Acts of Faith
FEB
MONTHLY NEWSLETTER OF FAITH BAPTIST CHURCH We are a family of faith, sharing God’s love in a spirit of hope.
IN-PERSON WORSHIP UPDATE
RESIGNATION OF DALE STOWE
The incidence rate in Scott County has decreased recently and Scott County Schools are back to in-person instruction so we will attempt to hold in-person worship starting Sunday, February 7. We are able to meet in the sanctuary for in-person worship due to the work of the Trustees. (Read more about their work on page 5.) Registration is required to attend. You can register at this link or by calling the office. Masks and physical distancing are required. Congregational singing will be prohibited. As per our policy, if we are still red on the Thursday before, we will cancel in-person worship.
On Sunday, January 17, Personnel Chair Randy Napier announced the resignation of Dale Stowe as our Minister to Senior Adults, effective January 31. Below is a note to the congregation from Dale.
You can read the full plan for indoor worship on our website at www.familyoffaith.net/covid-19-response.
WEDNESDAY NIGHTS
For the past five years I've had the privilege of being Pastor to Senior Adults. As I approach my 70s I think it's time for me to see what retirement is like. I am not keeping the title, but I will continue to love you and visit you, because the joy of my life is your life! See you often. -Dale In the coming weeks, we will be recognizing Dale for his service to our congregation and thanking him for loving our seniors so well. Information about the first event, as well as a word of thanks to Dale and plans for the future of his position, are on page3.
February 3: Yoga Hollis Dudgeon will wrap up our "New Year. Same Goals.” series with a yoga session. Join us at 6 p.m. on Facebook! February 10: CBFKY Racial Justice The work of racial justice must be continuous and takes all of us, learning and working together. You are invited to join with others from CBFKY churches for the first “Following Christ Together To Racial Justice” event. Rev. Kasey Jones, who has preached at Faith before and is the Associate Coordinator of Outreach and Growth for CBF, will lead this conversation. She will present "The Damascus Journey: A biblical exploration regarding the courageous work toward racial justice” at 7 p.m. The Zoom link will be in the bulletin and Faith File. February 17: Ash Wednesday Service Read more about this 6 p.m. virtual service and other Ash Wednesday activities on page 4. February 27: Godly Play During Lent, Cynthia and Amanda will share a Godly Play story with us on Wednesday nights via Facebook live at 6 p.m. These interactive scripture recreations will focus on the life of Jesus. Each week, we will consider a story from Jesus' life and what it means for our own lives.
NEW CHURCH LOGO & BRAND Have you noticed our new look? Following the work of the Faith Baptist Branding Committee and the adoption of the new visual brand in December, we're excited to begin rolling out our new brand! You may see the new Faith Baptist Church logo on our website, social media sites, and bulletins, and we look forward to even more updates to our signage, outreach materials, etc. in the weeks to come. Celebrate our new look with us by sharing it on your social media accounts! Notice something that needs to be refreshed with our updated branding? Be sure to let the church office know by contacting Angela at angela@familyoffaith.net. For church committees developing or updating Faith branded materials, be sure to check with Angela for the new brand manual, a reference guide for how to use the new logo. For more information, contact the church office.
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CHILDREN’S CORNER WEDNESDAY NIGHTS The children are continuing their exploration of CRAZY STORIES IN THE BIBLE! Every Wednesday the children receive a fun delivery that includes a Bible study booklet, craft, and other fun items. They are encouraged to explore the Bible study with their families or join our Bible study Zoom call later that evening. So far we have learned about Ezekiel’s skeleton army, Balaam’s talking donkey, and Jesus casting out demons into pigs! We are having so much fun learning about how God speaks to us in different ways, while always caring, protecting, and transforming us to be better lights in the world! GODLY PLAY The children are also gathering each Sunday afternoon for our Godly Play circle after the morning worship service. This January and February we are discovering the Sacred Stories of the Old Testament. It is a wonderful time for the children to hear the Bible stories in new and creative ways and dive deeper into them, as well as wonder about God.
YOUTH NEWS It’s Super Bowl time! Since we can’t gather to watch this year, we’ll make it a Souper Bowl and collect cans of soup for the backpack program! Write your name in cans and send Sharon a picture. Then take the cans to the backpack collection sites (listed below). The best photos win prizes! Let’s make this the best Souper Bowl yet! Backpack Program drop-off sites: 409 East Main St. (McEuen Family) and 168 Carriage Lane (Rose Family) Our Urban Immersion study is going great! We have four more weeks learning about justice issues and how we, as the church, are called to love and care for our neighbors! The youth have some great ideas about what we can do in our own community to serve! Passport IS happening IN PERSON! Woo hoo! It will be different, but we are planning to attend. We will go the third week of June! Sign-ups start now, so please contact Sharon to sign up your students!
