Good Evening Broad Street, I trust you are well, warm, and have had the opportunity to get our of your house or neighborhood after the winter weather. Worship & Winter Weather Our worship together is an important part of communal life and Christian witness, but winter weather continues to arrive in Virginia during the weekend. Currently, much of Virginia is under a winter storm watch for freezing rain and snow from Thursday night through Saturday afternoon. No one wishes to cancel worship. As I mentioned on Saturday, we are concerned for your safety as well as your spirituality and service. It may be helpful for you to know the process. The minister is in contact with the board chair to discuss the current weather conditions and predictions. I will contact Rich Lawrence on Saturday afternoon to discuss the conditions and make a decision. The decision is based on safety (driving conditions and determining if we can clear the church parking lot and steps so it is safe to get into the church). If the decision is to cancel worship, a message will be put on the church answering machine, WSLS in Roanoke will be notified to add the cancellation to their listing, a notice will be put on the church website, and an email will be sent. Thank you for your patience and prayers for Rich and me. Next Sunday in Worship This is Scout Sunday! The boys and their families from the Cub Scout Pack and the Boy Scout Troop will be in worship and lead some parts of worship this Sunday. The scripture reading this Sunday is Mark 12:28-34. You thought you would get to skip this text because we missed worship last Sunday. Nope. This will be a familiar text. I look forward to greeting you on Sunday and be sure to greet our guests. P.S. Don't be shocked when I invite you to use the attendance pad in the pew on Sunday. Ash Wednesday Worship On Feb. 17, the congregation is invited to recognize the beginning of Lent by worshipping together. Some may have experienced an Ash Wednesday service during your lifetime. The service, including the imposition of ashes, is a blend of music, singing, scripture, prayer, and is a reminder of our mortality and discipleship as we begin the journey with Jesus toward Jerusalem. Open your journey with God to others in worship, and join other Broad Street members (yes invite friends, neighbors or co-workers) for a soup and sandwich dinner before worship in the social hall. The Fellowship and Events committee, chaired by Mabel Peters, will provide our lite meal. Please email Mabel mcpeters2@embarqmail.com or Barbara bsccsecretary@embarqmail.com at the church office, your RSVP for dinner by Monday, Feb. 15. 5:30 p.m. - Soup and Sandwich Dinner 6:15 p.m. - Worship in the Sanctuary 7:00 p.m. - Enter Lent in silence and be safe going home. Remembering in Prayer We remember our neighbors in Martinsville this week as everyone recovers from and prepares for more winter weather. Take a moment to check on a neighbor or an older member of the congregation this week. We continue to remember the people in Haiti as well as those responding to their needs. Visit the Week of Compassion website to read how Disciples continue to respond, and consider supporting the effort with a donation. We also remember: Luke Fox (broke his right arm sledding on Sunday afternoon)and parents (Burr & Lori); Aidan Bourne (Ray Powell's niece's son age 6 diagnosed with leukemia). We continue to hold in prayer: Mildred Dalton, Mary Sonner, Esther Morris, Donald & Ellen Pratt, Lucille Boaz, Jim & Sue Belcher, Norma & Ken Covington (son Ben recovering from surgery) and many others. Ernie Bremner and Jimmy Jordan are the elders on call this month. Email your prayer concerns, if you wish to share those with the community, to add them to the weekly email. Calendar Reminders Feb. 7: Scout Sunday -- please plan to attend worship and greet the families of the scouting program. Feb. 10: Women's Lunch (meet at Mi Ranchito at Noon) Feb. 14: Elders Fellowship (8:45 am) & BSCC Board Meeting (7:00 pm) Feb. 17: Ash Wednesday (Plan to attend worship @ Broad Street this evening). Feb. 22: BSCC Cabinet Mtg (5:30 pm) Opportunities Within & Beyond February 12-13: The Magnetic Church (The Way to Become a Welcoming Church First Presbyterian Church of Martinsville Keynoter: Andrew Weeks March 5-6: Elders & Deacons Workshop Christmount Christian Assembly, Black Mountain, NC. This is a wonderful opportunity for all of our elders and deacons here at Broad Street. There are workshops, a keynote speaker, and worship with other elders and deacons from Disciple congregations from across the southeast. The cost is $96 per person (includes meals, program expense, and lodging). Registration deadline is Feb. 27. Visit the Christmount website to learn more. http://www.christmount.org/e ldersanddiacoate.htm April 9-11: Disciples Men of Virginia Retreat W.E. Skelton 4-H Conference Center (Smith Mountain Lake) Derek Maul, keynote speaker Registration forms are available at the church office or can be emailed to you. June 4-6: Virginia Regional Assembly Lynchburg College June 23-27: Quadrennial Assembly 2010 A gathering for Disciple Women in Greensboro, NC Registration Deadline is March 15 Visit the website for more information: http://www.quadrennial.org A consensus on religious liberties by John Dart | The Christian Century | Feb. 09, 2010 Despite public school controversies that generate sparks every December, church- state columnist Charles Haynes of the Freedom Forum recently wrote, "The First Amendment solution is stunningly simple: Schools should plan holiday programs that are educational in purpose and balanced in content [but] to pretend Christmas doesn't exist . . . is just plain silly." A diverse group of U.S. experts on religious rights and limits on religious expression in public settings issued a consensus statement on what the current laws say on 35 recurring issues—often in matters where religious activity and government roles may appear to be intertwined. "This should put aside some of the red herrings in the public debate," said Holly Hollman, general counsel for the Baptist Joint Committee on Religious Liberty. "There is more clarity in the law than many would assume from the heated debates in the media and elsewhere." Click Here to Read More . . . “May your days be many and your troubles be few. May all God's blessings descend upon you. May peace be within you may your heart be strong. May you find what you're seeking wherever you roam.” -- Irish blessing. Peace . . . Michael D "When the imitation of Christ does not mean to live your life like Christ, but to live your life as authentically as Christ lived his, then there are many ways and forms in which a man (person) can be a Christian." Henri Nouwen, The Wounded Healer Michael Davison |