January 2021 Acts of Faith Newsletter by Faith Baptist Church

Acts of Faith

JAN

MONTHLY NEWSLETTER OF FAITH BAPTIST CHURCH We are a family of faith, sharing God’s love in a spirit of hope.

INDOOR, IN-PERSON WORSHIP UPDATE

FAITH WINTER OLYMPICS

In-person worship is on hold until the end of January because Scott County Schools are virtual-only through January 22. Per our in-person worship plan, we automatically cancel in-person worship if the school system has canceled in-person instruction due to COVID. When we are able to begin in-person worship, we will alert you and put the registration link in the Faith File and bulletin. You can read the full plan for indoor worship on our website at www.familyoffaith.net/covid-19-response.

*“Bugler’s Dream” playing* Come one. Come all. Let us celebrate achievement and camaraderie. As a way to stay connected, have fun, and just relieve some boredom, you are officially invited to participate in the 2021 Faith Winter Olympics. Starting January 18 and running for four weeks, you will compete with your fellow Faith friends in challenges to determine a champion! Each Monday you will receive a challenge that must be completed by that Wednesday. Then each Thursday a Zoom premiere will show the challenges and award points. Challenges do not require specific skills and are not athletic in nature. They can all be completed at home and do not need special supplies. All ages and abilities are welcome. Even out of state friends can join the fun as it will be entirely virtual. The only qualification is the ability to submit a video or picture of yourself completing each challenge. William can help with technology issues and can even film you if you need. Contact William at william@familyoffaith.net with questions or to sign up. Good luck, competitors!

WEDNESDAY NIGHTS Faith continues our tradition of offering wonderful opportunities to grow closer with God as we resume weekly classes for adults starting January 13. Every Wednesday night until Lent, a congregant will go live on Facebook at 6 p.m. to teach us about their gifted areas such as finance and nutrition. Cecelia Reilly, a certified life coach, kicks off this series by teaching us how to set goals and be intentional in 2021.

LOOKING BACK AT 2020 What a year. We won’t ever forget 2020, but with so many major events we might have already forgotten some of the awesome things that happened this year. Let’s take a moment to look back at Faith in 2020.

The year was definitely dominated by COVID, but we did have a brief bit of “normalcy” in 2020. During those few weeks, we started the year strong with a baptism and by welcoming two new members. We also welcomed a new partner as we became an Encourager Church for missionary Scarlette Jasper. One of the most exciting things we did pre-pandemic was host a congregant-led prayer practices workshop. Congregants also held an Enneagram class and offered a spiritual disciplines small group. Everything changed suddenly in March as the year became dominated by COVID. However, Faith was quickly able to pivot to meaningful virtual worship and study. This year we hosted several Zoom and Facebook Live Continued on pages 4 and 5.

CHILDREN’S CORNER With a year that has been so full of such loss and disappointments, but also surprises of joy, it is hard to process it all. But, if I had to pick out one standout thing over this past year (my tenth at Faith!), it would be the encouragement and love that I have felt poured out over me from each and every one of you. It has been a year of thinking outside the box and recreating ministry in new and different ways, and I have been lifted by the prayers and cheers from our beautiful family of Faith! Thank you so much! My favorite highlights of 2020: The celebration of my 10 years at Faith! I am still blown away by the notes, gifts and love that were given to me and my family!

Traveling the world during our five-week VBS adventure! I loved seeing pictures and hearing about how the children loved virtually exploring places of light. How fun it was to meet all the characters from our Bible stories!

Our Sculpture Gallery of LIGHT! Thank you to the children who used their creative abilities and to those who came and enjoyed. Parable Reenactments! I loved getting to see families in our church reenact the Parables of Jesus each week this fall. We had everything from puppets and Smurf figures to dramatic readings!

The Great Christmas Movie Scavenger Hunt! I’ve never had so much fun plotting with Pastor Sharon and watching families race around town together. The Children’s Christmas Program! What a beautiful reminder of the joy, hope, love, and peace that God sent to this world in Jesus. Do not be afraid!

