January 2013 newsletter

House-to-House
Family of Hope House Church                                     January 2013

Living by the Values of the Future

Since  the recent rash of mass killings in this country, we’ve been hearing a lot of voices advocating for more people being armed to prevent such tragedies. But to me that represents a huge step backwards to a less civilized and more barbaric era of human history.

I once heard George Brunk III, former dean of Eastern Mennonite Seminary, say, “Our faith is not so much about preserving values from the past as it is about living by the values of the future.”

In other words, we’re not just about resisting change and holding on to our good heritage, but are called to radically demonstrate a way of life now that has never yet really been, except maybe in the Garden of Eden. Thus as a people of God we are to be an advertisement about what the future will be like, when the Prince of Peace is fully sovereign, when God’s will will be done on earth as it already is in heaven.

That’s what it means to become a people who are already living by the rules of the future, when people everywhere will model the prophet Isaiah’s vision of  “beating swords into plowshares, and spears into pruning hooks,” and will “study war no more.” Like Jesus, we will already live as though the wolf were lying down with the lamb, the leopard with the kid,  and with a little child leading them. It will be said of us, “(T)hey will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of God as the waters cover the sea.”

That’s the future we’re being enlisted now to join and prepare for, to truly become an Exhibit A, a showcase, a demonstration site, of what God’s forever world will inevitably be like.                      - Harvey Yoder

Notes, prayers and praises

JANUARY BIRTHDAY BLESSINGS to James Stauffer 1/8, Susan Campbell 1/17,  Becky Morlan 1/28, Dick Dumas 1/30!
PRAY FOR RACHEL STOLTZFUS, gradually regaining her health and strength after having had another mild stroke last month.
DAVID WEAVER’S address is 1032 Smith Avenue, Harrisonburg 22802 and his phone number is 421-4504.
FOH BUSINESS MEETING AGENDA includes approving a 2013 budget and electing two members to the Leadership Team.
GET FOH UPDATES at http:/familyofhopehousechurch.blogpost.com.
HARVSPOT, Harvey’s blog, is at http://harvyoder.blogspot.com.

January lectionary readings

6    Psalm 72:1-7, 10-14 Isaiah 60:1-6 Ephesians 3:1-12 Matthew 2:1-12
13  Psalm 29 Isaiah 43:1-7 Acts 8:14-17 Luke 3:15-17, 21-22
20 Psalm 36:5-10 Isaiah 62:1-5 1Corinthians 12:1-11 John 2:1-11
27 Psalm 19 Nehemiah 8:1-10 1Corinthians 12:12-31a Luke 4:14-21

January services (worship at 4, meal at 6)

6 Location: James & Ruth Stauffer 1250 Parkway Dr 22802   574-6141
Worship and Sharing: James Stauffer
Bible Study: Paul Swarr                           Carry-in Meal  

13 Location: Guy & Margie Vlasits 3448 Caverns Dr., K’town 908-0391
Church business meeting and Communion Meal c/o Harvey Yoder                  

20 Location: Family Life Resource Center 273 Newman Ave   432-0531
Worship and Sharing: Harvey Yoder
Bible Study: Dick Dumas                    

          Carry-in Finger Food Meal     

27 Location: Susan Campbell 1361 Lincolnshire Dr 22802       564-1524
Worship and Sharing: Susan Campbell
Bible Study: James Stauffer                                                Carry-in Meal

December 2012 Newsletter

House-to-House
 Family of Hope House Church                   December 2012

Celebrating The Real St. Nicholas

Some years ago I read about Mike Sherer, a Lutheran minister, who with his wife Kathe, a registered nurse, decided to celebrate Christmas without Santa Claus when their first child was three years old. They had come to see Santa as little more than a prop for the great North American Christmas Marketing Machine, and so decided to focus instead on his venerable ancestor, the real life St. Nicholas.

This third century bishop of Myra, who lived on the southern coast of what is now Turkey, became legendary for his generosity in helping the poor and needy in his parish, according to stories about him passed down through the generations.

Because this real saint seemed to be a good alternative to the jolly old elf of recent invention, the Sherers have begun celebrating the Feast Day of St. Nicholas, which is on December 6, as an early part of their family’s Advent, and each year designate 5% of their December income to give anonymous help to a needy individual or family in their community, in the spirit of the good bishop of Myra.

They do put up a tree, but cover the floor all around it with good books about Christmas instead of the many other gifts for themselves that used to accumulate there. The books they then put away each year with the tree decorations, to give them a rest and to make them “new” each Advent.

The Sherers report that their giving up a fake Santa for a real saint they feel embodies the true spirit of Christmas has been a richly satisfying change, one they would recommend to everyone
                            - Harvey Yoder

Notes, prayers and praises
A DECEMBER BIRTHDAY BLESSING to Karen Campbell 12/26!
BERTHA SWARR is at home again and doing better, for which we are grateful.
RACHEL STOLTZFUS spent November 28-30 at RMH with another mild stroke.
DAVID WEAVER’S address is 1032 Smith Avenue, Harrisonburg 22802 and his phone number is 540-705-5084.
GET FOH UPDATES at http:/familyofhopehousechurch.blogpost.com.
HARVSPOT, Harvey’s blog, is at http://harvyoder.blogspot.com.