CBFKY MODERATOR: SHARON FELTON Some of you may not know that Sharon Felton, our Associate Pastor of Students, is currently serving as CBF Kentucky moderator. This important role is a commitment of three years. Below, Bob Fox, CBFKY Coordinator and former Faith pastor, explains the duties of this position. We are proud of Sharon and the impact she is making! After having served with Sharon for five years at Faith, I was so happy when she was elected into our moderator cycle at CBFKY. She brings her energy, concern for justice, and leadership skills to our organization as we seek to follow Christ together. As the moderator elect this year, she is responsible for putting together our Spring Gathering. Due to the pandemic, we have moved this meeting to the fall so that we will be able to meet in person. At her direction, we are having a series of four conversations on racial justice that will culminate at our autumn meeting in Owensboro. As moderator next year, she will be in charge of all of our business sessions and provide guidance to the coordinating council. Finally when she is immediate past moderator, she will be in charge of making nominations to our coordinating council. Sharon is a treasured friend and dynamic minister. Faith and CBFKY are lucky to have her!
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DALE STOWE CONTINUED REFLECTIONS ON DALE The Faith JOY group has been blessed with many good people with servant hearts who are willing to share God’s love in a spirit of hope…none more so than Dale Stowe. For the last five years Dale has been a blessing to all of us sharing his energy, cooking skills, listening skills, spiritual gifts, and love in the name of JOY. From driving the bus to leading funeral services, Dale has taken the needs of the senior adults of our congregation and made them his own. We thank Dale for loving us and serving Faith seniors so passionately. Even though Dale is retiring, he promises to remain a presence in our lives and for that we are grateful. We will be honoring Dale in the coming months as our COVID situation allows. Look for announcements about ways you can say THANK YOU to Dale (and Joni!).
The staff brought Dale a few of his favorite things (snacks, cold weather accessories, dog treats, etc.) to celebrate his final days of work at Faith. In true Dale fashion, he had just come from visiting a senior adult and he gave flowers to the staff before opening his gifts.. VIRTUAL POTLUCK HONORING DALE When we think of Dale, several things come to mind: his loving personality, dedication to God, basketball, gloves, and, of course, cooking for the church. Therefore, there's no better way to celebrate Dale than with a potluck. While we are currently unable to have a traditional church potluck, we will be hosting a virtual potluck on Sunday, February 7, at 1 p.m. to celebrate Dale's presence on staff over the last five years. Bring your lunch, log onto Zoom, and eat with your church family as we share our favorite memories of Dale. The Zoom link is in the Faith File and bulletin.
LOOKING AHEAD In regards to the future of our Minister to Seniors position, the Senior Committee met with the chairs of the Personnel Committee, Administrative Committee, and deacons, as well as the pastor, to recommend that a transition period of six months be observed, during which the church would intentionally not hire a new Senior Minister. This period will allow for an evaluation to create a job description that reflects the needs and desires of our JOY (Just Older Youth) group. During this time the Senior Committee, deacons, and the pastor will assume the responsibilities of the position to ensure that our valued JOY members are still loved and cared for. This recommendation will be presented and voted on at our February business meeting.
MARTHA STEARNS MARSHALL GUEST PREACHER
FEB
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Since 2007, Baptist Women In Ministry (BWIM) has promoted the Martha Stearns Marshall women’s month of preaching in February. This national emphasis is designed to provide congregations the opportunity to experience the gifts and talents of female preachers. Faith Baptist Church is a long-time participant in this effort, with the added benefit of tying this opportunity to our partnership with Baptist Seminary of Kentucky. This year we will welcome BSK student Janine Williams into our pulpit on Sunday, February 14.
