On April 5, the servers hosting our website crashed, along with the backups.  Our hosts were able to get the site back up to where it was about four years ago, and we are working with them to bring things back up to date.

Our immediate priority has been to get the front page operational with current links to our livestream, the latest weekly newsletter and bulletin, our church calendar and links to our Zoom Bible Study.

If you dig very far into the website, you will likely notice many out of date items – those are things we will be addressing in the ongoing restoration work, and will take some time to sort out.

Thanks for your patience – and if you are a visitor to our website wondering what our ministry is like today, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us with your questions, we’d be very happy to respond.

Our email: info@fbcblm.org

Office Phone: 309-662-4253

You have probably seen Safe Harbor listed on the calendar for the 4^th Sunday of each month.  In case you have wondered what this is, here are some details and ways to help if you would like.  The Koinonia church school class has been preparing and serving a meal to the homeless at the Salvation Army Safe Harbor Shelter every month for over 15 years.

Our meal consists of ham, rice, green beans, mandarin oranges, cornbread, brownies and lemonade.  We purchase the food and Al Strauch schedules the volunteers to cook and serve.  Cooking is from 5:00-7:00 and the meal service starts at 7:00 and is typically finished a little after 7:30. The meal recipients are always grateful for a hot, nutritious meal and we are thanked by so many of them.

If you are interested in helping with this mission, you could volunteer to assist in serving or cooking, donate funds to this mission (this option is available through on-line giving or designating such on your check), or by donating items that are needed by Safe Harbor for services provided at the shelter.

Some items needed for the facility and/or the participants are:

• printer paper
• pens
• paper towels
• single ply toilet paper
• 55 gallon trash bags
• travel size soaps and deodorants
• new towels and washcloths
• pot holders
• Pam cooking spray

Items may be brought to church any time (In the Narthex) and we will deliver them to Safe Harbor.  If you have questions, please contact Al Strauch.

 

We need your help to help keep us connected and
make our spirits brighter this Christmas season.

 

 

 

Photos for Advent
Send Pictures to Michelle between Nov 27 -Dec 16 
Throughout Advent Send in pictures of your Nativity scenes at home with or without your family in the photo.   These will be shared each Sunday during the virtual service.

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Family Greetings
Send Pictures to Michelle between Nov 27- Dec 22.
Since we can’t see you in person we’d love to here from you virtually… Send in a  Christmas Greeting from you and your family for Sunday mornings during advent.

                                                 *****

Advent Wreath and Manger Scene
Thursday December 24, 2020
As you are watching the virtual services each advent Sunday we invite you to light your advent candle at home at the same time we are lighting it at church.  And if you have a Nativity scene at home, have your children point out the different figures which are being presented each Sunday.

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Virtual Christmas Eve Service
Thursday December 24, 2020
Plan to join us online at 5pm
Traditional service will have Silent night candle lighting so be sure to have your candles ready at home. Service will be available on YouTube after 5pm 

                                                 *****

“It’s a Wonderful Life with Music”
Thursday December 24, 2020 2 pm
Plan to listen and watch a past and present musical offering from First Baptist starting at 2 pm . We pray it will bring Christmas Spirit into your home Christmas Eve and Christmas day.  Music will be available on YouTube after 2pm 

 

Stories of Faith
Through the season of Advent, we’re looking for people who willing to share a brief story (2-3 paragraphs max) of how God has impacted your life in faith, peace, joy and love.  

If you’d like to participate, send an email to Cheri Grizzard or letter to the office and we will share the stories we receive in worship and/or online (if we have more than we can share during worship).  If you wish your story to remain anonymous, please so indicate in your email.  

