Add this email address to your contacts list on your devices so that our staff and Pastoral Care Team can learn of your prayer requests as quickly as possible. And yes, you may still contact the church office directly at 828-586-2095 to share your prayer concerns, as well.
Hands on Jackson: Thursday, October 12
Hands on Jackson will be on Thursday, October 12, and we will be providing breakfast at 8:00 a.m. in our Mission Fellowship Center. If you are willing to volunteer for one day of community service, please call the church office (828) 586-2095.
Sharing Our Love Through Recipes
Granny’s Sugar Cookies, Buffalo Chicken Dip, Crockpot Lemon Garlic Butter Chicken, and Fried Green Tomatoes. What do they all have in common? They’ve all been recipes that have appeared in the Church Chimes. Since 2021, over 100 mouthwatering casseroles, breads, desserts, and more have been included in the weekly newsletter of Sylva First Baptist Church. You’ve probably tried one or more of them!
How did recipes come to be included in the Chimes? Well, during the height of the COVID pandemic, our church’s WMU was searching for ways to build community, reconnect, and engage our church members. WMU decided that the sharing of favorite recipes was one simple way to work toward this goal. At a time when we were often isolated in our homes, a homey touch shared by a fellow church member was a welcome addition to our church news.
It seems to have worked. I’ve heard folks converse in the hallways about the recipe they saw recently in the Chimes. Just last Sunday, Barbara Vance told me that she had tried my No-Bake Lemon Ice Box Pie and it was really good. Many of the recipes have made their way onto tables at covered dish dinners and picnics.
One of the best things about sharing the recipes comes when someone includes a comment like “This is a family favorite” or “I made these cookies with my grandson – so yummy!” It makes the dish more interesting and offers a glimpse into one’s personal story.
The project has encouraged people of all ages to contribute their favorites – from an elementary school student to a college student, to middle age and seniors. Although the majority have been women, a few men have also contributed, like Guy Hall with his often requested Cinnamon Rolls. It would be great to have more of our male cooks share their culinary specialties.
We’ve even had an international element in our recipes. Adonais Rojas, a member of our sister church in Cuba sent her favorite, Tocinillo del Cielo – “Heaven’s Bacon”, a traditional Spanish recipe for a rich caramel dessert. It was neat to see this cultural exchange take place.
Sharing of recipes is an almost universal ecumenical endeavor. You probably have cookbooks on your shelf from neighboring denominations (as well as the Sylva FBC cookbooks). A quick perusal of some church cookbooks from my collection yielded some interesting titles: Happiness Pie, Turkey in the Sack, and Yankee Spaghetti. Our church friends are creative and good cooks.
I don’t know when the practice of sharing recipes began, but I have to think it could have originated with the early Christians. Imagine sitting around the table with your brothers and sisters in Christ, breaking bread together and someone asks “Who made this delicious bread? Tell me how you did it?” Or, “This fish has an unusual flavor. Did you try a different herb for seasoning?” As you dipped your bread in the communal dish of lentils or hummus, maybe someone comments that they added a little extra olive oil to dress it. With over 1200 references to food in the Bible, you see how there were many opportunities for talking about and sharing food. The fellowship that comes from eating together over good food is a sweet experience.
Thank you for being part of this WMU effort over the last 2 years. Please continue to send your recipes to me or leave them in the Church Office. Add comments about them, bring out your old family stand-bys as well as your new finds. They will become part of the legacy of our church.
Let me close with a statement from my Aunt Nellie’s church cookbook in Graham County that is appropriate for us: “We know each of us will delight in cooking from these recipes, and as we enjoy eating these special dishes, we will rejoice in another way our church people share their love.”
Eight-Week Life Coaching Sessions
Life can be difficult, and challenges present themselves regularly. In the coming weeks of September and October an eight (8) session course will be offered to address the major concerns facing each of us. These will include financial, health, spiritual, personal, social, and retirement planning. Each week a topic of interest in one of these areas will be presented, discussed, and questioned. Attendees will be challenged to address these issues in order to improve their lives and those around them.
The course is free and open to all adults. The first session began Monday, September 11. Each session will continue on Mondays through October at 7:00 p.m. at First Baptist Church Sylva, rear entrance.
The program will be lead by Homer and Marilyn Royals. Both have extensive experience and real life training in each of these areas. Please join us each Monday evening as we provide you with answers to the challenges of this world. If you would like more information contact Homer or Marilyn at 828-293-7786 or cell- 813-469-1400.
Clothing Donations Needed
We have a clothes closet for our students in need at Jackson Community School and are currently in need of belts (both male & female), bras/sports bras in larger sizes (L, XL, 2XL). Also, hot weather clothing such as shorts, short sleeve tops, etc. in larger sizes.
I hope we can collect some donations of these items with the help of our congregation. There will be a collection box in the Loving Kindness Room. Thank you for your consideration. –Brooke Drum
1st Explorers After-School Ministry Update
Melanie Stokely, On-Site Coordinator, says that children and staff spent lots of time outside enjoying the “fall like” weather. Emily Taylor concluded the study and life cycle of sunflowers. Cheryl Beck continued her Chapel talks on young people in the Bible, talking about Daniel. Curtis Collins visited from the Health Department, bringing his Sugar Shock kit.
Thank you to everyone who continue to provide snacks. The Barbers Orchard apples were such a special treat, thanks to Othello Crawford.
The Hospitality Table After Worship Is Back!
Sign up here to provide goodies and beverages on Sunday mornings after worship.
When we are hospitable, our congregation can become a church on the sidewalk after worship while munching on a cookie or sipping fruit punch. Click here and find a Sunday to host our Hospitality Table!
October Birthdays
Mary Anne Roos (Oct. 4)
Judy Seago (Oct. 5)
Karen Monteith (Oct. 8)
Jimmy Hunter (Oct. 16)
Wanda Jones (Oct. 16)
Linda Throgmorton (Oct. 16)
Betty Blanton (Oct. 19)
Charlie White (Oct. 19)
Jay Coward (Oct. 19)
Anne Sellers (Oct. 22)
Janelle Messer (Oct. 27)
Ginger Fullbright (Oct. 29)
Todd Drum (Oct. 30)
Wanda Crawford (Oct. 31)
WMU Missions Corner
Family Resource Center
— Saturday, September 30 | 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. —
The Jackson County NAACP invites you to a scholarship fundraising Salad Supper, which is a fundraiser for the Leroy Jackson Memorial scholarship. Last school year we awarded $3,000 to a graduating Jackson County high school senior. We will have a silent auction and will have a guest speaker: Dr. Myron Jackson. Dr. Myron Moses Jackson is an Assistant Professor of Philosophy and Religion at WCU. Prior to joining WCU he held the Besl Chair of Ethics, Religion, and Society at Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio. Dr. Jackson is widely published in Educational Theory, Dewey Studies, Journal of School & Society, The Pluralist, Essays in the Philosophy of Humanism, and other presses, domestic and international. Entering a twentieth year of teaching at seven institutions, Jackson is a lifelong educator and scholar. His forthcoming book is entitled Ironic American Exceptionalism: An Anatomy of Open Selves.
This fundraiser is for the Leroy Jackson Memorial Scholarship.
$15 / ticket, $7 / ticket minors
www.jacksonncnaacp.org/events for more information and tickets.
*Physical tickets can also be purchased at City Lights Bookstore in Sylva
Family Resource Center, 1528 Webster Rd, Sylva, NC