January 2023 newsletter

House-to-House  

Family of Hope House Church             __ January 2023 

Re-Visioning Family of Hope - Harvey Yoder 

Some of us have been part of our now aging house church congregation in this community for many years. We stayed because we found it to be a great (though certainly not perfect) way of being nurtured through all of the basic elements of church--Bible teaching, prayer, mutual care, worship and fellowship, including regular meals together--all without the need for maintaining any real estate or supporting any paid staff. 

Having gifted people taking turns leading the worship and sharing hour, as well as leading our Bible study time, has done as much for those leading as those led. And being home based and lay-focused (though I’m named as the “pastor") frees our giving for meeting outreach needs we all care about as well as for mutual aid when necessary. 

As members of Family of Hope we have all been “pastors” for each other and at the same time also the “laos” (Greek word for the body of people made up of God’s ‘laikos”) together, all of us being called together for the ongoing work of Jesus in the world. 

What we haven’t done well is having our individual households become magnets of hospitality that warmly welcomed neighbors and strangers into our dining and living rooms, and then in turn drawing these friends into our larger house fellowship. That kind of friendship-based, disciple making, mission-focused evangelizing is key to the health and growth of any congregation, but like many other believers, we weren’t very good at it. Nor were we effective in attracting younger members into our church family and preparing them to become future house church leaders. 

One direction some of us have considered is having each of us transfer our official membership to a nearby congregation, but continue as an informal kind of cell group for mutual care and support. Please pray about that as we discern further direction at our January 23 business meeting. 

Notes, Prayers and Praises

JANUARY BIRTHDAY BLESSINGS to James Stauffer 1/8, Susan Campbell 1/17, Becky Morlan 1/28, and Dick Dumas 1/30! OUR CONTRIBUTION for Christmas gifts for prisoners was $95, and helped Kingsway Outreach provide gift kits for 6000 inmates in 7 prisons, 2 CCAP facilities and 2 Regional Jails. Each got a notepad, pencil, toothpaste, chapstick and a Christmas card. 

LEWIS AND MARY ELLEN'S anniversary is January 13. Congratulations!

THE ANNUAL WALKING ROOTS BENEFIT CONCERT at the Eastern Mennonite School raised nearly $28,000 for MCC. 

OUR $500 MISSIONARY SUPPORT FUND for 2022 is being divided between Jonathan and Alethea with Wycliffe Translators and Gracie and Yugo with Servants to the Asian Poor. 

WE WILL DISCUSS WHETHER FOH will continue as an official congregation or as simply a spiritual fellowship and support group in our 1/22 business meeting (see “Revisioning Family of Hope”).

January Study Themes 

1 Genealogy of Jesus Matthew 1:1-17 (Psalm 132:11-12) 

8   Jesus' Baptism: Matthew 3:1-17 (Psalm 2:7-8) 

15 Tempted in the Wilderness Matthew 4:1-17 (Psalm 91:9-12) 

22 Beatitudes Matthew 5:1-20 salt of the earth, light of the world (Psalm 1:1-3) 

29 Lord’s Prayer, treasure in heaven Matthew 6:7-34 (Psalm 20:7) 

January Services, 3:30-5:00 pm  

1  Location: online 

Worship and sharing: Harvey Yoder 

Bible Study: Dick Dumas 

8  Location: online 

Worship and Sharing: Lois Rivera-Wenger 

Bible Study: Kent Palmer 

15 Location: online 

Worship and Sharing: Kent Palmer 

Bible Study: Elly Nelson 

22 Location: online 

 Bible Study: Harvey Yoder

29 Location: online 

Worship and Sharing: Lois Rivera-Wenger 

Annual Business Meeting, ℅ Roy Hange and Harvey Yoder

December 2022 newsletter

House-to-House

Family of Hope House Church               December 2022

Seven Were Together in One Place, and Four In Another                  
A total of some 30 people attended the untypical Family of Hope Sunday service held at VMRC’s Village Hall Sunday, November 27. Of these, only seven were FOH members (including Jim and Ruth, who arrived in their own vehicle!), with four participating online. Six attendees were members of our biological family. 

We owe Kent special gratitude for going to great lengths to make a livestream version of the service available, even though the Zoom platform isn’t known for delivering the quality of sound desirable for a satisfactory music program.

Alma Jean and I and others who are related to Brad by family and/or by friendship ties were certainly blessed by Sunday’s gathering, but at present the prospects don’t look good for even occasional in person Family of Hope meetings. We vote with our feet, as we have every right, and I can fully understand why many of our group are hesitant to meet in person due to the ever present concern about Covid and other infections. Of course I also understand why many of us see online gatherings as just not offering them the full experience of church that is possible when we can greet each with holy affection, sing together with full throated abandonment and share the bread and cup of he Lord’s supper together in the bond of “common-union.” 

So what do God’s people do when limitations of health, age and mobility prevent them from breaking bread from “house to house” and engaging in those aspects of church that can’t happen well virtually?

