We remember in prayer the families of those struck by tragedies in the past week. May God teach us all to live in peace. | |
From the Desk of District Executive Minister
John Jantzi
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With delight and pleasure, we share the District’s revised staffing and position responsibilities with you. These are scheduled to go into effect on February 1. The good news is this. We were able to reconfigure staffing and hire additional staff while staying within the budget restrictions of the amended budget passed by the 2023 District Conference.
The quality, expertise and gifting of each of these individuals are superb. Following are brief descriptions of the positions and office hours. Note the contact email information. Download a printable staff schedule here.
Anita Landes and Sarah Long will share the office administrative assistant position, and each will tend to the routine administrative duties, e.g., answering inquiries by phone, text or email. In addition, they each have specific areas of responsibility. Anita Landes, anitalandes@shencob.org, will be in the office from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. on Mondays and Tuesdays. Her primary responsibilities, among others, include event planning and District Conference staff administrative detail and oversight. Sarah Long, slong@shencob.org, will be in the office from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Her primary responsibilities, among others, include accounts payable and all credentialing administrative details.
Rebecca House, rebeccahouse@shencob.org, will serve as the director of District Conference and Youth Services. She will have primary responsibilities, including District Conference oversight and development, as well as District youth support and programming development. This is a new position. She will be employed ten hours a week and will be in the office on Wednesdays from 1-4 p.m.
Jon Prater, JonPrater@shencob.org, serves as the director of Ministry Services and is in the office from 9 a.m.-noon on Tuesdays. His position responsibilities include shepherding ministry candidates from the call through the pre-licensing process and the licensing interview. This position has been expanded to include presence at the licensing interview with the Ministerial Leadership Team. He will be employed 12 hours a week.
Gary Higgs, garyhiggs@shencob.org, is the director of finances and is in the office from 2 p.m.-5 p.m. on Wednesday afternoons. He provides financial oversight, including the development of budgets and reconciliations and monitoring all financial activities, including cash flow. He has also been deeply involved in providing services to congregations. We are exploring how that role might be recognized and expanded.
Larry Holsinger, lawrence.holsinger@gmail.com, serves as the financial secretary and is in the office from 8-11 a.m. on Monday mornings. His responsibilities include, but are not limited to, updating the general ledger, bank deposits and bank reconciliations.
Brenda Diehl, brendadiehl@shencob.org, serves as the director of communications and works primarily off-site on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. She will be in the District Office on the last Tuesday of each month from 7:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Her primary responsibility is all district communications, including the weekly Update and Pastor’s Alert. In addition, she has been contracted to provide marketing and publicity expertise for the Disaster Response Action Committee.
Note that the District Office will be closed on Fridays.
Another area of great joy is the growing opportunities for growth that are occurring. There will be a servant leadership event on February 11 sponsored by the Spiritual Formation and Leadership Development Team. On the following weekend, the Shenandoah Valley Pastors for Peace are hosting a Zoom training on February 18 called "How Do We Love Our Enemies?" Details for these may be found in Mark Your Calendar below or on our website under events.
Serving Christ Together,
John Jantzi
District Executive Minister
Shenandoah District Church of the Brethren
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Emmanuel (Facebook page)
Part-time, Tim Ball, interim pastor, the congregational profile available
Directions
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Save the Date:
The Big Thank You Dinner is Set for March 18
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The Services Ministry Team will host another appreciation dinner for past volunteers and those interested in getting involved with the Disaster Auction or the District's Brethren Disaster Ministry response and rebuilding projects. The dinner will be held at Pleasant Valley (91 Valley Church Road, Weyers Cave) at 4 p.m. on Saturday, March 18. The Pleasant Valley youth will prepare the food. | |
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This special dinner event will honor everyone who contributes to the auction or disaster ministry by volunteering their time to make items or baked goods for the auction, work at the auction, serve on committees or assist in any way with the trips and projects.
Registration will be capped at 100 this year. Register online here or by contacting Brenda Diehl at brendadiehl@shencob.org.
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Senior High Youth Retreat February 11 | SNL, Sunday Night Live, a periodic Church of the Brethren youth gathering in the central part of the Shenandoah District, is inviting all District senior high youth to attend an upcoming one-day retreat on February 11 at Mountain View, McGaheysville. | |
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Upcoming District Meetings and Events | |
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Congregational Care Team-Thursday, January 26, noon, District Office
Spiritual Formation and Leadership Development Team Servant Leader event, February 11, 9 a.m.-noon, Harrisonburg First Church of the Brethren.
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Timberville Has Surplus Items to Share | |
Timberville is looking for a home for a very nice silver communion set that they are not using at this time. They also have lectionary-based children's bulletins that they would be willing to share. Pastor Karl Magenhofer quips that he is willing to trade for choir music. Anyone interested in these types of items may contact him by email. | |
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The following congregations and organizations have announced activities:
Feb. 11: Servant Leadership class, from 9 a.m.-noon. The guest presenter will be Jay Foreman. The event will be held at the Harrisonburg First Church of the Brethren (315 South Dogwood Drive, Harrisonburg). Free registration is online or by calling 540-234-8555.
Feb. 11: SNL will host a one-day senior youth retreat for ninth through twelfth graders at Mountain View-McGaheysville Church of the Brethren (8601 McGaheysville Road, McGaheysville) from 9:30 a.m.-7 p.m. The cost is $5, plus a snack to share. This will be a day of fun, games and sessions led by the Interdistrict Youth Cabinet from Bridgewater College. Lunch and supper are included. If you have any questions or reservations, contact Rebecca House at rebecca@pleasantvalleyalive.org.
