Acts of Faith
MAR
2021
MONTHLY NEWSLETTER OF FAITH BAPTIST CHURCH We are a family of faith, sharing God’s love in a spirit of hope.
IN-PERSON WORSHIP
HOLY WEEK
On Sunday, February 21, we were able to hold indoor, in-person worship for the first time in eleven months and what a delight it was! The incidence rate in Scott County decreased significantly last month and we were out of the red for a few days, allowing us that one Sunday of gathering in person. The numbers increased the next week, but we are hoping and praying for a permanent decrease so we can continue to gather face-to-face. We will plan to hold in-person worship each week and registration is required to attend. You can register at this link or by calling the office by Wednesday each week. Masks and physical distancing are required. Congregational singing will be prohibited. As per our policy, we will cancel if we are in the red on the Thursday before.
Holy Week is the week leading up to Easter Sunday, starting with Palm Sunday and going through the last supper, ending with Jesus' trial and crucifixion. It is one of the most important times in the church year as we remember the foundation of Christianity. This year, as we continue to reimagine traditions in a safe context, there will be several opportunities to reflect on the significance of the events of Holy Week.
You can read the full plan for indoor worship on our website at www.familyoffaith.net/covid-19-response.
WEDNESDAY NIGHTS We are all still in the middle of living our global pandemic story. And yet, as we experience Lent together as a family of faith we can be intentional about looking at scripture for wisdom about our current journey. We invite you to join Cynthia and Amanda at 6 p.m. on Facebook as we use our Godly Play practice to look creatively at some of the stories of the People of God in light of our shared 2021 experience. We can’t wait to share Godly Play with adults in this way!
Throughout the week, a series of reflective prayer stations will be set up in the church. You will be invited to sign up as an individual or family to walk through this self-guided time of prayer and reflection. Times will be available throughout the week to ensure limited contact with others. On Wednesday, March 31, at 6 p.m. via Facebook Live, we will conclude our Godly Play story time with a special Holy Week story called "The Faces of Jesus." On Friday, April 2, we will join with other congregations in Georgetown for a community-wide Good Friday service at noon, most likely at Ed Davis Learning Center. Then, at 6 p.m. we will hold our own Good Friday service to reflect on the sacrifice and death of Jesus. Finally, on Easter Sunday, April 4, we will celebrate Jesus rising from the dead! There will be a sunrise service at 7 a.m. outside by the playground along with our regular service at 11 a.m. More details for all the events and services will be announced in the coming days as we monitor the status of COVID-19 cases and vaccine distribution so we can make the best possible decisions regarding the health and safety of our family of faith and broader community.
SUPPORT SOUTHERN ELEMENTARY Well, since school is back AGAIN, we are picking back up where we left off with our Southern Elementary work! We need volunteers who will video themselves reading a book for teachers to share with students. Cynthia Inkso will deliver books selected by the librarian for the volunteers to record. We also want to give each teacher at Southern a handwritten thank you note. Cynthia will assign names and pick up notes from volunteers and deliver them to the school. Note cards are available for those who need them. For either of these opportunities, you can call or email Cynthia at 502-316-3476 or cynthia.insko@gmail.com.
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CHILDREN’S CORNER As we enter into March, the children have wrapped up their study on Crazy Stories in the Bible where we explored different Bible stories: Samson and his hair, King Nebekenezer as the King of the Cows, Jesus casting demons out of a man and into pigs, Ezekiel's army of dry bones!
YOUTH NEWS I can’t believe it’s March! I’m looking forward to warmer days and more opportunities for us to meet together outside! Our Urban Immersion study has been so interesting and helped us think through some issues of justice and equality in our own community. What can we do to help those suffering from food insecurity? Why don’t we have affordable, quality housing for everyone? How has gentrification helped or hurt Georgetown? How can we use the arts to worship and to reach people for God? I’m excited to see how all of this gets us moving to serve our community in the upcoming months! On March 7 we are taking nine families to Perfect North for a day of tubing and skiing! I’m looking forward to being outside and playing with everyone in a socially distanced setting!
