We look forward to seeing you tonight:

• 6:15 PM Children's Choirs & Youth Missions Group
• 6:30 PM Weeknight Worship
• 7:30 PM Chancel Choir

This Sunday @ VBC

Chris Monroe will preach in morning worship this Sunday at 10:30 AM, as the Russells will be out of town. His message is "Peace," and the scripture is Philippians 4:4-7. We will also have another special treat: VBC Handbells! If you can't join us in person for worship, livestream is available at www.vintonbaptistchurch.org, and through our Facebook page.

We'd love to have you join us for Sunday School prior to morning worship. It starts at 9:15 AM. Please click here for the current Sunday School brochure. However, the brochure does not yet include our Young Adult Small Group, which is now meeting at RND Coffee beginning at 9:00 AM; all young adults between 18 and 28ish years old are invited to join us for discussion and discipleship.

After worship, we will follow our typical Sunday schedule: Youth Choir rehearsal (11:45 AM), Youth Volleyball practice (1:30 PM), Weeknight Worship rehearsal (4:00 PM), Handbells rehearsal (5:00 PM), and Youth Dinner/Extreme (5:30 PM).

The Lovelace Scholarship

Applications for the Dr. Charlie J. Lovelace, III Memorial College Scholarship are due in the church office by next Wednesday, March 19th at 4:00 PM. The $1,000 scholarship is awarded for a student's first year of college. Applications are available by clicking here.

Upcoming JOY Senior Events

March Luncheon: We will enjoy the entertainment of musician Rick Dellinger at the March 25th JOY Luncheon at noon in the gym. He is always a crowd favorite. We will have Chick-fil-A for lunch; the cost is $12/person. Please sign up at the JOY Senior table and make your sandwich choice. You are always welcome to bring your own lunch or just come for the entertainment and fellowship. The deadline to sign up and pay is Friday, March 21st.

Sight & Sound Trip: Please find the details of this April 8th - 10th trip at our JOY Senior table. The deadline to sign up and pay is Sunday, March 23rd.

Wohlfahrt Haus: We will travel to the Wohlfahrt Haus Dinner Theater Thursday, May 1st to see "Mountain Music." The cost is $60/person, which includes lunch, play, tax, and tips. The bus has limited seating (36 + driver), but you can also drive. Please sign up and pay at the JOY Senior table by April 1st to secure your spot. Departure is 10:00 AM.

Preteen News

The next Preteen event is Sunday, March 30th, when we will have Dinner & Devotion at the church, 4:00 - 5:30 PM.

March 31st is the deadline to pay your $100 deposit for Passport Kids Camp, which is scheduled for June 11th - 14th at Eagle Eyrie. The $100 balance will be due by May 1st.

Pancake Brunch Fundraiser

On Sunday, April 6th the Preteens will host a Pancake Brunch Fundraiser for this summer’s Passport Kids Camp. You must sign up in advance for your meal(s), which will include pancakes, toppings, a breakfast meat, coffee, and juice. Please sign up in the church office by March 30th. The cost is $10/meal; please pay at the door by cash or check (made payable to “Vinton Baptist” with a memo line notating “Pancake Fundraiser”). You can schedule your meal to go or plan to eat with us in the gym. Meals will be ready when worship ends at 11:30 AM.

Mark your calendars for this summer's Vacation Bible School!

Marietta Meador

5434 Mayfield Street

Roanoke VA 24019-6412

Wednesday, March 5, 2025

(Ash Wednesday):

• Children's Choirs: 36
• Weeknight Worship: 102 (including Youth)
• Chancel Choir: 33

Sunday, March 9, 2025:

Sunday School: 211 (including DNOW participants)

10:30 AM Worship

• in person: 346 (including DNOW)
• online: 330

Christian sympathy is extended to Patricia Adkins, John Thomas, Jr., and Suzanne & Craig Dowell, and families in the death of Patricia's mother, Dorothy R. Doss.

Homebound News

We are collecting donations for our Homebound Easter packages: sugar free candies, large print word searches, colored pencils, travel size hand sanitizer, Band-aids, and lip balm. There is a donation bin at the Missions Tables, and all items are requested by March 30th. Packages will be ready for delivery on April 6th. If you would like to volunteer to deliver a package to one of our homebound folks, please call Patsy Talbert in the church office at 540-343-7685.

The current Homebound Team is planning to have an interest meeting March 23rd at 11:45 AM in the library. We would love to involve members of the church in this ministry. If you are interested, please plan to attend. If you have questions beforehand or cannot attend the meeting, please see Rita Martin or Joanna Harman.

