PALM SUNDAY

"Follow Jesus into Obedience"

April 10, 2022

Luke 22:39-42

FIRST WEDNESDAY (1W)

TONIGHT | APRIL 6 | 6:00 TO 7:00 PM

In recent months, Pastor Larry and our pastoral staff have increasingly felt led by the Holy Spirit to equip VRBC to strengthen our prayer – as individuals and as a church. As part of this conviction, we will be gathering in the Seminar Room on the first Wednesday of each month this spring to pray together.

At First Wednesday (1W), we will aspire to tune our hearts to the Holy Spirit through worship, to offer specific training on the many-splendored facets of prayer, and then to unleash you to pray about a broad variety of topics in a broad variety of ways (including praise, thanksgiving, confession, and requests for guidance and spiritual growth). We hope you'll join us TONIGHT at 6:00 pm!

HOLY WEEK

APRIL 10 THROUGH APRIL 17

THIS SUNDAY | APRIL 10 | 9:30 AM | OUTDOORS

Join us on Sunday, April 10, at 9:30 am as we celebrate Palm Sunday outdoors on the south parking lot! Elementary school students will attend the service with their families, while preschool ministry will be offered inside. All Grow Groups (kids, students, and adults) will follow their normal, indoor schedule.

TABLE TO THE CROSS | THURSDAY | APRIL 14 | 7:00 PM

On the evening of Maundy Thursday, we will follow Jesus through the last twenty-four hours of His life . . . from the Last Supper table all the way to the cross. This reflective service is a meaningful time to focus on the sacrifice Jesus Christ made on our behalf and is a wonderful way to prepare your heart for the joy of Easter morning. We hope you will join us at 7:00 pm in the Worship Center. Children's ministry will be provided for preschool children.

EASTER SUNDAY | APRIL 17 | 9:30 AM

Make plans now to celebrate the joy of Easter with us on Sunday, April 17, at 9:30 am. Our worship service will have special hospitality for you and your invited guests, plus fun activities for kids!

SPECIAL NOTE: No Grow Groups will meet individually from Monday, April 11 through Sunday, April 17. Instead, all groups will meet together for the Table to the Cross service on Thursday, April 14.

SENIOR SUNDAY | MAY 15

ONLINE JOURNAL SUBMISSIONS DUE 4/15

Join us as we celebrate our 2022 Seniors at Senior Sunday! As in years past, we will be honoring them within the service, praying over their future, and celebrating their success with their senior journals. Make sure to send our seniors off well by writing to them in their journals! All submissions are due by April 15. Click here to get started!

SERVE DAY

SATURDAY | APRIL 23

As part of our Serve Initiative 2022, we're excited to hold a much-loved annual event, VRBC Serve Day, on April 23. VRBC Serve Day is a church-wide opportunity for us to be together and make a difference by serving at VRBC and through our local partners.

In just one day, volunteers will get to experience the joy of serving together inside and outside the walls of VRBC. Serving is truly a privilege, and as a church, we count it an absolute honor to be able to serve our community. To find out about the opportunities available on that day and to get signed up, just click here. This event is perfect for Grow Groups, families, or individuals who are looking to make a difference.

FOLLOW JESUS IN BAPTISM

SUNDAY | APRIL 24 | 9:30 AM

On Sunday, April 24, we will celebrate baptism in our morning worship service at 9:30 am, and we would love for you to be a part of it! If you are a follower of Jesus but have never been baptized, this is a great opportunity to take that step. If God has been nudging you to be baptized, we'd love to visit with you about it! For more information, contact Amy Wilkins at awilkins@vrbc.net.

WISDOM WARRIORS

THURSDAY | APRIL 28 | 11:30 AM TO 1:00 PM

Wisdom Warriors is a ministry for senior adults to build community and fellowship together. Join us on Thursday, April 28, in the VRBC Seminar Room to share a delicious meal and sing hymns together. All ages are welcome and there is no cost to attend. Please click here no later than April 25 to register. If you have any questions or would like to request transportation to the event, please contact Ann Kelly at anntkelly@verizon.net.

