FBC Raleigh News • November 17, 2020
HANGING OF THE GREENS

Since 1977 our church has held our annual Hanging of the Greens Service without missing a single year! Once we had to move it to a later week due to a sudden snow storm, but nothing has kept us from coming together for this meaningful service. As has been said so many times, 2020 is a year like none other and it has certainly presented us with many challenges. How to hold Hanging of the Greens is certainly one of those! Few other traditions at First Baptist are the result of the combined efforts of so many members of the congregation. We did not want 2020 to take it away from us. So, after much thought and planning we have determined a way to provide this time-honored service virtually!

Beginning on Monday, November 30, the Hanging of the Greens team will begin preparing all of the elements for the service so they can be placed in the sanctuary on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings, December 1 and 2. Since the majority of the decorations are put in place by the children and youth, they will be able to perform many of the tasks. However, there will also be opportunities for other church members to participate. We will have protocols in place so that all safety procedures are followed as the tasks are completed individually. On Friday, November 20, we will send out a church wide email with a sign-up link for the available volunteer opportunities to participate in the service.

The decorating that will be completed during these evenings will be videoed. It will later be combined with the readings, prayers, and music to make our virtual 2020 version of Hanging of the Greens on Sunday, December 6, at 6pm. We hope that this video, which will be quite different from our normal service, will nonetheless be a celebration of our church family and of the hope and joy of Advent and Christmas.
DEACON ON CALL • November 15-21
Ginger Graves (919-637-3786)
WEEK AT A GLANCE • NOVEMBER 17-22
Tuesday, November 17
10am Staff Mtg. (Zoom or Library)
6pm Theology on Tap (Zoom/In-person tbd)
6:15pm MS Small Group (Zoom/1107 Marlowe Rd, Raleigh)
6:30pm HS Bible Study (FH/302)
7:30pm Pathfinders Sunday School (Virtual)

Wednesday, November 18
5:30pm 3’s-Kindergarten Mission & Music (Bissette Yard)
6pm Church Conference (Zoom)
6pm ITC Board Mtg. (Zoom)

Thursday, November 19
7am Band of Brothers (Zoom)
7pm Nominating Committee Mtg. (Zoom)
Friday, November 20
10am Toy Joy Prep (Bldg.-wide)

Saturday, November 21
8am Toy Distribution Day #1 (FH/Lobby/Kitchen Hall/2nd Fl/PL)

Sunday November 22
10am 6th Grade SS (Go To)
10am 7th/8th Grade SS (Zoom)
10am HS SS (Zoom/In-person tbd)
11am Virtual Worship (YouTube)
1pm Toy Joy Distribution Day #2 (PL)
2pm 1st & 2nd Grade SS (Zoom)
4pm 3rd-4th Grade SS (Lingafelt Yard)
4pm 3’s-Kindergarten SS (Zoom)
4:30pm Youth Group (PL/Zoom)
7pm Music Minister Search Committee Mtg. (Zoom)
7pm Youth-Led Interfaith Unity Service (Zoom; Sponsors by Temple Beth Or, Raleigh, NC)
CENTERPOINT

Wednesday, November 18 (5:30-6:30pm) Virtual Church Conference - Join us here!

Wednesday, November 25 • No Centerpoint, Happy Thanksgiving!

Children's Music & Missions:
On Wednesday, November 18, our three-year-olds--kindergarteners will be in the Bisset's yard for Music & Missions from 5:30-6:30pm. If you haven’t already, email Lynn if you can come!
VIRTUAL CHURCH CONFERENCE

Please mark your calendars for this Wednesday, November 18, at 5:30pm. The Zoom invite for the meeting is listed below, as well as a call-in number for those who would rather join via phone. We will send out the needed attachments that normally would be on the tables via email before the meeting. Please note that we will be voting on the 2021 budget during this meeting. Several deacons (and their families) are available to help with the technology. If you need assistance, please email Deborah ahead of time and we will get you connected with a deacon. We look forward to seeing as many of your faces as possible on November 18!

Meeting ID: 859 7741 4227
Passcode: 436183

  Phone number: (646) 558-8656
Meeting ID: 859 7741 4227
Passcode: 436183
THANKSGIVING OFFICE SCHEDULE

We know that Thanksgiving will be different this year. In whatever way your family chooses to celebrate, we hope it is filled with small moments of gratitude. The church office will be closed November 25-27, and we will not have an edition of the Rose Window Weekly next week. As a church staff, know how deeply grateful we are for each of you. We pray that you feel a sense of God's peace in the midst of this difficult year, and that love finds you where you are. Happy Thanksgiving!
RACIAL JUSTICE
BOOK CLUB SHARING

As all of our racial justice book studies have come to a close, we would like to invite you to join us for a debriefing Zoom session. So many of you expressed a desire to hear from the other book study groups on their learnings from that experience. We hope that this provides a time to listen, and hear from each study group on how their book impacted their view of race in our country. If you attended one of our five book studies this summer, we invite you to join us on Tuesday, November 24, at 7pm for this sharing session. Join us here!
LISTENING SESSIONS

The Minister of Music Search Committee invites you to participate in a listening session to share your thoughts about the search for our music minister that is currently underway. These sessions will be held via Zoom, and we ask that you sign up by using this link. Once you’ve registered, you’ll receive a Zoom invitation 24 hours prior to the session along with a reminder.  Two sessions are planned for the congregation at large: one this Sunday, November 22, and another on December 6, and they are both at 9:45am. There is a session for handbell choir members/choir leaders and assistants on November 24 at 7pm; a session for the children’s choir (parents and / or children) on December 6 at 12:30pm; and a session for the youth choir on December 9 at 7:30pm. We look for forward to hearing your perspectives; they will be valuable to us as we consider ministerial candidates for this important ministry in our church.  If you are unable to attend one of these sessions, a questionnaire will be shared in a future edition of the Rose Window Weekly.
NEW GUIDELINES FOR FACE MASKS

