TONIGHT the Chancel Choir will rehearse at 7:00 PM in the choir room!

This Sunday @ VBC

This Sunday we'll hear from our Youth Choir Mission Tour participants, as well as recognize both Independence Day and the veterans who have served our country. The "Vinton Singers" (our Youth Choir) will share a number of patriotic songs which they also performed on their tour earlier this month, and you can hear all about their trip from Vinton to Richmond, then to Washington D.C., then on to New York City. Travis continues his sermon series in Psalms with "A Bird," based in Psalm 91. Worship begins at 10:30 AM (Sunday School at 9:15 AM). If you cannot join us in person, livestream is available through our app, at www.vintonbaptistchurch.org, and through our Facebook page.

We will also have a 5th Sunday Luncheon following morning worship! Please join us for food and fellowship in the gym. The menu is BBQ sandwiches, mac-n-cheese, baked beans, coleslaw, tea/lemonade/coffee, and assorted desserts. There is no charge.

VBS Info:

Sign up now for VBS, which is Sunday, July 14th - Thursday, July 18th. Our theme is Scuba: Diving into Friendship with God! The hours are 5:30 - 8:30 PM daily. Children age 3 - rising 6th graders are invited to participate. CLICK HERE to register!

Please spread the word to your family, neighbors, and friends. There will be a VBS invitation included as a bulletin insert this Sunday; we hope you'll use it to invite your friends. There will be a registration QR code on the invitation. They can also register through our website (www.vintonbaptistchurch.org) or through our Facebook event. Volunteers can register using the same link.

Thank you to everyone who has already returned their VBS donations! They can be dropped off at the Missions Tables by the date indicated on your request.

Upcoming VBS Meetings/Opportunities:

• This Sunday, June 30th Jessie Burgess will be available in the office/library from 2:30 until 4:30 PM to meet with volunteer groups who may have questions about VBS or who may want to take this opportunity to gather supplies. If you are a volunteer and you (or your group) need assistance preparing for VBS, please drop in to meet with Jessie.
• On Sunday, July 7th there will be a general volunteer training meeting at noon in the gym. If you have signed up to volunteer, please plan to attend.
• At 6 PM on Sunday, July 7th we will have training specifically for youth volunteers. Please meet in the library.

Keystone Paper Drive

The annual Keystone Paper Drive, which is sponsored by the JOY Seniors, will run the entire month of July. Please consider donating paper goods such as paper towels, toilet paper, plates, bowls, napkins, etc. Collection boxes will be located in the Welcome Center and the lobby of the New Ministries Building beginning this Sunday, June 30th.

JOY Seniors Schedule

If you signed up for the Rock Church trip Saturday, June 29th, please note that departure is at 7:30 AM; our expected return is 7:00 PM. Lunch, dinner, and all admissions are included in the price you've paid.

We have had such a great response to the Sight & Sound/Philadelphia/Baltimore trip scheduled for September 24th - 26th that we have secured a second bus; sign-ups are open again. See all the details at the JOY Senior table. The deadline to sign up and pay is Tuesday, August 20th.

Are you up for a little adventure and lots of fellowship? The JOY Senior Mystery Trip Thursday, July 25th will offer both. The cost is $99 and includes 3 meals and all admissions. We will depart VBC at 7:00 AM and return at 8:00 PM. Sign up at the JOY Senior table.

The July Senior Breakout (lunch out instead of in the gym) will be Tuesday, July 30th at Liberty Station in Bedford. The bus will leave VBC at 10:45 AM. Please sign up whether you are riding the bus or driving so that we will have an accurate head count.

CBF Offering for Global Missions

We invite you to contribute to the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship (CBF) Offering for Global Missions. One hundred percent of these funds support the long-term presence (salary, benefits, and housing) of CBF field personnel around the world. Please simply mark your gifts payable to Vinton Baptist and notate "CBF Offering for Global Missions." Our church goal is $2,200.

Ann Allen

Friendship North Assisted Living

320 Hershberger Road, Apt. 514

Roanoke VA 24012

Sunday, June 23, 2024

Sunday School: 199

10:30 AM Worship:

• 322 in person
• 163 online

Thank you to the Deacons for their donations to Vacation Bible School and the Boys & Girls Club.

Thank you to the LOA Sunday School class for their donation to the Community Assistance Fund.

Christian sympathy is extended to Joyce Gearhart and Anne Huffman-Overbay and families in the death of their sister, Bonnie Magnotti, on June 23rd.

Four on the 4th

If you want to support Boys & Girls Club through their annual Four on the 4th run/walk this Independence Day, please click here for all the details and to sign up! Also, we need some folks on July 3rd to prepare watermelon for this event; if you can help, please call the church office at 540-343-7685.

Please extend a warm welcome to Gerald Carter, who has been attending VBC for some time and who officially joined our congregation Sunday, June 23rd by letter from Second Presbyterian Roanoke. Gerald's address is 2047 Beagle Club Road, Vinton VA 24179. Gerald, we're thrilled that you are officially a member of our church family!

Community Assistance Fund

The Community Assistance Fund is designed to assist non-members in the greater Roanoke area with rent/mortgage, utilities, heating fuel, medical bills, and similar expenses. This fund is sustained entirely by donations; it is not a budgeted item. When we have funds, we are able to fulfill requests. When the account is depleted, we simply turn individuals/families away. We are thankful for all donations. If you are interested in giving, please make payment (by check, cash, or online) to VBC and notate "Community Assistance Fund" in the memo or comment line. Thank you!

Bible Reading Plan

We are well into the gospel of Luke at this point. BibleProject divides Luke into two sections (today's reading is almost at the end of the first section) and discusses some thematic elements that were mentioned in last week's article. I always appreciate how simply and creatively BibleProject presents the themes of each Bible book and frames them within the larger story of the Bible. Click here for their video on the first half of Luke (an 8-minute video). Then you can click here for their summary of the second half of this gospel (even shorter).

I'm curious if you've run across any passages that have seemed familiar in the past, but now you have a broader understanding of them. One of the passages that I have a greater appreciation for is found in chapter 7. Verses 18-19 state, "John's disciples told him about all these things [Jesus' teaching and miracles]. Calling two of them, he sent them to the Lord to ask, 'Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?'" Jesus' response is recorded in verses 22-23: "'Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor. Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me.'" If John the Baptist questioned whether Jesus was the promised Messiah, especially after having baptized Jesus, it reinforces my understanding that doubt is often an integral part of our faith journeys. And I also love the way Jesus answers John. He doesn't give him a straight answer, but challenges John's faith and understanding of God in his response. He's encouraging John to believe by asking him to rely on his knowledge of the Old Testament scriptures and see current events in light of those promises. I would love to get your feedback on your readings in Luke!

-- Kim

Correction to last week's issue of The Witness: The 2024 Stovall-Page Scholarship was awarded in the amount of $500/each (not $400, as previously stated).

Modified Church Office Hours

• Please note that the church office will close at 4:00 PM this Friday, June 28th.
• We will also be closed next Thursday, July 4th in observance of Independence Day.

To our friends at Vinton Baptist -

Thank you for your generous offering to Meals on Wheels! You are helping so many of our neighbors, and we're most grateful.

Sincerely, Laura Anderson, LOA Development Manager