Tonight is the last night for Youth Missions Group and Children's Choirs (both at 6:15 PM)! Chancel Choir rehearsal will take place at 7:30 PM. There are no other activities tonight.

Rejoice

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice

(Philippians 4:4)

I cannot fully put into words the joy I have continued to experience over the last couple of weeks due to the outpouring of your love and support, as I have concluded my time at Duke University Divinity School. I cherish the words of encouragement many of you shared through the notes you wrote. I am overwhelmed with gratitude for your kindness and generosity in the cards, calls, texts, and gifts you have sent my family during this exciting time. It means the world to all of us. As our church family, you continue to be such a blessing to us; a community of faith through whom we are able to experience the abundance of God’s goodness. Thank you for making this year’s graduation an unforgettable time of celebration that I will treasure for a lifetime. Because of you, I continue to rejoice in the Lord.   

-- Travis

This Sunday @ VBC

This Sunday we'll be recognizing and celebrating all our graduates, both high school and college, in our 10:30 AM worship service! Whitney will bring the message, titled "Consider the Lilies," and the scripture is Luke 12:22-32. If you cannot join us in person at 10:30 AM, you can livestream at www.vintonbaptistchurch.org and on our Facebook group page. (Don't forget Sunday School at 9:15 AM.)

Sunday will be a busy day! After morning worship, we will have:

• Youth Choir rehearsal at 11:45 AM, as usual.
• A Preteen and Youth meeting at 4:00 PM to make decorations for VBS (meet in the Preteen room, 206).
• Our quarterly Ministry Matters meeting at 5:00 PM in the gym for all members who are able to attend. Our meeting will include, among other business, a review of Realm and how it can benefit our members and committees. If you need help getting set up on Realm, we can do that Sunday afternoon (you will need access to your email).
• The 2024 WBHS Baccalaureate, sponsored by FCA, at 6:00 PM in the sanctuary.

Graduate Bibles for our senior high school students are in the Welcome Center and are ready for your notes of congratulations and affirmation, as well as highlighting your favorite verses. Please take a moment to stop by the church today or tomorrow and share your encouragement with our high school graduates. Thank you!

JOY Seniors Activities

May Luncheon: This Sunday, May 19th is the last day to sign up for the May luncheon. Lunch will come from McAlister's at a cost of $12/person, and the entertainment is "The Brothers Young," a duet playing bluegrass on the mandolin and banjo. If you just want to come for the entertainment, that is fine; just show up about 12:30, but please sign up so that we have seating (when signing up, write "entertainment only"). The luncheon is Tuesday, May 21st beginning at noon.

Rock Church Tour: There are a few seats left on the Rock Church Tour scheduled for June 29th. Please see the details and pay at the JOY Senior table. Deadline: May 31st.

September Trip: The trip to Lancaster, Philadelphia, and Baltimore in September is full, but there is a wait list. If interested, be sure to sign up on the wait list.

Thursday Morning Small Group Study

Our Thursday morning small group will resume tomorrow at 10:00 AM in the small dining room. All are welcome, as we discuss questions/themes from prior sermons and any other topics of interest. There will be no small group May 30th.

Youth White Water Rafting

Mark your calendars for our PGA Rafting Trip to Camp Wild Ridge and the New River Gorge National Park July 19th - 21st! Two adventure levels are available. The cost is $225/person (or $105 without rafting). Chaperones are needed but will need to cover the cost of rafting only ($120). Please see Whitney for more details, registration forms, or if you're interested in being a chaperone. The deadline to sign up is June 5th.

JoAnn Newman

1102 Halliahurst Avenue

Vinton VA 24179

Sunday, May 12, 2024

Sunday School: 182

10:30 AM Worship:

• 373 in person
• 96 online

Thank you to the Open Door Sunday School class for their donations to the Youth Choir Mission Tour and to the Food Pantry.

Christian sympathy is extended to the family and friends of Phyllis Hufton, who passed away May 13th.

Please extend a warm welcome to Michelle Davis, who rejoined VBC this past Sunday by letter from First Baptist. Michelle's address is 4909 Cave Spring Lane, Roanoke VA 24018. Welcome back, Michelle!

Associational Missions Offering

The Annie Mae Broyles Associational Missions Offering is now underway, and we'd love to have your support. The funds from this offering are used for local initiatives here in the greater Roanoke Valley. In fact, two thirds of the money raised goes to support Keystone Community Center and the Friendship House. Our church goal is $2,200. The total offering goal for all churches combined is $15,000. Will you help folks in our community by giving? There are envelopes in the pew pockets in the sanctuary, as well as in your box of envelopes. Some specify "Annie Mae Broyles"; others simply say "Associational Missions." Both types of envelopes go to the same fund.

