Thursday Thoughts

Blessing of the Pets 

9.28.2023  

If you have ever stopped by the church on a Thursday, chances are you have met my dog, August. She is the youth mascot, she knows the church backwards and forwards, and whether they like it or not, she will stop by everyone’s office multiple times a day. She loves to roll in wet grass, hates walking on a leash, and her favorite word is “ball.” I can’t even begin to count her quirks, but nevertheless she’s everything I could have ever asked for. If I had to guess, you would probably describe your pet the same way.   

Pets bring us joy, laughter, and life-lessons that help us live better lives. The author of Job writes, “Ask the animals, and they will teach you; the birds of the air, and they will tell you;…and the fish of the sea will declare to you. In God’s hand is the life of every living thing.” The trees, the animals, and land. We are called to care for all of it. Pets are just one important piece of that creation. Whether that pet is a dog, a cat, a lizard, a bird, a fish, or anything else, I sincerely hope you will join us for our second annual Blessing of the Pets service. May this be a time to honor not only our pets and companions whom we love so dearly, but to also remember the rest of creation that God so beautifully designed! Join us Sunday afternoon, October 8th at 4:00 P.M. Please bring your pets leashed or crated and meet in the parking lot near the portico. I look forward to seeing you all!   

Sarah Laurence 

As I continue to settle into my role as Minister to Children and Families at Aiken’s First Baptist, I am so thankful that God has led me to serve alongside this group of people. I have already experienced so much support and begun to form some powerful relationships. I have loved leading in worship, working with our staff, and most of all, ministering to our wonderful children and families alongside incredibly gifted and faithful volunteers. My list of “firsts” with this body of believers has only begun, and I am beyond excited to see how it continues to grow. One “first” that I have the privilege of helping put together is our Trunk-or-Treat, which will be here before we know it, so here are the details!   

Trunk-or-Treat will take place on Wednesday, October 25th from 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. in our church’s parking lot. No matter if you are young or old, parents or not, or somewhere in between, we invite YOU to come out and join us! There will be a place for everyone to plug in and have fun, whether that means simply attending the event, volunteering, or even some of both. There will be food, games, and lots of sweets, but as you know, an event like this cannot happen on its own, so here are some ways YOU can help!  

Candy donations can be dropped off in the white cabinets by the church office. We will need lots of it to make sure our folks decorating trunks have a steady supply to hand out. Speaking of which, this year, we will be awarding prizes to the three participants who have the best trunk in one of the following categories: Trunk with the Best Costumes, Most Interactive Trunk, and Most Creative Trunk (one prize only per category). The more trunks we have, the better, so use this link to register your trunk and ensure your chance to win a prize! https://subspla.sh/kgfsw26/. You can also use that link to register to bake a cake for the cakewalk or to help supervise an activity like a carnival game. 

Lastly, you can help by telling those in your circle about this event and inviting them out to join us too! This will be a wonderful opportunity to practice joy through play, deepen relationships with those we know, and to make connections with those we do not. Let’s dig deep to help make this event all it can be and to show our community who we really are!    

In truth and love, 

Matt Waller 

mwaller@fbcaiken.org 

(704) 466-2321 

Women in Missions  

The Women in Missions (WIM) group at AFBC are women of all ages who are interested in assisting those in need.  These women give generously of their time and resources.  They have for many years given needed supplies to these local agencies: ACTS, Community Medical Center, Cumbee Center, Helping Hands, My Father’s House, Salvation Army and the Backpack food program for Aiken County students.   Other programs for which they have provided items are the FBC Preschool Library and laundry supplies for the Teen Center at Second Baptist Church.  Because of their generous contributions, WIM is able to provide emergency assistance of food and services for families in crisis.  Our ladies not only support financially these programs but many volunteer their time at the Community Medical Center, the GED program at Second Baptist Church, Salvation Army, My Father’s House, ACTS Rural Food Distribution, Aiken Senior Life Services, Great Oak Equine Assisted Program (Therapeutic riding) and preparing and serving lunches for the homeless population and the Women Build volunteers of Habitat for Humanity.  When Missions HERE was conducted, our women assisted on the job sites, in the craft area, providing lunches and serving wherever needed.  They serve with kindness and grace.  

