April 2014 Newsletter

House-to-House

Family of Hope House Church

April 2014

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

To be truly well we need to practice doing what well people do

Truly well people drink daily from the well of Living Water.

Truly well people avoid seeing themselves as victims, and cultivate a spirit of gratitude to God and others rather than nursing grievances.

Truly well people are intentional about expanding their circle of good relationships (as in a supportive faith community) rather than isolating themselves from others.

Truly well people are generous in sharing what they have with others rather than hoarding more for themselves.

Truly well people engage in plenty of good physical activity rather than living sedentary lives.

Truly well people operate on the basis of their faith rather than their worst-case fears.

Truly well people treat their bodies and minds as gifts to be given the best possible care.

Truly well people have a sense of mission and purpose that goes beyond their immediate personal interests, but which they also know is in their (and others') best interests. 

Wellness is a priceless, but nevertheless costly, gift to be treasured for a lifetime.

                                   - Harvey Yoder

Notes, prayers and praises

OUR EASTER SUNRISE SERVICE and breakfast will be at the    Vlasits April 20!
THE STORY OF ELIAS CHACOUR, a Palestinian church leader, will  be featured in a film shown at the seminary at 7 pm April 16.
PRAY FOR KAREN CAMPBELL, scheduled for gall bladder surgery at the Woodstock Hospital Monday, April 7.
 WE CONTINUE USING Stephen Cherry’s Barefoot Prayers for our Lenten devotional reading. Cherry pastors the Durham Cathedral in Ireland and plans to visit this area (and our church!) in August.
APRIL BIRTHDAY BLESSINGS to Bertha Swarr 4/13, Jack (Hong
Yan) Zhou 4/14, Cathy Atwell 4/19, Bo Hu 4/20 and Randy May 4/21!

April Lectionary readings

6    Ezekiel 37:1–14 Psalm 130  Romans 8:6–11 John 11:1–45
13  Matthew 21:1–11 Psalm 118:1–29 Isaiah 50:4–9 Psalm 31:9–16       Philippians 2:5–11 Matthew 26:14–27:66 Matthew 27:11–54
20  Acts 10:34-43 Psalm 118:1–2, 14–24 Colossians 3:1–4 John 20:1–18
or Matthew 28:1–10
27  Acts 2:14a, 22–32 Psalm 16 1 Peter 1:3–9 John 20:19–31

April services worship at 3:59, meal at 6 (except 4/20)

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

13 Location: Family Life Resource Center 723 Newman Ave.   432-0531
Worship and sharing: Harvey Yoder                                                   
Bible Study: Dick Dumas                                             Finger Food Meal

20 Easter Sunrise Service: Guy & Margie Vlasits 3448 Caverns Dr K’town 908-0391
8 am Worship at the caverns entrance, with meditation by James Stauffer, followed by a celebration of Easter singing and breakfast!                                                 

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

Drink Deep Of Living Water

This was for the closing part of our lectionary-based Bible study last Sunday on "Wells and Weddings"

Romans 5:1-11 Let the thirsty come

We have been made right with God because of our faith.                                             
Drink deep faith.

Now we have peace with him because of our Lord Jesus Christ.                                  
Drink deep peace.

Through faith in Jesus we have received God’s grace. In that grace we stand.       
Drink deep grace.

We are full of joy because we expect to share in God’s glory.                                         
Drink deep joy.

And that’s not all. We are full of joy even when we suffer. We know that our suffering gives us the strength to go on.                 
Drink deep strength.

The strength to go on produces character. Character produces hope.                      
Drink deep hope.

And hope will never let us down. God has poured his love into our hearts.              
Drink deep love.

He did it through the Holy Spirit, whom he has given to us.                                      
Drink deep Holy Spirit.

At just the right time Christ died for ungodly people. He died for us when we had no power of our own.                                              
Drink deep deliverance.

It is unusual for anyone to die for a godly person. Maybe someone would be willing to die for a good person. But here is how God has shown his love for us. While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.                     
Drink deep atonement.

The blood of Christ has made us right with God. So we are even more sure that Jesus will save us from God’s anger.                     
Drink deep salvation.

Once we were God’s enemies. But we have been reconciled to him because his Son has died for us.                                             
Drink deep reconciliation.

Now that God has brought us back, we are even more secure. We know that we will be saved because Christ lives.                    
Drink deep security.

And that is not all. We are full of joy in God because of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of him, God has brought us back to himself.
Drink deep love and belonging.

March 2014 Newsletter

House-to-House
Family of Hope House Church                                        March 2014

A letter from Buckingham prison
Dear Pastor Yoder,

I want to apologize because our brief relationship has always revolved around me and my efforts to seek justice for parole eligible prisoners. I am writing today to ask how I can help you.

Do you or any of your friends have any prayer requests? I would be honored and blessed to lift these prayers to the throne of grace. I can also share them with our prayer team here. I know that some strongholds can only be brought down through prayer, and I am willing to join you, your church, and your friends in prayer. I know God is able.

When I was at Keen Mountain the Lord woke me up one morning at 4:20 am. When I woke my heart was heavy with thoughts of my mother. I began to pray for her earnestly. don’t remember how long I prayed, I just prayed until that peace came over me and I drifted back to sleep. The next day I tried calling my mom and could not reach her. The following day I spoke to her and learned that at the very minute the Lord woke me up my mother was calling 911 because of chest pains. She hadn’t answered the day before because she was in in the hospital with congestive heart failure.

God is so good! At my mother’s hour of need, He woke me up to pray for her!

