FBC Raleigh News • May 3, 2022
CELEBRATING THE LIFE OF RANDALL LOLLEY
 
           I trust that by now everyone knows there will be A Celebration of Life Service for Dr. Randall Lolley on Saturday, May 14, at 1pm in the sanctuary of First Baptist Church, Greensboro, 1000 West Friendly Avenue, Greensboro. Dr. Lolley was pastor of our church for about eighteen months, following his resignation from Southeastern Seminary. Raleigh was too close to Wake Forest and the memories of the fundamentalist takeover for Randall to stay longer. He was, as his beloved wife of 70 years, Lou, continues to be now, a member of our church in his retirement. So, we think of him as being ours at FBC, Raleigh. But there are more churches than we can count who think of Randall as theirs, not just the Three First Baptist Churches in North Carolina he pastored before and after his fourteen years as President of Southeastern Seminary.
           The reason is he always made each of us feel like we were the most important. Like an indulgent grandparent who gives each grandchild the impression that he or she is the favorite, Randall lifted up and affirmed churches and ministers, children and adults, almost everyone within his sphere of influence. I’m not sure we always deserved the praise he heaped upon us. But even when we felt like we did not, Randall made us want to be more. He saw in others the potential they struggled to see in themselves. Numerous tributes have been written, several will be presented at the service in Greensboro, and in all of these you will find the details of an incredible life – faithful pastoral service, courageous academic leadership, entrepreneurial thinking in helping to shape CBF and CBFNC, etc. But the real story of Randall’s journey cannot be contained by such details. It extends to every life he enriched by his channeling of the Spirit of Christ with a word of blessing and encouragement.
           Some of you may remember that Randall gave the benediction at my installation service at FBC, Raleigh on January 20, 2010. I had been here just over six months, about the time churches mark the beginning of a new leader in a formal, sacred way, and it made sense to involve Randall. He was a former pastor of this church and a current member (though still preaching one interim after another at that point), I had known him for a long time, and he had recommended me to this church. He would later bless my ministry in numerous ways, including with his presence on a pew (a rare sight for a preacher as fine as him) after he stopped doing interims. While going through his things recently, his daughter Pam found the manuscript of that benediction which I share here as just one tiny example of the way Randall blessed people.

This NIGHT passes and apace comes the day.
The DAYS pass, and apace come the weeks.
The WEEKS pass, and apace come the months.
The MONTHS pass, and apace come the years.
 
Almighty God, we invoke your Benediction upon 
every day, week, month, and year Christopher Chapman 
and his family are our pastoral presence at FBC Raleigh. 
We too are family.

We invoke your Blessing upon every word spoken,
liturgy voiced,
 prayer prayed,
 Scripture read,
    sermon brought,
praise sung,
 word of greeting extended.
 
And we give you our Thanksgiving for this incredible 
cheerful and solemn evening of worship. 
In the strong name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. 

           
           Randall blessed us all in the strong name of Jesus in more ways than we can count. We offer this very same blessing now to Lou, Charlotte, Pam and all in this special family, we give thanks for the privilege of having shared a part of such a splendid life, and we entrust our mentor, friend, and brother in Christ to the God he adored with all he had to offer.
-- Christopher C. F. Chapman

END-OF-YEAR PICNIC AND SCAVENGER HUNT AT PULLEN PARK!
 
Our end-of-the-year picnic at Pullen Park is coming up on May 18 from 5 to 7pm. To make sure we have plenty of food, please reserve a spot if you have not already. You can do so by using the regular Centerpoint reservation link. It is going to be a night full of great company, a delicious meal, and fun. Right after the meal, the Social Committee will host a scavenger hunt in the park (see details below), until 6:45pm for anyone who wishes to participate in a friendly competition of exploration! All you will need is yourself, some friends to join you, and a phone for taking pictures. 

The scavenger hunt will begin at 6pm and run until 6:45pm, after which prizes will be awarded to the winning team. You can form a team of up to six people ahead of the event, or you can join others and form teams that night. All ages are welcome to participate. You will need at least one cell phone in your group, as you will be asked to provide photo and/or video evidence of the items you locate around Pullen Park. Full rules and details will be explained on the night of the event. We hope you will make plans to join us on May 18 for a memorable night together!

