2020, Issue 4

MAY West Richmond Church of the Brethren

From the Pastor 2

In Our Congregation 3

With Our Community 4-5

Calendar 6

Around Our District 7

Kevin Beers update— On the road to recovery is what we can say about Kevin Beers. After two weeks in the hospital (six of them on a ventilator) and two weeks quarantine with a home health nurse and a physical therapist, we are seeing a stronger Kevin. The nurse has discharged him and the therapist is ready to when Kevin can walk for six minutes. Kevin’s walking without the walker and has even climbed the stairs to our second floor – his strength is coming back. He still has a cough from the pneumonia, which we heard will be the last to go. Thank you everyone for your cards, calls, thoughts and prayers this past month.

(<— in his natural environment!)

Whitten Family update— As of right now, Zherina and David are close to being fit as a fiddle. Judith tested positive for the second time on April 22. This placed the family back into self-quarantine for another two weeks. Judith is still not feeling 100%. Judith is tired of being sick and wants to get over this and go back to work where she is desperately needed. We thank you for all the prayers sent our way from all over the world. Please continue to pray for Judith’s complete healing.

Help us celebrate the birth of Darryl & Sandy Lynch’s

grandson-

Sean Ridge Waters, born April 26th, he weighs 8lbs 4 oz. and is 21 inches long.

The proud parents, Sloan and Brendan, are doing well.

Do this in remembrance of me (1st Corinthians 11:25b NASB)

S o much of what we do as Christians, we do together. We gather weekly for our Sunday morning worship, potlucks, and volleyball. We hug and shake hands and hold each other’s babies. We pray

and lay hands on one another. We wash each other’s feet in Love Feast, and we break bread and share the cup of communion together. So much of what we do, we do together.

S o how do we practice our faith during the Corona virus pandemic when social gatherings are banned, and the state has enacted a stay-at-home mandate? We do everything we can to continue

to reach out to one another across the internet and cell phone. I know it is hard. I struggle. I am a people person. These are trying times. But hear me, this is not the first time Christians had to go underground and practice their faith in “secret.”

T he first couple of centuries following Jesus’ time on earth, the powers to be persecuted the Christian church. The early Christians met quietly as they were able. They couldn’t do large

gatherings as it would attract the authorities. The early Christians used the symbol below, known in Greek as ICHTHYS (meaning fish), as a secret symbol to let others know they were followers of Jesus.

T he early Brethren met quietly for Bible study in homes. The authorities considered private Bible study illegal. In Ethiopia, during the communist takeover, the church went underground. The

church in China, Pakistan, and other hotspots in the world today do the same. Not only did the church survive these times, the church grew under the oppression.

W e missed our beloved Love Feast service during Holy Week. Our next scheduled Sunday morning Bread and Cup service is scheduled for May 31. We will celebrate communion as

planned. In preparation for this, as part of our online worship service, have a small portion of bread and juice available. We will share Communion privately in our homes. We may be physically disconnected but spiritually we remain the body of Christ. Be of courage.

Pag e 2 T h e H er a ld

Pag e 3 T h e H er a ld In Our Congregation

Even though the church building is currently closed, we wanted to let you know that the church is still receiving

mail and someone is coming out each week to deposit any checks that are sent to the church. Many utility bills

pay automatically from our checking account, so please consider giving by mailing in a check or by making a

contribution directly from your bank account by going online and using the Bill Pay feature. You can even set up

recurring payments, and it doesn’t cost anything to transfer funds that way.

If anyone would like step-by-step instructions, here’s a website that shows you how:

http://lakecityfbc.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/how_to_give_using_obp.pdf

Be sure to type in OUR church’s information below:

Please also remember the special offering for the

Nigeria Crisis Fund of the Church of the Brethren

Global Missions in response to the horrific and

desperate situations Christians find in Northern

Nigeria. Please make checks out to the church

earmarked “Nigeria Crisis Fund.” We will continue

collecting for this through Sunday, May 10.

Thank you, and stay healthy.

West Richmond Church o f the Brethren 7612 Wanymala Road, Henrico, Virginia 23229-4239

Phone: 804-288-6439 Fax: 804-282-4408

www.wrcob.org wrcob@wrcob.org

Pastor ..................................................... Dave Whitten (319-610-2274) Administrative Assistant ...................................................... Tasja Begley

Live-Streaming Sunday Worship ........................................11:00 a.m. Office (M-F) ......................................................... 10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m.

