It’s really hard to

believe, but I’ve been

“around here” for

almost 9 years. Many

of you have been

“around here” for

much longer; others

considerably shorter.

Some of you have

been part of this

congrega on for 30, 40, 50, maybe 60

years. Others joined the FBC family just a

few years ago, or maybe a few months ago,

or maybe even a few weeks ago. For my

part, I think I’ve been “around here” long

enough to know a few things about FBC

Hickory.

First, this is a church made up of great

people – commi/ed followers of Jesus –

who draw strength from a personal faith-

commitment to Jesus Christ. We are

“people of the book” who allow the

Scriptures to point us toward “the Word

made flesh.” We are giving and loving,

faithful and commi/ed, different but

unified, sinners saved by grace and thankful

for it. As Kimo Mullinax o9en reminds us:

“I’m thankful Jesus saved me and I’m

thankful to be part of this wonderful

church.” Amen, Kimo, we all agree!

Second, this is a church with tons of

poten al. Just think about all that God has

given to us: the facili es, the loca on, the

talents, the resources, the passions, the

heritage, the wisdom, the gi9edness, the

ministries, the people. Think of ALL that we

have at our finger ps to worship God and

to help fulfill God’s mission in this

community and world. This is a church

with tons and tons of poten al.

Third, this is a church that has had some

“bumps in the road.” Church life is like real

life; there are seasons and challenges and

hurdles; great days, good days, and just ok

days. There are mes when you feel like a

million bucks and mes when you feel like

pulling the sheet over your head and not

ge?ng out of bed. Real life is a glorious

mixture of the exhilara ng and the

agonizing. So is church life. But, those

“bumps in the road” do not define the

church any more than a seasonal flu

defines you. For the church that is

commi/ed to Jesus and sees its God-given

poten al, “bumps in the road” can serve

more like calls to wake up and remain alert

rather than as reasons to slow down or pull

over.

Fourth, FBC Hickory is a church that has

some important decisions to make. I’m not

talking about deciding on a search

commi/ee or a new Senior Pastor or a new

Minister to Students. I’m not talking about

deciding how to increase or cut the budget.

I’m not talking about deciding whether our

cons tu on and bylaws need some

adjustments. I’m talking about the really

important decisions, the ones that get to

the spiritual heart of who we are and who

we want to be in the future. I’m

talking about decisions that

demand each of us to lay

down the heavy burden of always having to

get our own way, decisions that require us

to think and pray about our ul mate

purpose as a congrega on in the Kingdom

of God. I’m talking about decisions that are

never voted on and never can be: they are

heart decisions, personal decisions,

decisions between us and our Lord. We’ve

got important decisions to make, each of

us, individually.

I’ve been “around here” either a li/le while

or a long while depending on your

perspec ve. And, depending on your

perspec ve, how I evaluate who we are

may or may not accurately reflect who FBC

Hickory really is. And that’s to be expected,

because in the final analysis, how you and I

view FBC Hickory is very limited by our own

perspec ves. But there is One – Jesus

Christ himself – who can and does view us

for who we really are. And, in the final

analysis, it’s really only His view that counts

anyway. He walks amongst the churches

(Rev. 2:1), and that is both a thrilling

comfort and a humbling, even terrifying,

challenge. In the days ahead, let’s make

Jesus proud.

Rev. Rendell Hipps

CHILDREN’S SUMMER BIBLE STUDY

Our summer Children's Large Group Bible Study, Journey with

Jesus, for rising 2nd through 6th will meet 9:15am weekly in

room 228. This summer's Bible stories all trace the life of Jesus as

he taught, healed, and showed us all what God is like and how

we can be more like Him!

FBCITYKIDS CAMP

Our campers will Journey with Jesus the week of July 24-28;

12:30pm - 3:00pm Monday – Thursday; 10:30am – 1:30pm

Friday. Volunteers needed for Bible story time, music, crafts,

recreation, meal service, transportation, and shepherding.

WELCOME CINDI MORRISON

A very familiar face has accepted some new responsibili es

during our me of transi on. The personnel commi/ee has

unanimously approved Cindi Morrison to serve as temporary

part me Director of Children’s Ministry. She will assume all

responsibili es related to preschool and children ministries

during this me in which our remaining staff members will be

taking addi onal responsibili es. Please keep Cindi and all of our

staff in your prayers.

MINISTER TO STUDENTS

SEARCH UPDATE The Search Commi/ee for the Minister to Students con nues

to work prayerfully and diligently as the pool of candidates has

been narrowed to a very small number and as the commi/ee

con nues interviewing these candidates. Please be in prayer

for both the search commi/ee and for the candidates as we

seek God’s guidance and as we grow in joyful an cipa on of

calling our next Minister to Students.

WEDNESDAYS IN JULY During the month of July, there will be no Wednesday

evening family meal or prayer mee ng. We will resume on

August 2 with meal, prayer me, and Bible Study.