We invite your prayers,  insights and suggestions.
                                                                                           - Harvey Yoder

Notes, Prayers and Praises
DECEMBER BIRTHDAY BLESSINGS to Karen Campbell 12/26/69! She appreciated the church’s recent gift of a fall arrangement to brighten up her room. Her address is HHRC, 1225 Reservoir St., Harrisonburg, VA 22801.
OUR CONTRIBUTION to the Harrisonburg District’s Christmas Gift Kit Fund for prisoners at Coffeewood and Augusta Correctional Centers and for inmates at our local jail was $95.
THE ANNUAL WALKING ROOTS BENEFIT CONCERT at the EasternMennonite School auditorium at 7 pm Sunday, December 13 is a part of the Mennonite Relief Sale’s effort to raise money for Mennonite Central Committee. Last year’s concert raised $60,000.
OUR $500 MISSIONARY SUPPORT FUND for 2021 went to Jonathan Bylers with Wycliffe Translators and Gracie and Yugo with Servants to the Asian Poor. Is everyone OK with doing the same this year?

December Study Themes
4    Esther 4:1-17 For such a time as this (Matt 5:13-16, Salt and light)
11  Isaiah 42:1-9 A light to the nations. Bringing release to prisoners. (Matt 12:15-21, The ministry of Jesus)
18  Matthew 1:18-25 Announcement of Jesus’ birth to Joseph; Jesus as Immanuel (Psalm 23:1-4 )
25  Luke 2:1-20 Birth of Jesus (Psalm 96:10-13)

December Services, 3:30-5:00 pm 
4  Location: online
Worship and sharing: Harvey Yoder
Bible Study: Dick Dumas
11 Location: online
Worship and Sharing: Lois Rivera-Wenger
Bible Study: Harvey Yoder
18 Location: online
Worship and Sharing: Kent Palmer
Bible Study: Elly Nelson
25 Christmas Day 
We will not have a service today. 

 House-to-House

 Family of Hope House Church              November 2022

They Were All Together In One Place  

We’ve had mixed reviews about our hybrid Zoom and in-person service Sunday October 23. On the one hand it was slightly dispiriting to have only five FOH members present for the opening part at 3:30, fewer than anticipated, but we sang, prayed. laughed and were blessed by having a devout guest with us from Bangladesh who had just moved in next to the Overholts. And with Jesus in our midst, as alway, we had more than a quorum present at the Village Hall patio, and by 4 pm we had a grand total of eight there in person and six online. Participation by everyone in our study (of Solomon’s wisdom and of what we can learn from his lack of it) was spirited and helpful.

     Yet we’re all aware of the limits of virtual church meetings. It’s hard to imagine the 120 gathered in that upstairs room at Pentecost having had quite the same experience of the Spirit’s hurricane force presence had they not been “all together in one place” for their time of waiting and praying together.

     The Acts 2 text doesn’t say whether they sang during that time, but I’m sure they did, and we all greatly miss that part of our worship experience, as much as we have enjoyed hearing some really great recorded music in our virtual services. Paul writes that we are to “Teach and admonish one another with all wisdom… singing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.”

     Then there are the missing signs of our common life around the Lord’s table, as in the breaking of bread and partaking of the cup, which can’t happen virtually, nor can the washing of one another’s feet, the laying on of hands for prayer or the anointing of oil for healing. And of course we can only greet one another with a holy kiss, embrace or other warm greeting if we are physically in the same space, though we can of course welcome each other with heartfelt words in either case!

     May God help us as we find a way to again be “together in one place.” That is how it will be in heaven, thank God.

- Harvey Yoder

Notes, Prayers and Praises

KAREN CAMPBELL suffered a stroke October 22 and was taken to Sentara/RMH and then to Martha Jefferson Hospital in Charlottesville. Thankfully she recovered well and returned to HHRC four days later.

NOVEMBER BIRTHDAY BLESSINGS to Neal Nelson 11/2 (in absentia), Paul Swarr 11/10 and Guy Vlasits 11/21. Neal and Elly Nelson’s anniversary is November 26.

BRAD YODER will be with us for a Thanksgiving/Advent music service at Village Hall Sunday, November 27. Following a half hour for our prayer and sharing, we will have an hour of music with Brad from 4-5, with folks from VMRC and elsewhere invited to join us. 

LOCAL CHURCHES ARE ORGANIZING A SPECIAL DRIVE to collect gifts for Virginia prisoners: chapstick, travel size/hotel size bars of soap, full size tubes of toothpaste, #2 unsharpened wooden pencils, and money for the purchase of notepads, thermal socks and toothbrushes. We will collect these at our November 27 meeting.

November Study Themes

6   II Kings 5:1-15a Elisha heals Naaman Matt 8:2-3, Jesus heals a leper,
13  Micah 1:3-5; 5:2-5a; 6:6-8 God desires justice, kindness, walking humbly with God Matt 9:13, God wants mercy, not sacrifice
20  Isaiah 36:1-3, 13-20; 37:1-7; then 2:1-4 Assyria threatens Jerusalem Matt 5:14, light of the world, city on a hill
27 Habakkuk 1:1-7; 2:1-4; 3:17-19 The prophet awaits God’s reply. Matt 26:36-38; Jesus is grieved and asks disciples to watch with him

November Services, 3:30-5:00 pm 
6  Location: online
Worship and sharing: Harvey Yoder
Bible Study: Dick Dumas
13 Location: online
Worship and Sharing: Lois Rivera-Wenger
Bible Study: Kent Palmer 

20 Location: online
Worship and Sharing: TBD
Bible Study: Elly Nelson
27 Location: VMRC’s Park Village
Worship and Sharing  Harvey Yoder
Music for Thanksgiving and Advent ℅ Brad Yoder

October 2022 newsletter

House-to-House

Family of Hope House Church              __     October 2022

St. Augustine on investing wisely  

In light of ever more desperate world needs, what does it mean to love God with all we have and to love our world neighbors as we love and look after ourselves?

