Acts of Faith
MONTHLY NEWSLETTER OF FAITH BAPTIST CHURCH
We are a family of faith, sharing God’s love in a spirit of hope.
Our whole faith is built on Jesus’ death and resurrection. So, it makes sense that every year we make a big deal remembering and celebrating Jesus’ death and resurrection and what it means for our lives during Easter and Holy Week. This involves special worship services, fun traditions, and lots of being together as a community. Here’s a rundown of what Holy Week and Easter will look like this year.
cemetery on the right side. You can park at the cemetery office building or along the road. Bring your own chair or blanket.
Instead of Sunday School, we will eat breakfast together as a family. We’ll have coffee and pancakes and invite you to bring your favorite breakfast dish or item to share.
Holy Week starts with Palm Sunday. During morning worship the children will process in with palms to remind us of Jesus’ arrival into Jerusalem when the people greeted him as a king with palm branches and coats.
We’ll celebrate Jesus’ resurrection in worship with song, flowers, prayer, scripture, and reflection. You’ re invited to bring a flower from your garden to add to the flower cross before worship. Also, bring a bell to ring every time someone says “alleluia.” Easter lilies will be part of the processional and sanctuary décor so don’t forget to order yours by Monday, April 3. (Order forms are available in the foyer and bulletin.)
As a way to prepare for Easter, you are invited to come to the church during office hours on any day of Holy Week to view the artwork of the last words of Jesus that are on display in the children's hall. Each piece is accompanied by a devotion to help you reflect on the words and their meaning.
Our Easter Offering will be collected through the month of April. We already have $1,569 as of March 28. Way to go, Faith Family! We’ve got almost a third of our goal before April even begins! We’ve heard all three of our recipients tell us about their mission work on Sunday mornings last month. Thank you for supporting these dedicated missionaries!
CBF field personnel
Several local churches are joining together for a service exploring the crucifixion from the perspective of several characters in the story.
Join us for a simple service to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus at sunrise, the time his empty tomb was discovered. We will gather in the back of the
As we journey closer to the Mystery of Easter and enter into the season of Eastertide, here are some things that are going on in the Children’s Ministry Program:
The children are hard at work on their play The Legend of the Three Trees It is a beautiful story about how our dreams don’t always turn out exactly as we hoped, but God is always with us and using us for beautiful and wonderful purposes. All children are welcome to bring a lunch and join us!
The children will be wrapping up their time of learning about CBF missionaries Tina and Jonathan Bailey who serve on the island of Bali. The children have learned about the culture of the island and how Tina and Jonathan use music and art to share the love of God. We are also learning more about our community partners and may tour the AMEN House.
Everyone interested in creating their very own masterpieces and creating fun works of art is invited to bring a lunch and join us for an afternoon of discovering God in new ways.
June 11: Sunday Fun Day | June 20-23: Passport Kids | July 23: Family Retreat | July 31-August 3: Art Camp
During the past several years as Faith Baptist has developed its practice of Godly Play with children, we have created a wonderful space and trained some excellent and dedicated adults who mentor our 3rd-5th graders during Sunday School and then younger children during worship. Our current team of mentors include: Pastor Amanda, Carrie Rashleigh, Elizabeth Sands Wise, Sarah Hatch, Lee Ann Napier, Becky Collins, Maya Felton, and Lucy McConnaughhay. This team has the joyful experience of witnessing the impact of this unique, multi sensory storytelling method that supports children’s religious language development and nurtures them in connecting their story with the bigger story of our Christian faith.
In addition, we have become a model program for nine other CBFKY churches as well as churches from other denominations in our area who use Godly Play. I am grateful for Faith’s dedication and hospitality and far-reaching impact
on other congregations and their children.
If you or anyone you know is interested in attending the next event hosted at Faith , check out the information below. Also, please let Pastor Amanda know if you would be willing to help set up and serve one of our meals during the training.
