Church of the Brethren Virlina District Events – November 7, 2009

The word “church” should not restrict us to fellowship within only one building or location. Henry Fork Church of the Brethren is officially associated with the larger denominational Church of the Brethren (www.brethren.org). Additionally, we are blessed to be very close to our district’s (Virlina) main office, which is is Roanoke, VA. There are always events going on around the district and Virlina annouces them usually on a weekly basis. This post will be updated with the most current events and opportunities to fellowship outside Henry Fork Church of the Brethren in addition to those held at our church! Since it will be updated often, please stop by often!

DISTRICT CONFERENCE SCHEDULE

In one week, November 13 and 14, Virlina District will gather for our annual District Conference. It will be held at Green Ridge Baptist Church, 5521 Green Ridge Road, Roanoke, Virginia. The theme is “At the Name of Jesus Every Knee Should Bend!” based on the scripture passage, Philippians 2:5-11.

Registration begins at 5:00 p.m. in the foyer on the upper level and the exhibit and hospitality areas open at 5:00 p.m. in the fellowship hall on the lower level.

The Ministers and Spouses Dinner will be held at the Peters Creek Church of the Brethren, 5333 Cove Road, NW, Roanoke, Virginia at 5:00 p.m. with a meal catered by Lisa Wilson (Cloverdale) and program by David K. Shumate, 2009 Annual Conference Moderator and District Executive, (Daleville).

The all-district choir will rehearse at 5:45 p.m. at Green Ridge Baptist Church. Laura Heptintall (Roanoke, Ninth Street) is the this year’s choir director and may be contacted at (540) 556-8583 or for more information.

Worship will be begin at 7:00 p.m. with hymn sing led by Michael Huffaker (Roanoke, Williamson Road), chorister. Patrick C. Starkey (Roanoke, Ninth Street) will serve as worship leader. Four individuals will be sharing brief “Bended Knee Experiences” : Daniel D’Oleo (Roanoke, Siguiendo los pasos de Jesus), Donald Gearhart (Copper Hill), Dava Hensley (Roanoke, First) and Hannah Oakes (Eden, First). The all-district choir and the “Boyz” of Disaster will sing. The youth will do dramatizations of “Bended Knee Experiences.” The Friday evening offering will go to the Virlina District National Youth Conference Bus Trip.

Senior high youth activities will begin at 9:00 p.m. at Peters Creek Church of the Brethren, 5333 Cove Road, NW, Roanoke, Virginia and will conclude on Saturday afternoon at 4:30 p.m. Contact Mary St.John at for more information.

On Saturday there will be lots of activities, “bended knee experiences,” business, fellowship, food and worship. The registration, exhibit and hospitality areas will open at 7:30 a.m.

Child care and children’s activities begin at 8:15 a.m. and conclude at 4:30 p.m. The children will take a field trip to Camp Bethel. Contact Tabitha Hartman at for more information.

Junior high youth activities begin at 8:15 a.m. (Peters Creek CoB, 5333 Cove Road, Roanoke, Virginia) and conclude at 4:30 p.m. The junior high youth, along with senior high youth, will be doing a service project at the Roanoke Rescue Mission. For more information contact Mary St.John at .

Activities for delegates begin at 8:20 a.m. with hymn sing led by Beverly Heckman and worship with Patrick C. Starkey bringing the message.

Business Sessions will be 8:50 a.m. – 12:00 noon and 1:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. Conference officers are Patrick C. Starkey, moderator, Sharon S. Wood, moderator-elect, and Rosalie R. Wood, clerk. The business session offering will go toward District Conference expenses.

During the lunch break the District Board and Outdoor Ministries Committee will reorganize. Three Insight Sessions will be offered: 1) BBT & Investments, 2) Israel and Palestine, 3) Mission Work in Hati.