     Each year multiple donors make cash, check and credit card contributions for refugee relief at the Virginia Mennonite Relief Sale’s “Sharing Our Surplus” (SOS) Giving Table. Last year that effort raised a gratifying $48,000, around 12% of the total raised at the Sale.

     Our love for God and others is most accurately reflected in our actual giving and spending.  Whether it's $5 for a donut and coffee, $5000 for a luxury cruise or $500,000 for a new house for our retirement, we are in each case indicating exactly how much we value those assets. In other words, exactly how much we “love” those things. 

     None of this spending is necessarily wrong if we are equally committed to having our worldwide neighbors enjoy the very same blessings. Isn’t that what “as ourselves” means?

     A rich man in one of Jesus’s parables decided the best use of his assets was to upgrade his holdings by replacing his existing barns with new ones. He then said to himself, “You have plenty of wealth laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and enjoy yourself.”

     St. Augustine, reflecting on this story, wrote,  “This silly fool of a man... was hoarding perishable crops. I repeat, he was hoarding perishable crops, while he was on the point of perishing… How will he know where to look, when at that trial he starts hearing the words "I was hungry and you did not give me to eat" (Matthew 25:42)? He was planning to fill his soul with excessive and unnecessary feasting and was proudly disregarding all those empty bellies of the poor. He did not realize that the bellies of the poor were much safer storerooms than his barns. What he was stowing away in those barns was perhaps even then being stolen away by thieves. But if he stowed it away in the bellies of the poor, it would of course be digested on earth, but in heaven it would be kept all the more safely. 'The redemption of a man's soul is his riches.' ”                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             - Harvey Yoder

Notes, Prayers and Praises

OUR OFFERING FOR “MY COINS COUNT,” was $51.39 this year.

IF YOU WEREN’T ABLE TO ATTEND THE RELIEF SALE you can still make a contribution on the Sale website or write a check made out to Virginia Relief Sale (with SOS on the memo line).

THANKS FOR YOUR PRAYERS FOR PABLO YODER, Harvey’s nephew, diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer, and for MARGARET VARNER, Alma Jean’s niece in Pennsylvania, being treated for blood clots in her lung.

OCTOBER BIRTHDAY BLESSINGS to Joyce Ulrich 10/14 and Elly Nelson 10/28!

October Study Themes

2   Exodus 14:5-29 The sea parts at the exodus Matthew 2:13-15

9  Exodus 19:3-7; 20:1-17 God delivers Israel and  gives them Ten Words Matthew 5:17

16 Joshua 24:1-26 “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” Matthew 4:8-10 

23 1 Kings 3:4-28 Solomon prays for wisdom Matthew 6:9-10

30 II Samuel 11:1-5, 26-27; 12:1-9; Psalm 51:1-9 Nathan’s parable

Luke 17:3-4

 October Services, 3:30-5:00 pm 

3  Location: online

Worship and sharing: Elly Nelson

Bible Study: Harvey Yoder

9 Location: online

Worship and Sharing: Lois Rivera-Wenger

Bible Study: Kent Palmer

16 Location: online

Worship and Sharing: Harvey Yoder 

Bible Study Dick Dumas

23 Location: VMRC's Park Village patio

Worship and Sharing  Kent Palmer

Bible Study: Harvey Yoder

30 Location: online

Worship and Sharing  Lois Rivera-Wenger

Bible Study: Elly Nelson

September 2022 newsletter

 House-to-House

 Family of Hope House Church              __September 2022

Let’s Pray for our Teachers                           - Harvey Yoder

Soon after the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre, a well known news commentators opined, “We ask why there is violence in our schools, but we have systematically removed God from our schools. Should we be surprised that schools become a place of carnage?"

With all due respect, I couldn’t help wondering how he explained the tragic murders of devout and innocent Amish children in the 2006 Nickel Mine School shooting. Had they removed God from their school? I don’t think so.

Some observations:

1. A compassionate God who observes each sparrow’s fall will never allow himself to be removed from any place on the planet. God inhabits all shopping malls, parks, hospitals, prisons, work places, and even places of worship ;-), regardless of what religious activities may (or may not) be going on there.

2. My experience with the bland prayers and readings I was exposed to in public school (where virtually all students were from Protestant homes) was extremely minimal compared to the influence of my family and congregational family, along with some of the good role models I had in many of my teachers.

3. Public schools today represent a much more religiously diverse population than when I attended, which means it would be almost impossible to devise prayers today for all that would not be offensive to some, including myself. Our three local grandstudents have been blessed with exceptionally dedicated (some Mennonite) teachers in the dual Spanish/English program they are enrolled in at their first years in public school. God is obviously present in many of these teachers' lives, but we need to pray earnestly for them and for the children they influence every day.

Notes, Prayers and Praises

SAVE YOUR CHANGE FOR “MY COINS COUNT,” a Virginia Relief Sale fundraising initiative. The Sale will be held September 30- October 1 this year.

