HOSPITALITY + COMMUNITY

LUKE 14:12-14

First Baptist Raleigh is a place where hospitality and community come to life. Our ministries are sustained by the gifts of members like you. In the past, your support has helped us reach our pledge goals and enabled the church to continue its work in our community.

Over the past couple of months, we’ve seen hospitality in action. On the coldest nights, our church has opened its doors as a White Flag emergency shelter for women experiencing homelessness. Last week, one of our shelter guests left a donation—just $1.77. She told the White Flag staff she wanted to show her appreciation for the care and warmth she received, saying, “This is all the money I have.”

Her gift, though small in amount, reminds us that even the smallest contributions carry immense meaning when rooted in love and community. It also reminds us just how important it is that we sustain our ministries.

As of January 23, 133 pledges totaling $1,153,660 have been received for the FY25 budget. The proposed overall budget is $1,738,000. To submit a final FY25 budget, the Finance Committee requires that 80% of the general fund revenue line item be pledged—$1,366,384. We are currently $212,724 short of this goal.

Without reaching this target, we will face difficult decisions about reducing the annual budget, which could limit our ability to serve both our church family and the broader community.

If you have not yet made a pledge for the 2025 budget, we invite you to join us in meeting this challenge. Here are three quick ways you can make your pledge today:

1. Email your name and pledge amount to our financial administrator.
2. Visit our stewardship page to complete the online pledge form.
3. Use the pledge card you received in the mail. If you need another card, email the financial administrator.

All information you send is confidential.

Thank you for supporting the life and ministries of First Baptist Raleigh. Together, we can ensure that stories like the one shared above continue to happen every day through the love and care of our church.



With deep gratitude and hope,

The Stewardship Committee

WEEKEND CHURCH LEAGUE HOOPS

Come out and support our combined middle and high school girls basketball team! We only have three teams in the league this year, and we're nearing the end of the season, but there are some games coming up at which we'd love to have a cheering section:

Our final regular season game: FBC vs. Forest Hills Baptist

Sunday, February 2, 2–3pm; Location: Trinity Baptist Church gym

Our end-of-season tournament will be the weekend of February 22-23.

• Round 1 of the end-of-season tournament: #2 team vs. #3 team

Saturday, February 22, 5–6pm; Location: Trinity Baptist Church gym

• Championship game: #1 team vs. winner from the 2/22 game

Sunday, February 23, 2–3pm; Location: Trinity Baptist Church gym

Our team is undefeated, so we are currently the #1 team. That being the case, we will likely play in the championship game on 2/23 (and not the round 1 game on 2/22).

SALT SHAKERS 2025

It is time to sign up for Salt Shakers 2025! This is a great way to know people in your church family with whom you might never spend an evening otherwise. There will be four dinner dates scattered throughout the year. These dates are not set in stone. Alternative dates can be determined by the participants of the group, and if you still can't make it on the date chosen by your group, a sub can be found. Each individual or couple that signs up will be assigned to a dinner group with three other individuals or couples, and the groups will change for every dinner. You will only host once, and don't let hosting keep you from participating — if that is not an option for you, we will easily figure that out. Please email Jessica Helms by January 31 to sign up.

SOUPER BOWL SUNDAY

We now know the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs will be competing on the gridiron on February 9, and we know that WE can each be a part of giving our best efforts in our own Souper Bowl Sunday that very same day!!!

We invite you to bring in cans of soup (and other canned goods) as you come to church between now and February 9. There will be collection wagons in the Lewis Lobby on Sunday mornings and Wednesday evenings between now and then. These canned goods will be presented during worship as an offering to our community and will be donated to the Urban Ministries food pantry, which provides fresh produce and canned goods for our community neighbors in need. 

Thank you for being a part of this economy of giving — sharing in the abundance of what we have with those in need! If you have any questions, please contact Lynn Lingafelt.

