Shenandoah Update Shenandoah District Church of the Brethren September 27, 2012 In Our Pastoral Family Mt. Vernon Church of the Brethren held a Service of Affirmation for the congregation s new youth minister, Paul Shaver, on Sunday, Sept. 16. We rejoice with the church s continuing commitment to youth and pray that young people from the wider community also will be served by this ministry. Congratulations to Jeff and Wendy Carr on the birth of their second son, Nathanael Campbell Carr (already known as Nate), who was born Friday, Sept. 14, at 8:45 p.m. He weighed 8 pounds, 15.6 ounces and was 20 inches tall. He joins big brother Gabe in the Carr family. Brother Jeff is senior pastor at Bridgewater Church of the Brethren. Your expressions of joy may be sent to the family at 303 Broad Street, Bridgewater, Va., 22812. Sister Beverly Funkhouser was licensed to the Christian ministry on Sept. 23 at Columbia Furnace Church of the Brethren near Edinburg. Brother Roger Sager will be licensed to the Christian ministry during the 11 a.m. worship service, Sunday, Oct. 7, at Mt. View Church of the Brethren (3627 Lower Cove Run Road, Mathias, W.Va.). He also is studying through the Christian Growth Institute. District Executive Minister John Jantzi will lead the licensing service. District Conference Is Coming! The Shenandoah District Conference will be held Nov. 2 and 3 at Mill Creek Church of the Brethren on the theme Word. Truth. Faith. Please note: The district conference booklets and registration forms will be mailed early next week to every congregation. One packet, mailed to the pastor or church contact person, will include all conference booklets and registration forms for your church s delegates. The pastor/contact person will distribute them to the delegates in your congregation. We hope this will avoid recent years problems with bulk-mailing to every delegate. If you have questions about this process, please contact Sandy Kinsey at the district office. Prayer Time s Now Earlier The weekly prayer gathering at the District Office open to anyone who delights in the power of praying together is now meeting at 8 a.m. each Wednesday. All are welcome! Disaster Ministries Update Jerry Ruff, disaster ministries coordinator, reminds volunteers that there are opportunities available
for disaster response trips this fall. If you would like to get a group of six or more to go on project and your schedule can meet the dates listed below, give Jerry a call at 540-447-0306. In Pulaski, the dates for a week of service are Oct. 7, Oct. 14 and Oct. 21. For Town Creek, Ala., the dates for week-long projects are Oct. 14, Nov. 4, Nov. 11 and Dec. 9. For Prattsville, N.Y., the week-long projects start Dec. 2 and Dec. 9. For additional news concerning scheduling through Brethren Disaster Ministries for the rest of the year, go to www.brethren.org/bdm/. Can You Help At Camp? Nils Martin, outdoor education and adventure coordinator at Brethren Woods, has good news: He has added another Outdoor School group for October! A.R. Ware Elementary School has signed up for Oct. 23 for its third grade. He will need four volunteers that day. If you know anyone who could volunteer on any of the dates still open, please have them either call Nils at 540-269-2741 or email him at adventure@brethrenwoods.org. October is filled with Outdoor School groups but very empty of volunteers! Nils needs your help. Senior, Junior Highs It s Party Time! The first event for this year is the Fall Harvest Party on Sunday, Oct. 14, from 3-8 p.m. at Pleasant Valley Church of the Brethren. Junior and senior highs will gather for games, food and worship! From 3-6 p.m. you can carve pumpkins, play yard games, play pumpkin football, and even participate in a pie-eating contest! In recognizing the youth theme for the year, Discovering Our True Superhero, youth are encouraged to attend as your favorite superhero and participate in the costume-judging contest. Dinner will begin at 6:15, and we are asking everyone to bring a dish to share (please label your dishes!!). At 7:15, we will begin a time of worship led by our Youth Cabinet. More details soon! And the first issue of the 2012-13 youth newsletter will be in the mail early next week to all of the junior and senior highs for whom the district office has contact information. Be looking for it! Coming Events Pleasant Hill Church of the Brethren will host a benefit for congregation members Roger and Brenda Harner to help with medical expenses. The event will be this Saturday, Sept. 29, beginning at 2 p.m. and will feature soup, chili, hotdogs, a silent auction, bake sale and special music from 4-5 p.m. Quarts of soup and chili also will be available. The day s special: a bowl of soup or chili with a hotdog and drink for just $5. The church is located at 93 Samson Circle, Crimora (6 miles south of Grottoes on Route 340.) Mt. Olivet Church of the Brethren at Timberville will hold a spiritual renewal weekend, Sept. 29 and 30. E.B. Shoemaker will speak at Saturday and Sunday evening services and at the Sunday morning worship service. Valley Pike Church of the Brethren will hold its fall revival, Sept. 30 through Oct. 3. Brother Jim Myer from Pennsylvania will be the guest speaker. On Sunday, Sept. 30, services will be at 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. Services on Monday through Wednesday will start at 7 p.m. The church is located four miles north of Woodstock, off US 11 on Va. 600 at 83 Headley Road, Maurertown. Waynesboro Church of the Brethren will hold revival services Sept. 30 through Oct. 3, with Brother Samuel Funkhouser as the guest speaker. Services are at 10:45 a.m. on Sunday, Sept. 30, and 7 p.m. daily Sunday through Wednesday. Brother Sam, who is a licensed minister in the Wakeman s
