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.
Happy New Year! As we anticipate a great 2022, we’re also feeling thankful for a good 2021 during an interesting year. For many aspects of our life, including church, 2021 was defined by a continuing return from COVID prevention measures. We cheered vaccines, cherished the ability to gather more robustly, and created new habits influenced by what we learned. Faith was no different as we began to regather for in-person worship and classes after almost a year apart. It was a delight to share in JOY lunches, Sunday School classes, and choir activities once again! Our return to physical gathering came with an added joy of five new baptisms! As we’ve reconnected with old friends, we’ve also made new ones. We welcomed 13 new members to our church and saw many more new faces join us regularly for worship both in-person and virtually. In this spirit of welcome, we also successfully navigated a discernment process for how welcoming we would be for people in the LGBTQ community. This culminated in a Statement of Welcome and Wedding Policy that was approved with a 97% affirmative vote! This year of transition had several programmatic highs as we found new ways to have fun and connect with God and each other throughout the year. We found out who the champions of all that is athleticism and creativity are when the Deans won our inaugural virtual Winter Olympics competition. Our Holy Week was enriched with interactive, COVID-safe prayer stations. Our youth were thrilled to be able to return to Passport summer camp. Our children had a magical art camp full of color, wonder, and growth that culminated in an awesome Sunday morning worship service. Speaking of worship services, we were Continued on page 3
Christmas fun: caroling, breakfast, “Silent Night,” and the scavenger hunt (Congrats to the Rashleighs!)
You’re invited to JUST SUNDAYS. We’re taking the school out of Sunday School and focusing on living life together. This small group is for anyone who doesn't have a Sunday morning small group and is looking for a place to meet others and talk about what life throws at us. It will be a place for you to come when you are available to share what is on your heart or just to be with friends. We will meet in one of the gym classrooms at 10 a.m. (or whenever you get there) starting January 9 and share life over coffee and donuts. There is no prep needed, just you!
We loved finally being able to share a meal together on Wednesday nights last fall and we’re excited to resume our activities on Wednesday, January 12! We will gather around the table for food and connection during our Family Dinner from 5:30 to 6:30. Then after dinner, from 6:30 to 7, we'll have a program or activity that encourages deeper connections, learning, and play. Check the bulletin and Faith File for each week’s menu, chef(s), and activity. If you would like to prepare a meal, contact Wanda Pruitt or Peggy Blanton.
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It is hard to believe that we are into the new year! Looking back, despite all the uncertainty, we really had a wonderful year together filled with laughter (Big Games), exploring our beautiful God (Art Camp, Advent Art Gallery) and learning about God (Godly Play, Wednesday Nights) and how we can be God’s light in this world (Kids On Mission). I am so thankful for this faith community and the way that we live life together. In January we will be back to our regular schedule. On Sunday mornings we will continue exploring new Godly Play stories with the older elementary class and diving deeper into ones they have already heard. The younger preschool and elementary class will continue to Celebrate Wonder with Ms. Ann and Ms. Dawne. Our Wednesdays this winter and spring will be WaCkY! We will be having fun together learning about how God is still present with us and how we can know God better. In January we will be exploring how we can BE MORE TREE! Trees are a beautiful gift from God our Creator that serve many purposes. Trees give us oxygen, they can calm us when we are upset, and they help one another. Being more like a tree can draw us closer to God! We will meet each Wednesday night in the Children’s library from 6 to 7. I hope you will join us. We will meet right after church on Sunday, January 23. Everyone is asked to bring a lunch. We will continue learning about kids from all over the world who are following Jesus. Parents can pick up their children at 1:45 p.m. Are you interested in knowing more about Godly Play, or perhaps you would love to become a storyteller? There will be a Godly Play Core Training on a Saturday in January, February, and March. You can attend one or all of the trainings. If you are interested, email Amanda for more details.
The Hatches playing a game at the 12 Days of Christmas Scavenger Hunt for families of youth & children
Because of an Acorn is a beautiful book about how everything is connected. Because you are, I am. It is a wonderful metaphor about community and the importance of our differences working together.
Happy New Year! Despite all the hardships and COVID and everything else that happened in 2021, we had a good year with our youth! I’ve seen so much growth in each of them and there is a closeness developing within the group that I pray will continue to grow and expand to include new youth as well!
