E-News

services

SUNDAYS:
Small Group- 9 a.m.. & Worship- 10:15 a.m.
WEDNESDAYS:
Bible Study- 6:30 p.m.
Also catch our livestream on YOUTUBE & FACEBOOK.

Sunday, August 16th
10: 15 A.M.

"the life everyone is searching for"
1 Peter 3:10-12

Learn More

Worship with Us

Sunday School begins at 9:00 a.m.
Groups for every age.

In Person Services Sundays 10:15 a.m.
in Addition to our Live-Stream on Facebook and our church website www.wintervillebaptist.org

our new year vision for 2026 and beyond

Our lives, our ministries, and our mission are grounded in three core values that shape everything we do: Worship, Discipleship, and Outreach. Worship is all about loving God, Discipleship is about growing God’s people, and Outreach is about reaching God’s world. If a ministry, event, or goal does not lead us to worship, grow in Christ, or reach others, it is not where our focus will be.

These values come to life through our three commitments — how we live out this vision daily.

First, we commit to Edify — building up the Church. This takes place through worship that strengthens faith, discipleship that deepens and matures believers, and outreach that equips people to serve in love and purpose.

Next, we commit to Testify — making Jesus known. Our worship becomes a declaration of who God is. Our discipleship becomes a story of transformation. Our outreach becomes an invitation to encounter the gospel.

Finally, we commit to Glorify — honoring God in everything we do. Whether through worship that welcomes His presence, discipleship that shapes us to look more like Christ, or outreach that reveals His grace, our ultimate purpose is to give Him glory.

As we commit to edify, testify, and glorify, the result is clear: Jesus is exalted above all. This is not just what we do — this is why we do it. Every act of worship, every step of discipleship, and every moment of outreach reflects the heart of our mission.

Our Vision Statement: We worship God, disciple believers, and reach the world — so that Jesus may be exalted above all.

Wednesday Night Bible Study This Week

Join us for Bible study on Wednesday nights at 6:30 p.m. in the sanctuary. For the next few weeks we'll be going through each phrase of the Lord's Prayer. Matthew 6:9. It's a great time come and invite a friend!

Bible Study August12

Guest Speaker: Pastor Ken Smith

Congratulations scholarship recipients

Congratulations to our scholarship recipients, Bryson Justice and Sarah Worthington. We pray for you as you continue your journey. May God guide your steps.

Mark your calendars

Fall is coming and things are gearing up at WBC!

Mark Your Calendars:

August 30^th – Youth & Kids to Kennedy Home

September 13^th – Community Friends & Family Day

September 20^th – Quarterly Church Conference

September 27^th – Singspiration (see Kathy Worthington if you’d like to participate)

October 4^th – Community Outreach

October 24^th – Chicken on a Mission

October 31^st – Trunk or Treat

SRBA sunday school training - August 15th

South Baptist Roanoke Association will host Sunday School Training at Pinetops Baptist on Saturday, August 15^th. Join them for a morning of practical training, fellowship and inspiration designed to strengthen and support everyone involved in Sunday School ministry. To register call 252-756-4332 or email ken@southroanoke.org.

We're hiring - worship leader position open

We are searching for a part time Worship Leader. Are you interested? If not, do you know someone who might be? Help us spread the word! Contact Ryan McLawhorn for more information.

wBC book club - "desperate for a fix"

The WBC book club will start the book, “Desperate for a Fix” by Dana Brown (Bud & Judy McLawhon’s daughter). Beginning July 21st, at 6:30 p.m., in the Puzzle Room. Some proceeds from this book will go towards addiction recovery.

Once we finish this book we will delve into the women of the Bible.

non-perishables needed!

Donations may be dropped off in the fellowship hall, near the storage closet/sound booth area.

WBC, you’ve done it again! When there’s a need you show up in masses! Thank you for your response to our food pantry donations. It has helped us restock our storage closet! Please remember our food pantry when you see things buy one get one free or a special on any canned goods. The need is ever present. We are feeding our neighbors right here in Winterville

Youth News

Aftershock (youth and kids) will meet this week at 4:30-6:00. We are planning a trip to the Kennedy home August 30th. The Watermelon Festival officials has asked us to slice watermelon on Friday and Saturday until they run out of melons Festival is August 27-30, 2026. Sign up sheet on the bulletin board outside of the sanctuary.