December lectionary readings
2  Jeremiah 33:14-16 Psalm 25:1-10  1 Thess. 3:9-13 Luke 21:25-36
9  Malachi 3:1-4 Luke 1:68-79 Philippians 1:3-11  Luke 3:1-6
16 Zephaniah 3:14-20 Isaiah 12:2-6 Philippians 4:4-7 Luke 3:7-18
23 Micah 5:2-5a Luke 1:46b-55 Hebrews 10:5-10 Luke 1:39-45
30 Isaiah 9:2-7 Psalm 96 Titus 2:11-14 Luke 2:1-20

December services worship at 4, meal at 6 (except 12/16)
2 Location: James & Ruth Stauffer 1250 Parkway Dr 22802   574-6141
Worship and Sharing: James Stauffer
Bible Study: Paul Swarr                                                       Carry-in Meal  

9 Location: Family Life Resource Center 273 Newman Ave   432-0531
Worship and Sharing:
Bible Study: Harvey Yoder                                                 Carry-in Meal
                                            
16 Annual Christmas Reunion Celebration with other house churches
12:30 pm at Guy & Margie Vlasits 3448 Caverns Dr., K’town  908-0391
Meditation: Mike Cooley, St. Luke House Church
Plus carol singing, a children’s story, and a money offering for Heifer International                                  12:30 pm Carry-in Meal             

23 Location: Rachel Stoltzfus 1359 TwoPenny Drive 22802    433-3983
Worship and Sharing: Harvey Yoder
Bible Study: Lois Wenger                                       No Meal This Sunday

30 Location: Susan Campbell 1361 Lincolnshire Dr 22802       564-1524
Worship and Sharing: Susan Campbell
Bible Study: Dick Dumas                                                     Carry-in Meal

November Newsletter

House-to-House
 Family of Hope House Church                       November 2012

Tell Me a Story                    - Harvey Yoder

Good stories never grow old, but become better with retelling and re-reading. They bond the teller and the hearer together, and are powerful in their ability to influence and shape our young. They have long been a primary means by which people pass on their traditions, beliefs and guides for wise living to the next generation.
     Unfortunately, Hollywood is upstaging our homes and congregations as today’s primary story teller. And many of their deplorable, mammon-driven stories are distressingly void of people who love God and serve their neighbors.  Instead, they are about heroes who use violent means and threatening language to destroy their enemies, or they feature characters who find instant happiness through the acquisition of wealth or fame--or through the magic of romantic love.
     As a parent and grandparent I’m concerned about our passing on stories that really do lead to “happily ever after,” and that come from experiences of real people living lives that convey real meaning. These should certainly include heroes of our faith, from Abel to Esther to the Good Samaritan to Dirk Willems, the 16th century Anabaptist who rescued his pursuer who had fallen through the ice, even though that led to Dirk's capture, trial and death at the stake.
     Now that our children are long grown and gone, we miss having them on our laps--or tucked in their beds or beside us on the living room sofa--begging for one more story. It may seem hard to see our values-driven narratives competing with all the screen-based tales our children are inundated with. Which means it may be time to seriously limit the time we allow with these media strangers in our living rooms, and to make the most of the clear advantages we have as story tellers, like offering extras like soft laps, loving arms, warm hearts and good examples.   

Notes, prayers and praises
* OUR PENNY POWER offering for the MCC Relief Sale was $132.14!
PRAY FOR BERTHA SWARR as she regains her strength and is able to live at home again.
NOVEMBER BIRTHDAY BLESSINGS to Neal Nelson 11/2, Rachel Stoltzfus 11/5, Paul Swarr 11/10, Emily Zhou 11/11, and Guy Vlasits 11/21!
LOIS WENGER will be at c/o Tonya Tyler, 5623 Hillsboro Pike, Nashville, TN 37215 in November taking care of grandchildren.
GET FOH UPDATES at http:/familyofhopehousechurch.blogpost.com.
HARVSPOT, Harvey’s blog, is at http://harvyoder.blogspot.com.

November lectionary readings
4   Ruth 1:1-18 Psalm 146 Deut 6:1-9 Hebrews 9:11-14 Mark 12:28-34
11 Ruth 3:1-5; 4:13-17 1 Kings 17:8-16 Hebrews 9:24-28 Mark 12:38-44
18 1 Samuel 1:4-20, 2:1-10 Daniel 12:1-3 Psalm 16 Hebrews 10:11-25
Mark 13:1-8
25 2 Samuel 23:1-7 Psalm 132 Daniel 7:9-14 Psalm 93 Revelation 1:4b-8
John 18:33-37

November services  worship at 4 pm, meal at 6
4 Location: James & Ruth Stauffer 1250 Parkway Dr 22802   574-6141
Worship and Sharing:
Bible Study: Harvey Yoder                                                Carry-in Meal  

11 Location: Rachel Stoltzfus 1359 TwoPenny Drive 22802     433-3983
Worship and Sharing: Harvey Yoder
Bible Study: James Stauffer                                                Carry-in Meal                                                 
18 Location: Guy & Margie Vlasits 3448 Caverns Dr K’town   908-0391
Worship and Sharing: Guy & Margie Vlasits
Bible Study: Harvey Yoder                                                 Carry-in Meal                                                           
25 Location: Susan Campbell 1361 Lincolnshire Dr 22802       564-1524
Worship and Sharing: Susan Campbell
Bible Study: Dick Dumas                              Carry-in Thanksgiving Meal

October Newsletter

House-to-House 
Family of Hope House Church                          October 2012

Paying Heed to Plural Pronouns
An important point to keep in mind when reading Bible is that it is mostly addressed to whole communities of people, and not intended primarily as a book to be used just for one’s personal meditation, as helpful and important as that is.

