Central Baptist Church Blog

Pastoral Transition Planning Update

Mon, 22 Apr 2024 20:21:00 +0000

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

Mon, 22 Apr 2024 20:13:00 +0000

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.

Happy Women’s History Month!

Wed, 20 Mar 2024 20:40:00 +0000

Welcome to Women’s History Month. The month of March is meant to celebrate the successes and struggles of women, (not to be the only time we do so). We’re given this month to dedicate time to highlight the plight of women for gaining our rights, political representation, education, voting, church life, and science. In summation: everywhere.

Christmas Boxes Update

Sun, 26 Nov 2023 20:58:00 +0000

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!

Mon, 20 Nov 2023 21:49:00 +0000

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

Tue, 03 Oct 2023 14:19:00 +0000

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

Wed, 23 Aug 2023 20:57:00 +0000

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

Wed, 08 Mar 2023 19:01:00 +0000

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.

Seeking Clarity on Amendment 2

Mon, 31 Oct 2022 17:56:00 +0000

The following statement concerning Amendment 2 was written by the ministerial staff of Central Baptist Church and has been endorsed by our deacon body. We honor our Baptist commitment to the separation of church and state and respect each person's right to vote their conscience. This statement seeks to clarify the intention and implications of this amendment.

Jim Abernathy to Serve as Interim Choral Director

Tue, 06 Sep 2022 15:14:00 +0000

We are happy to report that Rev. Dr. Jim Abernathy, who has served this fall as our Interim Choral Director, has agreed to extend his Interim work with us through the month of April, 2023. We are so pleased for his leadership and the wonderful presentations we have enjoyed in worship under his direction with the choir and our accompanist Mark DeAlba. Don’t forget, the traditional "Lessons and Carols" service will be the Fourth Sunday of Advent on December 18th with special poetry additions from “Remembering That It Happened Once,” edited by Dennis Johnson. It will be a special time to recognize the choir’s hard work and our continued support of this important ministry of our church. Thank you Jim (and Cindy) for this added time allowing all of us to continue our working together.

Apply to Volunteer with Children and Youth

Sun, 28 Aug 2022 03:02:00 +0000

The youth and children at Central are in need of your help. We have many places and ways that you can volunteer without committing to every Sunday. If you are interested, we need you to fill out a volunteer application and background check form. This is a way we create a safe space for our young people and build trust for faith to florish. A few things that you might want to know before filling out the application...

Music Minister Search Committee

Thu, 25 Aug 2022 20:09:00 +0000

Central is establishing a search committee to seek the new leader for our music ministry. The search committee’s role is to craft the position description, interview candidates, and ultimately make a recommendation of hire to the Church. The committee will work with current staff, the Personnel Committee, and others to ensure this new hire will meet current and anticipated music ministry needs.

Community Connections with Habitat for Humanity (video)

Mon, 30 May 2022 17:04:00 +0000

We recently spoke with Jeremiah Myers, Resource Development Director with Lexington Habitat for Humanity about volunteer opportunities during our summer build. We also heard from Anny, the homebuyer on this project. We're grateful to be a part of the good work that Habitat and our congregational partners are doing in our community.

Raleigh Kincaid’s Retirement

Tue, 24 May 2022 19:04:00 +0000

Raleigh has announced his retirement as our Minister of Worship on June 12. We are filled with mixed emotions, happy to celebrate this milestone in Raleigh’s life, grateful for his excellent caring ministry to our congregation for over 3 decades and saddened to anticipate a future without this caring and steady presence. Raleigh has strongly built upon our reputation as a church offering a high quality of musical excellence respectfully honoring the many forms of gospel, traditional and classical styles that many congregations have more recently forgotten. While we know replacing Raleigh is an impossibility, the commitment to a continued excellence with our choir and Mark de Alba remains our priority as we seek to plan ahead.

Baptist Seminary of Kentucky To Reside at Central Baptist Church

Wed, 11 May 2022 18:15:00 +0000

In last week’s special called business meeting, the church unanimously approved the motion to enter int o a three year lease agreement with the Baptist Seminary of Kentucky. They will be leaving their presence at Georgetown College and will move the work they did there to our facility.

