The First Baptist News

Equipping and forming disciples of Christ

T h e F i r s t B a p t i s t C h u r c h , H e n d e r s on , N o r t h C a r o l i n a

Church Staff

Ronald S. Cava, Senior Minister

Amy S. Russell, Associate Minister

Mark L. Hopper, Minister of Music

and Organist

David Cole, Associate Minister

of Music and Organist

Tammy Hight, Director of Childhood

Linda O’Brien, Financial Secretary

Tammy Manning, Ministry Support

Coordinator

Amber Jones, Administrative

Support Coordinator

Robert Snow, Custodian

Philip M. Young, Composer-in-

Residence

Marion D. Lark, Senior Pastor

Emeritus

Kari Martin, Pastoral Intern

December 15, 2019 VOLUME

Merry Christmas

Happy New Year FROM THE STAFF OF FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH

In each heart lies a Bethlehem, an inn where we must ultimately answer whether there is room or not.

When we are Bethlehem-bound we experience our own advent in his.

When we are Bethlehem-bound we can no longer look the other way conveniently not seeing stars, not hearing angel voices.

We can no longer excuse ourselves by busily tending our sheep or our kingdoms.

This Advent let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that the Lord has made known to us.

In the midst of shopping sprees let's ponder in our hearts the Gift of Gifts.

Through the tinsel let's look for the gold of the Christmas Star.

In the excitement and confusion, in the merry chaos let's listen for the brush of angels' wings.

This Advent, let's go to Bethlehem and find our kneeling places.

-Ann Weems-

Our First Baptist Christmas card mail center, located in the hallway between the Sue Kelly Library and the Sanctuary,

will be open from

Sunday, December 1st through

Sunday, January 5th

Please be sure to check your box and bring a card for fellow church members!

Any cards remaining in the mail center after

January 5th will be recycled.

Tune in to WIZS Radio on 100.1 FM or 1450 AM to listen to The First Baptist

Church Worship Services

For the month of December, our broadcast will take place at 6:00pm instead of 2:00pm

December 15th: 6:00 - 7:00pm December 22nd: 6:00 - 7:00pm December 29th: 6:00 - 7:00pm

Car ls Sunday, December 22

9:00am Fellowship Hall

Bring a breakfast item to share!

Breakfast and

5:30pm Sanctuary

The First Baptist Church 2020 Proposed Budget has been mailed. If you did not receive one, please contact the church office. There are also copies available around the FBC campus. The Church Conference to approve the budget originally scheduled for December 15 has been moved to Sunday, December 22 prior to Worship.

JoiningGod’sMissionAroundtheWorld

Being the Presence of Christ

Each Advent First Baptist collects an offering for the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship’s Offering for Global Missions (OGM). We collect this offering, in part, because we believe we can do signi icantly more working together with other mission-minded congregations than we can alone. When we give directly to our missionary partners, Jon and Tanya Parks, through our Spring mission offering it goes to support their ministry programming budget. The OGM helps ensure the long-term presence of CBF ield personnel by contributing to their salary, retirement, insurance, housing, and child education support. By contributing to individual missionaries, as well as to the OGM, we are holistically supporting our CBF ield personnel. CBF ield personnel are doing important, gospel-centered work around the world. By giving to this offering we are helping to provide:

Care for children and families around the world Food for the hungry Homes and hospitality for refugees Life-saving medical care

PleaseconsiderwhatyoucangivethisAdventseason.100%oftheOGMgoesdirectlytoCBF ieldpersonnelandwewillcollectthis offering throughoutDecember. Youmay place your checkmarked‘CBFGlobalMissions’intheofferingplateorturnitintothe church of ice. For more information, contact Amy in thechurchof iceorgotowww.cbf.net/OGM.

Children’s After-School Programs Resume

Tuesday, January 7th

and Wednesday, January 8th

Sue Kelly Mission Group Monday, January 6

Noon Fellowship Hall

Evening Mission Fellowship

Monday, January 6 7:00pm

Linda Weaver’s Home

2020 Commitment Cards have been mailed. If you did not receive one, please contact the Church Office. Please prayerfully complete your card and bring it to Worship on Sunday, January 5.

Baptist Women Meetings

We are still in need of volunteers to coordinate a meal and serve guests at our 3rd Sunday Lunches in 2019. The months of August and October are covered, but all other months are open. If you, your family, or your group are able to sign up for a month, please contact the Church Office at (252) 438-3172 or Amy Russell (amyrussell@fbchenderson.net).

