GADDY LECTURES WITH

KRISTIN KOBES DE MEZ

March 28-29

We are looking forward to hosting the next Gaddy Series event on March 28-29 when we will hear from historian/writer/speaker Kristin Kobes Du Mez. Dr. Du Mez is Professor of History and Gender Studies at Calvin University in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and the author of the New York Times best seller Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation. She has spoken at a CBFNC General Assembly and more recently at Campbell Divinity School, informing and inspiring as much in these lectures as she does through her writing.

The Friday schedule will include dinner at 6pm and a first presentation at 7pm with a time for questions to follow. The evening will conclude at 8:30pm. The Saturday schedule will include a continental breakfast at 9am and a second presentation at 10am with a time for questions to follow. The program will conclude at 11:30am.

Look for details on childcare and meal reservations in the next issue of The Rose Window Weekly and know that you are welcome to invite friends and colleagues to join us.

CBF ANNUAL GATHERING

The Denominational Relations Committee invites you to attend the upcoming CBFNC Annual Gathering March 27–28 at Pritchard Memorial Baptist Church in Charlotte. Keynote speakers for the Gathering will be Rev. Victoria White, Rev. Bill Stanfield, and Rev. Anita Thompson.  

New this year will be an educational and hands-on mission opportunity available for 20 participants. It will take place on Friday, March 28, from 9:30am to 12:30pm (during workshop sessions 2 & 3). It will be an off-site, field trip experience to the Charlotte Rescue Mission.

For complete information, including registration, please click here.

INTRODUCING:

THE FBC YOUTH FRESH FOOD DRIVE!

This semester, donate fresh fruits and veggies to serve our youth group! On Wednesday nights and Sunday mornings there will be a cooler by the Lewis Lobby display case where you can drop items. We are looking for things like cucumbers, tomatoes, carrots, apples, oranges, melons, etc. (fresh produce that can be prepped and consumed raw). Each Sunday, these items will be incorporated into the youth mealtime to offer an even more fresh, diverse, and delicious meal for our kids.

What is this all about? Here’s what Michael has to say: A big desire of the youth is to give the congregation various ways to get involved and give toward our youth group. One of the best things about Sunday nights is that we feed our kids for free, no questions asked (another big ambition)! Our meal together is also a core community-building time that our youth have each week. Chef Troy has been amazing at providing meals, and together we want to offer an even more fresh and vibrant mealtime for them. This means procuring produce for a fresh salad/veggie/fruit option every Sunday night, and that is where we could use some help from you! So, as you grocery shop throughout the week, consider coming home with an extra fruit or veggie or two and dropping it off at church for our youth!

Over the summer, our snack drive blew us away! Our youth were overjoyed with the provision and care that our church showed. It made a lasting impression, was an example of service, and kept them full in the meantime. So, let’s try a new challenge by enlivening our Sunday night mealtime together!

SHROVE TUESDAY PANCAKE SUPPER

Mark your calendar now for Shrove Tuesday, March 4, at 5:30pm! Come and join us for a festive meal before we begin the season of Lent. We will have pancakes and other items prepared by Troy Dye and team. We are planning to have music, mask-making, games, and fellowship around the supper table. 

Please click here to register so we'll have a head-count to help with food preparation as well as room set-up. The pancake supper will be the same price as a weekly Wednesday night supper. After registering, you have several options to pay: the kiosk, online via PayPal or Vanco, or by check. If paying by check, indicate "Shrove Tuesday" in the memo line; if paying online or via the kiosk, select the "Shrove Tuesday" option.

For online payments, click here to pay via PayPal and click here to pay via Vanco.



-- The Social Committee

SOUPER BOWL SUNDAY DONATIONS

Regardless of whether you were pulling for the Chiefs or the Eagles, Souper Bowl Sunday at FBC was a success! You filled two wagons and these were presented in worship on Sunday as an offering to our community. Those two wagon loads would have made a perfect picture to go with this little article, but unfortunately I thought of that AFTER I had loaded my car and was headed toward Urban Ministries food bank. So . . . here’s a picture of Jerry from Urban Ministries and me with two carts full of canned goods that are about to be wheeled into their facility to be sorted and shared with neighbors in our community who face food insecurity. Thank you again for your donations! --Lynn Lingafelt 

FBC BUDDY PROJECT

On Sunday, our FBC Buddies woke up bright and early to gather before Sunday School even began!  Their project? To work together to make “tie blankets” to share with our neighbors who come through the clothing ministry. Fingers tied strips of fabric together to make the fringe of the blankets while conversations ensued and relationships between the generations strengthened. Two of our buddies, Hayes Strickland and Bob Talley, were our official photographers. More of their pictures will be on the screen in the Lewis Lobby, so come check out the fun that was had and their great way of capturing it!

SUNDAY BUILDING SCHEDULE

While the ad hoc safety and hospitality team continues to work on some new recommendations, we want to make sure everyone knows our current practice of having doors opened and locked on Sunday mornings. The Lewis Building doors are opened at 9:15am. Any person or group desiring access before then needs to make arrangements with Wayne Hager in advance. The government lot door is locked at 10:15am while the other Lewis Building doors are locked at 11:05am. The front sanctuary doors (on the Capitol Square) are opened at 10:30am.

