Dedicated to bringing Christian faith and Life together through Worship, Outreach, Education, and A Caring Community First Baptist Church, West Hartford, Connecticut 06107 September 2016 September 18th Homecoming Sunday is one month away! After the service, everyone is invited to our annual homecoming brunch. Share your Spiritual Story. When I was gr owing up in chur ch, we often sang the hymn Blessed Assurance. Do you know it? Some of the lyrics of the classic hymn repeat in my head often: This is my story, this is my song, praising my Savior all the day long! The spiritual story of the hymn writer is her deep yearning praise God all day through her songs. We all have a spiritual story. What s yours? To answer this question, you might have to dig into the archives of your soul. What was that moment of awakening? Consider the moment when you realized that this world is too big to take on alone and you made the decision to reach out for the one thing that could ground you and give your life meaning. Your spiritual story is the story of how you have been shaped by God, and perhaps by Scripture and experience as well, to be the fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139) human you are today. I was recently introduced to an NPR program called StoryCorps. The mission of StoryCorps is to preserve and share humanity s stories in order to build connections between people and create a more just and compassionate world. They accomplish their mission through listening deeply to the stories of people from all cultures in an effort to weave together our common humanity. They record the stories so that they can be shared with a larger audience. Hearing the stories of people young and old of all races from cities big and small reminds us that we are more alike than we are different. So, our project will be Spiritual StoryCorps. In this coming year as a church, we will be invited by Pastor Stacy to share our stories. (She will share more details as the program year commences.) I will record some of the stories that weave us together into the intricate tapestry of believers that we are today (audio recordings only). You will have the opportunity to have your story recorded from October until May. By June, all stories will be compiled and we will be able to listen together to our diverse voices and stories and say with one voice: This is OUR story! I welcome your questions and comments about this recording project. Expect to see and hear more throughout the month of September. Peace, Jaimie Stay tuned for more details in future FBC weekly e-news emails as we get closer to Homecoming Sunday. If there are any questions, email Hospitality Chair Neil Shilansky shilansky8@gmail.com Thanks so much Neil The First Baptist Church, West Hartford, Connecticut An American Baptist Church Senior Minister Rev. Stacy Emerson Minister of Faith Development Rev. Jaimie D. Crumley Music Director Mindy Shilansky 90 North Main Street West Hartford, CT 06107-1924 Church Office Hours Tuesday - Friday 9:00 am - 2:30 pm Secretary Kris Hanko Facilities Manager William Albert (Mon, Wed, Fri, 9:00-12:00) Phone 860-521-9460 Email whfbc@yahoo.com www.http://fbcwesthartford.org The Focus is a monthly newsletter of First Baptist Church Editor Faith Geist
Why do you love your church? A few years ago, my calendar, printed by the United Church of Christ, had quotes throughout it from a quest to articulate why I love my church. Here are a few: Why I love church? Just last Sunday a little girl, maybe four, walked by herself across the aisle, left her parents, and climbed into the lap of a woman who is 83 years old and who lives alone. You know, if you want a church where you can pretend for an hour or two that everything is just fine with you, with your family, and with the world, then we re probably not for you. But if you want a church where you can tell the truth about how it is and know that it s okay, maybe you ll find a home here. I love my church because we share Easter Sunrise services with the local motorcycle club. And this one right on the front cover I love my church because it s sort of like The Wizard of Oz it s about having a heart and a brain. And courage! Tell me, and let s tell each other, why do you love your church? What makes the First Baptist Church dear to your heart and essential to your life experience? I invite you to answer this question all of you send it to me in the mail, email it, pass it to me at church and let s put all our thoughts together and see what makes this place, this congregation, this people of God so beloved and blessed that we just have to proclaim it somehow. Grace and peace to you. Stacy P.S. You can use this form or just jot me a note! I love my church because
