We invite you to join us for a special day at First Baptist Griffin on May 6.

Dr. Samuel Smith, Residential Department Chair and Director of the History Graduate Program at Liberty University, will be with us on May 6th. The subject of the day will be Baptists and Religious Liberty in America.

Dr. Smith will speak in Morgan Hall at 6:00 p.m. No registration is required for this public, evening event. Small groups are encouraged to attend.

Dr. Smith is a renown scholar in early American religious history and the author of books, articles, and reviews in his field. Prior to serving at Liberty University, he was a teacher and administrator in Christian schools.

Grace Notes

a weekly blog written by Senior Pastor, Steven Norris

An Invitation to Communion

“Where does God live?” It was one of those questions that I got from my younger son when he would transform into our “bedtime philosopher.” Of course the “right” answer was “in heaven,” but I knew that I had not been true to the biblical story.

When Jesus was teaching us to pray in the Lord’s Prayer, he said that we should address, “Our Father, in the heavens.” I know that this is not the way that most of our English translations render this phrase. The Greek, however, has “heaven” in the plural.

The Hebrews viewed “the heavens” as a three-tiered reality. The first heaven consists of the atmosphere around you — the air you breathe and the sky in which the birds fly, clouds float, and storms form. The second heaven was everything that you see in the night sky — the stars, moons, planets, solar systems, galaxies, etc. The third heaven is beyond the night sky and even beyond the visible and the material world. It consists of the very throne room of God. In Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians, he talks about being “taken up to the third heaven” (2 Corinthians 12:2). He meant that he was given a vision of the throne of God.

When we pray, “Our Father, who art in heaven . . .” we are acknowledging the closeness of our God — that God is as close to us as the very breath we breathe. The ancient Rabbis suggested that the unpronounceable name of God (YHWH) consisted of four letters that mimicked the sound of a person breathing. The implication was that the act of breathing was literally the act of speaking God’s name.

To pray to our God “who art in heaven” is a reminder that we share a common humanity. We may stand at different points on the globe and see a different “pieces” of the sky; we may use different words and languages to refer to sun, moon, or cloud; we may be connected to different geo-political identities; but we are still one humanity. As the book of Ephesians states, there is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all” (4:5-6). To pray to the God “in heaven” is to pray to the same God who is over the rich and the poor, the conservative and the liberal, the powerful and the powerless.

Finally, to pray to God “in the heavens” is to acknowledge that God is transcendent, beyond our comprehension, completely other (separate, holy, different). It is to acknowledge that God is beyond our ability to comprehend. As Albert Hasse puts it: “God refuses to become an object that can be contained by the human mind — whether that’s a golden calf or a literary image.  God lives in heaven! God dwells in inapproachable light. God is indescribable, ineffable, unfathomable, incomprehensible.”

To learn to pray to this God “in the heavens” is to be invited into the tension between intimate communion and unknowable mystery.

Mission Council Report

The Mission Council met on Monday, April 27 to review committee reports and to consider requests for mission funding. The following reports were given.

Abundant Life Soup Kitchen: We are still feeding about 90 people Monday through Friday. The Griffin Dawg Dash Run for Food raised $51,000 this year. The proceeds benefited Abundant Life, Five Loaves and Two Fish Food Pantry, and Backpack for Kids. Thank you to First Baptist for being a Gold Sponsor. This money helps buy food that we can no longer get from Kroger or the Food Bank.

Benevolence: In the first quarter of 2026, the Benevolence Team has served 73 households that represent a total of 183 individuals. The committee has provided clothing, food vouchers, medication, gas vouchers, and ID assistance. We appreciate greatly the support provided by our congregation.

Caregivers Clothes Closet: We filled 189 clothing orders for families and individuals in the first quarter.

Community Garden: See the report provided below, along with the link to sign up to tend the garden this season.

Five Loaves and Two Fish Food Pantry: We have had plenty of help serving at FLTF. Our FBC volunteer team has been great. In February we served 78 households and in March we served 52 households.

Grace 127: During Lent, Grace 127 raised $425 and two twin beds were donated to Fortify. Volunteers from the church helped during the January and February shop and drop Fortify events. Discussions about hosting the parents group have begun.

Life Song Ministry: Life Song graduated 6 out of their class of 7. Three of the participants had perfect attendance. The fall class begins on September 14, 2026. We appreciate the support we get from FBC.

Spalding Samaritans: During the first quarter, Spalding Samaritans helped 114 households with emergency utility assistance. We paid $17,065.54 on our clients' bills. The bills presented to us this quarter totaled $46,189. We are grateful each quarter when we receive the check from FBC. We couldn't do this ministry without the support of our large donors.