     One of the ways the Authorized (King James) version of the Bible is helpful here is that it distinguishes between what is addressed to a personal “you” from what is a plural “you” (as in the Southern “You all”).  According to the English language of the time, when “you” refers to an individual, the pronouns “thee,” “thou” and “thine” are used. When the “you” is plural we find the words “ye,” “you” and “yours”. Unfortunately, our modern English no longer makes those distinctions.

     As an example from the KJV, when Jesus offers his teaching on prayer in the Sermon on the Mount, we can see that his so-called “Lord’s Prayer” is meant to be a communal prayer, introduced with “When ye pray...” Note the plural pronouns "we," “our” and “us” used here rather than our praying “My Father who art in heaven,” and “give me my daily bread.” Rather, we are praying to our one God (note the use of the singular “Thy” and “Thine”) that all of the hungry everywhere be fed. Even the prayer for forgiveness of our debts (or trespasses), while certainly including each us as individuals, is for all of God’s people to be forgiven--as we in turn forgive others.

It was something of a light bulb moment for me when I began reading the Bible through this lens. It is certainly personal, of course, but is not just for our private interpretation or edification.

In short, the Good Book is about one God, singular, for all of the people of God, plural.                                                                                - Harvey Yoder

Notes, prayers and praises
THE 46TH ANNUAL VIRGINIA MENNONITE RELIEF SALE will    
   be held at the Rockingham Fairgrounds October 5-6.
PRAY FOR KARLA MAY as she recovers from her knee surgery.
OCTOBER BIRTHDAY BLESSINGS to Elly Nelson 10/28!
SEPTEMBER ANNIVERSARY BLESSINGS to Billy and Karla May 9/3!
LOIS WENGER is spending time with a sister recovering from surgery during the month of October.
RANDY MAY will be taking classes at the Woodrow Wilson Rehabilitation Center, Randy May, P.O. Box 1500 Fishersville VA 22939. He will appreciate our prayers and letters.
HARVEY & ALMA JEAN YODER will be in Rochester Oct. 23-28.
GET FOH UPDATES at http:/familyofhopehousechurch.blogpost.com.

October lectionary readings

7   Job 1:1; 2:1-10  Psalm 25 Hebrews 1:1-4; 2:5-12  Mark 10:2-16
14 Job 23:1-9, 16-17  Psalm 22:1-15 Hebrews 4:12-16 Mark 10:17-31
21 Job 38:1-7, 34-41 Ps 104:1-9, 24, 35c Heb 5:1-10 Mark 10:35-45
28 Job 42:1-6, 10-17 Ps 34:1-8, 19-22 Hebrews 7:23-28 Mark 10:46-52

October services  worship at 4 pm, meal at 6

7 Location: Harvey & Alma Jean Yoder 1135 Hamlet Drive      432-0531
Worship and Sharing: Everyone
Bible Study: Harvey Yoder                                                   Carry-in Meal

14 Location: Rachel Stoltzfus 1359 TwoPenny Drive                 908-0391
Worship and Sharing: Guy & Margie Vlasits
Bible Study: Roy Hange                                                     Carry-in Meal     
                                         
21 Location: Susan Campbell 1361 Lincolnshire Dr 22802       564-1524
Worship and Sharing: Susan Campbell
Bible Study: Dick Dumas                                                 Carry-in Meal

28 Location: James & Ruth Stauffer 1250 Parkway Dr 22802   574-6141
Worship and Sharing: James Stauffer
Bible Study: Paul Swarr                           Carry-in Meal

September 2012 Newsletter

House-to-House
Family of Hope House Church                                 September 2012


Feasting on Wisdom                           -Harvey Yoder

Wisdom... has prepared her meat and mixed her wine;
    she has also set her table.
She has sent out her servants, and she calls...,
    “Come, eat my food
    and drink the wine I have mixed.
Leave your immature ways and you will live;
    walk in the way of insight.”   (Proverbs 9, a lectionary reading for 8/19/12)

At our Sunday Bible studies, it’s always a challenge to connect the day’s lectionary texts together in a meaningful way. We choose to use these readings to give us a common focus for our weekly gathering, and to help keep us from simply dwelling on each of our own favorite texts. So we trust each service can offer a buffet of some of the rich and varied Biblical fare for which we need to come prepared with a good appetite and an eagerness to feast on God’s wisdom.

     Wisdom is one of the most praised virtues in the Bible, since it forever blesses us and helps us live in ways we will never regret. By contrast, foolishness represents the kind of living that bring us no end of remorse.   

     As Christians, we see Jesus as the embodiment of God’s wisdom, the one who invites us to eat and drink of himself in a life-giving feast we call the Lord’s Supper. Here he is both host and heart changing meal.

     In a counter story in the book Genesis, our first human ancestors were surrounded by a veritable feast of good foods, but were also warned against eating from one certain tree God had forbidden them to taste. But to them its fruit not only looked especially delicious but as something that could make them extraordinarily “wise.” You know the story. Choosing the forbidden fruit turned out to represent the most foolish and fatal choice of all time.

     Our weekly carry-in meals viscerally remind us of God’s best of all feasts, in which we take in the very life and wisdom of Jesus himself, the bread and wine that daily sustains and energizes us.