Feb. 18: The Shenandoah District Pastors for Peace is sponsoring a continuing education event, How Do We Love Our Enemies, led by Dr. Hyung Jin (Pablo) Kim Sun. This event via Zoom will be from 1-4 p.m. (EST). Participants are expected to read Pablo’s book, “Who Are Our Enemies and How Do We Love Them?” before the event (and provide the book themselves). The Brethren Academy for Ministerial Leadership will issue .3 CEUs for full participation. Registration is $10, or $20 for those wishing to receive CEU credit. For more information and online registration, visit the event page here.
Mar. 23: The Bridgewater College Forum for Brethren Studies will sponsor a Conversation with the Moderator at 3:30 p.m. in the Boitnott Room at Bridgewater College. The Forum has asked Moderator Tim McElwee to offer brief remarks on the state of the denomination before opening the session for questions. The discussion will constitute the bulk of the time together.
May 15: Deadline for District congregations to submit a quilt block for the 2023 Conference quilts. Quilt tops will be assembled before the conference, and no blocks can be accepted at the conference for this year’s quilts. For details and submission guidelines, click here.
July 2-18: Lands of the Bible with Bridgewater College chaplain Dr. Robbie Miller will tour Israel, Palestine and Jordan. The tour, conducted by the University of the Holy Land in Jerusalem https://uhl.ac/, will visit sites of biblical and religious importance, including Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Nazareth, Jericho, Capernaum, Caesarea, Masada, Qumran, Petra and many more. The Brethren Academy for Ministerial Leadership will provide 4.0 CEUs for the study tour. If you want an itinerary and more information, you may contact Dr. Miller at rmiller@bridgewater.edu or 540-421-2720.
For a complete listing of details regarding congregational events throughout the Shenandoah District, visit https://shencob.org/events/.
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Auction Booklet Advertising Deadline Tuesday | |
Congregations and businesses desiring to be included in the 2023 auction booklet must provide information by Tuesday, January 31. This year, Gail Johnson has assisted with contacting some of the previous business advertisers. In addition, each congregation's auction representatives have been asked to solicit new ads and reconfirm previous advertising for the 2023 booklet. Advertising information is due to Tom Wetsel at sdcobda@gmail.com by January 31. | |
Submit Photographs for Auction Items Now | |
Photographs and descriptions of auction items, such as quilts and handmade furniture donated to the auction, are being received for the auction booklet and are due by next Tuesday, January 31. Tom Wetsel is producing the booklet again this year, and photographs may be emailed to him at sdcobda@gmail.com. | |
Auction Volunteers Needed | |
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Before the COVID-19 limitations, Saturday morning breakfasts at the auction featured made-to-order omelets through the work of volunteers with the Mill Creek congregation. Unfortunately, those volunteers have been unable to continue serving in recent years. Still, they are willing to loan their omelet equipment to other volunteers if another large group steps forward to make omelets at the auction on Saturday morning, May 20. Please contact Catherine Lantz at catherinetlantz@gmail.com, or call 540-896-7556 for more information about carrying on this breakfast tradition.
In other volunteer news, willing workers are needed to help set up at the fairgrounds before the auction. However, there will be a change in plans for 2023. The equipment trailers will be on-site and ready to unload on Tuesday, May 16. In previous years, the unloading had started on the Monday of auction week. Please keep this in mind and plan to arrive on Tuesday this year to help set up. Contact Gary Shipe at 540-984-4874 for more information.
As always, helpers are needed to assist with all aspects of the auction, from arts and crafts, baked goods, ice cream scooping, plant sales, food preparation and sales and clean up. Reach out to Catherine Lantz to volunteer.
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Coin Auction is in Its Third Year | |
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Henry Hawkins is assisting with the coin auction again this year. In a recent communication with Tom Wetsel, Hawkins noted a donor "has agreed to donate three of the old Meyerhoeffer Store merchant tokens, and [will] give a brief history of those tokens at auction time before they are auctioned."
Organizers are planning to offer up to 50 lots for the auction, emphasizing that having donations identified in advance will help increase bids through advertising. Send photos and descriptions of coins to be donated to Tom Wetsel at sdcobda@gmail.com by January 31.
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Continuing the Work of Jesus.
Simply. Peacefully. Together.
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Questions? Comments?
Contact the Director of Communications
| | Today's feature graphic by B. S. Diehl | |
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Shenandoah District Church of the Brethren
Phone: 540-234-8555; Toll-free 888-308-8555; Fax 540-234-8333
Staff:
John Jantzi, District Executive Minister, johnjantzi@shencob.org
Sarah Long, Administrative Assistant, slong@shencob.org
Brenda Sanford Diehl, Director of Communications, brendadiehl@shencob.org
Gary Higgs, Director of Finance, garyhiggs@shencob.org
Larry Holsinger, Financial Sec./Bookkeeper, lawrence.holsinger@gmail.com
Jonathan Prater, Director of Ministry Services, JonPrater@shencob.org
Disaster Ministries Team, Jerry Ruff, Coordinator; ruffrev2@yahoo.com,
Henry Elsea, elseaclan@yahoo.com; and Galen Halterman, galenhalterman@aol.com
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