FBC Raleigh News • March 16, 2021
EASTER WORSHIP

As we approach the one year anniversary of worshiping virtually, we recognize the deep yearning for our congregation to gather in person for worship, in a safe and distanced way. While we are diligently working with the Risk Management team on a plan to be back in the Sanctuary together, we are not quite there yet. Following the CDC and state guidelines, we do feel like it is safe to gather together outdoors in small groups, with masks and social distancing in place. You are invited to join us for worship in person on Easter Sunday, April 4. We will gather for an outdoor service at the Fred Fletcher Park Amphitheater, located at 820 Clay Street in Raleigh. There will be 3 service times - 10:30am, 11:30am, and 12:30pm, and we'll be limiting our numbers to 50 people at each gathering. Sign-up is required to attend, along with masks and social distancing. We will have a 40-minute worship service, with a quick turn-around time for exiting and getting the next group in and settled. Parking is available along street, and there is a parking lot located on Washington Street. Please bring your own chair or blanket to sit on, as chairs will not be provided. No bathrooms will be available on site, so just keep that in mind. Make sure to follow the instructions on the sign-up genius below, so we know the total number of people attending from your family.


For those would prefer to attend virtual worship, we will have a pre-recorded service from the Sanctuary that we will live stream on Easter morning at 11am. This will also be our rain plan, in case our service is canceled due to weather. If the weather looks questionable, we will make a call early on Sunday morning and send out a mass email to keep you informed.

We appreciate your patience and faithfulness over the last year, as we navigate uncharted territory as a community of faith. We are hopeful, and looking forward to an opportunity to gather together as we celebrate the resurrection of our savior!
BIBLE VERSES FOR DAILY USE
  • Tuesday, March 16, 2021: Psalm 107:1-16; Numbers 20:1-13; 1 Corinthians 10:6-13
  • Wednesday, March 17, 2021: Psalm 107:1-16; Isaiah 60:15-22; John 8:12-20
  • Thursday, March 18, 2021: Psalm 51:1-12; Isaiah 30:15-18; Hebrews 4:1-13
  • Friday, March 19, 2021: Psalm 51:1-12; Exodus 30:1-10; Hebrews 4:14-5:4
  • Saturday, March 20, 2021: Psalm 51:1-12; Habakkuk 3:2-13; John 12:1-11
  • Sunday, March 21: Jeremiah 31:31-34; Psalm 51:1-12 or Psalm 119:9-16; Hebrews 5:5-10; John 12:20-33
  • Monday, March 22, 2021: Psalm 119:9-16; Isaiah 43:8-13; 2 Corinthians 3:4-11
DEACON ON CALL • March 14-20
JD Rhodes (919) 815 7468
WEEK AT A GLANCE
Tuesday, March 16
6pm Theology on Tap (Zoom/In-person tbd)
6:15pm Middle School Gathering (Ellis Home)
6:30pm HS Girls Bible Study (Helms Home)
6:30pm HS Boys Bible Study (Carter Home)
7:30pm Pathfinders Sunday School (Zoom)

Wednesday, March 17
5:30pm 1st-5th Grade Boys Music & Missions (Pegram Yard)
6:15pm Centerpoint: Guest Speaker, Rev. Nathan Blake (Zoom)
7pm Youth Movie Night (Teleparty)

Thursday, March 18
7am Band of Brothers (Zoom)
7:30pm College Gathering (Zoom)
Sunday, March 21
10am 6th Grade SS (Gotomeeting.com)
10am 7th & 8th Grade SS (Zoom)
10am HS SS (Zoom/In Person tbd)
10:30am JBC Worship Service/Fellowship (Rms. 301/302)
11am Virtual Worship (YouTube)
2pm 1st & 2nd Grade SS (Zoom)
4pm 3rd-5th Grade SS (Lingafelt Yard)
4pm 3s-Kindergarten SS (Zoom)
5:30pm Deacons Meeting (Zoom)
6:30pm Youth Group (Zoom)

Monday, March 22
7pm Nominating Committee Mtg. (Zoom)
CENTERPOINT
March 17 • 6:15-7:30pm
Rev. Nathan Blake will be leading our time together, discussing relationship challenges during the pandemic. Nathan is a Spiritually-Integrated Psychotherapist specializing in couples therapy and out patient addiction. COVID-19 has had its impact on every area of our life, including those life-giving relationships that we are a part of. Whether it be with a partner, a friend, a church community, or a neighbor, managing relationships have proven to be more difficult over the last year. Join us as we acknowledge the grief of connections lost and learn how we might stay connected to the people that we love. Join us here!