Notes, prayers and praises

* THE 46TH ANNUAL VIRGINIA MENNONITE RELIEF SALE will be held at the Rockingham Fairgrounds October 5-6.
* PRAY FOR THOSE ATTENDING the Mennonite Women of Virginia Fall Retreat Sept. 21-23 at Eagle Eyrie Baptist Conference Center.
* SEPTEMBER ANNIVERSARY BLESSINGS to Billy and Karla May 9/3!
* GUY AND MARGIE VLASITS plan to leave for Texas September 20 to  
   spend two weeks with their son and family.
* GET FOH UPDATES at http://familyofhopehousechurch.blogspot.com/

September lectionary readings

2   Song of Solomon 2:8-13 Psalm 72 James 1:17-27 Mark 7:1-23
9   Proverbs 22:1-23 Psalm 125 James 2:1-17 Mark 7:24-37
16 Proverbs 1:20-33 Psalm 19  James 3:1-12 Mark 8:27-38
23 Proverbs 31:10-31 Psalm 1 James 3:13-4:3, 7-8a  Mark 9:30-37
30 Esther 7:1-6, 9-10; 9:20-22 Psalm 124 James 5:13-20 Mark 9:38-50

September services  worship at 4 pm, meal at 6

2 Location: James & Ruth Stauffer 1250 Parkway Dr 22802   574-6141
Worship and Sharing: James Stauffer
Bible Study: Paul Swarr                                                      Carry-in Meal           
9 Location: Rachel Stoltzfus 1359 Two Penny Drive                433-3983
Worship and Sharing: Harvey Yoder
Bible Study: Dick Dumas                                                     Carry-in Meal
16 Location: Guy & Margie Vlasits 3448 Caverns Dr K’town   908-0391
Worship and Sharing: Guy & Margie Vlasits
Bible Study:                                                                          Carry-in Meal
23 Location: Family Life Resource Center 273 Newman Ave   432-0531
Worship and Sharing: Women's Retreat participants
Bible Study: Harvey Yoder                         Carry-in Finger Food Meal                 
30 Location: James & Ruth Stauffer 1250 Parkway Dr 22802   574-6141
Worship and Sharing:
Bible Study: James Stauffer                                             Carry-in Meal  

August 2012 Newsletter

House-to-House
 Family of Hope House Church          August 2012

Notes, prayers and praises

* WE THANK GOD for improved health for Lois Rivera-Wenger, completing her radiation treatment, Billy May, recovering from his recent surgery, Bertha Swarr, recuperating from a recent hospitalization, and Margie Vlasits, doing better after an injury from a recent fall. 
* BIRTHDAY BLESSINGS to Gail Blackburn 8/30! Alma Jean and Harvey’s anniversary is 8/8 and James and Ruth Stauffer’s 8/30.
* GET FOH UPDATES at http:/familyofhopehousechurch.blogpost.com

August lectionary readings

5   Psalm 51:1-12 Exodus 16:2-4, 9-15 Ephesians 4:1-16 John 6:24-35
12 Psalm 130  1Kings 19:4-8  Ephesians 4:25-5:2  John 6:35, 41-51
19 Psalm 34:9-14 Proverbs 9:1-6 Ephesians 5:15-20 John 6:51-58
26 Psalm 15 Deuteronomy 4:1-9 James 1:17-27 Mark 7:1-8,14-15, 21-23

August services  worship at 4 pm, meal at 6

5 Location: Rachel Stoltzfus 1359 Two Penny Drive                433-3983
Worship and Sharing: Harvey Yoder
Bible Study: Dick Dumas                                                     Carry-in Meal           

12 Location: James & Ruth Stauffer 1250 Parkway Dr 22802   574-6141
Worship and Sharing: James Stauffer
Bible Study: Guy Vlasits                                                       Carry-in Meal

19 Location: Guy & Margie Vlasits 3448 Caverns Dr K’town   908-0391
Worship and Sharing: Guy & Margie Vlasits
Bible Study: Harvey Yoder                                                   Carry-in Meal

26 Location: Susan Campbell 1361 Lincolnshire Dr 22802       564-1524
Worship and Sharing: Susan Campbell
Bible Study: Lois Wenger                                                 Carry-in Meal                 

Family of Hope Directory (not published here for privacy reasons)

July 2012 Newsletter

House-to-House
Family of Hope House Church               July 2012
 

Church: Back to Basics      - Harvey Yoder

“Growing up, I was forced to go to a church I never liked,” wrote blogger Lissa Rankin, on the November 7, 2011 Care2 site. “The scripture felt foreign. The people didn’t speak my language.... The sermons caused me to tune out.  I got bored. ...And as soon as I went to college and had a say over what happened on Sundays, I stopped going to church.”

Lissa does however, support the idea of observing “Soulful Sundays,” an idea shared by of her fellow bloggers, Melanie Bates, who describes such sabbaths as times to “Reflect. Go to your chapel inside. Work on the temple that is you. You don’t need to eat bread to forgive yourself and others. Fill your own cup.”

I don’t want to criticize anyone’s spiritual journey, but a major part of what I would find missing in the above is regular, accountable and supportive relationships with a group of fellow humans who form a forgiven and loved community of faith.