If no one is in the office or the line is busy, voice mail will pick up so PLEASE leave us a message. Items for the bulletin’s weekly newssheet MUST be submitted by noon each Thursday to the church office. All articles for the May edition of The Herald are due in the office by Apri l 15, 2019.

I wanted to extend an invitation for you to join me in a book study, entitled “The Unfolding Drama of the Bible” by Bernhard Anderson. You can find the book on Amazon. We will do this study Sunday mornings at 10:00 AM through Zoom. This is an 8 week study that will take us through the basic journey from Genesis through Revelation. Each session will last 40 minutes. I also plan on following our study in our weekly worship services for the eight weeks. It will start the first Sunday in May and end on Father’s Day, June 21.

In preparation for this study, you will need to purchase the book, let me know if you plan to attend, send me your email contact, download the Zoom app, and look for the Zoom email invitation.

I am excited to facilitate this potentially meaningful conversation.

-Pastor Dave

David Brunk

Jeff & Carol Goss

Ginny Heatwole

for their continued work on the property. The Church grounds look

very nice.

Pag e 4 T h e H er a ld With Our Community

If you have been spending your “stay-at-home” time sorting through closets and have things to get rid of, please consider donating to Liberation Veteran Services, affectionately known as Hull Street Shelter. They have a “clothes closet” downstairs where men can pick out clothes that they need. They will gladly take donations of gently used men's shirts, pants, shorts, socks, shoes, sweatshirts, even underwear. Also, they have a storage area for household items that they give to the men to get them started once they get a place of their own. They can use plates, silverware, kitchen items, etc. They also seem to appreciate travel-size/hotel toiletries if you have extras taking up space at your home.

Please contact Sandy Faw (sandyfaw86@gmail.com) or Dolly Guyer (dfg418@verizon.net) if you have any donations.

Mother’s Day is Sunday, May 10th

Now is a great time to make new traditions. That extra effort and creativity will really resonate and be appreciated, especially during this time. Here are some ideas to show Mom we’re still thinking of her:

Schedule an online Mother's Day call with loved ones. (Plan ahead so everyone involved knows how to join.)

Have your favorite photos of mom handy. (Collect beautiful photos of your mom and place them in the background of your Zoom call.)

Send a sentimental card and/or gift. (buy local and send her a special treat or favorite meal!)

Write a letter. (a hand-written letter remains a rare treat to receive.)

Make a playlist. (Researching new music that she might appreciate or revisiting old tunes that you listened to as a family are both great ways to bring some energy to her life in your absence.)

Don’t forget Grandma!

In many parts of America, Mother’s Day is the recommended

date for planting flowers outdoors. Subjecting blooms to

the elements any sooner is risky, though sunny spring days sure make waiting tough. Perhaps

that’s why poet May Sarton calls gardening “an instrument of

grace,” for it “slows us down and forces patience.”

Courage is also required.

Gardeners “must be brave enough to cut back the old and sit with bare branches, awaiting new

growth,” writes Cheryl Richardson (Waking Up in

Winter). “And we must trust that it will come.” When God prunes us, we too must trust that new growth and new life are in store

… and then patiently wait.

Pag e 5 T h e H er a ld

HCPL staff is currently providing services to the county through four distinct call centers. To help you refer patrons or friends appropriately, we thought we would share a bit more information about each one.

·The Henrico Government Facilities & Services line (804-501-5655) is exactly what it sounds like. It is designed to answer general information calls from the community about County services. Questions about the Henrico County Public Schools are also answered on this line. Within the same call center, there is an employee information line 804-501-5623.

·In addition, there is also a chat line available for community & employees members. You can text (804) 376-9780 for a response.

·Our newest line is the Outreach call line for Seniors (804-501-5455) designed to serve our older adult population who might need someone to talk to or are in need of services. This also serves as an outbound call center that makes wellness check calls to citizens who have requested service.

Each line is open from 7am-7pm Monday through Sunday

There is one additional call center currently located at the Fairfield library, which is run by the State Department of Health specifically to answer Covid-19 and related health concerns. Their number is (804) 205-3501 and they are open 8 am – 6 pm Monday – Friday

KingsFest, the three-day Christian music festival returns to Kings Dominion, June 18-20 for a celebration like no other. Artists for this three-day Christian music event include TobyMac, Casting Crowns, Chris Tomlin, Hillsong Young & Free, Crowder, Zach Williams, Sidewalk Prophets, We The Kingdom, Riley Clemmons, Cain, Aaron Cole and more. Comedian Heath Arthur will serve as Emcee for the 3-day event!