We have a busy 2022 already in the works! I am so excited about our summer plans that we’re going to kick things off in January! Del Sol Church in Albuquerque, New Mexico, has invited us to come serve alongside them as they minister to their community. Many of you may know Rev. Dr. Sheila Klopfer, who was the chair of the Religion department at Georgetown College for many years. She is now the co-pastor of Del Sol Church! The youth and parents who go on this trip
will be leading children's camps, possibly working with a homeless shelter, and learning about the beautiful Native American Culture. Plans are still underway, but we are so excited about this opportunity! We will be raising money so that every student who wants to serve has the ability to do so. In July we will be attending Passport at Berea College! Everyone is excited to get back to see friends and experience camp, this time in Kentucky! Camp always costs $400 per person so helping us with this cost will be another way you can encourage and support our teenagers! There will be an information meeting after worship on January 9 for youth and parents where we will discuss both trips, fundraising, and the spring semester.
3 treated to a thoughtful worship experience during Youth Sunday. Our programming year concluded in a celebration of photography as spiritual practice at our Advent Art Gallery. It, along with much of what we did, reminded us how insightful and inspiring our family of Faith really is. In 2021 we also navigated uncertain financial futures. There was a stimulus bill, inflation, volatile markets, and employment uncertainty. At Faith, we were reminded that we live in a world of abundance. We’ve given several thousands of dollars to support CBF missionaries, funded projects at Southern Elementary, and gathered supplies to support hungry people, struggling families, and those in our community without. Faith’s generosity has also allowed us to pay our bills as we’ve seen an increase in budget giving from last year. Special gifts have even allowed us to add new technology to the sanctuary and worship, get new branding, and implement that new branding on new signage. This spirit of generosity is not just limited to money. Last year several people were also generous with their time, skills, and space as we’ve sought to love our neighbor near and far. We continued traditional service through Extreme Build and aroundtown service projects. We joined in the flood cleanup efforts this spring which led to a formal partnership with Together for Hope Appalachia. Our building has been utilized by the community as a gathering place for meetings and activities. It’s also become home to the Community Medical Mission and continues to be a furniture closet for Southern Elementary. In short, in 2021 we’ve been able to share God’s love. There have been many ups and downs in the last year, and through it all God has been present. We’ve seen God at work at Faith in all these ways and more, but also in our personal lives. How have you experienced God this year? How has your faith changed? What are you taking with you into 2022? Thanks be to God for such a beautiful family of faith to do life with and thanks be to God for the blessings of 2021!
The pandemic made 2021 a challenging year, but even with the COVID situation I must say that 2021 was a great year for Joanna and me, as I was hired to be your Senior Adult Minister! I am so grateful for the support of the other pastors as well as the administrative assistance of Angela Earwood. Their direction has been exceptional! I also want to thank the JOY committee members for always being ready to assist when there was work to be done. This past year saw many events that, without their guidance, would not have happened! Since I have been here, the JOY group has traveled just up the street to Georgetown College and all the way to Millersburg. We have seen the Eiffel Tower, a haunted bridge, and beautiful Christmas lights. We have learned about Ward Hall, genealogy, and the true nativity. Last but not least, we have enjoyed the amazing cooks who have brought and shared some delicious food for our monthly luncheons! As we cross into 2022 I look forward to planning fun activities such as game nights, movie nights, mystery lunches, and perhaps some events for grandparents to share with grandchildren! The travel committee is already looking for new ideas for short trips in the coming year. Should you have any ideas, please feel free to let me know. In regards to our luncheons, I want to continue looking for interesting speakers to expand our knowledge of outside interests. On Monday, January 17, at 11 a.m. in the RA, we’ll gather for our first JOY Lunch of the new year! Our program will be learning about Spencer, a slave owned by people in Georgetown whose intriguing story is unfamiliar to most of us. For those who are able, please bring chili, soup, or a dessert to share. Feel free to invite your friends and neighbors and, since school is out, bring the grandkids! Since the weather is still good enough to travel, we will visit the Rabbit Hash General Store in Boone County on Friday, January 21. We will leave the church at 10 a.m., eat lunch at Cheddar’s in Florence on the way, and return before 5 p.m. The little town of Rabbit Hash is located on the Ohio River between Louisville and Cincinnati and, although the population is only a little over 300, it has an atmosphere unlike any other and plenty of character. In Rabbit Hash you will find some unique items such as Bybee pottery, handmade brooms from Berea, woven towels from Boston Weavers, and more. The cost is $4 per person plus the cost of your lunch. Sign up on the JOY bulletin board. Wishing the JOY Group and the other members of Faith health and happiness in the coming year! —Rick
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Words from William Cecelia and I are currently going through the training to become foster parents. We are not trying to adopt, but rather provide a refuge for a kid who really needs it. For us, this is part of our faith that requires us practice hospitality for the stranger and love for our neighbor. During one of the trainings, they had us write down various support networks like family, friends, and community and eliminate them one at a time. We noticed that many people had put church family as one of their connections and quickly let it go, but both Cecelia and I left a Christian community as our final connection. As we talked about it, we realized that we had clung to our church family because in a pinch y’all could cover the gaps for everything else we were losing. At Faith we have plenty of fill-in parents and grandparents, plenty of advocates, and plenty of supporters. It’s a place for us to grow spiritually, find rest, and be renewed by the hope of God. It was hard to let go of other things, but in the end, if we really had to choose, we know we could get all the love and support we would need from a healthy church family like we have at Faith.