The all-district choir will rehearse at 5:30 p.m. and worship will begin with hymn sing at 6:15 p.m. Sharon S. Wood, 2010 conference moderator, (Copper Hill) will be the worship leader and Stafford Frederick (Roanoke, Summerdean) will bring a message of challenge to close the 2009 District Conference and to send us out to continue the bended knee work of/for Jesus Christ. The Saturday evening offering will go to the two Virlina District Hispanic ministries.

Everyone is invited to attend all or part of District Conference. It would be wonderful to have persons from all 91 congregations, fellowships and project represented.

RESERVATIONS FOR CONFERENCE MEALS HAVE CEASED
Persons who reserved lunch and/or dinner may pick up their meal tickets at the meal ticket table in the foyer at Green Ridge Baptist. If you did not reserve lunch or dinner, there are a many restaurants within seven miles of Green Ridge Baptist. A restaurant location map will be available at the registration tables.

USED SUNDAY SCHOOL OR VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL CURRICULUM
If your congregation has curriculum which is no longer used or needed, please bring it to District Conference. These items will be delivered to Equipping the Saints in Weyers Cave, Virginia who distribute Christian educational material all over the world to be used by others.

If anyone has any Gather Round curriculum to spare, the Eden, First Church would like to have it. Please contact us at .

GIFT OF THE HEART KITS
In October, approximate 650 lbs of kits were delivered to New Windsor Service Center in New Windsor, Maryland. If your congregation has clean-up, hygiene, school or other kits ready, please bring them to District Conference. We receive kits at the District Resource Center until we have a van/truck load and then deliver them to New Windsor.

LAKE SIDE NEEDS TREES
In the near future, the Lake Side Church will start landscaping for their “beautification corridor” of Bedford County. Congregations, Sunday School classes, and individuals may adopt tree(s) or shrub(s) for the property by donating $75 or $25, respectively. If you have a green thumb, or just like to dig in the dirt – we will also need volunteers to plant a whopping 35 large trees, and 100 smaller shrubs on the property. Contact Dave Heckman at: (540) 521-6548 OR email .

Follow the progress at Facebook – search Lake Side Church of the Brethren and become a fan! As we complete the various phases of building, we will continue to need volunteers and will send updates to keep you posted on areas that you can help. The Lake Side Church is a new church development of the Virlina District!

GOSPEL SING AT BOONES CHAPEL
There will be a Gospel Singing on November 29 at 6:00 p.m. at Boones Chapel Church of the Brethren featuring “The Church Sisters”. Sarah and Savannah Church are 13 year old twins from Ringgold, Va. They began singing publicly in March 2007 after winning the WAKG Rising Star talent competition. They have opened shows for country music recording artist, Ty Herndon, Russ Taff of the Gaither Gospel Group and Christian Bluegrass group The Isaacs. They have also appeared on stage with acclaimed bluegrass artist, Rhonda Vincent at the 2009 SPBGMA Awards in Nashville, TN. They are so grateful to God for the special gift He has given them and they fully understand that placing God first in their hearts is the only reason they are able to share their amazing talent with everyone.

The Boones Chapel Church is located on Circle Creek Road in Penhook, Virginia. We invite everyone to come and be blessed! Refreshments will follow in the Fellowship Hall. For more information or directions, contact Rhonda at .

WAYNE PENNINGTON TO UNDERGO SURGERY
R. Wayne Pennington, pastor of the Hopewell Church of the Brethren in Prince George County, Virginia, will undergo bone fusion surgery on Tuesday, November 10th. He will be totally incapacitated for about three months. You may encourage him at 5400 Mica Drive, Prince George, Virginia 23875-2332.

ELBERT LEE NAFF, SR. RECOVERING
Elbert Lee Naff, Senior underwent hip replacement surgery on Thursday, November 5th. Everything went well and he anticipates returning home tomorrow. Encouragement may be sent to him at 5090 Old Pike Road, Pilot, Virginia 24138-1600.