Grove congregation, recently completed a master of divinity degree at Princeton Theological Seminary, and this will be his first revival. Special music is planned for each service. Bridgewater Church of the Brethren will host the Ministers of Music from Lancaster, Pa., in concert at 7 p.m. this Sunday, Sept. 30. The group of five men performs a variety of musical styles, including spirituals, hymns, gospel songs, and praise and worship choruses. An offering will be received. On Saturday, Oct. 6, beginning at 10 a.m., Blue Ridge Chapel Church of the Brethren is hosting a Pull-For-A-Cause event that is a bit unusual. It will feature Mary Jacobson, a 58-year-old woman who is known as the Eldest World s Strongest Woman. She will demonstrate that strength by pulling a 47,000-pound fire truck. Then, boys and girls and men and women of all ages will compete in strength contests such as the Yoke Carry, Tire Flipping, Stone Carry, Farmer s Walk and Duck Walk. Donations will be accepted, and food and drink will be available to purchase. The following Saturday, Oct. 13, at 6 p.m., the church will sponsor a country dinner (chili, cornbread, apple crisp) and an evening of HeeHaw fun, reliving the pickin and grinnin of the much-loved TV show. Proceeds from both events will benefit the church s mortgage fund. The church is located at 19 Browns Lane, Waynesboro; more information is available by calling 540-949-6915. Blue Ridge Chapel Church of the Brethren will hold revival 7 p.m. daily Oct. 14-17 with Mike Forney as speaker. Special music is planned for each service. Charlottesville Church of the Brethren will host a Fall Festival at the church on Saturday, Oct. 6, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Billed as fun for the whole family, the event will feature apple butter making, mums, pumpkins, a yard sale, a moon-walk and face-painting. Community Mission Church of the Brethren is having a Lawn Party on Saturday, Oct. 6, at the church at the intersection of Back Road and Coffmantown Road west of Woodstock. Food will include hamburgers, hotdogs, barbecue, baked beans and potato chips and homemade ice cream and cake for dessert. All proceeds go to the building fund. For information, contact dpb@shentel.net. Mt. Vernon Church of the Brethren will celebrate its 146th year (1866-2012) with Homecoming on Sunday, Oct. 7. A special 11 a.m. service is planned with Garold Senger as guest speaker, bread and cup communion, dedication of the recently renovated kitchen and fellowship hall, and fellowship meal. The congregation extends a welcome to those who have attended or visited at Mt. Vernon in the past. Mill Creek Church of the Brethren (7600 Port Republic Road) will hold fall revival services, beginning with a youth event on Oct. 17, and continuing Oct. 19-21 with Brother Jonathan Brush as guest speaker. The Oct. 17 event, for youth from 6 th through 12 th grades, will be held 6:30-8 p.m. On Friday, Oct. 19, a pizza meal is scheduled at 5:45 p.m. with worship at 7 p.m. On Saturday, Oct. 20, the 7 p.m. worship will be followed by an ice cream social. On Sunday, Oct. 21, worship is at 10 a.m., Sunday School at 11 a.m. and a noon carry-in meal will feature pork barbecue and roasted chicken, prepared by Gary Cline. Drinks and table service will be provided. Offerings will benefit the Grottoes Food Pantry, and special music is scheduled every evening. Harvest Day Is Saturday Valley Brethren-Mennonite Heritage Center s annual Harvest Day will be held 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. this Saturday, Sept. 29, and features fun for the whole family. Come to the CrossRoads campus (1921 Heritage Center Way, Harrisonburg) and enjoy the day boiling molasses, pressing cider, sawing logs with a crosscut, quilting, spinning, taking wagon rides and watching a blacksmith and other artisans at work. The Whitmer Schoolhouse will feature story-telling beginning at 10 a.m. with programs including a puppet ministry; a session in Joseph Funk s Singing School; the story of Henry G. Brunk, a Civil War
conscientious objector; and recollections of what it was like to attend classes in the Whitmer School. Special music is scheduled at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Of course, there will be food to eat and food to take home! The entrance fee is $10 for a carload and $4 for walkers, bikers and cyclists. This is a rain-or-shine event! International Festival Is Saturday, Too The annual International Festival in Harrisonburg is scheduled noon to 6 p.m. this Saturday, Sept. 29, at Hillandale Park just off of South High Street in Harrisonburg. Enjoy food and music from around the world. And, stop by the exhibit on refugee resettlement to meet your Shenandoah District Refugee Resettlement Task Team and gain a new appreciation for the work that local sponsors do in welcoming refugees to our community. Save $10, Register Now If you are planning to attend Mission Alive 2012 at Lititz Church of the Brethren on Nov. 16-18, but have not registered yet, you can save $10 by registering by Sept. 30. The conference, sponsored by the Church of the Brethren Global Mission and Service Office, opens with a plenary session at 3 p.m. on Nov. 16. For the full schedule and registration, go to www.brethren.org/missionalive2012. Church Development & Evangelism Team Tip (Congregations are encouraged to share these tips!) Encourage folks to invite their friends, family and neighbors to baptisms. There is something powerful about witnessing this statement of faith and can be used by the Holy Spirit to draw someone to Jesus. George Bowers Pastor, Antioch CoB Shenandoah District Church of the Brethren P.O. Box 67, 1453 Westview School Road, Weyers Cave, VA 24486 Phone: 540-234-8555 Toll Free: 888-308-8555 Fax: 540-234-8333 Staff: John N. Jantzi, District Executive Minister, jnjantzi@shencob.org Sandy Kinsey, Administrative Assistant, districtoffice@shencob.org Sarah Long, Financial Secretary, finance@shencob.org Ellen K. Layman, Communications Assistant, elayman@shencob.org Sam Cupp, Youth Ministry Assistant, youth@shencob.org Disaster Ministries Team: Jerry Ruff, coordinator; Warren Rodeffer, Galen Halterman, disastermin@shencob.org On the Web at: www.shencob.org Questions or announcements for this newsletter? Send to elayman@shencob.org To be removed from this distribution list, email us at elayman@shencob.org