Jan 26, 2025 | Church News, Pastoral Care
Yes, the first priority of the church is worship, but the second, and the fruit of worship, is service. That’s where things get complicated: no church can meet all the needs in its community. What to do? The answer is partnerships! By finding common cause with...
Jan 14, 2025 | Church News, Pastoral Care, Spiritual Formation
Your gift of a sabbatical this fall gave me the chance to dream about how Pastoral Care could function better at First Baptist. The dream? “Spiritual preventative maintenance,” born of the frustration of being called too late to help someone get on a healthier, more...
Dec 8, 2024 | Christmas at First 2024, Church News, Pastoral Care
In the birth narratives of the gospels, the really significant happenings occur not in the city square in broad daylight, but in the dark of night, in distant fields and unoccupied barns, and in private. It’s as though a present is being wrapped that will only be...
Dec 1, 2024 | Church News, Pastoral Care
You work until the work is done, right? Common sense! Yet this is where the Protestant Work Ethic crashes into the ancient Judeo-Christian understanding of sabbath. Wayne Muller, author of the very recommendable Sabbath, reminds us that sabbath means stopping not when...
Aug 25, 2024 | Church News, Pastoral Care, Pastoral Care Featured
Have you noticed how virtually everyone within sight is staring at the phone in one hand with a big sugary drink in the other, disengaged from others and—and it seems—life itself? It’s tempting to distract ourselves from dealing with life on life’s terms until, of...
Aug 4, 2024 | Church News, Pastoral Care, Pastoral Care Featured
Let us help you stop procrastinating about making your end-of-life plans! Come join your friends, enjoy some good coffee and pastries, and get a load of great advice from the experts! On Friday, August 16, 9-11:30am in our Fellowship Hall, attorney Duke McCall will...