March 24 • 5:30-6:30pm, Church Conference via Zoom
March 31 • No Wednesday night activities/spring break
CHURCH CONFERENCE MINUTES
The February 24 Church Conference minutes are attached below.
HONOR A LOVED ONE
AT EASTER

By paying tribute to a loved one this Easter, you will also support FBC mission teams. With each gift of $10 or more, a portion will be used to prepare a small display of lilies in the sanctuary on Easter and the remainder will be directed to the Day Mission Fund, supporting the efforts of various mission teams sent from our congregation. An insert in the Easter worship order will list the names of those memorialized or honored along with the donor’s name. Submit your requests here. Checks or electronic payments should be received no later than Wednesday, March 24. Checks should be mailed to: Financial Administrator, First Baptist Church, 99 N Salisbury Street, Raleigh, NC 27603; please write “Easter Gift” in the memo line.
RISK MANAGEMENT UPDATE

It certainly has been a long year for our church members. The Risk Management Team wants to thank all our church community for their steadfastness in following our church guidelines for COVID-19. The team has made its decisions based on the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Guidelines and will continue to do so as we move through this pandemic.

Presently, we will continue to have worship service virtually. Small indoor church gatherings limited to 25 will be allowed as we move forward. Wearing masks and practicing social distancing will also be required during the gathering. You must request the meeting through the portal on our website. We have limited rooms that can be used due to the spacing needed. Outdoor gatherings of 50 at our church facility are also allowed following all COVID-19 guidelines; requests for outdoor gatherings also need to go thru the church portal on our website. In the future when NCDHHS adjusts their guidelines, we will do our best to follow them based on our existing facility. We all yearn for the day when we can gather safely but the well-being of our members, ministers and staff, and the community requires us to act prudently and with caution.
CBFNC ANNUAL GATHERING

We hope you are making plans to attend CBFNC's Annual Gathering on March 18-19. While we will miss gathering in person with other members of the CBFNC family, the convenience of an online gathering makes attending these events much easier. You can join with other congregants from all across the state from the comfort of your couch or porch! Worship, speakers, and different workshops make up a combination of pre-recorded sessions and interactive discussions. This year's theme, "More Than Enough," centers around 2 Corinthians 9:8, "God can bless you with everything you need, and you will always have more than enough to do all kinds of good things for others.” This event is free, but registration is required at the link below. We hope you take advantage of this timely opportunity to connect, worship, and engage in these workshops.

FAMILY PROMISE WEEK

As was the case last September, 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 March 14-21, and the process will be similar to what we did last fall.
 
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 has paired us with another church, Soap Stone Methodist, to help share the load. We are in the process of reaching out to their contact to discuss how to split up the deliveries. 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.
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:

March 16-19 • 11am-1:30pm, church parking lot
March 17 • 5-7:45pm, Hawthorne at the Parkway
March 20 • 5:30-8pm, Mystic Distillery Movie Night

Do you have an idea about how to giveaway food in our community? Email Leah!
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.
CURRENT OFFICE PROCEDURES
DURING THE PANDEMIC

While the church office will remain closed to the public for the immediate future, we have someone in the office Monday through Friday, 8:30am-5pm to answer the phone and let people in for pre-approved activities. The staff and Church Council continue to monitor all realities related to COVID-19. In addition, we have formed a Risk Management Team (RMT) made up of John Baldwin, Sam Ewell, Ron Maness (chair), Alice Marshbanks, and Hollis Yelverton to help us make decisions. The RMT has developed a list of guidelines which can be found here. Any group wishing to schedule an in-person meeting or activity should contact Wayne Hager. We still encourage you to contact any of the ministers if you have a pressing need, using the following email links: Chris Chapman, Lynn Lingafelt, Leah Reed, and Michael Hood.
AMONG OUR FAMILY

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


THE RECORD WE WROTE
Week as of March 11, 2021
Current Week Revenue: $21,878.00
Month-to-Date Revenue: $37,647.03
Year-to-Date Revenue: $366,920.82
Month-to-Date Expenses: $17,381.75
Year-to-Date Expenses: $206,276.73
NC State Missions: $3,930.00
CBF Global Missions: $17,485.00
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.