The children will begin “Digging into Lent and Easter” this month. During our study, we will read stories of the life of Jesus and build resurrection gardens together as we anticipate the excitement of Easter!
There will be a Passport interest meeting for all youth parents on Wednesday, March 10, at 7 p.m. We will go over all the COVID-19 protocols and possibilities of a potential camp trip. I’ll send the zoom link out that day so look for it in your messages. Since we couldn’t gather for our annual Super Bowl party, our youth had a Souper Bowl challenge to spell their names in cans! They nailed it! All the cans were donated to the backpack program and the Amen House!
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GC UPDATE FROM SHARON Georgetown College is back and going strong! We are providing quarantine bags again this semester for any student who tests positive for COVID-19 and has to quarantine on campus. The bags contain snacks, hand sanitizer, and information about our church. Pray for all of our college students as they navigate the semester in this strange new world!
FROM THE ADMIN COMMITTEE The Admin Committee continues to monitor the needs of our senior group (JOY) after the resignation of our Senior Adult Minister Dale Stowe. We are very fortunate to have a strong Senior Adult Committee, chaired by Pat Blackburn with a wonderful group of committee members and volunteers. Pat has organized this group of volunteers to cover senior needs as we are made aware of concerns. The virus and the weather have complicated things, but certainly have not stopped their efforts or enthusiasm. Let’s all take this opportunity to check on someone in the JOY group that may have a need, or just needs to have a conversation. If you have some time to get even more involved, I feel certain that Pat has an opportunity for you to consider. With the weather improving and the vaccinations in full swing, I feel certain that we will soon be able to join with each other in the sanctuary for Sunday morning worship. Until then…call us if you need us! SPECIAL COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION A few months ago the Deacons requested a special committee be formed to consider the process of joining the church as outlined in the bylaws. Last month that committee concluded their work and returned a recommendation that has been summarized below. In the spirit of creating a more welcoming experience for new members and to more accurately reflect other current practices, the Special Committee recommends that those requesting membership during a public worship setting be considered by the church upon request and the consideration not be delayed until the next business meeting. Their recommendation includes a change to the bylaws that was presented at the quarterly business meeting in February. This recommendation will not be voted on until the next quarterly meeting in May. Pastor William and Garvel Kindrick will be hosting open Zoom discussions at 7 p.m. on March 22 and April 22 about the proposed changes to the bylaws. You can contact the church office to get a copy of the recommendation.
Our first-ever Faith Winter Olympics featured stiff competition and spectacular
feats of excellence! In third place, at 22 points, was Jaycie Wilcox. The runner-up, at 23 points, was the Langlands family. Finally, at 25 points, our Faith Winter Olympics champion was...
FAITH WINTER OLYMPICS WEEK 1 CHAMPION CHALLENGE: silently recreate
TheanDeans iconic movie moment
WEEK 1 WINNER: Watch the weekly recaps and a winner ’s The Deans compilation video on Facebook or YouTube! Thanks to everyone who participated!
