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