United Christian Ministries is in need of pasta sauce, ramen, pancake syrup, applesauce (6-pack individual cups), and laundry detergent. To donate items, please drop them off at UCM’s building at 191 Skyland Drive. Thank you!
Women’s Mission Circle to Meet on Tuesday
The Mission Circle will meet Tuesday, January 10, at 10:30 a.m. in the Gathering Room. All ladies of the church are invited to come.
1st Explorers Update
1st Explorers children and staff are enjoying Christmas vacation. The program will resume on January 9.
December 19–21, the last three days before the break, saw a bevy of activity with 1st Explorers. GAs and RAs enjoyed special activities at their weekly meetings. The winners of the Nutcracker Design Contest—a competition between the boys and girls—were announced, and it was a tie! (See photo below, left) The bulb project was checked on before break and the flowers are growing as the photo shows. (See photo below, right)
Volunteer Charlie White penned a special tribute to the 1st Explorers college students staff and each of them received a copy with their Christmas card. Here is the poem Charlie wrote:
COUNSELOR
Young children knowing Jesus in the students they see
Every day of the week, they can learn to be free
Knowing Jesus came down to earth and lived without sin
He was a great example just like these young women and men
They give of their time to work with these youth
In hopes than one day in the future,
These kids know the truth
That life has many choices, good & bad appear every day
They are learning to rely upon Jesus, not what the world has to say
May these young students be blessed for their love and their grace
And helping to lift the future of God’s Human race
Completed toy soldiers!
It was a tie between the girls and the boys.
They both earned bragging rights!!
Update on the bud and vases experiment!
Baked Oatmeal
Ingredients
4 cups milk
2 cups old fashioned oatmeal
1/2 cup dried cherries or craisins
1 diced apple
1/2 cup chopped nuts, walnuts or almonds
1 teaspoon almond extract
1/4 cup brown sugar
Instructions
Use a 2 quart casserole. Mix all together and pour into casserole dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 to 50 minutes. It is done when you shake it and it is pretty firm and the apples are cooked. Serve with cold milk. Reheats well.
– Provided by Judy Wilkey
Baked Oatmeal
Click here to download a printable version. Recipe provided by Gertrude Allen
Provided by Judy Wilkey
Join Us for Worship!
Join us for worship on Sunday morning at 10:30 a.m. in the sanctuary! There is no Sunday school on this Christmas Morning.
The CDC recommends that you wear a mask indoors.
Maximize protection from the Delta variant and prevent possibly spreading it to others.
Our worship service will be streamed online at firstbaptistsylva.com.
Upcoming Acteens Project
The Acteens will be participating in a project for the next two Sundays. On Sunday, January 8, the girls will be going to lunch and then to their leader's home to make chocolate spoons to sell after the church service on January 15. The money will go towards the mission trip to Cuba.
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!
Youth Newsletter
Click HERE to view the spring youth newsletter!
Update From Leo and Sandy James
As we begin 2023 we realize it has been two years since Leo came down with Covid. It has been two years since we have worshipped with you. It has been two years that you as a church family has been praying for him.
Leo continues to heal but still has some days he can’t do anything. His swallowing is almost back to normal and so is his singing voice. We thank you church family for your prayers for healing during his illness and continue to pray for a complete recovery.
We are in Arizona with son, Chris, and his family and will return to NC in March.
We wish for you many blessings in 2023,
–Leo and Sandy James
Careful and Careless
by Dr. Jeff Mathis
I have a knack for caring about the wrong things.
Let me explain.
Several years ago, I received some unexpected counsel from an unusual source. I had an appointment to see my dentist in Asheville because I had a toothache. Confident that I had developed a cavity, I prepared for bad news. Ever sensitive to the dental hygienist and the supervising doctor, I observed my caregivers to snuff out the horrible thing they had found in my mouth.
I was surprised, then, when my dentist sat down at eye level and said that my teeth were fine.
"You don't have any cavities," he told me with a sly grin. "You don't have any decay."
"Really?" I said, wondering what was afoot.
"You're clinching your jaws and grinding your teeth," he reported.
I couldn't understand why he was smiling at me as though he had caught me trying to steal another cookie after supper.
He seemed to be enjoying himself when he asked me, "You're a pastor aren't you?"
It wasn't a question. He had something to tell me. I nodded slightly.
"Let me give you some advice."
Uh oh, I thought. Here it comes.
"Care less," he told me.
"I'm sorry, what?" I sputtered.
"Care less. Your worrying has you clinching and grinding your teeth."
I drove home in silence, weighing the validity of my dentist's unsolicited advice. Is caring less really the answer?
Let's be honest. There's a lot to care about.
When we look at how Jesus navigated the concerns of our world, Jesus was inundated with crises and matters of great concern. The Gospels tell us that Jesus was often fatigued by the crush of the crowds and would take swift action to extricate himself from the masses. Even Jesus's ministry was limited by how much of him there was to go around.
We know this to be true, however: Jesus cared about people. And caring about people is the right thing for which to be care-full. As a result, Jesus shared the burden of his care for others by recruiting disciples to help provide a ministry of compassion and hospitality.
We should care more for people, not less. But how about the amount of misplaced care that we give to that which is far less precious?
If I had to amend my dentist's advice, I would say that we should care less about the less important things. Indeed, we waste time and energy caring about things we cannot and do not control. There's already much to care about. Hence, we should be prudent and wise about what gets and keeps our attention.
To be clear, caring less about the less critical things does not mean we should be careless. In this context, caring less means being circumspect about the energy we expend mentally, spiritually, and physically about the things that occupy our lives.
Being the disciples that Jesus has called us to be means caring. Let's be careful, therefore, to care about the things that matter and to care less about the things that don't and shouldn't.
As for your teeth, see a dentist. You may get a mouthful of advice.