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Words from William “The world paused. We persisted.” That was the advertising tagline Emory sent me the other day to encourage my alumni gift. It didn’t compel me to write a check, but it’s a good line. It’s the kind of line preachers love: simple, uses alliteration, pointed yet vague enough, with a hinge. As I ask myself what to write for our March newsletter, that line keeps coming to mind. The world paused. We persisted. In so many ways, isn’t that true of Faith Baptist? When crisis shut our country down, our church got busy loving and caring. We gave time, energy, and money to look out for each other. We worked overtime to continue sharing God’s love with our neighbors through worship and service. Yes, we took our sabbaths and had our setbacks, but when the world paused, we persisted. Why that is the case? Why is our church able to weather the storm of chaos now and throughout the history of Faith Baptist? Recently, Pastor Rick Warren (of Purpose Driven Life Fame) said COVID-19 has “revealed a fundamental weakness in the church. Most churches only have one purpose: worship. And if you take worship away, you’ve got nothing. They’re in a hurry to get back to worship because that’s all they’ve got.” Churches have built themselves on a consumer model of providing the experience of worship as their main purpose. Faith has always been different. We have six core disciplines, and only one involves corporate worship. The others are learning, giving, relationship, personal worship, and service. As we reimagined worship in a safe context, we did the same with other disciplines to ensure that we could keep learning, serving, giving, and fellowshipping. Our faith is so much bigger than what happens on Sunday morning and that became crucial during this pandemic. Our holistic approach to our faith that engages more than just Sunday worship will allow us to emerge from the pandemic over the next several months connected and committed. I am longing for a return to physical gathering, but am inspired by how people have been able to weather this storm. Through our worship, service, learning, giving, and fellowship over the last year. we know that we can persist through the toughest of times. As always, I am reminded of how blessed I am to be part of this family of Faith. The world paused. We persisted.
FAITH BAPTIST CHURCH BASIC DISCIPLINES DISCIPLINE OF CORPORATE WORSHIP I commit myself to strive toward spiritual growth through vital, active participation in the worship opportunities of Faith Baptist Church. DISCIPLINE OF CHRISTIAN EDUCATION I commit myself to strive toward spiritual growth through vital, active participation in the education opportunities offered by Faith Baptist Church. DISCIPLINE OF SHARED CONCERNS I commit myself to strive toward spiritual growth through vital, active sharing with someone(s) of our fellowship the difficulties and achievements I encounter in seeking to live the disciplined life in the love of Christ. DISCIPLINE OF PERSONAL WORSHIP I commit myself to strive toward spiritual growth through some personally satisfying daily experience of communion with God. DISCIPLINE OF PERSONAL POSSESSIONS I commit myself to strive toward spiritual growth through the creative use of all my income and possessions, including some form of systematic and perhaps sacrificial giving to the financial support of our church’s ministry. DISCIPLINE OF PERSONAL SERVICE I commit myself to strive toward spiritual growth through making some portion of my time available in a compassionate reaching out in service and love to others through my church, my vocation, and my community.
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CARE BEAR VOLUNTEER AWARD Bears love honey so It's no surprise Bearnabus wanted to hang out with someone as sweet at Jane Cutter, this month's Care Bear Volunteer of the Month of the Year. Jane is being recognized because of her work as chair of the missions committee and all the behind-the-scenes contributions she makes to the church. Congratulations, Jane, and thank you for your work!
What I am offering via Zoom (and later will offer in person) is onehour sessions with individuals who want to share this practice with a trusted listener. Here are a few questions I often get: Why do people seek out spiritual direction? Some are experiencing a big change in life such as retirement, grief, a job shift, new health issues, or a myriad of other things brought on by the pandemic or ordinary seasons of life. Others may be seeking to understand how their prior experience and understanding of God speaks to their current situation. Many feel a certain stagnancy or rut in their relationship with God or others. Some have questions of discernment and are looking for wisdom to make a decision. Still others have a hunch that God may be calling them to something new and they are wanting feedback.
SPIRITUAL GUIDANCE Cynthia Insko recently completed a spiritual guidance program and we asked her to share about it! Since we’ve been talking about sharing the stories of our journeys I am happy to share of a new chapter in my story. For the past 18 months I have been an associate in the Spiritual Guidance Program of Shalem Institute. I’ve been training to be a prayerful listener and support to those who are searching for someone to share their spiritual journey with. You may never have heard of this term, but spiritual guidance (also known as spiritual direction) has been a practice in our Christian tradition for centuries. It’s likely that you have received and even given spiritual guidance informally with friends and mentors in faith. Listening to the stories of others and seeing God’s gracious presence in their journey, is one of my greatest joys. I look forward to sharing this with those who are curious.