DON FLORY, FORMER CHRISTIANSBURG PASTOR
Donald R. Flory, aged 74, of Findlay, Ohio died on Monday, September 21, 2009. He was born in Batavia, IL on October 25, 1934, the son of the late Ralph and Luella (Stuttle) Flory. Donald married Leah (Mounce) Flory in Oaklyn, NJ, on September 23, 1967. She survives in Findlay. Donald is survived by a son, two daughters, a brother, a sister and eight grandchildren.

Donald was a graduate of Manchester College and Bethany Theological Seminary. He was ordained in the Church of the Brethren at the Brookpark Church in Ohio on November 16, 1958. He served as pastors for congregations in Ohio, Oklahoma, Virginia, Maryland and Illinois. His service in Virlina was at Christiansburg from 1979 until 1984. Don was an active member of the Fostoria Lake Plains Barbershop Chorus. Funeral services were held in Findlay on September 27, 2009.

Youth Bonfire and Lock-In Tuesday, November 24th 2009

On Tuesday, November 24th the youth will be having a bonfire and lock-in. The evening will start at Richard Hodges’ farm in Snow Creek for a bonfire and will convene to the church for an overnight lock-in. More details to come, or see Valerie for more information.

Henry Fork Thanksgiving Fellowship Dinner

Henry Fork Church of the Brethren will host a Thanksgiving Dinner on Sunday, November 22nd starting at 6:00 PM. This event will be held in the fellowship hall. Attendees are asked to bring a dish to share so that we will have enough for everyone. This will be a great fellowship opportunity as well as an opportunity to invite friends and family. We look forward to seeing you there. See Becky for details!

Additionally, this will be the last opportunity to donate your shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child!

Widener – Underwood Wedding – November 20th

Megan Underwood and Joshua Widener will be wed in the sanctuary on November 20th at 6:00 p.m. Everyone is invited. Please R.S.V.P. to (540) 352-1010 or (540) 721-1843.

The LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.” Now the LORD God had formed out of the ground all the beasts of the field and all the birds of the air. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds of the air and all the beasts of the field. But for Adam no suitable helper was found. So the LORD God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs and closed up the place with flesh. Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.
The man said, “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman, ‘ for she was taken out of man.”
For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.

Genesis 2:18-24 (NIV)

OCC National Collection Week is November 16th – November 23rd

I am the Southside Virginia community relations director for Operation Christmas Child, which is part of Franklin Graham’s Samaritan’s Purse ministry. Some of you may have heard of it.

The mission of OCC is to demonstrate God’s Love in a tangible way to needy children around the world, and together with the local church worldwide, to share the Good News of Jesus Christ though simple shoebox gifts.
Operation Christmas Child encourages caring people to pack empty shoeboxes with school supplies, toys, hygiene items, other small gifts, and personal notes. These gifts are collected in November and shipped to more than 90 countries to children suffering from war, famine, disease, natural disasters, and poverty. Each gift is a tangible expression to a hurting child that they are loved and not forgotten.

Along with the other 12 sending countries, our goal is 8.2 million shoe box gifts. Each one of these gifts represents a Gospel opportunity and a chance to reach a child and their family and friends with the Love of Jesus Christ. Praise God for this opportunity! I know that with your help and the guidance of the Holy Spirit we can and WILL meet this goal.

There are many powerful videos to watch that illustrate just how big an impact OCC has at the following location:
http://www.samaritanspurse.org/index.php/OCC/ (Click on the .tvViewer in the bottom right of the website).

Be sure to watch the video on how to pack a shoebox after reading this post (video is embedded below).

You know, it is estimated that there are hundreds of millions of children who have NEVER even heard the name Jesus Christ before. OCC is making great efforts to reduce this number.

Romans 10:13-15 tells us that
“Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. But how can they call on Him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about Him unless someone tells them? And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is why the Scriptures say, “ How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!”

