FBC Raleigh News • May 5, 2020
FROM THE PASTOR

On behalf of all of the church staff, I want to express a word of appreciation for the many ways in which you have supported us and each other in this challenging time. The best has come out in our church, and we are not surprised, but we are grateful.

As we have tried to adapt the best we know how, working in an empty building that is closed to the public and leading worship in an empty sanctuary, you have appreciated every effort we have made, no matter how limited and imperfect it has been. You have adapted too in the ways you have cared for each other, held meetings through Zoom, sent in your reflections and selfies, and not simply endured but revealed great creativity in spirit. Thank you for doing what you have done and for being who you are!

I also want you to know that the church council is meeting this week for a number of reasons but primarily to begin work on a plan for how we will reopen when we have a blessing to do so from all appropriate authorities. I think we all know by now that it will not simply be a matter of returning to where we were at the beginning of March. We are processing a great deal of helpful information from many sources including local, state, and national government; the CDC; CBF; the American Choral Directors Association; and our own public health experts. We will develop a plan that may need to be adjusted as new information is available, and we will communicate this to you ASAP, but know that we will also trust you to make wise decisions concerning your own health and well-being.

In the end, we will make it through this experience. Not only that, I trust that we will be stronger because of it, more grateful for each other and many small blessings of life, and more deeply connected to God. For these realities, we give thanks, even as we continue to pray for all affected by this pandemic. -Dr. Chapman

CHURCH CONFERENCE SCHEDULE
The 2020 dates for Church Conference will be as follows:
May 20 • August 19 • September 30 • October 28 • November 18 • December 16
WEEK AT A GLANCE • MAY 5-11
All regularly scheduled programming is canceled.
BIBLE VERSES FOR DAILY USE
  • Tuesday, May 5: Psalm 100; Ezekiel 34:23-31; Hebrews 13:20-21
  • Wednesday, May 6: Psalm 100; Jeremiah 23:1-8; Matthew 20:17-28
  • Thursday, May 7: Psalm 31:1-5, 15-16; Genesis 12:1-3; Acts 6:8-15
  • Friday, May 8: Psalm 31:1-5, 15-16; Exodus 3:1-12; Acts 7:1-16
  • Saturday, May 9: Psalm 31:1-5, 15-16; Jeremiah 26:20-24; John 8:48-59
  • Sunday, May 10: Acts 7:55-60; Psalm 31:1-5, 15-16; 1 Peter 2:2-10; John 14:1-14
  • Monday, May 11: Psalm 102:1-17; Exodus 13:17-22; Acts 7:17-40
DEACON ON CALL • MAY 3-9
Britt Cobb 919-801-2500 (m) or 919-782-5984 (h)
NEW CHURCH WEBSITE

Our newly designed church website is officially live! We hope you enjoy the new look, content, and feel of this site. We strove to authentically communicate our identity as a community of faith while creating a visually appealing design. It includes all of the information from our old site with a streamlined design that is more user-friendly. 

New Features:
• Members Hub - This is the one-stop access to all that is going on in the life of our church. Your current login will be the same login for the new site.  In this hub, you’ll find more information on giving, a church calendar, an updated prayer list, and our church directory. For a few days, your login will take you back to the old “member” page while we continue transferring information over. 

• Faster processing - You'll notice that this new site is quicker to load, hopefully creating a less frustrating process of getting the information you need! 

• Content - We did an entire rewrite of all the content from our old site. Our thanks go out to the Website Committee (Jen Foster, Chuck Underwood, Beth Yerxa, Anne Bullard, Sarah David, and Carolyn Dickens) for their team effort and hard work.

A special thank you to Chuck Underwood and Metro Productions  for this beautiful design, and the months of hard work they put into building this new site! There is some content that can only be updated once it is live, so we appreciate your patience as we continue ironing out final pages this week. In the meantime, enjoy! 

For any questions or feedback about the new website, please email Leah.


PICTURES FOR WORSHIP

We are collecting "selfies" of members of the church family. Please take a picture of yourself ( or your household) and email it to Mary Alice by noon on Thursday, May 7. We hope to use them in our livestream worship on Sunday, May 10.
VIRTUAL CENTERPOINT

In case you missed it, in last week's virtual Centerpoint, we heard thoughts and reflections from Bob Bailey, Carol Blanchard, Caroline Davis, Kay Ewell, Sam Ewell, Mary Hauser, Jess & Asher Helms, Jacob Poteat, Nathan Rice, & Frances Shell. We hope you enjoy hearing from members of your church family, as we check in with each other in the weeks to come.