Thursday, April 20, 5:30-9 p.m. (dinner included)
Friday, April 21, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. (lunch included)
Saturday, April 22, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. (lunch included)
Core Training is the essential training for all door persons and storytellers in the Godly Play classroom. This retreat-style format will encourage and nurture new and experienced Godly Play teachers, as well as provide a time of community and networking.
Topics covered will be the spirituality of the child, creating a sacred space, and supporting the circle of children (classroom management). Participants will also learn and practice how to tell stories and share the practice of Godly Play with their whole congregation.
Please register at this link or contact Godly Play Trainer, Rev. Cynthia Insko at cynthia.insko@gmail.com with questions.
It’s time for our annual Dessert Auction benefitting youth summer programs!
Be sure to mark your calendar for Sunday, April 23, at 6 p.m. in the RA and join us to bid on something from one of Faith’ s amazing bakers! If you’d like to donate a delicious dessert, homemade bread, or special treat, please contact Sharon Felton or Laryssa McConnaughhay.
Several weeks ago our youth were studying letters of Paul and how he communicated with various churches. Our youth were asked to write letters to those who have impacted their faith and several wrote to you, our Family of Faith! Here are some excerpts from their letters:
Dear Church,
You have helped to improve my faith by providing many opportunities for me to go places I never would have. So thank you for that.
Dear Faith Baptist,
Thank you for teaching me so much about God, Jesus and the Bible, and the rest of the people in the Bible.
Dear Faith,
I want to thank the church community as a whole for helping everyone thrive. Everyone in this church has had a significant impact on me and my family.
Thank you, Faith family, for loving and supporting our teenagers! They see you and you make a difference!
Summer is coming fast! We will welcome our new sixth graders with lunch and ice cream on June 4 after church.
On June 12-18 our youth and several of their parents will take part in a journey through Alabama’s civil rights history. We will stop in Birmingham and visit the Civil Rights Institute, Kelly Ingram Park, and 16th Street Baptist Church. Following our stop in Birmingham, we will head to Selma and discuss the 1965 Voting Rights Act and the marches from Selma to Montgomery as we walk along the Edmund Pettus Bridge. We will then head to Montgomery where we will visit several historical sites in the city, visit the Legacy Museum, and then go to the National Memorial for Peace and Justice. To conclude our trip we will spend a few days in Florida reflecting and debriefing all we have experienced. I am excited to share this journey with our group. We have been preparing for it on Wednesday nights and I look
forward to this being the beginning of some “good trouble” our youth will be a part of as we look to be better citizens in our community.
On Sunday, April 16, from 6 to 8 p.m. we will have dinner and games at the Hadaways’ for all college students and young adults.
JOY has had a great 2023 so far and we’re only three months in! Ken and Mariann Harlan’s children pulled off a great surprise party for Ken’s 80th birthday last month! At our JOY luncheon we were entertained by Jerry Haranczyk on the didgeridoo, which he plays and makes by hand. It was so neat to hear this marvelous aboriginal instrument, as well as appreciate Jerry’ s wonderful craftsmanship.
A group of us went to see the movie Jesus Revolution, which hit home for me as this was in the era I was in high school. We also traveled to Woodford Theater to see Lend me a Tenor, a great play about a concert soloist who takes too many nerve pills and cannot perform. With a large concert about to start, they enlist his assistant to play him! Hilarious!
We have several activities coming up, like Chicago in April and The Music Man in June. Our upcoming JOY lunch programs are Jeff Stone talking about podcasts, Jeff Antle discussing charitable contributions, and Elaine Ward telling us about safety at home. For outings we plan on going to Spark Café in Versailles in April, Tres Hermanos in May, and Shakertown in June when we can take our grandchildren. A great summer it will be!
As Easter approaches, let us not forget that Jesus promised us that he would return to bring a new heaven and a new earth where there would be no more sorrow, trouble, or death for those who believe and follow him. I pray that during this time of year that we meditate on Jesus’ great sacrifice for us on the cross and that you will be filled with peace and hope because he has risen! That is the Good News!
Blessings, Rick
