904 Washington St SE, Olympia, WA 98501
Partnership in Ministry with True Life Church: A Joint Baptism Experience
Sunday, February 22nd at 12:15 pm in the Sanctuary of Olympia First, True Life will be baptizing a number of their folks and Pastor Mark will be baptizing Aaron Delaney, our Interim Campus Maintenance staff person.
Davis Hylkema and Wendy Wilson are taking point in the conversation and working agreement between Oly First and True Life church, for sharing and using Oly First as a base of worship, ministry and mission for the congregation of True Life.
As those discussions and agreements become more focused, we will continue to update you and keep you informed. Remember, God’s Spirit is full of surprises!
Intergenerational Community Gathering (ICG)
We hope you will join us for our first Intergenerational Community Gathering of 2026, on Saturday, February 28th, from 4:30-6:30 pm!
We will gather in the Fireside Room. Chef Ricky Bowman is putting together our menu and whatever Rick crafts for us will be marvelous!
Two of our goals for this coming year is to strengthen our relational connections with one another and to learn and practice being more intentional in nurturing one another, spiritually. This first ICG is an attempt to put those goals into practice.
Besides a delicious meal, we will also have a time of worship music, intergenerational activities that reflect both this coming season of Lent as well as one or two of the ways we are trying to connect with folks outside the church, with the Front porch Prayer Station, the Lending Library, as well as Table Grace.
We hope you will make this gathering a priority as we grow together spiritually and relationally!
Reading and Art Recommendations
In recognition of Black History month, I read each year, one of my favorite books:
Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community?
by Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
This was the last published book written by Dr. King before his assassination. This book, for me, underscores the prophetic nature of Dr. King’s life. This was the first place where I encountered the word apartheid, and what that entailed and meant. Remember, this was published in 1968, a dozen or more years before we would recognize and push back on this system of separation and oppression in South Africa, in the 1980’s. That’s pretty prophetic, in my mind. Dr. King’s advocacy was grounded in his calling as a Minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ; to see each person as a child of God, made in God’s image and to be treated accordingly, with dignity and respect. I highly recommend it.
There are other African-American writers that you can read in order to be inspired, challenged, made a bit uncomfortable, as well as entertained. From novels to short stories and essays to poetry, theology, etc., there is plenty to choose from as a way of recognizing, affirming, and/or stand in solidarity with the contributions, history, and barriers that African-Americans have overcome as well as still experiencing in our society today.
If reading is not your thing. Maybe explore some of the artwork of African-American painters, sculptors and the like. Jacob Lawrence is one of my personal favorites when it comes to paintings. If you don’t know where to begin, just use google and then do some exploring.
If you’re looking for something more spiritual and contemporary, take a look at a young woman – Cole Arthur Riley – a wonderful writer and poet.
I hope you will take advantage of using this month of February to connect and/or reconnect with the contributions and gifts given to us by African-Americans!
join us for virtual church on Facebook Live
To access the service, follow these steps:
- Log into Facebook.com or through the Facebook App
- Click on Groups (found in left-hand links)
- Once in Groups:
- If you're already in the OFBC group, click on link on left
- If you need to find the group, type: Olympia First Baptist Church into the search bar
Screenshots below for reference.