And these are just the beginning of the list! Thank you, Faith family, for your dedication to being the hands and feet of Christ to each other and the world. LOOKING FORWARD In January and February, the children will be exploring Crazy Stories of the Bible: Is that really in there? Each Wednesday, children will receive a small Bible study guide to explore the story. This will be a fun way to learn more about the Bible and how God wants us to live. Our Godly Play Zoom circle will continue each Sunday at 12 p.m. For more information or to receive the link, contact Amanda.

YOUTH NEWS Wow! We made it through 2020. What a year. I can honestly say I’ve never experienced anything like it in ministry or in life. So many have lost so much, so many loved ones passed away, lost jobs, income, in-person gatherings, hugs and kisses, time with extended family, worship in person, just being together in person. Who knew at the beginning of 2020 all that we would go through? It has been a year that has challenged every ounce of our being, and then some! But there has been beauty and grace in the midst of the struggle. I, and

3 maybe all of us, have grown to appreciate each other and the ministry of presence “And now these more than we could imagine. We learned to adapt and be flexible. We learned to be three remain: the Church in new and sometimes ridiculous ways! We understand that while a building faith, hope and is a gift, it is not who we are. We are the hands and feet of Christ everywhere we might love. But the be, even through a screen. We found ways to love one another and support one greatest of these another in new and unusual ways with parades and sidewalk chalk. We realized that is love.” simple may really be better and that family is a great strength. We learned how to be still…well, at least some of us did! We learned how to rest and enjoy togetherness and we realized that God is with us, even in the dark solitude. We found creative ways to celebrate and began to celebrate the small things as well as great accomplishments. We cheered Zoom trivia games and talent shows, and honked and waved at graduates. We decorated our cars, worshipped outside in masks, raced around town with our families doing hilarious games at Christmas, read and prayed on Facebook and Zoom, purged everything in our houses that didn’t run away from us, and got new puppies! We loved deeply, even at a distance and wearing masks, and we made it to a new year. What will this year hold? Who knows! What I do know is that we will do it together and we will be better and stronger and more the body of Christ than we were before. I love you so much, Faith Baptist Church, and I can’t thank you enough for your support, encouragement, generosity, and love. I’m thankful that we walked this past year together. December was full of fun with The Great Christmas Movie Scavenger Hunt, Secret Santa, our Zoom Christmas party, and making meal for the Gathering Place Mission!

Coming up we will be participating in a six-week, virtual mission experience with Metro Baptist Church in New York! Since we can’t go there, they have created a resource for us to use here!

REFLECTIONS FROM DALE Philippians 3:13-14 says "this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and looking forward to what is ahead, I press on towards the goal to win the prize for which God has called me." Forget the past and look forward to what is ahead; Apostle Paul is reminding us about what lies ahead for Christians.

Our JOY group is ready to provide hope and encouragement for whatever lies ahead in the coming year. We are excited about the opportunities that 2021 brings! Our JOY group is a ministry of action. We reach out to more than 75 families and 150 people within our church, as well as ministering to many others in our community. We are blessed to have so many people who heed God's call to love one another.

We love and care about you, whatever season of life you find yourself. We visit in homes, hospitals, on front porches, in yards, in neighborhoods—praying, laughing, and sharing. Know you are cared about. Why do we do this? Because Jesus set the example that we are following. We have so many people in our church who are eager to help, asking "what can I do?" They take meals, write encouraging notes, send cards, call, visit, or ask if they can join me on visits. The bottom line: we just want to love you! As COVID restrictions begin to lift in the months ahead, we look forward to resuming church activities, potlucks, and fellowship. New technology with screens and better sound will make events better for all. As we begin the year we are excited about the future and cannot wait to get started! Joy is the foundation of every good thing. It is what fuels hope, which, in turn, activates faith and paves the way for the miraculous. —Dale

