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

Veteran’s Day – November 8th, 2009

We will be celebrating Veterans Day. All veterans are asked to wear their uniforms, or at least those parts of it that still fit, to the morning service. While we do not glorify war, we do support our brave men and women who serve and keep us safe.

New Members and a Baptism – October 25, 2009

New members will be taken in during the 11:00 a.m. service. Candidates include Mike & Michelle Miller, Denise Crews, Carolyn Lyman, and Daniel Thompson. There will also be a river baptismal service following the morning church service in the Pigg River (directions are listed below and on the directions and contact page. Anyone else desiring to seek membership should contact Pastor Ron as soon as possible.

Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Acts 2:38

The site of the baptism is just before the intersection of State Route 619 (Six Mile Post Road) and State Route 640. Directions and a map are listed below.

View Larger Map

Head southwest on Doe Run Rd About 7 mins	go 3.5 miles
Turn right at S Main St/US-220 BUS N About 3 mins	go 1.6 miles
Turn left at Scuffling Hill Rd About 5 mins	go 2.0 miles
Continue onto 6 Mile Post Rd/State Route 640 About 12 mins	go 7.2 miles

Spirit FM’s Pastor Appreciation Giveaway

October is pastor appreciation month and SpiritFM is holding a contest where members vote for their favorite pastor. The winner will receive a trip for 4 to Pigeon Forge, TN! I know that you all appreciate the work that Ron does, so let’s all place votes. You can complete this by visiting SpiritFM’s site, http://www.spiritfm.com/pages/studio/contests/pastor-apperication-month.shtml and entering the information asked for. By the way, if there are some items that you do not know, such as the address or phone number, you can find that listed on this website under directions and contact. Have a blessed day!

Mike M.

Lord’s Acre Sale – Saturday, October 17, 2009

On Saturday, October 17th, 2009 Henry Fork Church of the Brethren will be participating in Franklin County, VA’s annual Lord’s Acre Sale. Any crafts, products, food, etc. that you would like to donate to help raise funds for the church will be greatly appreciated! Here is more information from the county’s website – http://www.franklincountyva.gov/resources/other-county-agencies

Fall in Franklin County brings a change in the color of the leaves, cooler nights, and the yearly ‘Lord’s Acre Sale’. Beginning in 1964 with just a handful of participants, the event now has nearly fifty churches of all denominations joining in the celebration. Currently held in the High School parking lot on the third Saturday in October, the ‘Lord’s Acre Sale’ offers congregations a chance to raise money for building projects, educational opportunities, missionary work, or other important church needs. After a year of planning and work, church members sell apple butter, quilts, crafts, woodworking projects, and other products produced by their talents.

Stewardship Program – October 24th 2009

Antioch Church of the Brethren is sponsoring a stewardship program for families that will be held on October 24, 2009 from 4:00PM – 8:45PM. The event will be held at The Red Barn, which is located at 5685 Bethany Road, on Bethlehem Road, between Boones Mill, VA and Callaway, VA (directions from the church shown below).

There will be all kinds of fun activities for the kids in addition to classes on stewardship targeting young married couples and children. See Del Fletcher for details.

Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy; That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate;

I Timothy 6:17-18

View Larger Map

Driving Directions

Head east on Doe Run Rd	go 13ft.
Turn left to merge onto US-220 N/Virgil H Goode Hwy About 11 mins	go 9.1 miles
Turn left at Brick Church Rd About 4 mins	go 1.5 miles
Turn right at Grassy Hill Rd	go 56 ft
Take the 1st left onto Brick Church Rd About 3 mins	go 1.2 miles
Turn left at Dugwell Rd About 3 mins	go 1.2 miles
Take the 3rd right onto Callaway Rd Destination will be on the right About 2 mins	go 0.9 miles

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