Announcements
Updated Covid Protocols for Regathering – August 2021
Updated August 22, 2021 The Covid Task Force met this week, as we watch the recent spread of Covid-19 in our community and respond in ways that care for our neighbor. We are so fortunate as a congregation to have such a tremendous percentage of eligible persons who...
Regathering In Person for Worship on May 23
Last night, our pastoral staff and Covid Task Force shared the following details with the congregation regarding our regathering in person for worship beginning on May 23. Please read on for a full rundown of details regarding the shape of worship upon our return. If...
Easter Celebration, and Come Get a Plant!
We gather on Sunday morning, April 4, at 10:30am for an Easter Celebration across the street from our church house on the plaza of 500 West Fifth! Bring a chair or blanket, and wear your mask! Then shortly thereafter, join us on the front steps to affix flowers to our...
Holy Week & Easter at First on Fifth
Holy Week Stations of the CrossMarch 29 - April 2, Monday through Friday, 11:00am-1:00pm, Sanctuary We welcome members and guests from the community for a time of Holy Week reflection and prayer to walk the Stations of the Cross around the perimeter of the Sanctuary....
Word-a-Day Daily Practice
As we did during the Advent season, this year during Lent, all are invited to post an image, a quote, a Bible verse, or a story that our ‘word of the day’ prompts in your imagination. Each day, we will share an invitation on Facebook and Instagram to do just that,...
Ash Wednesday Worship via Zoom
On Wednesday, February 17, at 6:30pm, all are invited to join in our time of Ash Wednesday worship as we orient ourselves to the Lenten season with the ancient rituals of remembering ‘from dust we are, and to dust we shall return.’ All the materials you will need for...
Lent-at-Home Kit Pick-Up & Street School Supply Drop-off
On Sunday, February 14, from 12:00-1:00pm, all are invited to drive through the back parking lot at the church house, where there, the pastoral staff will give each individual or family a Lent-at-Home kit, filled with items to use for Ash Wednesday and for your...
Observing Lent at First on Fifth
This year during the Lenten season, we wonder together: as we emerge of such a long season of death, endings, trauma, and disintegration -- much of which has seemed senseless and deeply tragic -- what might it mean for us to remember anew the meaningful death of...
Creating Space for Soul Care
Throughout this season where our collective hearts and souls are in need of lifting, all are invited to gather once a month on a Thursday night via Zoom for what we’re calling “Word Made Flesh.” These member-led monthly gatherings will center the creative arts as a...
Winter Sermon Series
Each year as the calendar turns, our world saturates the airwaves, the feeds, the ads, the expectations with ideas about our new year’s resolutions. And the turn from a dark 2020 into a hopeful 2021 is no different! Lose that quarantine weight! Finally take up that...
New Study Begins January 26
Our Tuesday morning co-ed small group with Pastor David resumes on January 26, 6:45-7:45am, with a study of “The Words of Jesus”. This study will begin with a contemplative reading of the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) as we focus our devotional lives on these...
Join Us January 27!
As is our custom, we will gather to do the regular business of the church in the month of January for our Quarterly Church Conference (QCC) and a time of congregational conversation. We will gather Wednesday night, January 27, at 5:30pm via Zoom to conduct the...
“Zoom Church” on December 27 and January 3
We will enjoy two upcoming Sundays with a shift in rhythms, gathering for worship together on Zoom at 10:30am on Sundays, December 27 and January 3! This will allow us to see one another and sing Christmas carols together for 'live' worship during Christmastide, give...
Christmas Eve Candlelight Service
December 24 | 4:30pm via ZoomWhile our Christmas Eve service will unfold in online spaces (part-prerecorded video, part-interactive time on Zoom), all are invited to gather together on this holy night for a shorter service of worship, carol-singing, and candle...
Shadow & Light on the Longest Night
Monday, December 21 | 5:00pm via Facebook Live On the Longest Night (in what has felt like the longest year!), Pastor Emily will be on our church Facebook page for a Facebook Live at our Shadow and Light Memorial, giving voice to our shared griefs and losses this...
Join us for an “Ugly Christmas Sweater” Christmas Pageant!
Join the First on Fifth community for An Ugly Christmas Sweater Christmas Pageant on Sunday, December 20, at 5:00pm via Zoom! This online, interactive, all-ages extravaganza is brought to you in collaboration between the Children’s Ministry Team and Adult Ministry...
Advent Word of the Day Week 1 Highlights
Important News from the Coronavirus Task Force
Greetings from the Coronavirus Task Force! Since we last came to you in August with an update, the Coronavirus Task Force has continued to meet biweekly with each other, holding fast to our commitment to attend to the ongoing needs of our church in light of the...
Advent 2020 Word-A-Day Challenge Begins Nov. 29
Each day during Advent, we will post a word of the day. We invite you to pause, reflect and post a response on Facebook or Instagram. Your post should illustrate how you perceive each word. No explanation needed. You can share a photo, poem or even a simple thought....
Shadow & Light: A Community Memorial
As we collectively navigate the holiday season, First Baptist Church on Fifth invites the community to engage with a public memorial called Shadow and Light: A Community Memorial, a communal, sacred space to bear witness to one another’s grief and name the countless...
Called Church Conference – Tuesday, Oct. 27 at 7:00pm
Join us for a brief Called Church Conference tonight, Tuesday, October 27, at 7:00pm via Zoom as we vote to affirm Mary Kaylor as our Minister for Youth. Mary's candidacy was announced to the congregation last Thursday. She met with our youth Saturday, offered her...
Personnel Update
The Personnel Committee unanimously and enthusiastically recommends the calling of a new minister to our church from within our church! It is our joy to introduce Rev. Mary Kaylor as our candidate for the position of Minister for Youth. After a pandemic-related pause...
