The Spring Church Conference will be on Wednesday, April 26 at 6:00 PM. Bring a potluck meal to share and we’ll have dinner together beginning at 5:30 PM in the Mission and Fellowship Center.
Sunday School and Childcare is Available!
Mission Moment 4.5.23
Rev. Ashley Mangrum
Assistant Chaplain for Pastoral Care and Interfaith Support
at the University of the South in Sewanee, TN
Dense fog is not uncommon on the mountain where I live. (Actually, it’s not a mountain; it’s a plateau. But those who live in Sewanee, Tennessee affectionately call it The Mountain.) The thickest fog I have ever seen rolled into Sewanee a few minutes before a meeting of Grief Circle (a grief support group I facilitate on the campus of the University of the South) was to begin. I pivoted from the material I had prepared for the day and, instead, led the group outside to experience the fog.
I guided the group in a walking meditation in which we practiced putting one foot in front of the other—even when we could not see the path ahead. We went slowly, but kept going. We named our feelings of disorientation and fear. We came to appreciate what we could see—the dulled outline of a tree, the green hues of the moss that somehow seemed brighter on the stones at our feet—even while acknowledging what we could not. We talked about what we could not see but knew was there. We paid attention to the sounds—or lack thereof—and the way our bodies, minds and spirits felt as we made our way through the fog. It was the perfect metaphor for grief. Experiencing the fog in this way enabled the participants to talk about the dense and heavy grief through which they were walking.
Recently, I’ve found myself in a time of uncertainty as I moved with my family from rural middle Tennessee to the Boston area. I imagine many of you can relate to the unknowing and resulting fear that come with a major life transition. Where will we live? What shape will my calling take in this new place? What is best for our children?
I am surrounded by a thick cloud of “I-don’t-knows.” It’s much easier and certainly more comfortable to stay put, safe from the discomfort of limited visibility and uncertainty. In this season of uncertainty, prayer has not kept me out of the fog. Prayer has helped me experience the fog more fully and, in doing so, given me the space to process it. Stepping into the fog, into the unknowing, has been an act of prayer. Putting one foot in front of the other, moving forward despite not being able to see, is prayer. Allowing myself to simply be in the thick of it—in whatever spiritual or emotional fog that has rolled in—is prayer. It’s acknowledging that which I cannot see, but know is there just beyond my line of vision.
PRAY . . . GIVE . . . GO . . .
Grateful for Newness of Life
I am thankful for the transformed and flowered cross that proclaimed, "Christ is Risen!" from our front steps to our community this week.
I am grateful for the children and college students who play and laugh together on our church's front lawn each weekday afternoon.
I am thankful for our church family who plays in the dirt and helps make our campus beautiful with flowers too many to name.
I am thankful for efforts to support the United Christian Ministries, Homebase at WCU, and literacy among the children in our After School Ministry.
I am thankful for our church sanctuary's simple beauty and rich history.
I am grateful for men who build ramps for those who would otherwise have difficulty getting in and out of their homes.
I am thankful for the long-distance views of forested mountainsides and tucked-away coves.
I am grateful for the wisdom of parents, grandparents, seniors, and elders as they have seen and experienced more life than I have.
I am grateful for those who want to share their lives and are willing to be on the path of transformation.
I am thankful for those who manage the technical elements involved in our church worship offerings.
I am thankful for the Pastoral Care Team and their countless notes, text messages, phone calls, and visits to our church and community.
I am grateful for our recent trip to Holguin, Cuba, and our partnership with Pastor Ernesto and Kerygma Baptist Church.
I am thankful for church leaders who serve and volunteer in unseen ways to improve and strengthen our church and community.
I am grateful for the friendly faces and the warmth of familiar strangers on Main Street and Bridge Park.
I am thankful for growing Sunday School Classes.
I am grateful for the men who will host our upcoming Men's Breakfast.
I am thankful for the rain, tumbling creeks, and waterfalls in our mountains.
I am thankful for the melody of fellowship when we pass the peace of Christ in our worship service.
I am thankful for individuals who are generous with their time, energy, and resources.
I am grateful for a church that gives others the benefit of the doubt.
