Art Class - A Poem By Kurt Snyder

Central member Kurt Snyder read his poem "Art Class" in our worship service on June 30, 2024 for our Pride Sunday service. Tiny fingers, stained a rainbow of hues, gripping waxy crayons like colorful scepters. Tongues peek out in total concentration as fledgling imaginations spill out onto paper. Goldenrod becomes a lion’s mane, hot magenta a prancing dragon’s scales. Every new color pulled from the box is a vibrant discovery, a new facet of their world laid bare. The sky isn’t just blue, it shimmers with streaks of cerulean and cornflower. Trees aren’t merely green, they boast electric lime leaves with hints of olive and tropical rain forest.

Midwives of a Movement

Last Tuesday we held a screening of the new Baptist Women in Ministry's documentary, Midwives of a Movement. This thought-provoking movie led to a meaningful conversation after. You can watch the documentary online.

Welcoming Juliette Wallace to CBC Staff

We are excited to welcome Juliette Wallace as Assistant to the Ministerial Staff at CBC!  Juliette is an alumni from Hanover College. She got her degree in Theological Studies and Art and Design. She starts Seminary at the Baptist Seminary of Kentucky in the fall, working on a Masters in Divinity. Juliette has been helping at the church since her senior year of high school and is very excited to be officially working here.

Pastoral Transition Planning Update

After learning of Mark’s retirement, the Deacons and other church leaders have been in prayer and conversations about next steps in preparing for this transition. These groups are actively putting together plans for what is ahead.  We encourage your prayers as we walk together into these important days in the life of our church.

A Prayer for Healing, Restorative Grace

I am convinced that an invitation to God’s loving embrace and beloved community is first an invitation to love yourself just as you are, imperfections and all. In that sense, the prayer below can be read as a genuine plea on my own behalf for a peace that I am still searching and longing for. It would be much simpler if it were a one-time fix that never changed, but it seems, in my experience at least, to be more of an ebb and flow. There are seasons of deep love, joy, laughter, and comfort riddled with times of deep sorrow, dejection, hopelessness and depression. For that reason, I decided to start the prayer with thankfulness for the beautiful gift of community.

Christmas Boxes Update

The Women on Mission and Central Baptist recently delivered 125 boxes to the Appalachian Christmas Boxes distribution headquarters at at First Baptist Church in Corbin.

From the CBC Archives – Happy 70th Anniversary, CBC!

Central Baptist Church was organized in November 1953.  Plans for starting a mission originated in 1951 when Central Baptist Hospital was being constructed on South Limestone. Interest flagged then was renewed and on Sunday, November 8, 1953 at 3:00 PM at Trinity Methodist Church on South Limestone, 33 people representing five churches met to make plans for organizing a Baptist Church.

Food Insecurity and How We Can Help

By addressing the root causes of hunger, we will make greater strides to not only nourishing bodies, but also nourishing souls and restoring dignity. No matter your capability or where you find the most joy, there is always a way to help.

Helen Barrett Montgomery: Baptist Leader, Activist, and Academic

Helen Barrett Montgomery (1861–1934) was the first woman to translate the New Testament from Greek into English and have it professionally published as The New Testament in Modern English by the American Baptist Publication Society. In 1899 she was the first woman elected to the Rochester (NY) School Board, twenty years before women secured the right to vote. In 1921 she was elected the first female president of the Northern Baptist Convention (today American Baptist Churches, USA), which also made her the first woman president of any American religious denomination.

Dear Kentucky, Love Our Trans Kids

Last week I found myself in the parking garage of our state capitol waiting on an elevator.  I was carrying a sign I made earlier that morning with a fading kingsize sharpie and pastel crayons.  It read "Love our trans kids," and had a heart with stripes of blue and pink to represent the trans flag.  It had taken a long time to come up with a few simple words.  All the words that initially came to mind weren't appropriate for political discourse.