Dear Congregation,
Thank you so much for your prayers and cards to Norman. By God’s grace and mercy he is doing much better. He’s almost back to his old self. We both still covet your prayers always.
In His service,
Lorie and Norman Meservey
A Note of Thanks
To My Church,
I want to thank everyone in the church for your kindness to my family while Conrad was in Skyland Care Center. Thank you to those who brought him the good chocolate candy which he sure enjoyed so much. The many cards and visits were lovely and he was glad to see each of you. Thank you to those who brought food to the house. Thank you to those who provided the good lunch after the funeral which our families enjoyed. Thank you to those who set up the fellowship hall. The prayers you said for us helped us face our everyday life so much better.
God bless each member of our church. You are so loving and kind. We will always remember how loving and kind you were to us.
Juanita, Karen, and Reagan
Charlie's Challenge
Nursing Home Ministry
First Baptist Church of Sylva has a history of providing worship services for the care facilities of the community. On the first Wednesday of each month, we visit Morning Star Assisted Living at 10 a.m., and go to Skyland following that. The residents there look forward to the message and the music, and mostly, I think that they value the time of greeting before and after the brief services. Most the time, Jeff offers prayer and devotion, and Bob leads music, with Barbara Vance accompanying the hymns. However, many others have contributed to the leadership roles for these services. We try to have several singers there to "make a joyful noise!" (We could really use some help with this--our numbers are down for several reasons.)
In addition to these, our church offers worship on five Sunday afternoons at 2 or 3 p.m. at Morning Star, Skyland, The Hermitage, and Blue Ridge on the Mountain. A team from the Women's Missionary Union (WMU) and the Baptist Men divide these responsibilities, and we do our best to make this a lay ministry project.
This Sunday, January 13, the men will be in charge of the service at 2 at Blue Ridge on the Mountain, and we invite you to join us. You would make some of those folks very happy, if you were to sit next to them during the service. Some have very few people to visit them. To be sure, it wouldn't be anyone's "choice" to live in a care facility. I know that if I were to find myself placed there at some point, I would sincerely appreciate the worship experiences, and those who provided them. Is God calling you to serve Him in this ministry?
Bob Holquist
Coat Drive
The youth are collecting coats. Our goal is to provide some warmth for any in our community who are without a coat this winter. We will also take sweaters, hoodies, and other jackets. So if you have a coat or jacket that you no longer wear, bring it to the Loving Kindness Room. Please make sure that it is laundered before you bring it! We will be collecting coats through Wednesday, the 19th.
Youth Lock-In
We will be having a Youth Lock-In on Friday, December 21st starting at 7 PM in the Mission and Fellowship Center. The youth will be helping to organize and pass out coats collected in the coat drive.
Diaper Drop for the Parhams
You are invited to help celebrate the fast-approaching arrival of Elise and Caleb Parham’s baby boy with a Diaper/Wipes Drop! Diapers (above size 1) and wipes are an appreciated gift. Their two specific needs are a humidifier and a noise machine. There will be a box in the Loving Kindness room to drop gifts off in, or it may be dropped off in the office during office hours.
Christmas Offering
If you're looking for a Christmas gift for a loved one, choose to give a gift in honor or in memory of someone special through our Christmas Offering! The income we receive from this offering will be divided equally between our local mission partners, namely: Jackson County Neighbors in Need, AWAKE, Circles of Hope, and Blue Ridge Health Jackson. When you make a contribution to this Christmas Offering, the church will send an informative–and handsome!–Christmas card to the person you are choosing to honor. Christmas Offering envelopes are available in both the pew racks in our sanctuary and in our church office.
ONE CAN, ONE DOLLAR
How much are you willing to spend to help fill the Children’s Christmas break bags with Spaghettios and Ravioli? We have pledged 450 cans as our donation to this project of United Christian Ministries….feeding the hungry of Jackson County.
Operation Christmas Child Shoeboxes
WMU appreciates your support of Operation Christmas Child! Please return your packed Shoeboxes to the Loving Kindness Room by this Sunday, November 18th. Boxes will be delivered to First Methodist immediately after worship on Sunday.