Check Out the Children's Library!

Look for a new display of books designed to help children (and parents) with issues they face on a daily basis. Here are some of the titles: The Temper Tantrum Book, Let's Talk About Being Bossy, Let's Talk About Disobeying, Let's Talk About Being a Bad Sport, and Let's Talk About Whining. There are many more books in this series. They would make good discussion starters for families.

Don't forget the Reading Challenge—if you read at least five books from the Children's Library before school starts, you will receive a prize. Contact Cheryl Beck when you finish.

Some Fun Family Activities for July

Need a little inspiration to spice up the "lazy days of summer"? Here are a few suggestions:

• Send a note and a photograph to an elderly friend.

• Make a teepee from three long sticks and a couple of bed sheets

• Make a Purple Cow: put grape juice, vanilla yogurt, and ice cubes in the blender. Enjoy!

• Camp out in your backyard.

• On a clear night, lay a sheet on the ground, take your favorite snack, and enjoy watching the stars.

• Go fishing.

• Make your own "Slip and Slide" on an incline in your yard. An old shower curtain works great!

• Have your own "Family Olympics" with silly races and games. Then watch some of the Olympics on television.

• Brainstorm as a family some ways to warm someone's heart. Then choose one and do it.

• Go on a picnic near a creek and splash around on a hot day.

Summer fun doesn't have to be expensive. Use your imagination!

Help Support Our Students!

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.

New Church Safety Team

The Deacons of our Church support the idea of establishing a safety team to address any emergencies that we may be faced with in the future. I have been in touch with our local Sheriff’s Department and they are willing to help establish and train a Safety Team for our church. The first step is to see who would be interested in being part of this team. There are many different needs to be filled to establish such a team. Thus many different skill sets will be needed. If you are interested in being part of the very first Safety Team established at Sylva First and are willing to participate in the required training please contact me at jddills1@gmail.com or by phone at 828-506-3815. 

Thank you,
John Dills

Summer Picnic at East LaPorte Park

You and friends are invited to join us on Sunday afternoon, July 21, at 4:00 p.m. for family fun, fellowship and a covered dish picnic. We will meet at East LaPorte Park at 6912 Highway 107 in Cullowhee at 4 pm. The pavilion has been rented for the festivities. In addition to bringing your yummiest picnic dish, you may also want to bring a chair. Picnic tables and benches are available in the pavilion. Our Church will provide water, soft drinks and paper goods. 

Thank You, Church Family!

A tremendous and heartfelt “THANK YOU” to the family, friends, and guests of First Baptist Sylva, for your faithful and generous support of the church’s missions and ministries! As you can see from the weekly budget report, we did not quite meet our budget target, but we came really close: 96%. This is impressive during a time of transition such as we are currently experiencing. Your gifts, both unrestricted and restricted, enabled the church to not only provide traditional worship opportunities and programming but also to accomplish the following:

• support for our community mission partners

• support for foreign missions, including the provision of medical and personal hygiene supplies for the community served by Kerygma Baptist Church, our sister church in Holquin, Cuba

• a comprehensive refresh of our Nursery area

• maintenance of our church facilities in good working order

• maintenance of our facilities as an inviting and welcoming presence, inside and outside

• care and outreach efforts by our Pastoral Care team

• support for our quarterly Men’s Breakfasts

• support for our After School program

• attendance by several of our children at Passport Kids camp

• hosting Pastor Ernesto and his wife, Marisol, of Kerygma Baptist Church, during their stateside visit in the spring

• updating and enhancing our technology infrastructure, to include a teleconferencing room

All of these endeavors required not only financial resources, but also personal efforts, time, and commitment to make them come to fruition. For those of you who have given of yourselves in addition to your monetary gifts, we are deeply grateful! For those of you who would like to partner with the church in supporting these and other works – there’s a place for you!

Sunday School and Childcare is Available!

Send Us Your Prayer List Updates

fbcsylvapray@gmail.com 

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.

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat

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. 

Joe's Window

By Dr. Joe Yelton

Interim Pastor

As we finish our July 4th celebrations, I hope we've given ample opportunity to thanking God for this amazing nation. We are not completely united. We have never been completely united. What we are is adjoined. Each of us have varying views of what it takes to be a good American, just as we have differing opinions of what's required to be a faithful Christian. Ultimately though, we find our way into the variegated tapestry which is our astounding nation. Not always in unity, but usually in unison, we march together in the parade of all that's involved in being an American. 

It's precisely the same with belonging to this exemplary church. No two of us live, think, and believe precisely the same. But we are family, so we make lots of room for one another. That seems to be a very Jesus thing to do. Jesus chose 12 disciples who couldn't have been more at odds with one another. It was in their differences that the actual strength of their clan was revealed. We celebrate that First Baptist is both Republican and Democrat. We embrace that we are wealthy and not so wealthy, young and old, single and married, diplomaed and not. You see, we were NEVER called to be the same. Our call is to follow Jesus; and at First Baptist, we discover many roads that lead to that calling.