News

Dear family & friends of First Baptist Church,

Fall is here and along with that come many changes. The air is crisper, clear skies seem bluer, colorful leaves fall softly to the ground, the pungent smell of wood stoves invite us to sit a spell and enjoy their warmth. Many times, we look forward to the changes that life brings.

As many of you know by now, a change is happening in the life of Cuba First Baptist Church.

On Sunday, September 12, I submitted my letter of resignation as Senior Pastor. I am retiring to Columbus, Indiana to be closer to my eldest son and his family and to enjoy a period of sabbatical as I discern God’s call to interim ministry in the regions of Indiana/Kentucky and Indianapolis. This has not been an easy decision. I have spent many months in prayer and have counseled with our Region’s Executive Minister and my spiritual director to be certain that I  am following God’s will for me and for you. I am confident that now is the time for transition.

With that said, I encourage you to come together in a spirit of love and humility to seek God’s will for the future of Cuba First Baptist Church. Do not rush the process. Be patient. Our church will have help from our ABCNYS Region in guiding the search process and seeking to supply a skilled interim minister to serve you. Support and encourage one another as you do the work of discerning who God is preparing and sending as your new senior pastor. Pray continually that God will supply all your need and that you will wait on the Lord’s leading. Be faithful in the ministries you are called to.

I have enjoyed many blessings in ministry with you over the last four years. I have come to love our church and the wider community in which we live very much. It has been my honor and a special joy to serve you. Know that I carry with me much love for you and many happy memories of Cuba First Baptist Church. May God bless you mightily as you strengthen your bonds of love and caring, and follow Jesus our Savior and Lord.

“As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.” Colossians 2:6 NRSV

In Christ’s love,

Pastor Lynn

The Trough

by Judy Brown

There is a trough in waves,

a low spot

where horizon disappears

and only sky

and water

are our company.

And there we lose our way

unless

we rest, knowing the wave will bring us

to its crest again.

There we may drown

if we let fear

hold us in its grip and shake us

side to side,

and leave us flailing, torn, disoriented.

But if we rest there

in the trough,

in silence,

being in the low part of the wave,

keeping our energy and

noticing the shape of things,

the flow,

then time alone

will bring us to another

place

where we can see

horizon, see land again,

regain our sense

of where

we are,

and where we need to swim.

Summer is waning, and soon much earlier sunsets and crisp morning air will signal a readiness for change: a new school year, fall house cleaning, storing away outdoor furniture, changing out seasonal wardrobes . . .I used to look forward to change – of having a sense of renewed energy, a fresh start, plans and preparations for ongoing ministry and mission coming into focus, small groups starting up again, and chatter in our Fellowship Hall.

All these changes could be prepared for in advance. They were concrete and certain. Life of the Church, as we call it, had a rhythm, a trusted cycle of ebb and flow as we moved through the seasons of the Christian year.

Our church life’s journey through COVID has abruptly and uninvitedly changed all that. We are halfway through this second year of guarding against its threat – and one would think we would be used to it by now. But new uncertainties have surfaced with COVID variants that pose a greater threat and questions about the use and availability of booster shots.

We began our journey in March of 2020 by shutting down in-person worship and activities, staying at home as much as possible and practicing good hygiene and social distancing when we needed to venture out. Finally, a little over a year later, we could put aside the COVID check-in and vaccinated persons were not required to wear masks.

Now that COVID cases have increased and more variants are identified, Allegany County is on the Substantial list. We are back to requiring all persons to wear masks and social distance in public places. I can’t help but feel deeply discouraged and depressed.

As if to add to this constant undertow of COVID produced stress, we are overwhelmed by waves of tragic news near and far. It can feel like we are stuck in a trough of apathy and fear, having lost our way to the future God has promised.

Pondering this, I recalled a poem, “The Trough” by Judy Brown. Her words buoyed my spirit and gave me a new perspective on the critical challenges we are presently living into and dealing with. I hope that it will lift your spirit too.

Whenever you are feeling fearful, overwhelmed, or lost, my prayer for you is that you will rest in the certainty of God’s love and care for you, and that you will be strengthened day by day for the journey ahead to God’s bright and promised future.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Proverbs 3:5-6 ESV

In Christ’s love,

Pastor Lynn