Services are from 3:30-5:00 pm
How Can A Group So Diverse Be So Unified?
In last Sunday's Zoom meeting, Family of Hope members agreed to meet in person on the first and third Sundays a month and to meet via Zoom on the second and third Sundays. On fifth Sundays members will be encouraged to visit other congregations.
Our house church, which meets in the afternoon, has fewer than a dozen active participants, a number of whom are associate members who still meet with the congregations they are members of on Sunday mornings. One is from a conservative Church of the Brethren congregation that has left the denomination, one is a member of a conservative Calvary Mennonite Church in Dayton, one is a member of a more liberal Park View Mennonite Church, another of the Lindale Mennonite Church and until recently, one a member of a local Friends meeting.
Five of our regular participants are retired missionaries, one of whom has a daughter in a same sex monogamous relationship he would gladly welcome as a part of our congregation if they lived in our area, (even though a majority of our group would not favor extending that kind of welcome). One of our Bible teachers grew up Catholic, another was Presbyterian, and who encourages us to pay more attention to the Hebrew Bible. Some members are liberal and left leaning, but others will surely vote Republican because they believe the alternative represents a danger to our country. So what keeps such a diverse, aging and ailing group like ours together, a number of whom are in assisted living here at VMRC?
I believe it's a sense of family based on years of learning to love each other and to trust each other's desire to find and follow Jesus to the best of our ability. It's about believing that God has called and chosen us, and not just about our choosing each other. We are blessed to be a part of God's worldwide beloved community!
- Harvey Yoder
March Services
We're still waiting for feedback about Easter Sunday, but here are plans for the third and fourth Sundays:
For February there will be no formally scheduled meetings of Family of Hope, but anyone on the email list may initiate a meeting, a social event, or an email conversation at the time of their choosing. For example, I am planning for another meeting at Jim and Ruth's at Crestwood on the first Sunday of February (at 2 pm to avoid a conflict with VMRC's Harmonia Sacra sing at3:30). For anyone wanting to plan for a Bible study or a prayer or fellowship service, I am glad to help publicize and promote these opportunities as needed, and will gladly take part as I am able. Otherwise we are encouraging people to visit other churches and be prepared to get together for further conversation and discernment at the end of the month.
Harvey
