FBC Raleigh News • September 29, 2020
GREATER TRIANGLE AREA VIRTUAL CROP WALK

We hope you are making plans to join the Greater Triangle Area Virtual Crop Walk this year! The walk will take place on October 25 at 3pm. Participants can walk at any time on their own path. For nearly half a century, CROP Hunger Walks have ensured that more people worldwide have access to nutritious, sustainable food sources. From combating droughts in Nicaragua to providing agricultural training in Indonesia to stocking shelves in hundreds of food pantries across the United States, CROP Hunger Walks help end hunger by raising funds to support local food programs and the international anti-hunger work of Church World Service. Last year, the Greater Triangle Area raised $41,000 to fight hunger in our local community and around the world. To donate, or to join our very own FBC team, visit the CROP Walk website. For more information, please email Wayne Hager.
 
TAKE TWO ON TREY'S RESPONSE

We regret that, due to a technical problem with streaming, you could not hear Trey Davis’ personal words at the end of worship Sunday. Thanks to Claire Willmschen’s wizardry, we have now have an edited version of the service in which you can hear Trey.You can find the service here or through the church website. We are deeply grateful for Trey’s leadership and presence for the past fifteen years.
MICHAEL HOOD TO BEGIN WORK
AT FBC THIS WEEK

Michael Hood begins work as our new Minister of Youth and College this Thursday, October 1. He will hit the ground running with a Middle School retreat that was already scheduled for this weekend. So, it may be difficult to reach him until next week, but you can reach him via email (mhood@fbcraleigh.org). We are excited about this new phase of one of our most significant ministries and we welcome Michael not just onto our staff but into our church family!
BIBLE VERSES FOR DAILY USE
  • Tuesday, September 29: Psalm 42; Exodus 18:13-27; Philippians 1:15-21
  • Wednesday, September 30: Psalm 42; Exodus 19:9b-25; Matthew 9:2-8
  • Thursday, October 1: Psalm 19; Exodus 23:1-9; Colossians 2:16-23
  • Friday, October 2: Psalm 19; Exodus 23:14-19; Philippians 2:14-18; 3:1-4a
  • Saturday, October 3: Psalm 19; Exodus 23:10-13; John 7:40-52
  • Sunday, October 4: Exodus 20:1-4, 7-9, 12-20 and Psalm 19; Isaiah 5:1-7 and Psalm 80:7-15; Philippians 3:4b-14; Matthew 21:33-46
  • Monday, October 5: Psalm 119:49-56; Deuteronomy 5:1-21; 1 Peter 2:4-10
DEACON ON CALL • SEPTEMBER 27 – OCTOBER 3
Jeremy Petty (919-656-7848 m or 919-294-2891 h)
WEEK AT A GLANCE • SEPTEMBER 21–27
Tuesday, September 29
10am Staff Mtg. (Zoom or Library)
6:15pm MS Small Group (Zoom/1107
Marlowe Rd, Raleigh)
6:30pm HS Bible Study (Helms’ Home)
7:30pm Pathfinders Sunday School
(Virtual)
 
Wednesday, September 30
6:15pm Centerpoint Presentation (Zoom)
“Paul’s Letter Writing”
5:30pm Preschool Mission & Music
(Pegram's Yard)
 
Thursday, October 1
7pm Nominating Committee Mtg. (Virtual)
 
Friday, October 2
MS Retreat Begins (Caraway)
6pm Toy Joy Prep (Bldg.-wide)
 
Saturday, October 3
9am Community Garden
(Cedar Pt Apartments, 7100 Sandy
Forks Rd)
9am Toy Joy Prep (Bldg.-wide)
 
Sunday October 4
10am 6th Grade SS (Go To)
10am 7th & 8th Grade SS (Zoom)
10am HS SS (tbd)
11am Virtual Worship (YouTube)
2pm 1st – 2nd Grade SS (Zoom)
2pm 3rd – 5th Grade SS (Zoom)
4pm Three-year-olds – K SS (EllisYard)
5:30pm Youth Group (PL/Zoom)
 
CENTERPOINT

Wednesday, September 30 (presentation, 6:15-7:30pm): Paul’s Letter Writing. New Testament scholars Diane Lipsett and Rick Vinson will lead us via Zoom as we discuss how Paul fostered community, especially when he couldn’t be physically present, using letters and social networks (the ancient version).

We hope that you can again join us for this midweek conversation. To prepare for this meeting, feel free to read this handout prepared by our guest leaders, but it's not essential to read ahead of time. This week's meeting will occur only via Zoom, Wednesday 9/30, 6-7:30pm. Join us here.

Children's Music & Missions:
We are having a great time outside together, enjoying Missions and non-singing Music stations with our children! We have the best, most flexible leaders and children ever. We wear masks, stay socially distanced, and provide individual supplies for our children. With days getting shorter, our new time will be an hour earlier, from 5:30–6:30pm.
 