WBC Kids News

Sunday school for all ages at 9:00 a.m. in the children's wing.

Aftershock (youth and kids) will meet this week at 5:00. We are planning a trip to the Kennedy home soon. The Watermelon Festival officials has asked us to slice watermelon on Friday and Saturday until they run out of melons Festival is August 27-30, 2026. Look for a sign up sheet in the next few weeks.

Glad-A-Bouts News (Senior Adult Ministry)

Glad-A-Bouts will be going to an early Dinner at Sandpiper Restaurant in La Grange on Thursday afternoon, Aug 13. Bus leaving church at 3:30 pm. (note time change) Please let us know if planning to go.

Glad-A-Bouts (senior adults) will meet on Tuesday, August 25th, at 11:30 a.m. for a meal and program.

Update: Hurricane Helene & Melissa Disaster Relief

Having trouble viewing this e-newsletter? Click here for the online version.


	August 11, 2026

HELENE REBUILD BY THE NUMBER

Rebuild Stats As our work across Western North Carolina continues, we celebrate each project completed and welcome each family brought back home. At a recent home dedication for the Deaton family, they shared from Matthew 5:14 “Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid.”

Home Dedication

Ask the Deatons and they’ll tell you: it was God’s provision that sustained them through Hurricane Helene and ultimately rebuilt their home.

Job requests continue to pour in which means the need for
volunteers will be with us for years to come.

Join us at one of our rebuild centers for a few days, a week or even longer. If you can’t come with a team we’d still love to have you, there’s plenty of work to be done.

Please register to volunteer https://helenerebuild.org

If you haven’t seen the new rebuild center in Marion, check out the video.

If you’d like to give directly to Baptists on Mission

The Croys - brazil missionaries

Dear Friends and Family,

We have been back in Natal for three months. Some highlights include celebrating birthdays, our anniversary, Easter, a beach day, monkey sightings, and a day at a waterpark with friends. We also were approved for our residency cards with no issues at all. These are all praises for which we are thankful to the Lord.

Casey has been preparing to teach a course at the School of Christian Pastors as well. It is a New Testament course covering the Gospels and Acts. The classes take place today, April 11, and next week, April 13-17. Classes take place in the evening. Please pray for Casey as he teaches and for the students as they receive the material and use it for future ministry. Casey will also be preaching at the church, Igreja Batista Cristã, Sunday evening, April 12.

We have also updated our ministry brochure for this year and you will find it attached here. Feel free to share or print this document as needed. You may notice our support, while still strong, has dipped below 100%. If you feel led to support us financially, we would greatly appreciate it.

As always, we are grateful for your prayers, support, and love and concern you show for our family.

Thank you,

Casey, Autumn, Atticus, Elise, Aiden, and Evie Croy

Casey: (252) 375-6694, caseycroy1@gmail.com
Autumn: (252) 375-6695, autumnjcroy@gmail.com

The Thagards - Missionaries in Africa

Denise & Roy
The Animal Bridge

The last month has been difficult, but it has produced a sweet reliance on the Lord.

On November 3, the day after I, Denise, returned to West Africa from my mom’s funeral, still bearing the weight of losing Mom, our family was faced with this decision: We were given one week to pack up our things and to evacuate the country. Two Suitcases per person. Can’t sell anything, it will draw attention to ourselves. What would you take? What would you prioritize after spending 6 years making a new country, a new ministry life your home? With sorrow still pressing on my heart, we began preparing to leave.

Denise with her brothers and dad

What caused this? Early morning on October 21, a member of our local community was kidnapped. I had just left for Mom’s funeral that morning. While I was in America, Roy was navigating two kids full of energy due to school having to be closed and increasing the security around our home (like putting razor wire on top of the walls around our home). He was a great single dad through it all!