Community Service Project Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

January 20, 2020

On January 20, 2020 we have the opportunity to join with other local church and civic groups around Henderson to pack 50,000 meals for Rise Against Hunger at the Vance County Farmer’s Market. Many of us have participated in an event such as this several years ago when Tyler Smoot was our intern. We are asking for 2 things:

1. Volunteer on January 20 to help pack the meals. There are jobs for EVERY person, age 5 to 95! We will need as many volunteers as we can get on this day of service.

2. Donate. The cost of these meals is around $17,000. FBC is pledging $2500.00. We are challenging every group within FBC—Sunday school classes, Baptist Men, WMU Circles, bell groups, and choirs—to donate. Contributions may be made to the church office or in the offering plate with RISE AGAINST HUNGER in the memo line.

Thank you so much and I look forward to seeing you on January 20! Sandra Wiggins Who is Rise Against Hunger? The mission of Rise Against Hunger is to end hunger in our lifetime by providing food and life-changing aid to the world’s most vulnerable and creating a global commitment to mobilize the necessary resources. They seek to do this by providing millions of nutritious meals annually to partners in countries around the world. These partners are best able to address the causes and effects of hunger based on their local presence and expertise. They also address hunger by responding to crises - both natural and man-made and by empowering local communities to improve agricultural methods, business skills, and market access. More information about the organization and specifically about the food packing event can be found at www.riseagainsthunger.org.

Childcare Feasibility Study Update

Over the past several months, the Childcare Feasibility Study Committee has been exploring the feasibility of our church establishing a child care center on our property. The deacons formed this committee at the request of the Land Use Stewardship Task Force. In addition to recommending actions to manage our existing property, the task force prayerfully discerned a need for quality child care in our community. To study our readiness to meet this need, we are centering our inquiry on several important areas for consideration:

1. Cost of renovation or new construction 2. Structures of governance for the childcare program

(extension of our church vs. separate entity with church support)

3. The operational logistics of administering a quality childcare program (finance, personnel, adherence to state regulations, etc.)

4. Availability of grants and/or subsidies to offset cost. We are making inquiries at comparable faith-based childcare centers to avail ourselves of specific information that we can use to accurately estimate the level of commitment that this initiative would require from our church members. Our plan is to report our findings to the deacons in the spring. I ask for your prayers as this is a complex and arduous study. Our committee members are bringing many gifts to bear and, with your prayers, I am confident that our work will yield valuable information to guide our mission in this community. If you have any questions or concerns to share about this study, please contact me (dwestbrook7@gmail.com). David Westbrook

Mobile Meals Drivers

Needed for ACTS ACTS has two openings for volunteers who may be interested in delivering meals to homes of people who are homebound due to age or

disability, or both. All homes are within the city limits of Henderson. Volunteers would need to provide their own vehicle and gas. The meals would need to be picked up by 10:00am on your given day at the new ACTS location (201 S. William Street) and it takes approximately an hour and half to deliver them. The current available days are Monday, Tuesday, or Thursday. For more information, please contact the Executive Director of ACTS, Lee Anne Peoples, at lapeoples@actsofhenderson.org.

Tickets can be purchased from Linda Weaver or Connie Markham.

Would make great stocking stuffers!

The Church Office will be closed Tuesday, December 24

through Friday, December 27

and Wednesday, January 1

Jane Baker Johnny Bowen Ernest Breedlove Peggy Y. Bryan (sister of Nancy Noel and Bud Young) Lisa Byrom Anne Coghill Bettie Core Sam Dickerson Emma Lee Dickie Danny Edwards (Ruth Hartsell’s son-in-law) Becky Faucette Ruth Hartsell Mike Inscoe Micki Johnson Marilyn Lassiter Addilene Leonard (Connie Markham’s mother) Jewel Lewis Oscar “Ozzy” Lima (grandson of Steve and Christine Dennis) Veronica Long Jim Markham Amy Mason Bill Mast Ann Mayes Ralph Mayes J. W. Moody Jeanette Stark-Morris Ferebee Pegram Lou Reavis Tommy Richardson Neleh Sandlin Elaine Simmons Lucy Stewart

Names listed in bold have been recently added

SCHEDULE

December 15 Bible Bearer: Finch Cloninger Torch Bearer: Grayson Greenway Davis Faulkner Crucifer: Luke Roberson

December 22 Bible Bearer: Molly Greenway Torch Bearers: Eva Hopper Noah Bean Crucifer: Maddox Long December 29 Bible Bearer: Lillian Cole Torch Bearers: Ella Stewardson Keats Westbrook Crucifer: Gavyn Sandlin January 5 Bible Bearer: Griffin Kirby Torch Bearers: Grayson Greenway Marie Scott White Crucifer: Chapel Westbrook

