FBC Raleigh News • September 7, 2021
NORTH CAROLINA MISSIONS OFFERING

Our NC Mission Offering helps fund non-profit organizations doing work and providing services in North Carolina. Through the generosity of FBC members, we have already received $6,205 toward our goal of $10,000. The following organizations will receive our offering:

Baptists on Mission Disaster Relief is responding to help those in need in Haywood and surrounding counties from Tropical Storm Fred. Their work site in Canton offers housing, meals, showers, laundry, and great fellowship. Many volunteers are needed in a long-term effort to help people rebuild their lives and get back in their homes after this devastating storm.

Baptist Children’s Homes of North Carolina (BCH) was born in 1885 with the Thomasville Orphanage and later the Kennedy Home in Kinston in 1914. Today, BCH as a nonprofit in 21 statewide locations has added a variety of services to offer help and hope to children, families, single mothers, college students, intellectually/developmentally disabled adults, and aging adults. 

Baptist Retirement Homes is a faith-based, not-for-profit organization with a 70-year legacy of excellence to provide older adults with a second-to-none senior living experience rooted in our core values — honesty, fairness, compassion, cooperation, dependability, humor, kindness, loyalty, patience, and conscientiousness. 

Baptist Hospital (Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist) touches the lives of so many from the smallest child to aging adults. As a nonprofit healthcare organization, it provides the highest quality compassionate care, conducts lifesaving research, and offers leading-edge medical education as well as patient assistance with medical bills.

Thank you for your gifts and prayers for this offering. - Nancy Moore Phillips, WMU Director 
BIBLE VERSES FOR DAILY USE
  • Tuesday, September 7 - Psalm 73:1-20; Proverbs 11:1-31; Hebrews 12:3-13
  • Wednesday, September 8 - Psalm 73:1-20; Proverbs 14:1-9; Matthew 17:14-21
  • Thursday, September 9 - Psalm 19; Proverbs 15:1-17; Hebrews 11:17-22
  • Friday, September 10 - Psalm 19; Proverbs 19:24-29; James 2:17-26
  • Saturday, September 11 - Psalm 19; Proverbs 21:1-17; Matthew 21:23-32
  • Sunday, September 12 - Proverbs 1:20-33 and Psalm 19 or Wisdom of Solomon 7:26 - 8:1; Isaiah 50:4-9a and Psalm 116:1-9; James 3:1-12; Mark 8:27-38
  • Monday, September 13 - Psalm 73:21-28; Proverbs 22:1-21; Romans 3:9-20
DEACON ON CALL
September 5-11 • Matt Bullard (919-605-6887)
WEEK AT A GLANCE • SEPTEMBER 7-13, 2021
Tuesday, September 7
10am Staff Mtg. (CR)
10:45am WMU Group 2 (Springmoor)
7:30pm Pathfinders SS (Zoom)

Wednesday, September 8
Pathfinders Retreat Begins (Caswell; back 9/13)
5pm Meal/Centerpoint
6:45pm Handbell Rehearsal (S Balcony)
7:30pm Adult Choir Rehearsal (Choir Rm.)

Thursday, September 9
7am Band of Brothers (Zoom)
3:30pm Piano Tuning (S)
6:30pm College Group (tbd)
7pm Properties Committee Mtg. (Zoom)
Saturday, September 11
JBC Retreat Begins (Caraway; back 9/12)

Sunday, September 12
9:45am Sunday School
11am Worship (S/YouTube)
11:15am JBC Worship (Off Grounds)
5pm Youth Choir
6pm Youth Supper (FH)
6:30pm Youth Program (FH/Blue Rm.)

Monday, September 13
10am Clothing Ministry
6pm MMIH Rehearsal (S Balcony)
6:15pm Finance Committee Mtg. (Zoom)
ADULT CENTERPOINT IN-PERSON & ZOOM, AS OF SEPTEMBER 1

The Adult Ministries Council has been working on a set of programs for this fall with the theme Celebrating Our Heritage with a View to the Future. Dinner will continue to be from 5-6pm, tailgating style, in the parking lot. If it rains, your family may come inside the building and we'll all spread out between the Fellowship Hall, Lewis lobby, and 301/302. Beginning September 8, we'll return to Wednesday night dinner reservations. You may reserve your spot at this link to the page on the church website or by calling the church office. Let's all try to park along the perimeter of the parking lot, so we can leave our middle spaces for chairs/communal tailgating!

