This week at After School, we had a fun-tastic week as we played games and learned cool things! On Monday, Rebekah from 4H came and did a lesson with us about calcium and why it is important and where we get it from. On Tuesday, Courtney came and led fun a music lesson with us. On Wednesday, we had RAs, GAs, and Mission Friends. On Thursday, we played a delicious relay race involving donuts where one teammate holds a donut on a string while the other teammate has to eat the entire donut while sitting down and without using their hands. And on Friday, we made slime! Overall, it was a great week at First Explorers After School!
Giving the Jesus Way
United Christian Ministries is in need of spaghetti.
To donate items, please drop them off at UCM’s building at 191 Skyland Drive.
Thank you!
Mission Moment 11.11.26
Diane McNary
CBF Director for Mission Support Development
The past few years have been a time of change in my life: leaving my home of almost 20 years to return to the land of my birth; changing my job title and learning a new role within CBF Global Missions; learning how to be a “nana” to my grandchildren and how to be a mom to my adult children; caring for parents as they grow older; taking on leadership roles in my local church.
When my children were very young, I would sing to them as I rocked them. I had a “medley” of songs I would sing through over and over. “Jesus Loves the Little Children,” “Jesus Loves Me,” “O How I Love Jesus” and “There’s Something About That Name.” Music has always held an important place in my life. My parents encouraged me with piano and clarinet lessons. I was invited to join the adult choir at church as an early teen and learned to sing alto sitting by Mrs. Connie. Through music, I can find the words to express what I’m feeling.
During a church retreat in 2024, I was introduced to a song by Rory Noland. “Come to Me” feels like a conversation with God. This song comes to me when I need peace and comfort—like comforting my children when they were little ones. Psalm 46:10a reads: “Be still, and know that I am God.” Stop and take time to listen to God as He speaks to you. Maybe you will hear Him through music or scripture or a book you are reading.
Be still.
Prayer
In the quiet, Lord, I come;
Been invited by Your Son.
In the stillness I can hear
Jesus call me near.
Come to me, all you weary and worn.
Come all you heavy hearted.
My beloved child, come away for a while,
And you shall find rest for your soul.
Those refreshing gentle words
Feel like water for my thirst.
With a whisper in my ear
Jesus bids me draw near.
Come to me, all you weary and worn.
Come all you heavy hearted.
My beloved child, come away for a while,
And you shall find rest for your soul.
— (“Come to Me” by Rory Noland)
Giving the Jesus Way
United Christian Ministries is in need of spaghetti.
To donate items, please drop them off at UCM’s building at 191 Skyland Drive.
Thank you!
Mission Moment 11.4.26
Jana Lee
Former Field Personnel in Larnaca, Cyprus
The words to “I Then Shall Live” by the Gaither Vocal Band mean so much to me. I often find myself both singing them and praying them throughout the day. Every line is beautiful, but the final lyric especially stays with me: “May You feed a hungry world through me.”
These words have become a daily prayer and reminder of my purpose. In moments when I feel overwhelmed or uncertain, they re-center my heart and encourage me to simply be willing and available for God to work through me. I’m deeply challenged and comforted by the idea that ven small acts of faithfulness can be used to nourish a hungry world, both physically and spiritually.
Prayer
I then shall live as one who’s been forgiven.
I’ll walk with joy to know my debts are paid.
I know my name is clear before my Father;
I am His child, and I am not afraid.
So greatly pardoned, I’ll forgive my brother;
The law of love I gladly will obey.
I then shall live as one who’s learned compassion.
I’ve been so loved that I’ll risk loving too.
I know how fear builds walls instead of bridges;
I’ll dare to see another’s point of view.
And when relationships demand commitment,
Then I’ll be there to care and follow through.
Your Kingdom come around and through and in me;
Your power and glory, let them shine through me.
Your Hallowed Name, O may I bear with honor,
And may Your living Kingdom come in me.
The Bread of Life, O may I share with honor,
And may You feed a hungry world through me.
Amen, Amen, Amen
– (“I Then Shall Live” by the Gaither Vocal Band)
First Explorers After-School Recap 11.4.26
This week at First Explorers After School, we had a spooktacular fun time in honor of it being Halloween week. On Monday, we had the kids go into four teams to wrap four counselors into a mummy using toilet paper. On Tuesday, Courtney came and did a music and craft class using index cards, crayons, and googly eyes to represent music notes as spooky monsters! On Wednesday, we had RAs, GAs, and Mission Friends, and Mrs. Gaye brought us all pizza since we had been learning about Rome the past month on Wednesdays. On Thursday, Mr. Andrew carved a pumpkin and talked about similarities between pumpkins and the Gospel. And on Friday, we had our big Halloween party filled with games and nutritous and sweet snacks! Overall, it was a super fun and awesome week at First Explorers After School to end October!