If you would like to be part of this loving group, please join us in the Fellowship Hall on September 23 at 6:00 p.m. to hear of mission opportunities for the fall and winter.  You will be a blessing to someone and will receive a blessing too.  Thanks be to God for willing and faithful servants!  

Debbie Sessions 

Chili Cook-Off

I would like to invite you to a very important event that will be unlike any other Wednesday night. When you arrive for activities on Wednesday September 20th you will not be attending your regular Wednesday night meal and programming. You will be entering our annual Chili Cook-Off! The Fellowship Hall will be transformed into a festive college-themed extravaganza, and your nostrils will be met with the amazing aroma of countless chilis lined up for you to taste!

This year, funds from the Chili Cook-Off will benefit everyone! Our current bus has been faithful to us for many years, and we are so grateful for the miles and adventures it has shared with us! But with time it has become less reliable and safe for our children and youth. This fundraiser is to raise money for the necessary maintenance of our bus to insure safety, as well as purchase a second vehicle in the near future.

I hope you will be present on Wednesday September 20th to attend this exciting evening! Come enjoy the Chili Cook-Off, but please remember our goal for the evening is to raise funds for a new church vehicle. Invite your friends, your neighbors, and bring the whole family for a fun night!

At our Chili Cook-Off Fundraiser, you can expect to find great chili, tasty desserts and a whole lotta fun! While you are enjoying the event you can make donations in several ways. You can plan ahead and bring cash to vote for your favorite chili. You can write a check for your donations to put in the jar of your favorite chili. When you arrive, you can write a check for more than your dinner amount and receive cash back, or just make a donation. We will also have donation jars on all the tables to make a private donation of cash or check.

Also, I am still looking for individuals to donate chili! So, if you want to throw your hat in the ring for the best chili, PLEASE! We need it! 🙂 Sign up by clicking the link below or calling the main office.

https://forms.gle/S4Uc5xUTZSwUdsGT9

Sarah Laurence

This next week we will begin offering two support groups—one for those experiencing grief and one for those who find themselves in the role of caretaker right now.  I’ve been thinking about the name we give to such gatherings as these.  Whether a group gathers because of a common experience of grief, caretaking, depression, addiction, heart disease, or cancer, we most often call such a group a support group.  It is deeply accurate, but I can’t help but wonder if the name itself is a bit of a hurdle in our American culture. 

First, we don’t like to show any struggles or weakness or need.  We are supposed to be able to handle it all and handle it all on our own.  And, if we can’t handle it all, we are at least supposed to pretend like we can.  When it comes time to ask for prayer concerns, we are ready to lift up obstacles and hurts that others are facing, but often are reticent to name the hurts of our own lives.  When it comes to having people over to our homes, we are hesitant because our lives might not be put together as well as others.  When it comes to social media, we curate only the best moments to show for the likes of the world.  When it comes to asking for help, we simply don’t ask even though we desperately need it because we don’t want to be a bother.  So, in a culture like ours, it might be hard for us to claim we need support. 

Second, we are highly individualistic—except that is a bit of an understatement these.  I think we have gotten to the point where we are dangerously individualistic.  We are supposed to be self-made.  We are supposed to brave the wilderness of life on our own terms.  We are supposed to be able to have the world on a string while we do it our way.  So, in a culture like ours, it might be hard for us to claim we need a group. 

But here are some of the claims of the gospel that I find in Jesus.  We all need help from outside ourselves—we need help from God and from brothers and sisters.  Sometimes we need that help because of the mess we make, often we need that help because of the mess life throws at us.  We are never called to do anything alone—Jesus walked with 12 and shared intimately with 3, and any time he sent his followers out, he sent them in pairs of two.  And then there’s this—we find our life by losing it, and we discover God’s strength in our weakness. 

The truth of the gospel and the truth of life is that we all need support groups along the way—whether they are formally organized or just a gathering of true friends around a dinner table.  We need people with whom we can be honest about our struggles, our failures, our weaknesses, our deep needs.  We need a community that will hold space for the new things God does when we get honest about what we can’t do on our own.  We need people who know they are fellow travelers and strugglers and therefore walk graciously right by our side. 

