Wednesday Night Activities Begin

TONIGHT!

Come join us at Vinton Baptist Church this evening for the following activities:

• Our fall Ministry Matters (business) meeting begins at 6:15 PM in the gym. There are a number of items on the agenda, including the 2023-24 proposed budget (click here for a REVISED copy that will be discussed tonight), updates to the Constitution & By-laws and the Policies & Procedures Manual (click here to peruse), a report from our search committee for the Minister of Children & Families and presentation of a candidate, and more! Please be here if at all possible.
• Children's Choirs begin tonight at 6:15 PM, as well. The Sonshine Choir is for ages 3 and 4; the Cherub Choir includes Kindergarteners - 2nd graders, and the Young Musicians is for 3rd - 5th graders.
• Nursery will be available 6:15 - 7:15 PM.
• Praise Team will rehearse at 6:30 PM.
• Chancel Choir will begin Christmas music at 7:30 PM. The first 30 minutes of rehearsal is devoted to Christmas music, and the last 30 minutes will be devoted to our Sunday music. We always have room for more singers!
• Reminder: there are no Wednesday night dinners this fall.

Upcoming Sundays @ VBC

You're invited to worship with us this Sunday at 8:45 and/or 11:00 AM (Sunday School at 9:50 AM). Travis' message this week is "Fifth Teaching: Resurrection," and the scripture is Romans 6:1-11. If you can't make it in person, you can find our worship livestream at www.vintonbaptistchurch.org or on our Facebook group page.

Next Sunday, September 24th we will be joined by Paul Baxley with CBF (Cooperative Baptist Fellowship) Global, who will bring our message. He will be accompanied by Mark Snipes with CBF Virginia. We will also have a Called Business Meeting on September 24th at each worship service to vote on the 2023-24 proposed church budget.

Sunday, October 1st will be a Call Sunday for the candidate for Minister of Children & Families (come tonight to Ministry Matters to hear all the details), and we will have a Called Business Meeting at each morning worship service to vote on the candidate.

Please join us for Weeknight Worship next Tuesday at 7:00 PM. Invite your friends and family to participate in this Holy Experiment.

Thrive Youth Ministry

Check out our upcoming events:

• Tonight begins our youth group's Wednesday night Mission Nights. They will meet at 6:00 PM outside the glass doors of the New Ministries Building to head to Keystone (helping in the garden). They plan to return at 7:15 PM.
• This Sunday: Youth Choir at 5:00 PM, Snack Supper at 6:00 PM, and Extreme at 6:30 PM.
• Thursday, September 21st: Whitney will speak at the WBMS FCA meeting and hopes to see all the middle schoolers there!
• October 8th: We'll eat lunch together after the 11 AM worship service, then take the bus to the Crop Walk at First Evangelical Presbyterian Church (start time is 2:00 PM).
• Fall Retreat sign-ups are open! Our dates are November 10-12, and we'll be at Camp Wilderness Adventure in New Castle. Click here for more info, and click here to sign up for Fall Retreat.

Small Groups Beginning September 20th:

Wednesday Women will meet 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; please obtain your own book.

There are still openings for our 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 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. Please sign up through the church office (540-343-7685) no later than September 19th.

Travis will lead an 8-week small group on Faith Formation at Home which 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? There is no sign-up sheet; if you miss a week, please feel free to join us the following week.

Seniors on the Move Exercise Group

The Seniors on the Move Exercise Group resumes Thursday afternoon, October 5th at 1:00 PM in the church gym. It is a 35-minute "joint ventures" movement class to stretch, loosen up, and meet friends. We do not lie on the floor. We stand, sit, push off the wall, do side kicks, and use weights of your choice. No judgement - just come do what you can and enjoy! If you have any questions, call Ski Shelton at 540-580-3962.

JOY Seniors

Our next JOY Senior Luncheon is Tuesday, September 26th at noon in the gym. AARP will present a program on Downsizing & Decluttering. Our lunch will be chicken salad croissant, tossed salad, pasta salad, dessert, and water. Cost of the lunch is $10. Sign up and pay as soon as possible.

A few slots have opened for the Ark Encounter and Creation Museum trip. If interested, please sign up at the JOY Senior table. For those who have signed up, the deadline to pay for the trip is this Sunday, September 17th.

Jack & Velma Kendrick

1501 Chestnut Mountain Drive

Vinton VA 24179

Thank you to the Fellowship/Berean class for their donation to the Community Assistance Fund.

College Care Packages

It's that time of year again! We are collecting the following items for college care packages for our undergraduate students: Slim Jims, small packs of jerky, gummies, hard candy, gum, hot chocolate packets, Fruit Rollups/Gushers, small packs of Pringles, popcorn, individual packs of Cheez-Its, and sharpies/pens. Please drop items in the appropriate bin at the Missions Tables by Sunday, October 1st. Monetary donations can assist with the cost of mailing care packages; please mark your gift to VBC with "college care packages" in the memo. Thanks!

Note to parents of undergrad students: please call Patsy in the church office (540-343-7685) or email Joanna Williamson with your student's name and current address. We want to make sure that we include everyone, and we want to fully update our list of students.

Request for AA Batteries

Fun & the Son needs your help collecting new AA batteries to keep our toys running. Please drop off your donations in the marked bin at the Missions Tables. Thank you!

Church Directory

We want to make sure our new church directory includes pictures of all those who consider VBC "home," whether you are formally a member or not. We have about 20 appointment slots remaining in October. Every family photographed will receive a free copy of the directory, as well as a free 8x10 portrait. There will be no additional directories for sale. Please call the church office at 540-343-7685 as soon as possible if you want to set up an appointment.

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.

Operation Christmas Child

VBC volunteers have begun wrapping shoeboxes for this year's Operation Christmas Child campaign! If you would like to help, wrapping will take place every Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday, 10 AM - noon, in room 109 (at the end of the hall); anyone is welcome to drop in and help on any day that you are available.

If you have empty shoeboxes to donate, please drop them at the Missions Tables at the church, or contact Darlene McCaskill (540-890-6748) so that she can arrange to pick them up.

Wrapped shoeboxes are available at the Missions Tables and in the first floor corridor to the New Ministries Building. Pick up a wrapped box and a brochure, fill your box with goodies according to the instructions in the brochure, and return it to VBC for collection and shipping.

If you can't fill an entire shoebox, we are collecting items such as small toys, stuffed animals, deflated soccer balls with pumps, toothbrushes, washcloths, combs/hairbrushes, pens, pencils, sharpeners, crayons, small coloring books and notebooks, socks, etc. to fill extra shoeboxes. These donations can be dropped off at the Missions Tables.

We are also accepting monetary donations toward shoebox expenses. If you have any questions, please contact Darlene McCaskill.

Bible Reading Plan

This week we are finally finishing up Chronicles. It has taken us 5 weeks to read through 1 and 2 Chronicles. I hope that the commentary provided here has helped you better understand the history and goal of this book. As we close it out this week, click here for a timely article that I hope will help you in applying Chronicles to your own life and situation.

We've got two catch-ups days this weekend, and next week we'll jump into Ezra. Happy reading!

To Our VBC Family,

Thank you so much for the beautiful potted plant. (I hope to keep it alive!) Your love and prayers have been a blessing during this time.

Love, Brad, Beth, & Becca Radford