Since 1988, our house church congregation has met each Sunday in the living room of one of our members for a time of singing, sharing of prayer needs and a scripture study together, always followed by a carry-in meal. We have no real estate to maintain, no paid clergy, no elaborate liturgy. We have been blessed by church stripped to its bare essentials, just a group of people seeking to love God and serve each other--and others--in the best way we know.

Maybe spirituality isn’t meant to be be so much about something “out of this world” as it is about simply coming together in the round, celebrating and thanking God, loving and caring about each other, caring about others in need and discovering that God is present right here in our midst. 


Notes, prayers and praises
* WE WELCOME KAREN SOICH to our FOH family. She is living with Guy and Margie Vlasits and helping with the Bed & Breakfast. Her phone number is 330 209 7916.
CONTINUE TO PRAY FOR LOIS  RIVERA-WENGER as she goes through her radiation therapy, and for BILLY MAY as he recovers from his recent surgery.
BIRTHDAY BLESSINGS to Lois Rivera-Wenger 7/30 and A HAPPY ANNIVERSARY to Guy and Margie Vlasits 7/27!
* GET FOH UPDATES at http://familyofhopehousechurch.blogpost.com.

July lectionary readings
1   2 Samuel 1:1, 17-27 Psalm 130  2 Corinthians 8:7-15 Mark 5:21-43
8   2 Samuel 5:1-5, 9-10 Psalm 48  2 Corinthians 12:2-10 Mark 6:1-13
15 2 Samuel 6:1-5, 12b-19 Psalm 24 Ephesians 1:3-14  Mark 6:14-29
22 2 Samuel 7:1-14a Psalm 89:20-37 Eph 2:11-22 Mark 6:30-34, 53-56
29 2 Samuel 11:1-15 Psalm 14 Ephesians 3:14-21  John 6:1-21

 July services  worship at 4 pm, meal at 6 (except July 29)           

1 Location: Rachel Stoltzfus 1359 Two Penny Drive                433-3983
Worship and Sharing: Karla May
Bible Study: Dick Dumas                                                   Carry-in Meal

8 Location: Susan Campbell 1361 Lincolnshire Dr 22802        564-1524
Worship and Sharing: Harvey Yoder
Bible Study: James Stauffer                                                Carry-in Meal                       

15 Location: Guy & Margie Vlasits 3448 Caverns Dr K’town   908-0391
Worship and Sharing: Guy & Margie Vlasits
Bible Study: Harvey Yoder                                                   Carry-in Meal

22 Location: James & Ruth Stauffer 1250 Parkway Dr 22802   574-6141
Worship and Sharing: James Stauffer
Bible Study: Paul Swarr                                                        Carry-in Meal

29 Location: We will join the 7 pm Vesper Service at the Brethren-Mennonite Heritage Center this evening. The youth group from the Mt. Pleasant Old Order Mennonite Church will sing and one of their ministers, Tim Showalter, will speak. Bring lawn chairs.      No meal this evening

June 2012 newsletter (updated 6/3)

House-to-House
 Family of Hope House Church         June 2012

A Last Supper for Miguel 11/17/39-5/14/12   - Harvey Yoder

Just two days prior to his death Alma Jean and I celebrated the Lord’s Supper with FOH member Michael Rivera-Wenger and his wife Lois in their home. Michael was alert enough to greet us warmly and to receive with joy the bread and the cup of the Eucharist. He drank his grape juice through a straw and expressed his desire for more, as if he knew he needed an extra measure of this life giving bread and wine to sustain him through the last days of his journey home, knew that he needed the priceless life blood of Jesus in that cup to give him the strength to die.

Michael always had a great fondness for good food, so he will relish having a choice seat at the great wedding supper of the Lamb described in the last book of the Bible. He also knew first hand what it was like to be embraced by an extravagant Father spreading a welcoming table for him to celebrate his return to faith and family some years ago.

God is always like that. Whenever there is a homecoming, there is music and dancing and laughter and tables heavy with good food, just as the prophet Isaiah promised long ago (Isaiah 25:6-8):

On this mountain the Lord Almighty will prepare
   
a feast of rich food for all peoples,

a banquet of aged wine—
   
the best of meats and the finest of wines.


On this mountain he will destroy
   
the shroud that enfolds all peoples,

the sheet that covers all nations;
       
he will swallow up death forever.


The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears
   
from all faces;

he will remove his people’s disgrace
  
from all the earth.

The Lord has spoken.

Come home, Miguel, come home. It’s suppertime.

Notes, prayers and praises (note birthday updates!)

MICHAEL RIVIERA-WENGER died Monday, May 14, after years of declining health. A service was held in his memory Monday, May 21, at the memorial garden Lois created for him at their home at 204 Homes Lane, Staunton, VA 24401. Our love and sympathy go to Lois and to their family, and we offer special prayers for Lois, who is facing radiation and on June 4, a lumpectomy for breast cancer. You can reach her at 502-525-8650.

PRAY FOR BILLY MAY as he recovers from his May 30 knee surgery.

THE CIVIL WAR ERA-BASED DRAMA “On Jordan’s Stormy Banks,” will play at EMU’s Eshleman Theater June 1-3, June 8-10, & 15-17 Fridays & Saturdays at 7:30 pm – Sundays at 3 pm

BERTHA SWARR has returned home from her stay at Oak Lea and is doing better.

GUY AND  MARGIE VLASITS are on an extended cross country trip and expect to return around June 30. Their long time friend KAREN SOICH has become a part of their household and is taking care of their bed and breakfast in their absence. Her cell number is 330-209-7916.

