First Baptist Church - Winchester, VA | TIE December 2018

The TIE that binds the church & home together Volume 79, Issue 12
Page 5
“Son”Shine Learning Center
December has to be the most exciting month in any preschool environment. There is no
exception at “Son” Shine Learning Center. As you can imagine, there is lots of discussion about
‘the man in red’ as well as the new location of ‘the elf on the shelf ’ in their home.
Right after we have sung the last verse of Carrots and Peas and our Thankful song for our
Thanksgiving program, Ms. Susan and Ms. Laurie begin practicing for our Christmas program
(Friday, December 14th @10:00 a.m.) Go and Tell is a new one for us this year. All are welcome
to attend.
As we ease into the first week of December we begin to bring out the manger and tell the story
of Jesus and his birth, make manger scenes out of construction paper, and presents for parents.
It is our December tradition that the families that have boys and girls in the Nursery, 2’s, and 3’s
provide canned meats for White Christmas boxes. Families that have children in the 4’s provide
blankets, and families with students in the Pre-K program provide warm socks, hats, and mittens.
Before White Christmas distributions day, the boys and girls get a chance to see what love in
action really looks like and to see how AWESOME it is to attend preschool at First Baptist
Church.
Blessings for a wonderful December!
A Message from Dr. E. T. Clark & Our Faithfully Building on the
Corner Communications Team
“When I came to the First Baptist Church in Winchester in 1926, I became very much interested
in the Baptist work in this Valley due to the fact that everywhere else in the state I had been I had
found Baptists flourishing and, in most cases far outnumbering any, and in some cases, all other
denominations. However, when I arrived in Winchester I found just the opposite. In fact, within
a week after my arrival, I was called on by one of the local Methodist ministers who, when leaving
said to me, ‘As President of the Winchester Ministerial Association, I welcome you to the city and
to the Association. However, I also offer my sympathy for you have come to what is considered
the weakest church in the city and to an area where Baptists have never gotten a foothold.’ As he
left, I remember saying to myself, ‘Well, I’ll stay here until the situation changes.’ While I did
come with the idea of staying not less than ten years, I had no idea that I would stay for nearly a
half-century and watch First Baptist become one of the outstanding churches in the city and in
the Shenandoah Valley.”
And our church has flourished and is a vital part of the Winchester community. As we gather in
this effort to make our structures sound and vital, may we renew the dream, started by Dr. Clark,
that this “church on the corner” will remain a beacon of ministry and service to our community
and, more so, to our Lord who sends us forth to carry his mission into the world.