We were all super happy when I came back to our African home on Nov 2 so we could be together as a family again. The West Africa I left in October--what we thought was a calm place for ministry and family, suddenly changed. We needed to determine if and how we could continue ministry in this new normal. Then the news came from our partner organization, SIM: it was time for us to go. The security risk was deemed too great and our being in West Africa could even put local believers at risk. We booked flights and started packing.

In the packing process I looked at our family photo often. Roy had given it to me a couple of years earlier, and it had the caption, “Suddenly our everything.” Getting our family out safely and without too much disruption was suddenly the most important thing for us, for me. Any extra memories, clothes and special items that we could pack in our bags were an added bonus.

We arrived back in the USA safely on November 11. We will be based in North Carolina for the next few weeks as we figure out next steps and schooling for Abby.

The last few months were quite busy, but we saw God’s hand upon each circumstance! Some recent highlights:

June & July—A return to the States to say goodbye to Denise’s mom, with some sweet memories of our time together etched in our memories forever. In God’s provision we were also able to see Roy’s mom after a hip fracture during this same time frame. God answered our prayers with a visa giving us freedom to travel to West Africa for the next year.

September—Sweet times with local friends. One seeker has chosen to follow Jesus! Roy has connected him with a local pastor, and he will soon be baptized! Another friend has gotten married and wants his new wife to have the opportunity to hear Bible stories like Roy shares with the husband. Pray that God will provide just the right person to visit this special couple.

We were able to help another pastor friend have a successful evangelism and discipleship conference in the bush. We also helped with logistics for the same friend to become a missionary to his same people group a couple of countries away.

Abby and Josh’s birthdays! We had special birthday parties with friends in September and October as they turned 9 and 5!

October—On a day set aside to celebrate Josh turning 5 years old, Roy woke up to see me in tears preparing breakfast. Without words, he knew, and we hugged. My mom passed during the night. We decided that I would return to Iowa for the funeral, and Roy would stay behind with the kids. Abby’s school was a priority, and who as a kid wants to fly through 6 time zones, fight jet lag, to not have the freedom to play at parks and with toys?? We felt the kids would feel most normal at home, while Roy could navigate time with family more intimately.

I felt so blessed to be able to process Mom’s passing with my brothers and Dad as well as celebrate her life with many special family members. In God’s providence, I was also able to be there with Dad as he got care during a small heart attack a couple days after Mom’s funeral. (He’s doing better now!)

This year we are reminded that God did not send Jesus down as a baby into a perfect world, but God sent him down to give us hope and peace in a messy world. It is this hope and peace that we have been holding onto daily. And with this spirit we ask that you pray with us for our next steps. Maybe your world has been a bit of a mess this year too. No matter your circumstances, we pray that God’s spirit of peace brings you hope and joy this season!

Full of God’s joy!

Denise, Roy, Abby and Josh

Abby and Josh ready to pack

Contact Info

theanimalbridge@yahoo.com

Donate Now

L.I.F.E Ministries - An Addiction Recovery Program

L.I.F.E.

"living in freedom everyday"

L.I.F.E. Every Monday at 6:30 p.m.

If you'd like to give a monetary donation towards LIFE Ministry please earmark your contributions "LIFE". Your support is GREATLY appreciated!

The LIFE Ministries meal team is seeking to add new members and/or support. Those interested in joining a monthly or quarterly rotation, serving as occasional back up, or serving on a specific evening should contact Nettie Evans at 252 714 3091 or nettieevans@yahoo.com. Team participants may be from the WBC family or other interested parties. Please share this info with friends and colleagues who may be interested in supporting this important ministry.

We are also in need of volunteers who would be willing to be on security duty each Monday night. Please contact Willard Joyner if you are available at 252-258-9937.

The L.I.F.E. ministry began in March of 2017 with the intent of sharing this good news of deliverance with others. Our leadership team consists of those who have been set free from addictions through the power of God. These men and women know where you are and what your struggles feel like. We are here to help you recover and reach a place of freedom in your life. You do not have to remain a slave to some habit that is destroying you and those you love. We are here to help you!

If you or someone you know or love is struggling with addiction, please feel free to join us every Monday at Winterville Baptist, Fellowship Hall, from 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. A meal will be provided each week. Each meeting is held in the highest of confidences.