BIRTHDAY BLESSINGS to Sophie May, 6/2, Josiah Dumas 6/9 (he'll be 18!), Karla May 6/16, Isaiah May, 6/27 and Harvey Yoder 6/30!

GET FOH UPDATES at http://familyofhopehousechurch.blogpost.com.

June lectionary readings (corrected!)

3   Psalm 29 Isaiah 6:1-8 Romans 8:12-17 John 3:1-17
10 Psalm 130 Genesis 3:8-15 2Corinthians 4:13-5:1 Mark 3:20-35
17 Psalm 92:1-15 Ezekiel 17:22-24 2Cor 5:6-10, 14-17 Mark 4:26-34
24 Psalm 107:1-3, 23-32 Job 38:1-11 2Corinthians 6:1-13 Mark 4:35-41

June services    worship at 4 pm, meal at 6  (a couple of corrections)      

3 Location: James & Ruth Stauffer 1250 Parkway Dr 22802     574-6141
Worship and Sharing: James Stauffer
Bible Study: Paul Swarr                                                        Carry-in Meal

10 Location: Rachel Stoltzfus 1359 Two Penny Drive                433-3983
Worship and Sharing:
Bible Study: Harvey Yoder                                                  Carry-in Meal  
                                               
17 Location: Guy & Margie Vlasits 3448 Caverns Dr K’town   908-0391
Worship and Sharing: Harvey Yoder
Bible Study: Dick Dumas                                                    Carry-in Meal

24 Location: Susan Campbell 1361 Lincolnshire Dr 22802        564-1524
Worship and Sharing: Susan Campbell
Bible Study: James Stauffer                                                    Carry-in Meal

May 2012 Newsletter

House-to-House
 Family of Hope House Church                                          May 2012
 
My Lord, What a Morning  - Harvey Yoder

On Easter Sunday morning this year, those of us who gathered to celebrate our annual sunrise service met as usual at the entrance of what was once known as Massanutten Caverns, next to the home of Guy and Margie Vlasits. We assembled around the locked steel door of the cave at our usual 8 am time, and since this is right on the west side of Masssanutten Peak, the sun actually just comes up over the ridge at about that time.

That morning, in fact, the sun made its appearance right at the very time our speaker Elly Nelson spoke the words “He is risen!” as a part of her Easter homily. Elly inspired us to reflect on what the resurrection story means to all of us, that light is replacing darkness, life is replacing death. That’s what we celebrate. That’s what the Easter story is all about.

It seemed fitting that we had a woman bear this witness, since it was Mary, the mother of Jesus, and other women, not our Lord’s male followers, according to the gospel texts, who first arrived on the scene. It was women who exercised the courage to bring spices to apply to the body of their recently buried loved one. No one knows how they expected to enter a guarded cave with a large stone rolled in front of it, not unlike the barred steel door of our cave, marked with the words, “This Cave is Protected by Virginia Law.” Perhaps they simply trusted God to take care of that detail. Sabbath being over, love must find a way.

In the words of the 17th century poet George Herbert:

Can there be any day but this, 
Though many suns to shine endeavor?  
We count three hundred, but we miss:  
There is but one, and that one ever.

Notes, prayers and praises
WE THANK GOD FOR IMPROVED HEALTH  FOR RACHEL STOLTZFUS, who had been hospitalized for gall stones and a heart condition, for JAMES STAUFFER, doing well after having a cancerous growth removed from his ear lobe, and for Gail Blackburn’s brother ALLEN, recovering from surgery for mouth cancer.
MICHAEL RIVIERA WENGER, who is also showing good signs of recovery, will be at an assisted living facility near Charlottesville through May.
MAY BIRTHDAY BLESSINGS to Margie Vlastis 5/1, and Alma Jean Yoder 5/15!   
CONGRATULATIONS TO GUY VLASITS on his official retirement after working the past 15 years at the Community Services Board. He and Margie will be traveling across the country during much of May and June.
ALMA JEAN AND HARVEY YODER are planning to be with their daughter Joanna and family April 22-29, and Jim and Ruth Stauffer will be out of town the first three Sundays in May.
* GET FOH UPDATES at http://familyofhopehousechurch.blogpost.com.
 
May lectionary readings
6    Psalm 22:25-31 Acts 8:26-40 1John 4:7-21 John 15:1-8
13  Psalm 98 Acts 10:44-48 1John 5:1-6 John 15:9-17
20  Psalm 1 Acts 1:15-17, 21-26 1John 5:9-13 John 17:6-19
27  Psalm 104 Ezekiel 37:1-14 Acts 2:1-21 John 15:26-16:15

May services    worship at 4 pm, meal at 6 (except May 20)           
6 Location: Family Life Resource Center 273 Newman Ave.  432-0531
Worship and Sharing:
Bible Study: Harvey Yoder                    Carry-in Finger Foods Meal                                                      
13 Location: Guy & Margie Vlasits 3448 Caverns Dr K’town   908-0391
Worship and Sharing: Guy & Margie Vlasits
Bible Study: Dick Dumas                                                     Carry-in Meal
20 Area House Church gathering at New Market Community Center at 9:30 am, followed by a noon fellowship meal.
27 Location: Susan Campbell 1361 Lincolnshire Dr 22802        564-1524
Worship and Sharing: Susan Campbell
Bible Study:: James Stauffer                                                    Carry-in Meal

April 2011 newsletter

House-to-House
 Family of Hope House Church                                          April 2012

Bread for the Journey        - Harvey Yoder

At our March 11 church gathering Skip and Carol Tobin shared their vision for the church being less about trying to attract others to come to us, and more about preparing and sending us out to minister to others.

