In many ways it feels like more than two and half months have passed since the CBFNC Coordinating Council made the difficult decision on March 10 to cancel this year’s Annual Gathering because of the looming pandemic. Little did we know on that day that most of our churches would not gather in-person the following…
By Andy Jung CBFNC Associate Executive Coordinator There’s no mistaking that the COVID-19 pandemic has made us ever-more reliant on technology. Many of us have come to depend on it for work, for connection and for entertainment. We spend countless hours on Zoom or other meeting platforms to continue our work in a variety…
By Rev. Seth Hix, CBFNC Associate Coordinator Much has been written recently about church life and ministry as we begin to move into the next phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. Last week, CBFNC Executive Coordinator Larry Hovis shared some important considerations for “When and How Can We Resume our Church Gatherings?” CBFNC has planned…
As we are beginning to think about and plan for resuming church gatherings, CBFNC is launching a six-week virtual roundtable series on this topic on Tuesdays at 2:00 p.m. (Eastern time) beginning May 5. The series will include three “big picture” sessions led by CBFNC Church and Clergy Coach Eddie Hammett and his Where is Church…
By Rev. Brittany Caldwell, RN, BSN, MDiv Pastor, Nobles Chapel Baptist Church Touch is sacred for the church. We touch in order to meet the felt needs of the world, to physically be the hands of Christ. We hold hands to lift our voices up together in prayer. We pass the peace through the shaking…
Social Distancing. Shelter-at-home. Economic challenges. Everyone yearning for a return to normalcy. For people of faith, there is also the question of when we can go back to church to gather with friends for worship, study and fellowship. Just as CBFNC has sought to provide resources to church leaders on how to worship and minister…
Most of us are familiar with the term, “Citizen-Soldier.” It refers to a large segment of the modern military and encompasses members of the National Guard and the reserves of various branches of the military. Approximately one-third of all military personnel are Citizen-Soldiers. They hold down regular jobs, take time off from those jobs to…
As the COVID-19 pandemic began to impact our lives in mid-March, CBFNC quickly discerned ways we could provide relevant support to partner congregations and ministry organizations across North Carolina. With the pace of change accelerating to warp speed, it has been difficult to keep up with the needs. However, one of the practical ways CBFNC…
When the COVID-19 pandemic forced one North Carolina church into 21st century technology, not only did the church launch a livestream, they premiered it on the most important Sunday of the church year! First Baptist in Lexington, NC had been planning to livestream its services for a few years. They were already on the local…
On March 27th, 2020 President Trump signed into law the $2 trillion CARES Act, (Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act). The bill includes financial assistance to both 501(c)(3) organizations and small businesses with 500 or less employees through the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). Churches and non-profit religious organizations are included in the PPP. In…