If you would like to provide flowers in the sanctuary for Sunday morning services, please contact Gwen Messer at 828-506-8370, or Janice in the church office to be placed on the calendar.
1st Explorers / Pen Pals Event
In their last week with After School for the 2022–23 school year, 1st Explorers enjoyed music on Monday with Diane Shallote, Chapel with Cheryl Beck and Mike Taylor, and the science of making homemade ice cream on Tuesday with Emily Taylor. “Wonderful Water Day” on the last day of school was super fun! We are looking forward to next year already.
Join Us for Worship!
Join us for worship on Sunday morning at 10:30 a.m. in the sanctuary! Also join us for Sunday School at 9:30 a.m. for all ages!
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.
Vacation Bible School
This week the youth are participating in our community VBS. However, youth Bible school may look a little different than you might expect. We are engaged in acts of service in our community. Tuesday we worked in the Community Garden weeding, mulching and harvesting vegetables. Check out that harvest! Other points of service this week include cleaning and sanitizing at Community Table, cleaning and organizing supplies at Homebase at WCU, and stocking shelves at United Christian Ministries. Youth learning to serve others: great lessons for VBS!
Pizza & Movie Night for Wednesday June 21
During the week between VBS and Passport, we will have a Wednesday evening event night, in the MFC. The Methodist Church youth group will be joining us that evening! Maggie and I are looking forward to some great work together during Bible School and we want to continue that with some great fellowship together that following week. Be sure to let us know you will be coming so that we can plan accordingly. We hope to make these joint meetings a regular event in the future. We do need to get a count so that we know how much food to order. Send an email to fbcsylvayouth@gmail.com to let us know you are coming. Put your name in the body of the email and send it back. If you plan to bring a friend, give us their name, too!
Hurray for Our Nursery Workers of the Week!
We appreciate Vanessa Bryson and David McDonald serving in the nursery on short notice last Sunday. They said they enjoyed being with the little boys who were there.
Next Sunday, June 18, Sandi Allen is in charge of the nursery. Thank you, Sandi.
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.
Hurray for Our Nursery Workers of the Week!
Hurray for Brooke Dills and Lucie Moore who were on duty in the nursery last Sunday! They did a good job.
On June 11, we are short staffed for the nursery. If you can help out that day, please let Cheryl Beck know.
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.
1st Explorers After-School Ministry Update
The week of May 25th saw 1st Explorers once again learning and having fun. The Book Buddies Program ended on Tuesday and each child in the program received a book picked out for them and some other goodies. Emily Taylor continued her science study of bees and shared how different pollens produce different flavors of honey. She brought a variety of honey for the students and staff to taste and compare. Yummy!
RAs and GAs ended their year with a bang on Wednesday. The RAs played a relay game with a small cup and a wiffle ball. It was a close race! There were enough cream sandwiches for the winning team The winners took a vote and decided to sacrifice half of their winnings with the other team. Pastor Jeff tied in the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus laying down his life for our salvation with the sacrifice of the winning team. Then, as all the boys waited excitedly for their half of an ice cream sandwich, Pastor Jeff came back with a whole ice cream sandwich for everyone! Oh, the joy on all the boys’ faces!
The GAs celebrated with an exciting party that included painting birdhouses, lots of laughs, delicious cupcakes and lime sherbet punch.
On Thursday, the 1st Explorers were treated to a mini concert with Stephanie Dickerson playing the cello and Linda Stewart performing at the piano. The ladies played several songs together and then the students joined in and sang “This Little Light of Mine” and
“B-I-N-G-O. Everyone enjoyed this special time.
Curtis Collins with the Health Department paid his last visit of the school year. He quizzed the students on the topics and activities he had done with them over the year. The amount of information the children retained was impressive. We were blessed with his visits and we look forward to him coming back next year.
Thank you to Karen Frady, Beverly Midgett, and Linda Stewart who volunteered to assist with staffing last week.
Youth Newsletter
Click HERE to view the spring youth newsletter!
Mission Moment 6.7.23
Christine
CBF Field Personnel in Africa/Middle East
It has become my practice to sit out at this table (pictured below) each evening. After my last lesson for the day, like a five-year-old learning to write for the first time, I practice writing my letters. Tracing the lines laid out on the page before me over and over as I learn to write these new letters, learning to turn these unfamiliar patterns into words and sentences and so on. As I write, it is the practice of repetition, the same 28 letters, over and over, one after another.
And as I work, I watch the sun set over the city. My view from the table, situated high along the mountainside offers just a glimpse of the expansive seaside city below peeking through the trees. As I sit, I’ve found myself praying for the city and the country it represents and for its people. For this new place I’m calling home. I think about all that this city has been through. You can feel the heartache rising from below. There is anger and suffering; fear and hopelessness. Despair about what comes next and about how to make things better for the next generation.
This city, one of the oldest in the world, has a history that is rich with culture and character. For generations, literally thousands of years, it has offered its wealth and energy, its creative and hospitable spirit, its tenacity and its vibrant colors to the world.
I find myself praying for peace, within and without; for clarity and wise leadership; for justice and freedom from corruption; for reconciliation across nationalities and religious divisions; for clean water and food to eat; for opportunities to work and be treated with dignity. I am praying for God’s presence to be felt in real and tangible ways. I pray for a hopeful encounter with God who whispers over and over to each of us: I will always love you and I will never leave you.
PRAY . . . GIVE . . . GO . . .