Centerpoint will meet each week from 6:15-7:15pm in the fellowship hall.
• September 8 - Holly Ivel will facilitate a conversation with Sonia Moore and Sabrina Tyndall about the beginning of our clothing ministry and its implications for present and future ministry.
• September 15 - Carolyn Dickens will provide a history of our church buildings.
• September 22 - The Dream Team will facilitate a conversation with various community leaders on the needs and hopes of our downtown neighborhood.
• September 27 - Church Conference (in person and via Zoom)
• October 6 - Glenn Jonas, author of Nurturing the Vision: First Baptist Church, Raleigh 1812-2012 will revisit some of the highlights of our history.
• October 13 - Pastor Emeritus Dan Day will talk about his book, Finding the Gospel: A Pastor’s Disappointment and Discovery, released last fall. Recounting his disappointment with his inherited understanding of the gospel as centered only on the evangelical Plan of Salvation, he explains his discovery of what he terms a "bigger gospel" centered on Jesus’ teaching concerning the Kingdom or Reign of God. The last section of the book is given to some of the changes this new perspective has meant for his thoughts about other topics. Time permitting, Dan may also get into the sequel book, Lively Hope: The Taste of God’s Tomorrow, to be released this fall.
• October 20 - Steve Pressley will talk about his new biography of former FBC pastor Randall Lolley, entitled Randall Lolley: Thanks for the Memories.
• October 27 - Church Conference

JOIN US VIA ZOOM

If you would like to join us from home, we'll have a live broadcast of the Wednesday night adult program via Zoom with this link! To view the speaker throughout the presentation, click the three dots on the right portion of the screen and choose "pin this video." If you would prefer to call in, use 301-715-8592, Meeting ID: 898 5713 6473, Passcode: 390190. We hope this is a helpful way to keep us all connected as we journey forward with Wednesday night programming!
FAMILY PROMISE WEEK COMING SOON

As was the case last September and this past March, Family Promise is continuing to house families experiencing homelessness in their transitional housing apartment building rather than in churches. Two to three families are sharing each apartment. Although housing and transportation are not needed, we will be providing meals the week of September 19-26, and the process will be similar to what we did this past spring.
 
A reminder of what that will look like: 
• First, we are being asked to provide evening meals to individual family units Monday through Friday and to deliver a list of needed breakfast and lunch supplies the Friday before. Family Promise is finding that families have more than enough left-overs for dinners on the weekends.
 • Second, Family Promise will pair us with another church to help share the load. We have not yet been informed of our church partnership but will find out soon. We expect that our friends at Sacred Heart remain committed to working with us and we will reach out to them as well. 
 
Questions you may have:
• Do they need paper-ware? No – families have stocked kitchens.
• What about drinks? Request for drinks will be part of the breakfast/lunch request list. No additional drinks need to be provided with dinner
• Do we need to provide condiments with meals? No – the day center has plenty in stock.
• Costs - our Family Promise budget can cover these meals, so teams volunteering can submit receipts to the church office for reimbursement.
• Where is the day center? The day center is located at 903 Method Road, 27606, just off Western Boulevard.

If you are interested in signing up to support these families, please email Holly Ivel. She will coordinate with you directly, and answer any further questions.
SEPTEMBER MISSION PROJECT

For the month of September, we'll be collecting school supplies for Southeast Raleigh Elementary, which is located about three miles from the church. Please click on this Sign-Up Genius link that will give you a list of the needed supplies and how many of each are requested. We're all happy that children are able to have in-person learning this year and pray that they all stay healthy and have a wonderful year! Your donations may be placed in the marked drawer in the Lewis Building cabinet until the end of September. For questions, please email Anne Cooke.
LEARNING FROM OUR PAST
AS WE LOOK TOWARDS THE FUTURE
 
What a wonderful evening we had last Wednesday night! The room was buzzing as we gathered around tables to share stories about powerful and meaningful experiences at First Baptist and to talk about what in those stories was important to carry into the future. It was a great chance to reconnect and reaffirm the things we love about our church. 

