THE SPIRE Newsletter of the First Baptist Church in America February 2019, Volume 22, Issue 2 FROM THE PASTOR Talking About Your Wishes Ninety percent of people say that talking with their loved ones about end-of-life care is important, according to a recent national survey. But that survey revealed that only 27 percent actually have done so. What prevents people from talking about their end-of-life wishes with family, friends, and medical providers? That is the question we will explore during the workshop Talking About Your Wishes on Sunday, March 3. Leading the workshop, which is designed for adults of all ages, will be Rev. Kathryn Palen, associate executive minister for elder care ministers for the American Baptist Churches of Rhode Island. The one-hour workshop will provide participants with opportunities to reflect on and identify the conversations they may need to have concerning end-of-life plans and other impor- tant issues. Each participant will receive a copy of Five Wishes , which offers a complete approach to discussing and documenting your care and comfort choices, as well as additional resources to help you talk about your wishes with others. Following a light luncheon, we will begin the workshop at 1:00 p.m. on March 3. To reserve your spot for the luncheon and workshop, please sign-up on the sheet posted in fellowship hall. The Spire ~ February 2019 Page 2 In Memory Barbara Joyce Staples, age 89, died Tuesday, February 5, 2019 at the John Clarke Retirement Center She came to FBCIA by letter from the Baptist Church in Warren on November 24, 1996. She said that the day on which she was given the “right hand of fellowship” at FBCIA was the 50 th anniversary of the day of her baptism at Warren in 1946. Joining FBCIA was a kind of “homecoming” inasmuch as she was a 12 th generation descendant of Chad Brown, the 2 nd pastor of this church. Already a leader in the American Baptist Churches of Rhode Island (ABCORI), Barbara quickly became a leader in FBCIA, first as a member of the Budget & Finance Committee, elected to a three-year term at the annual meeting in January 1997 (two months after joining the church). Then she served on the Board of Deacons (2000-2001) and as Moderator (2002-2004). She was an Assistant Treasurer, representa- tive to PICA, member of the Nominating Committee (four different years), member of the Board of Missions, and a delegate from FBCIA to ABCORI every year from 2000 to 2016. Barbara was born April 3, 1929 in Warren, RI, the daughter of Walter & Ruth Staples, and was the youngest of three children. After graduating from Warren High School in 1947 she was employed by the Industrial Trust Company [later absorbed by Bank of America], working in the bank. About 1962 she went to work for Cummings & Co., a stock brokerage office where she became secretary and assistant treasurer. She was certified as a stock broker in 1972, one of the first two female stock- brokers in Rhode Island, and she was recognized in the 1973 edition of Who’s Who Among American Women . Subsequently she worked for two other brokerage firms before going on her own with a list of clients. She retired from the brokerage business in 1996 and then worked four more years as a real estate agent, first for Prudential and then for T. R. Little in Barrington. She was active in Republican circles for many years. She was elected to the 1988 Republican National Convention as a delegate for George Walker Bush. She had never before run for anything. Before that she had served three terms as president of the Barrington Council of Republican Women, treasurer of the Rhode Island Federation of Republican Woman, and a long-time member of the Barrington Republican Town Committee. Although Barbara was small in stature, she had a large presence in ABCORI. Long before she joined FBCIA, she held many positions of trust and responsibility in the state region. She served on the Board of Missions (the general board of directors), on the Stewardship & Administration Commit- tee, as Assistant Treasurer, Treasurer, 2 nd Vice President, 1 st Vice President, and then President of ABCORI for two years (1993-1995). In addition she served on the board of directors of the John Clarke Retirement Center and the board of directors of the Baptist Fund of Rhode Island. As noted above, she was one of FBCIA’s delegates to the Annual Gathering of ABCORI every year from 2000 to 2015, and she was a strong advocate of maintaining our covenant responsibilities to ABCORI. The Spire ~ February 2019 Page 3 IN MEMORY The church learned only in early January that the Rev. Robert Charles Fisher had died of colon cancer more than a year before on December 10, 2017. He was born in Bos- ton on June 13, 1952 son of Robert and Edna Fisher. He graduated from