As we are thinking about offering refuge for a child, it’s incredible that we’ve been able to experience that same thing from you. I am constantly reading articles about how “the great resignation” is hitting ministers. I have countless anecdotal stories from my friends in ministry about unsupportive churches and impossible stresses. The pressures brought on or made worse by the pandemic are causing many people I know to reevaluate their role in a church or reconsider church ministry entirely. Yet, that hasn’t been my experience at all. This pandemic has further confirmed how glad I am to be at Faith. I came to Kentucky because I believed God was nudging me toward you, and now I’m so glad I listened. We’ve all had really hard moments and really terrible periods, but through it all you’ve been a refuge. A safe place for me to discover things about my faith as I explore God’s dream for the world. You’ve been a place of safety, a steady source of hope and love. Cecelia and I are both so thankful that we are part of a faith family that we want to hold onto, and our hearts broke for the people who saw church as an easy cut. It reminded us that communities like ours aren’t a given. We’re so grateful that we are where we are doing life with you incredible people, and even more encouraged to make sure we are making this community available to others who need it. Thank you for being something worth holding onto. A place, even during a pandemic, I don’t want to leave.
On Sunday, December 19, our church was provided with a marvelous music program from our choir and musicians under the direction of Natalie. It is amazing how she and the choir continue to put together a truly professional performance and I know the church is very appreciative. During that same service the church recognized our ministers, staff members, and two significant worship volunteers. Each was presented with an envelope with a “love offering” from the congregation. While it is important to present a monetary gift, the recognition should not stop there. These important people who do so much for our
church deserve a love offering that lasts all year long. We can do that by simply saying thank you, I appreciate you, I support you, and I love you. Don’t miss the opportunity to tell these folks what a great job they are doing. And while we are at it, we should not forget those in the church who volunteer their time and talents by serving as a deacon, helping with offering, arranging flowers for the communion table, chairing a committee, teaching Sunday School, etc. We could go on and on because of the wonderful members we have. So let’s provide a “love offering” to each other each Sunday with a caring smile, a kind word, and perhaps even a fist bump!
We have good news to share! The AMEN House is able to supply food and toiletries for the backpack program so we no longer need to collect those items! Thank you for your consistent giving to this effort the past few years. We especially want to thank the Harlans, Cutters, Blackburns, McEuens, and Roses for their commitment to this important program.
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Thank you! This church is wonderful at helping others! Here are a few of the folks we need to thank for some of our recent work: Thanks to Betty Parrish for chairing our Christmas Shoebox program this year! We set a goal of 50 filled shoeboxes and were able to deliver over 60. Betty’s efforts included a new plan to provide standardized boxes that are easier to pack and distribute. Her new plan is in the process of being adopted by churches all over the state and has led to some real time savings for volunteers. Thanks to Kathy Fraley, Jane Cutter, and Becky Collins for volunteering a day at First Baptist Corbin to help our missionary, Scarlette Jasper, get ready to deliver the Christmas shoeboxes. They worked hard to put together over 250 of the thousands of boxes that are being distributed this year.
in Kentucky. Look for more information later this month on how you can help families in need of a new Kentucky home. The biggest thank you goes to all of you who encourage, volunteer, write checks, and pray faithfully for the missionaries we support and the work of God that they do every day in their places of service around the world. Presence matters, and their presence in the lives of others is only possible because you care enough to get involved. THANK YOU!
