Fall Programming

The September calendar link can be found at the end of today's newsletter. A few key dates to remember:

• Adult choir rehearsals (Praise Team @ 6:30 PM and Chancel Choir @ 7:30 PM) begin next Wednesday, September 6th. Do you love to sing? Consider joining the Chancel Choir! New members are always welcome (you do NOT have to be a church member to sing with the choir). See Chris with any questions.
• Adult Handbells (5:00 PM) and Adult Steel Drums (6:05 PM) rehearsals resume Sunday, September 10th. Wanda Melchers can answer any questions about handbells, and Chris can answer questions about steel drums.
• Youth Choir (5:00 PM), Snack Supper (6:00 PM), and Extreme (6:30 PM) all begin Sunday, September 10th. All youth parents are also invited to attend our Extreme kickoff that night, as we'll be going over our calendar, forms, etc.
• Art from the Heart and Mission Kids (formerly CIA) will begin their monthly meetings September 10th, 4:00 - 6:00 PM, with snack time in between. Kindergarteners - 5th graders are welcome to join us.
• Weeknight Worship begins Tuesday, September 12th. See details below.
• Children's Choirs resume September 13th at 6:15 PM for 3-year-olds - 5th graders.
• Our fall Ministry Matters (business) meeting will take place at 6:15 PM Wednesday, September 13th.
• See details below about the three small groups (Wednesday Women, Grief Support Group, and Faith Formation at Home) that will begin September 20th.
• Reminder: there are no Wednesday dinners scheduled this fall.

This Sunday @ VBC

If you are in town for the Labor Day weekend, you're invited to worship with us this Sunday at 8:45 or 11:00 AM. Travis continues the current sermon series with "Fourth Teaching: Laying on of Hands," and the scripture is Acts 19:1-7. If you can't make it in person, you can find our livestream at www.vintonbaptistchurch.org or on our Facebook group page.

Sunday School begins at 9:50 AM. If you need help finding a Sunday School class, give us a call and we'll point you in the right direction. Or you can click here for the latest list of our Sunday School options.

Please note that the church office will be closed Monday, September 4th in observance of the Labor Day holiday. We plan to reopen at 9:00 AM Tuesday.

JOY Seniors

Join the JOY Seniors in welcoming fall by attending the Beaver Dam Sunflower Festival on Wednesday, September 13th. Experience over 600,000 sunflowers, a farm petting zoo, hay rides, a sunflower education center, and some vendors for shopping. We will have lunch at Bellacino's following the festival. The cost of this trip is $5 plus your lunch. Sign up and pay at the JOY Senior table.

Walk with Jesus

A new Walk with Jesus class will begin September 10th for 3rd - 5th graders who are interested in learning more about baptism and next steps with Christ. Class will take place in the library during the Sunday School hour through October 15th. Please let Whitney know if your child would like to attend.

Fun & the Son Play Group

On September 12th, Fun & the Son Play Group will take a field trip! We'll meet at 10 AM at Beaver Dam Sunflower Farm, followed by a picnic at Troutville Park. Questions? Contact Betty Jo Overstreet at 540-312-7235.

Our play group is open to newborn - PreK children and their parents, grandparents, or guardians. We meet Mondays and Thursdays, 9:30 - 10:30 AM at the church. This is a great opportunity for families to connect and make new friends. You do not have to attend Vinton Baptist in order to come to Fun & the Son. Everyone is welcome.

Wednesday Women

Wednesday Women will begin September 20th, 10 AM - 12 PM in the Disciple Center, led by Susan Jones. Our study book is When You Pray: A Study of Six Prayers in the Bible. Please sign up in the church office so that we will know how many ladies to expect, and plan to purchase your own book. If you cannot obtain your own book, let us know when you sign up and we will purchase it for you. Each book is $25, and payment is due when you sign up or on the first day of our study. If you need us to order your book, you must let us know by September 10th.

Grief Support Group

On September 20^th, we will begin an 8-week Grief Support Group led by Cathy Abraham on Wednesday evenings, 6:15 -7:15 PM in the church library. Cathy is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) and Christian therapist.  No matter the initial reason for your grief (the loss of a loved one or a job, the breakup of a relationship, the death of a pet or deterioration of your health, etc.) or the length or depth of your grief, you are invited to come sit with us, participate with us, or choose to be vocal or silent with us. A sign-up sheet is available in the church office, and sign-ups will close when we reach a total of 15 participants or on September 19th, whichever comes first. You are welcome to call the church office at 540-343-7685 to sign up.