Wednesday, September 30: Preschool Missions and Music • Pegram’s yard, 5:30pm.

Next Wednesday night, October 7, we’ll enjoy Discipleship Training intergenerationally as we continue to examine and build community through the practice of letter writing. Children and their families and leaders will have a night off from backyard missions and music and are invited to join with adults and youth for an in-person and outdoors group setting at the church or via Zoom.
 
After a shared prayer time with ZOOM and in-person participants, we’ll break into small groups and spend a little time talking about the value and lost art of letter writing as electronic communication has introduced so many means of instant messaging. We’ll explore how letter writing has built or preserved relationships in our own experiences, and we’ll take some time to write a hand-written letter or note to someone who has been on our minds. Writing materials will be provided for everyone at the in-person gathering at church.
 
Please note – we are shifting our time for this session to 5:30–6:30pm. Please sign up here if you are able to participate in-person on October 7 and remember to bring a chair and wear your mask!   

What’s happening beyond the 7th? Like everything else, our plans for Wednesday nights are evolving as we go and as we hear from you, so please check the Rose Window Weekly each week for details on upcoming Wednesday night programs. Sneak preview – Tony Cartledge will be our guest speaker on October 14 and that program will be online only from 6–7:30pm.
ONE LAST GARDEN WORKDAY

We have one final opportunity to help with the Liberty Community Garden project as the growing season winds down. The final workday will be this Saturday, October 3, from 9-11am. The garden is located at Cedar Point Apartments, 7101 Sandy Forks Road. Bring gloves and wear clothes you don’t mind getting a little dirty. The tools needed are provided at the garden. This joint effort with the residents of Cedar Point was begun in March, but we were unable to continue it because of Covid-19. We hope to resume this partnership next spring. If you would like to help on October 3, please email Libby Barnes to sign-up and for any additional information. 
HONORING OUR VETERANS

The church maintains a list of members who are military service veterans and those on active duty having connections to First Baptist. If you know of eligible individuals whose names have not previously been on these lists, please email Jennie Herrick
(or call 919-832-4485).
AMONG OUR FAMILY
A link to the entire prayer list may be found below.
Please use your church directory for mailing addresses.

HURRICANE LAURA RELIEF OFFERING

Thank you to all who gave to the Heck-Jones Offering. We didn’t reach our goal, but $7,383 allows us to do much for the projects we chose. September is when we collect for the NC Mission Offering; however, September is also hurricane season. Last year it was Hurricane Dorian and this year Hurricane Laura brought unbelievable devastation to parts of Louisiana and Texas.

Jesus calls us to love our neighbors and designating this NC Mission Offering to CBF Disaster Response is a great way to show our love. By design, the CBF Disaster Response isn’t first on the scene but they have a strong track record of "turning off the lights" months after FEMA and other organizations have left. Their first actions were to work diligently with state and regional CBF organizations to position material resources like tool and shower trailers for a volunteer response to Hurricane Laura. As Baptists, they partner with local churches, organizations, and neighbors to rebuild communities because God transforms communities not only through carpentry and sheet rock, but also through relationships.

Please join CBF in praying for those affected by Hurricane Laura and please give generously to this offering to support CBF Disaster Response’s relief and long-term recovery efforts.

Nancy Moore Phillips
WMU President
RISE AGAINST HUNGER MEAL PACKING

2020 has been full of new ways to do old things and Rise Against Hunger has worked hard to find safe but productive ways to continue their goal of stopping world hunger. Leah Reed and Nancy Phillips visited their warehouse and they feel good about their set-up to ensure proper social distance between volunteers.

We are now seeking volunteers to sign up for one of two shifts on Sunday, October 11, at the Rise warehouse location at 3200 Wellington Court, Suite 111 (near Gresham’s Lake). The 1st shift is 1-2pm, and the 2nd shift is 3-4pm. These one-hour shifts will allow us to keep the numbers smaller so work stations can be spread out all across the warehouse. Also, the hour break will allow us time to properly clean equipment, work stations, and bathrooms between shifts. 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 great 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.
AAWC'S WEEKLY SCHEDULE

Each week, we'll start posting And Also With 'Cue's weekly schedule. We post this on our Facebook page, but we want to make sure you all have this information as well. We will let you know our regular lunch schedule and if there will be outside events on the weekend for you to attend!

Come eat with us this week:
September 29 - October 2 • 11am-1:30pm,
church parking lot

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.
THE RECORD WE WROTE
Week as of September 22, 2020
Current Week Revenue: $12,047.49
Month-to-Date Revenue: $67,933.03
Year-to-Date Revenue: $1,031,791.09
Month-to-Date Expenses: $64,683.35
Year-to-Date Expenses: $986,841.38
SLIGHT CHANGE OF OFFICE PROCEDURES

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 (mail, janitorial, and food deliveries; maintenance work; and a few small meetings). 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... Anyone or any group wanting 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.
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.