EARLY BIRD

4/24 – 5/21

3 Day VIP Platinum: $160 3 Day VIP Gold: $109 3 Day Advance: $93 3 Day Group (15+): $87* 3 Day Season Pass: $66 2 Day Advance: $83 2 Day Group (15+): $77* 2 Day Season Pass: $61 1 Day Advance: $58 1 Day Group (15+): $52* 1 Day Season Pass: $46

REGULAR

5/22 – 6/17

3 Day VIP Platinum: $160 3 Day VIP Gold: $109 3 Day Advance: $96 3 Day Group (15+): $91* 3 Day Season Pass: $66 2 Day Advance: $87 2 Day Group (15+): $81* 2 Day Season Pass: $61 1 Day Advance: $62 1 Day Group (15+): $56* 1 Day Season Pass: $46

DOOR

6/18 – 6/20

3 Day VIP Platinum: $160 3 Day VIP Gold: $109 3 Day Advance: $99 3 Day Season Pass: $66 2 Day Advance: $90 2 Day Season Pass: $61 1 Day Advance: $70 1 Day Season Pass: $46

With Our Community

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

1

2

3

10:00 am Study Group

11:00 am Online Worship

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

10:00 am Study Group

11:00 am Online Worship

11

12

7:00 pm Church Board

ZOOM meeting

13

14

15

16

17

10:00 am Study Group

11:00 am Online Worship

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

10:00 am Study Group

11:00 am Online Worship

25 Church Offices Closed

26

27

28

29 30

31

10:00 am Study Group

11:00 am Online Worship

05/01 Faith Keithly 05/05 Terrie Glass 05/06 Emily (Driver) Grady John & Jennifer Wampler Vassar 05/07 Ben Alger Chris Keithly (30th) Dave Miller Tammara (Breen) Miller (45th) 05/10 Jori Carter Christopher Holsinger 05/11 Kinsey Miller 05/12 Madison Keithly 05/13 Kathy Miller

05/14 Fletcher Brunk Alex Martin Dave Reynolds Siobhan Wampler (18th) Joel & Dolly Guyer Marshall & Rachel (McCann) Pugh

05/15 Chris & Kaici Keithly 05/16 Maya Altic Curtis Fyne Faye Urban (60th) 05/17 Chris Wampler 05/18 Dave Whitten (65th) 05/20 Laurel Holsinger 05/22 Brooke Lindgren

05/24 Betty Ziegler (92nd) 05/25 Asha Solanky Owen Williams Donald & Margaret (Wampler) Lum 05/26 Stephanie Felder 05/27 Gabriel Carr Chris Damour Meredith & Tori Yoder (20th) 05/28 Carolyn Gallagher Ken Heatwole Steve Martin 05/30 Grady Fields (30th) 05/31 Michele Damour Andrew Johnson (14th)

Bir thday ’s & Annive r sa r i e s

We remember, O Lord, all those people throughout the years who have made the supreme sacrifice for our country, for liberty, for us. Whenever we breathe the air of freedom or claim the right to justice or enjoy the privilege of worship, fill us with gratitude for those who selflessly gave the last full measure of devotion — their very lives — for our benefit. May these brave men and women now know the joy of eternity and your presence. And may the families of the fallen receive

comfort and peace amid their grief. Help us as we minister to their needs. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Around Our District Pag e 7 T h e H er a ld

WAYS TO CARE FOR EACH OF OUR MOST VULNERABLE

Create a list of persons with limited mobility and access. Make sure these lists contain the primary ways of contacting each individual. Create a phone tree and a card tree for persons who with limited access. Check with local government and law enforcement officials regarding neighborhood needs. Review deacon and outreach funds to ensure resources are available to those who may need assistance. Schedule time for pastors, deacons and caregivers can talk by phone or internet with individuals about specific areas of concern. Activate and utilize prayer chains

SABBATH REST AND SELF-CARE

Tune in to congregations with online worship services. Read one of the Gospels in one sitting. Engage in daily family worship including prayer, reading the Bible aloud, singing and other edifying activity. Engage in prayer and meditation. Cultivate neglected spiritual practices. Spend extra time in prayer for specific individuals to come to know Jesus. Spend extra time praying for your family, your congregation and your government leaders Take care of yourself and others! Keep the faith!

We’ll all be together again soon.

7612 Wanymala Road, Henrico, VA 23229-4239

West Richmond Church of the Brethren

Phone: 804-288-6439 www.wrcob.org Fax: 804-282-4408 wrcob@wrcob.org

ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED

Place stamp

here!

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnrBnPMh9O0YQQI9hjbflUw

JOIN US SUNDAYS AT 11 A.M.