First Explorers Summer Camp Recap 7.1.26

This week at First Explorers we did many fun activities. Here are some of the many fun things we did this week: on Monday, we went to East Laporte. On Tuesday, we traveled to Mark Watson Park and played on the playground and baseball fields. On Wednesday, we went to Bridge Park. On Thursday, we swam at the pool. And on Friday, we watched a movie at the theater in Cherokee. Overall, it was another great week at First Explorers summer camp! 

Mission Moment 7.1.26

Jessica Hearne
Field Personnel in Danville, Virginia

So, friends, every day do something
that won’t compute. Love the Lord.
Love the world. Work for nothing.
Take all that you have and be poor.
Love someone who does not deserve it…
Invest in the millennium. Plant sequoias.
Say that your main crop is the forest
that you did not plant, 
that you will not live to harvest…
As soon as the generals and the politicos 
can predict the motions of your mind,
lose it. Leave it as a sign
to mark the false trail, the way
you didn’t go. Be like the fox
who makes more tracks than necessary, 
some in the wrong direction.
Practice resurrection.
(Excerpt from “Manifesto: The Mad Farmer’s Liberation Front” by Wendell Berry)

I have been trying to live more simply for many years. Living simply for me means asking myself what it is that I really need. It means questioning the necessity of things, especially things that are made of plastic, are harmful to the environment, use an excess of resources, or hurt people in their production. Living a simpler life is not a change that happens overnight. In fact, I have been working on it for over 15 years and still feel that I have a long way to go.

I have a printout of the poem above tacked to the bulletin board above my desk, and every time I sit to answer emails, attend a Zoom meeting, record receipts or any number of other computer-related tasks, I will glance up at it and reread a few lines. Wednell Berry’s “manifesto” serves as a reminder to me of the value of living simply. He talks about the joy that comes from contemplating leaf mold, listening to carrion and laughing in the face of the “end of the world.” He reminds me of the importance of being a good steward of the future – even though I won’t live to see it.

The idea of living life simply, of being close to the earth and nature, of eschewing the urge to buy and accumulate, is so counter to the narratives that bombard us daily through the media and through our own human desires, that Berry compares it to resurrection. In order for life to flourish, after all, some things must die. In my garden, the plants that die become the compost that feeds new growth. In the forest on the edge of my town, the trees die and become food for mushrooms and lichen. In my life, my selfishness and needless want must die so my love of the world and all of the life in it can flourish. 

A Blessing for Living Simply
May you daily find time to love and appreciate something that you did not create. 
May you constantly forget that “time is money.” 
If you can’t forget, may you find the value in things that don’t pay. 
May your life confuse and confound the algorithms. 
May you learn to live simply. 

Pray. . .Give. . .Go.

Mission Moment 6.24.26

Carson Foushee
Field Personnel in Kanazawa, Japan

Our distractions can take us by surprise.
Gently draining our time and energy
Altering the way we think and feel
Drawing us away from practices and community of light and love
And into the lonely darkness.
Devices, desires, dependence.
They dig their claws in deeply
And hold on for death’s sake.

A Blessing for the Distracted
Beloved,
Blessed are you who lift up your eyes
To the Creator who made Heaven and Earth.
Blessed are you who lift up your eyes
To the Christ who has shown the way of truth and life.
Blessed are you who lift up your eyes
To the Spirit present within and all around.
Blessed are you.

Pray…Give…Go.

First Explorers Summer Camp Recap 6.24.26

This week at First Explorers summer camp we had a lot of fun at the church and around Jackson County. 4H came and helped us plant four different plants. You can see our plants growing downstairs in the basement with a light that acts as sunlight. Every day the kids are tasked with watering the plants and making sure they are doing okay. We also went to the library several times this week to make art and build cool LEGO creations. If you go to the children’s section of the library, you can see some of our campers’ LEGO creations on display. We also visited several parks which they absolutely loved! We also got a tour of Baxley’s Chocolate on Main Street in Sylva. We, of course, went to the public pool and had a blast splashing in the water. Overall, it was another fun week at First Explorers summer camp! 

First Explorers Summer Camp Recap 6.17.26

This past week at First Explorers summer camp, we got to go on so many fun adventures! We went to Green Energy Park and watched people create beautiful things out of metal and glass. We drove to the movies in Cherokee. We walked to the library several times for fun events in the children’s section. We splashed around in the public pool. We traveled to Darnell Farms. We played in several parks. Overall, it was a fun-packed week at First Explorers summer camp! 

Mission Moment 6.17.26

Anna Beth Cross
Associate Minister for Students and Digital Discipleship, Greystone Baptist Church, Raleigh, NC

A Blessing to Do Nothing
Blessed are you
when you reach a moment 
after a chaotic season
or a busy week
and find just a sliver of time 
to do nothing.

Instead of looking for a chore to check off or a task to complete,
Pause. Breathe. Rest.

Instead of searching to fill half an hour of your day,
Pause. Breathe. Rest.

Instead of turning on the news and being inundated with noise,
Pause. Breathe. Rest.

Instead of feeling the urge to keep doing, keep working, keep striving,
Pause. Breathe. Rest.

Our world wants us to keep going until we can’t,
to pour ourselves out until we are empty.
Our jobs and lives require so much of us,
our weeks and days are never ending.

But when a moment of pause sneaks up on you,
Take it. 
Breathe deeply. 
Close your eyes.
It’s okay to do nothing. 
It’s okay to take a moment for yourself,
To breathe and be filled, 
To rest and find peace. 
You need it;
your body, soul, mind and spirit need it. 

Blessed are you when you do nothing, 
even if for just a few minutes. 

I am going to be honest, I am the last person who would take this blessing to heart. I live by my calendar, to-do lists and outlined plans. In fact, I enjoy all these things. I am always thinking months in advance and love checking off things on my many checklists. My family would probably laugh at the fact that I chose to write this blessing because I am not one to stop and do nothing. I always feel the need to do something. 

But this year I am learning the importance of rest and renewal. Colleagues and friends have challenged me to find moments to pause in my own life. Our congregation has even engaged in a season of rest during a time of transition and transformation. The idea of rest or sabbath is countercultural. Our society tells us to do the opposite, to focus on work, success, accomplishment and doing. Either we fill our schedules full, or they are filled to the brim for us. 

As we read in Genesis 1, God created and then God rested. We too were created and called to rest and experience sabbath. Pausing during our chaotic day allows us a moment to be filled with God’s presence and allows our bodies and minds to be renewed. Moments of pause may surprise us; they aren’t often scheduled, and sometimes they randomly show up after a few busy hours. Rather than going to the next task or seeking out something that can or should be done, we can choose to do nothing. The idea of doing nothing can make us fearful or even guilty, feeling that we should be doing something. But doing nothing is restful, and we need to rest and be filled, because those moments are few and far between. God is still present in those moments of nothing, so give yourself permission to do nothing for a moment today.

First Baptist Church of Sylva, 669 West Main Street, Sylva, NC, 28779, United States828-586-2095fbcsylva@gmail.com

First Baptist Church of Sylva

669 West Main Street | Sylva, NC 28779
828-586-2095

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