Benson Baptist Church
PO Box 323 Benson, NC 27504
919.894.4777
www.bensonbaptist.org
Current:
$120,726.40 (3/28/24)
Search Benson Baptist in your phone/tablet’s app store
Dr. Lawrence Powers
Senior Pastor lawrence@bensonbaptist.org
Rev. Will Raybon Associate Pastor for Children, Youth, and Families will@bensonbaptist.org
Minister David Woolsey Minister of Traditional Worship & Organist david@bensonbaptist.org
Rachel West
Contemporary Worship Leader rachel@bensonbaptist.org
Debbie Champagne Administrative Assistant debbie@bensonbaptist.org
Jacob Jones Facilities Manager
jacob@bensonbaptist.org
Living together with Christ Biblically, worshipfully, creatively, and missionally | www.bensonbaptist.org
9 8 , 7 6 8 . 8 8 BBC BBC April2024
Benson Baptist Church Staff $
$ 3 9 5 , 0 7 4 . 5 2 $ 1 9 7 , 5 3 7 7 6 $ 2 9 6 , 3 0 6 . 6 4
2 5 % 5 0 % 7 5 % 1 0 0 %
Update Eastertide Connections Connections
Conversationon Worship,April14 pg.8
Giving
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What’sInsideThisEdition
Upcoming Events
Ways to Connect at BBC this April
Pastor’s Paragraphs
Rev. Dr. Lawrence B. Powers, Senior Pastor
Will’s Whims
Rev. Will Raybon, Associate Pastor for Children, Youth, and Families
April Calendar
Seriously, it fits on your refrigerator door! April birthdays are included too!
Governance Restructuring
Our final team listing and information on what’s next.
Quarterly Church Conference
Updates on what will be presented at the April 10 quarterly church conference.
Adult Sunday Nights
April 7 - Men’s/Women’s Ministry Gatherings
April 14 - A Congregational Conversation on Worship
April 21 - Psalms Jesus Prayed
April 28 - Psalms Jesus Prayed
May 5 - Men’s/Women’s Ministry Gatherings
Church Directory Update
We’re updating the directory! Send in your information.
A Conversation on Worship
On April 14, we will gather for a churchwide conversation on worship
Spiritual Formation Retreat
See photos from this year ’ s Spiritual Formation Retreat at Fort Caswell!
Sunday Schedule
5:00 P.M. - Youth Group
6:00 P.M. - Dinner
6:30 P.M. - KidSpark
6:30 P.M. - Youth Hang Time
6:30 P.M. - Adult Gatherings
March2024 Photos
32 BBCers attended the 2024 Spiritual Formation Retreat held at Fort Caswell March 1-3 This year ’ s focus was “foundation” as we explored what foundations we ’ re building our lives on
Pastor'sParagraphs
I didn’t celebrate Easter until I was just a month shy of my fourteenth birthday.
As many of you know, I didn t grow up in church–– I started attending in December of 2000 when I was thirteen.
That first year of church was a whirlwind but none more so than Easter. Of course, I’d grown up hearing about Jesus’ resurrection, but I’d never actually celebrated it in Christian community with other people. The Christians in my family did not celebrate it at all–– opting to not celebrate Christmas and Easter as Christian holidays since there really is no way to fully pinpoint exactly when Jesus was born or died.
So, that first Easter season in 2001 was all new to me. I remember being excited to recognize Jesus resurrection in such a big way. After all, I was a new Christian and everything about being a disciple of Jesus was exciting. I can’t remember what the preacher said, or the music sang, but I can remember the excitement I felt about celebrating Jesus coming back to life “He is risen ” we said together “He is risen, indeed!”
Rev.Dr.LawrencePowers
SeniorPastor
lawrence@bensonbaptistorg
As I moved through Divinity School, we studied the resurrection from all kinds of contextual understandings and theological meanings
With each new learning, Easter became more exciting to me. From a better understanding of the Jewish Passover that was happening during the first Holy Week, to Roman practices that put Pilate in Jerusalem during the trial, to the ways crucifixion and burial worked: all of these things enhanced my understanding of the first Easter in ways that added to its meaning for me
It was not until I was in Divinity School that I began to understand just how human all of the events of the first Easter were When I’d first experienced it, I’d pictured Jesus as Clark Kentturned-Superman, busting out of the tomb like some superhuman alien. I’d ignored the characters of the story in lieu of the deeper theological meanings that were to be remembered behind it.
