load was removed from our shoulders. It reminded me of when Peter started walking on the water and suddenly started drowning when he took his eyes off Jesus. We had done the exact same thing.
We began by doing prayer walks, asking God to open our eyes to what God was doing. As soon as we would start being overwhelmed, we would remind ourselves that first principle: God is at work, not us. Once God showed us something, we took it as, “the invitation for us to join God.” We really learned to depend on the prayers of others and on ours. As soon as we start depending on our abilities, we are overwhelmed. We have a crisis of belief and things seem impossible. Once we adjust and again remember that for God nothing is impossible, we can experience God doing God’s thing and our faith is strengthened.
Before going to India, we would ask people to give to missions or to come do missions with us. And if nothing else, they could pray for missions. The first time we returned to the States, the first thing I did was apologize to those I had told these lies to. We came to realize that prayer was the only thing that kept us going. We also learned that if people pray for missions, they will want to do missions, and they will want to give to missions. Every time we would start sinking, someone would send us a card or an email saying that they were praying for us. It was like a booster shot. I could imagine being like Popeye eating spinach and regaining his strength. Knowing we were not alone in this, gave us strength to keep going.
This musical—based on the story of Joseph—is coming to the Smoky Mountain Performing Arts Center in Franklin this month. Older children, youth, and parents who are interested in attending a performance on July 19, from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m., are asked to call Cheryl Beck at 828-421-3820 as soon as possible. The cost is $19.25 for adults and $15 for students. If there is enough interest, we could take the church van.
For the last few years, the book of Isaiah has had a big influence in my (Maha) life. Although I’m not writing about the life of Isaiah as a prophet, the book of Isaiah is full of encouraging verses. One of the most encouraging verses is Isaiah 41:10 (above). When working in a hard part of the world where the needs are great, we always fix our eyes on the Lord and remember these verses…“do not be dismayed for I am your God…I will strengthen you and help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
The needs started with the refugees that were overflowing into the country. Then in 2019, the economic situation in Lebanon was shaken by the devaluation of the Lebanese currency against the dollar. It’s been falling ever since. The dollar that was equal to 1,500 liras in and before 2019, is today 90,000 lira to a dollar. The middle class that managed to pay for rent, gas, medicine and more is now at a halt financially. The salaries of the people are little compared to the immense expenses of merchandise at this time. And we, the children of God, are looking at all these needs and crying out to the Lord. And God always comes through for us and answers our prayers. God strengthens us and upholds us with God’s righteous right hand so we won’t fall nor stumble. Praise God at all times.
Pray...Give...Go.
By Dr. Joe Yelton
Interim Pastor
Jesus said, "Give to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God, the things that are God's." He said this in response to a question of whether it was lawful for Jews to pay taxes to the occupying Roman authorities. As with most quotes from scripture, multiple interpretations of what Jesus meant have emerged.
It's my understanding that Jesus accepted the present reality for lsrael. .. (sometimes the harsh realities of residing in this world carries responsibilities beyond our submission to Christ). Stated differently, we owe Jesus our all, which leads us to accept that within our Christ commitment is a duty and debt to those who govern us.
July 4th is significant to Americans, or should be. Declaring our independence led to a time of tumult and war. The American Revolution lasted from 1775 to 1783. American forces lost 6,800. Additionally, supportive forces from France and Spain gave another 2,500 to the American cause. This doesn't consider the more substantial losses of the sworn enemy, Great Britain (and Germany). But wait, what about the 135,000 from both sides who died of Small Pox.
It must be true ... freedom isn't free. As fractured as our nation feels to many of us, it is gratifying to remember that warring nations 250 years ago not only produced what would become the United States of America ... all parties (both sides) involved in the American Revolution are today steadfast friends. Perhaps the warring factions that divide our nation today can beat their weapons into ploughshares and again taste the sweet wine of mutual respect, tolerance, and common purpose.
Happy Independence Day! Thank God for our nation! Best of all, thank God that, "this
world is not my home, I'm just a'passin' through." We owe Caesar his due. We owe Jesus our all.
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!