DINNER FOR EIGHT

SATURDAY | APRIL 30 | 6:00 TO 8:00 PM

Dinner for Eight is back and we would love to have you with us! On April 30, from 6:00 to 8:00 pm, we will have dinners at VRBC. The food will be great — the fellowship even better! We hope you'll join us. Life is definitely better with friends and food!

Click here to get signed up. The deadline for adult registration is Sunday, April 24. The cost is $10.00 per person. Questions? Contact Elaine Carlton at elaine.carlton@gmail.com.

Childcare is available upon registration by April 21. Register your children here.

VRBC'S COOL CHOIR CLUB PRESENTS:

"THE BORN AGAIN IDENTITY" | MAY 1 | 5 PM

Join us on May 1 at 5:00 pm as VRBC's Cool Choir Club presents "The Born Again Identity." This highly entertaining but very spiritual children’s musical reveals the Scriptural truths of salvation and being born again through the ever-popular genre of spies and undercover investigative discovery. Invite your family and friends and join us for an evening full of adventures as we solve together the mysterious encounter between Nicodemus and Jesus!

VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL "MONUMENTAL" JUNE 13-16 | 9:00 AM–NOON

This year at VBS, kids will discover the vastness of God’s love. Studies show that many kids today struggle with feelings of inadequacy, walking through deep valleys and canyons of loneliness. At "Monumental," we’ll point kids’ eyes up, to a loving, powerful God who is bigger than . . . well, anything! As they embark on action-packed, faith-filled adventures, they’ll explore what it means to be loved by a mighty God.

For kids currently in kindergarten through 5th grade, VBS will take place June 13 through 16, from 9:00 am to noon. Learn more and register here! Interested in volunteering at VBS? Click here and click the "register" button to find your spot!

INTERNATIONAL MISSION TRIPS

KENYA | SEPTEMBER 23 – OCTOBER 3, 2022

This fall, VRBC will be partnering with African Christian Outreach (ACO) on a mission trip to Kenya, led by VRBC-supported missionary Tom Stickney. On this trip, we will minister to the entire ACO staff team through worship, training, and kids ministry. We will also be able to see the beauty of Kenya by going on a three-day safari together! The trip cost is estimated to be $3,200 plus airfare. Elementary school age and older are eligible to apply; children younger than 9th grade will need to have a parent on the trip. Click here for more details.

SOUTHEAST ASIA | MARCH 10 – 26, 2023

VRBC partners with a family who serves as Global Field Personnel with the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. On this trip we will be supporting their team of 20 Field Personnel. We will do children's ministry with their children in our host city, as well as with small churches on a primitive island. The group will also spend a few days doing ministry and tourism on a beautiful island known for its beaches. This trip is open to anyone and kids are welcome. The cost for this trip is estimated to be about $3,000. Click here for more info.

INTEREST MEETING | MAY 1 | 12:15 PM

Questions? Please join us on May 1 at 12:15 pm in the Seminar Room for an interest meeting about both of these trips. For any additional information, please contact Amy Wilkins at awilkins@vrbc.net. 

STUDENT PASTOR SEARCH

WE'D LOVE YOUR HELP!

VRBC is seeking a full-time Student Pastor, and we would love your help! Do you know someone who might be a good candidate? Please encourage him or her to learn more and apply at vrbc.net/student-pastor. We appreciate your prayers as we seek to fill this important role!

The Student Pastor at VRBC is a spiritual and organizational leader responsible for leading all aspects of the student ministry of the church. He or she will serve as a pastor to the congregation and in particular all 6th- through 12th-grade students, leading and inspiring them to know, imitate, and share Jesus, together with their parents and adult leaders. Primary responsibilities include engaging students who are already in the church and seeking to reach those who are not; shepherding and discipling students; recruiting, developing, and shepherding volunteers; and leading all aspects of student ministry programming.

Questions? Please contact Amy Wilkins at awilkins@vrbc.net or Tom Rutledge, the Student Pastor Search Team chair, at trutledge6@gmail.com.