IMPORTANT: Tonight we will NOT have Children's Choirs or Youth Missions Group because we still have no heat in the Children's building. However, we WILL have Chancel Choir rehearsal at 7:30 PM. Chancel Choir is our ONLY activity tonight. See below for additional details about our upcoming schedule.

This Sunday @ VBC

If you do not currently have a Sunday School class, now is a great time to get started! Please click here for our current Sunday School brochure. If you need help deciding which class to visit first, give us a call at 540-343-7685. For those who generally have class in the Children's wing, please plan to meet in the same room that you used this past Sunday due to lack of heat:

• The Nursery will meet in its usual room (using space heaters)
• 2 - 4 year olds will meet in room 123 in the New Ministries Building
• K - 1st graders will meet in room 118/119 in the New Ministries Building
• 2nd - 3rd graders will meet in the Pastor's Conference Room
• 4th - 5th graders will meet in room 103 in the New Ministries Building
• Youth will meet in the library

During Morning Worship at 10:30 AM, we have a baptismal service planned! Travis will continue in his current sermon series about evangelism. His sermon is "Miners," and the scripture is 1 Kings 19:15-21. If you can't join us in person for worship, livestream is available through the Vinton Baptist Church app, at www.vintonbaptistchurch.org, and through our Facebook page.

Youth Choir rehearsal will resume this Sunday at 11:45 AM. Handbells will also rehearse at 5:00 PM. Please note that there will be NO children's or youth activities this Sunday evening because there is still no heat in the Children's building.

We will have an India Mission Trip Interest Meeting at 4:00 PM in the church library. Chris is currently in the process of planning our next trip to India, which is scheduled for sometime in October of this year. Whether you have questions about that trip, just want to learn more information, or have a passion for being a part of this experience, please join us so that we can gauge interest and make additional plans.

Wednesday Women Bible Study

The Wednesday Women Bible Study will resume next week on January 15th and will run through February 26th, 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM in the Disciple Center. Our topic is "The Chosen 4: God's Goodness for the Chosen." You can purchase the Interactive Bible Study Book on Amazon, Christianbook, etc. Please sign up in the church office so that we will know how many to plan for; you can call us at 540-343-7685. If you have questions about the study, call Susan Jones at 540-580-8559.

Soup for Seniors

The annual LOA Soup for Seniors Drive, sponsored by the JOY Seniors, runs the entire month of January. Thousands of seniors in our community live at or below the poverty line. You can help provide a hot meal on a cold day and remind seniors in need that we have not forgotten them. The items that are most needed include low-salt, nutritious items such as soup, peanut butter, canned meats, canned fruit, canned vegetables, crackers, oatmeal, and Boost/Ensure. Collection boxes are available in the Welcome Center and by the elevator in the New Ministries Building. Thank you in advance for helping meet this need.

Changes to Our Upcoming Schedule

The HVAC issue in our Children's wing will take some time to rectify. The necessary materials have been ordered, but we are anticipating that it will take between 3 and 6 weeks to have the heat running as usual. Therefore, we are postponing the start of Children's Choirs and Youth Missions Group until February 5th, which will coincide with the beginning of Weeknight Worship, as well. The only Wednesday evening activity that will take place for the remainder of January is Chancel Choir rehearsal at 7:30 PM.

Please also note that Steel Drums rehearsal will be postponed until Tuesday, February 4th.

Thanks for being flexible as the Property Committee addresses the HVAC problem in the Children's building. The January calendar (available through the button below) reflects these changes.

Deacon Ordination & Installation Service

Mark your calendars for our January 26th morning worship service, when we will ordain new deacons and install all deacons. The deacons who are beginning their three-year-term in 2025 are Wayne Foster, Tray Rives, David Semones, Teresa Nicely, Jodi Estienne, Robert Mauck, Wayne Sink, Terri Cundiff, and Neil Zimmerman.

Youth Ski Trip

The youth will head to Wintergreen for a ski weekend January 31st - February 2nd. Participants will stay in condos across from Devil's Knob. Skiers will be able to ski all day Saturday and have the option of adding on night skiing for Saturday night. Non-skiers will be able to go tubing and hang out at the resort, which includes an indoor swimming pool and indoor pickleball courts. More details are coming soon!

Leonard Shank

c/o Springtree Health & Rehab

3433 Springtree Drive NE #609

Roanoke VA 24012

Wishing an extra special Happy Birthday to Ethel Dickerson, who celebrated her 97th birthday January 3rd!

Christian sympathy is extended to Carolyn Pennington, Vic, Ryan, and families, as well as Judy & Hootie Kelley and Kathi Pennington, in the passing of Staley Pennington December 23rd; to Leslie & Bill Hayden and family in the death of her father, Phil Unger, December 30th; and to Jeff & Peggy S. Stovall, Mike & Patsy Stovall, and families in the death of their mother, Peggy Jean Page Stovall, January 6th.