We Want to Hear from You!
After seven months of shifts around the pandemic, the Coronavirus Task Force and pastoral staff would love your feedback about how you are experiencing life and our church’s ministries during this season. Your answers to this survey will help us as we anticipate what...
Quarterly Church Conference is October 13
As is our custom, we will gather to do the regular business of the church in the month of October for our Quarterly Church Conference (QCC). We will gather Tuesday night, October 13, at 7:00pm via Zoom for our QCC. Please read on for the details of how the October 13...
Tuesday Devotional Classics Resumes September 15
Our early morning group resumes September 15, studying John Philip Newell's book, The Rebirthing of God. This group, led by David Williamson, meets on Tuesdays, 6:45-7:45am. Participants should register by contacting David Williamson at dwilliamson@firstonfifth.org....
Fall 2020 Children’s Ministry Schedule
Our children's ministry will be continuing virtually throughout the fall, with some opportunities to gather in-person at a safe distance. I am excited for our children and families to have the chance to connect on the computer and in-person as we continue to learn...
Engage in Shared & Holy Conversations This Fall
At the center of the human experience and a long life of faithfulness is the experience of awakening, where God in Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit invites a deepened awareness of something one had not yet known or seen such that one’s life is transformed...
Fall Preaching Series
Once Defined, Always Defining: Fall at First Baptist on Fifth The Book of Exodus has been called the defining story of the people of Israel, their narrative of life told through the leadership of Moses and his people’s movements of enslavement and liberation, of law...
The Latest Information from Our Coronavirus Task Force
Since the end of March, the Coronavirus Task Force has been meeting regularly (first weekly, then biweekly) to assess the pandemic’s impact on our capacity to be the church together. Over these months, our research has been thorough, assessing covid’s particular...
“Raising White Kids” Study
Do you find yourself wondering how you can more thoughtfully equip the young people in your life to engage matters of race with honesty and awareness? Come and join members of our ministry staff and other parents, grandparents, teachers, and loving folks in the...
Spiritual Direction Opportunities
Are you seeking to grow in your relationship with Christ and looking for someone to help you on your spiritual journey? Joani Hughes, educator, deacon, and certified spiritual director and David Hughes, former pastor, conference leader, and Ambassador and Resident...
Mark Your Calendars!
As is our custom, we will gather to do the regular business of the church in the month of July for our Quarterly Church Conference. But unlike our usual customs, we’ll be doing so virtually as we practice healthy distance during this time of pandemic! Our Coronavirus...
Connect with Each Other
If you’re one who is settling into a new rhythm for your days and wanting to find ways to connect with your church family, here are a smattering of regular options for you to do so! Sign up for First Words, a weekly devotional email from a member of your...
Have a Prayer Request?
We know in this season that there is much to pray for. Without the weekly times to talk together in person to share these requests, we wanted to make widely available the opportunity to let us know of your request. You can now simply fill out this form, and the...
Providing Financial Assistance for Those Affected by COVID-19
If you have found yourself in need of financial assistance in this disruptive time of a global pandemic, please reach out to any of our pastors (by phone or email) to notify us of your need. Through our John 3:16 Benevolence Fund and Beddingfield Fund, we can respond...
An Update from the Coronavirus Task Force – May 12, 2020
Dear First on Fifth family,With news of North Carolina beginning Phase 1 of “reopening,” you might be wondering when we will gather in person at the church house for worship, fellowship, study, and meetings. For the past several weeks, this topic has been a top...
Easter Worship – Connecting Beyond the Walls
A blessed Good Friday to each of you! As we travel together through this most unusual Holy Week, we pray that the familiar rhythms of reflection on Jesus’ last days are guiding your experience this week. We hope you have found our Daily Dose reflections and the...
First on Fifth Announces COVID-19 Precautions
Dear First Baptist on Fifth family, In these days where news of COVID-19 (coronavirus) is dominating our shared spaces for information, I wanted you to know the precautionary measures your church is taking so that our common gathering and worshiping life together can...
This Is My Body: Lent at First on Fifth
When we gather at Christ’s table each month, we hear again the words he used to connect experience and memory: this is my body, given for you. For in one body, God became flesh, love found the highest expression, and eternal reconciliation to God was made possible for...
May 2 Missions First Day Incorporates Local Missions, Rise Against Hunger
Saturday, May 2, is our inaugural "MISSIONS FIRST" day at First on Fifth! On this date, we will not only engage in another "Rise Against Hunger" food packaging event, we will also have opportunities to engage in local mission activities. Please be on the lookout for...
Carols & Candlelight for All Ages
We invite all children and their families to join us for a special Christmas Eve service at 5:00pm. This is always a beautiful time to gather with our faith community as we receive the Christ child among us. This year, our children's ministry team...
Fall 2019 Booklet
Click HERE to view booklet!
Bold Love + Boundless Compassion
Please mark your calendars and plan to be at First on Fifth on Sunday, August 25 for our BOLD LOVE + BOUNDLESS COMPASSION Fall Kickoff Event!
Exploring Approaches to Our Missional Priorities
There are many conversations and events bubbling up in our community around issues of social justice. It is both an important and an exciting time for us to link arms with others in our community as well as to take advantage of these excellent educational resources....
Helping “Neighbors Beyond Our Walls”
In October, we have several unique opportunities in which our members can engage. From serving the homeless to reaching out to our friends at Forest Park Elementary to providing support to those in eastern NC who have been impacted by Hurricane Florence, we are able...
Church Votes to Approve Phase One
In Sunday's Called Church Conference to hear the recommendation from the Special Committee regarding Phase One of our building project, the congregation voted to proceed with the substantial first phase of our work. The motion passed overwhelmingly with 90% of voting...