I hope you will let go of the false claims of our culture that you have to be able to handle it all and you have to be able to handle it on your own.  I hope you will embrace the truth of the gospel that we need God and one another and that powerful things can be birthed out of weak places.  I hope you will find the support group you need—one of our officially named support groups, one of our Sunday School classes, or just a gathering of trusted brothers and sisters.  I know my life has been changed for the better because of the support I have gotten from folks willing to be fellow travelers on this journey of life. 

Calling all families!   

Are you looking for opportunities to deepen your relationship with your children and have fun with other families? Could you benefit from some helpful parenting resources? Do you still need to fill out this year’s permission forms for your child(ren)? Are you interested in doing some visioning for your family and our church programs for the new church year?  

If you answered yes to any of those questions, we hope that you’ll join us for Family Fun Night on Sunday, August 27th from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. in the Family Life Center! There will be group games, team building, and dinner! The cost is just $10 per family. There’s still just a little time to register, so please do so ASAP by following this link:https://subspla.sh/cw36xjx/ 

Please feel free to reach out with any questions. Thank you for your continued support of our children and youth ministries! We hope that you’ll come out and have some fun with us!   

In truth and love, 

Matt Waller 

mwaller@fbcaiken.org 

(704) 466-2321 

Call for Student Prayer Partners  

The majority of our students have already begun a new school year and are adjusting to a new school calendar.  Think about all that a new school year brings – new teachers, harder subjects, new friends, peer pressure and new school campuses for some of our students.  Add to that the challenges and concerns about safety on school campuses.  Our students need the prayer support of their church family.    

We were so blessed last year by the response of our church family that we were able to pair all of our students in 3-K through college with prayer partners.  We hope to do the same again this year.  We are asking each prayer partner to pray at least once a week for 3-4 students.  When you receive your list of students with contact information, we ask that you let them know that you are their prayer partner for this school year. We would encourage prayer partners to send a few cards during the school year, but that is optional.   

If you would be willing to bless the lives of our students by praying for them, please contact Sara Adams at 803-292-8551 or at barry_adams@bellsouth.net.  There will also be sign-up sheets in the Sunday School packets.  Thank you for being a loving, caring church family as we entrust our students into God’s care this school year through our prayers.  

The Prayer Ministry Team 

It almost sounds inane to write it, but it is time for us to think about Christmas!!!! Specifically, it is time to think about our Christmas Cantata! For those who may not be in the know, the Christmas Cantata is one of our larger music endeavors here at Aiken’s First Baptist Church. A service that this year will take place at 11:00 am on December 17, it is an experience filled with music. For that hour, you will hear narrative set to music detailing the beauty of this season. The Sanctuary Choir will sing, instrumentalists will accompany, and a beautiful form of worship will occur. This year, we will be preparing Lloyd Larson’s The Glory of Christmas. It is going to be a wonderful experience. We plan on bringing in 11 wonderful string and woodwind players to enrich the presentation that much more. What I would love is to fill out the choir loft and make this a morning to remember! This opportunity is truly open to all, and I mean that. Whether you believe you can sing or not is immaterial. We aim to assemble a group that is passionate about joining together in a wonderful form of worship. All you need to possess is a heart for collaboration. On Sunday, September 10, from 3:00 pm – 6:30 pm we will have our Cantata Kickoff. This is a fun filled afternoon where you can get exposed to this year’s cantata. The Music Council works hard to make this a meaningful event. There will be drawings for prizes, singing, laughter, and the day concludes with a fabulous Italian meal in appreciation of all of your efforts. If you are a parent or caretaker of children, know that childcare will be available for the duration of the event! Even if you cannot attend the kickoff, we still want you to sing! The following Wednesday, September 13, and each Wednesday after, the first thirty minutes of Sanctuary choir rehearsal will consist of Cantata practice. After that 30 minutes, those who are involved only with the Cantata are free to depart! It is my hope that by lowering the bar for involvement, some may feel comfortable singing that haven’t before. I do hope that you will prayerfully consider this opportunity. It is such a powerful way to help lead in worship, and I assure you it will be a memory that you will carry with you for many years to come. Take a leap and come sing with us!