Thanks to Jared Wilcox for chairing our Offering for Global Missions. His good work and your faithful giving have us far surpassing our goal of $4,000 this year. A special added bonus for OGM this year was art sales proceeds from the Advent Art Gallery curated and staged by Pastor Amanda with help from Pastor Sharon. OGM will be accepting donations through mid-January, so there is still time to give!
Faith Baptist Church Goal: $4000 Total Given: $7206
100% of your gift supports CBF field personnel serving in the U.S. and around the world Thanks to Pastor Sharon and Pastor William for taking lead roles in the Helping Hands loan program. With their help and enthusiasm, we are ready to extend a Helping Hand to folks in financial trouble from payday loans. Read more about this program below. Thanks to Pastor Sharon and an idea from Pat Blackburn, we will continue working with Kentucky Refugee Ministries to determine exactly how we will be able to help further their mission of resettling refugees
Last year, the Helping Hands loan program was started with substantial financial support from members of Faith through the Church Benevolent Cooperative to combat the debilitating evil of payday loans that prey on people who are often already struggling. However, the CBC did not feel as though they could fully support the program with their current volunteer levels. So, our Missions Committee agreed to take a more active role in offering this program to the community by taking over the volunteer effort. We've met with our volunteers to go over the program and we are ready to start helping people escape these loans. The program works by converting their payday loan with as much as 500% interest into a Commonwealth Credit Union loan at 3% interest. The only thing required to participate in the program is an outstanding payday loan and proof of income. Our volunteers are tasked with making sure applicants qualify and helping them navigate the process. Basically, we act as an advocate and friend to a neighbor in need. We are so glad to be a part of this important work in our community. If you would like to get involved as a volunteer or know someone with a payday loan, contact the church office or Missions Committee chair Mike Collins for more information.
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Lia Cate Wilcox Jack Willett
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Gayla Thompson Cecelia Reilly
Jackie Powell
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Piper Gullett Linda Humphrey
Teresa Haggard
Tim Divine
Dwight Lewis
Cheryl Brown
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Jim Long Cooper Wilcox Emily Wright
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Brayden Ward
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Rob Fox Kat Pollock
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John Blackburn William Rashleigh
Nell Earwood
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All members of Faith are invited to attend and participate in the ordination council for Hollis Dudgeon on Tuesday, January 11, at 7 p.m. in the RA. Hollis is seeking ordination into gospel ministry and this final step of the ordination process will allow us to hear her faith journey and how God is directing her in ministry, ask clarifying questions, and ultimately vote on approving her for ordination. Carolyn Hale Cubbedge was ordained and served as a minister at Faith. Bob Fox presented Carolyn with a By Faith Award from CBFKY for her faithful work with CBF.
The ministers and staff of Faith Baptist Church would like to thank you for the love offering and gifts you gave us at Christmas. We are blessed to serve and work with this special family of faith. “Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all of you at Faith Baptist. Thank you for all the thoughts and prayers on my behalf.” —Ruth Snyder
Prayers & Squares will resume meeting in January! All are welcome to join on the second Tuesday of each month at 6:30 p.m. in the church basement to work on prayer quilts. No quilting or sewing experience necessary; there are plenty of jobs! Contact Kathy Fraley with questions.
The city-wide activities for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, January 17, will kick off at 3:30 p.m. with a meet and greet at the Cralle Student Center at Georgetown College. The march will begin at 4 p.m. on College Street and the service will be at 5 p.m. at First Baptist Church (1330 Lexington Road, Georgetown). Rev. Dr. Carolyn Knight, a preacher, professor, speaker, and evangelist from Atlanta, Georgia, will be the featured speaker for the service. All are welcome!
FAITH BAPTIST CHURCH STAFF 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 SENIOR ADULTS Rick Hawthorne rick@familyoffaith.net CHOIR DIRECTOR Natalie Tilford-Kopp natalie@familyoffaith.net OFFICE MANAGER Angela Earwood angela@familyoffaith.net CUSTODIAN Linda Johnston ORGANIST Charlotte McFarland PIANIST Judith Williams NURSERY WORKERS Suada Derakovic Melisa Custard Church Office: (502) 863-1537 M-F, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
116 Pocahontas Trail Georgetown, KY 40324 502.863.1537 www.familyoffaith.net
stay connected
Pastor Sharon took college students to Breakout Games to destress after finals! The JOY Group had lots of Christmas fun at their December lunch!
—John & Pat Blackburn —Melissa Ward, Lynn Mayo —Chris Cutter, Dale Stowe —Molly Sigmon, Sue Wilson —Jim Land