THIRTY-NINERS MEETING

There will be a Thirty-niners meeting in the FBC Fellowship Hall on Thursday, May 12, at 10:30am, with lunch following at noon. The purpose of the meeting is to discuss getting the FBC 55+ Seniors Group (known as the Thirty-niners) back to meeting together regularly in the fall. We also may discuss meeting a few times this summer to go out to lunch and electing group officers. I have talked to some FBC members recently on the telephone about coming to this meeting; if I haven't spoken to you, and you would like to participate in this discussion on May 12, please call me at 919-797-0202 so I can tell the church how many lunch meals that we will need.
- Carl Bailey

THEOLOGY ON TAP

Theology on Tap is starting back up, and we would love for you to join us! This dinner group will meet on the third Thursday of the month, beginning May 19 at Raleigh Times. All are welcome to join at 6pm for dinner, conversation and beverages! From there, the group will decide on a location for June. The location for June will be posted on the church website, so make sure to check back for a meeting place.

MAY MISSION PROJECT

For the month of May, we will be collecting personal wet wipes and baby wipes to be used by our Clothing Ministry clients. The Clothing Ministry gets many requests for wet wipes from their homeless clients to use when they can't access showers. You may place your donations in the marked drawer in the Lewis Lobby cabinet.

CASWELL REFLECTIONS

The weekend away at Caswell was a beautiful reflection of our congregation and the ways we connect with each other. We spent time conversing and reflecting on our laments during the pandemic as well as our hopes for the future. It was a wonderful trip in a beautiful setting!   
--Elizabeth Riley  
CHILDREN’S MUSIC CELEBRATION PROGRAM

May 4, 6:30pm

Jesus, transform me
from an adult into a child
so I can enter your kingdom. Amen.

— Faith that Matters,
Eugene Peterson, ed.

I love this little prayer because it reminds me of Jesus' puzzling remark regarding childhood as a requisite for entrance into God's kingdom. The prayer seems warranted for many reasons, not the least of which is the amazing reservoirs of joy and unconditional love that children naturally tap into. Our worship is always enhanced by their participation on account of the strong sensation of heaven’s nearness that they bring with them.

We will get to experience some of their infectious joy and love in next week’s Centerpoint program and hopefully be transformed a little as the boys and girls of the Pre-K/ Kindergarten and Grade-School Choirs present a program of singing, ringing, and playing. The program will be in the sanctuary. 
--Warren Howell

MISSIONS CELEBRATION

Mark your calendar now for Wednesday evening, May 11, and join us as we celebrate our year of Missions! There will be supper in the Fellowship Hall at 5pm, prayer time at 6pm, and our Missions Celebration program will begin at 6:30pm in the Fellowship Hall. The theme of our night will be Mission Olympics. Who knew our winter athletes this year would be so knowledgeable and have such close ties to CBF missions? We’ll have reporters at various venues and events, including ice skating, bobsledding, curling, hockey, basketball, and snowboarding, and you’re sure to marvel at how much our favorite athletes know about CBF field personnel!

WEDNESDAY NIGHT SUPPER
 
We invite you to join us for a mid-week fellowship meal on Wednesdays from 5-6pm. Reserve your spot at this link to the page on the church website or by calling the church office. 

The menus for Wednesday night suppers are as follows:
May 4: orange chicken with fried rice
May 11: Mexican taco bowl
May 18: end-of-year picnic at Pullen Park!
May 25: breakfast for dinner

2022 CHURCH CONFERENCE DATES
Mark your calendar for the following 2022 dates for Church Conference:
May 25, August 24, September 28,
October 26, November 16, and December 14.

UKRAINE RELIEF FUND

CBF has established a relief fund in response to the global crisis in Ukraine, following the Russian invasion last week. Twenty years ago, CBF commissioned Gennady and Mina Podgaisky to serve in Kyiv. They established Village of Hope a year later, and their ministry has flourished in collaboration not only with our partner congregations but Baptists and other Christians in Ukraine. The first funding commitment with any contributions received with this relief fund will be to provide resources to those served by Village of Hope. There are also local partners of that ministry that serve under the leadership of the Podgaiskys and CBF Global Missions. Beyond that, funding will be directed to The Baptist World Alliance Forum for Aid Development (BFAD), the international disaster response work of our partners at the Baptist World Alliance. They are working actively with Baptist leaders in Ukraine and others in that country to identify the most essential use of funds. Because the situation on the ground is changing rapidly, and the crisis is mounting, it is imperative that we give generously and support the work of trusted friends and partners, not only among CBF field personnel but in the Global Baptist community. Give here!

