MEDITATION 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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Delegates Approve Nominees for Leadership Positions at Summer Conference Assembly

Sara Wenger Shenk CONFERENCE MODERATOR-ELECT “I would love for the conference to be known for our open-hearted hospitality, trustworthy communication and non-anxious, courageous faith,” Sara Wenger Shenk writes. She is currently retired after serving in theological education as teacher and administrator, most recently as president of Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary, Elkhart, Indiana, 2010-2019 and earlier…

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Delegates Approve Three Departures and Welcome New Congregation at Conference Assembly

Virginia Mennonite Conference said goodbye to three congregations at its annual Conference Assembly held virtually on June 12, 2021, and welcomed a new congregation into full membership. Delegates also approved the nomination of Sara Wenger Shenk as Moderator Elect, beginning September 1, and several other leadership roles. The congregations choosing to leave Virginia Mennonite Conference…

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Christmas Greetings from the Executive Conference Minister

Clyde G. Kratz

Members and friends of Virginia Mennonite Conference, As we close out this calendar year, a year that was like no other in my lifetime, I am continually reminded “God is Love.” All of our pastors, congregational leaders, leaders of conference ministries, and leaders of conference endorsed ministries have demonstrated a high level of resilience during…

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Virginia 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…

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Bowman’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…

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A 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…

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Walk, don’t run, to your nearest Relief Sale

“I’m walkin’, yes, indeed, I’m talkin’, ‘bout you and me . . .” -Fats Domino Harvey Yoder of Harrisonburg probably doesn’t have this 1957 Fats Domino song ricocheting down the cobwebbed corridors of his mind while out on his daily constitutional, but there’s a determined look on his face to keep time with his pace.…

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