NEW BOOK IN CHURCH LIBRARY

The recently published book, Rethinking Possible, by

Rebecca Faye Smith Galli, daughter of former FBC Hickory

pastor, Dr. R. F. Smith, Jr., is now available in our church

library. Sub- tled A memoir of Resilience, it is a story about

the power of love over loss and the choices we all make

when we're forced to confront the unimaginable. Check it

out soon!

“OUT WITH THE OLD….IN WITH THE NEW” We are excited to let the church know that we now have the new chiller in place and cooling wonderfully. This project has been

on the priority maintenance list for more than a year and the property commi/ee has worked diligently to insure our facili es

remain comfortable and invi ng to all that enter here. The cost of this project was over $105,000.00 and was paid for by the

income received from the lease of the former TI Building. In addi on to the new chiller, we have completed the new choir

room floors, repairs to sanctuary roof, and started addressing the drainage issues in the courtyard. We have accomplished a

great deal so far this year but we s ll have many projects that need our a/en on. The sanctuary doors, steeple repairs,

replacing the fellowship hall door, upgrading damaged carpet and installing dependable kitchen equipment are among the

items that have to be improved. I would ask that you consider making a dona on to the Priority Maintenance Fund that is

above your regular the so that we can move forward and con nue to have a facility we can all be proud to call God’s house.

CHURCH OFFICE CLOSED

The church office will be closed Tuesday, July 4 in observance of the

holiday. In the event of an emergency please contact the minister on call.

The minister on call can be reached by calling the church office and

pressing op on “0”. The church office will reopen Wednesday, July 5 at

8:30am.

THE HISTORIAN’S COLUMN “Focus on the journey, not the des na on. Joy is found

not in finishing an ac vity, but in doing it.” – Greg

Anderson, American Aviator

And so it is back into the fourth century for us. We

have just discovered that Constan ne the Roman

Emperor declared Chris an worship would be

tolerated by the Roman Empire. How did he come

about the conversion? Well he claimed to have seen

this vision in the famous ba/le of Milvian Bridge in

312. This vision was a symbol of a monogram using the

first two Greek le/ers in the tle Christ- and he heard

a voice say “in this sign, conquer.” He a/ributed his

victory to Jesus Christ. This really filled the Chris ans

with joy.

The second major event in the fourth century was the

council of Nicea in 325. This council helped clarify what

it means for Jesus to be both man and God. This is

based on the New Testament view of Christ as the

God. As a finite creature (man) his death would not

have had infinite power to save us from the infinite

guilt of sin against the infinite majesty of God. This

doctrinal formula produced the Nicene Creed, which

grounded the church in the New Testament. This is joy

personified. The final great event of the fourth century

was the conversion of Augus ne of Hippo. Wonder

what the kids called him on the playground? A man of

great intelligence his life is documented in his wri ng

tled Confessions. A9er a long career in “the pleasure

of the sin” (use your imagina on) Augus ne was

converted to Chris anity when under deep convic on

of sin, he heard a child’s voice say, “Take up and read.”

He read the first passage he found (Romans 12:13-14)

and felt that God was speaking directly to him. He put

on the Lord Jesus Christ by faith. Reformed Chris ans

are especially indebted to him. Such is the grace of

God and the power of His word. Joy!

We have just passed May 5th

of this year which means

we are less than three years from our 150th

birthday of

the Church. These few years leading

to May 5, 2020 could be the most

exci ng and boldest of our history.

This could be our finest hour- our

ode to Joy!

Constan�ne the Great This informal prayer me meets each Sunday Morning

in room 189, the Parlor, from 8:40 - 9:00am.

FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH 339 Second Avenue, Northwest

Hickory, North Carolina 28601

Volume 17, Issue 7

Published Monthly by

First Bap0st Church, Hickory, NC

Return Service Requested

Phone: (828) 328-2031

Fax: (828) 328-4789

Email: info@Sc.cc

Website: www.Sc.cc

Rendell Hipps, Minister of Discipleship,

Ac ng Senior Pastor

Allison Farrah, Interim Minister to Students

Steve Clarke, Minister of Music & Worship

Butch Farrah, Church Administrator &

Minister to

Senior Adults

Andris Rozukalns, organist

Staff email: (last name)

July 2 - 10:30am

Building for the Future

- Rev. Rendell Hipps

July 9 - 10:30am

- Rev. Butch Farrah

July 16 - 10:30am

- Rev. Rendell Hipps

July 23 - 10:30am

Communion

- Rev. Butch Farrah

July 30 - 10:30am

- Dr. Robert Canoy

No Wednesday Night Ac vi es in the

month of July.

QUARTERLY CHURCH CONFERENCE Mark your calendar for Sunday, July 16 for the next Quarterly Church Conference.

