2018, Issue 8 OCTOBER West Richmond Church of the Brethren Live Courageously Be strong and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for the Lord is the focus of our Stewardship Campaign. You should have received a letter from the Finance Committee inviting you to consider being a steward and do something that frightens you. Our campaign will conclude on Sunday, October 14 by presenting our pledge cards during worship. If you will not be here on October 14, your pledge cards can be left in the box on the hall table or mailed to the church office. If you have not received a letter, please see Barbara Beers. West Richmond COB was asked to host one of the Compelling Vision Process Team s conversations on October 20. The process launched at the 2018 Annual Conference to help the denomination discern God s call and develop a compelling vision to guide us into the future is moving into a new phase. Join us in a two-hour event to engage members in deeper conversation around God s call for us as a church. Read more on page 7. The Christian Ed Commission has entitled Sunday, October 21 as Bible Sunday. Look for more information on page 2 in My Whit s End. Also that day we will hold elections for positions that effect the life of our congregation. In brief meeting in the sanctuary after worship, we will elect members to the Church Board and delegates to 2018 District Conference and 2019 Annual Conference. Please stay for a few minutes to support those willing to serve in the life of the congregation. My Whit s End 2 In Our Congregation 3-4 Calendar & Schedules 5-6 With the Community 7 Around the District 8 Throughout the Denomination 9
P age 2 I want to highlight a few events in the life of the congregation in the month of October. On October 7 th, during the morning worship, Ralph and Susan Diamond, and Judith and I will officially become members of West Richmond through the transfer of our membership letters and renewal of vows. Terrie Glass will officiate. W e should consider the emphasis Jesus placed on the ordinance of feetwashing. Many Christians recognize the mandate to remember him in the Bread and Cup Communion but few acknowledge that Jesus placed as much emphasis on feet washing. Love Feast, as it is called in the Letter of Jude, is the reenactment of the evening Jesus spent with his disciples in the upper room. It is three-fold. Followers gather to wash one another s feet, share a common meal, and close with Communion. It is what has made Brethren distinctly different from many denominations. If you have mobility issues regarding kneeling to wash someone s feet... let someone wash yours. Experience the love and care brothers and sisters in Christ have for one another in this service. Jesus expressly reserved this remembrance as a way to deepen our faith in him, deepen our unity towards one another, and deepen our sense of service toward humankind. Our fall Love Feast will be held Sunday, October 7 th, at 6:00 pm in the Gathering Room. A nother event I want to recognize takes place on Sunday, October 21st during our morning worship service. The Christian Ed Commission has entitled the day as Bible Sunday. We will present Bibles to our 3 rd and 4 th graders. We will also recognize the special Bibles in our own lives. We invite you to bring that special Bible to church with you and in a brief time of sharing share what makes your Bible special. It might be the Bible you received as a 3 rd grader, or the Bible given you on your baptism. It might be a heritage Bible that was handed down through the generations. Bring it on October 21 st and help us celebrate the importance of the Holy Scriptures in our lives. Be encouraged, What Do You Tell Yourself Every Morning as You Start the Day? Abraham would say, "The Lord will provide." Each month we will have a new statement of faith in the newsletter. Meditate on it! Speak it every morning.