IF YOU CAN’T ATTEND THE RELIEF SALE IN PERSON you can make a contribution to the Sharing Our Surplus (SOS) fund on the Sale website or write a check made out to Virginia Relief Sale (with SOS on the memo line) and get it to Harvey Yoder. Last year such contributions made up nearly 12% of the total of over $400,000 generated by the Sale.

PRAY FOR PABLO YODER, 64, Harvey’s nephew and a church planter in rural Nicaragua, who has been diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer.

SEPTEMBER BIRTHDAY BLESSINGS  to Lewis Overholt (9/5) and David Weaver (9/23)!

WE CONCLUDE OUR SERIES ON HEALING on September 4 with a study of Romans 8.

September Study Themes

4    Romans 8 God’s love and presence in the midst of suffering

11  Genesis 6:5-22; 8:6-12; 9:8-17 Noah, the flood, and the promise of the rainbow (Matt 8:24-27, Jesus calms the storm)

18 Genesis 12:1-9 Call of Abraham, promise of land, descendants, blessing to the nations (Matt 28:19-20, Go therefore and make disciples) 

25 Genesis 39:1-23 Joseph is unjustly put in prison; yet God is present with him there (Matt 5:11-12, Blessed are you when people revile you)

September Services, 3:30-5:00 pm 

4  Location: online

Worship and sharing: Ellie Nelson

Bible Study: Harvey Yoder

11 Location: online

Worship and Sharing: Lois Rivera-Wenger

Bible Study: Kent Palmer

18 Location: TBD

Worship and Sharing: Harvey Yoder

Bible Study Dick Dumas

25 Location: online

Worship and Sharing  Lois Rivera-Wenger

Bible Study: Elly Nelson

 House-to-House

 Family of Hope House Church              August 2022

Jewish Wisdom On Health and Healing

Honor physicians for their services,
    for the Lord created them,
for their gift of healing comes from the Most High,
    and they are rewarded by the king.
The skill of physicians makes them distinguished,
    and in the presence of the great they are admired.
The Lord created medicines out of the earth,
    and the sensible will not despise them…
And he gave skill to human beings
    that he might be glorified in his marvelous works.
By them the physician heals and takes away pain;
    the pharmacist makes a mixture from them.
God’s works will never be finished,
    and from him health spreads over all the earth.
My child, when you are ill, do not delay,
    but pray to the Lord, and he will heal you.
Give up your faults and direct your hands rightly,
    and cleanse your heart from all sin.
Offer a sweet-smelling sacrifice and a memorial portion of choice flour,
    and pour oil on your offering, as much as you can afford
Then give physicians their place, for the Lord created them;
    do not let them leave you, for you need them.
There may come a time when recovery lies in the hands of physicians,
    for they, too, pray to the Lord
that he grant them success in diagnosis
    and in healing, for the sake of preserving life.
Those who sin against their Maker
    will be defiant toward the physician.

From the Apocrypha, Sirach 38:1-15 (NRSV)

Notes, Prayers and Praises

WE WILL DO BIBLE STUDIES ON HEALTH AND HEALING in the month of August.
SPECIAL THANKS TO KENT PALMER for providing us with Willard Swarthy’s book, “Health, Healing and the Church’s Mission for our August study series.
SAVE YOUR CHANGE FOR “MY COINS COUNT,” a Virginia Relief Sale fundraising initiative. The Sale will be held September 30- October 1 this year.
JIM AND RUTH STAUFFER are settling in to their new home in Room 105 at Crestwood.
AUGUST BIRTHDAY BLESSINGS  to Kent Palmer, 8/10! Also, Alma Jean and Harvey Yoder’s anniversary is August 8, and Jim and Ruth Stauffer’s is August 30. Blessings to all!

August Study Themes

7   Chapter 1 of Willard Swartley’s “Health, Healing and the Church’s Mission
14  A physician’s perspective
21 The Bible on physical healing 
28 The Bible on spiritual healing

August Services, 3:30-5:00 pm 

7  Location: VMRC Village Hall
Praises and prayers regarding healing c/o Harvey Yoder
Bible Study: Kent Palmer
14 Location: VMRC Village Hall
Sharing healing stories, ℅ Harvey Yoder
Healing Grace--My Life Story: Richard Alderfer, MD
21 Location: online
Worship and Sharing: Lois Rivera-Wenger
Bible Study Dick Dumas
28 Location: online
Worship and Sharing  Lois Rivera-Wenger

Bible Study: Elly Nelson

House-to-House

Family of Hope House Church                                        July 2022

When Will They Ever Learn?

From July 1 through July 4, 1913, thousands of Civil War veterans returned to rural Adams County, Pennsylvania, to mark the 50th Anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg.
     At that time, now over a century ago, the New York Herald wrote: 
     "Today fifty thousand veterans of the great War are moving in to take peaceful possession of the field where in the ardor of youth they strove in such deadly conflict. No better evidence of healing of the nation’s wounds could be offered than the spectacle of men of the Grand Army and of the Confederacy striking hands on the spot where they made history."
     During the Commemoration there were many speeches made, wool blankets were handed out to the now aging veterans, and over 650,000 meals were served. The infamous and ill-fated Pickett’s Charge was reenacted by 120 veterans of Pickett’s Division and 180 veterans from the Philadelphia Brigade, reliving the carnage of that awful battle, in which the Union army lost 3,450 men, 20% of their number, and the Confederate side lost 7,000, 38% of their troops.
     After the Confederate veterans charged over the last 100 feet of ground to reach the wall held by the Union re-enactors, all of the men who had been sworn enemies broke ranks, shook hands and embraced each other as they recalled and relived the horrors of that July 3 afternoon.
     I was moved by that image of former enemies meeting as brothers. If only people everywhere could learn to get together before they engage in disastrous conflicts of this sort, and agree to work things out, shake hands and sit down to a common meal as friends and fellow children of God.
      That would truly help make God's dream for humanity come true.
                                                                                                                 - Harvey Yoder