Now, National Collection Week is actually coming up very soon – it will be November 16th-23rd, so we have about 2 weeks. However, the great thing about this is that is takes no more than a couple of hours all total to get a shoebox together. Additionally, if you are interested in participating but cannot actually get a shoebox together yourself, we can accept monetary donations and will put together the shoebox for you. There is a poster on the front door that has my wife’s contact information on it. She will be filling the integral role of collecting and delivering the shoeboxes to the regional drop-off location. She can even come pick them up from you if that would be easier.

Before I finish, I want to issue a challenge. I challenge and encourage you to take a few moments out of your days in the upcoming week to reflect on how blessed we all are that we are promised eternal life through Jesus Christ. Not only that – but that we actually KNOW that as a fact. Once you have done that, I urge you to realize the wonderful and powerful impact a simple shoebox gift in the name of the Lord will mean to a child – this is not just a Christmas gift that we are giving; rather it is an eternal gift – a gift of knowledge that they are God’s children and are loved and can be saved and have eternal life.

 

How to Pack a Shoebox

 

In His Service –
Mike and Michelle Miller

Sunday Service – November 15, 2009

“Feasting at God’s Table” – November 15, 2009

By Pastor Ronald Coleman


Scripture: 2 Chronicles 7:1-4, 7-11

When Solomon had finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices; and the glory of the Lord filled the temple.

And the priests could not enter the house of the Lord, because the glory of the Lord had filled the Lord’s house.

When all the children of Israel saw how the fire came down, and the glory of the Lord on the temple, they bowed their faces to the ground on the pavement, and worshiped and praised the Lord, saying: “For He is good, For His mercy endures forever.”

Then the king and all the people offered sacrifices before the Lord.

……

Furthermore Solomon consecrated the middle of the court that was in front of the house of the Lord; for there he offered burnt offerings and the fat of the peace offerings, because the bronze altar which Solomon had made was not able to receive the burnt offerings, the grain offerings, and the fat.

At that time Solomon kept the feast seven days, and all Israel with him, a very great assembly from the entrance of Hamath to the Brook of Egypt.

And on the eighth day they held a sacred assembly, for they observed the dedication of the altar seven days, and the feast seven days.

On the twenty-third day of the seventh month he sent the people away to their tents, joyful and glad of heart for the good that the Lord had done for David, for Solomon, and for His people Israel.

Thus Solomon finished the house of the Lord and the king’s house; and Solomon successfully accomplished all that came into his heart to make in the house of the Lord and in his own house.



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Thought for the weekGod will direct your footsteps, but you must be willing to pick up your feet.

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Sunday Service – November 8, 2009

“Can We Be Sure?” – November 8, 2009

By Pastor Ronald Coleman


Scripture: 2 Timothy 1:1-12

You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.

And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.

You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.

No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier.

And also if anyone competes in athletics, he is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules.

The hard-working farmer must be first to partake of the crops.

Consider what I say, and may the Lord give you understanding in all things.

Remember that Jesus Christ, of the seed of David, was raised from the dead according to my gospel,
for which I suffer trouble as an evildoer, even to the point of chains; but the word of God is not chained.

Therefore I endure all things for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.

This is a faithful saying: For if we died with Him, We shall also live with Him.

If we endure, We shall also reign with Him. If we deny Him, He also will deny us.



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Thought for the weekYou can’t walk with God and hold hands with Satan at the same time.

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Sunday Service – November 1, 2009

“Walking with Confidence” – November 1, 2009

By Pastor Ronald Coleman


Scripture: 1 John 5:14-21

Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.

And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.

If anyone sees his brother sinning a sin which does not lead to death, he will ask, and He will give him life for those who commit sin not leading to death. There is sin leading to death. I do not say that he should pray about that.

All unrighteousness is sin, and there is sin not leading to death.

We know that whoever is born of God does not sin; but he who has been born of God keeps himself, and the wicked one does not touch him.

We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one.

And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding, that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life.

Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.



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Thought for the weekYou can know the Word of God and yet not know the God of the Word.

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