At the close of our service, as we prepared for our usual evening meal together, we shared the bread and cup of the Lord’s Supper as a living sign of the poured out and broken life of Jesus. Since one of our members has a gluten allergy, we used rice crackers as our bread. It was brittle fare, nothing like the bland texture of leavened bread, and a fitting sign of a life broken for others.

As we poured grape juice into cups for everyone around the table, we invited members to share what they needed from God for the week ahead. Blood is a sign of life, we reminded ourselves, not just of death, so we expressed, by turn, our need for renewed life from a God who offers it abundance for all.

It was a moment of clarity for me, that in the partaking of this life-giving meal we were not only celebrating our coming together, broken and in need of renewal, but that in communion we were preparing for going out, ready and able to share with others what we received in the Eucharist.

In order to live in the world in the imitation of Christ, we need all the spiritual energy we can get--life giving bread, life enhancing drink.

...As this food gives up its life for us,
may we follow that pattern of
self surrender for each other.
May we be life for one another.

from “Prayers for the Domestic Church” by Edward Hays

Notes, prayers and praises

PRAY FOR RACHEL STOLTZFUS, who is recovering from gall stones and a heart condition, for JAMES STAUFFER, who has had a cancerous growth removed from the top of his right ear lobe, and for Gail Blackburn’s brother ALLEN, recovering from surgery for mouth cancer.

APRIL BIRTHDAY BLESSINGS to Bertha Swarr 4/13, Jack (Hong
Yan) Zhou 4/14, Cathy Atwell 4/19, Bo Hu 4/20 and Randy May 4/21!   

OUR PRAYERS AND SYMPATHIES to Hong Yan Zhou on the death of his mother in China. Contact him at 5615 W. Wren Avenue, Visalia, CA 93291, or JACKHONGYAN@GMAIL.COM. His phone number is 559-713-6258.

ALMA JEAN AND HARVEY YODER are planning to be with their daughter Joanna and family April 21-29.

April lectionary readings

1   Psalm 31:9-16 Isaiah 50:4-9a Philippians 2:5-11 Mark 14:1-15:47 
8   Psalm 16 Isaiah 25:6-9   1 Corinthians 15:1-11 Mark 16:1-8 Acts 10:34-43
15  Psalm 13 Acts 4:32-35 1John 1:1-2:2 John 20:19-31
22  Psalm 4 Acts 3:12-19  1John 3:1-7 Luke 24:36b-48
29 Psalm 23 Acts 4:5-12  1John 3:16-24 John 10:11-18

April services    worship at 4 pm, meal at 6 (except April 8 and 15)            

1 Location: James & Ruth Stauffer 1250 Parkway Dr                574-6141
Worship and Sharing: Harvey Yoder
Bible Study: Paul Swarr                                                        Carry-in Meal

8 Easter Sunrise Service: 8 am at 3448 Caverns Dr., K’town   908-0391
Easter meditation by Elly Nelson, followed by Easter singing and a breakfast provided by our own Margie Vlasits!

15 Easter Sunset Service: EMU Discipleship Center   (5 pm!)             432-0531
(This is the day Orthodox Christians celebrate Easter)
Carry-in Picnic Meal 
Worship, Sharing and Bible Study led by Harvey Yoder, followed by an anointing service for Rachel Stotzfus.

22 Location: Rachel Stoltzfus 1359 TwoPenny Drive 22802         433-3983
Worship and Sharing: James Stauffer
Bible Study: Dick Dumas  Carry-in Meal (Rachel is not to prepare food)

29 Location: Susan Campbell 1361 Lincolnshire Dr 22802        564-1524
Worship and Sharing: Susan Campbell
Bible Study:: James Stauffer                                          Carry-in Meal

March 2012 newsletter

House-to-House
Family of Hope House Church                            March 2012

Simple wisdom
In the introduction to Amish farmer David Kline’s latest book, “Letters From Larksong,” are these words by his friend, poet Wendell Berry:

.... my friend David Kline told me,
"It falls strangely on Amish ears,
This talk of how you find yourself.
We Amish, after all, don't try
To find ourselves. We try to lose
Ourselves"--and thus are lost within
The found world of sunlight and rain
Where fields are green and then are ripe,
And the people eat together by
The charity of God, who is kind
Even to those who give no thanks.

In my old age I’ve been thinking a lot about the Amish/Anabaptist focus on choosing to lose one’s life, as taught by Jesus, rather than spending our energies trying to preserve as much of it as we can. This means seeking to live a life of “Gelassenheit,” a German word describing a spirit of yieldedness that results in engaging in humble service to others rather than in a lifetime pursuit of domination and accumulation.
     My Amish mother, known throughout our rural community as “Aunt Mary,” was a good example of such a life. It wasn’t uncommon for her to go help a sick neighbor, a new mother or a needy friend at a moment’s notice, or to provide hospitality around our dining room table for all kinds of guests, even from our meager means.
     Maybe life really is meant to be a gift to be given away. In the end, we have to lose it all anyway, whether we choose to or not. So why not be intentional about it, experience joy in giving away our gifts and assets to make the world a happier and better place?
     And then just die peaceful and well spent.         - Harvey Yoder

Notes, prayers and praises

*  FOR UPDATES ON FAMILY OF HOPE services and other information, log on to http://familyofhopehousechurch.blogspot.com.
 * PRAY FOR MICHAEL RIVIERA-WENGER, who has been blessed with some improvement in his condition.
MARCH BIRTHDAY BLESSINGS to Ruth Stauffer 3/28, and Elianah Zhou 3/25, c/o Jack Zhou, 5615 W. Wren Avenue, Visalia, CA 93291.    
 * BE PREPARED FOR SOME CONGREGATIONAL GOAL SETTING     at our March 11 service with Skip and Carol Tobin of Virginia Mennonite Missions.

