Updates & Articles News & Blog: FBC

New Year: Old Resolutions

The ball (or in our case here in Raleigh—an acorn) has dropped. 

Confetti litters the ground. Kisses have been exchanged. The kids are finally in bed.  

Now what?

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Christmas Bells—A Message of Hope

Much of the world’s greatest hymnody and poetry has been more therapeutic for the writer who penned the words than for those who continue to read them decades later. Such is the case with the famous poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and his classic Christmas carol “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day,” originally titled “Christmas Bells.” In the depths of his unimaginable grief, Longfellow’s pen etched a journey from personal despair to resolute hope.

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The Brilliance Beyond Bulbs: Jesus—The Ultimate Light of Christmas

How can anyone not love Christmas lights?

My Grandpa Merz had the best light display at Christmas that I ever remember. I’m not sure when he started his work nor do I know the number of lights that he used (I’m sure I thought that it must’ve been a million!). But his house and yard were always spectacular!

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Coming Home to Bethlehem: A Christmas Musical

What if the story of the prodigal son and the Christmas story got together? Our 2023 Christmas musical, “Coming Home to Bethlehem” provides at least a possible answer to that question.

An original drama set in Bethlehem, PA is matched with sparkling music presented by the choirs and orchestra of Friendship Baptist Church to tell a story of rebellion, hurt, longing, waiting, and redemption.

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Great is God’s Faithfulness

Gratitude for God’s enduring faithfulness and unwavering compassion should be a central theme during Thanksgiving—reminding us to appreciate and be thankful for the good things we have. But it shouldn’t stop there.

For believers, it is our exclusive right and privilege to praise God sincerely and superlatively for His unending faithfulness.

There are four specific ways we can see how God is always and ever faithful.

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We Need the Word—Together

The culmination event of our FBC Ladies’ Anchored in the Word series began on a blustery Friday evening a couple of weeks ago. Here’s a sneak-peek at some of the incredible truths from God’s Word that Kelly Collier so kindly shared with us (these are just the highlights—we learned so much in just 2 days)…

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Beyond November: Embracing a Lifestyle of Gratitude

For the believer, a posture of thanksgiving isn’t confined to the month of November—but it’s the perfect time to reset our hearts toward the spiritual discipline of gratitude. In Scripture, we’re instructed to give thanks in all circumstances.

But beyond God’s provision of our daily needs, several motivations for gratitude are uniquely Christian. See how—and why—we should give thanks for the gospel, for the church, and in seasons of suffering.

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By Prayer to Paju

A few months ago, during the 2023 FBC Missions Conference, Pastor Vradenburgh shared that the Lord had laid it on his heart to have others specifically ask God to reach down and to call someone from our midst into the whitened harvest field. He had no idea who it would be, but he was praying that God would touch somebody.

Later, he found out that the Lord had touched Ashley Huskey’s heart—even before then.

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Sola Fide: Justification by Faith Alone

Justification is the gracious act—not a process—of God in which God declares [pronounces] righteous the sinner who believes on Jesus. This great doctrine is under attack from the most unsuspected sources—even those who outwardly espouse it.

The glorious doctrine of justification by faith is one of the fundamentals of the faith that was championed by Martin Luther and sparked the Protestant Reformation.

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The Next Step

Is your little faith what’s keeping you from taking that next step?

God doesn’t always show you what He wants you to do, nor does He give you all the answers in advance. Many times, He wants you to step out in faith, and go forward.

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