Worship Connection for October 17, 2021

Good morning!  This page is intended to both serve as a continuing worship option for those participating in our worship service from home, and to serve in place of print resources during our in-person worship.  Following the worship service on Sunday, one or more video recordings from the service will be placed on this page, including the sermon.  This may take several hours, due to the time needed to process the videos.  We will email the congregation when the recordings have been posted.  If you would like to be added to our congregational email list, please contact pvcob.alive@gmail.com.

• Upcoming Worship Plans!

  
  We will be meeting in the Pavilion for Worship for one more service, this Sunday at 11:00AM. Starting October 24, we will move Worship into the Sanctuary. We will continue to meet for one service at 11:00AM through November 7, when our Junior High youth will be leading us in Worship. Children’s Sunday School will also resume on November 7, at 9:50AM.

• Wind and Word Bible study will be continuing this week at 6pm.

• We will be hosting a CROP Hunger Walk starting at our church on November 13 at 1:00PM. CROP raises funds to help provide food for the hungry both locally and around the world. We will be joined by other churches in our community as we walk together to make a difference! Registration will be available soon.

• Backpack Pals are accepting donations of Pudding Cups and Ramen Noodles! Please leave any donations in the blue bin located in the Narthex.  Thank you! 

• Our Shenandoah District Conference will be held on November 6 at the Rockingham County Fairgrounds. This will be a very different conference than we had originally hoped for, due to adjustments because of the continuing Covid-19 Pandemic. Please be in prayer for a successful conference and for Pastor Daniel as he serves as Moderator for the conference.

• We are excited to share a fundraising opportunity to support the Church of the Brethren Haiti Medical Project. The Haiti Medical project is a ministry of the Church of the Brethren in Haiti, providing basic health care to their neighbors. The project began with Mobile Medical Clinics, and has now expanded to community development work, including building clean wells and latrines to help with sanitation.

  This year, a matching grant has been given to the Haiti Medical Project to help fund the building of latrines in Haiti. Our congregational leadership has decided to take a special collection to help take advantage of these matching funds. Additionally, we have secured another $5,000 matching grant from Karis, to help with this project. This means that the first $5,000 we raise, will send $20,000 to build latrines in Haiti! Funds beyond our first $5,000 will continue to be matched as available from the Haiti Medical Project grant.

  We hope to share the invitation to contribute beyond our congregation as well. Our music leadership has just completed production of an album of hymns and praise songs, entitled “While I Run This Race.” We will be distributing this album with an invitation to make donations to the Haiti Medical Project.

  Donations can be given to the church office, or placed in the designated donation box on Sunday morning. Checks can be written to “Pleasant Valley CoB” with “Haiti” on the memo line.

• The Verona Food Pantry is announcing the “Hunter Fauber Memorial Paper Drive” which will be held October 18th thru November 18th.  Products needed are: toilet paper, facial tissue, paper towels, baby wipes, baby diapers, and feminine personal products. Money donations are also appreciated. Please reach out to the Verona Community Food Pantry for more information as to how you can volunteer, donate, or be involved!

How lovely is Your temple, Your dwelling place on earth,
O Eternal One, Commander of the hosts of heaven.

How we long to be there—our souls are spent,
wanting, waiting to walk in the courts of the Eternal.

Our whole being sings joyfully
to the living God.

Just as the sparrow seeks her home,
and the swallow finds in her own nest
a place to lay her young,

We, too, seek Your altars, our King and our God,

How blessed are those who make Your house their home,
who live with You;
Together, we lift up your praise.

Ephesians 6:10-20 NRSV

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power. Put on the whole armour of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armour of God, so that you may be able to withstand on that evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand therefore, and fasten the belt of truth around your waist, and put on the breastplate of righteousness. As shoes for your feet put on whatever will make you ready to proclaim the gospel of peace. With all of these, take the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
Pray in the Spirit at all times in every prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert and always persevere in supplication for all the saints. Pray also for me, so that when I speak, a message may be given to me to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it boldly, as I must speak.

Graves into Gardens

CCLI #1699256

God calls to us:
I am about to create new heavens and a new earth;
the former things shall not be remembered or come to mind.
Be glad and rejoice for ever in what I am creating;
for I am about to create Jerusalem as a joy, and its people as a delight.
All who join themselves to the Lord,
to serve to love the name of the Lord,
to be obedient, keep the sabbath, and hold fast my covenant—
these I will bring to my holy mountain,
and make them joyful in my house of prayer;
My house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples.

All of Creation is filled with the love of God.
No distance, height or depth can separate us from it.
So go now as God’s witness
To point to the beauty and wonder
Compassion and mercy
Infinite glory
Of our God who is with us always. Amen.