If you’re looking for a way to support our 1st Explorers Ministry, please consider checking out our Amazon wishlist! Thank you to everyone who helps to make our Children’s programs so great!
You can access our wishlist at this link: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/LKIDY053QS5O?&sort=default
Our SHINE Children’s Ministry will start back this Wednesday, January 9th. SHINE is an opportunity for our children to learn how to praise God by singing, acting, dancing, and creating art to be used in ministry and worship.
SHINE proudly presents
Rockin’ Royal Christmas!!
Mystery! Music! Drama! When King Herod sends Sherlock Watson to find out why the kings from the East did not return to him, we discover, along with Sherlock, that Jesus is the King of Kings, and if we believe in Him, we answer to a higher calling than to any king on earth.
Wednesday, December 12, 2018
6:00 pm
Mission and Fellowship Center
This month's Parents Night Out Care will be on Friday, December 14th from 5:30 - 9:00 PM. Sign up on our website at: http://firstbaptistsylva.com/giving/
Gaye Buchanan teaches our 4-year-old Wee Explorers Preschool class.
I serve in Wee Explorers because working with children makes me happy. I was already volunteering on Wednesdays with children at the church in first through fifth grades and enjoying it. I saw the Wee Explorers job advertised in the Sylva Herald and felt instantly that God had led me to it. I wanted something part-time and I love children so it was a perfect fit.
I love the age group (4 yrs) because they are small enough to be hilarious and old enough to teach. I left 2 hours early today for a funeral and they all had to hug me goodbye before I could leave! My grandchildren all live away from here so it also fills a void in my life.
On October 25th, 1st Explorers will participate in National Lights on After School Day. We will be sharing various projects and videos in the Mission and Fellowship Center beginning at 4:00 PM. Additionally, we will be receiving a proclamation from the Town of Sylva acknowledging our work! Please join us on October 25th as we celebrate After School!
On Saturday, September 22, we will be painting and updating the baby nursery. With so many babies in our fellowship we believe it is vital to make that area safe, clean and fresh. We will begin at 9:00 AM. If you are willing and able to come help with this task, please contact Afton Stout or Carol Cloer and let them know you are coming. We also need some assistance on Wednesday night, September 19 around 7:00 to move furniture out of that room in preparation for Saturday.
Your family is invited to come and take part in our Sylva 1st Wednesday evening programs. There is something for everyone! Our Wednesday night programs will resume on August 22. Supper will be provided (youth and children eat for FREE!) at 5:30 PM followed at 6:00 PM by Mission Friends for Pre-K and Kindergarten and our SHINE ministry for grades 1-6. 7th – 12th Graders will participate in Youth Group and programs designed for their age level.
Fun Times together!
SHINE, for grades 1-6, includes children’s choir, drama class and a liturgical dance class. The “SHINE” ministry is designed to help children learn to actively participate in worship through these disciplines. These groups assist in leading worship on Sunday morning from time to time as a part of their spiritual development. This is a time packed full of fellowship and working together to learn how we praise God through different elements of worship, with the focus on music, drama, creative movement and art.
Mission Friends is a time for our Pre-K and kindergarteners to learn about how Christians are spreading God’s word around the globe and in our own country. They will learn to pray for these missionaries and find ways that they can help with some of those ministries. It is an opportunity for them to learn and take part in supporting mission efforts around the world.
Learning with friends
After supper, Youth in grades 7-12 will participate in Youth Group which includes Bible Study, creative worship, game nights, discipleship, and chances to participate in ministry to others. All this is designed to build community and provide spiritual growth for those in their teen years. This time is informal, and questions are encouraged. The teen years are a time of searching and becoming the adults they will be. A safe place to ask questions about faith and spiritual growth is essential as they grow in their own walks with Christ.
Wrapping presents for a Christmas project
And, of course, there is also an Adult Bible Study which meets in the Mission and Fellowship Center immediately following our prayer time at 6:00 PM. Our Bible Study provides parents and other adults a chance to go deeper into scripture, searching out the truths that shape our faith. There is truly something for everyone in the family!
We invite you to make this time a priority for your family as we grow together as a community of faith!
Mission education for our school aged children and youth begins at 4:30. R.A.s (Royal Ambassadors) is for boys in grades 1-6 and G.A.s (Girls in Action) is for girls grades 1-6. Like our Mission friends, they will be learning how to pray for and support missionaries at home and abroad. These groups also engage in activities that allow them to participate in missions through local projects and collecting money and supplies for missionaries in other places.
At the same 4:30 time slot, the youth participate in their own mission education experince. Through Acteens or Youth on Mission, youth grades 7-12 learn about our mission endeavors, and how to pray for our missionaries. They will also actively participate in mission projects both local and around our state.
Kelly and I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who contributed to the Passport offering this year. Your contributions will help fund some very important ministries! Kelly and I divided the bottles between the youth and the children. The youth ended up donating $379.00 to the Passport offering. The total collected at Passport Choices in Greensboro was $1,327.00. There were 11 churches contributing and 28.5% of that offering came from FBC Sylva! The children donated $408.00 in Montreat. The total collected in Montreat was a little over $1,600.00 and roughly 25% of that came from FBC Sylva. There is also a little more (roughly $100) that was in the bottles as checks written to the church. These will be sent on to Passport as an additional offering. Thank you all so much for your willingness to help with these mission offerings. Your generosity will go far in ministering to those in need.
- Carol Cloer