Page 3 In Our Congregation WITH SYMPATHY Please keep the family and friends of Katherine Eller Roller, long-time WRCOB member, in your prayers. Katherine, a beloved mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother passed away on September 17. Her service was held on Saturday, September 29. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Bridgewater Community Foundation (302 N. 2nd Street, Bridgewater, VA 22812). This picture of Charles & Katherine Roller is from our 1984 pictorial directory. H A V E Y O U H E A R D? West Richmond Church of the Brethren 7612 Wanymala Road, Henrico, Virginia 23229-4239 Phone: 804-288-6439 Fax: 804-282-4408 www.wrcob.org According to The Brethren Encyclopedia, members of the Church of the Brethren began gathering for worship in Richmond in 1919. From that early gathering came the congregation now worshipping as the West Richmond Church of the Brethren. That means next year we can and SHOULD celebrate our congregation s 100 years! A small committee, Pastor Dave, Bob Gangwer and Ann Andrus, have agreed to get the planning started. Others are welcome! If you would like to help plan our celebration, please let a member of the committee know as soon as possible. Beginning in January, we plan to have a Centennial Celebration Spotlight at least one Sunday a month that will focus on the history of our congregation. In addition to highlighting the growth of the church and our programs, we plan to identify some of the past leaders of the congregation and to include the individual memories and experiences that members have found meaningful. wrcob@wrcob.org Pastor... David Whitten (319-610-2274) Administrative Assistant... Barbara Beers (804-338-3482) Sunday School... 9:45 a.m. Sunday Worship...11:00 a.m. Church office (M-F)... 9:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. If no one is in the office or the line is busy, voice mail will pick up so PLEASE leave us a message. Items for the bulletin s weekly newssheet MUST be submitted by noon each Thursday to the church office. All articles for the November edition of The Herald are due in the office by Monday, October 15, 2018. We ve got 100 years of history, service and witness in the Richmond community to celebrate. So, give some thought to all that this church and this congregation have meant to you and your family and consider the aspects of our history that you want to lift up. If you have a story to tell, older photographs or a memory from our past to share, important individuals to lift up, or an event that deserves a Centennial Celebration Spotlight please share it with the committee. And, let s get ready to celebrate!
P age 4 If It Only Takes One Person To Make a Difference, What Can TEN Do? We have ten people, Betty Altic, Ann Andrus, David Brunk, Janet Brunk, Sandi Davis, Sandy Faw, Bob Gangwer, Carol Goss, Nancy Martin and Steve Martin, planning to go on Sunday, October 14 to Lumberton, NC to give their time and talents to Brethren Volunteer Services. Hurricane Florence probably made some changes to Brethren Disaster Ministries plans, but these servants will make some changes for others. Please join us in worship that morning as we bless them and send them on their way as they seek to be God s voice and hands of love as they continue the work of Jesus peacefully, simply and together.. At the recent Church Board meeting, the Witness Commission asked to financially support some children of the Church of the Brethren in Congo. This project involves supporting 30 children for the payment of school fees including shoes, briefcases, and school supplies such as notebooks, pen, mathematic box and uniform. The project covers a period of 10 months of the school year that is from September, 2018 to June, 2019, renewable each year. The fees per child total $100. It was decided to help 7 children by redirecting the funds that were budgeted for CARITAS if we had guests staying in our building this December. Jay Wittmeyer, Executive Director of the Church of the Brethren s Global Mission and Service was delighted to hear of our support of these children. The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has the lowest gross domestic product per capita in the world and ranks 228 th out of 228 countries. In other words, the DRC is the poorest and least developed country in the world. The economic and social situation resulting from the country s governance since 1960 to date is catastrophic. The unemployment rate is close to 80% of the active population, and the country, indebted, is unable to meet its national and international obligations. More than two-thirds of the Congolese population lives below the absolute poverty line of $1.25 per day per person. As a result of this mediocre situation the country is going through, many parents remain unemployed and unable to meet the needs of the first necessity in their households, namely food, medical care, schooling, clothes and so on. Many millions of children between the ages of 5 and 15 do not have access to education, not only because of their parents are not able to pay for school fees and supplies, but also the schools are falling into ruins. Children who reach school age are the most affected by this scourge of always staying at home without ever going to school.
Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 1 4:30 pm Group Violin Class 2 10:30 am Ladies Circle 5:30 pm Hull Street Ministry 3 4 6:30 pm Handbells 7:45 pm Choir 5 6 10-1 Henrico Free Shredding & Electronics Recycling 6:15 pm Cub Scouts #728 6:30 pm Boy Scouts #728 7 World Communion Sunday 9:45 am Sunday School 11:00 am Worship 6:00 pm Love Feast 8 Public Schools Closed 4:30 pm Group Violin Class 7:00 pm Church Board 9 10:30 am Ladies Circle 6:15 pm Cub Scouts #728 6:30 pm Boy Scouts #728 10 4:00 pm Girl Scouts #726 11 6:30 pm Handbells 7:45 pm Choir 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Stewardship Sunday 8:00 am Men s Breakfast 9:45 am Sunday School 11:00 am Worship 4:30 pm Group Violin Class 10:30 am Ladies Circle 1:00 pm Volunteer 6:15 pm Cub Scouts #728 6:30 pm Boy Scouts #728 6:30 pm Handbells 7:45 pm Choir 4:00 pm Compelling Vision Process team here Learn more on page 7! 21 Bible Sunday 9:45 am Sunday School 11:00 am Worship Our Team is in Lumberton, North Carolina with Brethren Disaster Ministries 12:05 pm Congregational Business Meeting (elections) 22 4:30 pm Group Violin Class 23 10:30 am Ladies Circle 6:15 pm Cub Scouts #728 6:30 pm Boy Scouts #728 24 4:00 pm Girl Scouts #726 25 6:30 pm Handbells 7:45 pm Choir 26 27 1:00 pm Gathering Room in use 6:00 pm 28 LAMB s Basket Collection 8:00 am Men s Breakfast 9:45 am Sunday School 29 4:30 pm Group Violin Class 6:30 pm Ladies Nite Out 30 10:30 am Ladies Circle 6:15 pm Cub Scouts #728 6:30 pm Boy Scouts #728 31 Daylight Savings Time ends November 4 th!
Who s celebrating and Who s Doing What in 1... Tyler Goss Emily Tulli & Dan O Sullivan 2... David & Samantha Layman 4... Peter Brunk 5... Paul Heckman-Johnson 6... Shirley Cheek Ken Searles 7... Thoko Lipato Lorraine Jackson Ordia 9... Jessica Woodard 10... Joshua Diamond (30 th ) William Hodkinson 15... Chase Newborn Rebecca Vanderhoff 16... Shawn Baker 17... Kenny & Joyce Keithly 18... Michele Crawford 19... Lisa Martin 23... Ginny Heatwole Steve Vanderhoff 24... Polette Brunk Immanuella Dedrick (1 st ) Dave & Kathy Miller 27... Brian Crawford Brian Diamond 28... Mark Diamond Ariel Lindgren (16 th ) Risto Marttinen 29... Ray Ryan Coleson Tulli 30... Jack & Reneé Clark 31... David McCloud John Vassar October 7 14 21 28 Greeters (Dolly Guyer) Worship Leaders (Lib Kinzie) Dolly Guyer Betty Altic Paula Bryant Betty Altic June Diehl Terrie Glass Ginny Heatwole Paula Bryant Ken Heatwole Nursery Care (Anna Welch) Carolyn Arthur & Terrie Glass Sandi Davis & Annie Lipato Sarah Beers & Shaun Finchum Betty Altic & Nancy Martin Fellowship Hosts (Anna Welch) Jack & Peggy Mace & Frank & Betty Fuller Peter & Amparo Brunk Larry & Barbara McCann Kevin & Barbara Beers Tellers (Nancy Martin) Betty Altic & Sandi Davis Jeff Goss & Alyce Newman Joel Guyer & Larry McCann Bob & Pat Gangwer Mowing Crew (Jeff Goss) Betty Altic & Sandi Davis Want to be included in any of these activities? Please contact its coordinator. If you cannot fulfill an assigned date, please swap with someone and then contact the church office.