Gordon Conwell Seminary, and the 12th Baptist Church of Boston in Roxbury ordained him to the ministry in 1987. He was a probation officer for the State of Massachusetts from 1994 until his death. He joined FBCIA on October 24, 2010. FBCIA NEWS Pastor Jamie Washem offered a prayer of bless- ing to the team from FBCIA that will go to La Romana in the Dominican Republic on January 26 to continue the work on the hospital and help in the surrounding villages. (L to R: Frank Ni- cholson, Jamie Washam, Susan Lepore, Henry Campopiano, and Richard Lepore. Not present was Ann Marie Bausserman) January 13 was the Great Day to welcome Mtebwa Kalubandika and Fortunata Kasika as new members of the church. Both had spent 20 years in a refugee camp in Tanzania after fleeing from the civil war that raged in the Congo. They met and married while living in the camp. Deacon John Mangenda, himself a refugee from the Congo, presented the couple to the congregation while Pastor Jamie beamed. The Spire ~ February 2019 Page 4 Our own Kathryn Palen, the Associate Executive Minister of ABCORI, was the preacher on January 20, a wintry Sunday when we had snow, sleet and freezing rain. Despite the weather and the fact that every town and city around except Providence declared a parking ban, the faithful showed up for an inspiring worship service. The guest preacher for the second Sunday during Pastor Jamie's study leave was Rev. Jermaine L. Pearson, the Associate University Protestant Chaplain at Brown University, who preached on "Starting Over...Again." Rev. Pearson greeted Karen Marshall and Esperanza Tannehill after the worship service on January 27. The Spire ~ February 2019 Page 5 Pastor Jamie talked with the children about the meaning of names. David Shealy's name Pastor Jamie Washam has means "Beloved," and his sister Ella's name freshly returned from her meant "bright or shining one." Shukurani study leave and dissertation means “Thank You” and Mwenebyke Ilongi work in Amsterdam. means “ It will all be mine” From the Board of Missions Celebrating 100 Years of White Cross Saturday, March 23 | 9 AM at Phenix Baptist Church. We will gather to hear from our Missionary in Nicaragua, Dr. Laura Parajon. Dr. Parajon and her husband, David, have been serving remote rural communities in Nicaragua. They share health, hope and healing with the impoverished and vulnerable people of Nicaragua through AMOS (A Ministry of Sharing). Download the flyer. Mission Day Registration Form Registration Form must be received by March 9. American Baptist Women’s Ministries of Rhode Island – Mission and Service Team The Spire ~ February 2019 Page 6 Church World Service ♥During the month of February we will be "Blanketing the World with Love". Church World Service provides blan- kets around the world to those who suffer because of the cold. Homeless individuals in Providence and other cities have been given warm blankets. Families who have lost their belongings due to natural and man-made disasters have been given blankets. In warmer climates, a light- weight water resistant blanket is handed out. ♥For every $5.00 donation you give, a heart will be added to our blanket. Our goal is $750.00 during the month of February. You can give by putting cash in an envelope on Sunday morning and marking it "blankets"; writing a check to FBCIA with "blankets" in the memo line; or by giving online or using the QR code in the Sunday bulletin. (Please note that there is a small fee for giving via PayPal, so you might want to adjust your gift accordingly.) ♥Join the CWS #GreaterAs1 Campaign for Refugees by downloading the app on your phone. "Saving the world has never been so easy. Join CWS in our efforts to create a world where there is enough for all. Follow through a virtual path and earn points by doing real world good which in return translates to real world rewards and prizes. "Real world good" is easy and consists of things like signing petitions, calling local and federal officials, learning more on the subjects of our various campaigns, etc. Do good, be rewarded and play with purpose." ♥Our team is "FBCIA Providence". You can earn points for our team by reading articles, test- ing your knowledge, calling officials, donating to CWS, and entering the miles you walk/run. [cwsglobal.org ] Confused? See Susan Lepore on Sunday. Download the CWS Global app today! The Spire ~ February2019 Page 7 The First Baptist Church in America Jamie Washam, Pastor 75 North Main Street Stephen Martorella, Minister of Music Providence, RI 02903 Holly Edwards, Administrative Assistant Phone: 401-454-3418 Anne Gagan, Bookkeeper E-Mail: [email protected] Tony Zambarano, Sexton Website: www.fbcia.org Ivy Bermudez, Child Care Worker Haley Jamroz Baccaire, ASL Interpreter 2019 Sunday Calendar Sun.