Hurray for Our Nursery Workers of the Week!
Lucie Moore said she and her mom, Beth, "had a great time" in the nursery last Sunday.
We appreciate the Moores always being willing to help!
On August 4, Sandi Allen will be in charge of the nursery. Thank you, Sandi!
Please let Cheryl Beck know if you could volunteer for a couple of dates to work in the nursery
over the next 5 months. Your help would be greatly appreciated.
Dining for Jackson to Aid Jackson County Public Schools
On Tuesday, August 6, Dining for Jackson will be working to help the children in the Jackson County Public Schools, with needed shoes, coats, and clothes. When I started Circles of Hope in Jackson County eleven years ago, there were 9000 people living in poverty. Based on recent census data, Jackson County has nearly 1 in 5 residents experiencing poverty. I know the number living in their cars has increased as well as has the number of homeless families. It is for this reason that we want to help children who need not only shoes and warm coats in the winter, but clothes all through the year.
I am told by H.E.R.E., Jackson County’s primary homeless services provider, that there are several children who are living unsheltered. This means they could be living in cars, barns, or tents or other non-permanent structures.
Jackson County Public Schools has what they call “comfort closets”. Located at each school, these closets provide access to much needed items in emergency situations. Last year the comfort closets were utilized 480 times, while providing support and intervention to homeless students and their families 199 times. These closets also contain hygiene items as well as snacks, and when needed, groceries for families. We want to provide additional funds so that these closets can be restocked before the beginning of this school year. We hope you will open your hearts and your purses to make restocking these closets possible. Monetary donations are preferred as used clothing and shoes cannot be accepted.
Children cannot learn when they are hungry and many have chosen not to attend school when they do not have decent clothes or shoes. Attending school when the weather is bad and not having adequate clothing and shoes is not something we want for the children. Research has shown that such poverty is associated with lower academic performance and that it negatively affects the development of their social and emotional competence that lasts well into adulthood.
Please plan to come and support Jackson County Public Schools on August 6, at 11:30 in the Mission and Fellowship Center at Sylva First Baptist Church in our effort to provide much needed clothes, shoes and coats for our children.
If you would like for your donation to be tax deductible, make you check to the Jackson County Education Foundation. Their website is jcpsef.org.
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!
Tammy Russell’s Breakfast Casserole
Tammy would often bring this to our Young Couples Sunday School class.
Kayden, their oldest, just got his driver’s license! Time flies.
Ingredients
1 medium onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 roll breakfast sausage
12 eggs (whisked)
Frozen hash browns, thawed
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Saute onion and green pepper. Brown sausage in same pan. Drain sausage. Transfer vegetables and sausage to 9”x13” baking dish. Add eggs and hash browns. Sprinkle cheese on top. Cover with foil and bake 40 minutes.
– Provided by Sarah Davis
Tammy Russell’s Breakfast Casserole
Click here to download a printable version.
-Provided by Sarah Davis
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat Was Fun!
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat was great! Seventeen people attended from Sylva FBC. Thanks to Andrew Beck for driving the van.
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!
Send Us Your Prayer List Updates
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.
Joe's Window
By Dr. Joe Yelton
Interim Pastor
Critical mass. In its essence, critical mass is the minimal amount needed to continue operating at present levels. In manufacturing, you must sell enough of the product being produced to pay all expenses (employees, space, machinery, etc.), as well as have enough left to move innovatively. In government, enough must be budgeted and secured to pay for services, employees, infrastructure, etc. Even in your home, you operate with the understanding that there is a point ... a critical mass that must be achieved else, your family will suffer, or worse.
So too, with the church. What is our critical mass? The answer involves more than can be addressed here. However, it’s just too important that we understand our critical mass needs.
Some of our congregational critical mass mimics industry. We must provide meeting space, heating and air conditioning, a new roof every few years, carpeting, furnishings, utilities, and so much more. Additionally, the church must assure capable staffing as well as the necessary equipment (computers, copy machines, etc.) to effectively do the work required.
However, here the church veers into a different direction. Our “product” is intangible ... it can’t be viewed, counted or weighed. Our product is (or should be), Gospel living and telling.
At First Baptist we have a virtual army of volunteers who enliven all the things we hope to achieve. You won’t find that in industry or corporate structure. You will discover it, or should, in non-profits specifically, not just the church. However, no body of individuals should do it better than the Body of Christ.
What is our critical mass? Yes, we must achieve a certain minimal level of financial giving. Yes, we must pay utilities, staffing, upkeep, materials, etc. HOWEVER, the critical mass for the church is never ... never determined by doing the minimum. The church, our church must always seek to achieve the goals Christ sets for us which always exceed the goals we set for ourselves. Examples of those goals would include forgiving seven times seventy, walking two miles when only one mile is required, giving shirt and coat when only a shirt is requested.
We must find the place in which our personally held faith stretches us to become more authentic, more generous, and more loving. That is the collateral of a congregation. Less than this causes us to become ... less. If we became less long enough, we would find ourselves akin to so, so many struggling congregations ... irrelevant.
Thank you for all you do to make our church shine. Thank you for tending to our exterior flowers, singing in our choir, working with our midweek and Sunday morning opportunities, and so much more. Thank you for doing the essential work of getting our new water fountains and upstairs windows in place. Thank you, Harold and Gwen, for filling in so many gaps and for setting the standard high. Thank you, Bible study teachers, for keeping the Word fresh. And a special shout out to those who take seriously the call to tell others outside our fold about just how amazing it is to be inside the family of First Baptist Sylva faith.
Joe
Help Support Our Students!
Support our students by donating school supplies 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.
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.