Words from William People love stories. We always have. Even before we could write them down, people would use stories to share their history and beliefs. Stories have a powerful way of conveying the realities of life that other mediums can’t capture. Stories have the ability to unite us, inspire us, and create in us hope. That’s why this semester, as we begin to be physically reunited, we are going to focus on stories. In worship we’ll look back at the story of 2020, remind ourselves of the story of Jesus during Lent, and retell the story of the church after Easter. In the summer we will look at some of our favorite classic Bible stories. Outside of worship, we are planning a storytelling workshop during Lent to learn how we might share our own stories. In this spirit we are also hoping to capture and share your stories both as part of worship and in other ways throughout the semester. I am really excited to hear your stories from life, your faith, the church, and whatever you want to share! As we hear all of these stories, we will be asking how the stories of God in the Bible connect with our stories, weaving together to capture our faith. Hopefully this time of stories will allow us to grow closer to each other and God while equipping us with tools so that we might be able to share our stories with others and invite them into telling their own. If nothing else, over the next several months we’ll have a chance to hear a lot of stories, and everybody loves a story so I cannot wait.

FAITH BAPTIST BOOK CLUB “Stories create community, enable us to see through the eyes of other people, and open us to the claims of others.” -Peter Forbes The results are in! The Faith Baptist Book Club read for January is The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab. For thoughtful questions throughout the month, follow @faithbaptistbookclub on Instagram. We will have a full discussion via Zoom on Thursday, January 28, at 7 p.m. For more information, contact Pastor Amanda by email or text.

Looking back continued from the front page classes, many of which were led by congregants, on engaging topics like racism, mountain climbing, the parables of Jesus, an Amish lifestyle, and human trafficking. You also provided inspiring devotionals on Facebook throughout the year that kept us going. Children and youth programming evolved into virtual VBS and Passport, Bible study bags, weekly study guides via email, virtual Godly Play and Youth Bible study, and so many fun activities like the scavenger hunt and messy games. Despite the challenges, we continued to grow in faith and number. We saw increased participation from families with kids, welcomed six more new members, and had another baptism during the pandemic! Plus, we ordained a new deacon! Our worship also became a national affair as we’ve had people worshipping with us from at least nine different states. Worship and study weren’t the only pandemic shifts. We also changed the way we share God’s love. We wrote notes, made calls, left porch presents, sewed masks, drew chalk art, delivered food, and demonstrated amazing kindness in the face of fear and uncertainty. Despite economic chaos, we gave over $28,000 (on top of our normal budgetary support) to support partner organizations. We provided devices and internet access to students, virtually read books to classes, collected school supplies, appreciated teachers at Southern, and gathered cleaning supplies for Scarlette.

5 We continued our regular projects like the backpack food program, Extreme Build, and shoe boxes for Scarlette. We even formed a new partnership with the Community Medical Mission to provide bi-monthly care for the uninsured. Our members were involved throughout the community volunteering, organizing a city council candidate forum, participating in racial justice marches, and hosting the Elizabeth’s Village Domestic Violence Awareness Week Worship. Despite how miserable the year was, we still had some fun in 2020. We named a new Faith Baptist Trivia champion, crowned our first Zoom Baking Challenge Champions, witnessed people’s talents (or lack of), explored the outdoors, enjoyed a concert on the lawn, learned how to cook together, and found so many ways to stay connected both virtually and outdoors.

the vaccine, we have hope that 2021 will not offer the same challenges as 2020. We have a great opportunity to embrace the lessons we’ve gleaned to make this “new normal” better than the one we were forced to leave behind. All of this hope is undergirded with the reality that no matter what 2021 has to offer, even if it’s bad, we know we can get through it. No matter what, we will continue being a beacon of light, shining God’s love throughout Georgetown. Thanks for the memories, 2020, and Happy New Year, everyone!

