From the Pastor (Continued from Page 7) In these challenging days of great change, I trust we can continue to walk

diligently and responsibly with opens minds and hearts. And, when it seems that the way of Jesus is being abandoned around us for whatever reason, may we march in Jesus’ name. One of the ways that we express our gratitude for our church community is through community outreach events. This year, we have changed our Vacation Bible School calendar and we did that to meet the changing demands of working and busy families in our community. Vacation Bible School was launched as an outreach for children and their families. We changed from a weeklong schedule to a weekend schedule for the sole purpose of outreach. The amount of time that our students spend exploring the Bible will be about the same. We will kick off Vacation Bible School with a block party on Friday, August 11. Our Diaconate is hosting a cookout and ice cream party for the community. We will meet the families in our community and register children for the event. Saturday will be a fun-filled day of learning and Sunday morning we hope to fill our congregation with the children and parents of our community. Our worship service will be devoted to Vacation Bible School with a covered-dish luncheon to follow. I trust each of you will commit to inviting, or better yet bringing, a child to Vacation Bible School. And, I trust everyone will bring a lawn chair to the Friday night cookout, volunteer on Saturday if you feel led, and come to Vacation Bible School with hearts of radical hospitality to welcome our community. I look forward to seeing all of our neighbors and I know that you do, too. Thanks for being such a great church! May God richly bless you all in the month to come.

Condolence Our love, prayers, and Christian sympathy are extended to Wayne Draughn

and family on the death of his brother, Kermit Clay Draughn.

Contributions To the General Fund

In memory of Gary Allen Kidd and William Claude Branch by Eddie and Sandra Draughn

To the Youth Fund In honor of Jean Ingram and Jon Lattimore for taking our youth to Passport Camp by Paul and DeAnne Danley

August Calendar of Events Copies of the August calendar of events are now available on the stand in the narthex.

Special Notice All information for the September newsletter must be submitted by Tuesday, August 15, 2017.

The Grove Growing in Christ Together

Piney Grove Baptist Church 278 Piney Grove Road

Mount Airy, North Carolina 27030

Monthly Newsletter August 2017 Volume XII, Issue 8

Vacation Bible School

Friday, August 11, 2017 ~ 6:00 – 8:00 PM

Block Party ~ Cookout and Games

Saturday, August 12, 2017 ~ 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM

Lunch will be provided.

Sunday, August 13, 2017 ~ 11:00 AM

Join us for our worship service to see what VBS

was all about and learn who the greatest hero of all is!!

Contact Jennifer Dollyhigh, Ruth Dollyhigh, or Dianne Willey

for more information or to volunteer.

September 4 – Tonya Oakley, Catrena Whitaker

Church Staff

Rev. Mark A. Reece, Jr., Pastor Rev. Kermit Gray, Pastor Emeritus

Rev. Santiago Reales, Associate Pastor of Hispanic/Latino Ministry Paul Danley, Minister of Worship Emma Mooney, Minister of Youth Scottie Isaacs, Ministry Assistant

Dawn Marion, Pianist Ivy Head, Organist

Bruce Hodges, Sound Technician Tommy Haymore, Videographer

Eric Mauldin, Audio- Visual Technician

278 Piney Grove Road Mount Airy, North Carolina 27030

(336)356-4196

www.pgbcmountairy.org

.***********************************

August Birthdays August 1

Amanda Chilton, Josh Comer August 2

Tammy Johnson August 3

John Marion August 4

Jeni O’Neal, Barbara Jean Tate August 5

Bobby Draughn August 6

Steve Ingram August 7

Jerry Atkins August 8

Lori Jones, Olivia Miller August 9

Beth Gordon, Candy Lowe August 10

Landon Fulk August 12

Jesse Wright, Joanne Whitaker August 13

Jean Ingram, Sharon Johnson August 15

Shannon Farmer August 16

Brenda Davis, Nancy Bunker, Gay Riggan August 19

Roger Lineberry, Andrew Moore August 20

Dianne Hayden August 21

Kathy Creed August 22

Hannah Thomas August 23

Charles Marion, Jerry Whitaker, Walker York August 25

Caleb Mooney, Louise Sawyers August 29

Frankye Woodruff, Beth Comer, Bobby Post

August 30 Shirley Danley

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Piney Grove Baptist Church PERIODICAL 278 Piney Grove Road Mount Airy, NC 27030 THE GROVE is published monthly by the Piney Grove Baptist Church, 278 Piney Grove Road, Mount Airy, NC. POSTMASTER send change of address to THE GROVE, 278 Piney Grove Road, Mount Airy, NC. Volume XII, Issue 8, August 2017

