Posts by Jon Trotter
John Horst: A music man for all seasons
Sadly, the live voice is now silent. Happily, his recorded voice, and the music he promoted so earnestly, remains in his wake. John L. Horst, Jr., of Park Village, Harrisonburg, died Sept. 16 at age 82 at the University of Virginia Hospital from aftereffects of a subdural hematoma suffered during a fall. He leaves behind…
Read MoreVMC now hiring Racial Justice and Equality Leader
Hiring! Virginia Mennonite Conference is seeking a Racial Justice and Equality Leader (0.25 FTE), who will lead and facilitate the conference’s Anti-Racism mandates: to equip members, to learn about existing racism, to develop leadership strategies, and to equip conference leaders.
Read MoreMeet Richard Early, new VMC Moderator
My journey My journey began on Easter Sunday, April 5, 1953. I was born in Lancashire, England, at Burtonwood Air Force Base, where my father was stationed during the Korean War. In 1955, we moved back to my dad’s grandparents’ house in Pleasant Valley, Virginia. Abe and Cora Early were members of Pleasant Run Church…
Read MoreLiving as Those Made Alive in Christ
Mennonite Central Committee was featured at the 2020 Virginia Mennonite Conference Assembly as Executive Director Ron Byler gave two presentations on MCC’s work, past and present, to VMC delegates. MCC is celebrating its centennial year in 2020. The following article is based on his presentations. Watch the videos from Assembly. All photos captured from video…
Read MoreRacial justice and equality
The Conference Council of Virginia Mennonite Conference is forging ahead with a leadership initiative on racial justice and equality. This leadership initiative emerged following the death of George Floyd and the subsequent and ongoing cultural awakening to the realities of systemic racism in American society and the church. Alicia Manning, a member of C3 (formerly…
Read MoreVirginia Mennonite Relief Sale announces preliminary results
The 2020 Virginia Mennonite Relief Sale was unlike any other. While a lot of favorites were missing from the fairgrounds this year, what I missed the most was seeing everyone gather and enjoy being together. Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) is celebrating 100 years of helping others around the world in the name of Christ in…
Read MoreBowman’s workmanship a sight to behold
Daniel L. (Dan) Bowman, 79, of Harrisonburg may be blind, but is very much in touch with the world around him. Having completely lost his sight at age 12, Bowman has not let that physical disability hamper an aggressive pursuit of personal and career endeavors over the years – vocational rehabilitation counselor, piano tuning technician…
Read MoreA modest proposal for refugee relief
We know that refugees are people who are fleeing for safety, especially to a different country, but we may not know that more people than ever before have been displaced because of war or conflict, hatred, prejudice, greed, poverty, or natural disasters, to name a few reasons. The UN Refugee Agency, estimates that 25.9 million people…
Read MoreFour responses to the SOS “Hundreds for Hundreds” campaign
In celebration of Mennonite Central Committee’s 100th anniversary, the Virginia Relief Sale’s SOS Committee (Sharing Our Surplus) is launching a “Hundreds for Hundreds” campaign to raise much needed donations for MCC worldwide refugee relief. Most of our efforts this year will be focused on promoting generous online giving. We are also planning a two-mile “Hundreds…
Read MoreVirginia Relief Sale: How will it happen this year?
The global pandemic has dealt nearly everyone the ole one-two punch in our corporate (masked) faces. We may feel at times like we’re down for the count, but not out. This feeling extends to long-scheduled public events that have needed to be canceled, postponed, or re-invented in different shapes or forms. The annual Virginia Mennonite…
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