Notes, Prayers and Praises

VIRGINIA CONFERENCE SUMMER DELEGATE ASSEMBLY will be at  the Zion Mennonite Church starting at 7 pm Thursday, July 14, and for Friday and Saturday delegate sessions. Friday evening’s service will be at Trissels Mennonite Church, a special celebration marking their 200th anniversary, and the 6:45 am Saturday Mennonite Women’s prayer breakfast will also be held there.
PLEASE PRAY FOR DONNA SACRA, who has tested positive for Covid and has also been diagnosed with breast cancer. We are grateful that she is doing better!
JIM AND RUTH STAUFFER have moved to Room 105 at Crestwood!
SHOULD WE CONSIDER A POSSIBLE VMRC LOCATION for some of our summer meetings, such as the porch/patio at Village Hall?
JULY BIRTHDAY BLESSINGS to Lois Rivera-Wenger 7/30!

July Lectionary Texts

3    1 Peter 1:3-23  (Matthew 5:11-12) 
10  1 Peter 2:1-9, 19-25 (Matthew 16:24-26) 
17  1 Peter 3:13-22  (Matthew 5:3-10) 
24  1 Peter 4:1-19  (Matthew 5:43-48) 
31  1 Peter 5:1-14  (Matthew 20:25-28) 

July Services, 4-5:30 pm 

3  Location: on line
Worship and Sharing: Kent Palmer
Bible Study: Harvey Yoder
10 Location: To be determined 
Worship and Sharing Harvey Yoder
Bible Study Kent Palmer
17 Location: on line 
Worship and Sharing Lois Rivera-Wenger
Bible Study Roy Hange
24 Location: TBD 
Worship and Sharing  Harvey Yoder

Bible Study Dick Dumas
31 Location: on line 
Worship and Sharing  Lois Rivera-Wenger
Bible Study: Elly Nelson 

Celebrating Pentecost, Our Annual Covenant Reaffirmation And Communion At Park Woods

Photos by Lewis Overholt

This was also World Environment Day. We noted a connection between the Spirit of God (Ruach--Mighty Wind/Life-giving Breath) creating light, life and beauty in creation and that same Spirit, accompanied by the sound of a mighty wind, igniting light, life and shalom in a new community of Jesus-followers from all over the world.

June 2022 newsletter

 House-to-House

Family of Hope House Church         June 2022

A Tale of Two Churches    

The Church of Pentecost (from the Acts of the Apostles)

  “The believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. Awe came upon everyone, because  many wonders and signs were being done by the apostles. All who believed were together and had all things in common; they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need. Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread at home and ate their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having the goodwill of all the people. And day by day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.”

The Church of Plenty-Cost (from the Acts of the Apostate?)

     “The believers, when not on vacation or having more important things to do, devoted themselves to their congregation’s Sunday morning services and to taking part in occasional potluck meals. Apathy came upon everyone as they were urged to give generously to pay for and maintain their well furnished church building and to support the growing number of staff on their church's payroll. 

     Meanwhile, lay members were scattered everywhere, each trying to make ends meet and to keep up with their Visa payments, along with saving all they could for their children’s college and for their future retirement. Day after day they spent time around their home entertainment centers, enjoying all manner of good food and savoring all of the benefits of the good life. 

     And day by day the Lord pondered over how this church could be renewed and saved.”

                                                                                          - Harvey Yoder

Notes, Prayers and Praises

PENTECOST SUNDAY, JUNE 5, is our annual covenanting service in which we renew our commitment to membership in Family of Hope, as follows:  “I support the goals, vision and faith of Family of Hope, will attend weekly services as regularly as I am able, and will use my gifts and offer my encouragement to this church family to the best of my ability. I invite other members to support me--and to confront me as needed--in being faithful to this commitment.

     This our our vision statement:  “To be faithful followers of Jesus Christ, and by the power of the Holy Spirit, to grow as a community of grace, joy and peace, so  that God’s healing and hope may flow though us to the world.”

JUNE BIRTHDAY BLESSINGS to Josiah Dumas 6/9, and Harvey Yoder 6/30!

June Lectionary Texts

5   Day of Pentecost Acts 2:1-21; Philippians 4:4-7 (John 14:16-17)
12  Exodus 19:1-6; 20:1-2 (Matthew 22:34-40)
19  Exodus 20:3-11   (Matthew 22:34-40) 
26  Exodus 20:12-16 (Matthew 22:34-40) 

June Services, 4-5:30 pm 

5  Location: Park Woods Pavilion
Worship and Sharing 
Recovenanting and Communion 
12 Location: on line 
Worship and Sharing Lois Rivera Wenger
Bible Study Kent Palmer
19 Location: Park Woods Pavilion 
Worship and Sharing  Kent Palmer
Bible Study Dick Dumas
26 Location: on line 
Worship and Sharing  Lois Rivera-Wenger
Bible Study Elly Nelson

May 2022 newsletter

 House-to-House

 Family of Hope House Church                              May 2022

After Creating The Earth, God Planted a Garden

According to Genesis, one of God’s first recorded actions after the Hebrew hymn of creation was to create a garden for Adam to till and care for. 