Church World Service School Kits Updates for the new directory: Phone # for Sonja Davis should be: 860-593-7315 New email address for June Noble: noble-june@comcast.net Neal & Warene Testerman's phone # should be 860-521-2652 We rejoice with Edie Castagno at the birth of her grandson, Logan Tyler Castagno. He joins his proud parents, Tom and Katie Castagno, and his big brother Caleb. Friends, Thank you for the many donations that have come in for this project. You have been VERY GENEROUS! Remember these kits will be going to children who are victims of disasters around the world, distributed by Church World Service. They are testimony to your Christlike love for all of God's children. Here's a progress report: We are very close to our goal of 100 kits, and we hope to make our stretch goal of 200 kits. Here are several ways that you can help right now: A. SHOP for notebooks (70 page, spiral-bound), crayons (Crayola 24- count), or scissors (blunt tip, metal blade). B. DONATE money and LET US SHOP. Give the money to Carol H, Sonja D, Faith G, or Sally H. If you have school items to donate, you may give them to one of us or leave them in the closet across from the kitchen. The Interfaith Sewing Circle of Willimantic has already made 100 cloth bags for us. Thank you, Sewing Ladies! We will be assembling the kits (putting the items into the cloth bags) at Lunch Bunch on Thursday, October 13. At a later date we will box the kits and deliver them to the CWS depot in Connecticut. If you have a cardboard box which you don't need and is approximately 12" x 18" in length x width, we could use it for this project Thank you for your support of this mission project. Carol Honeychurch for Women's Fellowship, First Baptist Church of West Hartford Birthdays Walter Eells September 4 Melanie Banks September 4 Jason Sherrange September 6 Jean Forristall September 8 Cynthia Albertelly September 10 Bennett Sherrange September 16 David Crockett September 19 David Roones September 22 Jeanne Gunn September 25 Katelynn Emerson September 26 Heather Adams September 27 Katherine Fagerburg September 30 Anniversaries Thomas & Jeanne Gunn September 1, 1951 65 Lowell & Julie Fewster September 4, 1965 51 David & Kathy McCartney September 19, 1981 35 Frank & Pamela Amazeen September 8, 1990 26 Vern Baker & Katherine Fagerberg September 21, 1991 25 Sarah & James Falvey September 2, 1995 21 Michael & Missy Manish September 29, 2012 4
Dear Friends: The season of Harvest is upon us. We will be celebrating the beginning of our program year on September 18. All age groups will be coming to a fuller understanding of the love God has for them through new curriculum. All children (ages 4-12) who are interested in preparing for baptism are invited to speak with me in September. May our experiences in this season make us ready to serve God in new ways. Pastor Jaimie FBC WeHa Children/Youth Special Events: Fall 2016 Our children and youth and their friends are cordially invited to these events: Date/Time Event Name Event Location Notes September 10, 2016 10:45 AM-5:30 PM The Last Hurrah Quassy Amusement Park Meet at the church at 10:45 AM. We return at 5:15 PM. $17.50/child. Church covers chaperone admission. Financial assistance available October 1, 2016 3:00-3:45 PM The Blessing of the Animals Memorial Garden This worship service welcomes all living creatures. Bring a photograph of friends who cannot join us. November 26, 2016 4:00-7:00 PM The Hanging of the Greens Throughout the church Join us for a pre-advent church decoration party. Festivities include: Pizza, art, crafts, fellowship, hymns, and a one-rehearsal December 11, 2016 9:30-10:30 AM December 18, 2016 12:00-2:00 PM December 24, 2016 7:00-8:30 PM Christmas Pageant Christmas Caroling Christmas Eve Worship FBC Sanctuary West Hartford area homes FBC Sanctuary We will share the story of Jesus birth in a worship service led by our children and youth. Our Music Director, in collaboration with Congregational Care lead us in singing carols at the homes of some of our infirmed members and friends. We travel together on a rented bus. Music is provided. Join us for this service of Lessons and Carols as we celebrate the birth of Jesus. Dear First Baptist Church Family and Friends: Thank you for your generosity as our children and youth fundraised for Water for South Sudan this summer. With your help, our youth donated $666. That money will help our neighbors in South Sudan gain access to safe, clean drinking water. With your help, our youth have been good neighbors to our