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Words from William Does anyone else feel like Lent lasted a whole year in 2020? Lent is the 46-day period (40 not counting Sundays) before Easter when the church prays, repents, fasts, and practices spiritual habits to prepare ourselves for Easter. Many Christians observe this period by fasting from a certain luxury or adding a discipline such as Bible study that we have neglected. After 2020, we should all be pros at fasting! While it might feel like we don't have any more luxuries to give up, as I considered Lent this year it became obvious what I needed to abstain from. This year for Lent I will be deleting social media apps from my phone. Sure I'll miss all of your cute pictures of pups and babies, but I won't miss the doom scrolling that seemed to consume chunks of my day last year. I've increasingly noticed myself filling empty spaces with mindless scrolling that seems to lead nowhere. I will check Facebook on my computer, so I will still get a healthy supply of delicious memes, but by eschewing it from my phone I hope to be more present in the real world right in front of me. Hopefully, in turn, relishing in God's creation will bring me closer to the creator. If not that, at least I'll finally finish that book Glen let me borrow. You don't have to give up what I am, but I would encourage you to find some way to observe Lent this year. Find a luxury or vice that you can relinquish. Pick up a healthy habit that you can instill. Involve your family or a friend if you need accountability. Whatever you do, I hope you will use this time to refresh an aspect of your life with God. Let us prepare our hearts and minds for Easter. It's like we've been practicing for Lent all year!
ASH WEDNESDAY Ash Wednesday marks the start of Lent, the period of preparation before Easter when Christians fast, pray, and reflect on the life of Jesus. Many churches observe Ash Wednesday through a special service that involves putting ash on their forehead. The service and ash are humbling in nature, reminding us of our own sin and mortality. Due to COVID, this year we will be observing Ash Wednesday a bit differently. First, congregants can sign up for a time between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. to come into the sanctuary and receive the imposition of ashes. Only one household and a Faith minister will be present to limit potential exposure. Masks will be required and the minister will wear gloves. During the ten minutes you are in the sanctuary, there will be a prayer, a short reading, and the placing of ashes. Then at 6 p.m., the entire church is invited to gather virtually for a brief Ash Wednesday service via Facebook Live. Participation in this service will be exactly like Sunday worship.
SPECIAL CLASS FOR ADULTS: GOD, EVIL, AND SUFFERING Why do bad things happen to good people? If God is so good, why is there so much bad in the world? If God’s in control of everything, does that mean God killed my friend? If God is not in control of everything, who is? If you’ve ever asked a question like this, you’re not alone. We’ve been asking these questions for centuries. Join William starting February 23 as we explore these
questions in a class called “God, Evil, and Suffering.” This 10-week conversation will cover topics such as prayer, divine agency, theodicy, suffering, evil, and human responsibility. Through this class, we won’t figure out the answers, but we might get some new insights. This class will be offered both in-person and virtually on Tuesdays. Please contact William if you are interested in participating in either capacity.
FAITH BAPTIST BOOK CLUB Here’s a great BIG thank you to all who participated in the first Faith Baptist Book Club! We had wonderful discussion throughout the month on Instagram and Facebook, and a live Zoom discussion that was full of laughter! Thank you for making it such a great success. Stories are what communities are made of; it is what ties us together and it helps us learn about others. The purpose of the Book Club is to explore works of fiction that make us think, put ourselves in the shoes of others, and maybe even take us out of our comfort zone. This month our theme is human resilience and we will be reading The Map of Salt and Stars by Zeyn Joukhadar. Check Facebook or @FaithBaptistBookClub (Instagram) for questions throughout the month and join us on Thursday, February 25, at 7 p.m. for the full discussion.
“
History is something you look back on, not something you really feel at the time. In the moment, you're just... living.
”
V.E. Schwab, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue
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CARE BEAR VOLUNTEER AWARD We've got a problem! Faith has just too many quality, kind, deserving people. As evidence of this, there are TWO volunteers of the month of the year this month! Both Eric Shaffer and Mike Niedwick are being recognized and will have joint custody of Bearnabus. How could we pick between these co-chairs of the trustees committee when you consider that they recently led projects to fix the van, upgrade technology in the sanctuary, prepare the basement for the Community Medical Mission, and save us a bunch of money on our insurance? Above all, they endured countless Zoom meetings with William. That's a whole lot and deserves some praise! Thanks for being awesome, Mike and Eric!
VIRTUAL QUARTERLY BUSINESS MEETING
Sunday, February 21, at 1 p.m. via Zoom
FROM THE ADMIN COMMITTEE CHAIR At the December Business Meeting, there was a discussion concerning preparations that would be necessary for us to return to in-person church services. Pastor William explained that the virtual worship service was going well and people who watched from home could see the live portions of the service as well as the prerecorded portions. However, anyone sitting in the sanctuary could not see the prerecorded videos (e.g. scripture readings, special music, Children’s Moment).
