Celebrating the past, embracing the present, looking forward to the future |
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456 Families Assisted with 1340 Children
20 Salvation Decisions and 23 Rededications!
During the 2022 Toy Store for Jesus I was struck with how blessed I am to have reliable transportation. Even though my car has over 100,000 miles and my late husband’s car has over 200,000 miles, it would only be a minor inconvenience if I went out one morning and couldn’t immediately drive away in one of them. With my reliable mechanics and trusted repair men, I would be able to pay for the cost of the repairs and be back on the road again. That is not true for many of the families we assisted at our Toy Store for Jesus ministry. I wish I had kept a list of how many times I heard stories about transportation problems from the families who had appointments with us. Some were stranded while driving to their appointment with flat tires or even cars that simply quit running while enroute to us. Some were frustrated because a supposedly trusted friend or family member promised to pick them up and bring them to their appointment but just didn’t show up or called at the last minute telling our guest they weren’t able to give them a lift after all. It is hard for me to imagine what stress having no or unreliable transportation is, but that’s the reality of many of families we serve at the SYBA Toy Store for Jesus, not just in December, but year-round.
Here are a few examples of transportation issues some of our guests faced:
- One father, who was living in a local motel with his family, walked 2 miles to get to his Davie County Toy Store appointment in temperatures just barely over freezing. Once we heard his story we happily provided a ride back to his temporary housing.
- Another guest called when her car broke down over a mile away from the Iredell County Toy Store at Troutman Baptist Church. She called frantically wanting to know if we would save the toys for her children if she left her broken down car and started walking. I assured her we would save the toys that were specially bagged for her children and gave her the option of picking them up the following week. I could hear the relief in her voice when given that option.
- A final example is a mom who hired an Uber driver to bring her to get the toys for her daughter. She doesn’t have a car of her own and relies on others. Not only did she have to hire a driver; she borrowed the money to pay the driver.
Part of the purpose statement of the SYBA Toy Store says, “Parents who struggle with finances may be concerned about how they will be able to give their children presents on Christmas morning. We hope to make Christmas joyful instead of stressful by providing toys for them to give to their children. Most importantly, we share the Gospel of Jesus Christ and pray with every family we serve.” Thank you SYBA members for helping relieve some of the stress on the 456 families that we served and prayed with!
Will you join me in saying, “Thank you God for my reliable car and all the other many blessings I take for granted that You provide me every day!”?
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Mary Jane Hoover, Ministry Assistant |
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Encourage Pastors and Ministry Leaders |
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Please plan to join your fellow SYBA pastors for monthly prayer. All pastors welcomed - senior, youth, associate, worship, etc.
Iredell County
1st Wednesday of every month
February 1 @ 8-9 am, SYBA office
Davie County
2nd Wednesday of every month
February 8 @ 8-9 am
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All pastors welcomed
senior, youth, associate, worship, etc.
February 7 at 11:30 am
at the Upper Room, Statesville
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Mobilize to Share Christ's Love |
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TUESDAYS: Afternoon appointments begin at 1:00pm
THURSDAYS: Morning appointments begin at 9:30am
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Volunteers are needed, especially on Tuesday afternoons.
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"Souper" Bowl of Giving 2023
Sunday, February 12th
If your church participates in the "Souper" Bowl of Giving and would like to donate soup, Raman noodle packages, crackers, etc. to the SYBA Food Pantry, please contact Mary Jane at mhoover@sybaptist.org to arrange a time to deliver the "souper" donation. Or better yet, stop by the Food Pantry Tuesday afternoons or Thursday mornings to see the ministry in action!
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Send SYBA Your Prayer Requests!
Our staff and our prayer team are ready to pray for your needs — whether they are great, small or somewhere in between. Your requests will remain confidential as we seek the Father’s will on your behalf. If you have a praise report from an answered prayer, please share that as well — we will celebrate God’s grace and goodness with you!
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What is Your Church Planning?
Do you have an event planned that you would like to invite those outside your church to?
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Attend the 2023 Disciple-Making Conference
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On Feb. 20, 2023, North Carolina Baptists from across the state will gather at Calvary Baptist Church in Winston-Salem for the annual Disciple-Making Conference, exploring what it means to develop and send out disciples. For more information and to register go to https://ncbaptist.org/events/2023-disciple-making-conference/
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What if we could see thousands profess Christ through believer's baptism on a single day? That's the heartbeat behind the statewide "Fill the Tank" baptism emphasis on Sunday, April 16, 2023.
Will you commit to "fill the tank?"
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The NC Baptist Foundation has four educational scholarships available for students. You may view the requirements and guidelines of those scholarships here.
Applications for the scholarships opened up online January 1 and will end at 5pm on February 15.
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Throughout 2023, N.C. Baptists will be sharing resources for praying for the nations.
Will you consider participating?
January 16 - February 14
The first 30 days will focus on unreached people groups in North Carolina.
February 15 - December 31
The remainder of the year will focus on N.C. Baptist missionaries and church planters.
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By signing up, an individual will receive weekly emails that will include several missionary highlights and prayer points for the week.
Each email will also include access to download a full prayer guide, prayer cards, slides and promo graphics. These will also be accessible at PrayNC.org.
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Sanctity of Life Baby Bottle Campaign
The annual Baby Bottle Campaign is an easy and simple way for you to support LIFE. Your congregation or group members take a bottle and fill it with change, dollars or checks. Each bottle can hold an average of $25
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Contact Mark Smith at (828) 450-9136 or mesmith@bchfamily.org to learn more about foster & adoption ministry, The Every Child Initiative, with Baptist Children's Homes of NC www.bchfamily.org
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Beginning on January 1, 2023, the standard mileage rates for the use of a car (also vans, pickups or panel trucks) will be:
- 65.5 cents per mile driven for business use, up 3 cents from the midyear increase setting the rate for the second half of 2022.
- 22 cents per mile driven for medical or moving purposes for qualified active-duty members of the Armed Forces, consistent with the increased midyear rate set for the second half of 2022.
- 14 cents per mile driven in service of charitable organizations; the rate is set by statute and remains unchanged from 2022.
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Thank you!
SYBA Donations (Sept 1 2022 - Dec 31 2022)
Total Receipts $68,887.81
Total Budgeted Receipts $64,072.32
Received vs. Budget $4,815.49
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