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First Baptist Church

Special Events

Tuesday, May 7 7:30 a.m. Men’s Prayer Breakfast Monday, May 13 12:00 p.m. Spire Information Due (for the month of June)

Tuesday, May 14 7:00 p.m. Leadership Council Meeting 7:00 p.m. Deacons’ Meeting Saturday, May 18 8:00 p.m. Senior Fun & Fellowship Group Trip to the Danville Symphony Orchestra Concert (meet at FBC at 7:00 p.m.)

Tuesday, May 21 7:30 a.m. Men’s Prayer Breakfast Monday, May 27 Memorial Day Church Office Closed

Return Service Requested

Regular Weekly Schedule

Sundays 8:00-8:30 a.m. Breakfast Club 9:00 a.m. Prayer Time 9:15-10:10 a.m. Sunday School 10:15-10:30 a.m. Coffee & Donuts 10:30-11:30 a.m. Worship

Mondays 5:30-7:00 p.m. Handbells Various Times Connection Groups

Wednesdays 5:30-6:00 p.m. Supper is served 6:00-7:00 p.m. Activities for All Ages 6:00-7:15 p.m. Childcare (infant-3 years old) 7:15-8:45 p.m. Church Choir

The Spire Volume 78~ No. 4

April 24, 2019

871 Main Street Danville, VA 24541

Office: 434-793-8331 Fax: 434-793-3228

[email protected] www.fbcdanville.com

May 5, 2019

John 8:1-11; Romans 8:14-17 For God So Loved the World

by Martin ~~~~~

May 12, 2019 Micah 4:1-7; Mark 5:21-43 My Song for Life by Choplin

~~~~~ May 19, 2019

Genesis 12:1-9; Hebrews 12:1-2; 2 Timothy 4:6-9

I Want Jesus to Walk with Me arranged by Raney

~~~~~ May 26, 2019

Colossians 1:15-20; 1 John 4:7-21 Grace by Hayes

From Your Mission Team Thank you! Thank you! Thank You! Because of your generosity in raising $14,000 for our annual Missions Offering, our seven mission partners will each receive $2,000! That money will go a long way toward helping the ministries of the Boys & Girls Club of Danville, God's Storehouse, Good News Jail & Prison Ministry, Grace & Main Fellowship, Haven of the Dan River Region, Karen Zimmerman, and Marc & Kim Wyatt meet the needs of those they serve. Well done!

Calling All Seniors! Just because some of us are a little older, doesn't mean we aren't as fun-loving as our young folks! So let's show those youngsters how much fun we can have together! The Deacons are starting a Senior Fun and Fellowship group and you're invited! We'll get together once a month for a different activity, starting with the Danville Symphony Orchestra Concert on Saturday, May 18th. It's a free concert but they'll gladly accept a can of food or two for God's Storehouse, and we'll provide transportation. We'll even come pick you up and drive you home if you'd like. We'll meet at the church at 7 pm so we can sit together as a group. The concert starts at 8. Although this is the kickoff for our Senior group, we'll be glad to have anyone of any age join us for the concert!

In June, we're planning a Bingo party and from there the list goes anywhere from a concert by Angela Zimmerman and Ray Robinson to a trip to visit Marc and Kim Wyatt and their ministry to international refugees in Raleigh. For more information, you can contact Kathy Davis, Janice Gilstrap or Douglas Stone.

Let us know what kind of activities, trips, or programs you'd like and we'll make them happen!

First Baptist Church Connecting with God

Connecting with Others Connecting Others with God

Connecting with God ~ Connecting with Others ~ Connecting Others with God

From John This past week on the Christian calendar was Holy Week. Many of us participated in several different worship services

throughout the week. If you were able to participate in our Maundy Thursday service, then you know that we sought to focus on the experience of the disciples on Saturday—the day in between Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection. Their world had been shattered. Their teacher, Lord, and Messiah—the one whom they had seen heal the blind, cure the lame, set the oppressed free, feed the hungry, and calm the storm—was now lying lifeless in a tomb. And, of course, the disciples did not know the rest of the story. Jesus had tried to tell them that he would be raised, but they did not yet know. They did not yet believe.

Building that service got me thinking a lot about liminal spaces. I shared a bit about that during the service, and I want to pick up that theme here because liminal spaces are not just for Holy Saturday, they happen in our lives all the time.

