By Tom Jenkins on 7/28/2008 1:03 PM

Bad things happen to good people as surely as good things happen to bad people. Jesus said that the rain falls on the just and the unjust. We look around us and wonder about the beautiful Christians we know that have to suffer. In my many years of Christian ministry I've never found the "perfect" way to address the suffering of God's people. I know the platitudes that well-meaning people speak when they observe the suffering of others. I've heard them often given as feeble attempts to explain that which cannot be explained. So it really catches my attention when a Christian speaks about suffering from the "inside" rather than a casual observer speaking about it from the "outside." Tony Snow, at one time press secretary to President Bush, recently died from cancer. I ran across a link to an article he wrote about his suffering that I found helpful. Perhaps you will, too. Click Here

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By Tom Jenkins on 7/23/2008 7:52 AM

Our street appearance may soon change. For years FBCC has had an agreement with the company that owns the BP Service Station next to our property on Main Street to use part of their land for parking. The company has been very gracious to allow us to use their property and even allowed us to pave the section that we use. That section is primarily the asphalt paved portion of our parking lot that joins the larger cement section. Now the company plans to demolish the service station and place a convenient store there. The plans call for the new store to take in the area of their property that we have used for parking. A retaining wall will be built to separate our property from the convenient store. Obviously, that will severely impact us. Not only will it change the appearance of our property, but also we will lose some parking spaces and the entrance to the parking area that is nearest to the BP station. The store will be open seven days a week and that may complicate our accessing our parking area on Sundays.

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By Tom Jenkins on 7/9/2008 1:21 PM

Some of our youth, along with adult chaperones, will travel to Wingate University for Passways Camp Sunday, July 13. This is the second year for a group from FBCC to attend Passways at Wingate. It will be a busy week. Each day includes Bible study, worship, work on mission projects, a nightly party and group time. One of the highlights of the week will be the mission projects. Youth and adults will actually go out into the community in and around Wingate for hands-on mission work. One of the best ways to teach missions is through actual involvement.

 

Our youth returned last year filled with excitement from the week and eager to continue exploring the themes presented at Passways. After this year’s Passways experience, it may be time for our youth to plan more involved mission trips to new, perhaps even international, settings.

 

Another group of FBCC members will be traveling to eastern North Carolina to work out of the NC Baptist Men’s Disaster Relief facility in Grifton on July 27....

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By Tom Jenkins on 7/9/2008 1:01 PM

I am not very often surprised. Events in my life usually follow a fairly orderly and predictable pattern. I've spent years planning and executing according to good research and data collection. That's just the way I am. I was, however, truly surprised yesterday by FBCC's Pastor Appreciation Day. I was overwhelemed by the crowd that had gathered in the Family Life Center for, what I thought, was the usual Fifth Sunday lunch following worship. Not so. I noticed that no one was eating when Cheryl and I walked in. Everyone was seated at tables with expectancy written on their faces. Then the greeting by the crowd, the presenation of gifts, kind words of appreciation all signaled a blessed surprise. We will forever cherish the memories of the event and take them out of our hearts now and then and rub on them to get us through difficult times. I will keep the cards and read them many times in the years to come. We will wisely use the moneytary gifts and most especially the gift from the church that can be used to purchase...

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