The church office will be open next week
on Wednesday and Thursday, December 27 & 28,
from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Merry Christmas!
Mission Moment 12.27.23
Deirdre Jonese Austin
Author, minister and member of CBF’s Pan African Koinonia,
North Carolina
Who is God?
What is God?
Where is God?
These are questions on which I reflect as I read my Bible alongside Alice Walker’s The Color Purple.
When I read my Bible alongside the literary works of Alice Walker, a writer, poet and activist, I am invited to encounter an expansive God. This is a God who is everywhere and in everything—the people around me, the trees, the color purple. Walker writes, “God is inside you and inside everybody else. You come into the world with God. But only them that search for it inside find it. And sometimes it just manifests itself even if you not looking, or don’t know what you looking for.”
As a minister whose work focuses on Black women, I think it is important that we can find God in ourselves and in each other. This is because it challenges an image of God that has been used to justify our oppression, the God of the slave owners and white supremacists, the God of those who perpetuate gender-based violence, the God of those who seek to rob women of their call and the other images of God that are harmful and death-dealing to our bodies, spirits and humanity. We can affirm that the violence we experience and that was experienced by our ancestors is not God; God is not the cause of our pain, violence and suffering. God does not have to look like our oppressors, but God also does not have to look like us.
Walker writes, “God is different to us now, after all these years in Africa. More spirit than ever before, and more internal. Most people think he has to look like something or someone—a roofleaf or Christ—but we don’t. And not being tied to what God looks like, frees us.” We can see God in ourselves and in those around us. Seeing the imago dei in others mandates that we love others, that we love our neighbors as ourselves. And yet, seeing God in everything mandates that we not only love other humans, but that we love and care for all of creation. When we see the image of God in our neighbors, we won’t harm them. When we see the image of God in nature, we will work to preserve and conserve it. Alice Walker calls us to continue the justice work of Jesus in calling out harm and promoting an ethic of radical love for all of creation.
Pastor Transition Letter to FBCS Members
from Linda Minor, Chair of Deacons
Dear Church Family,
As we continue in our transition to a new pastor, we are entering the time where we will worship through five weeks of “pulpit supply.” We have published the names and dates in previous Chimes and encourage you to support these guest pastors by attending Sunday morning services (see schedule below). There will be no Wednesday evening meals/programs during this time of pulpit supply. Choir practice will continue as regularly scheduled.
12/31/23
Dr. Rev. Wanda Kidd
1/7/24
Dr. Rev. Joe Yelton
1/14/24
Dr. Rev. Dr. Steve Harmon
1/21/24
Rev. Doug Murray
1/28/24
Dr. Rev. John Tagliarini
The process of discerning and calling a new pastor will be an exciting opportunity in the life of First Baptist Church. By following the best practices as shared by CBF-NC, the search process will create opportunities for reflection, creativity and growth. As we plan together, we will explore new ways of reaching others for Christ. Please be on the lookout for invitations to participate.
Immediately upcoming activities are listed below:
1. Calling an Interim Pastor (anticipated to be announced on January 21)
2. Deacon selection process for the upcoming Church year (anticipated to begin mid-January)
3. Church leadership selection team (anticipated to begin mid-February)
4. Pastor search committee formation (anticipated to begin late January)
As a congregation, we believe in prayer. Please join me in praying every day—
• To seek wisdom and guidance
• To have open hearts and open minds
• To listen for the direction of the Holy Spirit
• To practice patience with one another as we are all different
• To not hurry through the process for it will take time;
• To be strong so that we can persevere to the end and then beyond.
In His name,
Linda Minor
Chair, Board of Deacons
“For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11
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!
This Sunday’s Guest Preacher
The Rev. Dr. Wanda Kidd will be our guest pastor for Sunday morning, December 31. She lives in Mars Hill, NC with her husband, Dan. She has served in several churches as a youth and children’s minister in both Darlington, SC and Jackson County, NC. She worked at Mars Hill College with the Service Learning program and at Western Carolina University as the Baptist campus minister. She served with the CBF as the specialist for collegiate ministry and worked for the CBFNC as coordinator of collegiate engagement.
The Rev. Dr. Wanda Kidd is originally from Hillsborough, NC and attended school at WCU, earning a degree in home economics. She attended Southeastern Theological Seminary at Wake Forest and earned a Masters of Divinity and Religious Education followed by a Doctorate of Ministry awarded by Drew University. Please join us in welcoming her!
"Let Heaven and Nature Sing" Was a Resounding Success!
Royal Ambassadors Needs Leader
We are still in need of a leader for Royal Ambassadors. Please be in prayer that someone will come forward to teach these wonderful boys.
Send Us Your Prayer List Updates
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.
Let Heaven and Nature Sing! TONIGHT
You are invited to a wonderful celebration of the true meaning of Christmas on TONIGHT, December 20, at 6;00 p.m., in the MFC. 1st Explorers and children of the church are working hard to prepare for an outstanding hour of skits, Scripture reading, and music. “Let Heaven and Nature Sing” will make you want to sing along with the enthusiastic voices of our children. Please come! Doors open at 5:45 p.m.
Christmas Eve Service
Begin your family’s Christmas celebration with the story of Christ’s birth! Join us on December 24th for our Christmas Eve Candlelight Service. Come early at 5:00 PM to light a candle in the windows in memory of a loved one and to hear Christmas music before the service. Then, beginning at 5:30 PM, our family-friendly service will capture the wonder of Christmas with familiar carols, the retelling of the Christmas story, and the glow of candlelight. Afterward, gather your family in front of our beautifully decorated Christmas tree for a classic holiday photo. Don’t miss this opportunity to create lifelong memories with your entire family!