The CDC has recently released additional information and guidelines on face coverings. The information includes directions for different types of characteristics to look for when selecting masks. An important piece of information that came out of this update is that the face coverings should not have an exhalation valve or vent, because the wearer's breath flows through the vent and the face covering no longer protects those around them. The images below are from the CDC website, and can be used as a guide for selecting a mask. Please make sure to adhere to these mask guidelines when coming to the church building, as we continue to do our small part in limiting the spread of COVID-19. For more information on face coverings, visit the CDC website.
STEWARDSHIP CAMPAIGN

In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord…..and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all the people will see it together.  Isaiah 40:3-6

With all the challenges we have had in 2020, it is natural to feel we are stuck in the wilderness like the exiled Jews in Babylon. While church may not feel the same right now, FBC Raleigh mission remains the same - to love one another, to care for the less fortunate, to be the face of Christ in the world, to show compassion and justice, to love mercy and walk humbly with our God.

Even though we may not be seeing each other in person right now, the needs of FBC Raleigh have not changed. In order to carry on the ministry of the church, everyone’s continued support is vital. Our finance committee is anticipating proposing a 2-3% decrease for the 2021 budget. The proposed budget will be presented at the November 18 virtual Church Conference, and when pledges have been returned to the church, the budget will be presented again for approval by our congregation. Please prayerfully consider your 2021 financial commitment to strengthen the shared calling of our church.

HONOR A LOVED ONE DURING THE HOLIDAYS

Our sanctuary is so lovely during Advent and Christmas when it is decorated with candles, fresh flowers, and greenery. This holiday “dress” transformation will certainly be different this year; however, we have determined a safe way for our church family to be a part of adding the elements that bring us such joy during the season. The article above gives details about our virtual Hanging of the Greens and how you can participate. Once again, you are invited to honor a loved one by making a donation toward the decorations for the service. With $15 for each honorific or memorial gift, all monies will help defray the cost of the trees, wreaths, fresh flowers, and greenery for the service. An insert in the December 13 worship order will list the names of all for whom gifts were given. Please submit your request here. Checks or electronic payments should be received no later than Friday, December 4. Forms are also available in Sunday School boxes. Mail checks to: Financial Administrator, 99 N. Salisbury St., Raleigh, NC 27603; please write “Holiday Greenery” on the memo line.
TOY JOY UPDATES

We are in the final week of preparations! We have signed up almost 300 families for Toy Joy this year, and we still have several ways for you to participate, both virtually or in-person.

Volunteer at home: We have added a way for our church family to participate virtually. We are looking for groups or individuals to pray for our guests during the month of November. Different groups are doing this in different ways.

  • One group is giving each person three families' names to pray for individually, and then they are holding a Zoom session to say a collective prayer for their group of families.
  • Another group divided into three subgroups and each took ten families for which they will pray virtually.
  • Individual families may also take a family (or as many as they would like) to pray for.

Please sign-up here to participate in this Toy Joy prayer ministry. We will then send you the details after you sign-up.

Volunteer in person: This Friday, November 20, there are volunteer opportunities in the morning and again in the afternoon. That day, we will be checking orders, organizing gift packages and setting up for the event. The online sign up for the actual Toy Joy event Saturday, November 21, and Sunday, November 22, is divided into general volunteers and translators. Translators will be working in the parking lot as our guests arrive and register. Most of the general volunteers will be in the parking lot as well, helping to take the gift boxes and bags to the guests' cars after they have parked in the lot. There will be a few positions inside and a couple of these can be done while seated. Assignments will be made when you arrive for your shift. Since most of the work will be done in the parking lot with cars coming and going, we are not able to have any children there unless they are in at least 6th grade (please note: all middle school-age children will need to work with a parent). 

Masks will be required at all times and temperature checks and health screening questions will be performed on all volunteers at each shift. Here's the link for the sign-ups on November 20, 21, and 22.

Because of COVID-19, items and toys must be new this year. You can use the Amazon wish list or the Walmart event registry to find needed gifts. We can still use the following: Sports balls such as Size 5 or larger soccer balls or regulation size footballs and family games such as Monopoly, Sorry, or Life. You may ship toys directly to the church. Please send the items to First Baptist Church TOY JOY, 99 N. Salisbury Street, Raleigh, NC 27603. We will be happy to shop for you if you send a check to the church (payable to FBC with TOY JOY in the memo line). Or you may donate online through PayPal or Give+.

As always, we're so grateful for your help with this mission and even more so this year as we do it in a very different way. We're doing all we can to make this a safe experience for our guests as well as for our volunteers. If you have questions, email Anne Cooke. We look forward to seeing you soon!
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:

November 17-20 • 11am-1:30pm,
church parking lot

Have an idea about how to giveaway food in our community? Email Leah!
THANKSGIVING
PRE-ORDERS

Thanksgiving is only two weeks away, and it's time to begin planning your family's menu! This year, And Also With 'Cue has expanded their Thanksgiving pre-order menu, including all of their delicious smoked meats, sides, and homemade desserts. Make sure to place your order by Monday, November 23! All pick-ups will be on Wednesday, November 25, from 11am-3pm at the food truck.
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 November 10, 2020
Current Week Revenue: $32,013.34
Month-to-Date Revenue: $48,591.16
Year-to-Date Revenue: $1,183,537.22
Month-to-Date Expenses: $42,981.68
Year-to-Date Expenses: $1,188,702.48
NC State Missions: $2,255.00
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.