Later Jesus makes many references to to plants and trees, to soils and seeds, and describes himself as the true vine and his Father as the gardener. One of Jesus’s favorite places to pray was in a garden called Gethsemane. He was buried in a garden near where he was crucified, and was at first mistaken for a gardener by Mary Magdalene. 

     

In the Revelation we are told that in the new heaven and the new earth there will a tree of life constantly bearing fruit  every month of the year, one on each side of the water of life in a completely restored and forever Eden.

Gardening is in our divine DNA, and we are never closer to our creator than when we are tilling the soil, planting seeds, irrigating and weeding plants and harvesting produce. The soil in which growth occurs is made up of dead and decaying vegetable and other signs of former life, but is also teeming with microorganisms, worms and tiny insects that also till the earth and make it their home.

When we plant seeds in this mix of death and life a resurrection kind of miracle occurs. Seeds themselves experiences a form of death and new birth, send down roots for nourishment and emerge as life giving wonders that are then prepared to die so that humans and other creatures may live.

Praise God for gardens.                                                - Harvey Yoder

Notes, Prayers and Praises

ACCORDING TO OUR RECENT FOH POLL almost all of our members want to resume regular in person meetings at some point but are not ready to do so right away. VMRC is not yet available to outside groups. 

MAY BIRTHDAY BLESSINGS to Margie Vlasits, 5/1, and Alma Jean Yoder 5/15!

KAREN CAMPBELL is having therapy at Harrisonburg Health and Rehab Center to help her be able to walk again. She is in Room 55, and her cell number is 540-209-2675.

OUR LOVE AND PRAYERS FOR DONNA SACRA as she prays for God’s blessing and wisdom for her healing from breast cancer.

                                                   

May Lectionary Texts

1  Acts 9:1-19a Paul and Ananias, each called into Christ’s service. (Matthew 6:24)

8 Acts 16:16-34 Paul and Silas in prison at Philippi, jailor and his family are baptized (Luke 6:18-19, 22-23) 

15 Acts 17:16-31 Sermon at Athens: What you worship as unknown, I proclaim to you. (John 1:16-18)

22 Philippians 1:1-18a Paul in prison, thankful for the Philippians’ partnership in the gospel. (Luke 9:46-48)

29 Philippians 2:1-13 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who became obedient to death. (Luke 6:43-45)

May Services, 4-5:30 pm 

(all services via Zoom)

1 Worship and sharing: Harvey Yoder

Bible Study: Kent Palmer

8 Worship and Sharing: Lois Rivera-Wenger

Bible Study: Dick Dumas

15 Worship and Sharing: Kent Palmer

Bible Study: Harvey Yoder

22 Worship and Sharing: Lois Rivera-Wenger

Bible Study: Maren Hange, assistant overseer

29 Worship and Sharing: Lewis Overholt

Bible Study: Elly Nelson

April 2022 newsletter

 House-to-House

Family of Hope House Church           April 2022

 A Muslim Scholar Writes About Easter

Two thousand years ago, an itinerant Jewish preacher and miracle worker walked across the Galilee, gathering followers to establish what he called the "Kingdom of God." The revolutionary movement he launched was so threatening to the established order that he was captured, tortured and executed as a state criminal…

     Obviously the notion of a man dying a gruesome death and returning to life three days later defies all logic, reason, and sense. One could simply stop the argument there, dismiss the resurrection as a lie, and declare belief in the risen Jesus to be the product of a deludable mind.

     However there is this nagging fact to consider: one after another of those who claimed to have witnessed the risen Jesus went to their own gruesome deaths refusing to recant their testimony. That is not, in itself, unusual. Many zealous Jews died horrible deaths for refusing to deny their beliefs. But these first followers of Jesus were not being asked to reject matters of faith based on events that took place centuries, if not millennia, before. They were being asked to deny something they themselves personally, directly encountered…

     They were repeatedly arrested and abused for their preaching; more than once their leaders had been brought before the Sanhedrin to answer charges of blasphemy. They were beaten, whipped, stoned and crucified, yet they would not cease proclaiming the risen Jesus."

    - Reza Aslan, author of Zealot--The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth

Notes Prayers and Praises

ACCORDING TO OUR RECENT FOH POLL almost all of our members want to resume regular in person meetings at some point but are not ready to do so right away. VMRC is not yet available to outside groups. 

APRIL BIRTHDAY BLESSINGS to Mary Ellen Overholt 4/5 and Cathy Atwell 4/19!

KAREN CAMPBELL will soon have her foot brace for therapy at Harrisonburg Health and Rehab Center to help her be able to walk again. She is in Room 55, and her cell number is 540-209-2675.

A SERVICE OF MEMORY for Harvey’s older brother Sanford will be held at the Pilgrim Fellowship School near Stuarts Draft at 10:30 Saturday, April 16. 