August’s Guide to Worship and Study

Wednesday, August 2 Worship Seeds with the Pastor Big Questions:

“Calvin and Arminius”

Sunday, August 6 Amanda Smith

Sharing about her CBF Mission Trip to Laredo, Texas

Wednesday, August 9 Worship Seeds with the Pastor Big Questions:

“The Holy Trinity”

Sunday, August 13 VBS Team

VBS Celebration

Wednesday, August 16 Worship Seeds with the Pastor Big Questions:

“End Times: Facts and Fiction”

Sunday, August 20 Matthew 15:10-28

Wednesday, August 23 Worship Seeds with the Pastor Big Questions:

“The Baptist River”

Sunday, August 27 James 1:2-5, 17-18

Baby Dedication

Wednesday, August 30 Big Questions: CBF:

Past, Present, and Future

Page 1

Children’s Ministries/Mission G.R.O.V.E. Kidz

Children’s Bible Study,

Crafts, Games, Music, and FUN!

G.R.O.V.E. Kidz will not have their

regular meetings in the month of August.

Youth and G.R.O.V.E. Kidz Event

Wednesday, August 16, 2017 6:30 PM

Youth and G.R.O.V.E. Kidz will go to Grover's Cabin at the pond for a time of fellowship, fun, and fishing.

GAs, RAs, and Mission Friends

The GAs, RAs, and Mission Friends will meet

Wednesdays, August 23 and 30, 2017, at 6:30 PM.

Backpack Program

Our backpack program will resume in September 2017.

This year our backpack ministry helped students in White Plains Elementary School, Rockford Elementary School,

and Dobson Elementary School.

Thank you for supporting the backpack program this

past year as we helped feed the children in our community.

Youth Ministry - Emma Mooney, Minister of Youth

Our youth will meet on Wednesday nights,

August 23 and 30, 2017, from 6:30 – 7:30 PM.

(Continued on Page 3) Page 2

From the Pastor – Rev. Mark A. Reece, Jr.

Since I wrote my last newsletter article, Piney Grove gave our ministry staff a gift. I want to express my gratitude to each of you for the gift you give us each year when our staff is sent to the annual General Assembly for CBF Global. If Paul, Santiago, and I had just driven to Atlanta and back, the approximately eleven hours in the car together would’ve been worth the journey. The time together was well spent and we were able to reflect deeply about our respective ministries. The guest speaker was Brian McLaren, who is a well-known author, speaker, and leader in the emergent church. The title of his

sermon was “You Made the Road by Walking.” That may seem a little self-serving if you know that it’s also the title of his new book, but I wish you could’ve been there to hear his bold, honest, and prophetic words. For most of us, “walking” isn’t the most exciting image. General Assembly certainly delivered the new energy, renewal, and revival that conferences like this one are designed to produce. If there were clergy and laypersons present, they were able to run home with plenty of new ideas for missions and ministry. McLaren’s image is if “walking,” while not all that exciting, is a timely one. Our world is changing at a rapid pace. The community that I grew up in looks different. The community that I pastor certainly looks different, too. The state and nation that I live in looks radically different from the one I was born into. It seems that in the past decade we have witnessed more changes than the past three decades combined. The thing that we hate the most in congregational life seems to be what’s happening the most. Change! It’s all around us. McLaren had much to say, but I left with the reminder that CBF is a collection of congregations who have been walking together for 20 years. Some began the walk 20 years ago. Others have joined the walk since then. Others have decided that CBF wasn’t moving fast enough in whatever direction they desired and others decided that CBF was walking too fast in a direction that they were opposed to, so they abandoned the walk. Still yet, what I observe at CBF is that we’re still walking. Walking is important when you are a collection of diverse congregations. Decisions that are made at CBF in my view must be made with respect to the most conservative congregations and the most liberal congregations. We are called a “fellowship” for a reason, aren’t we? I think about how this image translates to the local congregation. I’ve observed lots of change in my first decade of ministry in just about every area of American and congregational life. Some changes were long overdue. Some changes are for the best. Other changes are for the worst. Perhaps the best thing we can do in a culture of great change is to learn from our past and not run aimlessly in one direction or another. But, at the same time, walking could get us left behind. It’s for that reason that I think our patient and diligent walk shouldn’t just be a walk. It should be a particular kind of walk. It should be a march. Marching requires a lot of discipline. I remember my time at the Direct Commission Officer Indoctrination Course at the Naval Command in Newport, Rhode Island, in early January of 2016. We set out early one morning to learn how to march. It was windy. It was brutally cold. And my dear friend who was in front of me wasn’t anywhere near polished in his steps! This exercise required me to stay focused. It required me trust those around me. And, with a chief watching our every move, we were humbled by our mistakes and corrected ourselves quickly, lest the entire formation of commissioned Naval officers collapse in front of aspiring young men and women in Office Candidate School. There was something else that I learned. I learned how helpful it was to remind myself over and over again of why I was there and why I was marching. When I remembered the reason I was marching, it made it a lot easier to march around for hours in the cold elements. I was in the process of becoming a naval officer. I was marching with a purpose. As a congregation, it’s important for us to remember that we’re marching for a purpose. That purpose is to share and model the love of Jesus with and for the world. We do this by walking in the way of Jesus. We’re called as a community to welcome those Jesus welcomed, to love those Jesus loved, and to reach out to those Jesus reached out to. In Jesus’ day, those individuals were often the people nobody else welcomed, nobody else loved, and nobody else reached out to. When we do this, we’re walking with Jesus. But we’re doing more than that. We’re marching. As I looked around the worship space at CBF General Assembly, I wondered how many pastors were there from rural communities. I’m near certain that the percentage of truly rural CBF churches is probably pretty small. Piney Grove is a special and unique place among rural churches and a particularly special and unique place among Baptist churches in Surry County. As we prepare this month to embark on a new church year, I trust we will celebrate the ministries and missions that make us who we are. (Continued on Page 8)

