Protecting Our Children
In 1998, First Baptist Church took proactive steps to create a program called Protecting Our Children. This was a preventive measure to reduce the risk of child sexual abuse occurring in our church. Through the years, we have revised our program to include training classes, screening forms and background checks. Recently, we made significant enhancements […]
The Branch—June 8, 2020
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Rustlings (June 1, 2020)
Yes, I was glued to the television for the launch of the Falcon 9 rocket that carried the Dragon SpaceX capsule into earth’s orbit last week. In prior years, I was tuned in as Neil Armstrong stepped onto the moon, as subsequent Apollo missions made it and missed it, for the first space shuttle launch, […]
The Branch—June 1, 2020
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The Branch—May 26, 2020
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Rustlings (May 26, 2020)
As we look forward to the celebration of Pentecost (Sunday, May 31) and the month of June, the voice of David Bowie is echoing in my head, ‘Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes…’ Some things will not change as we enter the month of June. We will not regather in our Sanctuary for worship during the month of June. (You […]
The Branch—May 18, 2020
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Rustlings (May 18, 2020)
Three years ago, our church evaluated its seminary/pastoral internship program. We discovered the model used through the prior decades did not adequately integrate with current seminary models or the needs of current seminary graduates. After much study and prayer, we embraced the ‘Residency Model.’ In the residency model, a seminary graduate is hired for a […]
The Branch—May 11, 2020
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Rustlings (May 11, 2020)
I enjoy watching children step onto elevators. If I’ve already boarded the steel box, I resist pushing any buttons. Inevitably, the child wants to push the buttons. The attending parent almost always allows the child to push ‘their floor,’ and then I politely speak the number of my floor. The child will look at the […]