Bible Reading Plan

We're officially in Leviticus on our reading plan. Fair warning: this is where many people drop out of their Old Testament reading because of the monotony of all the laws, especially when we have very little cultural context for understanding them. But don't worry - we're going to do our best to make this interesting!

The NRSV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible (Zondervan) explains that the types of information ("ritual worship and religious, criminal and civil law") found in Leviticus were important within the greater culture of the ancient Middle East. Similar records have been found in surrounding cultures, but there are features of Leviticus that set YHWH and his people apart. "According to the narrative framework of the Pentateuch, God gave the legislation of Leviticus to Israel through Moses in the Sinai Desert during the first month of the second year after the Israelites exited from slavery in Egypt, before they moved on toward the land of Canaan (compare Ex 40.17 and Num 1.1)."

Walter Brueggemann, a renowned Old Testament scholar, calls Leviticus "... a priestly manual, that is, instructions for the practice and conduct of the priestly office" (An Introduction to the Old Testament: The Canon and Christian Imagination, 68). His advice includes not getting caught up in every detail of the text, but looking at the larger picture: "It is not necessary (or even possible) to understand the precise procedure or intention of each sacrifice named. It is enough to see that the complicated sacrificial 'system,' as it is articulated in this tradition, is a gift of God to make interaction with the holy God possible and affirmative. The sacrificial system is presented as a gift of God's grace that makes a relationship possible." He also points out that the priests were the mediators between God and his people; without the priests (and their work, as described in Leviticus and other books), there would be no way for God's people to be in relationship with God.

I hope this context helps you as you approach Leviticus. Just stick with us, and we'll work through it day by day.

-- Kim

Minister of Children & Families

Vinton Baptist Church, a moderate Baptist church affiliated with the CBF and BGAV, is seeking a part-time Minister of Children & Families who will lead the Children's Ministry at Vinton Baptist, overseeing the spiritual formation of children between the ages of PreK and 5th grade. This position is responsible for coordinating the activities and programs for this ministry, organizing annual events, and providing children and families with opportunities to grow in their faith, engage with the church, and participate in Christ's mission in the world. We are looking for a team player who is organized, professional, enjoys working with people, and is committed to helping children and families develop a deep love for God, others, themselves, the church, and the world. (Approx. 25 hours per week). Please send resumes to kim@vintonbaptistchurch.org.

WMU Mission Projects: December 2024 - February 2025

$ 30.00  Postage for OCC Shoe Boxes

$130.00 Lottie Moon Foreign Missions in memory of Sandy Bowyer

$ 50.00  Keystone Mission Center for Christmas Food Boxes

$ 50.00  RAM House

$ 25.00  Christmas Gift for shut-in

$ 50.00  Soup for Seniors

$ 50.00  The Least of These Ministry for the Homeless

$ 50.00 Southwest Virginia Mission Trip for supplies

$ 25.00 VBC Budget in Memory of Jack Kendrick

Samaritan Inn - hats, gloves, socks, underwear, and warm items

Visits and cards to shut-ins

Now is the season for giving to the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering for North American Missions. The GOAL for our church is $2,450.00. There are special envelopes in your box of church envelopes, as well as in the church pews. This offering is used to help support missionaries in Canada, the U.S., and Central and South America. It helps to start new church plants, to provide for college campus ministries, and in various other ways of supporting missions. Please give and help support these missionaries.

Right Now Media

We are purchasing a trial subscription for unlimited access to 25,000+ Christian videos and are giving free access to everyone in our church. These Bible study videos can be accessed anytime, anywhere, from any device. They are designed for personal use, small groups, Sunday school classes, and much more. You should soon receive an invitation in your email inbox.

Blessing Box

Please note that because of safety concerns, and at the request of the Town of Vinton Police Department, the Blessing Box has been removed from its usual spot in the breezeway. Staff and Blessing Box volunteers are currently discussing the future of this ministry, and we will pass along more information as it becomes available. In the meantime, our Food Pantry remains open to the community on Mondays from 9:30 AM until 12:00 PM. Those in need of food should call the church office Monday mornings at 540-343-7685.

Request from the Hostess Committee

The Hostess Committee has discovered a number of items missing from the church's kitchen, such as glass, plastic, and silver platters; bowls; serving utensils; ice scoops; etc. If you have found such items in your home, office, or Sunday School class and do not know where they came from, please clean them and return them to the kitchen. We understand how borrowed items can sometimes be forgotten. Unfortunately, we do not have space for extra donations, but please make an effort to return any items that have been borrowed from the church kitchen. If in doubt, see a member of the Hostess Committee. Thank you!