A liminal space is that time between the death of what was and the birth of what yet may be. What was the concrete reality of our existence, our foundation, is gone, and the possibilities of what yet may be are not yet formed. The past is buried and the future still shrouded in heavy fog.

You may not have had this word for it, but I know you’ve experienced it. It is the first day of retirement. It is the morning after the death of a loved one. It is sitting in the car outside of the lawyer’s office after the divorce papers are signed. It is waiting on test results. It is the time between what was and what yet may be but is not yet.

I’m guessing you’ve also experienced such moments in your faith journey. Perhaps you said

yes to a sense of calling but didn’t know what that calling looked like yet. Perhaps a question arose in your heart about a long held belief, and you knew there was a faithful resolution to the question, but you did not know how to get there yet.

The promise of a liminal space is the possibility of newness, transformation, metamorphosis. The promise of a liminal space is found in the power of God who promises to work all things for the good. As theologian Richard Rohr has said, “There alone is our old world left behind, while we are not yet sure of the new existence. That’s a good space where genuine newness can begin. Get there often and stay as long as you can by whatever means possible…This is the sacred space where the old world is able to fall apart, and a bigger world is revealed.”

But the challenge, the often, overwhelming challenge, of a liminal space is to wait. The challenge is to wait in openness for what yet may be without trying to force our way back to what is already gone. The challenge is to wait in openness and patience for the God who does not work on our timetables and for the deep work of personal transformation that always takes longer than we would wish. The challenge is to wait in openness and patience and trust that the one who has promised to never forsake is yet with us and that the one who has promised to work all things for the good is steadily weaving every moment of our existence, even this one, into a grander whole than we could hope or imagine.

So, when you find yourself on a threshold, between old and new, let me encourage you to stay open, stay patient, and stay trusting. God is with you and will bring you through. And who knows, God might just do something as miraculous as resurrection—new life.


884 Eggs 884 Eggs. That is how many eggs the generous people of First Baptist contributed to the 2019 Easter Egg Hunt.

884 Eggs means that our children could invite their friends to come to church to hunt eggs — and hear the Good News that Jesus is Alive.

884 Eggs means that eggs were on the ground and in the trees and hanging on the playground fence — just waiting to be found.

884 Eggs shows the love and care of First Baptist for the children of our church and our community.

884 Eggs encourages our children to be generous. After they found the eggs in the egg hunt, they joyfully took eggs out of their baskets and put them into bags to share with their friends and people they have never met.

884 Eggs means that 16 children and their parents had a chance to enjoy an egg hunt and party. And fun was had by all.

884 Eggs — more than we ever imagined — but just right!! Thank you First Baptist!!!

Sanctuary Flowers

May 5

The sanctuary flowers are given in honor of Kathryn Wyatt’s birthday by her family.

May 12

The sanctuary flowers today are given to the glory of God and in honor and memory of our mothers, past and present, by Sallie Gregory.

May 19

This date is still available if you’d like to place flowers in the sanctuary. Please contact the church office for more information.

May 26

The sanctuary flowers are given by George and Kathy Davis to the glory of God and in honor of their daughter-in-law Jennifer’s birthday on May 4, children Tim and Brittany’s birthdays on May 8, and granddaughter Lily’s birthday on May 30.

Stewardship (As of March 31, 2019) Year-to-date Budget $87,510.75 Year-to date Income $83,522.86 Year-to-date Expenses $94,245.54 Excess/(Deficit) of Income over Expenses($10,722.68)


Thank You Notes

Words cannot express my appreciation for the kindness and care that I felt from you during my mother’s long decline in health, her last days and after her passing. Many of you visited her when she was still living in her apartment and sent her cards that cheered her and reminded her of God’s love and the love of God’s people. You visited her, took her bouquets made from the sanctuary flowers and continued sending encouraging cards while she was at Roman Eagle. After her passing, you ministered to me in so many ways, too many to enumerate. Know that I will forever be grateful to you and to God who inspires such acts of Christian love. First Baptist Church is a caring and loving family, and I’m so thankful to be in this family.