WOMEN S FELLOWSHIP FALL GET-TOGETHER and ANNUAL MEETING Thurs, Sept 15 11:30 at Carol Eells house Come and share some women s fellowship after our summer apart. After lunch, we ll review the past year, elect leaders and vote a new budget, and talk about activities coming up this fall. Carol s address is in the church directory. Carpool if possible. Let your telephoner know if you would like to carpool from the church, so we ll know who to wait for if you re a moment late! Sonja will be phoning the Lunch Bunch list. If you re not on the list, give her a call. Remember, first timers don't have to bring a dish. It's very informal. All women and girls are invited! The Connecticut Forum 2016-2017 series will begin with RELIGION IN AMERICA 2016 September 4 Jeremiah 18:1 11 Psalm 139:1 6, 13 18 Philemon 1 21 Luke 14:25 33 September 11 Jeremiah 4:11 12, 22 28 Psalm 14 1 Timothy 1:12 17 Luke 15:1 10 September 18 Jeremiah 8:18 9:1 Psalm 79:1 9 1 Timothy 2:1 7 Luke 16:1 13 September 25 Jeremiah 32:1 3a, 6 15 Psalm 91:1 6, 14 16 1 Timothy 6:6 19 Luke 16:19 31 October 2 Lamentations 1:1 6 Lamentations 3:19 26 or Psalm 137 2 Timothy 1:1 14 Luke 17:5 10 The changing role of religion in our culture, our politics and our lives Thursday, September 29 at 8:00 PM at the Bushnell in Hartford. Single tickets are on sale now. Irshad Manji Michael Gerson Jon Meacham
Adult Education Sundays at 11 Be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves, like locked rooms and like books that are now written in a very foreign tongue. Do not now seek the answers, which cannot be given you because you would not be able to live them. And the point is, to live everything. Live the questions now. Perhaps you will then gradually, without noticing it, live along some distant day into the answer. Rainer Maria Rilke This fall during Second Hour, we will begin a new adult series, Living the Questions led by Rev. Stacy Emerson. Living the Questions is a DVD and web-based group study exploring themes of contemporary theology and faith. Living the Questions will help seekers and "church alumni/ae" alike in discovering the significance of Christianity in the 21st Century and what a meaningful faith can look like in today's world. THEMES this fall include An Invitation to Journey, Taking the Bible Seriously, Thinking Theologically, Out into the World, and more FORMAT The format of each session includes a video, guided discussion, spiritual exercises and Bible study. The 20 minute videos for each session include conversation, sermon clips, lecture excerpts, and spiritual exercises for practical applications (including different forms of prayer and meditation, movement, walking the labyrinth, etc). Since the overall theme is that of faith as a journey, not a destination, the livingthequestions.com web site will offer resources for continued exploration, including downloadable expanded study guides, extra video resources, and links. Sessions begin September 25th at 11:00 a.m. in Fellowship Hall
Sun Mon. Tue Wed Thu Fri. Sat 1 2 3 4 9:30 FBC Worship 10:30 Fellowship Time 12:15 Ch & Y Christian Ed Committee 12:30 CBC Worship 8:00 AA LABOR DAY 5 6 1:00 Financial Vision Team 7 10:00 Staff Mtg 10:30 Loaves & Fishes 1:00 Knitting 1:30 Missions Comm. 7:30 Chancel Choir Rehearsal 7:30 Al-Anon 8 9 10 Children s Event 10:45 AM 5:30 PM details in this Focus 11 9:30 FBC Worship 10:30 Fellowship Time 12:00 Social Action 12:15 Growth & Outreach 12:30 CBC Worship 8:00 AA 1:30 PM Adult Christian Ed Mtg 7:00 Trustees 12 7:00 General Board Mtg 13 10:00 Staff Mtg 1:00 Knitting 7:30 Chancel Choir Rehearsal 7:30 Al-Anon 14 15 11:30 Lunch Bunch & WF meeting 16 17 HOMECOMING 18 9:30 FBC Worship 10:30 Brunch 12:30 CBC Worship 8:00 AA 7:00 Personnel 19 7:00 Deacons 20 10:00 Staff mtg 1:00 Knitting 7:30 Chancel Choir Rehearsal 7:30 Al-Anon 21 22 10:00 Service @ CT Baptist Homes, Meriden 23 24 25 9:30 FBC Worship 10:30 Fellowship Time 11:00 Christian Education 12:00 Congregational Care Committee 12:30 CBC Worship 8:00 AA 26 27 28 10:00 Staff mtg 1:00 Knitting 7:30 Chancel Choir Rehearsal 7:30 Al-Anon 29 30