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