Ray Robinson

Men’s Prayer Breakfast On the first Tuesday, May 7, and the third Tuesday, May 21, the men of the church are invited to a Bible study and prayer time held in the parlor at 7:30 a.m. You may bring your own breakfast or order a biscuit from Biscuitville through the church office prior to Tuesday. Coffee and juice are provided. John Carroll will be our devotional leader. Join us before going to your other activities of the day to pray for our church, our members, our city, and our country. Mark your calendar for MPB on the 1st and 3rd Tuesday each month.

Flower Vases Needed If you have any extra flower vases that you aren’t using, the Bouquet Bearers would love to put them to use. Thank you! - The Bouquet Bearers

Getting To Know Us

Last month our clue was:

This person had a brief career as a professional flower arranger.

The rest of the story is that our mystery person worked for a wholesale florist, rather than throw flowers out when the new ones arrived, our mystery person salvaged the flowers that still had plenty of life and put them together in various arrangements. This talent was noticed by the owner, who deemed that the arrangements were pretty enough to sell. Our mystery person is Douglas Stone, and he will tell you that he prefers vegetable plants over flowers, but a green thumb is a green thumb. We want to thank Douglas for allowing us to learn this secret about him.

Our next opportunity to get to know a little more about others in our congregation will happen this month on May 29. Please mark this day on your calendar and plan to come to the Wednesday evening activities, where we will be hosting “The (not so) Newly Wed Game”.

Four couples from our church have agreed to be contestants for this “game show” and will give us an opportunity to learn more about them; we might even see if they learn more about each other. Come and cheer on our contestant couples: John and Casey Carroll, George and Kathy Davis, Nick and Amber Carty, and Randy and Jan Richardson.

Save the Date God's Storehouse “Eat Out to Help Out” is Tuesday, May 7th. Check God's Storehouse Facebook page and website for participating restaurants. Participating restaurants will donate 10% of their sales to God's Storehouse.


From Angela When churches burn…

When churches burn, we stand in shock, not believing what our eyes and ears are telling us.

When churches burn, our hearts are heavy. Our hearts are heavy because a place of worship is no more. Our hearts are heavy for the people, even if it is some other people, who call that church home. Our hearts are heavy because something holy has been destroyed.

When churches burn, we remember. We remember the building of that church. We remember, and give thanks, for the money that was given to buy the brick and stone, wood and nails. We remember the large gifts, given cheerfully out of abundance; we remember the small gifts, the gifts that come with sacrificial devotion. We give thanks for the dreamers and the planners, for the masons and the carpenters.

When churches burn, we grieve for what will not be. We grieve that there will be no more weddings or dedications or baptisms in this place. We grieve that we will no longer be able to bury our dead from this place. We grieve that the mighty organ will not be able to raise the “Hallelujah” at Easter and that the simple guitar will not lead the congregation to sing “Silent Night’ at Christmas.

When churches burn, our faith feels a little shaken. While we know that God does not reside only within a building, these buildings are not without meaning. Sometimes we need buildings, strong, durable, beautiful buildings, to remind us that the God who created all of the beauty in the universe is strong enough to move the mountains and is alpha and omega, everlasting to everlasting. When those buildings burn and

begin to crumble, it can be disconcerting.

When churches burn, like when Notre Dame Cathedral was burning, we feel sadness and disbelief, but we trust that it was truly accidental and not caused by a careless workman. When churches burn, like the three in Louisiana that also burned recently, we feel disbelief and anger. Why? Why would someone deliberately burn down a church? Why would hatred of a group of people cause a person to set fire to God’s house? Why?

When churches burn, we can see the best in people. We see people standing on the streets of Paris singing hymns. We see GoFundMe donations pouring in to repair not only the big church in Paris, but also St. Mary Baptist Church, Greater Union Baptist Church, and Mount Pleasant Baptist Church. When churches burn, we see people reach out across divisions to offer assistance and hospitality as Temple Beth Shalom did when our church burned in the early 1900s.

When churches burn, we can still have hope. There are countless stories of Bibles and other articles surviving church fires. Some of the early pictures after the fire at Notre Dame showed a cross, unburned, brilliantly reflecting light and shining for all to see -- a cross of hope.

When churches burn, EVEN when churches burn, we can see God. We can see him in the items that remain unburned. We can see him in the actions of his people. And we can know that, even when churches burn, the God of creation, the God who made the mountains and the seas, the God who caused the wind to blow and the fire to burn, the God of the church that burned, remains steadfast and sure.

Even when churches burn, we can say, “Thanks be to God.”