Church Conference

Dates to Remember

August 6 Deacon Nominations

August 11 – 13 Vacation Bible School

August 14 Deacon’s Meeting

August 15 A Place at the Table at Chase N Charli Restaurant By the River (1384 South Main Street, Mount Airy)

August 16 Youth and G.R.O.V.E. Kidz will go to Grover’s Cabin for a time of fellowship, fun, and fishing

August 20 Deacon Election

August 23 Church Conference

August 27 Baby Dedication

September 4 Labor Day

September 24 Homecoming with Guest Preacher Rev. Marcus E. McGill

Website

Sermon videos can be viewed via PGBC website

or www.vimeo.com and search PGBC.

Stewardship Report Through July 23, 2017

06/25/17 Offering $8,086.05 07/02/17 Offering $3,893.00 07/09/17 Offering $1,758.00 07/16/17 Offering $3,218.00 07/23/17 Offering $1,753.00 Total $18,708.05

Budget: $171,523.00 YTD Goal: $140,660.00

Budget This Period YTD $17,180.00 $18,708.05 $130,801.00

Over/(Under $1,528.05 ($9,859.00)

Sunday School Attendance Five-week Average – 89.4

PRAYER LIST

Nursing home and long-term care Nancy Edwards Gladys Hooker Leona Huffman

Eva Briggs Elsie Hayes

Home or hospital Dean Branch

Avis & Hilda Huff Phyllis Hewitt Lonzo McHone

Roger & Norma Draughn Charles & Blanche Brintle

Grover Haymore Banner Combs Josie Woodruff Faye Beasley Todd Brown

Seth Beacham Michael Stephens

Patti Miller Ricky Draughn Junior Sawyers

J.W. & Joan Branch Susan Johnson Gladys Collins

Doug and Gail Smith Anne Sechrist Faye Danley

Jimmy and Sheila McCraw Janice Draughn

Eileen Kidd Doug & Kathy Simpson

Gary Sewell Judy Dollyhigh Jakob Goettel Bill Gingrich Bill Dollyhigh

Riley Voss Foye Moser

Daniel and Paige Combs Janice Barker Brintle

Charlotte Lawson Gary Kniskern

Military MM2 Lammon, Andrew USS Theodore Roosevelt

(CVN 71) RX/RM FPO AE 09599-2871

e-mail: Andrew.lammon@cvn

71.navy.mil

Please contact Scottie Isaacs to add or remove

names from our prayer list. Phone (336)356-4196

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Youth Ministry (Continued from Page 2)

From the Minister of Youth

Last week was the high school trip to Washington, D.C. Originally, there were boys going and so I had this wonderful devotion planned that would have (hopefully) captivated both audiences and tied in rather nicely to the fact that we were in the country’s capitol. However, God had other plans for the trip. Instead, I took two of the most quirky, crazy, fun girls that I think Washington has ever met.

Before leaving on the trip, I felt led to change the devotion. Madi is in her last year of high school, preparing to apply to colleges, and Haley will be on her way to college in just two, short weeks. I wanted to share with them a story that would empower them. A story that would teach them to stand with courage, trust in God, and most importantly encourage them to be themselves.