Church Library Request

We have a few relatively new books that were checked out a couple months ago, but the library cards were not signed and they have not been returned. If you have these books and have finished reading them, please return them as soon as possible so that they can be put back in circulation:

• The Seeds of Change by Lauraine Snelling (three books)
• Hope Harbor by Irene Hannon (three books)
• Edge of Dusk by Colleen Coble
• A Novel Proposal by Denise Hunter

If you are not done with all the books, please return the ones that have been read and let us know that you have the others so that we can update our records. Thank you!

Dinwiddie Youth Mission Trip:

Tools/Supplies Needed!

Please click here for a list of items needed for the Youth Mission Trip to Dinwiddie, Virginia. If you have any items on this list that our group could borrow, please label them, fill out the Tool Register located in the church office, and drop your items off at the church. We will return borrowed items when we return from our trip. Thank you!

Blessing Box Needs

Following is a list of items needed for the Blessing Box: fruit cups or cans of fruit (any type), individually wrapped snacks (like crackers, Teddy Grahams, chips, granola bars, fruit bars, etc.), cans of SpaghettiO's or other types of Chef Boyardee products, peanut butter, applesauce, and corn bread mixes. Cans with pop tops are particularly helpful for our homeless folks. Donations can be dropped off in the marked bin at the Missions Tables. Thank you!!

Please note that The Witness will NOT be published the first week in June, as Kim will be on vacation. Thanks for your understanding.

Bible Reading Plan

CONGRATULATIONS to all those who have made it through the Old Testament on our Bible Reading Plan!!

Today marks the beginning of the New Testament, and everyone is invited to join us as we make our way from Matthew 1 to Revelation 22 over the course of the rest of this year. There are copies of our plan available at the Welcome Center, or you can click here for an online version. Just find Matthew 1 on page 10. (The date says May 16th, but we actually begin today because of 2024 being a leap year.) Keep in mind that you can also access our Bible Reading Plan through the VBC app on your mobile device. You can download it from your app store by searching Vinton Baptist Church VA. The Bible Reading Plan is available on the bottom menu, and you can even have your mobile device read it to you!

Most of us are more familiar with the gospels than many of the books in the Old Testament, but let me share some of the info that Fee & Stuart provide about Matthew in How to Read the Bible Book by Book:

• Their best guess is that Matthew was written in the 70s - 80s, after the book of Mark (as Mark was used as a basis for Matthew).
• Interestingly, Fee & Stuart reveal that scholars don't know for certain who wrote this book. A second century church father, Papias, names Matthew as the author, but apparently there is substantial disagreement.
• This book focuses on Jesus as the fulfillment of the Jewish Messiah. Also, "Jesus is presented as the true interpreter of the law ...."
• "The genius of Matthew's Gospel lies in its structure, which presents a marvelous tapestry of narrative interwoven with carefully crafted blocks of teaching. So well is this done that the most prominent feature of Matthew's story - the five blocks of teaching - is sometimes not even noticed because one is more aware of the flow of the narrative ...."
• Finally, this gospel is equally interested in recognizing the ministry of Jesus as a product of the Old Testament and Jewish heritage AND acknowledging that his ministry crosses cultural divides to welcome Gentiles.

Happy reading!

-- Kim

From the Property Committee:

Thanks for your continued support, as we have been working hard on the heating and cooling systems, and also repairing the ceiling in the choir room and the baptistry. We have converted from heating to cooling. Please be mindful that the recommended temperature in any given room should be no less than 70 degrees. If you do turn the thermostat down, please turn it back up before leaving your room. Our electric bill is one of our major expenses. Thank you for your continued donations (above your normal giving) to the capital needs fund that have allowed us to continue our efforts to provide the best facilities possible.

Notice to Our Walkers

If you normally walk at VBC on weekdays, please be aware that our Boys & Girls Club will begin their full day summer session on June 10th, which means that the New Ministries Building will not be open to walkers. You are welcome to walk on any floor of the Children's Building, as well as in the sanctuary. The Boys & Girls Club summer session will end July 26th, at which time you can return to your usual routes through the building.

Dearest Church Family,

Thank you so much for all the thoughts, visits, phone calls, cards, but most of all your PRAYERS during my hospital stay and time at home after my heart surgery. We are so thankful for all who reached out to us. Please continue to pray for complete healing as we walk through this journey. We are looking forward to being back with you soon! We are blessed to call you family! We've missed you but are so thankful we could be there online!! Much love and appreciation,

Jimmy & Patsy Woolfolk

Thank you, Jeff Carr and the Deacons, for your visit and also the coloring books and color pencils. Thanks also to all the members who send me cards.

Love, Audrey Ferguson