March lectionary readings

4   Psalm 22:23-31 Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16 Romans 4:13-25 Mark 8:31-38
11  Psalm 19 Exodus 20:1-17 1Corinthians 1:18-25 John 2:13-22
18  Psalm 107:1-3, 17-22 Numbers 21:4-9 Ephesians 2:1-10 John 3:14-21
25  Psalm 51:1-12 Jeremiah 31:31-34 Hebrews 5:5-10 John 12:20-33

March services    worship at 4 pm, meal at 6               

4 Location: Guy & Margie Vlasits 3448 Caverns Dr., K’town   908-0391
Worship and Sharing: Guy and Margie Vlasits
Bible Study: Harvey Yoder                                                 Carry-in Meal

11 Location: Family Life Resource Center 273 Newman Ave.  432-0531
Worship and Sharing: Skip and Carol Tobin
Bible Study and church goal-setting: Skip and Carol
                                                                        Carry-in Finger Foods Meal     

18 Location: James & Ruth Stauffer 1250 Parkway Dr              574-6141
Worship and Sharing: James Stauffer
Bible Study: Paul Swarr                                                        Carry-in Meal

25 Location: Susan Campbell 1361 Lincolnshire Dr 22802        564-1524
Worship and Sharing: Susan Campbell
Bible Study: Dick Dumas                                                   Carry-in Meal

February 2012 Newsletter

House-to-House 
Family of Hope House Church                               February 2012

How Much Real Estate Does God Need? 
I well remember a sign I saw once along along Highway 33 east of town that announced, “God is about to do something wonderful here.” Turns out God was apparently planning to turn some irreplaceable farm land into a large asphalt parking lot and a multi-million dollar brick and concrete house of worship.

As open land in our Valley becomes more and more scarce, I’ve long been concerned about our preserving as much of our remaining wooded and agricultural land as possible. This calls for help even from churches.

In theory I favor believers being able to buy and build wherever they choose. Having said that, I would also expect them to be careful about how much of God’s good earth they gouge out and pave over.

Could we honor God more by having numerous services in our existing structures, since it is nowhere written that we need to "assemble ourselves together" only on Sunday mornings? The local Blessed Sacrament Church,  for example, with a parish of over 1500 households, holds four separate services each weekend. When the church added a larger auditorium in 1995, they built on downtown property they already owned.

And there are other options. Numerous local congregations rent “secular” spaces for their services, such as schools, store fronts and town halls.

Church historian Howard Snyder notes that “church history shows an inverse ratio between dynamic church multiplication and preoccupation with buildings.” Certainly this has proven to be true in Europe, which has the world’s most beautiful cathedrals but a decreasing number of practicing Christians.                                                         - Harvey Yoder

Notes, prayers and praises

*  FAMILY OF HOPE’S GIVING GOAL remains at $18,000 for the coming year, even though we did not quite reach that amount in 2011. But due to fewer expenditures for our own needs we were still able to meet all of the giving to other causes included in last year’s giving plan.

 * PRAY FOR BILLY MAY, who is recovering well from his January 23 hip surgery, and for MICHAEL RIVIERA-WENGER, who remains at home in weakened condition.

 * FEBRUARY BIRTHDAY BLESSINGS to Trish Levesque 2/23. Her address is 17600 14th Avenue North, Apt. 127, Plymouth, MN 55447-2951.

February lectionary readings

5  Isaiah 40:21-31 Psalm 147:1-20c 1 Corinthians 9:16-23 Mark 1:29-39
12  2 Kings 5:1-14 Psalm 30 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 Mark 1:40-45
19  2 Kings 2:1-12 Psalm 50:1-6  2 Corinthians 4:3-6 Mark 9:2-9
26  Genesis 9:8-17 Psalm 25:1-10  1 Peter 3:18-22  Mark 1:9-15

February services    worship at 4 pm, meal at 6               

5 Location: Guy & Margie Vlasits 3448 Caverns Drive, K’town   908-0391
Worship and Sharing: Guy and Margie Vlasits
Bible Study: Dick Dumas                                                        Carry-in Meal

12 Location:  Rachel Stoltzfus 1359 Two Penny Drive                     433-3983
Worship and Sharing: Karla May
Bible Study: Harvey Yoder                                                         Carry-in Meal     

19 Location: James & Ruth Stauffer 1250 Parkway Dr 22802         574-6141
Worship and Sharing: James Stauffer
Bible Study: Paul Swarr                                                             Carry-in Meal

26 Location: Susan Campbell 1361 Lincolnshire Dr 22802             564-1524
Worship and Sharing:
Bible Study: James Stauffer                Carry-in Meal
(Skip and Carol Tobin will be with us next month instead of today as previously scheduled)