I am thankful for the warmth of holding the hand of someone experiencing a season of grief in their life.
I am grateful for a church that practices forgiveness, patience, mercy, and grace.
I am thankful for coffee.
I am grateful for youth retreats, egg hunts, and children who visit our church's homebound families.
I am thankful to learn how our church members are forming new friendships with one another over lunch, at the movies, and local conferences.
I am grateful when guests report how they experienced hospitality, kindness, and love when worshipping with us.
I am thankful for technology that has enabled us to broaden our reach.
I am thankful for our servant leaders who work tirelessly behind the scenes to fix commodes, manage finances, decorate the church sanctuary, hold weighty questions, prepare meals for baseball teams, and ask: "How can I help?"
I am grateful for the passion and energy I see among our church family to do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with God daily.
I am thankful for the old courthouse--now a library, presiding on a hill set against a glorious blue sky.
I am grateful for a church staff who serves and leads with faithfulness and good cheer.
These are but a few of the things I am grateful for today. What does your list look like?
Giving the Jesus Way
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!
United Christian Ministries' Director Retiring in May
Our executive director, Karen Johnson, is retiring (again) at the end of May. We are so thankful for the time, energy, and love that she has poured into UCM in her years here. Her departure means that we are interviewing for a new executive director. If you know of anyone seeking work with a heart for ministry, please refer them to us!
The executive director position is permanent, part-time (30 hours per week). The director oversees all aspects of the food pantry, financial assistance programs, operational procedures, budgeting, etc., and supervises paid staff and our wonderful group of volunteers (about 40!). Applicants may submit a resume to chairucm1@gmail.com.
Acteens, RAs & GAs Mission for Cuba!
Acteens, RA’s and GA’s are getting ready to do a mission for Cuba on Saturday, April 22 at the Greening of the Mountains festival at the front of our church. They are selling flower pots that they painted themselves, jewelry they have made, and there will be a large bake sale. All proceeds will go to our sister church in Cuba. Please help us by making bake sale items and bringing them by the church on Friday, April 21. You can leave them in the small kitchen across from the gathering room. Not only is this important for our sister church, but it is important that our children know what missions means to our congregation and that you support our children’s mission programs. For questions, call Gaye Buchanan at 828-506-3270. Thank you!
Hurray for Our Nursery Workers of the Week!
The mother-daughter team of Melanie and Izzy Joiner shared this photo of snack time in the nursery on Easter Sunday. We thank them for serving in this special ministry to our little ones.
On April 16, Dana Ayers will be in charge of the nursery.
Thank you, Dana, for your help.
There is still room on the schedule to serve “the least of these”
on Sunday mornings. It is a blessing to see their smiles and enthusiasm as you spend
time with our infants, toddlers, and preschoolers.
Please contact Cheryl Beck (cabeck@ncsu.edu) if you would like to help.
Pressing On: a Reflection
Phillipans 3:12-14
12 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
Oftentimes, I feel like I can’t find the words to truly express my prayers to God. I can feel prayers trying to swell up inside of me, but I can’t seem to form the words into a sentence. In those moments, I’m usually quiet and then I try to pray through song. Usually, I sing an old hymn or praise song that I’ve known for years. At other times, I search for new music that might give voice to how I’m feeling inside.
In early January of this year, before our church visited our sister church in Holguin, I was searching for a new song that might give voice to my prayers. I got online and began listening to a variety of songs and then this one started to play here.