In a time when these girls are suddenly getting to decide what they want for their own life, I thought I would introduce them to a woman in the Bible who also was at a point of life in which she had to choose who she wanted to be.

The girls did not know the story of Esther, and if you are not familiar with the book, I highly recommend it. For now, I will only share the highlights.

Esther is a beautiful, kind, and very intelligent woman that is living in an era where her ethnicity is looked down upon. However, it is through her charming characteristics that she finds herself in a position of power. In order to keep this power, Esther must hide the fact that she is a Jew. As the story unfolds, Esther is faced with a big decision: Should she tell the King that she is a Jew? In the end, Esther embraces all that she is and through it becomes even more powerful than she was before.

There are several things that you can take from this story. For instance, no matter how unfavored you may be by others, all that matters is that you are favored by God. This story also gives readers confidence that God always has a plan. It teaches that fasting and prayer bring clarity in troubled times.

Yet, through all the lessons to be learned from Esther, what I wanted Madi and Haley to take away from the devotion was that you are the most powerful when you embrace the person that you are. We discussed how sometimes who we want to be changes, because as humans we are always evolving. We discussed how sometimes it takes courage to step up and to be the person that we want to be. We also discussed how we must be open and accept others for who they choose to be.

In the capitol of a country that prides itself on freedom and liberality, we discussed what it means to free ourselves.

I think this is something that we all can learn from Esther. As an adult and even as a Christian, I find myself hiding how I truly feel in order to appease others, but this is not a healthy practice nor is it something that pleases God. We must all learn to have the strength, courage, and faith in God to follow our hearts and be who we were meant to be.

Missions 2016-2017 Schedule for Quarterly Missions Offering

During each quarter of the 2016-2017 church year, we will be emphasizing a local community mission in worship and we invite you to contribute using designated envelopes as your passion leads.

First Quarter (October – December) Emphasis: Foothills Food Pantry

Second Quarter (January – March) Emphasis: Mountain Valley Hospice and Palliative Care

Third Quarter (April – June) Emphasis: Surry Children’s Center

Fourth Quarter (July – September) Emphasis: Blue Ridge CareNet and Surry Medical Ministries

“The Grove’s Helping Hand”

“The Grove’s Helping Hand” is a ministry that gives a helping hand to struggling families who run out of groceries before their paycheck arrives. It’s also a ministry to those who have been in the hospital and just don’t have the strength to tackle the grocery store yet. Perhaps we could give a helping hand to some elderly person who can’t get out at all. The food closet is located in the rear of the chapel. A wagon for donations is located in the narthex and it includes a list of needed items.

August Needs Crackers, peanut butter, jelly, pasta and sauce, canned meats,

cereal, paper goods, and condiments

Ladies Gathering There will not be a Ladies Gathering in August.

(Continued on Page 4)

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Missions (Continued from Page 3)

Piney Grove Missions

On Sunday, August 6, 2017, in 11:00 AM worship, Amanda Smith will be sharing about her work with a CBF mission in Laredo, Texas. Amanda went on the summer mission trip with her college church, Cullowhee Baptist. We’re inspired by Amanda for using her summer break from North Surry High School to spread the love of Jesus in Laredo. Please come out on August 6th and join us as we celebrate what God is doing through the CBF mission in Laredo, Texas!

A Note from Tabatha Mauldin

Tabatha Mauldin is volunteering with an organization called Chernobyl Children International (CCI). It is based out of Dublin, Ireland, and the goal of the organization is to reach out to children devastated by the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster. The organization sends volunteers to a children’s mental asylum called Vesnova, which is in the Mogilev region of Belarus, formerly part of the Soviet Union. This institution is home to 170 children with varying degrees of physical and intellectual disabilities. As a volunteer, she will work as part of a team of international volunteers to help CCI deliver an effective and impactful program, support medical team members with care delivery, support local staff in caring for all children and young adults in CCI care in

Vesnova Children’s Institution, and support CCI Deinstitutionalisation program by engaging the children in social activities in the local community to help break down the stigma of intellectual and physical disabilities. This opportunity will bring the concept of humor to the children and their caregivers to raise the international awareness of the importance and applicability of humor as an intervention in healthcare. With my familiarity with childhood growth and development and humor development through my PhD research, I believe this to be an opportunity not to be missed. One of the goals I have for the trip is to educate the caregivers on ways to engage children with humor. I recognize there will be a communication barrier; however, I believe growth and developmental principles cross barriers of race and culture and interventions, depending on growth and developmental level, can be used interchangeably with children of all backgrounds. I will also want to take with me a symbol of AATH, which I believe to be the red nose. I want to have enough red noses to give to everyone as an ambassador of AATH. I am planning to travel next summer to Belarus (formerly part of the Soviet Union). Please donate if you can and also consider sharing my link with others on social media. The link is https://www.gofundme.com/tabathas-cci-trip-to-belarus. Additionally, you can write a check to Piney Grove Baptist Church with the memo “Belarus Mission” and we’ll make sure your funding supports this mission.

