February 17, 2026
Lent is a special 40-day season in the Christian calendar that helps prepare our hearts for Easter. It begins on Ash Wednesday and ends on Holy Saturday, the day before Easter. The 40 days (not counting Sundays) recall the 40 days Jesus spent fasting and praying in the wilderness before beginning his public ministry. By […]
February 2, 2026
The well-known psychiatrist and author Elisabeth Kübler-Ross once wrote, “There are really only two emotions: love and fear.” All the emotions we think of as positive flow from love —happiness, contentment, peace, and joy. All the emotions we think of as negative grow out of fear—anger, hatred, anxiety, guilt, and jealousy. In other words, if […]
January 26, 2026
As many of you know, Matt Rollins, our Minister of Community Engagement, has accepted a position with Village Engage. Matt’s last day in the office was January 15. We are grateful for his years of service and dedication and look forward to what this next chapter holds for him. We will recognize Matt during worship […]
January 19, 2026
In November 2024, NPR ran a story titled “Churches in America Are Having a Hard Time Finding Pastors.” The story opened with a sobering reality: “American religious institutions are facing a crisis: they don’t have enough clergy to lead congregations, particularly in rural areas.” Across the country, clergy are retiring and dying at a faster […]
January 12, 2026
Instead of making New Year’s resolutions, I try to take time at the end of each year to do a year-in-review. A few years ago, Dr. Chanequa Walker-Barnes offered a guided meditation on her podcast, which included reflective questions for reviewing the year. Life is so busy that we rarely pause to reflect and take […]
Thank you, Matt.
After 22 years of faithful service, Matt Rollins will transition from First Baptist Greenville to full-time work with Village Engage. As I reflect on his ministry among us, I am struck by the gift Matt has given this congregation: longevity, an increasingly rare contribution in our hyperactive and transient culture. Since Matt is a math […]
The Branch—March 23, 2026
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