                                                   

April Lectionary Texts

3  John 19:1-16a Jesus is condemned, they have no king but Caesar. (Psalm 146)

10 John 19:16b-22  Sign above the cross proclaims the crucified king. John 12:12-27, Triumphal Entry 

Good Friday Reading: John 19:23-42 Woman, behold your son; I thirst; It is finished;, a royal burial. (Psalm 26:3, 31:9-18)

17 John 20:1-18 Empty tomb, Jesus calls Mary by name. 

(Psalm 118:21-29)

24 John 20:19-31 Jesus gives the Spirit, appears to Thomas. 

(Psalm 145:13-21)

April Services, 4-5:30 pm 

3 Worship and sharing: Lewis Overholt

Bible Study: Kent Palmer

10 Worship and Sharing: Lois Rivera-Wenger

Bible Study: Dick Dumas

17 Worship and Sharing: Kent Palmer

Bible Study: Harvey Yoder

24 Worship and Sharing: Lois Rivera-Wenger

Bible Study: Elly Nelson

March 2022 newsletter

 House-to-House

Family of Hope House Church           March 2022

 All God, All the Time?

Brother Lawrence,” born in France in 1611, experienced a spiritual awakening at age 18 when one day he took time to reflect on a tree in winter that was stripped of its leaves. Just meditating on the simple fact that these leaves would soon reappear, accompanied by an abundance of flowers and fruit, led to a deeper awareness of the providence and power of God.

In 1649, he joined the Order of “Barefooted” Carmelites in Paris. There he was assigned kitchen duty as a lay brother in his austere monastic community, an assignment he carried out cheerfully in spite of his aversion to this kind of work. His goal was to constantly "practice the presence of God" the spiritual discipline that has become associated with his name.

I've often wondered if it is really possible to live that way, to have every part of every day of our life, the "spiritual" and the "natural" alike, be lived in harmony with God's Spirit, with a far less sharp dividing line between the "sacred" and the “ordinary."

Lent is a good time to regularly remind ourselves of the need to listen deeply to the still, small voice of God--with the third ear of the heart--so that every moment becomes holy, every meal becomes a Eucharist. and every meeting with another an epiphany.    

                                                                                                                  - Harvey Yoder

Notes, Prayers and Praises

WE CELEBRATE THE LIFE of our beloved Neal Nelson who passed away at Envoy Nursing Home early Friday morning, February 18, We offer special love and prayers for Elly during this time of grief and remembering. At our 2/20 meeting we agreed to cover a recent medical bill and to offer other assistance as needed.

THE SEASON OF LENT begins with Ash Wednesday, March 2.

KAREN CAMPBELL continues to improve at Harrisonburg Health and Rehab Center (cell number is 540-209-2675).

OUR TREASURER SENT $3000 to support the Open Doors Homeless Shelter from our church budget surplus from last year.

BIRTHDAY BLESSINGS to Ruth Stauffer 3/28!

“SPECIAL THANKS for your prayers and support in the recent loss of my brother Sanford in Costa Rica.”   - Harvey and Alma Jean

March Lectionary Texts

6  John 11:1-44 Raising Lazarus, Jesus as the resurrection and life. (Psalm 104:27-30)

13 John 13:1-17 Footwashing as a sign of Jesus’ love and example. (Psalm 51:7-12)

20 John 18:12-27 Jesus’ trial before Annas, Peter’s denial. (Ps.17:1-7)

27 John 18:28-40 My kingdom is not from this world. (Psalm 145:10-13)

March Services, 4-5:30 pm 

6 Location: on line 

Worship and sharing: Lewis Overholt

Bible Study: Kent Palmer

13 Location: on line Elly Nelson

Worship and Sharing: Lois Rivera-Wenger

Bible Study: Dick Dumas

20 Location: on line

Worship and Sharing: Harvey Yoder

Bible Study: Elly Nelson

27 Location: on line 

Worship and Sharing: Lois Rivera-Wenger

Bible Study: Harvey Yoder

February 2022 newsletter

House-to-House

Family of Hope House Church         February 2022

Highlights of FOH Annual Business Meeting

4:30-5:30 pm, Jan 30, 2022, via Zoom

    Our 2021 giving budget was $16,800, and actual giving was $13,904.78.
    Harvey encouraged using automatic electronic fund transfers for monthly giving as some are already doing. 
    It was decided to move the $250 for Faith in Action spending from the discretionary fund to its own budget category.
    We finished 2021 with over $3000 in our account. It was  suggested that we disburse some of these funds to those in need rather than let it sit our account for another year. Some want to some of this used assist the homeless in our community as in a gift to Open Doors, but there is also a desire to help those in our fellowship with medical bills, etc. We do have $2500 budgeted for the congregational aid fund, none of which was used in 2021. Members are encouraged to share any needs they have.  
     We will revisit how to spend the extra funds in our account over the next few weeks.
     Harvey asked whether anybody in the congregation felt called to serve as a delegate to the semi-annual Virginia Mennonite Assembly and the quarterly meetings of the Harrisonburg District.
    Then there was a discussion of the Church’s leadership team, which has not met recently. Dick and Harvey are still designated the leadership team.
Note: the above are simply key excerpts from Kent Palmer’s notes. See the next post for his full minutes.

