College Graduates:

• Madeleine (Maddie) Glover, William & Mary, Bachelor's Degree in Biology & Public Health; will serve with the Peace Corps in Uganda, Africa
• Sarah Graham, Liberty University, B.S. in Integrated Communication, graduating Summa Cum Laude
• Tanner Hough, Virginia Tech, B.S. in Business; currently interviewing to secure a full-time position in the business community
• Owen Marshall, University of Lynchburg, Master's Degree in Counseling; plans to become a school counselor for the Anchorage School District in Anchorage, Alaska
• Alexis Parrish, Liberty University, Bachelor's Degree in Education specializing in Middle School Science; will teach 7th grade Science at William Byrd Middle School beginning in August
• Kim Yonce, Leland Seminary, Graduate Certificate in Theological Studies; plans to apply for Master's Degree

High School Graduates:

• Joshua Bryant, Jr., William Byrd High School - will attend Virginia Western Community College
• Taylor Davis, William Byrd High School - Valedictorian, Advanced Studies Diploma; will attend Virginia Tech to major in Elementary Education and minor in Music
• Hayden Fairtrace, William Byrd High School - will attend Virginia Western Community College
• Conner Heaton, Smith Mountain Lake Christian Academy - Honors program; will attend Virginia Western Community College this fall
• Nathaniel Martin (grandson of Ron & Rita Martin), Staunton River High School - will attend Concord University to play soccer and pursue a degree in Sports Management
• Caleb Riley, William Byrd High School - will attend Virginia Western Community College
• T.J. Spradlin, William Byrd High School - Graduating with honors; will attend Virginia Western Community College this fall
• Collin Young, William Byrd High School - Advanced Studies Diploma, member of the Beta Club, secretary of the Leo Club, member of Fellowship of Christian Athletes, member of the William Byrd Varsity Baseball Team, volunteered for Habitat for Humanity; will attend Virginia Tech this fall to study Engineering

The 2023 Charlie J. Lovelace, III Memorial College Scholarship has been awarded to Taylor Davis and Collin Young. Congratulations!

The 2023 Stovall-Page Scholarship has been awarded to Taylor Davis and Collin Young. Congratulations!

Praise Team & Chancel Choir Rehearsals

There are no Wednesday activities tonight except Praise Team rehearsal at 6:15 PM and Chancel Choir rehearsal at 7:30 PM. Chancel Choir will also briefly rehearse after next Wednesday's worship service.

This Sunday, May 28th

We're looking forward to Memorial Day weekend, and this Sunday is also Pentecost Sunday! We'll worship at our usual times (8:45 and 11:00 AM, with Sunday School in between). Travis' sermon is "A Warrior," and the scripture is Esther 4:9-17. If you cannot join us in person, tune in through our website or Facebook group page.

Upcoming Schedule Change

Please note that on Sunday, June 4th there will be NO morning worship services or Sunday School classes due to the road closures and traffic/congestion associated with the Ironman competition here in our area. Instead, we will worship together at 6:30 PM next Wednesday, May 31st. Everyone is welcome to join us in the sanctuary for a regular worship service, which will be recorded at that time and then broadcast via our website Sunday morning, June 4th. We hope you'll join us for mid-week worship on May 31st!

Summer Youth Schedule

PGA Youth Camp has been scheduled at Camp Alta Mons for July 28th - 30th. The cost is $90 for the weekend, and space is limited, so please sign up ASAP. Click here for a registration form; please mark your payment for "PGA Youth Camp."

Our Summer 2023 schedule is officially available! Click here for a list of our planned activities.

JOY Seniors

Those who have signed up for our Christmas in July outing to Wohlfahrt Haus Thursday, July 13th should also make sure that you have paid the $60 fee. Your payment is your reservation. A wait list is now available. Checks can be made to VBC JOY Seniors.

Sign-ups are ongoing for our October 17th - 20th trip to Kentucky to visit the Ark Encounter and the Creation Museum, as well as enjoy a riverboat dinner cruise on the Ohio River. You can set up a payment plan if needed (see Mary Kendrick).

Vacation Bible School

This year's VBS theme is STELLAR: Shine Jesus' Light! We will explore space and how out of this world our love for Jesus is!

