FBC Raleigh News • March 2, 2021
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. Forms are also available in Sunday School boxes. 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.
BIBLE VERSES FOR DAILY USE
  • Tuesday, March 2: Psalm 105:1-11, 37-45; Genesis 22:1-19; Hebrews 11:1-3, 13-19
  • Wednesday, March 3: Psalm 105:1-11, 37-45; Jeremiah 30:12-22; John 12:36-43
  • Thursday, March 4: Psalm 19; Exodus 19:1-9a; 1 Peter 2:4-10
  • Friday, March 5: Psalm 19; Exodus 19:9b-15; Acts 7:30-40
  • Saturday, March 6: Psalm 19; Exodus 19:16-25; Mark 9:2-8
  • Sunday, March 7: Exodus 20:1-17; Psalm 19; 1 Corinthians 1:18-25; John 2:13-22
  • Monday, March 8: Psalm 84; 1 Kings 6:1-4, 21-22; 1 Corinthians 3:10-23
DEACON ON CALL • February 28 - March 6
Ron Maness (919-796-9353)
WEEK AT A GLANCE • MARCH 2-8
Tuesday, March 2
6pm Theology on Tap (Zoom/In-person tbd)
6:30pm HS Girls Bible Study (Helms Home)
6:30pm HS Boys Bible Study (Carter Home)
6:15pm Middle School Gathering (Ellis Home)
7:30pm Pathfinders Sunday School (Zoom)

Wednesday, March 3
5:30pm Preschool Music & Missions (Bissette Yard)
6:15pm Centerpoint: “Reflections of the Past Year” (Zoom)
7pm Youth Movie Night (Teleparty)
Thursday, March 4
7am Band of Brothers (Zoom)
7:30pm College Gathering (Zoom)

Sunday, March 7
10am 6th Grade SS (Gotomeeting.com)
10am 7th & 8th Grade SS (Zoom)
10am HS SS (Zoom/In Person tbd)
11am Virtual Worship (YouTube)
2pm 3rd-5th Grade SS (Zoom)
4pm 3s-Kindergarten SS (Zoom)
4pm 1st & 2nd Grade SS (Lingafelt Yard)
6:30pm Youth Group (Zoom)

Monday, March 8
6:15pm Finance Committee Mtg. (Zoom)
CENTERPOINT
March 3 • 6:15-7:30pm
It's been a year? A time of reflection and celebration. A year ago in March, in-person activities and worship services at our beloved church stopped. Along with this, our personal lives were also up-ended. Some of us retreated home to work; some of us lost jobs; school routines came to an abrupt end; normal routines, social visits, and activities were curtailed. When it started, we imagined this to be a short term thing, "for the next couple of weeks….” Then spring turned to summer, which turned to fall, winter, and now spring again. Throughout it all we have sought to keep our church family and traditions alive and at the same time have experienced losses large and small that are hard to recapture. Join us on Wednesday, March 3, as we reflect on the last year – personally and corporately. Come share your remembrances – voice the loss, share the unexpected joys, and funny stories (did you ever think it would be normal to go into a bank with a mask on and ask for money?) and celebrate our resilience. We have done so much from learning to Zoom, to finding new and better ways to connect with Toy Joy families to hanging our beloved greens. Join us here!

March 10 • 6:15-7:30pm
Chad Reed will be leading our time together, discussing mental health and reframing the narrative of the last year. Chad is credentialed as both a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor (LCMHC) and a Licensed Clinical Addiction Specialist (LCAS), which enables him to diagnose and treat mental health issues, addiction and substance use disorders, and dual-diagnosis cases of both mental health and addiction-related matters. Though the past year has been very difficult, and many have experienced various degrees of loss, if there is any silver lining it might be that we now have perspective that we didn’t have a year ago that will help us weather the storm moving forward. Join us as our discussion centers on ways to maintain a sense of overall wellness (physically, mentally, spiritually) for ourselves and in caring for others as we still face various challenges inherent in both pandemic days and more normal times in days ahead. Join us here!

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 couple’s 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 that be 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!
INTERACT VIRTUAL TOUR

On Wednesday, March 10, from 6:30-7:30pm, Allison Strickland will be hosting an InterAct Virtual Courageous Voices Tour for our congregation. This is not a tour of the building, but instead a tour of InterAct's mission. Attendees will hear firsthand accounts told by counselors and survivors – true stories filled with hope and courage. It is important to know that you will not be asked for a financial contribution. InterAct will follow up with a brief phone call to each attendee within several days after the tour to request your feedback and answer any questions you may have. For the Zoom link, please RSVP by emailing Allison Strickland.
RACE & HOUSING DISCUSSION

Habitat for Humanity of Wake County will be hosting a discussion on race and housing on Thursday, March 4, at 12pm. All seven faith coalitions are joining together for this virtual event, and the conversation will be based around this 17-minute video titled Segregated by Design. The video carefully analyzes the design of our federal, state, and local governments, and how - through law and policies - they have unconstitutionally segregated every metropolitan area in our country. All participants are asked to view the video before coming to the Zoom discussion. If you participated in our summer book study, The Color of Law, you will find this content familiar, as it provides a summary of the themes found in that book. Dr. Chapman & Dr. Harshaw will be co-facilitating a small group discussion, and we hope you will make plans to join this important conversation. Zoom link here!
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.
VACCINE ASSISTANCE

It is hard to believe that we are only a few weeks away from hitting the year mark of COVID-19. We know that many of you have been sharing resources surrounding information about the COVID-19 vaccine. Sunday School classes have been helping each other find vaccination sites and pointing people to neighboring counties where appointment availability is more readily accessible. We also know that many people in our congregation do not have access to online resources, making the sign-up process that much more difficult to navigate. So, we're going to continue a network much like the "errand buddies" that we launched almost a year ago when the pandemic first began. We want to help each other sign up for vaccination appointments and assist with transportation by pairing off those in need with those that can help.

We will make it through this pandemic, and there is light at the end of this long tunnel! Together, we can do our part to stop the spread, protecting ourselves, our families, and our communities. A free vaccine will be available to all who want it in our state, but supplies are incredibly limited at this time. As North Carolina moves through vaccination phases and groups, we want to make sure everyone in our congregation is educated about their group and vaccine location. We have linked the Find My Vaccine Group and the Find a Vaccine Location through the NCDHHS. We have also linked Frequently Asked Questions surrounding the vaccine, so you might have the most up-to-date information and answers to your looming questions. As a congregation, we believe in the sacred responsibility of caring for our neighbor. In addition to wearing a mask, social distancing, and washing our hands, the vaccine provides a tested, safe, and effective way for us to get back to a sense of normalcy with the people and places we love. We are committed to helping you get connected to the resources you may need during these difficult days.

If you are someone who is having difficulty navigating the online sign-up system for the vaccine, or you are in need of transportation to get to your appointment, please email Leah.

If you are available to help someone in our church family that might need a little extra assistance with online resources, or if you would be willing to give someone a ride to get their vaccine, please email Leah.
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 2-4 • 11am-1:30pm, church parking lot
March 4 • 5-7:30pm, Waterstone at Brier Creek (10022 Meadow Chase Drive)

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 February 25, 2021
Current Week Revenue: $20,846.00
Month-to-Date Revenue: $131,536.05
Year-to-Date Revenue: $327,460.70
Month-to-Date Expenses: $97,009.17
Year-to-Date Expenses: $195,162.02
NC State Missions: $3,925.00
CBF Global Missions: $15,450.00
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.