Notes, Prayers and Praises
SUSAN CAMPBELL, our treasurer can give you the information you need to do your FOH giving through automatic bank transfers.
LEWIS AND MARY ELLEN OVERHOLT celebrated their 61st wedding anniversary January 13!
KAREN CAMPBELL is now in Rm 89 at Harrisonburg Health and Rehab Center (cell number is 540-209-2675).
PLEASE SHARE YOUR FEEDBACK on how we use the extra $3000(?) we currently have in our FOH bank account. The local Open Doors Homeless Shelter has been suggested as one need to consider.

February Lectionary Texts
6  Healing Stories John 4:46-54, 5:1-18 (Psalm 40:1-5)
13 Bread of Life John 6:35-59 (Psalm 34:1-10)
20 Living Water John 7:37-52 (Ps 147:1-11) 
27 A Man Born Blind John 9:1-41 (Psalm 27:1-4)

February Services, 4-5:30 pm 
6 Location: on line 
Worship and sharing: Lois Rivera-Wenger
Bible Study: Kent Palmer
13 Location: on line
Worship and Sharing: Elly Nelson
Bible Study: Dick Dumas
20 Location: on line
Worship and Sharing: Lois Rivera-Wenger
Bible Study: Elly Nelson
27 Location: on line 
Worship and Sharing: Lewis Overholt
Sermon: "The Man Born Blind--A Very Sharp Fellow" Dan Bowman

Family of Hope Business Meeting, 4:30-5:30 January 30, 2022, via Zoom

Present: Dick Dumas, Harvey Yoder, Alma Jean Yoder, James Stauffer, Ruth Stauffer, Lewis Overholt, Mary Ellen Overholt.  Ellyn Marshall-Nelson, Lois Rivera-Wenger, Kent Palmer, Susan Campbell, Donna Sacra

Following a time of worship and sharing as well as a devotional on John 4:1-42 about Jesus meeting a Samaritan woman at the well as a part of the future Bride of Christ, Family of Hope started its Annual Business Meeting.

1. We began by reviewing last year’s budget and spending.

It was noted that we budgeted $16,800 for giving in 2021, but actual giving was only 13,904.78.

Harvey noted that we do not have weekly offerings and we do not even pay much attention to giving, yet people are generous and give to support the work of the church. This enables us to support the wider church. We spend very little on ourselves.  We could each donate to the wider church agencies ourselves, but it is a joy to pool our resources for sharing in support of the church.

2. Some of us are using electronic fund transfers for monthly giving. Susan will supply account info to others who want to make donations directly by bank account transfer. This is especially convenient if you are a member of Park View Credit Union, but it can easily be done from any financial institution (Note from Kent: It is important that the account info not be posted online since the same information used to put money into our account can be used by people to take money out of the account.)

  

3. $200 was budgeted for delegate fees.  Susan noted we had not spent anything this year on delegate fees, because she was not notified of a need to pay them.

Funds for congregational and personal retreats have not been used for several years.

4. The congregation gives a small amount to various Virginia Mennonite Conference Agencies.  Pleasant View Home, Highland Retreat and other agencies regularly thank us for our support. 

There was a discussion of whether we should reduce the amount we send to Harrisonburg District. The suggest amount is $20 per member.  For FOH that would be $240. We opted to continue support at $300 per year.

5. Discussion then shifted to our support of the broader Church. Last year we supported MCC with a $2000 donation and Mennonite Mission Network with a $1000 donation.  We provided smaller donations to a variety of other MC USA agencies.

6. We then discussed our support of other church outreach efforts.  This included $500 split between three missionary families. 

7.There was some discussion of Faith in Action. We previously decided to provide a $250 donation this year to support their work. This year they are focusing on issues related to housing in the Harrisonburg area. In past years, Faith in Action focused on welcoming refugees and criminal justice.  It was decided to move Faith in Action spending from the discretionary fund to its own budget category.

8. The discretionary fund last year helped with purchasing a car for a person who needed transportation. Another person was assisted in paying for overnight accommodations during a housing transition.

9. We thanked Susan for all the things that she does to manage Family of Hope’s financial affairs.  

10. Harvey noted that we finished 2021 with over $3000 in our account.   He suggested that we might want to disburse these funds to those in need rather than let it sit our account for another year.

Dick and several others expressed a desire to use a portion of the surplus funds to assist the homeless in our community.  Harvey noted that Open Doors would soon lose the ability to use the Red Front property.  They are looking at some other properties including the former Shenandoah Presbyterian Office complex on North Main.  They have significant financial needs and would appreciate our support.

11. Lois also expressed a desire to assist those in our fellowship with medical bills. Harvey noted that we had budgeted $2500 for the congregational aid fund in 2021, but none of these funds were spent.  People are encouraged to share any needs they have so the congregation may assist in meeting.  

12. We will revisit how to spend the extra funds in our account over the next few weeks. Paying particular attention to providing for those in our congregation with medical bills and the needs of the homeless in our community.  

13. Harvey asked whether anybody in the congregation felt called to serve as a delegate to the Virginia Mennonite Assembly.  There is a meeting next Saturday and another meeting in July. The delegate would also attend quarterly meetings of the Harrisonburg District.

14. Then there was a discussion of the Church’s leadership team, which has not met recently. It was suggested  suggested they may want to gather at least for prayer.  Dick and Harvey are presently on the leadership team.

15. Dick noted that the basic purpose of the Church is “to know God and make him known.”

Harvey noted That’s why we meet together so we can share with one another and build one another up and help us understand and know God more.

Donna closed the meeting with prayer.

Kent Palmer, recording secretary