Faith Formation at Home

Travis will also lead an 8-week small group beginning September 20th; this group will meet in the small dining room, 6:15 - 7:15 PM each Wednesday, focusing on the cultivation of intentional and consistent faith formation practices that encourage both children and adults. Each week we will examine a different faith formation practice and seek to answer: What is it? Why is it important? How can we apply it in our homes?

Audrey Ferguson

3120 Richard Avenue NE

Roanoke VA 24012

Proposed Church Budget

Copies of the 2023-24 proposed church budget are available at the Welcome Center and in the office for your perusal. The proposed budget will officially be presented at the September 13th Ministry Matters meeting, where we can discuss it in depth, and we will plan to vote on it in a special called business meeting on September 24th.

Children's Worship Volunteers Needed

If you could help teach or assist in the Children's Worship time (PreK - 1st graders) on any given Sunday over the next month, please click here to sign up or contact Whitney if you have questions.

Church Directory

Pictures will soon be taken for a new church directory, and we'd like to include everyone who calls VBC "home," whether you are formally a member or not. Every family photographed will receive a free copy of the directory, as well as a free 8x10 portrait. Please call the church office at 540-343-7685 to set up an appointment.

Christian sympathy is extended to Linda Kingery, Jason & Amy, and family in the death of Eddie Kingery Monday, August 28th; and to Beth, Brad, & Becca Radford, as well as Chris & Tammy Fowler, and families in the death of Beth and Chris' father, Gary Fowler, Sunday, August 27th.

Alma Hunt Offering for Virginia Missions

The WMU invites you to contribute to the Alma Hunt State Missions Offering; our church goal is $2,200. This project is a joint effort of the Woman's Missionary Union of Virginia (WMUV) and the BGAV. These funds are used to help with disaster relief, youth projects, missions funding for churches, camping opportunities for children, leadership development opportunities, etc. More info can be found at almahunt.org. Special envelopes for this fund are in your box of church envelopes and also in the church pews. Thanks in advance for helping us meet our goal.

Bible Reading Plan

We've finally begun 2 Chronicles, and it will take us a couple of weeks to get through the remainder of the book. I needed those catch-up days this weekend to get back on track. I hope they were helpful to you, too.

The themes of 1 Chronicles - explained by Fee & Stuart in "How to Read the Bible Book by Book," as well as through the BibleProject video referenced a couple of weeks ago - became evident through the course of 1 Chronicles: the emphasis on God's promises to David, including the continuation of the Davidic line; obedience to God; AND the importance of the Levites and priests in their service to God, especially through the much-discussed temple. The king/kingdom and his/its devotion to God are critical. 2 Chronicles will continue these themes.

2 Chronicles begins with Solomon, the offspring of David, and his goal to build the temple, as directed by God, reflecting the above themes. The first few chapters of 2 Chronicles relay the account of the building of the temple.

Following is also a brief article that further reinforces these themes. It includes an application section at the end, explaining how 2 Chronicles and its message can be an encouragement to us today.

https://insight.org/.../the.../second-chronicles...

Happy reading!

"Check out" the new books in our library!

• I Survived graphic novels (7 books)
• I Survived non-graphic novels (21 books)
• Magic Tree House graphic novels (5 books)
• Baby Sitters Club graphic novels (13 books)
• Katie the Cat Sitter graphic novels (3 books)
• The Woman from Lydia by Angela Hunt
• Soul Searching by Christian Smith

Anyone in our church family is welcome to check out books from the library. The library is generally open during office hours (except for scheduled meetings in the library - see calendar) and when the church is open for services.

We'd like to thank our Vinton Baptist family for all your support in the recent passing of our mother, Elsie Trent. The beautiful peace plant, cards, prayers, and your presence continue to be sources of peace, comfort, and encouragement. This has been a powerful reminder to us of the blessing of being a part of a loving church community.

Sincerely, Barry & Nancy Trent and family

To Our Church Family,

It is with gratitude that we thank you for all the calls, visits, prayers, and beautiful cards. They mean so much.

Love, Charlie & Carolee Lovelace