Stories of peace: Share a time when God has helped you reconcile or make peace with someone.  Turn in before Dec 6

Stories of joy:  Describe a time when you felt what you would describe as true joy (beyond happiness). Turn in before  Dec 13 

Stories of love: How does God shape your understanding of what love is?  Turn in before Dec 20 

 

 

 

This year we are having a  “Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes” Mission Drive where we are collecting hats, scarves, gloves, lap blankets and socks for both children and adults in need. These will be given to multiple organizations including Sugar Creek Elementary and the local Mission!|
 These items can be donated through the next month from October 28th to December 2nd and can be either store bought or handmade.
To stop the spread of illness we will be packing the items individually in Ziploc bags with dates so the organizations can know when to safely open them. You can turn in these items to the drop-box in the Narthex.

Quarterly Business Meeting Agenda

November 22, 2020
11:00 am (or soon after the end of the worship service)

Zoom Link – click to join following worship

Financial Report (PDF download)

1. Opening prayer
2. Committee celebrations/updates
   1. Personnel
   2. Trustees
   3. Other
3. Financial Statement
4. Proposed 2021 Budget update
5. Feedback and Questions
6. Closing prayer

(This article is on masks for personal use.  If you are interested in making masks to help professionals and others who need emergency alternatives to N-95 masks, please click here.)

The CDC recommends wearing cloth face coverings in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain (e.g., grocery stores and pharmacies) especially in areas of significant community-based transmission.

We’re posting information here not just on how to make masks, but also how to use them.  Homemade masks can help, but they cannot provide 100% protection.  The links here are from government sources, hospitals and medical professionals, representing their best information we are able to provide.  This is not a substitute for being aware of the latest guidance which may come out.

Latest CDC Guidelines: Recommendation Regarding the Use of Cloth Face Coverings

Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center: The type of cloth in homemade masks makes a difference.

The best-performing design was constructed of two layers of high-quality, heavyweight “quilter’s cotton” with a thread count of 180 or more, and those with especially tight weave and thicker thread such as batiks. A double-layer mask with a simple cotton outer layer and an inner layer of flannel also performed well, he said.

The inferior performers consisted of single-layer masks or double-layer designs of lower quality, lightweight cotton.

Making a very basic mask with fabric and rubber bands (CDC): YouTube Video

How to make a simple mask without elastic:

Materials:
2 pieces of fabric, 6”x9”.
6” piece of pipe cleaner
2 ties, each about 1 yard long (I used homemade ½” bias tape.  If you need a bias tape maker, Pastor Brian can 3-D print one for you.)

With right sides together, stitch along the short sides of the fabric.  These are the sides of the mask.

Stitch along one long side, beginning and ending ⅝” inside the side seams.  This is the top of the mask.  Center the pipe cleaner along this seam and secure it with a zigzag stitch.  Clip the seams and turn the mask right side out.

Turn the edges along the bottom of the mask inside and stitch together, beginning and ending ⅝” inside the side seams.

Stitch along the sides ⅝” from each side, creating channels for the ties.

Thread the ties through the side channels.

To wear, first fit the top of the mask to the bridge of your nose using the pipe cleaner.  Tie the top ties behind your head above your ears.  Tie the bottom ties behind your neck, allowing the sides of the mask to bunch up so that it has a snug fit around the edges.

DIY Face Mask with Ties, Fitted Nose and Filter Pocket: YouTube Video

Wearing and handling masks safely:   (from the WHO website and NPR interview with Dr. Daniel Griffon at Colombia Univeristy)

• Clean your hands before putting the mask on
• Don’t touch the mask once it’s on
• Remove the mask safely (don’t touch the front of it)
• Dispose of or wash the mask after each use: 

Griffin says to think of a mask as like underwear: It needs to be washed after each use.

“You don’t take this dirty mask off, put it in your purse and then stick it back on your face,” he says. “It’s something that once you put on, is potentially either touching your coughs, sneezes or the spray of your speech, or protecting you from the coughs, spray, speech of other people. And now it’s dirty. It needs to basically be either discarded or washed.”  So if you’re wearing a cloth mask, put it into the laundry basket immediately. If it’s disposable, throw it away.