This schedule is shaped by our desire to be as hospitable as possible while ensuring the safety of the people who enter our space. Having greeters at every open door helps us accomplish both purposes, and these are the timeframes in which greeters can be present. Please help us spread the word and look for details on further recommendations in the near future.

HOSPITALITY + COMMUNITY

LUKE 14:12-14

First Baptist Raleigh is a place where hospitality and community come to life, and the gifts of members like you make it all possible. In the past, your support has helped us fulfill our calling. We trust that it will enable us to so in the future.



We plan to vote on a final form of the 2025 budget at the church conference on Wednesday, February 26, at 6:15pm. As of February 6, 137 pledges totaling $1,169,460 have been received for the proposed overall budget of $1,738,000. We have other sources of income, but generally the Finance Committee likes to have 80% of the general fund revenue line item pledged, this year $1,366,384. We are currently $196,924 short of this goal.

If you have not yet made a pledge for the 2025 budget, here are three quick ways you can do so, and in the process, make our decision easier:

1. Email your name and pledge amount to our financial administrator.
2. Visit our stewardship page to complete the online pledge form.
3. Use the pledge card you received in the mail. If you need another card, email the financial administrator.

All information you send is confidential.

Thank you for supporting the life and ministries of First Baptist Raleigh.



With deep gratitude and hope,

The Stewardship Committee

MATERNITY LEAVE DETAILS

Leah Reed, our Minister with Community, is on maternity leave until May. You may still get in touch with her via email or cell phone; however, below you will find the main lay leaders, ministers, and staff who are taking over her ministerial duties while she is away. If you do not have contact information for anyone listed, please reach out to the church office. During her maternity leave, she will be checking email sporadically, so please reach out to these people first with specific questions or concerns that need timely answers.

White Flag - Holly Ivel & Holly Cook

Clothing ministry - Sabrina Tyndall

Mike Morris Fellowship Fund - LaCount Anderson

Rose Window Weekly - Jennie Herrick

Social media (Facebook & Instagram) - Michael Hood

Mass emails to the congregation - Jennie Herrick or Wayne Hager

Website - Wayne Hager

First Foundations magazine - Jen Foster

And Also With ‘Cue - David With 

Sunday morning greeters - Mary Powell Rhodes

Community Ministries - Sam Carothers 

THIRTY-NINERS GATHERINGS

Come join us Thursdays at 10:30am in the fellowship hall for interesting speakers, mission projects, and once a month, a program that's a little out of the ordinary. We also have an outing each month, but mostly we enjoy spending time together, learning something new and useful, and always ending with a meal.

FEBRUARY

13 Cardinal Singers performance; Volunteer Women’s Chorus

20 LUNCH OUTING: Meadow Restaurant Seafood Buffet (NC Hwy 50, Benson; meet at FBC at 11:45 to ride in vans)

27 Japanese Ministry and Community (Rev. Jun Matsuzaki, pastor FBC Japanese Ministry)

CENTERPOINT IN FEBRUARY

February 12 - As February is recognized as Black History Month, we will be viewing and discussing a TEDTalk led by Julieanna L. Richardson on the preservation of black history through oral tradition. For those who may want to access the talk prior to, it can be found here.

Julieanna Richardson is the founder of the HistoryMakers, which is the largest national archive of African American video-oral history that exists today.  Richardson shares some of the unknown and incredible legacies of Black America, highlighting the importance of documenting and preserving the past for future generations.

February 19 - We will conclude our programming on Black History Month by looking at a speech given by the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who in December of 1964 was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his dynamic leadership of the Civil Rights movement and steadfast commitment to achieving racial justice through nonviolent action and advocacy. For those who may want to access the talk prior to, it can be found here.

CHURCH CONFERENCE DATES

Mark your calendar for the following 2025 dates for church conference:

February 26, March 26, May 28, August 27, September 24,

October 22, November 19, and December 17.

WHAT'S FOR SUPPER?

We would love for you to join us for a mid-week meal! The supper line is open each Wednesday night, 5:15–6:15pm. You may reserve your spot at this link on the website or by calling the church office. Please note that every person eating Wednesday night supper must check-in with our volunteer collection team before getting their meal. Even if you have pre-paid online, please check-in with our volunteer. We accept cash, checks, or credit cards.



Ages 0–3: Free

Ages 4-12: $4

Adults (over 12): $8

Family cap (over 3 people): $24

The menus for upcoming Wednesday night suppers are as follows (all meals come with salad and bread):

February 12: turkey meat hamburger helper with peas; non-meat option: mock hamburger pasta; kids: tater tots.

February 19: chicken bbq with corn pudding and green beans; non-meat option: mock chicken bbq; kids: pizza rolls.

February 26: Mexican night: soft tacos, black beans, rice, and corn; non-meat option: mock beef.