First Explorers After-School Recap 10.28.26
This week at First Explorers After School, we had a fall-tastic week! On Monday, we played more of our fun Halloween musical chairs game. On Tuesday, Mrs. Cheryl came and talked to us about pumpkins. She even made pumpkin chocolate chip muffins for us! And she even brought in a giant gourd that Mr. Steve grew in the garden this year. We got to dress the gourd up and give him a name! We learned a lot about pumpkins and also played some fun games! On Wednesday, we had RAs, GAs, and Mission Friends. On Thursday, we revealed the winner of our mummified apples and discovered that salt without the gauze preserved our apple slices the best! And on Friday, we made a spider and a pumpkin craft. Once again, it was another great, fun-filled week at First Explorers After School!
Mission Moment 10.28.26
Lorna Fowler
2026 CBF Summer Intern at Ardmore Baptist
Winston-Salem, North Carolina
I’ll never be more loved than I am right now.
Wasn’t holding You up
So, there’s nothing I can do to let You down.
It doesn’t take a trophy to make You proud;
I’ll never be more loved than I am right now.
Going through a storm, but I won’t go down.
I hear Your voice
Carried in the rhythm of the wind to call me out.
You would cross an ocean so I wouldn’t drown.
You’ve never been closer than You are right now.
(Let’s sing it loud, y’all!)
You are Jireh, You are enough.
Jireh, You are enough.
And I will be content in every circumstance,
You are Jireh, You are enough.
Forever enough,
Always enough;
More than enough,
Forever enough.
Always enough,
More than enough.
—(Excerpt from “Jireh” by Maverick City Music)
At the end of each day, I like to journal to reflect and pray about the day I have had as well as for what is to come. Looking back on my entries, I find myself returning to a common theme: peace and worth. It is so easy to get caught up in the “noise” of everyday life and to place our individual worth on the outcome of each day. But in reality, our worth is so much greater.
In the difficult times, I find myself turning to music. One line in particular that I carry with me each and every day is: “I’m already loved, more than I could imagine, and that is enough.” The first time I heard the song “Jireh” by Maverick City Music, I was a junior in high school. Now, as a junior in college, I look back and see the moments in which this prayer has given me the strength and peace I needed in that moment, from college applications, the chaos of senior year, moving away from home, choosing a future career path and the daily expectations and comparisons that come with being a college student. This prayer helps me to ground myself and see that no matter the outcome, we are loved, chosen and worth so much more than we can even begin to fathom.
Prayer
Lord,
Give me peace and calm the noise surrounding me.
Help me remember that my worth is so much greater than the outcome of this day.
Remind me that I am already loved,
more than I can imagine. Amen.
Giving the Jesus Way
United Christian Ministries is in need of spaghetti.
To donate items, please drop them off at UCM’s building at 191 Skyland Drive.
Thank you!
First Explorers After-School Recap 10.21.26
This was a fun but short week at First Explorers After School because the kids were still on fall break on Monday and Tuesday. So we begin our week of fun on Wednesday where we had RAs, GAs, and Mission Friends. On Thursday, we began a science experiment similar to the one we did a few weeks back with the candy corn. The main difference between that experiment and this week’s experiment was instead of dissolving our food, we were preserving it! So we took apple slices and divided them into small plastic cups. Each cup had a different ingredient sprinkled on the apple slice in an attempt to preserve the fruit long enough to see our results for next Thursday. One apple slice had salt, another sugar, the other baking soda, and finally one had vinegar. In addition, we repeated the same ingredients on the apple slices but with gauze covered around it to see if that would make a difference. But before that we had to start with a plain apple slice with nothing on it to see what would happen if we just left the fruit out completely exposed to the room. I’ll update on our findings in next week’s Church Chimes’ report!
And finally on Friday, we had the kids create a spider craft using markers and googly eyes on a paper plate. Mr. Andrew also worked at the Scott’s Creek Fall Festival on Friday night handing out candy and flyers for our First Explorers After School and Summer Camp and invited the kids and parents to attend our program and church. There are still quite a few flyers for our after school and summer camp programs left. If you would like to take some to hand out to anyone, please speak with Mr. Andrew this week. Also, if you’re working the Sylva main street Treat Street on Halloween night and would like to pass out flyers, please let Mr. Andrew know and he can give those to you. Overall, it was a fun week despite only having three days of After School!