Blood Drive Results Our blood drive went very well on Sunday, July 9, 2017. Although we did not reach our goal of 30 units, we registered 31 donors and successfully collected 27 units. A special thank you is extended to everyone who donated blood! We also appreciate Susan Johnson and Paula Whitehead for their assistance and volunteering their time to help out.

Pastor Mark’s Navy Reserve Drill Dates Friday, August 4, 2017, and Saturday, August 5, 2017

“A Place at the Table” is a monthly lunch gathering for spiritual reflection and discussing issues at the intersection of faith and culture. Are you able to break for lunch? Retired? Needing an alternative Bible study? Everyone has “A Place at the Table.” Join us at noon on the third Tuesday of each month. Come early. Come late. Just come. Please reserve your weekly spot by emailing Pastor Mark at markreecejr@gmail.com. Forgot to reserve your spot? Come on. We’ll pull up a chair. Our next gathering is at noon on Tuesday, August 15, 2017, at Chase N Charli Restaurant By the River (1384 South Main Street, Mount Airy).

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Rev. Santiago Reales Commissioned Rev. Santiago Reales was commissioned on Friday evening, June 30, 2017, as a chaplain by CBF Global at our annual General Assembly in Atlanta, Georgia. We are so grateful that he and his family are a part of our beloved family at Piney Grove Baptist Church.

Deacon Nominations

On Sunday, August 6, 2017, you will be given the opportunity to nominate four (4) individuals for deacon. The eight (8) individuals receiving the highest number of votes and who are willing and qualified to serve as deacons will be listed in the bulletin on Sunday, August 13, 2017.

Deacon Election

On Sunday, August 20, 2017, you will be given the opportunity to vote for four (4) of the eight (8) nominees. The four (4) individuals receiving the highest number of votes will serve a three-year term on our diaconate. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- According to our church constitution, an individual must be a church member for one year to be eligible for nomination as a deacon. The deacon nomination and election process is for church members only.

From Constitution and By-Laws

Section 3. Right to Vote. Such members as are in “full and regular standing” shall meet the following requirements: (1) shall have attended at least twelve (12) Sunday school and/or worship services within the past twelve (12) months; and (2) shall have contributed something to the support of the church. Those who fail to meet these requirements may present their reasons at a church conference. If the reason is satisfactory to the church it may, by majority vote, declare him in “full and regular standing with voting privileges.”

The Diaconate Covenant

In August of 2011, the Diaconate adopted the following covenant as an accountability guide between deacons and the congregation. As you consider who you will nominate to serve as a deacon, please do so with the following covenant in mind. The expectations listed in the covenant below illustrate the qualities and disciplines that a person should possess when being nominated as a deacon at Piney Grove Baptist Church. Thank you for your prayerful commitment to this selection process. With strong servant leadership, we will continue to build a strong servant church.

1. Deacons should maintain the Biblical qualities offered in the Piney Grove Baptist Church Constitution.

2. Deacons should actively attend Sunday school and make a good effort to attend Bible Study.

3. Deacons should be active in worship.

4. Deacons should be active in a missions group.

5. Deacons should contribute financially to the work of the church through the giving of tithes and offerings.

6. Deacons should be present at Diaconate meetings/functions and actively execute ministry expectations.

7. Deacons should practice confidentiality.

8. Deacons should keep the best interest of the church above their own.

9. Deacons should be forgiving and non-judgmental.

10. Deacons should be persons of upright character and integrity before God and men.

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Baby Dedication Service

Sunday, August 27, 2017, at 11:00 AM

“Let the little children come unto me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.”

Perry Grace Chilton Daughter of Brandon and Amanda Chilton

Granddaughter of Tim and Kathy Creed

Attention: College Students

All college students, including those attending Surry Community College, are encouraged to submit their mailing address for the 2017-2018 school year to Scottie Isaacs, Ministry Assistant. This information will be used as we select “Student of the Week” for our weekly bulletin.

Youth and Children Ministries Luncheon

Discipleship

Worship Seeds with the Pastor Wednesdays, August 2, 9, 16, 23, and 30, 2017, from 6:30 – 7:30 PM

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