How is spiritual guidance different from counseling or coaching? Sessions begin with an opening reading of scripture and/or prayer. We acknowledge that we are listening together for the Holy Spirit’s guidance and presence with us and in the situation or story that is being shared. Then if needed, I may ask questions to encourage you to express your need, desire, hope or struggle. Together we ask things like, “What is God’s invitation in this situation?”, “When has God felt distant or close?,” “What do you want God to do for you?”. Sometimes, but not always, some new practices or reading may be suggested, but not required homework. If desired, tools like the enneagram can be used as a springboard for conversation. Some people seek guidance once in a while, others prefer a regular monthly time. Prayer and other spiritual practices in the session and outside of it are never forced and/ are up to the individual and their comfort level. How do I sign up? Feel free to contact me by email at Cynthia.insko@gmail.com or by phone at 502-316-3476 with further questions or to set a time to meet once and see if it’s a fit for you. I can also recommend others who are certified spiritual directors if needed.
2021
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SUN 7 11 AM — Worship Service 12 PM — Godly Play 12:30— Youth Trip to Perfect North
MON 1
TUES 2 6 PM — God, Evil, and Suffering Class
Rick Covington Mary Ross Jaycie Wilcox 8
WED 3 6 PM — Godly Play for Adults
Roger Durr Marijean Long 9 6 PM — God, Evil, and Suffering Class
10 6 PM — Godly Play for Adults 7 PM — Passport Meeting
THURS
16 6 PM — God, Evil, and Suffering Class
17 6 PM — Godly Play for Adults
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6
Nate Dean
Jimmy Shaffer
Shirley Cruse
11
12
13
Abby Stone
Jarrod Abner
19
20
Ance Abner Bob Fox Linda Johnston Wanda Pruitt
Harrison Earwood-Hall
26
27
18
Ken Harlan 21 11 AM — Worship 12 PM — Godly Play 6 PM — Youth Missions
28 Palm Sunday 11 AM — Worship Service 12 PM — Godly Play
22 7 PM — Bylaws Change Discussion
23 6 PM — God, Evil, and Suffering Class
Stella Cain Patti Miller
Capella McFarland
29 10 AM-4 PM — Holy Week Prayer Stations
30 1 PM-7 PM — Holy Week Prayer Stations 6 PM — God, Evil, and Suffering Class
24 6 PM — Godly Play for Adults
SAT
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Mary Kaye Abner Patrik Rashleigh Diana Niedwick
14 15 11 AM — Worship Service 12 PM — Godly Play 6 PM — Youth Missions
FRI
25 7 PM — Book Club
John Richardson Damon Ward 31 10 AM-4 PM — Holy Week Prayer Stations 6 PM — Godly Play for Adults
MARCH With COVID guidance changing regularly, our plans also change. The best way to get the most current information is by joining our email list.
Scotty Wood
Sign up for the Faith File on our website.
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FAITH BAPTIST CHURCH STAFF SENIOR PASTOR William Reilly william@familyoffaith.net
FAITH BAPTIST BOOK CLUB “Fiction gives us empathy: it puts us inside the minds of other people, gives us the gifts of seeing the world through their eyes. Fiction is a lie that tells us true things, over and over.” -Neil Gaiman Our Faith Baptist Book Club has now had two official meetings! We have discussed The Invisible Life of Allie LaRue by V.E. Schwab and The Map of Salt and Stars by Zeyn Joukhadar. It has been eye opening to delve into the lives of the different characters and see how different our journeys can be. We have explored humans’ desire to be known and the resiliency of the human spirit. On the first of each month two books are introduced on the church Facebook page and the book club Instagram (@faithbaptistbookclub). After votes are tallied, a winner is picked. Join us this month as we read about courage that we find when faced with indescribable obstacles. Our next discussion will be on Thursday, March 25, at 7 p.m. Check Facebook and Instagram throughout the month for more information.
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
Baptist Seminary of Kentucky student Janine Williams was our guest preacher on February 14 in celebration of Baptist Women in Ministry’s women’s month of preaching.
*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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