Women on Mission: Recent programs have included the Future of WOM, North American Missions, and Spalding Samaritans. WOM has made contributions of food items or money to Dawg Dash Run for Food, Amani Sasa, Five Loaves and Two Fish Food Pantry, and Spalding Samaritans.

Community Garden Update

The garden is fully planted and the plants are peeping over the soil. We have cucumbers ,okra, squash, bush beans , tomatoes, bell and jalapeño peppers. Zinnias as well as sunflowers are also planted. Ms Lori and the kids will be planting on May 6th and will be recreating our Mr. Scarecrow!  Patrick has rebuilt another bed so we have more room for planting!  Update courtesy of Viki Bozeman.

We need helpers as we keep the garden watered! Please be a part of this amazing ministry!  You can sign up with the button below.

May is for Church Missions

May flowers are in bloom, and so is generosity shown through our Church Mission Offering! This fund supports local mission projects in our church and city. Past church mission offerings have accomplished much good — consider this short list as an example: the offering has helped to establish our church’s Community Garden, to retrofit a bus into a mobile grocery store in Sumter County, to support first-time college students from Griffin-Spalding County Schools, to raise money for the End the Wait Foundation that supports kidney transplant patients, and much more.

     We believe in a grace that gives generously. God has called us to use our resources to make a difference for the Kingdom of God throughout Griffin and Spalding County. As part of our Church Mission Offering emphasis for 2026, we would like to share stories from a local partner in ministry called Spalding Samaritans. Our prayer is that in learning more about this special ministry, you will be led to pray for their work and to ask God how you might be part of it.

Please consider how God is calling you to give above and beyond your regular tithe to partner with us this year through the Church Mission Offering. You can do so online or by marking the “Church Mission Offering” space on your giving envelope.

Spalding Samaritans: Uplifting Our Neighbors through Essential Support

Since 2003, Spalding Samaritans has been providing emergency assistance to Spalding County residents who need help paying a utility bill. We serve those living on the edge of poverty — particularly senior citizens, those on fixed incomes, those who have lost their job, and those who cannot work. Often, we encounter the working poor who must balance multiple jobs to try to provide for their families. Many times, our applicants are days, sometimes hours, away from having their utility service disconnected. 

Volunteers accept applications twice a month, on the 1st and 3rd Tuesday from 12:30 to 2:00 p.m. in the Community Room at the back of the Southside Medical Center (next door to Five Loaves and Two Fish Food Pantry). Each applicant must be a Spalding County resident who has an unpaid utility bill. In addition to completing basic paperwork, each applicant speaks with one of our interviewers. This process gives us the opportunity to hear the story behind the request for assistance and to provide basic budgeting counsel. Those individuals who receive help with a utility bill may return again after 13 months. In this way, we can help more people and underscore the principle of providing emergency assistance. 

Check back next week to learn even more about this vital ministry.

Caregivers Clothes Closet

The Clothes Closet is in need of rolling carts, backpacks, belts for men, tennis shoes and dress shoes (in good condition). If you have any of these items in your closet that you are no longer using, please consider bringing them to the Welcome Center at FBC so they can find a new life with someone in need in our community. Thank you!

Benevolence Ministry

Our Benevolence Ministry and Caregivers Clothes Closet serves the public each Monday morning from 8:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. (with the exception of holidays). If you would like to volunteer for this ministry, then please contact the church office. The Caregivers Clothes Closet is in need of blue jeans of any size (but especially boys, sizes 4-16 and larger sizes for men), as well as adult-sized book bags. You will find drop boxes in the Welcome Center on the Hill Street side of the church and in the Welcome area on the Family Life Center side of the church. Thank you for supporting this ministry and those who are vulnerable in our community.

Five Loaves & Two Fish Food Pantry

If you would like to be part of this ministry team, or if you would like to donate canned or boxed food goods, please contact Justin Keiser or the church office. Donation boxes are located in the Welcome Center and in the Family Life Center.

Mark your calendars now for this quintessential semiquincentennial musical event this summer! FBC is hosting a free patriotic organ concert to Celebrate America on Tuesday, June 30, at 7:00 p.m. in the sanctuary. The featured performer is the retired Organist for Arlington National Cemetery, Randall Sheets. The evening will also feature a community choir. All are invited.

Ensemble Rehearsal Schedule

Church Library

Drop by the Church Library on Sunday mornings (10-11:30 a.m.) or Wednesday evenings (6-8 p.m.) to pick up a great book, a video, or a magazine to enjoy.

Around the Neighborhood

If you are looking for something fun to do with your family in the coming weeks, you might consider these local events. (Look for FBC in the program when you attend.)

The Griffin Ballet presents the All You Need is Love Project this weekend, May 1 & 2 featuring The Return. Details and tickets are available at https://www.griffinballettheatre.org.