Thank You!
A big “thank you” to G.W. Revis for donating many of Pat’s lovely Christmas decorations to the Church to use in making our Sanctuary so beautiful. The children also used ornaments to decorate the Christmas tree in the MFC. This is a beautiful way to honor Pat’s memory and will be enjoyed for many years. Thank you, G.W.!
Passport Kids Update
If you plan to go to Montreat College for Passportkids, June 30 – July 3, your $100 deposit is due as soon as possible. We have a limited amount of space and want to be sure you get in!
Mission Moment 12.6.23
Lita Sample
CBF Field Personnel in Fremont, CA
Prayers are often said in hopes of asking God for something specific. Sometimes we pray for direction. And a few times, we ask for God to give us a word on what we need to do. This is what I prayed for months before our Easter Egg hunt. How many Afghans will you bring to us at this special event? In my logical mind, I planned for 250 people. I hoped that maybe we would have 200 in total to come. Then, in my doubt, I actually wondered if 100 would come to our Easter event. It was a Christian holiday. Why would they want to come?
As we prepared for the 250, in faith that God would bring that many and as we continued to pray for the Afghans we would invite, God revealed something surprising. God said to prepare for 250 CHILDREN! That would bump up our overall total to hundreds more! We reserved four picnic areas near each other to have a great big grassy area for all the crafts, games, face painting, and six hunts we would have. Halal meat was on the invitation to be sensitive to our Afghan friends. I have seen God work in miraculous ways in bringing people and children to events when we had been unsure. I knew God would work again.
Okay, God, we will be ready. The weeks before the event, as we made so many visits to families, texted, emailed, left flyers, and sent hundreds of invitations, we were encouraged as so many said they would be there. The day of the hunt, we had Afghans pouring into the large picnic areas we had decorated. We loved connecting and serving and seeing the joy on the faces of Afghans who may not have had reason to be joyous in a long time. We had people being prayed over, reading the Christian literature in their own language, hearing the Easter story. It was an amazing day and God was in the midst of it all. At the end of our time, we went home exhausted but happy. We counted the registration cards and the lists of volunteers who signed in to help.
Here’s how God blessed in numbers: 74 volunteers; 8,000 eggs; 103 families; and amazingly—exactly 250 kids and 493 people—all Afghans! God is so good. God must have been delighted to see our amazement at God’s hand. So now, we pray in thanksgiving. Who would have ever guessed that around 500 Afghans would come together to celebrate Easter and hear the good news? Only God could do such an amazing thing and we praise God for His greatness!
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!
Hurray for Our Nursery Workers of the Week!
Thank you, Gaye Buchanan, for working with the children in the nursery last week.
Everyone had a great time!
Beth Moore will be in the nursery on December 10. Thank you, Beth!
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.
Cheese Ball
Ingredients
16 ounces cream cheese
1 small can crushed pineapple, drained
1/4 cup green bell pepper, diced
2 teaspoons onion, chopped
1 teaspoon seasoning salt
1 1/2 cups pecans, chopped
Instructions
Cream together cream cheese and pineapple. Add green pepper, onion, seasoning salt, and 1/2 cup of the pecans. Shape into a ball and cover with remaining pecans.
–Provided by Ruth McConnell
Cheese Ball
Click here to download a printable version.
– Provided by Ruth McConnell
Pastor Transition Letter to FBCS Members
from Linda Minor, Chair of Deacons
Dear Church Family,
Our Deacons, Nancy McConnell (Chair of Personnel) and I continue preparing for church leadership during our time of transition following Jeff’s last service with us on the evening of December 24th and ultimately, offering a call to a new pastor. The whole process of calling a new pastor will take time…time for reflection, evaluation and planning.
With the assistance of CBF-NC, we have learned that this transition time is important for our congregation and should not be rushed. CBF reminds us “Prayer should be at the forefront of every conversation, meeting, interview and decision throughout the search process. It cannot be stated enough that prayer is critical for a healthy search process for all individuals and committee members involved.”
“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
While we cannot predict a timeline for calling a new pastor, we anticipate several phases to the process and are pleased to share with you the planning for what we will call “Phase I—Pulpit Supply Pastors.” Several ministers will be called to preach to us on Sunday mornings. During this time, there will be no Wednesday night church programming. Following are those who will be our Sunday guest pastors (pulpit supply):
12/31/23
Dr. Rev. Wanda Kidd (lives in Mars Hill, NC)
1/7/24
Dr. Rev. Joe Yelton* (lives in Candler, NC)
1/14/24
Dr. Rev. Dr. Steve Harmon* (lives in Shelby, NC)
1/21/24
Rev. Doug Murray (lives in Weaverville, NC)
1/28/24
Dr. Rev. John Tagliarini (lives in Bryson City, NC)
*Please make every effort to be present to hear these ministers as some will be interviewed by the Deacons to become our Interim Pastor.
We welcome your input and continue to ask for prayers that God will lead us over this road of transition together and to the destination that He has already planned for First Baptist Church of Sylva and its members.
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.
Passport — Already?
Believe it or not, it is time to start planning for next summer’s Passportkids! Sylva FBC children grades 3–6 will be at Montreat College, June 30–July 3 for a week of learning, fun, Bible study, and more.
Please register to attend by letting Cheryl Beck know as soon as possible. Space is limited. A $100.00 deposit is due by Friday, December 1. The total cost for camp is still to be determined.