The thing about ignoring the humanity of it all?
You lose the full meaning of Easter. If you don’t wrestle with Peter s guilt Judas’ betrayal, the women ’ s fear Thomas’ doubt and all the other humanity in the story, you lose a huge part of what the story is about–– and you lose connection of their humanity to yours This Eastertide, I hope you’ll be reminded of the humanity of Jesus’ resurrection and that it will bring the excitement of Easter back to your life.
He is risen! He is risen, indeed!
ChurchDirectoryUpdate
It has been a few years since we last updated our church directory and it’s time to check to make sure your information and photo is updated and correct!
You can do this two ways: either by going to the Directory website or by filling out the form at www.bensonbaptist.org/churchdirectory
AConversationonWorship
By now you ve likely seen the news regarding the upcoming conversation on worship happening Sunday April 14 at 6:30 P M We wanted to try and answer some of the questions we ’ ve heard heading into that meeting
What is it?
This is a church-wide conversation regarding the future of worship at BBC.
What will we hear?
We’ll hear from one another in an open conversation Information may also be shared from staff members regarding pertinent information like volunteerism on Sundays, children s ministries etc.
Who is facilitating?
Former BBC interim, Dr Andy Wakefield will facilitate the conversation.
What’s the goal?
The goal is to walk away with a better understanding of where the BBC congregation is on our current worship offerings and what that looks like moving forward The end result of the conversation could go a variety of different ways depending on what’s shared. The best way to be a part of that is to be present at the meeting on April 14!
Dear Church Family
Thank you for the donation that you sent to the church’s local missions and outreach in memory of my mother She loved this church and her passion was working with missions home and foreign, to spread God’s word Your prayers and kind words have helped us through these difficult days
Love through Christ
Jane Ellen, Anne, and our families
GovernanceRestructuring SteeringCommittee
We are thankful to the following individuals who compose the newly formed Governance
Restructuring Steering Committee:
Belinda Kiziah, Brandi Whitman
Rhonda West, William Massengill
Amy Asbelle, Richard Johnson, Greg Asbelle, Braston Newton, Bridget Whittington, Carolyn Lambert
Their first meeting will be in April to begin their work Updates will come as soon as they have any to share
QuarterlyChurch CQuarterlyChurch ConferenceApril10 onferenceApril10
It’s that time of the year again: our quarterly church conference!
Here are some of the highlights we’ll cover as we gather together:
A vote on a motion from the Diaconate on pursuing the ordination process for Rachel West,
An update on the church’s financial situation from the Budget and Finance Committee,
An update on the continued outsourcing process with Outfitters4 from the Budget and Finance Committee,
An update from the Memorials Committee on a new way we’ll recognize estate capital gifts to the church,
General committee updates
Please plan to join us on Wednesday, April 10 at 6:30 P.M. in the Fellowship Hall
As the ask q , stuff?”
If you ’ ve come to meet or visit, you ’ ve seen the variety of objects on my window sills They range from a hand carved cross to a cheeky gargoyle An array that spans from the sacred to the fantastic A lot of these items reflect my interest in the world, such as the hand carved horse my sister brought back from India or my Bolivian chess set. Others reveal a glimpse into my imagination such as the sign that warns, “Beyond This Place There Be Dragons.” Strewn throughout are other crosses pottery created by prisoners in Southeast Asia and a stone in the shape of a heart with the German word for faith, Glaube, etched into its surface While all of these things are important to me in some way, I think they also serve as reminders of the vastness of our faith
Our faith is a world faith not just our own subject to our own worldview It has shifted and reimagined itself many times over since Christ’s death and resurrection It is imaginative in that it provokes us to think
andcreativelywhilesimultaneously ngthattherearethingswecannot derstand
avethedarknessofLentbehindand tothelightofEaster,Iinviteyouto outthosethingsthathelpremind hevastnessofyourfaith.Weeach haveourownnichesetofbeliefsthatwe havecomebyhonestly whetherit bethroughthosewhoraisedusorthingswe cameacrossalongtheway Churchisnota placewherewehavetobelieveexactlythe samething.Nothinginthebiblicalrecord hintsthatthatshouldbethecase Whatthe Bibledoesinviteustodoistolivein koinonia fellowshiporcommunion,with oneanother ThismeanslovingGod and
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