Sunday Nursery Schedule May 5

Sharon Eldridge Bohannon

May 12 Jeannie Bennett

May 19 Sarah Cowan

May 26 Sandy Turner

Counting Committee Harold Brinkley & Bill Rigney


May 2019

Sunday Mornings 8:00-8:30 Breakfast Club 9:00 Prayer Time 9:15-10:10 Sunday School 10:10-10:30 Coffee & Donuts 10:30-11:30 Worship

The Breakfast Club 1st Sunday: Ellen Davis, Ray Garassino, Sharon Logan, Tom Millner, Vanessa Noel 2nd Sunday: Mollie Duren, Janice Gilstrap, John Gilstrap, Mark

Mills, Dave Slayton 3rd Sunday: Jeannie Bennett, Scott Bennett, Bob Echols, Karen Harris, Matt Harris 4th Sunday: Harold Brinkley, Jimmy Flippen, Jim Hall, Neda Haymore 5th Sunday: Vern Cowan, Randy Richardson, Douglas Stone, Karen Tuck

Birthdays May 1 Jeannie Bennett May 2 Karen Tuck May 3 Jerry Reese May 4 Josiah Carroll May 5 Shirley Manning May 7 Shirley Centner Bernice Goodson May 8 Brittany Davis Ingram Katie Pratt May 11 Kathryn Wyatt May 12 Mike Hendrickson May 13 Sierra Franklin Rodney Reese May 17 Eva Inlow Charlie Vipperman May 18 Mabel Lewis May 20 Janice Gilstrap May 21 Tim Stowe May 22 Mildred Smith May 28 Emily McDowell May 30 Lily Davis

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday

1 5:30-8:45 PMWednesday Evening Schedule

5 8:00-11:30 AM Sunday Morning Schedule

6 5:30-7:00 PM Handbells

7 7:30 AM Men’s Prayer Breakfast


12 Mother’s Day 8:00-11:30 AM Sunday Morning Schedule

13 12:00 PM Spire Information Due (for the month of June) 5:30-7:00 PM Handbells

14 7:00 PM Leadership Council Meeting 7:00 PM Deacons’ Meeting


19 8:00-11:30 AM Sunday Morning Schedule

20 5:30-7:00 PM Handbells

21 7:30 AM Men’s Prayer Breakfast


26 8:00-11:30 AM Sunday Morning Schedule (with WBTM broadcast)

27 Memorial Day

Church Office Closed

28 29 5:30-8:45 PMWednesday Evening Schedule(with end of season celebration)

Ushers Douglas Stone, Captain

Jimmy Flippen, Asst. Captain Scott Bennett

Bob Echols David Slayton Substitute

Gary Hume

Offering David Holshouser, Captain Robert Dorr, Asst. Captain

Karen Harris Pam Harris

Tom Meadows Bill Rigney Bob Wiles

Landon Wyatt, Jr. Suggested Substitutes

George Davis III, Richard Haymore, Dick Inlow, Betsy Osborne, Karen Tuck

Wednesday Night Supper May 1

Hostess: Karen Harris Serve/Clean: Leadership Council

& Covenant Class

May 8 Hostess: Terri Snead

Serve/Clean: Friendship Class

May 15 Host: Douglas Stone

Serve/Clean: Deacons & New Beginnings Class

May 21 Hostess: Kip Caton

Serve/Clean: Faith in Action Class

May 28 Hostess: Ellen Davis

Serve/Clean: Leadership Council & Covenant Class


May 2019

Deacons on Call Vern Cowan (H) 434-724-9192 (C) 434-251-4213 Judy Cox (H) 434-791-2333 David Holshouser (H) 434-797-2937 (C) 434-251-4412 Dave Slayton (H) 434-836-1868 (C) 434-770-8753

Wednesday Evenings 5:30-6:00 Supper is served 6:00-7:00 Activities for All Ages 7:15-8:45 Church Choir

Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

8:45 PM Wednesday Evening Schedule

2 3 4


9 10 11


16 17 18 8:00 PM Senior Fun & Fellowship Group Trip to Danville Symphony Orchestra Concert (meet at FBC at 7:00)


23 24 25

8:45 PM Wednesday Evening Schedule (with end of season celebration)

30 31

first baptist church connecting with god return service ... · miraculous as resurrection—new...

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