These videoed midweek offerings will include a brief devotional from one of our ministers and contributions from you, our church family, as you respond to weekly prompts. Each Wednesday,  a new virtual Centerpoint will be added to our YouTube channel. The link will be emailed and can also be found on  our website . Our third video will be uploaded tomorrow!
CHURCH OFFICE CLOSED
TO THE PUBLIC

In light of the state-wide "stay at home" order, we have closed the church office to the public for the immediate future. We regret any inconvenience this causes, but we feel like this is another small thing we can do as a church to embrace the requests of community leaders to help limit the spread of COVID-19. We will monitor the answering machine and respond to messages quickly, and we encourage you to contact any of the ministers if you have a pressing need. We have linked each of the ministerial staff member's emails below, so please do not hesitate to reach out with concerns. Chris Chapman , Mary Alice Seals , Trey Davis , Lynn Lingafelt , and Leah Reed .
WAYS TO GIVE

There are several different ways in which you can continue to support the church financially during this time of social distancing. We know many people are facing their own financial challenges right now and have been very generous already, but a number of people have asked how they could support the church while we are unable to gather together physically. Wayne Hager has provided the following answers to this question.

• We continue to receive mail daily. Any gifts mailed to the church will be processed and deposited as soon as possible.
• We will continue to debit bank accounts through auto drafts as we have been instructed by donors.
• If you have set up a recurring donation through one of our electronic options, those donations will continue without interruption unless YOU make a change.
• If you wish to begin electronic giving, please go to this link where each of our options is explained.
• If you are considering a stock gift, please visit this link for instructions. 

If you have any financial or giving-option questions, please email Wayne Hager.
WORSHIP FROM HOME

For the past few weeks, we have invited you to join us at 11am on Sundays for a live stream worship service from our sanctuary. We hope this time of worship brings you an assurance of God's presence and a sense of peace from the comfort of your home.


We want to answer some of the frequently asked questions we are getting as we all learn this new digital worship experience together.

LIVE STREAM FAQs:

Help! I'm not getting the email link to the order of worship and the live stream!
If you are NOT receiving the weekly worship order and link via email, please email Leah. Also, make sure to check your junk/spam, or your promotions folder. We have found that many email servers send Constant Contact (our email provider) communications straight to the spam folder.

Where can I find the link to the worship order and live stream?
The worship order and live stream will always be posted on our website.

Where can I find the YouTube link for the service?
Upcoming and previous services may be accessed on the YouTube Channel named  First Baptist Church Raleigh on Salisbury Street.   Be sure to subscribe to our channel and it will automatically update when you go online to YouTube or use your device app.
Copy this YouTube link into your device browser and save it as a “favorite” for easy access. On your Smart TV, or any device with apps, locate your YouTube app and search for our channel and the Rose Window graphic.

I can't open my worship order and watch the live stream at the same time!
 We suggest you watch the live stream on one device and view the worship order on another device. If you have a printer, you can also print it so you're not juggling two devices. The worship order for the last service will remain in the PDF reader until one for the next service is opened.
COMMUNITY OUTREACH OPPORTUNITIES

Community is in short supply during these uncertain times. We're all longing to reach out, finding ways we can "be" the Church when we're not able to be physically present with one another. We are updating new needs every week and will continue to list them below as an opportunity for you to connect with our downtown Raleigh community.

Donate to InterAct • InterAct is continuing to serve families in our community that are escaping domestic violence. They have urgent needs for the following items listed below.

  • Monetary donations
  • Shelf-stable meals
  • Cleaning supplies
  • Hand soap and sanitizer
  • Toilet paper and paper towels
  • Prepaid mobile phones with loaded minutes

An efficient, contactless way to donate right now is through Amazon! Visit InterAct's Amazon wish list, and ship items directly to their center. Due to COVID-19, InterAct will only be accepting in-kind donations found on our Urgent Needs List. To limit traffic in their building, they are currently not accepting clothing at this time. For questions, contact  donations@interactofwake.org .

If you know of other community outreach opportunities, please email Leah.
AMONG OUR FAMILY
A link to the entire prayer list may be found below.
Please use your church directory for mailing addresses.

APRIL 2020 • MEMORIAL & HONORIFIC GIFTS

Capital Repair & Replacement Fund
In Memory of:
Elizabeth Lee Chamblee

Clothing Ministry Fund
In Memory of:
Penny Frisbie

Day Mission Fund
In Memory of:
Elizabeth Lee Chamblee
Ione Kemp Knight
Dorothy Brown
In Honor of:
Dan & Mary Carol Day

Global Missions Fund
In Memory of:
Sarah Mauldin Hawks

Mike Morris Fellowship Fund
In Honor of:
Hudson Moore
Ashley Prather

THE RECORD WE WROTE
Week of April 28, 2020
Current Week Revenue: $23,742.74
Month-to-Date Revenue: $91,232.10
Year-to-Date Revenue: $565,816.02
Month-to-Date Expenses: $108,114.73
Year-to-Date Expenses: $465,596.98
CBF Global Missions: $14,788.82
SUBMIT A ROSE WINDOW WEEKLY ANNOUNCEMENT

Do you have an announcement that you would like to include in the Rose Window Weekly ? All information must be submitted by Thursday at noon, to be included in the following Tuesday's edition. Just fill out the Google form in the link below, and we'll make sure to include it in next week's publication.



For any questions concerning the Rose Window Weekly ,
contact Leah Reed. Email Leah here.