This prompted the Trustees to come up with a solution so in-person worship in the sanctuary could happen. Working with William, the Trustees contracted with Bluegrass Home Entertainment (the same company we used in the RA) for a best-case scenario for this issue. They recommended we install two 75 inch televisions on movable carts near the top of the choir loft to show videos of recorded worship presentations to the congregation. We anticipate the televisions will also be used for weddings, funerals and other church activities. In addition, another 75 inch television would be in the back of the church for the minister and musicians to see from the pulpit area. Jeff Stone has been of great help in coordinating the music and sound system and upgrading the wifi for a seamless presentation. And the wonderful part of this project is that a church family has presented the church with a sizable gift to pay for all of this project. We truly are blessed. Because of this coordination of several people working together, we anticipate that we will be ready when conditions are acceptable for us to return to church. As we tweak this project, we ask that you give feedback to the Trustees and offer any suggestions and ideas. See you in the sanctuary soon.
WEEK 1 CHALLENGE: silently recreate an iconic movie moment
WEEK 2 CHALLENGE: impressively throw something into something else
WEEK 1 WINNER: The Deans
WEEK 2 WINNER: The Langlands
Check the Faith File for the next two challenges; there’s still time to participate! View the winning entries each week on Facebook or YouTube.
2021
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SUN
MON
TUES
1
2
Carter Felton Lee Insko
9
14 Valentine’s 14 Presidents’ Day Day 11 AM — Worship Service 12 PM — Godly Play 6 PM — Youth Missions
16
Katie Taylor
28 11 AM — Worship Service 12 PM — Godly Play 6 PM — Youth Missions
THURS
3 6 PM — New Year. Same Goals.
4 6 PM — Faith Olympics
23 6 PM — God, Evil, and Suffering Class
FRI 5
SAT 6
Elaine Fultz Mark Roszkowski
Lynn Mayo
7 8 11 AM — Worship Service 12 PM — Godly Play 1 PM — Virtual Potluck 6 PM — Youth Missions
21 22 11 AM — Worship 12 PM — Godly Play 1 PM — Business Meeting 6 PM — Youth Missions
WED
10 7 PM — CBFKY Racial Justice Virtual Conversation
11 6 PM — Faith Olympics
12
13
Jimmy Wiggs
Nina Belle Durr
Bruce Mook
17
18
19
20
Evan Fox Sladen Vitale-Arehart
Emily Cain
William Reilly
24 6 PM — Godly Play
25 7 PM — Book Club
26
Jill Davila Colin Tilford
Randy Napier Mark Taylor
Ash Wednesday 10 AM-5 PM — Imposition of Ashes 6 PM — Virtual Service
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FEBRUARY 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.
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FRYSC DAY Did you know that February 10 is FRYSC Day in Kentucky? Do you know what FRYSC even stands for? It's not the new fried food joint in town, FRYSC stands for Family Resource Youth Services Center. Each school in Kentucky has one that is led by a Coordinator. These people work tirelessly to meet the needs of the families and students at their school. We work with the FRYSC Coordinator at Southern Elementary, Torie Hundley, to help provide meals, technology, clothes, tutoring, reading help, and so much more. We also work with Bree Sturgill at Scott County Middle to provide food for the backpack program. Torie, Bree, and their colleagues go above and beyond to care for the students so we are thrilled they are being celebrated on February 10. To take part in FRYSC Day, consider sending a thank you note to your children's school's coordinator on February 10. If you don't have school-age children, you can write a thank you note to Torie, or any of the other people who serve in Scott County and mail it to their school. Let's show our appreciation for the incredible work FRYSC coordinators do! Here's a list of the coordinator at each school in Scott County: Preschool - Scott Turner Anne Mason Elementary - Hannah Crouch Garth Elementary - Krista U Lemons Mill Elementary - April Ball Northern Elementary - Olivia Gillis Southern Elementary - Torie Hundley, Mary Hamilton Stamping Ground Elementary - Amanda Lewis Western Elementary - Mike Arvin Georgetown Middle - Torie Hundley Royal Spring Middle - Carrie Apple Scott County Middle - Bree Sturgill Elkhorn Crossing - Rebecca McDonald Great Crossing High - Cheri Risher Scott County High - Katelyn Flynn, Christi Albensi
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 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
Ten Faith members recorded videos reading books about important black figures for students at Southern Elementary in celebration of Black History Month. We appreciate those of you who volunteered as well as Cynthia Insko, the project’s organizer!
*The church building is currently closed. Staff can be reached by phone or email throughout the week.
116 Pocahontas Trail Georgetown, KY 40324 502.863.1537 www.familyoffaith.net
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