We have designated 7 rooms for them that will serve for administrative and faculty offices along with shared space agreements for other functions including classroom instruction. They will mainly be using the dedicated entrance once used by the Childcare with occupancy scheduled to mid-summer.

Community Connections with Laura Hartman (video)

Thu, 21 Apr 2022 20:48:00 +0000

We had a great discussion with Laura Hartman, Family Resource Director at Squires Elementary. We've been working with Laura for several years to help supply food bags to children and families, and we're currently taking food donations to help out with food bags through the end of the year.

April's Book of the Month

Sun, 03 Apr 2022 15:07:00 +0000

For book group this month, please join me in exploring a few short stories by Karen Blixen, who primarily wrote using the nom de plume Isak Dinesen. We’ll be considering her book Anecdotes of Destiny. I’d love to see what you think. Honestly, I’m curious to see what I think so many years after I first encountered Blixen’s work, and I can’t wait to hear other folks’ viewpoints as we discuss some fantastical, strange, and also dated stories. That said, I can’t look away.

A Special Pastoral Word

Sun, 03 Apr 2022 12:54:00 +0000

Happy feet like to dance. Happy hands applaud. Happy faces wear happy smiles. But everything over these past two challenging years has not been particularly happy. A world-impacting pandemic has outfitted us with lead boots and handcuffs. Even if we felt like smiling, few might notice while we cooperated, as was necessary, with the simple courtesy of wearing a mask during such a time of trial and testing.

Community Connections with Dr. Deborah Alexander (video)

Thu, 31 Mar 2022 16:29:00 +0000

At our first Community Connections meeting, we had an enlightening discussion with Dr. Deborah Alexander about her current work with Afghan refugees in our community. Dr. Alexander is uniquely qualified from her own experience as one of the first civilians to enter Afghanistan after the September 11 attacks.

March's Book of the Month

Mon, 07 Mar 2022 15:32:00 +0000

This month we're reading Anam Ċara: A Book of Celtic Wisdom by John O'Donohue. For me this book is like a deep cleansing breath. O’Donohue’s lyrical prose is something to be sensed and felt as much as understood—after all, he was also a poet. There is a lovely discussion of these themes with the author that was my introduction to O'Donohue and this work at On Being with Krista Tippett.

Ukraine Support

Sun, 06 Mar 2022 18:48:00 +0000

Our hearts continue to turn to the needs and sufferings of the people from Ukraine. We often don’t know what to do beyond our shared sorrow and frequent prayers. A recent conversation with my friend and Kentucky pastor, Roger Jasper offered me some consolation. Some of you might recognize Roger's last name by way of his mother, Scarlette Jasper. She is the person we have partnered with and supported through the excellent care and compassion she offers to the needs of Eastern Kentucky with Together for Hope.

Celebrating the Voices of Women During Lent

Thu, 24 Feb 2022 01:17:00 +0000

During this season of Lent, we hope you will join us for worship as we encounter familiar texts from women's perspectives.

At the end of the Summer in 2021, Hebrew Scholar Dr. Wilda Gafney offered the church a new lectionary for consideration. The “Woman’s Lectionary For The Whole Church” is a new resource she has developed for congregational use in addition to the Revised Common Lectionary that has been in use for over 70 years by mainline congregations. Her new work invites churches to consider many of our familiar Biblical texts from the perspective of women.

A Prayer for Ukraine

Wed, 23 Feb 2022 02:01:00 +0000

While we watched with much of the world, hoping for a peaceful resolution to the Russian advancement on Ukraine, we are deeply saddened at the needless violence and loss of life. We join with people of faith around the world in prayer for peace in Ukraine. This prayer from the Week of Compassion, the Disciples of Christ global relief ministry is a good place to begin when it's difficult to find words for such tragic and senseless events.

How to Volunteer for Afghan Relief

Tue, 15 Feb 2022 17:14:00 +0000

Hear how a short story from Deborah Alexander inspires our calling to help be good neighbors.

New Song by Daniel Bailey

Wed, 09 Feb 2022 16:21:00 +0000

Daniel Bailey has written a new song responding to the journey of women in ministry. A long-time Central member now in Oklahoma, Daniel is currently studying at Baptist Seminary of Kentucky.