BIBLE VERSES FOR DAILY USE
  • Tuesday, May 3: Psalm 121; Ezekiel 1:26-2:1; Acts 26:1-18
  • Wednesday, May 4: Psalm 121; Isaiah 6:1-8; Luke 5:1-11
  • Thursday, May 5: Psalm 23; Ezekiel 11:1-25; Revelation 5:1-10
  • Friday, May 6: Psalm 23; Ezekiel 20:39-44; Revelation 6:1-7:4
  • Saturday, May 7: Psalm 23; Ezekiel 28:25-26; Luke 12:29-32
  • Sunday, May 8: Acts 9:36-43; Psalm 23; Revelation 7:9-17; John 10:22-30
  • Monday, May 9: Psalm 100; Ezekiel 37:15-28; Revelation 15:1-4
WEEK AT A GLANCE • May 3-10
Tuesday, May 3
7pm Properties Committee Mtg (301)

Wednesday, May 4
12pm Preschool Mothers' Tea Party (FH)
5pm Meal (FH)
6:30pm Children's Music Celebration (S)
7:30pm Adult Choir Rehearsal
(Choir Rm/S)

Thursday, May 5
7am Band of Brothers (Zoom)
6:30pm HS Bible Study (Wade Home)
Sunday, May 8
9:45am Sunday School
11am Worship (S/YouTube)
11am Japanese Worship (301/302)
5pm Youth Choir (Choir Rm)
6pm Youth Supper (FH)
6:30pm Youth Program (FH/Blue Rm)

Monday, May 9
10am Clothing Ministry Closed
6pm MMiH Rehearsal (302)
6:15pm Finance Committee Mtg (CR/Zoom)

Tuesday, May 10
10am Staff meeting (CR)
10:45am WMU Group 2 (Springmoor)
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, May 3–6!
• Lunch •
Tuesday, Wednesday, & Friday: church parking lot (11am–1:30pm)
Thurs, May 5: Kingstown CDC, 7900 Ten-Ten Rd, Raleigh, 27603 (11am-1:30pm)
• Dinner •
Tues, May 3: Wake County Shrine Club, 6015 Lead Mine Rd, Raleigh, 27612 (5-6:30pm)

And Also With ‘Cue extends a big THANK YOU to FBC members Myra Brickell, Sam and Linda Carothers, Mary Powell Rhodes, and Mallory and Chuck Underwood for helping us serve over 480 students and parents at Magellan Charter School on April 29. Awesome job!

AMONG OUR FAMILY

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


Memorial & Honorific Gifts for April
 
Capital Repair and Replacement Fund
In memory of Dorothy Geraldine (Gerri) Harris

Funeral Committee Fund:
In memory of Gaston D. Perry, II
In honor of the FBC Funeral Committee

Global Missions
In memory of Marvin Mann

Mike Morris Fellowship Fund
In memory of
Marvin Mann
Glenn Raynor 
 
Ukraine Relief -Village of Hope     
In memory of Dorothy Geraldine (Gerri) Harris
A WORD OF THANKS

We would like to thank our FBC family for all the cards, calls, prayers and other expressions of comfort offered during Adele's (our former daughter-in-law) illness and then death. It meant a lot to us. Adele was John Jr.'s first wife and the mother of their children, Grayson & Zenik. Their brother, Jakob, is the son of Adele and Greg Bower (current husband). 

Please continue to keep all of our family in your prayers. 
--John & Sheila Hite
THE RECORD WE WROTE
As of April 28, 2022:
Current Week Revenue: $30,033.28 
Month-to-Date Revenue: $83,622.52
Year-to-Date Revenue: $535,961.10
Month-to-Date Expenses: $111,205.59
Year-to-Date Expenses: $458,118.10
Global Missions: $7,258.00
To facilitate your giving to FBC, use the QR codes below to link to the website
for our main electronic giving, VANCO Faith, and the page that lists
all our e-giving options and instructions.        
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