Church family, We hope you can join us Sunday, July 19, as we hear from our students and El Salvador mission team. We will also have our Member Meeting on July 19 at 5:30 pm. This past Sunday, as we looked at Numbers 21, we reflected that the course we're on is tainted by grief and sadness, littered with difficulties and battles, and often jaded by the lengthy journey. Some of us are going through situations right now. Others have been through them recently. All of us will face difficulties and trials in the coming days. I've tried to write regularly to encourage others and for the benefit of my own soul. The following post comes from the Bible study on Wednesday July 8 and the condition of my own soul. I pray it helps and encourages you through situations and circumstances. https://chrishefner.org/2026/07/10/medicine-for-a-deserted-heart/

Church family, As God's people, we should be amazed by God's grace and goodness in making us his own. That we belong to the Lord, we should pray for our nation. One of the most effective things we can do for others and for our country is to pray. This week, would you make time to pray for our church, for those who don't know Jesus, and for God to send a revival to our nation? Also, pray for our church mission team heading out to El Salvador early Thursday morning. Follow my blog for a post later this week on prayers you can pray for our mission team. Grace and peace, Pastor Chris Eight Prayers You Can Pray for Our Mission Teams

Church family, This week our nation will celebrate 250 years of freedom. We ought to rejoice in the freedoms we have as we lament the amoral condition of our country. As you go about your week, look around you for evidence of God's sovereign interventions. Be assured of his sovereignty. This coming week, I will share two additional posts to my blog. Monday's meditation is about courage and following God even out of our comfort zones.  On Wednesday, I'll share a Christian perspective on our nation's 250-year celebration. I would encourage you to follow the link below for a post about God's sovereignty. At the bottom of the post, subscribe, and you'll get each of my posts sent to you. Grace and peace, Pastor Chris

Church family, what a great week at VBS! Our children traveled to Rome to see Paul in prison for the gospel. A great shoutout to our Minister of Children and Families, Danielle Hicks, our VBS Director, Rachel Rogers, and the nearly 100 volunteers and leaders who made this year's VBS possible. We had several children make decisions to follow Jesus and many more continue conversations with leaders and parents about Christ. Parents and grandparents who are reading this, let me offer this advice to you: "Lead your children to follow Jesus one conversation at a time." Ask them what they learned at VBS or in Sunday school or in Awana. Ask them what it means to be a Christian. Ask them if they would like to hear how you became a follower of Jesus. Those kinds of questions keep the conversation going about following Jesus. Whatever we do for the gospel, we do "for the sake of his Name." https://chrishefner.org/2026/06/19/for-the-sake-of-his-name/

Thank you church family for your prayers last week. Our students had a great time at camp, and we will be planning a baptism soon! The Lord answered our prayers. Thank you for praying for the Southern Baptist Convention Annual Meeting. I will be giving a report on Wednesday evening, June 24, at 6:15pm. There will be time for questions as well. You can read some of my initial observations below. For this week, keep all the VBS workers and children in your prayers.  Pray for energy, strength, patience, and clarity for the workers. Pray that the children who don't yet know Christ will hear the gospel clearly and respond by following Jesus.

Church family, Summer is here! The next few weeks are significant for our students and children. Our students will be at camp. Pray for them to experience God and for those who don't know Jesus. Remember to register your children for VBS and consider registering to serve at VBS. Pray for our leaders, volunteers, and especially for the children who don't yet know Jesus. I believe the next couple of weeks for many of our children, students, and adults will provide opportunities for divine appointments. We should anticipate the appointments ahead of us. Let's make the most of this summer. Maximize Your Summer: Spiritual Growth Tips  Grace and Peace, Dr. Hefner

Church family, the summer months are here. Next Monday (June 8 ), our students will go to camp. Sunday, June 14, begins VBS . Would you take some extra time over the next few weeks to pray for our children, students, leaders, and families? Camp and VBS are important opportunities for the gospel to bear fruit in hearts and lives. As we navigate the start of summer, keep in mind God's command to gather for worship weekly. We know that many of us will be traveling, but plan to gather with us regularly for worship. Practicing our Journey Outcomes that flow from our mission will help us remain faithful even during the busyness and traveling of the summer. #Say or sing praise to God daily. #Engage in gathered worship. #Listen to God daily through Scripture and worship. For more on practicing rest and worship, see the post below about Sabbath. https://chrishefner.org/2026/05/29/sabbath-a-noun-or-verb/

Church family, thank you for the opportunity to take a sabbatical earlier this year. The rest and opportunity to be refreshed could not have come at a better time. During my time away, I was able to read, be refreshed, and do some writing. Several of the books I read during that season intersected with each other. In the blog post attached below (if you're reading the emailed version of the Beacon), I've shared some thoughts about how Christians can respond in part to the critical theories and technological challenges of our day. Grace and Peace, Dr. Hefner

Church family, Thank you for your faithful participation and generous giving. At the Member Meeting on May 17, we referenced a number of additional new members and highlighted upcoming ministry events. Keep our Student Ministry and Wkids Ministry in your prayers this summer, with a busy calendar ahead of us. We celebrated a 50-year anniversary. Rhetta Christmas has served as the church organist/accompanist for 50 years! Each of the past four music ministers shared compliments about Rhetta's capabilities, professionalism, and teamwork attitude. Rhetta, we are blessed to have you at WBC. Also, we approved the following motion regarding church fostering: "The Elders at Wilkesboro Baptist explore opportunities to foster and/or replant local congregations. The scope, sequence, and responsibilities of fostering relationships would be under the oversight of the elders." We are hopeful in the months and years ahead to be able to help other churches become healthy and faithful. The approval of this motion is one way that WBC can be kingdom-minded. This upcoming Wednesday night (May 20), I will give a "State of the Church Address" highlighting where we've been, where we are, and where we're going. I hope you are able to join us this week. If not, we will record the address and post to our podcast channel. Grace and Peace, Dr. Hefner