Friday, March 11, 2016

March 2016 newsletter

House-to-House
 Family of Hope House Church                     March 2016

Easter means God lives in and through us        

“This bread is my body.” 

“This cup is the blood of my everlasting covenant with you.”

In the quiet solemnity of receiving the living body and life blood of Christ together several weeks ago with the Table fellowship I experienced an epiphany. It was one in which I gained a sense of the living Christ having just reproduced and multiplied himself in the lives of each of the believers in the room. 

By faith we were not only recalling the death of Jesus in partaking in the Lord’s Supper, but we were also celebrating his resurrection. We were claiming the reality that Jesus lives on in his followers, continues his mission of announcing good news to the poor, of liberating captives and bringing healing and shalom into the world through his empowered people. 

Clarence Jordan, co-founder of Koinonia Farm, writes in his book,The Substance of Faith”:

“The resurrection of Jesus was simply God's unwillingness to take our 'no' for an answer. He raised Jesus, not just as an invitation to us to come to heaven when we die, but as a declaration that he himself has now established permanent, eternal residence here on earth. He is standing beside us, strengthening us in this life. The good news of the resurrection of Jesus is not that we shall die and go home to be with him, but that he has risen and comes home with us, bringing all his hungry, naked, thirsty, sick prisoner brothers with him.”
    
Notes, prayers and praises 

HARVEY YODER plans to be in Costa Rica to spend some time with his aging brother Sanford and wife Martha Yoder from March 3-9, and being a part of their family reunion with all of their children and grandchildren.
MARCH BIRTHDAY BLESSINGS to Ruth Stauffer 3/28!
WE WILL CELEBRATE AN “EASTER SUNSET SERVICE” at Susan Campbell’s March 29. The Discipleship Center was not available on that Sunday.
LOIS WENGER is moving back to her more spacious apartment at her son Scott’s later this month at 204 Holmes Lane, Staunton, VA 24401.

March Lectionary readings

  Joshua 5:9-12  Psalm 32  2 Corinthians 5:16-21 Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32
13  Isaiah 43:16-21  Psalm 126  Philippians 3:4b-14  John 12:1-8
20  Isaiah 50:4-9a  Psalm 31:9-16  Philippians 2:5-11  Luke 22:14-23:56
27  Isaiah 65:17-25  Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24  1 Corinthians 15:19-26
John 20:1-18

March 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: Family Life Resource Center 273 Newman Ave.  432-0531
Worship and Sharing: Lois Wenger
Bible Study: Dick Dumas                                             Finger Foods Meal
20 Location: Joyce Ulrich 1029 Shenandoah St Apt 1              246-1013
Worship and Sharing: Elly Nelson
Bible Study: Harvey Yoder                                                  Carry-in Meal                 
27 Location: Easter Sunset Service Susan Campbell 
1361 Lincolnshire Drive, 22802             564-1524                     Carry-in Meal

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