December Coordinator: Jean Burnette (252) 425-4403

December 15: Shirley Cava and Jeanie James December 22: Becky Thomas and Anna Johnson December 29: Diane Finch and Emma Mooring

Support and Care Weekend Minister on Call:

December 13-15: Amy Russell (404) 272-0882 December 20-22: Ron Cava (252) 432-3656

December 27-29: Amy Russell (404) 272-0882 January 3-5: Ron Cava (252) 432-3656

Deacons on Call: December 15-21: Sarah Lloyd (252) 432-1966

December 22-28: Ruxton Bobbitt (252) 430-9018 December 29-January 4: Bob Lloyd (252) 430-9601

January 5-11: Betty Boyd (252) 432-3967

Worship

Sunday, December 15 Third Sunday in Advent

Morning Worship—11:00am The Scripture: Isaiah 35:1-10

The Sermon: The Advent of Abundance by Amy Russell The Offertory Anthem: “Springs in the Desert” (Arthur B. Jennings)

Music by the Chancel Choir with tenor Lee Faulkner

Sunday, December 22 Fourth Sunday in Advent

Morning Worship—11:00am The Scripture: Matthew 1:18-25

The Sermon: De-centered Love by Kari Martin The Offertory Anthem: “What Shall We Bring” (arr. Philip M. Young)

Music by trumpeters Michael Brotherton and Ben Reyes, French Hornist Mitch Hopper, trombonists Andrew Kleindenst and Jack Hopper, tubist Stephen

Whisnant, percussionists Robert Hopper and Saylor Gray, the Girls Ensemble, and the Chancel Choir

Tuesday, December 24

Christmas Eve Sanctuary

The Sermon: Christ in Our Day by Ron Cava Music by soprano Saylor Gray, the Youth Choir, and the Chancel Choir with

soprano Maggie Clark and tenor Andy Dickerson

Christmastide and Epiphany Worship Sunday, December 29

First Sunday in Christmastide Morning Worship—11:00am

The Scripture: Matthew 2:13-23 The Sermon: Christ Shall Live by Ron Cava

The Offertory: “Cold December Flies Away” (arr. Dale Wood)

Sunday, January 5 Epiphany Sunday

Morning Worship—11:00am The Sermon by Amy Russell

Music by the Evening Adult Ringers and the Chancel Choir

Opportunities for Worship and Service: December 5—January 11

Sunday, 12/15

9:15 AM 9:30 9:45

10:30 11:00 Noon

Pre-Sunday School Fellowship Sue Kelly Library Open Sunday School The Bell Ringers at Duke Chapel Morning Worship 3rd Sunday Lunch Ministry

Monday, 12/16 6:00 PM Christmas Food Box Distribution

Wednesday, 12/18 5:10 PM

6:10 7:30

Girls Ensemble Rehearsal Youth Choir Rehearsal Evening Ringers Rehearsal

Thursday, 12/19 7:30 PM Chancel Choir Rehearsal

Sunday, 12/22 9:00 AM

9:15 11:00

Breakfast and Carols Sue Kelly Library Open Morning Worship

Tuesday, 12/24 Church Office Closed

5:30 PM Christmas Eve Service

Wednesday, 12/25 Merry Christmas!

Thursday, 12/26 Church Office Closed

Friday, 12/27 Church Office Closed

Sunday, 12/29 9:15 AM

9:15 9:45

11:00

Pre-Sunday School Fellowship Sue Kelly Library Open Sunday School Morning Worship

Wednesday, 1/1 Church Office Closed

Sunday, 1/5

8:30 AM 9:15 9:15 9:45

11:00 6:00 PM

6:00

Childcare Feasibility Study Group Pre-Sunday School Fellowship Sue Kelly Library Open Sunday School Morning Worship Middle School Youth Meeting High School Youth Meeting

Monday, 1/6 Noon 7:00 PM

Sue Kelly Mission Group Evening Mission Fellowship

Tuesday, 1/7 3:00 PM

5:00

Children’s After-School Programs (1st-3rd Grades) and Preschool Mission Friends Pickup for Preschoolers and 1st-3rd Graders

Wednesday, 1/8

3:00 PM 5:10 5:45 6:10 7:30

Children’s After-School Programs (4th-6th Grades) Girls Ensemble Rehearsal Pickup for 4th-6th Graders Youth Choir Rehearsal Evening Ringers Rehearsal

Thursday, 1/9 9:30 AM

10:00 7:30 PM

Prayer Shawl Ministry Meeting Second Thursday Food Bank Distribution Chancel Choir Rehearsal

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