Playing Well With The Baptists

We started our sojourn with First Baptist Church (FBC) this past Sunday with a wonderful morning together. At 10:30 the church was so filled with people that First Baptist Pastor, Rod Kennedy, said that it looked like Christmas.

The combined choirs sounded wonderful together. On many of the musical offerings the organ, played by Alan Kimbrough, was accompanied by piano. Holy Communion went well with different stations for wine and grape juice without too much confusion. My sermon was well received even though the Baptists are used to longer homilies than we are. Sermon

Wednesday and Sunday 8 a.m. services in the FBC Chapel also went well. It is a lovely space.

Deconstruction of our Chapel is moving forward on schedule. A crane was brought in this morning, so it won’t be long before the bricks start to come down.

This coming Sunday, February 3, Rod Kennedy will be preaching. The Rev. Jack Koepke, Assistant to the Bishop, will bring greetings and best wishes from Bishop Breidenthal and the Diocese of Southern Ohio as we proceed with our ecumenical common worship.

The Adult Forum time will have two offerings: African Bible Study and a conversation on Anglican and Baptist commonalities and differences.

Our Annual Parish meeting will be held after the 10:30 service in the FBC dining room. Activities for children and youth are available during the meeting.

I am pleased to announce that The Rev. Judith Doran will be joining us for several months, assisting with worship and pastoral care, before she and her husband Pat move to Chicago in June. Judith has served at St. Paul’s, Oakwood; St. Andrew’s, Dayton; and at Trinity, Troy. The Doran’s live at The Landing, the same complex in which Bob and Rose Dwight dwell.

The Holy Spirit is blessing us in so many ways. Join us this Sunday as our journey continues!

–John Paddock