Zach Derr

Director of Music & Worship

This summer was quite a busy one! It felt like something was happening every week leading up to our youth summer camp Unidiversity. My first day of work was right when we kicked off for lunch clubs, so it was a fun segway into seeing some of the youth I hadn’t seen during church or the school year. Along with our usual lunch clubs, Sarah added a new activity called Wacky Wednesdays, where I was free to decide and plan what we would be doing on some Wednesdays throughout the summer! This was the first of many “do it yourself” moments Sarah offered me this summer, which I gladly did, and I enjoyed the freedom to plan some activities. Among the other “do it yourself” moments, Sarah tasked me to re-populate the third floor with current pictures of our youth which I have loved being able to do, and if you have the chance to check it out, I highly recommend you do! This task gave me a great space to reflect on the past two years I have spent with these kids and how much we have all grown together in faith and friendship. Among the many things I enjoyed and felt comfortable doing, there is always something that is not very comfortable: writing/creating my devotion to do with our youth during our Prayer Breakfasts. I struggled with writing the devotion initially, and while it did become easier, it was still something I was new to. But I feel that being pushed out of my comfort zone was beneficial. It made me try things I wouldn’t usually try, perform well, and learn from what I was doing.

Along with spending time with the youth, I also got some time with some of the younger kids during VBS, which was so much fun. I was a crew leader for the first time in I’m not sure how long for the preschoolers, which I always did when I was in youth! So it was fun to expand my reach that week and move out of my realm of youth. Aside from working with our youth and kids, there is also all the other stuff I could do as I did last year: reading scripture, doing a couple of children’s sermons, and different related worship roles. I have always enjoyed being involved in worship. I feel like it shows that anyone can be involved (especially younger people like me)! On that note, some of y’all may have been at Church this past Sunday for children and youth Sunday and seen the kids’ involvement! This is always one of my favorite Sundays, to have everyone hear all the kids talk about their experiences from the summer. This Sunday, I was able to give a little snippet of my summer experience to give y’all an insider’s view into the life of a youth intern!  Along with everything else, I was able to build some stronger relationships with everyone on staff and had lots of fun with them these past two months. Even though this summer was busy, I really enjoyed how supportive everyone has been in everything I have done this summer, and I am so grateful that I could do this internship these past two years, and I’m so excited for next year to continue to learn and try new things!

Emily Berry

Youth Intern

This summer, I had the pleasure of working as the intern for the Children’s Ministry. We had a shorter summer this year due to the change of the public school schedule, and therefore we had four straight weeks of camps!

After VBS, we had a short basketball camp led by Mike and Matt Epps. I had the opportunity to lead the kids in a devotion two out of the three days. Leading a devotion opened my eyes to the opportunity I had to teach the kids about what it means to be a Christian. Taking care of babies and playing with toddlers on a Sunday morning is one thing but teaching our elementary-age kids about how to show God’s love (even through basketball) showed me that there are opportunities for everybody all the time to be Christian role models.

My favorite camp this summer was Passport! Although I fell down some steps on the second day, I never felt like I missed out on the activities. The main reason I still felt so included even while I could not walk very far, was because of our students. I had the privilege to ride in the backseat with the four girls for the three hour trip up there. I can remember when some of these girls were born, so it was exciting to see how they had grown up. Unfortunately, there were some quite memorable (and not fun) mishaps, but these girls continued to participate with unwavering energy. It was an amazing experience to get to know these girls on a more personal level. The most special moment for me during the entire time we were there was at lunchtime after I fell down the steps. I hobbled my way over to the dining room and waited for the girls to come from their craft rotation. When they saw me, they ran up and hugged me all at once and presented me with a gift they made for me after they heard I got hurt. I’ll be honest, I almost started crying. In just a short amount of time of getting to know them, these girls showed compassion in such a genuine way. They continued to show compassion by sharing their snacks and giving me a nickname (please don’t ask me what it is) and checking up on me. I am grateful that I can say that I am truly friends with these girls.

