February 2014 newsletter

House-to-House 
Family of Hope House Church                    February 2014
 
A thank you from Korea

At our 1/12/14 church business meeting we agreed to give $2000 of our budget surplus to the Daryl and Cindy Byler scholarship fund for international students at EMU’s Center for Justice and Peacebuilding. We chose to do this in memory of 21-year-old Korean student, Doyeon Han, the only child of Young-Che Ki and Huang-Soon Kang, who died January 1 after being struck by several vehicles on Rt. 42. This is from her parents:

Dear Pastor Harvey Yoder,

I am Doyeon’s father. I was crying over and over holding my daughter with heartbreaking grief when arriving Harrisonburg. I was overwhelmed by sorrow and pain. The situation seemed too difficult for me to bear.
However, in virtue of encouragement and condolences from Park View church, the pastor of Korean church in Harrisonburg, the Korean community, and people at EMU, my family and I could find peace of mind. My family will never forget your careful concern and help.
My family members also appreciate the EMU’s scholarship in memory of Doyeon.
Thank you for your love. Thank you and thank you.
I believe Doyeon is now smiling beside Our Lord.
My family will remember your love forever.

Sincerely,
Young-Che Ki

Notes, prayers and praises

MINUTES OF OUR 1/12/14 church business meeting are posted at http:/familyofhopehousechurch.blogspot.com
BILLY MAY’s surgery was postponed until more tests can be done.
FEBRUARY BIRTHDAY BLESSINGS Trish Levesque 2/23, at 17600 14th Avenue North, Apt. 127, Plymouth, MN 55447-2951.
KAREN CAMPBELL’S new email address is karenec88@gmail.com and her phone number is 540-244-5521.

Lectionary readings

2    Micah 6:1-8 Psalm 15 I Corinthians 1:18-31 Matthew 5:1-12
9    Isaiah 58:1-12  Psalm 112:1-10  I Corinthians 2:1-16 Matt 5:13-20
16  Deuteronomy 30:15-20  Psalm 119:1-8  I Cor 3:1-9  Matt 5:21-37
23  Leviticus 19:1-2, 9-18 Psalm 119:33-40 I Cor 3:10-23 Matt 5:38-48

February services worship at 3:59, meal at 6

2 Location: Guy & Margie Vlasits 3448 Caverns Dr., K’town 908-0391 25th Anniversary celebration for Elly and Neal, with worship and sharing led by Lois Wenger and David Weaver and a Bible Study by Harvey Yoder                                                                                   Carry-in meal

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

16 Location: Family Life Resource Center 723 Newman Ave.   432-0531
Worship and sharing: James Stauffer                                                   
Bible Study: Dick Dumas                                             Finger Foods Meal

23 Location: Susan Campbell 1361 Lincolnshire Dr 22802       564-1524
Worship and Sharing: Susan Campbell                                              
Bible Study: Elly Neal                                                          Carry-in Meal 

FOH Annual Business Meeting and Worship Service

To read Harvey Yoder'st post, "A Business Meeting For A Small Church" check the 1/13/14 Harvspot blog.

Family of Hope Business Meeting          

Guy and Margie Vlasits
January 12, 2014, 4 pm

Members present: Susan Campbell, Dick Dumas, Karla May, James Stauffer, Ruth Stauffer, Guy Vlasits, Margie Vlasits, Harvey Yoder, Alma Jean Yoder, David Weaver, Lois Rivera-Wenger, Josiah Dumas, Karen Campbell, Cathy Atwell, Karen Soich.

1.       Congregational singing, followed by Bible Study and prayer. Harvey Yoder led a study on Acts 10:34-43 and what it means to be a "missional" church and what might be a good "mission statement" (statement of purpose) for Family of Hope.

2.       Last year's minutes were reviewed and approved.

3.       Susan Campbell gave a treasurer's report showing an income of $15,736.87 in 2013.

        a. Agreed that $300.00 of our surplus funds be allocated to the Van denessems, missionaries to Asia, $500.00 to Open Doors (formerly HARTS thermal shelter) and $2000.00 for a scholarship fund for EMU's Center for Justice and Peacebuilding (as advocated by CJP's Daryl Byler). The latter fund is to be set up as a memorial educational scholarship in the name of Doyeon Ki, the 21-year-old Korean student at EMU who died in a traffic accident on January 1, 2014.

         b. An additional $500.00 is to be allocated to the Vlasits for the purchase of four 6-foot and four 8-foot folding tables for the Lodge.
         c. Susan was given approval to purchase new checks for the church's use with Susan's name and address imprinted on them.

4.       The 2014 giving plan was adopted, with a total giving goal of $18,000.

5.       Susan Campbell was nominated and approved to continue as FOH as Treasurer on the Leadership Team. Karen Soich will serve as secretary on a volunteer basis.

6.       The Lord's Supper was observed with a family style meal following the end of the business meeting.

Adjournment

Karen Soich, secretary (from notes by outgoing secretary Karla May)

Twelfth Night Celebration at the Stauffers

Russian Krendl bread

To celebrate the Twelfth (and last) Day of Christmas, our house church congregation observed an Orthodox ceremony this past Sunday I had read about that's associated with Twelfth Night (which marks the end of the Christmas season). In this little liturgy each congregant receives a piece of freshly baked Krendl bread with the words, "Jesus is born!". The participant then responds with "Let us adore him!", dips the bread in honey (lightly flavored with salt) and savors it as a form of Eucharist.

Traditionally, Twelfth Night has been a night of merry making, as in Shakespeare's play by that name. While we Mennonites are not known to be great at making merry, we did our best in belting out our favorite Christmas carols. Then after our prayers and Bible study, we enjoyed our weekly carry-in fellowship meal, always a part of our simple experience of church.

I told our little church that the Krendl was my personal Christmas present to each of them. With my good wife's indulgent permission, I braved using a recipe for for something I had never tried before. I must say I felt blessed going through the rather involved steps it called for as a kind of labor of love, an act of prayer.

Until next year, a Merry, Merry Christmas!