Pastor’s Blog
Pastor Update 7-8-2020
Three updates/reminders from our pastor: 1) Coordinating Council has chosen an in-person reopening date; 2) Reminder about a new outreach ministry at FBC; and 3) Reminder about the upcoming called business meeting proposed amendments to our church bylaws.
Pastor Update 6-24-2020
Three updates from our pastor: 1) Reminder of the date in early July that we will be making the decision regarding reopening; 2) Announcement of a new outreach ministry at FBC; and 3) Announcement regarding proposed amendments to our church bylaws.
Pastor Update 6-4-2020
The church’s Coordinating Council has met and decided to postpone reopening to in-person gatherings until at least July 6th. Until we meet again in-person, we will continue our online/phone worship opportunities and fellowship/Bible study opportunities.
Pastor Update 5-13-2020
The church’s Coordinating Council is watching closely the reopening plans for our community, and while technically we could try to meet in person this weekend, we are going to hold off a while longer to see how Phase 1 of reopening goes for this area. Until we meet again in-person, we will continue our online/phone worship opportunities and fellowship/Bible study opportunities.
New Financial Secretary: Kaylee White
On May 4, 2020, our Personnel Committee unanimously voted to hire Kaylee White as our new Financial Secretary. Learn more about her here!
Pastor Update 4-29-2020
We are now over 6 weeks into quarantine, 6 weeks away from one another and in-person gatherings, and we know that we are likely 6 weeks still until the stay-at-home order lifts and we are able to gather again. In the coming weeks, you’ll get a chance to join us in new ways.
Pastor Update 4-15-2020
The realities of ongoing physical distance are mounting, but we are The Open Church and are continuing to worship, study, and love our neighbors. Click for an update on our schedule and plans during this season of change!
A Still-Holy Week
Our Holy Week experience for 2020 will be unlike any other. It already was planned to be different, as we shared devotions and worship services with our sister churches Starling Avenue Baptist and Chatham Heights Baptist, but with physical distancing in place, it’s even more new and creative!
Pastor Update 3-24-2020
We enter into week two of our collective choice to distance ourselves physically from one another with renewed energy to find ways to continue our corporate worship of God, our study of scripture, our shared prayer, and our service to and love of our neighbors.
A Note from the Pastor about COVID-19
Out of an abundance of caution, FBC will be postponing or cancelling some gatherings and events until further notice.
Practices to Nourish Our Spirits
Lent is a season to feed our souls while we fast from those things that distract us….we have three dimensions: the intellectual, the institutional, and the mystical. We must nourish all three to be well-rounded People of the Book.
Why Lent?
Intentionally setting aside time to do something is a good way to build new habits. The season of Lent is a season where we try out fasting from something in order to fill our time with more meaningful things – things that make us closer to God and to our neighbors.
Making the Shift: A Challenge to Keep Moving
By now, if you’re on our mailing list, you have received our letter outlining our plan to undertake an intentional process for the next year to re-imagine ministry together for a new era in our church…This discernment process will help us to pray about, deliberate about, and plan our ministries for the future.
On Being Baptist: BJC & Religious Liberty
In 2017, I was honored to be chosen as a BJC Fellow. Many of you have probably heard of the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty, as it is an organization that has been around in our nation’s capital protecting religious freedom for over 80 years…On Monday and Tuesday this week, I, along with other BJC Fellows from the last 5 years of the fellowship, had a chance to join with BJC and learn to advocate for religious liberty at the national level.
New Gatherings in 2020
We are in an exciting season of thoughtful change and hopeful anticipation in 2020! New music ministries, new learning opportunities, new Wednesday night schedule & caterer, new Bible study…join us!
Our New Minister of Music – Becky Collins
On Sunday, January 26, 2020, First Baptist Church called Becky Collins as our Minister of Music.
Shared Ministry and Sacred Partnering
In 2020, First Baptist Church is going to look for ways to practice “sacred partnering.” To that end, we will begin a process of rethinking how we partner in sacred ways soon. We will walk together through an intentional process of reflecting on who we are and what our ministries should look like in this new season / decade.
Musings on Music
I don’t think a music program alone will grow a church….But music is an accent with which we speak to God, and one that inspires beauty and art in our souls. And it is one avenue we take on a journey toward being authentic people of faith together.
Taking Inventory
It’s a new year, and that means many of us will be looking for ways to de-clutter our lives…I’ve found that whatever new goals we may have for a new year or new decade, the work often begins with taking inventory of what we have been doing.
New Year, New Vision
We have entered a new calendar year – and a new decade! What will this new decade bring First Baptist Church of Martinsville? I hope we can start to vision those possibilities together in the weeks and months to come.
Christmas Time
Do you ever feel like time moves differently around the holidays?…The time we are in now is Christmas time, and it most definitely changed the world and how we perceive all time.
Advent Growth: A Pregnant Pause
Pregnancy can feel like the longest period of someone’s life…But you know that this waiting is good for the growth of a person. Advent waiting is also good for the growth of a person, in my opinion.
Advent Wonder
Part of the season of Advent is cultivating an attitude of wonder….And I believe it’s our wonder that makes our hearts truly ready to hold the mystery of the Divine in the depths of our souls.
Preparation
Why do we prepare during the season of Advent? I’ve been meditating on the idea of preparation this year. As some of us were reminded at our Advent devotion this past Tuesday with Father Nick Hull at Christ Episcopal Church, this season was built in before Christmas to ensure we are slowing down to pay attention to our own souls before we jump from one celebration to the next. This season is to pace ourselves and be fully present with God on the journey toward celebration.
Waiting for Christmas
Some say that saying “Happy Holidays” is the end of Christmas in our midst. But I say that losing a sense of expectancy and wonder is a much worse blow to our faith…For four weeks in December, we will anticipate the coming Christ. And we do so to prepare our hearts for the holy experience of Christmas.
Doing Faith Together
The work of God is often work that can make us tired, but when it’s done for God’s Kingdom and together in community, it’s the best kind of tired there is. Paul reminds us: “Brothers and sisters, do not be weary in doing what is right.”
God’s Renewing Presence
God’s renewing presence is already here, and we simply must tap into it and share it in our own way as the people of the Kingdom of God known as First Baptist Church of Martinsville.
We Are All Saints
I think the celebration of All Saints day (Nov. 1; we celebrate the first Sunday of November) is a little different for us in that way – we don’t venerate only some saints (the “official” ones of the ancient and modern church like St. Peter, St. Paul, St. Mary, St. Mother Teresa); instead, we understand that since we are all children in God’s Kingdom, being a saint isn’t something we earn through the enormity of our good works, but something we are gifted in our baptism…
Distractions and Worship
I have found that good distractions are in fact some of the best times to know that God is in our worship services…
Canoeing the Mountains…and other Things we can’t Do
We had a great opportunity this week to hear from Dr. Mike Hatfield, Pastor of Chatham Heights Baptist Church, who was inspired by the book Canoeing the Mountains by Tod Bolsinger and presented about it to challenge and encourage us as Christian communities.