Wow!!! What a Summer!

Summer is drawing to a close and local schools have returned to session. I hoping for a little time for blogging once again. The time is right to reflect back on all of the happenings from the summer and share my reflections with you. I hope that you will check back often over the next few weeks in order to read and reflect on the happenings with the youth at First Baptist.

I have updated the schedule link on the right. I am also beginning to add some photos from the summer. Click on the links to the right to check these out.

Remember that youth choir and discipleship training starts again at 5:00 PM on September 7th. I hope to see you here!

Brinkley to swim for ECU

It has always been a dream for (FBC)New Bern senior Jessica Brinkley to swim in college. When it came down to choosing a college to swim for, it was an easy decision.

Brinkley agreed to swim for a school that she was quite familiar with - East Carolina University, where she plans on studying to become a nurse. Brinkley has one brother, Justin, who swam for ECU, while her other older brother, Jared, is currently a member of the Pirates' swim team.

"My older brothers swam there, so the coach (Rick Kobe) knew them and knew their work ethic and my parents mentioned to the coach that I was looking at the school," Brinkley said. "He told my parents that if I was interested, then I had a spot on the team."

Jared, who swims the 100-breastroke and 200-breastroke at East Carolina, and Justin have offered their advice to Jessica on what to expect swimming against division I caliber opponents.

"They tell me that I am going to improve no matter what," Brinkley said. "They also said that it takes a lot of work. It is not easy, it's hard and that if I wanted to do it, I could do it."

To prepare for ECU, Brinkley's training is going to be harder and more intense.

Not only is she training for the ECU swim team, but she is also getting ready for the national meet in Maryland at the end of July, as part of the Twin Rivers YMCA team.

"I am just going to be practicing a lot more," Brinkley said. "Instead of doing just afternoon workouts, I am going to be doing morning practices and afternoon practices. I will be doing eight practices a week."

Brinkley will compete in her best event, the breaststroke, at the national meet. Her best time in the 100 breaststroke is 1:09.47 for the YMCA team.

"When I go on to nationals, all that competition is going to be so much faster than what I am used to," Brinkley said. "It will give me a taste of what I am going to be racing against in college."

Brinkley passed on swimming for Gardner-Webb, because she wanted to swim closer to home.

"Gardner-Webb was really far away and I really felt like I needed to be at East Carolina," she said. "Gardner-Webb was nice and small but I felt like I needed to go somewhere bigger."

This past season at New Bern, Brinkley was named the Coastal Conference swimmer of the year. She finished 10th in the state in the 100-yard breaststroke, which is an event she hopes to swim at ECU.

She owns the New Bern school record in the 100-yard breaststroke.

She may also compete in the 200-breastroke and various freestyle events at ECU.

The only time Brinkley competed at the Minges Aquatic Center, the home pool for the East Carolina swim team, was during her freshman year in high school, in the conference meet.

"It is a really fast pool, it is a great pool," Brinkley said. "When you walk into that pool area, the adrenaline just starts rushing for me."

So when Brinkley dives off the starters block at the Minges Aquatic Center in October against other college swimmers, it will be show just how far she has come.

"It will be like I'm finally swimming where I've always seen myself swimming," she said. "It is just going to be nerve-racking for me at first."

Adam Thompson
Sun Journal

The People of This City

Chris Tomlin is a fantastic singer and song writer. I found this song and video today while surfing around on the web. The song has an important message for The Church.

Wherever you are, there are people in your city who need assistance, who need to hear a kind word, or receive a plate of food, a handshake or have someone take the time to listen to their story.

This song gives us encouragement to continue to volunteer our time and gifts to those in our cities who are in desperate need. I hope it will compel you to do your part to ease the suffering that you encounter. May we all have eyes to see the needs, ears to hear the cries and arms to embrace the people of our cities.

Thanks Mom

Judith Viorst once wrote an essay based on interviews she had with children. The subject was “What’s a good mother like?”

Viorst reports that the children expected their mother to get angry from time to time. “She has to,” said Ted, “or she’ll faint from holding it in.”

“But it’s best to remember,” said Randy, “that when your mother starts to act real weird, you have to look scared and serious. Don’t giggle. When mommies are mad, they get madder if you giggle.”

“My mommy got so mad,” said Megan, “that she yanked the plate off the table and all the mashed potatoes flew into the air.”

“And why,” Viorst asked, pretending she’d never heard of such shocking behavior, “why would a mother do a thing like that?”

