News
VMMissions Sees Hope Amid the Hardships
The coronavirus has upended lives in countless ways and has lasted much longer than anyone would have hoped. Even so, the staff members at Virginia Mennonite Missions (VMMissions) note a number of ways the pandemic has been an opportunity to learn and even thrive in ministry. Mission workers have turned obstacles into opportunities. Several international…
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,…
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…
EMS: With Deep Commitment and Diligence
Reaching the midpoint of any academic year is reason to celebrate. This year, however, brings with it relief, awe, and gratitude at Eastern Mennonite School. Administrators, faculty, and staff launched the year on August 25 amidst pandemic-related unknowns and a slew of new plans, protocol, and procedures for safely welcoming “every student every day.” The…
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…
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…
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…
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…
VMC 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.
Meet 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…
Living 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…
Racial 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…