Press On
Sung by Keith & Kristyn Getty
Where two or three are gathered
in the name of the Lord
He is here, He is here in our midst
And we will sing together, be renewed by the Word
When we part, may we go in His peace
Press on all you saints, press on ‘til the end
Christ with us, ever with us, until He comes again
Press on all you saints, run and run to win
Christ with us, ever with us, until He comes again
Now let the Word be scattered like
the seed on the soil
Day by day watch it grow in His care
And may you be a shelter as you reach to the lost
Glad in hope, calm in pain, true in prayer
Press on all you saints, press on ‘til the end
Christ with us, ever with us, until He comes again
Press on all you saints, run and run to win
Christ with us, ever with us, until He comes again
And may He find us waiting with
our lamps burning still
Keeping watch through the night, ‘til He comes
For soon it will be morning and the sun will appear
Christ who brought us this far brings us home
Press on all you saints, press on ‘til the end
Christ with us, ever with us, until He comes again
Press on all you saints, run and run to win
Christ with us, ever with us
Until He comes again
Oh, until He comes again
I instantly loved this song and how it gives voice to pressing on, plowing ahead, pushing forward when times seem hard. It’s the best musical expression I’ve ever come across to capture the essence of Philippians 3:14, “I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”
This song is hopeful and honest—grappling with the reality that life is full of challenges that require us to find strength to keep going. What I love most about the song is that the strength is found when we unite together in the love of Christ. The song begins, “Where two or three are gathered in the name of the Lord, He is here in our midst.”
Those singing the song are not singing a song of hope in isolation. They are singing it together. This is how I felt when worshipping in our sister church in Holguin several weeks ago. I felt this sense of shared determination to press on towards the goal of being unified in Christ. This was my second visit to Kerygma Baptist Church and I was delighted to recognize many familiar faces and worship alongside them. The congregation sang in a language I did not understand and yet my heart understood it perfectly.
I especially love a set of lyrics from the second verse of this song, “And may you be a shelter as you reach to the lost. Glad in hope, calm in pain, true in prayer.” Again, I feel like this gives voice to how we can be hopeful in the midst of life’s pain and hardship. I love the idea that collectively we can provide shelter to those who are lost and in need of Christ’s grace and love. That we can collectively be glad in hope, calm in painful circumstances and grounded in prayer. This is the kind of Christ-follower I aspire to be—one who continues to press on, knowing that Christ is with me each step of the way. And that is my prayer for anyone hearing this reflection, that you may also be encouraged to press on with hope, knowing that God is with you each step of the way.
The day after we returned home from our visit to Holguin, I found myself needing to pray, but at a loss for words. On my way to work, I said to God, “God, I need a song right now.” I then I opened up my phone and pushed play on a random station. A song came on that I had never heard before and my heart skipped a beat as I listened here.
Let Us Be Known (Por La Gloria)
By The Porter’s Gate
Que la alegría sea nuestro motor
En cada lugar y corazón canta a el Senor
Que de nuestras vidas, abundar en esperanza
Que la alegría sea nuestro motor
Por la gloria del Padre
Por la gloria del Hijo
Por la gloria del Espíritu
Qua la alegria ser a nuestro motor
Let us be known by our love
Let every word and every deed honor the Son
Let our light shine in every eye
Let us be known by our love
For the glory of the Father
For the glory of the Son
For the glory of the Spirit
Let us be known by our love
It’s exactly the word I needed to hear that day—a reminder that God speaks every language and it’s a language of light and love. These are the two songs I’ve been singing and praying for the past several weeks. Two songs. One of hope— reminding me to press on in hard times. One of love—reminding me (in two languages!) to be known by the love of Christ. I hope the lyrics of these two songs are a blessing to you as they have been a blessing to me. Brothers and sisters, let us press on and let the world know us by our love. Amen.
Holy Week at FBC Sylv
Maundy Thursday Service
Thursday, April 6 | 6:00 p.m.
Join us for a service of remembrance on Thursday, April 6 at 6:00 p.m. in our church sanctuary. We will retell the story of Jesus’s last supper with his disciples, and we will prepare ourselves for the shadow of Jesus’s final journey to Calvary and his death on the cross.
Sunrise Service
Sunday, April 9 | 7:00 a.m. | Bridge Park
We'll gather with our friends from the Methodist and Presbyterian churches at the pavilion in Bridge Park for a Sunrise Service. Please bring a lawn chair and a jacket as we hear the story about the empty tomb at first light on Easter Sunday.
Easter Sunday Worship & Easter Egg Hunt
Sunday, April 9 | 10:30 a.m.
Arrive at church a few minutes before Sunday School to help decorate our cross with freshly cut flowers and greenery from your backyard. Our celebration of the Risen Christ will commence at 10:30 AM, and our children will hunt for eggs in the playground immediately after worship.