The Dream Team recognizes that not everyone was able to attend on Wednesday. We are in the process of planning several more small, in-person gatherings for our congregants at Springmoor, Whitaker Glen, and the Cypress. If you were unable to attend last Wednesday's program, we will have another in-person gathering on Sunday, September 19, during the Sunday School hour (9:45-10:45am) in the Fellowship Hall, as well as two Zoom sessions at 5pm & 7pm. More information about those sessions will be coming soon! The Dream Team also encourages you to attend, in person or virtually, the Wednesday night programming this fall, as we will be focusing on our church’s heritage, which will continue to help inform our direction going forward.
WEDNESDAY NIGHT CHILDREN'S MUSIC & MISSIONS

Last week, we resumed holding all music and missions programming in person for children! All teachers and children will be masked, and there will be lots of opportunities for hands-on activities involving making music and learning about missions together. For now, we won't be singing but will be exploring music through rhythms, instruments and preparing to play our songs in worship!

Here's our Wednesday night schedule:
5-5:50pm • Supper in the church parking lot (tailgate style!)
6-6:40pm • Music for children (Centerpoint for adults/youth)
6:50-7:30pm • Mission Friends/RAs/GAs (Centerpoint for adults/youth)
Children's Choir Rooms:

Music & Movement (for 3-yr-olds)
Preschool - Room 122

Combined Pre-K/Kindergarten
Preschool - Room 131

Combined Grades 1-5
3rd Floor - Rooms 307 & 311
Children's Missions Rooms:

Mission Friends (3-yr-olds--Pre-K)
Preschool - Room 128

Mission Friends (Kindergarten)
Preschool - Room 131

Younger GAs
2nd Floor - Room 231

Older GAs
2nd Floor - Room 229

RAs
2nd Floor - Room 233
WEDNESDAY NIGHT PARKING

As we gather for our tailgate suppers on Wednesday nights from 5-5:50pm, be on the lookout for three parking spaces on the fence by the playground, that will be reserved for our daycare pick-up. They will be marked with an orange cone and a “Reserved for ITC Pick-Up” sign. Thanks so much for your help in keeping these spots reserved for day care parents as both our day care family and our church family find a way to operate together under our COVID protocol!
PAYMENT METHODS FOR WEDNESDAY NIGHT MEALS

The collection of payment for our Wednesday night meals will differ due to COVID considerations. To cut down on person-to-person contact and the handling of money, we will offer the following options to pay for your meal:

• Cash - exact change placed in the cash box
• Check – made out to First Baptist Church, "Wednesday Meal" in the memo, and placed in the cash box
• The credit card kiosk
• Give+ Mobile App - Visit this link for instructions to get the app for your smartphone.
• Give+ Online through our Website. Visit this link for access.
• PayPal - This PayPal QR Image (below!) will be on the KIOSK or you can use it ahead of time to access PayPal payment for the meal.

For options 3, 4, 5, you will have the option of making your funding source either a credit card or your checking account, and you may make your electronic payment ahead of time. For the immediate future, we are functioning without volunteers to collect money, so this will run completely on the “honor system.”
NEW HANDBELL
PRACTICE SPACE

In order to safely gather and rehearse during the ongoing pandemic, the handbell choir has temporarily moved to the sanctuary balcony (Edenton Street side) for their weekly rehearsals. To reduce this additional demand upon our custodial staff, some of the tables will remain in place from week to week. Thanks to the balcony-sitting folks for their patience. 
PRO SHRED TRUCK
COMING SOON

After the last year, we all have been sorting through file cabinets, cleaning out closets, and probably running across some documents that need to be shredded! The Community Ministries team will be hosting a shredding event on Saturday, September 18, from 9-11am in the church parking lot. We hope you'll make plans to bring your documents, disposing of them in this hassle-free way. There will also be a Toy Joy donation drop-off happening at the same time, so you're invited to bring your toys then too. This is a free event, open to the church and the community - help us spread the word!
RISE AGAINST HUNGER MEAL PACKING

It's that time of year again! We are now seeking volunteers for our annual meal- packing event with Rise Against Hunger on Sunday, October 10, at the Rise warehouse location at 3200 Wellington Court, Suite 111 (near Gresham’s Lake) from 1-3pm. We're asking that everyone wear a mask so that we can do this as safely as possible. Work stations will be set up based on the relationship of our volunteers. Some will work well for family units and others are designed for non-related individuals. There is room for everyone!

