Ted Talks: Cultivating Creativity Amid the Coronavirus

No one likes to be upstaged, no matter how well-meaning and worthwhile the activity that is being outdone. This feeling especially rings true for veteran actor and playwright Ted K. Swartz of Harrisonburg, who has dealt with frequent unexpected script changes in his 34-year career. In 1987, Ted, then a student at Eastern Mennonite University,…

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Volunteerism Fuels Patchwork Pantry Food Ministry

Every Wednesday morning, you’ll likely find Sam Moore at the same location doing a bevy of tasks – all out of love of service to others. On this particular day (Feb. 24), Sam, along with Len Carroll and Daryl Peifer, were unloading and checking some 6,000 pounds of food from Blue Ridge Area Food Bank…

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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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Augsburgers Still Going 90 Miles an Hour

He is 91, she’s 90. But their ages are misleading. Myron Shenk Augsburger and Esther Kniss Augsburger are only slowing their fast pace long enough to celebrate 70 years of married life. The couple was married Nov. 28, 1950 in Elida, Ohio, the ceremony postponed two days due to a raging snowstorm. Seventy years later,…

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Samuel S. Funkhouser Named Executive Director of Brethren & Mennonite Heritage Center

The Brethren & Mennonite Heritage Center Board of Directors is pleased to announce the hiring of Samuel S. Funkhouser as the new Executive Director beginning January 1, 2021. Sam grew up in the Wakeman’s Grove Church of the Brethren (near Edinburg, Va.), where his great-great grandfather had served as the congregation’s first ordained minister. Sam…

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Virginia Conference Welcomes June Miller

Virginia Mennonite Conference is delighted to announce our new Office Manager and Marketing staff person, June Miller. While June’s academic portfolio demonstrates a penchant for an acting career in a theatre, she has utilized her gifts and skills in various roles in a congregation, mission agency, and a conference. June worked for Mennonite Church Canada…

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Taking Action on Affordable Housing

Everyone, regardless of economic and social background, deserves an opportunity to attain the comfort and security of a place they can call home. But with the spiraling cost of real estate and related problems, that desire often winds up becoming “the impossible dream.” But, wait, there’s hope. Faith In Action (FIA) is a local grass-roots…

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VMRC seeking full-time Vice President of Human Resources

Virginia Mennonite Retirement Community (VMRC), a Virginia Mennonite Conference-Endorsed Ministry, is seeking qualified candidates for Vice President of Human Resources. This position is responsible for leadership of the Human Resources service line consistent with VMRC’s faith-based vision and values and its mission of being a community of hope, meaning and growth for persons to age…

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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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