Posts by Jon Trotter
Virginia Mennonite Relief Sale Unmasks Generous Spirit
$355,000 for MCC MT. CRAWFORD, VA – Early summer pleasant temperatures and rainfall in the Shenandoah Valley, then nearly two months of dry conditions, evolved into warm fall weather just in time for the 55th annual Virginia Mennonite Relief Sale held Oct. 1-2 at the Rockingham County Fairgrounds. This year’s sale raised a preliminary figure…
Read MoreVMC History Book Author Visits Meetinghouses in Three States
VMC History Book author Elwood Yoder spent four days in North Carolina, Tennessee, and Kentucky, visiting the meetinghouses of the VMC Churches in those three states. He is working on a history chapter about the TCK District. One of the churches he visited in North Carolina is Mountain View Mennonite Church in Hickory. He interviewed…
Read MoreRichard Early Resigns as VMC Moderator Effective October 31
It is with sadness that I inform you that Officers of Conference Council, Sara Wenger Shenk (moderator elect), Jim Hershberger (secretary) and I have received a letter of resignation from Richard Early, moderator, effective October 31, 2021. Richard’s resignation states: My circumstances have changed as a result of Covid-19’s impact on my wife’s catering business.…
Read MoreMennonite Church USA Launches “Learn, Pray, Join: Cost of Poverty” Initiative
Mennonite Church USA (MC USA) has launched “Learn, Pray, Join: Cost of Poverty,” an initiative to raise awareness about the impact of the pandemic on poverty in the United States and how Jesus calls his followers to respond. During September and October, MC USA will seek to engage people in the initiative by offering resources,…
Read MoreVirginia History Book Project Kicks Off Again as Groups Agree to New Parameters
From left: Gerald Brunk, Harold Huber, James Rush, Jim Hershberger, (standing) Simone Horst, and Elwood Yoder. Joining via Zoom are Tim Jost and Ken Seitz. Representatives from the Virginia Mennonite Conference Historical Committee and the History Book Committee met with the Shenandoah Valley Mennonite Historians at Eastern Mennonite University’s Sadie Hartzler Library on August 27…
Read MoreCommunity and Collaboration for Youth Ministry
This blog is part of Mennonite Church USA’s Faith Formation Roundtables series. What an amazing time it is to be leading students! While it’s easy to identify the challenges that come with this new COVID-19 driven climate, it’s also rewarding to think about the possibilities that are before us to reach students, right where they…
Read MoreBack to the Fairgrounds for the 2021 Relief Sale
The 2021 Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) Relief Sale is scheduled for October 1 and 2. After the 2020 virtual Relief Sale, we are hoping to be back at the Rockingham County Fairgrounds this year. The extent the relief sale can be in-person will depend on safety guidelines at the time. We may, for example, have…
Read MoreMEDITATION ON ISAIAH 61:4-9 – God Still Promises to Restore
They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated; they will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations. Strangers will shepherd your flocks; foreigners will work your fields and vineyards. And you will be called priests of the Lord, you will be named ministers of our God. You will…
Read MoreEMU, VMC Youth Council Hosts MYF Gathering
1) Moriah Hurst, a member of the VMC Youth Council, gives youth instructions for the photo scavenger hunt. | 2) Brian Martin Burkholder, University Chaplain and Director-Office of Faith and Spiritual Life at Eastern Mennonite University, welcomes the youth. | 3) Youth look for a clue at the EMU water tower. | 4) A small…
Read MoreMEDITATION ON ISAIAH 61:1-3 – What If We Are The Losers?
The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour and the day…
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