Another reason Passport was my favorite camp this summer was because our new Minister for Children and Families came along. In fact, the drive up there was his first day! I had a wonderful time getting to know him and seeing how he interacts with our students. I felt nervous that he would take over and leave me and Ellen in the dust. However, I was put to ease when I saw how he regarded both me and Ellen in our respective roles. Even though I am not going into ministry or education, I felt seen and heard as an equal. To be honest, being an adult in this church is a new position for me since coming back from college. I am being granted responsibility that I have never had before as a student or youth, and sometimes I feel like I need an Adult to help me before I remember that I am the Adult. So, to be respected as an Adult even when I don’t feel like an Adult, gives me the strength and the inspiration to be an Adult.

If you liked hearing about my summer with the Children’s Ministry, then I invite everybody this Sunday to hear from our children and youth themselves. Although this has been a shorter summer, it has been no less eventful. This Sunday, we also encourage all children and youth to bring their backpacks (textbooks not required) to church, but not for a math lesson. During the service, we will be doing the Blessing of the Backpacks where we ask for blessings for our kids as they start a new school year. As we start another wonderful year of learning, I am excited to watch our children grow.

Gretchen LeGrand

Five Years Times Two

In the next couple of weeks, we have the great privilege of marking 5-year anniversaries for two of our staff members—Ellen Looper and Zach Derr.  Even though I came on board at the church after both of them, it still feels like we shouldn’t be at the 5-year mark; surely that much time has not passed already!

On Sunday, July 30, we will recognize Ellen Looper’s incredible ministry among us as our Children’s Minister.  She joined the staff in an interim role and the personnel committee quickly realized that she should be asked to remain on staff in a more permanent position because of the amazingly gifted minister that she is.  Ellen guided our children’s ministry through that time of initial transition, she cared for our children through the pandemic, she helped us find our footing again once the pandemic waned, and she has brought a stabilizing wisdom to our staff team and church as a whole.  I have been blessed by her ministry, her care, and her friendship, and I know all of us could say the same.

In addition to marking Ellen’s 5-year anniversary, we will also recognize and give thanks for her ministry as she steps out of her role as our part-time Children’s Minister.  She has overlapped with Matt, our new, full-time Minister to Children and Families for the last few weeks in order to assist with camps already in progress and to help Matt launch into the position well.  It is bittersweet transition.  I know that all of us on staff are excited about the opportunities that Matt’s full-time role will bring and, at the same time, we are sad that we will not get to work directly with our colleague and friend, Ellen, in the ways we have these past five years.  I imagine many of you feel the same way.  So we give thanks for Ellen, for her ministry, and for the gift she will continue to be to all of us as a fellow member of our church family.  I hope you will make plans to be present as we recognize Ellen with a reception following worship this Sunday, July 30.

Then, on Sunday, August 6, we will recognize Zach Derr’s wonderful ministry among us as our Director of Music, Worship, and Media.  Zach joined our staff in a part-time role while he continued his good work as a Middle School Band Director.  Similar to Ellen, the personnel committee recognized the gifts of and calling to ministry that was evident in Zach’s life and service and subsequently invited him to take on a full-time roll.  We are all better for the fact that he said yes to that invitation and has continued to say yes to his calling to ministry by diving into an online Master of Divinity program with McAfee School of Theology while continuing his full-time duties here at the church.  In addition to all the leadership you see Zach give to our choir, music, and worship at church, he also oversees our website, livestream, church app, and communication efforts and produces our Rooted and Grounded podcast.  While we all adapted during the pandemic, Zach’s role may have changed the most.  Yet, his heart of service remained steadfast through it all.  We are a better church for his ministry and presence among us.

Grace and Peace,
John Carroll

At the end of June, I had the opportunity to attend the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship (CBF) General Assembly in Atlanta, GA. I was grateful that Sarah Laurence and Matt Waller were able to go this year and that we were able to bump into Cathy Cole who attended a portion of the assembly, as well. Due to the pandemic and other factors, it had been 4 years since I had last attended a General Assembly, and it was a great joy to be able to gather with friends old and new once again. While I do not have the space to share all of the things that made it a joy, I do want to share a few highlights.

