DEACON ELECTIONS

Per the bylaws, the election of deacons will take place during the month of October. Ballots will be available each Sunday in October and each member may vote for up to eight men and eight women. Beginning this Sunday, ballots will be in the library, the Gathering Room, the narthex, and in the Lewis Lobby; you may also obtain an electronic version from the website or later issues of Rose Window Weekly. The box for ballots will be on the long counter in the library. If you choose to mail yours in, please do so well before the end of the month. On Sunday, October 29, the tellers appointed by the Chair will gather to count the ballots, and the Chair and Vice-Chair will then notify those selected.

Below is a list of the current deacons, their spouses, and others who are not eligible to be elected as deacons based on the bylaws. Several on the list have also asked that their names be excluded from consideration. All other church members are eligible. Please email Jennie Herrick or call the church office (919-832-4485) no later than noon on Friday, September 29, if you do not want to be considered for nomination as a deacon.



Please give thoughtful and prayerful consideration as you participate in the deacon election process.

HISTORIC CHURCH WALK

On Saturday, October 7, from 9am–12pm, the historic churches surrounding the North Carolina State Capitol will open their doors for those participating in the annual Community Historic Church Walk. Visitors are invited to meander through the sanctuaries at their own pace and then stroll down the sidewalk to the next church on the Walk. Our very own church historian, Carolyn Dickens, will be hosting, giving visitors a warm welcome and retelling stories of our history. If you are able to be present, offering hospitality to our visitors, please email Carolyn Dickens.

FLOWER/BANNER

DONORS NEEDED

There are two open dates in November for flowers or a banner in the sanctuary for Sunday morning worship. Those dates are November 12 and 19. If you would like to donate one of those days, please contact Myra Brickell by phone (919-812-6680) or by email.

BUTTERFLY WINGS: A PLAY WITH FBC CONNECTIONS!

Burning Coal Theatre's Oakwood Cemetery Series returns this month with outdoor performances of a play based on the murder of Ludlow Skinner, the son of FBC pastor Thomas Skinner, who was shot and killed on Fayetteville Street in 1903. Butterfly Wings will be performed Friday and Saturday, September 29 and 30, at 6:30pm, and Sunday, October 1, at 2pm. Tickets cost $20 for adults and $10 for students and are available at https://burningcoal.org/oakwood-and-history-plays/.



TEACHER NEEDED AT WEEKDAY PRESCHOOL

Interested in working part-time at our Weekday Preschool? We have an opening for a teacher in our Ones classroom. We're looking for a caring, warm person who enjoys toddlers. The pay is competitive, with plenty of time off for holidays. Lunch is provided and the hours are 9:30am–1:30pm. If you are interested or know someone who is, please email Crystal Bacon.

BLESSING OF THE ANIMALS

Join us for a special Blessing of the Animals service at Dorothea Dix Park on Sunday, October 1, at 5pm. The service will take place at the Oak Room shelter, where we will gather together to celebrate the bond between humans and their furry, feathered, and scaly companions.

All animals are welcome, from dogs and cats to birds and reptiles as long as they are well-behaved, on a leash, or in a carrier! The service will include a special blessing for each animal and their human companions, as well as readings and music to honor the sacred relationship between humans and animals. 

Please join us for this unique and meaningful event at Dorothea Dix Park. The black star on the map below shows the location of the Oak Room, and you'll notice parking is directly beside the shelter. You will enter from the Umstead Drive entrance, and parking is close by. Note that there are limited bathroom options for humans, so please plan accordingly. We look forward to seeing you there!

JOIN THE CHOIR

FOR CHRISTMAS

“Angels can fly because they take themselves lightly.”

— Anon

Life weighing you down? Want to lift your spirits? The Sanctuary Choir invites you to fly with them this Christmas season. Weekly rehearsals are on Wednesdays, 7:30–9pm. For questions, please email Warren.

Making music is fun but making Christmas music is divine fun. Wings and halos are handed out at the door. Come and join us—you, too, can fly.



OCTOBER MISSION PROJECT - CROP WALK

The Greater Triangle Area CROP Hunger Walk is our October church-wide mission project and it starts and ends at First Baptist parking lot on Sunday, October 29. You can participate in this month's mission by walking and/or contributing monetarily! Registration/sign-in is at 2pm with the Walk beginning at 3pm. You may join/donate to the FBC church-wide team here. FBC youth have an additional team and you may join/donate to it here. You may also donate through the FBC electronic options. If you prefer to write a check please make it payable to FBC and write "CROP Walk" in the memo line and either place it in the offering plate or mail it to the financial administrator (FBC, 99 N. Salisbury Street, Raleigh, 27603). Donations for this year's Walk will be accepted through November 30.



Funds raised support these local agencies: Catholic Parish Outreach, Round Table Fellowship, Oak City Cares, and Urban Ministries of Wake County. In addition, global efforts are supported through the work of the Church World Service, which has a huge refugee ministry and works locally with the Welcome House. Go here to see information about each of these agencies. There has never been a greater need for each of these agencies to address hunger insecurity as we come out of the pandemic experiencing inflation. 

An extra connection with FBC this year is our give-back food truck, And Also With 'Cue, which will be in our parking lot from noon until 2:30pm on walk day. The church conference approved giving 20% of the sales that day to the CROP Walk. So, whether you walk or not, plan on eating at And Also With 'Cue that Sunday. The fellowship hall will be set up with tables for you to eat at and carry-out will also be available. Click here to place your order for your meal.

If you register to walk, you will receive a free GTA CROP WALK t-shirt and there is a fun activity for children and adults as well to use — the CROP Walk Calendar of Blessings, found here. As you count your blessings each day during the month, you are encouraged to set aside an amount of money for each blessing and then donate it to the CROP Walk at the end of the month!

If you have any questions or would like to volunteer to help set-up and take-down the event, please contact Wayne Hager, who is on our staff and also serves as the Co-coordinator of the Walk.



SCRIPTURAL SERENDIPITY CLASS RETURNS!

On Sunday, October 1, the Scriptural Serendipity class will begin a study of the movement and influence of the Holy Spirit in the New Testament. We meet in room 219, and all are invited and welcome to join us!



CHURCH CONFERENCE TOMORROW



Our regularly scheduled church conference will be held Wednesday, September 27, at 6:15pm. Please note that our prayer time will begin at 6pm, so the conference can begin on time. The Zoom link is below, as well as a call-in number for those who would rather join via phone. Our by-laws require 50 members in attendance (in-person and Zoom) in order to transact business. Please make plans to attend so we can vote on important matters for our church.

Church conference agenda

Finance chair summary report

Finance report

Proposed revision to Policies to Guide the Use of the

Missions Endowment Fund

Draft minutes of August church conference

View via Zoom with this link, meeting ID: 850 6201 7518, passcode: wDefe3. 

To view the speaker throughout the presentation, click the three dots

on the right portion of the screen and choose "pin this video." 

If you would prefer to call in,

use 646-558-8656, meeting ID: 850 6201 7518 Passcode: 490422.