I will be reviewed for parole in April. I am not asking for a letter or anything else other than to pray and agree that God’s will be done. I am praying that this will be the year, not because of my litigation or other efforts regarding parole, but because I am persuaded and convinced that God has called me me to serve him the remaining days of my life.

Steve Goodman1028377, BKCC, Box 430, Dillwyn, VA 23936

Notes, prayers and praises

* PRAY FOR BILLY MAY’s ongoing health problems.
LOIS RIVERA-WENGER will be leaving later in March to be with daughters and grandchildren, and plans to return in July.
MARCH BIRTHDAY BLESSINGS to Ruth Stauffer 3/28!
 WE WILL BE using Stephen Cherry’s Barefoot Prayers for devotional reading during Lent. Cherry is the pastor at the Durham Cathedral in Ireland and plans to visit this area (and our church!) in late August.

March Lectionary readings

2   Exodus 24:12–18  Psalm 99 2 Peter 1:16–21  Matthew 17:1-16 
9   Genesis 2:15–17; 3:1–7 Psalm 32 Romans 5:12–19 Matthew 4:1–11
16 Genesis 12:1–4a  Psalm 121   Romans 4:1–5, 13–17  John 3:1–17
23 Exodus 17:1–7 Psalm 95  Romans 5:1–11 John 4:5–42
30 1 Samuel 16:1–13 Psalm 23  Ephesians 5:8–14 John 9:1–41

March services worship at 3:59, meal at 6

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

9 Location: Family Life Resource Center 723 Newman Ave.   432-0531
Worship and sharing: Lois Wenger                                                     
Bible Study: Dick Dumas                 Communion and Fasting, No Meal

16 Location: Guy & Margie Vlasits 3448 Caverns Dr K’town 908-0391
Worship and sharing: Guy and Margie Vlasits                                                    
Bible Study: James Stauffer                                              Carry-in Meal

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

30 Location: Guy & Margie Vlasits 3448 Caverns Dr K’town 908-0391
Worship and sharing: Elly Nelson                                               
Bible Study: Daryl Byler                                                   Carry-in Meal

http://harvyoder.blogspot.com

25th Anniversary Celebration For Elly and Neal Nelson February 2!

Neal and Elly at the Vlasits Lodge

Prelude and Worship Music

We are One in The Spirit,
We are One in The Lord.
And we pray that all unity may one day be restored.

Chorus: 
And they'll know we are Christians by our love, by our love,
And they'll know we are Christians by our love.

We will work with each other,
We will work side by side.
And we'll guard each man's dignity  And save each man's pride.

Chorus:

We will walk with each other,
We will walk hand in hand.
And together we'll spread the news  that God is in our land.

Chorus:
 
A reading from Deuteronomy: Elly Nelson

Sentence prayers and praises   “Lord hear our prayer...”  “Lord, hear our praise...”

“In the bulb there is the flower”

Meditation: Harvey Yoder

“Since First My Soul Was Knit to Thine”: Harvey and Alma Jean
 
Renewal of Marriage Pledge

"Whither Thou Goest": David Weaver

"Joyful, joyful we adore thee"

Benediction

Blest be the tie that binds


Elly wrote this note of appreciation after the event:

To say that Neal and I have been basking in the outpouring of love that surrounded us last Sunday, the second day of February, as we recommitted our lives to one another and to the Lord, would be an understatement.

It is quite impossible for anyone to reach the ages that we have attained and to have escaped days that will be forever etched in memory.  Sometimes, those days we remember were heavy with sorrow.  Sometimes those days we remember are bathed in the glow of pure joy. 

The events of this past Sunday fell handily into the second column, seizing a place at the very top of our list, where they shall remain as a crown jewel for the rest of our days.

To our utter delight, following the songs of praise and adoration that had been on our lips all week, even a special favorite, “Let All Things Now Living Give Praise and Thanksgiving”, Harvey lead us to a deep study of Micah 6:8, where we could all explore the keys to rewarding and fulfilling relationships,

We were blessed beyond measure to have Alma Jean and Harvey join their exquisite voices to provide the brushstrokes of a song that paints a picture of two souls knit together as one kindred spirit with the Lord reigning over their hearts and lives.  And then we were treated to a song from David Weaver as well!

The anticipation had reached a crescendo when Harvey announced that it was time – it was time for us to come before a cloud of witnesses, to profess our love for each other and to reaffirm our vows.  I had been watching the faces of our friends, our family – Margie and Guy and Kathy and Karen (who made us a very special and outrageously delicious cake), Lois (who organized and wrote such heart-moving words), and Carla and Ruth and Jim – Susan and Karen and Alma Jean and Harvey and David, thinking how dearly I love each and every one, and of the outpouring of love that emanated from each precious sister and brother who was about to bear witness to our vows of recommitment to uphold and nurture one another in our walk with the Lord, individually and together.

When Neal and I spoke those words to one another a quarter century ago that joined us at the heart, the chapel was filled with Neal’s family and friends, I knew only two people in attendance, the man I was about to wed to and my mother.  This time, we spoke words we did not speak before – ani l’dodi, v’dodi li, I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine, and we spoke them before a family we did not then know, but a family we love so dearly that we could exhort each to join with us to recommit our very lives to the King of Kings Who reigns over our lives.

Our hearts are full.  Our hearts are grateful for all the work everyone did to make this the crown jewel of our happy days to remember.  To each member of our family, our Family of Hope, we say thank you, and for each, we pray a blessing beyond measure.

In His love,

Elly and Neal.

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!