Some of the greatest opportunities of any General Assembly are found in the spaces between and around the official worship and workshop sessions when you can catch up with friends and meet new colleagues in ministry. These conversations are always an encouragement for one’s spirit, often inspire new ideas and insights for ministry, and can even lead to new and unexpected partnerships. One of the cups of coffee I was able to share was with Rev. Angela Zimmerman. If you recognize that name, it is probably because you have prayed for her. She was the Associate Pastor at First Baptist Church of Danville when I was called to from there to serve as your pastor. She has since been called as the pastor of another church in Virginia. Angela is a dear friend, and we were looking forward to catching up on life and ministry in general. However, I also wanted to see how she was doing because she and her church had been a target of a recent campaign by a few intolerant individuals to highlight Baptist churches with some form of connection to the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) who had female pastors or ministers. The goal of that campaign was to say that women should not be pastors of any kind and that churches who have female pastors should be removed from the SBC. Angela had weathered that ordeal well; she was being actively supported by her church; and, in the midst of local media attention about it all, she was steering away from the controversy to highlight the good that her church had been doing and would continue to do in the community in the name of Jesus. It was good for my heart to see and hear that she was doing ok. Yet, I know I will continue to pray for her and other female ministers who were targeted, and I would ask you to do the same.

Another highlight of the General Assembly stood as an incredible contrast to the difficultly Angela had to navigate—it was a dinner attended by nearly 700 people to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Baptist Women in Ministry (BWIM), an organization that focuses on supporting and advocating for female ministers. We had the opportunity to speak words of blessing over female ministers—including our very own Sarah Laurence. We got to hear from leading voices advocating for ways women can be affirmed and supported in local churches. We were also able to participate in the kick-off of BWIM’s Multiply Campaign by collectively contributing $27,000 toward their good work in just 15 minutes that very night. The whole event emphasized the clear support that the CBF family gives to women in ministry.

The final highlight that I want to name for you was not any particular event, but was simply an awareness of the growing diversity of the CBF family. CBF has done good, intentional work over the last few years to partner with Hispanic and African-American churches and ministers. The fruit of that good work could be clearly seen not only in the make-up of those attending but also in the leadership of worship and in the content of workshops. We will all be better churches, ministers, and disciples for having the opportunity to fellowship with and learn alongside a greater breadth of God’s church.

Grace and Peace,

John Carroll

I haven’t been to camp in a long time, but as I write this I have the privilege of listening to our youth having a blast at Unidiversity. Over the last couple of days, I’ve gotten to worship alongside them, to race them on a bouncy obstacle course, to laugh at their jokes, to listen in as they process what they are learning about God, and to get to know them better. We have such great youth. And we have such great kids off at their own camp at Passport this week too.

As I’ve been enjoying chaperoning for a couple of days, I’ve been thinking about the adults that were involved in the youth program I came up through—the ones who chaperoned the trips and the ones who showed up week in and week out to love on us crazy kids. Mr. Bill, who could somehow make our automatic 15-passenger van feel like it was manual in need of some clutch work. Mrs. Barbara, who had everything organized and had a spare of anything that someone might forget to pack. Mr. Thomas, whose calm, quiet soul could bring peace to any moment. Mrs. Diane, who could prep any food necessary. All of these and so many more made a huge impact on me, not because they were my youth minister but because they showed up, loved me as I was, listened when I needed to talk, offered kind wisdom, and kept pointing me to Jesus.

I’m writing, not just to reflect on this week with our youth nor to reminisce about 25 years ago, but to let you know we need some of you to step up and be those adults that make a difference in the lives of our youth by showing up, by loving them, and by pointing them to Jesus. Outside of Sunday School and chaperones for trips, we only have one regular adult volunteer and one occasional adult volunteer for Wednesday and Sunday night programming. That’s not enough. Its not enough as we hit a point where youth need to be split into High School and Middle School groups. And its certainly not enough when we know beyond a shadow of a doubt that one of the most vital things in a youth’s development is having a couple of adults outside of their own parents whom they know love them and have their back no matter what. So, yes, we need our parents involved, but we also need non-parents involved because often a youth needs a trusted adult outside of the family to process certain things with.

Will you be praying alongside me for the right volunteers to come forward and talk with Sarah about getting involved? Will you be praying if you are one of those that God might be calling to step into this vital role in our church and in the lives of our youth?

Grace and Peace,

John