by Jess Maples

Jess spent part of her summer in South Africa with CBF missionaries Josh and Caroline Smith with the help of First Baptist Church and the Monday Fund. Here’s her story.

When people think of an orphanage, the assumption is usually a five-story building with ten children to a room and a strict guardian per floor.  Refilwe is not anything like that. Refilwe is a family-based community development project. There are godparents with their own biological children who adopt abused and abandoned children as well.  Some of the children at Refilwe even suffer with HIV/AIDS.

Another important project of the Refilwe community is the new Door of Hope baby house. Door of Hope is a ministry that saves abandoned and discarded babies; babies thrown in trash cans, in rivers, and other horrifying places. This new shelter will serve as a temporary home until permanent placement can be arranged.

It’s difficult to be able to show people how much of my heart is there with those children simply through writing or talking with them. Looking into their beautiful faces, my heart goes crazy with love for them. There is nothing more precious then a child sprinting towards me with open arms and screaming my name.

Moments like that are just snapshots of being able to see things from our Father’s point of view.  Imagine how excited He gets when our hearts are running towards Him, calling His name!

If you would like to learn more about Refilwe or Door of Hope and how you can be involved, check out their websites www.refilwe.org and www.doorofhope.co.za.

Knox Area Rescue Ministry (KARM) has recently launched a new ministry initiative called “Corners of Your Field”, based on Leviticus 19: 9-10 which says, “When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Do not go over your vineyard a second time or pick up the grapes that have fallen. Leave them for the poor and the foreigner. I am the LORD your God.”

In Leviticus, God commanded His people to leave the corners of their fields as a provision for the poor. Today the gleanings of our fields are no longer grain but they are the excess things that can be utilized to generate care for the needy.

Each day, Knox Area Rescue Ministry (KARM) serves up to 1,500 meals and shelters over 400 homeless men and women. One way you can support this ministry is to donate your excess goods to KARM’s Thrift Stores. The proceeds from the thrift stores go directly to the ministries of KARM. AND you can also help First Baptist’s Benevolence Ministry by letting the thrift store know when you drop off items that you are a part of First Baptist Knoxville. As a participating partner church, First Baptist will receive voucher credits which can be used in our own benevolence ministry. KARM has eight Thrift Stores located throughout Knoxville. To locate a near you go to http://karmstores.com/our-locations.

The Food Co-op leadership team invites all First Baptist gardeners to plant an extra row in their garden for the Food Co-op families. First Baptist’s Food Co-op has been meeting since November and
has 14 families involved. Second Harvest Food Bank, who supplies our food, rarely has fresh produce. Research indicates that low-income households tend to eat less nutritious diets than others and on
average, they do not meet federal recommendations for consumption of fruit, vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat dairy products. Because of these alarming statistics, we are asking our First Baptist gardners to help provide our Food Co-op participants with fresh produce. Our Food Co-op has been meeting since last November and currently has 14 families participating. Contact Carol McEntyre at cmcentyre@fbcknox.org or 246-4661.

On the First Sunday of Each Month–Peanut Butter Only in 16 to 18 oz. jars. 

Please bring peanut butter  on the first Sunday of each month to help reduce the budget expenditure for the FISH pantry. Thank you for helping!

Are you asking questions like, “What is available?”, “Where can I help?”   Please click on the “Preview the Opportunities for Service” above to find your niche.

Kids Hope USA–What can YOU do to change a child’s life?  First Baptist is partnered with South Knoxville Elementary School to offer one-to-one relationships with at-risk public elementary school children. This volunteer position requires only 32 hours a year.  We will be offering a training session very soon before the new school year begins.  Please contact Glenna Atchley or Carol McEntyre for more information immediately so you can be trained and ready to begin in September.

A group of 6 from FBC were in Nashville the week of July 4-9 to assist in replacing flood damaged flooring with ceramic tile in a house church.

Mission Trip to the Rio Grande Valley

Mark your calendar and make plans to be a part of the mission trip to the Rio Grande Valley on the Texas-Mexico border from April 24 through May 1, 2010. Both the needs and the ministry opportunities are great in this part of the United States.  A construction team will be a central focus of the trip and other ministry options are being explored. For further information contact Julie Blakeley at 584-0589 or jsblakeley@bellsouth.net or Carol McEntyre at 246-4661 or cmcentyre@fbcknox.org.  Please submit your application as soon as possible.  Click here to download application.
 

On Saturday, December 12, we will host the fifth annual Christmas Brunch.  The Brunch is an opportunity for us to open wide the doors of the church and invite low income and homeless families to come in and eat a hearty breakfast, hear local choirs sing Christmas music and pose for a family portrait in front of the Christmas tree.  
How can you help now?
• Purchase gifts to be given out during the Brunch. You can bring gift items to the church beginning Sunday, November 1 and place them in the baskets in the welcome center and at the elevators. This year’s gifts are:
• New sweatshirts for adults (large sizes are especially needed)
• New and gently-used adjustable baseball caps for men
• Socks for children and adults
• Monetary donations for the Brunch meal and food bags (placed in an envelope labeled “Christmas Brunch” and added to the offering plate)
• Sign up to volunteer at the Brunch

My name is Shireena Weston. I am currently a senior at the University
of Tennessee, Knoxville in the College of Social Work. I am originally from Morristown, TN. After I graduate in May with my Bachelors of Science in Social Work (BSSW), I plan to continue in my social work education and go to graduate school at the University of Tennessee and attain my Masters of Science in Social Work (MSSW). I am looking forward to continuing interning here at First Baptist and I thank you for allowing me to be a part of this ministry.