Youth game night! Calling all youth!
Join us this Friday, November 15, at 6:30 p.m.
All youth are welcome to join in the youth room.
Bring your favorite game and a friend!
Thanksgiving Worship
Treat Street a Huge Success
Thank you to Beth Moore for coordinating First Baptist's outreach to the community on Halloween night. She did a great job recruiting volunteers and setting up the table for candy distribution. Thanks to all those who helped that evening. Everyone had a blast!
1st Explorers After-School Ministry Update
This Halloween week we did a “Gavin the Friendly Ghost” Mad Lib and walked the pumpkin patch (a game mixing the concepts of music chairs and four corners). We made “funny bones” as our snack (pretzel sticks with marshmallows dipped in white chocolate) while we listened to the Valley of the Dry Bones Story from the book of Ezekiel. We did an experiment of mixing white vinegar and baking soda inside of a bottle with a balloon as the lid and watched the CO2 blow the balloon up to reveal a little balloon ghost. And we finished off the week learning Christmas songs for the Christmas show!
Three Ways You Can Help 1st Explorers
Assistant Director Kayla Hartman would love to have some folks from Sylva FBC help with the monthly Bible Q&A Time. Please see her for more details.
Anyone who would like to share a skill, present a program, read a story, etc., for After School would be most welcome. Just let Kayla know.
Snacks are always appreciated. Leave individually wrapped snacks on the cart at the back entrance to the church.
We need some itsy-bitsy, teeny-weeny cans of Van Camp’s Beanee Weenee!
We are all stretched tight financially with the recent storm devastation and our determination to respond to the urgent needs that will persist for months to come. But as we look forward to Christmas let us remember the public-school children whose families experience food insecurity. United Christian Ministries of Jackson County (“UCM”) will again sponsor their annual Christmas Food Bag Project. UCM will fill 650 grocery totes with food for the children to take home for the long holiday break. This is a significant increase over its past food bag target because not only has the need in Jackson County increased, but also because Manna Food Bank, one of UCM’s primary partners in addressing food insecurity, was impacted by Hurricane Helene and is operating at only limited capacity.
Our church is committed to providing 650 Beanee Weenee Pop-top cans (Original flavor, 7.75 oz.) to help fill the grocery totes. We need your help! Please add this item to your grocery list and place the cans in the Loving Kindness Center. (Through the door at the front of the Sanctuary on the piano side.) Additionally, UCM needs volunteers to help assemble the food bags so that they may be distributed before students are dismissed for the Christmas break. The “Bag Packing Party” will be at the First United Methodist Church of Sylva on Saturday, December 14, beginning at 8:00 a.m.
P.S. We have been notified that the Sav Mor grocery store has ordered an extra large supply of Beanee Weenee’s for anyone wanting to shop for them there.
Women’s Fall Bible Study
Monday, November 11 at 10:00 a.m.
Women’s Fall Bible Study will continue Monday, November 11 at 10:00 a.m. in the Gathering Place Room. We will be studying “Jesus In Me” by Anne Graham Lotz. Books are available in the church office.
Mission Moment 11.6.24
Chaouki and Maha Boulos
CBF Field Personnel, Beirut, Lebanon
What’s saving our lives right now is the ministry in the Middle East.
Lebanon was affected by the war that began on October 7, 2023, because of her shared borders with the neighboring country. After the war started, we headed back to the United States to spend some time there from October to January. We felt like fish outside of water.
We were doing ministry by phone, and Maha continued to be heavily involved in ministry that kept going despite the trouble in south Lebanon. The four women’s meetings that convene on a weekly basis kept going strong, as did the weekly men’s meetings.
Needless to say, we missed our different ministries tremendously. It didn’t help being so far away. The women in the meetings kept calling us and telling us how much they missed us.
Although there were many social activities happening in the U.S., we could always feel the huge difference between the two worlds. One is easier in daily matters and the other is harder—even in the smallest things. In the U.S., you can go to the supermarket and get your needs. While overseas, the local families and some refugees struggle to get a pound of ground beef because it has gone up so much in price.
I remember Rasmi, a Syrian refugee woman whose husband is suffering from jaw cancer. He’s being treated in Syria while she and the kids had to stay back. She has no income and depends on what people donate to her. We helped Rasmi with food, rent, milk and more for her four children. She knows that when everything closes in on her, we will always assist her and her children in any way we can. She always thanks us and is grateful for the churches and people who don’t know her but are ready to stand by her side when all her resources are depleted.
I also remember the older Lebanese woman, Eve, who has no children. Her husband passed away many years ago and left her with no income. Have you ever thought how hard it is to have no money? Have you ever thought what you might do if you had no currency, no credit cards and no one to stand by you in times of need?
Not having cash has always struck me as very, very hard. We helped Eve with her medicine, bought her some groceries and beef and left a little cash with her. Praise the Lord for His caring love to the people we serve. And this is mainly because of the contribution of wonderful people like you.
Pray, Practice, Ponder
The people we meet in our ministry always pray for you. They pray:
That the Lord would pour out His love on you.
That the Lord would give you good health and take care of you and your families.
That you will never face closed doors.
That you would be always guided by His Holy Spirit.
Offer a prayer today for Christians in Lebanon and across the Middle East for God’s love to pour out on them, for their health and safety, that doors will be opened for them and that God’s Spirit would be their guide.
Wednesday Night Bible Study
TONIGHT, Wednesday, November 6
Join us for our Wednesday evening Bible study
TONIGHT, November 6 at 6:00 p.m. in the
Gathering Place Room. There will be no meal. Join us!
A Way You Can Help
The relief needs are changing daily. The immediate needs at this time are: generators, heaters, basement dehumidifiers, Visa cards, cash, and prayers. We do not need any more clothing or cleaning supplies donated for the time being.
That said, there are so many great ways to help our WNC neighbors in need. May I offer what I heard folks saying they needed to better serve hard hit areas like Mitchell and Yancey Counties? HEAT!!!
They have ample supplies of most other things but REALLY need these on Amazon (but certainly other places, too): heaters, generators, dehumidifiers for basements, and air purifiers. Please consider this as a possible way to honor a family member or loved one for early birthday or Christmas present.
You can ask that it be shipped to: Helene Recovery Coalition, 2002 Riverside Drive, Asheville, NC 28804. This is the staging warehouse serving WNC counties. Thank you!
Giving the Jesus Way
United Christian Ministries requests that we temporarily suspend providing supplies and instead provide monetary donations. Given the current situation with Hurricane Helene’s suppliers, the needs of clients are changing daily. A monetary donation will allow them to purchase specifically what is needed at any point in time. To donate, please drop off a check at 191 Skyland Drive or mail it to PO Box 188, Sylva, NC 28779. Thank you!