To sign up, please go to FBC's Rise Against Hunger website and register. On this site, you can also read more details about safety precautions.

We're looking forward to this opportunity to be in the same room with some of our church family as we do our part to stop world hunger. For questions or more information, please email Nancy Phillips.
TOY JOY UPDATE

Toy Joy planning has begun! Toy Joy is scheduled for November 13 & 14 and will be similar to last year’s format with online shopping and curbside pickup for parents. Please watch for upcoming volunteer sign-ups for those dates and for preparation activities leading up to that weekend. This year we will be accepting gently used books, stuffed animals, games, and toys on scheduled donation days and only on those days. Donation days are being scheduled based on our volunteers’ availability to sort and prep the toys, given current and potential COVID protocols. Please do not bring toys to the church at other times as there is no one to sort them and no place to store them. Mark your calendars for the first donation day, which is on Saturday, September 18, from 9am-12pm.

Please use the following guidelines to prepare your gently used donations:
• Wash all stuffed animals. Please do not donate stuffed animals that are ripped at seams or are still stained after washing.
• Replace and/or remove all dead batteries from toys. If old batteries have corroded in the toy, please do not donate it.
• Make sure puzzles have all pieces. Please tape puzzle boxes to indicate they are complete.
• Make sure games have all pieces, including instructions. You can often find replacement parts on Amazon and instructions can be found online and printed.
• Make sure toys are clean and have any pieces needed to make them complete. This might include instructions, depending on the toy. Toy instructions can often be found online and printed if you no longer have them.
• We will accept Lego and similar sets that are missing pieces, but please let us know so we don’t gift that as a complete set.

We also welcome donations of new toys. Wish lists for Amazon and Walmart will be available soon. Thank you for your continued support of this ministry!
COVID PROTOCOL

In response to the surge in COVID cases with the Delta variant, the increase of break-through cases, the lack of access to vaccines for children, and the fact that the first people vaccinated - and thus the most vulnerable - have passed the peak of their immunity, the risk management team has asked that everyone wear masks at the church at all times other than for staff members in a workspace alone and anyone speaking at the pulpit. This applies to Sunday School classes, choirs singing, and outside groups. Our hope is that we do not have to curtail activities altogether, but that will depend on how things go over the next few weeks. It has been a long and exhausting journey, but we continue to do everything we can to care for one another and benefit the community in which we live.
AAWC'S WEEKLY SCHEDULE

Each week, we post And Also With 'Cue's weekly schedule here in Rose Window Weekly as well as on our Facebook page to let you know our lunch schedule and if there will be outside events on the weekend for you to attend.

Come eat with us this week,
September 7!

Wednesday Lunch - church parking lot (11-1:30pm)
Wednesday Dinner - Trinity Baptist Church
Thursday Lunch - church parking lot (11-1:30pm)
Friday Lunch - church parking lot (11-1:30pm)
Friday Dinner - Neighborhood Event at 3180 Horton Ridge Blvd (5:30-7:45pm)

Do you have an idea about how to give away food in our community? Email Leah!
AMONG OUR FAMILY

A link to the entire prayer list may be found below.
Please use your church directory for mailing addresses.



AUGUST 20201 • MEMORIAL & HONORIFIC GIFTS

Clothing Ministry Fund
In Memory of:
Charles Apperson

Mike Morris Fellowship Fund
In Memory of:
William H. Simpson

First Baptist Church
In Memory of:
William H. Simpson

Joy C. Hager Veteran’s Assistance Fund
In Memory of:
William H. Simpson

Day Mission Fund
In Memory of:
William H. Simpson

Heck Jones Fund
In Memory of:
Jane Spence Doby

Toy Joy
In Honor Of:
Lynn Loomis

Music Fund
In Honor of:
Paul L. Smith

Youth Missions
In Honor of:
Dr. and Mrs. John Rusher
THE RECORD WE WROTE
Week as of September 2, 2021
Current Week Revenue: $2,445.02
Month-to-Date Revenue: $2,445.02
Year-to-Date Revenue: $902,670.71
Month-to-Date Expenses: $7,670.32
Year-to-Date Expenses: $858,493.58
Heck Jones: $5,540.00
NC Missions: $6,205.00
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.