Sunday, December 22, 2024

Sunday School: 188

10:30 AM Worship

• in person: 361
• online: 393

Christmas Eve:

• in person: 455
• online: 385

Sunday, December 29, 2024

Sunday School: N/A

10:30 AM Worship

• in person: 133
• online: 410

Sunday, January 5, 2025:

Sunday School: 166

10:30 AM Worship

• in person: 272
• online: 468

Please note that the above figures cover the last two weeks of December. January 5th offerings are currently being counted by the Counting Committee (they were delayed due to the weather and office closings). We hope to get those figures to you by the end of this week.

Thanks to the Open Door Sunday School class for their donation to the Food Pantry.

The Lottie Moon Post Office

& Christmas Offering

FINAL CALL: Please check the Lottie Moon Post Office at the Missions Tables for any mail that you may have received. All cards are organized by last name. The post office will soon be stored away for next year.

We are SO close to our $5,200 goal for the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering! We only need about $200 more dollars. Can you help? Please give using a Lottie Moon envelope (available in your 2024 box of envelopes or in the pew pockets) or give online and designate your funds for Lottie Moon. Thank you!

Please extend a warm welcome to Josh Jennelle, who officially joined VBC Sunday, December 22nd. Josh's address is 470 Stoneacres Drive, Vinton VA 24179. Welcome, Josh!!

Josh's baptism is scheduled for this Sunday!

Church Counseling

Just a reminder that we have individual adult and youth, family, and marriage counseling available at no charge for church members and their families. This ministry is offered by Cathy Abraham, LPC. If you, or someone you know, is interested, please call the church office at 540-343-7685 for more information. Days and times are flexible.

Bible Reading Plan

CONGRATULATIONS to everyone who has finished (or is in the process of finishing) our two-year Bible reading plan from 2023-24!! I would LOVE to know who has kept up with it and has read the Bible through with us! Email me at kim@vintonbaptistchurch.org.

Our new Bible reading plan for 2025 is available several ways: you can click here to save or print a copy; you can pick up a copy at the Welcome Center; or you can access our new plan on our VBC app (available through your app store - just search for Vinton Baptist Church VA). If you use our app, you can even have each day's scripture read to you! Here's a breakdown of what we'll cover this year:

• For the first five months of 2025, we will read the first five books of the Old Testament, collectively referred to as the Pentateuch. These books - Genesis, Leviticus, Exodus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy - are essentially the founding documents of the Jewish nation. They provide cultural and historical records for the Jewish people that inform their understanding of who God is and who they are as God's people. They also provide intricate details about the laws that govern the Jews and set them apart from the surrounding cultures. There's no need to dread reading about all those laws; they can actually be incredibly interesting when understood in context. It's not too late to get started with us. We're only a few chapters into Genesis.
• Beginning June 1, we'll spend the summer in Psalms. Don't worry about getting behind during vacations and the less structured days of summer. We'll take our time.
• In the fall we will focus on the four Gospels, considering how each of them shows a slightly different picture of the life and death of Jesus.
• And finally, in the last half of December we will spend some time in selected readings from the Lectionary to prepare for Advent and the new year.

I'm looking forward to reading through these sections of the Old Testament and the New Testament with you this year! Let me know if you have questions!

Kim

Realm Updates

2025 Committees, as well as committee chairpersons and members have been added to Realm. You can utilize Realm to communicate with members of your committee and to store documents, etc., for your group. If you need an invitation to Realm or if you need help learning how to communicate using Realm, please see Kim Yonce.

Tax-Aide

AARP will once again offer Tax-Aide free tax preparation at a number of locations in the greater Roanoke Valley, including Vinton Baptist Church. Appointments will be available at VBC on Thursday mornings beginning February 6th and running through April 10th. Starting January 20th, you can make an appointment online at aarp.org/findtaxhelp; this is the simplest way to make an appointment. Beginning January 27th you can make an appointment by phone at 540-345-2820; generally, when making an appointment by phone, you must leave a message, and a Tax-Aide volunteer will return your call. Appointments fill up quickly for this service.

Thanks for how VBC cares for our community. The programs like JOY Seniors, walking time, and Fun & the Son are wonderful!

Ardy Kidd

Dear Vinton Baptist Church,

Thank you, Jeff Carr, for the nice visit. Thank the classes for the cards and gift. I am doing a lot of coloring and enjoying every minute. I really miss my church family. Love,

Audrey Ferguson

Dear Church Family,

Thank you for all the prayers, love, and support, as well as the beautiful flowers sent in remembrance of our daughter, Donna Wheeler. We appreciate all the cards sent by our church family. Thank you so much.

Don & Etta Wheeler