“Well,” said Megan, “she told my older brother, Mike-‑he’s 11 years old-‑to eat the potatoes on his plate and he said ‘Later.’ And then she told him again to eat the potatoes and Mike said ‘Soon.’ And then she told him he had better eat those potatoes right now and he said, ‘In a minute.’ And then she stood up and Mike finally took a bite and told her, ‘How can I eat them? They’re cold!’” (2)

It’s not easy being a Mom.

A stay-at-home Mom went to a PTA meeting and her husband and her oldest daughter got together and decided they would clean up the kitchen for her. So they did. They put up all the food, wiped all the counters, washed all the pots and put them away, put the dishes in the dishwasher and ran it. They swept and mopped the floors and then sat down, and overcome by their own nobility, they awaited her arrival.

Two hours later she returned from the meeting, took off her coat, hung it up, walked through the kitchen into the den, grabbed the remote control, and began watching television. They followed her over to her chair and stood by her side. Finally she felt them looking over her shoulder and looked up at them and said, “What?”

Her husband said, “The kitchen.”

“The kitchen. What?”

“The kitchen. We cleaned up the kitchen. Didn’t you notice? It’s sparkling clean. We cleaned it for you.”

The woman replied, “Yes, I noticed. Thankless job, isn’t it?”

Well, sometimes being a Mom is a thankless job. That’s why we honor them with a special day. Mother’s Day is our opportunity to say a much deserved, “Thank you.”

Coach Jerry Moore is an Inspiration

Jerry Moore is an inspiration. This is his story of how listening to God turned his life around, and everyone he comes in contact with is a tesimony to his faith. Coach Moore is from Bonham, TX and currently the head football coach for the Appalachian State Mountaineers.



"I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favor to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all." Ecclesiastes 9:11

Check Out the New Appalachian Outreach Video

Training for our trip to Appalachian Outreach begins on June 1 at 6:00 PM.

Jessica named Girls Swimmer of the Year

For as long as she can remember, Jessica has been swimming in the fast-lane. The New Bern High School senior competes all year round, hoping to be one of the top swimmers in the state.

In February, represented New Bern in the North Carolina State Swimming Championships in Chapel Hill, where she placed 10th in the 100-yard breaststroke. Brinkley also competed in the state meet her sophomore season.

With her accomplishments this season, Brinkley has been named the 2007-2008 Sun Journal Girls Swimmer of the Year.

She was also named the Coastal 8 Conference Girls Swimmer of the Year for the second consecutive season.

To prepare her for the future, Brinkley is currently participating on the Twin Rivers YMCA team. And, at the end of July, she will compete for the YMCA team in the national meet in Maryland.

"This will be my first national meet, so I don't really know what to expect," Brinkley said. I am nervous even though I have never been there. I just want my time to hang in there with the rest of the competition. I want to hang in there with the other top girls in the nation and just improve on my times."

She will compete in her best event, the breaststroke. Her best time in the 100 breaststroke is 1:09.47 for the YMCA team.

Brinkley also owns the New Bern school record in the event.

"It is one of the hardest strokes, but I enjoy it because I have more leg power than upper-body power," she said.

Her favorite event is the 50 freestyle, where she can swim the event in 25.94. She also competes in the 100 freestyle and 200 individual medley, as well as several relays.

During the high school season, New Bern won the Coastal 8 Conference regular season title with an undefeated record, but the Bears were edged out by J.H. Rose in the conference championship meet on Jan. 23.

In that meet, Brinkley placed first in the 100 backstroke with a time of 1:11.45, while placing second in the 50 and fifth in the 200 freestyle.

"This season was the best of my four years," Brinkley said. "I've worked harder and gave it my best."

As a senior, Brinkley said one of her goals was to build a stronger team bond. During the conference meet, many of Brinkley's teammates were waiting by the starting blocks cheering her on.

"I get a lot of motivation from my team, especially my relay (teammates)," she said following the Coastal 8 Conference meet. "If I have fun, and I'm enjoying what I'm doing, I don't think about it. I just go out there and do it."

Brinkley will graduate from New Bern in June, but is still undecided about her future plans.

"That's the million dollar question," she said.

Brinkley wants to swim in college, but has yet to make a decision. Among her choices, Brinkley is considering swimming for East Carolina or Gardner-Webb.

But right now, Brinkley is just weighing her options.

written by Adam Thompson of New Bern Sun Journal