SKI TRIP • FEBRUARY 14-16

Do you love a wintery wilderness wonderland? Then come on the winter retreat with us! From February 14–16 we will be staying in the Pipestem State Park in West Virginia for our winter/ski retreat. This is a retreat open to the entire church. While the majority of folks will be skiing at Winterplace, you do not have to go skiing. If you’d like to simply explore the mountains or have a relaxing weekend away, there are many beautiful state parks full of scenic hiking trails to explore. Or you can simply get away to enjoy the company around the table, find a little mountain town to visit, enjoy the perks of the lodge, or the spa at the Pipestem lodge. Costs vary based on what you’d like to do.

If you want to sign up, follow the QR code on the flyer, or click here. If you have questions or concerns, contact Michael.

MATERNITY LEAVE DETAILS

Our Minister with Community, Leah Reed, had her baby, Merritt Anders, this past Saturday! She will be taking 12 weeks of leave and will begin working from home on Monday, February 3, but you may still get in touch with her via email or cell phone. We thought it might be helpful to list the main lay leaders, ministers, and staff who will be taking over her ministerial duties while she is away. If you do not have contact information for anyone listed, please reach out to the church office. During her maternity leave, she will be checking email sporadically, so please reach out to the following people first with specific questions or concerns that need timely answers.

White Flag - Holly Ivel & Holly Cook

Clothing Ministry - Sabrina Tyndall

Mike Morris Fellowship Fund - LaCount Anderson

Rose Window Weekly - Jennie Herrick

Social Media (Facebook & Instagram) - Michael Hood

Mass emails to the congregation - Jennie Herrick or Wayne Hager

Website - Wayne Hager

First Foundations magazine - Jen Foster

And Also With ‘Cue - David With 

Sunday morning greeters - Mary Powell Rhodes

Community Ministries - Sam Carothers 

THIRTY-NINERS GATHERINGS

Come join us Thursdays at 10:30am in the fellowship hall for interesting speakers, mission projects, and once a month, a program that's a little out of the ordinary. We also have an outing each month, but mostly we enjoy spending time together, learning something new and useful, and always ending with a meal.

JANUARY

30 What We Should Know About Our Medications: Get Your Questions Answered

(Myra Brickell, pharmacist)



FEBRUARY

6 Super Bowl Bingo (FBC member participation)

13 Cardinal Singers performance; Volunteer Women’s Chorus

20 LUNCH OUTING: Meadow Restaurant Seafood Buffet (NC Hwy 50, Benson; meet at FBC at 11:45 to ride in vans)

27 Japanese Ministry and Community (Rev. Jun Matsuzaki, pastor FBC Japanese Ministry)

CHURCH CONFERENCE TONIGHT

Our regularly scheduled church conference will be held Wednesday, January 29, at 6:15pm. The Zoom link is below, as well as a call-in number for those who would rather join via phone. Our by-laws require 50 members in attendance (in-person and Zoom) in order to transact business. Please make plans to attend so we can vote on important matters for our church. 

Church conference agenda

Finance chair summary report

Finance report 

Draft minutes of December church conference

View via Zoom with this link

meeting ID: 850 6201 7518, passcode: wDefe3. 

To view the speaker throughout the presentation, click the three dots

on the right portion of the screen and choose "pin this video." 

If you would prefer to call in,

use 646-558-8656, meeting ID: 850 6201 7518 Passcode: 490422.

CHURCH CONFERENCE DATES

Mark your calendar for the following 2025 dates for church conference:

February 26, March 26, May 28, August 27, September 24,

October 22, November 19, and December 17.

CENTERPOINT IN FEBRUARY

February 5 - We will conclude our series with Dr. Judy Siker on the role of women in early Christianity and the development of the early church (previously scheduled for January 22).

February 12 - As February is recognized as Black History month, we will be viewing and discussing a TEDTalk led by Julieanna L. Richardson on the preservation of black history through oral tradition. For those who may want to access the talk prior to, it can be found here.

Julieanna Richardson is the founder of the HistoryMakers, which is the largest national archive of African American video-oral history that exists today.  Richardson shares some of the unknown and incredible legacies of Black America, highlighting the importance of documenting and preserving the past for future generations.

February 19 - We will conclude our programming on Black History month by looking at a speech given by Martin Luther King Jr., who in December of 1964 was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his dynamic leadership of the Civil Rights movement and steadfast commitment to achieving racial justice through nonviolent action and advocacy. For those who may want to access the talk prior to, it can be found here.