Cookout beginning at 5:00pm. Regular Wednesday night food prices will apply. The

agenda will be published in early July.

FBC TO COLLECT SCHOOL SUPPLIES FOR

TEACHERS

Each year teachers spend part of their salary to purchase the school supplies that

some of their students need to facilitate their learning. To help the teachers of

Long View, Southwest, and Murray Elementary Schools, FBC Women’s Missionary

Union will sponsor a church-wide local mission project to provide these items for

the coming year.

The #1 items needed are Kleenex and big pumps of hand sani zer. Also pencils,

notebook paper, folders with pockets and prongs, and any other school items. If

you prefer to give money, please mark it for “SCHOOL SUPPLIES”.

NEXT STEPS

We offer two opportuni es for newcomers to connect with us in July. DiscoveryONE,

a meet and greet informa onal luncheon. Sunday, July 9 - 11:45 – 1:15 pm In the Fel-

lowship Hall. Or DiscoveryTWO, a more in depth opportunity to learn about this church

family will be offered on Sunday, July 23 - 3:30 – 5:00 pm in Room 164. Please call the

office to RSVP to either of these Nest Step op ons.

FROM THE

DEACON CHAIR

At my age, I do not like change. But

change is inevitable; a part of everyday

life. Change of staff occurs with any

church. While I have no idea who will

be our new pastor, I know that God has

a plan in His me.. I also know that

both you and I are integral parts of the

church. Being a cons tu onal church,

we will have a voice in its future. I

encourage each of us to pray earnestly

for this church. Ask yourself if there is

anything you could do to help with

visita on, phone calls, cards, teaching,

etc. All of us need to come together for

the good of the church As Romans 8: 31

says “If God is for us, who can be against

us?” May God bless each of us as we

endeavor to find His will for our lives

and for our church.

In Christ, Brenda

July 2

Preschool Recep�on Volunteers:

9am - Kara Wi�enberg 10:15am - Kara Wi�enberg

Preschool Worship Care

Infants — Debby Cook & Phillip Bumgarner

Walkers & Two’s — Jewell Mabery &

Three’s & Four’s— Sandra Foster &

Coordinator: Ruth Ann Carreira

Children’s Church: Children in Worship

July 9

Preschool Recep�on Volunteers:

9am - Ashley Dyson 10:15am - Gail Ford

Preschool Worship Care

Infants — Aaron & Becky Icard

Walkers & Two’s — Christy Greene & Jerry Long

Three’s & Four’s— Brian Bogle &

Coordinator: Jennifer Summerlin

Lead Teacher: Beth Watson Shepherd:

July 16

Preschool Recep�on Volunteers:

9am - Kris�n Herring 10:15am -

Preschool Worship Care

Infants —

Walkers & Two’s — Traci Palmer & April Teague

Three’s & Four’s— Tiffany Hightower & Ruth Has ngs

Coordinator: Mechele McCormack

Lead Teacher: Fran Ballengee Shepherd: Melanie WIngler

July 23

Preschool Recep�on Volunteers:

9am - Vonda Paquin 10:15am - Dana Woods

Preschool Worship Care

Infants — Eric Johnson & Linda Wike

Walkers & Two’s — Ashley Dyson &

Three’s & Four’s— Ma/ Dyson &

Coordinator: Sally Johnson

Lead Teacher: Carolyn Icard Shepherd: Kelly Clark

July 30

Preschool Recep�on Volunteers:

9am - Vonda Paquin 10:15am - Dana Woods

Preschool Worship Care

Infants — Becky Hedrick

Walkers & Two’s — Rebecca Tanner & Greg Watson

Three’s & Four’s— Noelle Wachter & Evelyn Terry

Coordinator: Terry Starnes

Lead Teacher: Kristen Herring Shepherd:

MINISTER ON CALL

July 1 Butch Farrah on call (910-206-1887)

July 8 Rendell Hipps on call (828-228-8639)

July 15 Steve Clarke on call (334-332-8171)

July 22 Butch Farrah on call (910-206-1887)

July 29 Rendell Hipps on call (828-228-8639

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Brenda Bost, Coordinator 320-1265

Ed Auten 302-0739

Alan Benne/ 244-1944

Lloyd Bost, Jr. 320-1485

Sheree Watson, Coordinator 308-3024

David Haire 303-7911

Jim To/y 256-4396

Cody Wingler 726-7795

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Marvin Smith, Coordinator 381-0654

Rebecca Tanner 381-1924

Chris Tanner 381-8943

Bernie Whitmer 781-9283

DEACONS OF THE WEEK

Jason Herring, Coordinator 381-8257

Tom Guthrie 446-0007

Daniel Lucaciu 256-7903

Cliff Moore 312-0120

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Allen WiXenberg, Coordinator 320-9456

Gary Woods 455-2516

Lloyd Bost, Jr. 320-1485

Brenda Bost 320-1265

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