VBS will look a little different this year. It will take place July 23rd - 27th, 5:30 - 8:00 PM daily. From 5:30 - 6:00 PM, dinner will be offered in the classrooms, delivered by our dinner leaders and helpers. At 6:00 PM we will begin rotations. Each crew will stick together most of the time in their own room for Bible study/story, crafts, games, and science experiments. Crews will leave their rooms for rotations in music (led by Chris & Mary Beth) and games/rec, as well as to attend the opening and closing ceremonies. Crews will be divided by grade/age level, and our goal is to have 8-12 kids per crew. Crew leaders and helpers will be invited to training sessions at the beginning of the summer to receive decor for your room, lesson plans, and materials that you need.

We will have a preschool experience led by Jessica Brewer that will still go out to games and music, but also operate on their own in a smaller setting.

We will need help with registration, dinner leaders/helpers, crew leaders/helpers, and games & rec leaders/helpers. Please click here to register as a volunteer. If you have a youth who would like to help, feel free to register them as a helper in any area they would like to serve. See Jessie Burgess, Christina Epperly, or Whitney Russell with questions.

NOTE: The above link can also be used to register your child(ren) for VBS now!

Jack Lipscomb

c/o VA Veterans Care Center

4550 Shenandoah Avenue

Roanoke VA 24017

If you or someone in your family needs gluten free communion elements, please see Whitney or someone in the church office before service. Our next communion will be Wednesday, May 31st.

Christian sympathy is extended to the family and friends of Teresa Callahan Martin, who passed away May 13th.

Annie Mae Broyles Associational Missions

The Annie Mae Broyles Associational Missions Offering is underway. The majority of funds donated remain here in the Roanoke Valley to help organizations like Friendship House, Keystone Community Center, Lampstand, and others. Please help us reach our church goal of $2,200.

Blessing Box Needs

Dish soap, Spam, Vienna sausages, and peanut butter are our current needs for the Blessing Box. Donations can be dropped in the appropriate bin at the Missions Tables. Thank you so much for helping meet the needs of our community!

Nursery Position Open

We currently have a part-time (fill-in) position available in our church Nursery. This position is a back-up for sickness, vacation, and extra help, as needed. The hourly wage is $12. We are accepting applications from church members before posting publicly. Please contact Terry Hough (mthough@cox.net) if interested.

Bible Reading Plan

It seems like we just started Judges in our Bible Reading Plan, but we're on track to finish it by the end of this week. (We have a couple of catch-up days coming Sunday and Monday if you're behind.) Fee & Stuart (How to Read the Bible Book by Book) emphasize the continual decline of the quality of life and faith from the beginning of Judges until the end ("the downward-spiral motif"), and how that decline is borne out in the narrative.

1. For instance, they point out that Deborah's song mentions Israelite tribes who were not willing to help Deborah & Barak.
2. Gideon's victory is followed by the "making of [an] ephod that becomes idolatrous," as well as the murder of nearly all of Gideon's many sons by their own brother. They note that while Gideon refused the Israelites' demand to become their king, his son Abimelech forcefully tries to take that kingship for himself.
3. Jephthah is used by the Spirit of God, but also fights with other Israelites; 42,000 Ephraimite deaths are attributed under his leadership. "He is pictured as rash and self-centered, a man for whom a vow is more important than a daughter."
4. "Samson in his own person represents all that is wrong in Israel during the period of the judges: born of a barren woman, dedicated to be Yahweh's special servant from birth (ch. 13), unbeatable when the Spirit of Yahweh is with him - but he breaks his vows . . . by getting honey from a dead (Philistine) lion, by marrying a foreigner (Judg 14), and by dallying with a prostitute (ch. 16). Note how all of these mirror Israel's own story of prostitution with the Baals and Ashtoreths."

The narrative of Judges revolves around the Israelite people's rejection of God as their leader (King) and the desire/need for a human king to lead them. "The tragic pattern in Judges points to the next phase of God's great story of redemption, which will begin to move forward considerably through the stories of Ruth and of her great-grandson David."

To Our Vinton Baptist Church Family,

Words almost fail with our hearts so full of gratitude. Thank you for your sweet expressions of sympathy - plant, cards, calls, and most of all your prayers - in the passing of my mother, Ocelia Pollard. You have always welcomed her as one of our church family with cards and the holiday gift boxes. She was so grateful for all your kind remembrances. Our family has been blessed to have Vinton Baptist as our extended family. May God continue to shower you with His love, His guidance, and His care.

With our love and appreciation, Carolyn & Tom Philpott