Page 7 With Our Community Calling All Who Knit or Crochet It's that time of year again and Sandi Davis is looking ahead to winter when we can give something warm to those housed by C.A.R.I.T.A.S. We'd like to decorate a tree in the gathering room and cover it with scarves and hats for men, women and children. Did you say you re not very handy with yarnor those funny needles? Gloves and mittens aren t the easiest to make but they can be bought and they would look great on the tree too! If you are going to knit or crochet, please use a knitting weight of 5 or double strand of knitted worsted so the scarves are nice and warm. She can provide the yarn. Contact Sandi for more details. Minister to our Ministers In honor of Clergy Appreciation Month (October), use these alphabetical reminders of how to treat your pastors: Accept them as people. Build them up. Say thank you. Communicate with them. Defend them when someone tries to run them down. Entertain them. They like to have fun, too! Family. Allow them to have a family life. Genuine. Be honest with them. Be yourself around them. Honor them. Don t put them on a pedestal, but respect them. Income. Pay them enough so money isn t a concern. Judge not! Avoid being critical. Kind. Treat pastors as you want to be treated. Love. See 1 Corinthians 13. Maintain. Their families have the same needs as other families. Nurture. Help them grow in grace. Offer to help. The list of things you can do is endless. Pray for them. Lift up their names to God daily. Quelch not. Encourage instead! Rejoice in and with them. Surprise them in little and big ways. Trust them. Believe in them. Understand them. Put yourself in their place. Vacation. They need time away. Welcome them into your home. Don t wait for an invitation. expend yourself, not them. Yoke. Help them bear their burdens with grace and dignity. Zap all gossip!
P age 8 Around Our District Disaster Response Offering Florence may be over in the Carolinas, but the after effects of the storm continue. For several days, the storm brought unbelievable amounts of rain in some places almost 3 feet and as that water continues to flow downstream, various rivers are rising to flood stage. The District office is receiving offerings from congregations in response to the Hurricane Florence disaster. Please send your congregation's check (VIRLINA District Resource Center, 3402 Plantation Road, NE, Roanoke, VA 24012) with the following inscription on the memo line: "Florence Offering- Account #33508." Gifts will underwrite denominational and/or inter-church efforts to clean up and rebuild in the Carolinas. Dear Brothers and Sisters, As many of you are aware, during the coming year we will be engaging in the Compelling Vision process outlined by the Annual Conference. Every district, including ours, will sponsor meetings to enable individual members of the denomination to have a voice in this process. Kevin Daggett, a member of the Compelling Vision Process Team (CVPT) and pastor of the Dayton (VA) Church of the Brethren, will be leading the sessions in the VIRLINA District. Rhonda Pittman Gingrich, chairperson of the Compelling Vision Process Team (CVPT), recently described the district conversations in this way, "As summer gives way to fall, the process launched at the 2018 Annual Conference to help the denomination discern God s call and develop a compelling vision to guide us into the future is moving into a new phase. Shaped by the conversations that took place at Annual Conference, the Compelling Vision Process Team has designed a two-hour event to engage members in deeper conversation around God s call for us as a church. The meetings in the VIRLINA District are scheduled as follows: Sunday, October 14... Bassett COB... 6-8 p.m. Tuesday, October 16... Pleasant Valley COB... 6-8 p.m. Saturday, October 20... Summerdean COB... 9-11 a.m. Saturday, October 20... West Richmond COB.. 4-6 p.m. Everyone is invited and encouraged to participate in an event. In preparation, please: pray for the church and the Spirit s guidance as we move through this process; visit the Compelling Vision website at http://www.brethren.org/ac/compellingvision.html, and read about the Compelling Vision process (especially if you were not at Annual Conference and are unfamiliar with it); reflect on scriptures that inform our ministry and life together as the body of Christ; and bring a Bible and, if possible, a smart phone, tablet, or laptop to the event." We encourage you to take part in one of these sessions. Have a voice in the future direction of the Church of the Brethren! Yours in Christ, David K. Shumate, District Executive Minister
Page 9 Throughout Our Denomination
West Richmond Church of the Brethren 7612 Wanymala Road, Henrico, VA 23229-4239 Phone: 804-288-6439 www.wrcob.org Fax: 804-282-4408 wrcob@wrcob.org Place postage stamp here! ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED Get ready to celebrate with us less than a month to wait! On Saturday, October 27 th we need grown-ups to deck out their car in its best Halloween garb and join us in the church parking lot from 6:00-7:00. You ll hand out candy to our Hilltop Preschool friends, neighborhood children, and our own WRCoB kids. Look for a trunk sign-up sheet soon. Questions? See June Diehl.