2020 was a year full of challenges and pain. Yet, through it all, we continued to be a family of faith sharing God’s love in a spirit of hope. Through generosity, kindness, patience, love, and faith, we did more than survive this year. With the spread of

Thank you for extending hope and hospitality by giving to the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship’s 2020-2021Offering for Global Missions! Each year Faith collects money during the holiday season to support our CBF ﬁeld personnel in the U.S. and around the world.

Our goal for 2020 was $5,000, and you gave $5,345! One hundred percent of this offering is used to support missionaries as they share the love of Jesus Christ. You are helping plant new churches, offer food, teach children how to succeed in school, and help refugees adapt and thrive in their new homes.

Thank you for your generosity!

Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it. Hebrews 13:2

January Sun 3

11 AM—Virtual Worship Service

Mon

Tues

Gayla Thompson

Cecelia Reilly

Jackie Powell

12 PM—Godly Play Piper Gullett Linda Humphrey

11 AM—Virtual Worship Service

Wed

6 PM—New Year. Same Goals.

Fri 1

Sat 2

Office Closed

Lia Cate Wilcox Jack Willett

Thurs 7

Clyde Teresa Haggard

12 PM—Godly Play

McConnaughhay

Dwight Lewis

6 PM—New Year. Same Goals.

6 PM—Faith Olympics

Brayden Ward

Rob Fox Kathryn Pollock

11 AM—Virtual Worship Service

12 PM—Godly Play

Jim Long Cooper Wilcox Emily Wright

6 PM—New Year. Same Goals.

Stacey Cruse

6 PM—Faith Olympics

12 PM—Godly Play

Nell Earwood

7 PM—Book Club

Nick McFarland

11 AM—Virtual Worship Service

With COVID guidance changing regularly, our plans also change. The best way to get the most current information is by joining our email list. Sign up on our website by going to Resources > Faith File.

John Blackburn William Rashleigh

CARE BEAR VOLUNTEER AWARD Bearnabus has decided to start the new year right by spending some time with a true saint. People describe her as "literally how can someone this wonderful exist?" (Oprah) and "I just want to be her when I grow up." (Mother Teresa). Of course we're talking about Cynthia Insko! She's being recognized as the Volunteer of the Month of the Year for her help with our children’s ministry and her work on the Missions Committee as our liaison to Southern Elementary. Thank you for being you, Cynthia!

FROM THE ADMIN COMMITTEE CHAIR Oh my goodness! What just happened? I don’t know about you, but I was really excited last January about the new year of 2020 coming in with such promise and intrigue. It had such a nice ring to it. But as we all know now, it was not long until our world was turned upside down and our hopes were splashed into dread and despair. But when adversity comes knocking at your door you reroute, adjust, punt, and do things differently to accomplish your goals and new objectives. I think we owe everyone in our church a great big thank you for rolling with the punches. And, most importantly, we are surviving (very well, thank you) mainly because of the exceptional leadership of our pastors and church staff. Talk about innovative and creative ways to try things not even thought about just a few months ago! I also want to give a shout out to the Administrative Committee, who also worked hard to make “church” as normal as possible (did I say normal?). It makes me excited about 2021 coming in and the marvelous things we will come up with together. Thanks for your dedication and let’s go get them, team! —David Baird

FAITH BAPTIST CHURCH STAFF Senior Pastor William Reilly william@familyoffaith.net Associate Pastor of Students Sharon Felton sharon@familyoffaith.net Associate Pastor of Children & Education Amanda Langlands amanda@familyoffaith.net Minister to Seniors Dale Stowe dale@familyoffaith.net Choir Director Natalie Tilford-Kopp natalie@familyoffaith.net Office Manager Angela Earwood angela@familyoffaith.net Custodian Linda Johnston Organist Charlotte McFarland Nursery Workers Suada Derakovic Melisa Custard Church Office M-F, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. (502) 863-1537 *The church building is currently closed. Staff can be reached by phone or email throughout the week.

Faith Baptist Church 116 Pocahontas Trail Georgetown, KY 40324 502.863.1537 familyoffaith@familyoffaith.net www.familyoffaith.net

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