Enneagram

Last Sunday, I mentioned a personality assessment called the Enneagram that identifies nine personality types. Several have asked for more information about the Enneagram, as well as a copy of the lists I provided in the worship service. As I mentioned, the Enneagram is not biblical; it is not conclusive or perfectly accurate; it is not meant to be used to pigeon-hole anyone into a personality type that reduces the complexity of one’s thoughts, feelings, qualities and strengths. I have found the information to be helpful in understanding myself and those around me; however, some of the material does not perfectly fit me or those I love. Nonetheless, for those who would like to learn more, I have provided two links below. The first is a free online Enneagram test that does not require you to provide your email address or contact information. The second link offers an extended description of each personality type.

https://www.truity.com/test/enneagram-personality-test https://www.enneagraminstitute.com/type-descriptions

As I shared Sunday, each personality type has its strengths. Below is sample of the beneficial qualities that each personality type possesses: 

1-The Perfectionist: Highly responsible, lot of integrity, fair, consistent

2-The Giver: Highly optimistic, supportive, helpful, generous 

3-The Achiever: Goal-oriented, enthusiastic, ambitious

4-The Individualist: Highly creative, sensitive, authentic, empathetic

5-The Observer: Self-sufficient, curious, inquisitive, analytical

6-The Loyalist: Trustworthy, humorous, strategic, collaborative

7-The Enthusiast: Open-minded, charming , joyful, adventurous 

8-The Challenger: Direct, protective, truthful, empowering 

9-The Peacemaker: Diplomatic, caring, inclusive, accepting

Along with these strengths, each personality type also has a message that can get lost within us—truths that we need to believe about ourselves, but so easily struggle to hear and accept. Below is a list of the “lost messages” that each personality type struggles to receive from others about themselves.  

1-The Perfectionist: You are good

2-The Giver: You are wanted

3-The Achiever: You are loved for yourself

4-The Individualist: You are seen for who you are

5-The Observer: Your needs are not a problem

6-The Loyalist: You are safe

7-The Enthusiast: You will be taken care of

8-The Challenger: You will not be betrayed

9-The Peacemaker: Your presence matters

Whether the Enneagram resonates with you or not, the biblical message we all need to hear is: You are loved; you are valuable; you matter; you are enough. “[For] you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light” (1 Peter 2:9).

--Travis 

This Sunday, March 19th

This Sunday Travis' message is entitled, "God's Spirit Is Enough"; the scripture is 1 Samuel 16:1-13. If you cannot join us in person, tune in through our website or Facebook group page. Reminder: Sunday School begins at 9:50 AM.

There will be a VBS volunteer/interest meeting this Sunday at 12:15 PM in the gym for all who are interested. Our theme this year is STELLAR, and our dates are July 23rd - July 27th, 5:30 - 8:00 PM daily. See Jessie Burgess, Christina Epperly, or Whitney Russell with questions.

Please note that there is a WMU Reception in the small dining room this Sunday, 2:00 - 4:00 PM.

Also this Sunday: Preteens Event for 3rd - 5th graders, 4:00 - 6:00 PM at the church. Meet in room 206 (Preteen Sunday School room).

Wednesdays @ VBC

Tonight we have all of our usual activities, including dinner for those who signed up. Travis will lead Adult Bible Study on Psalm 86. Effective tonight, dinner prices have been reduced due to lower than anticipated food expenses this year. Dinner costs are $6/adult (ages 13+), $4/child (ages 4-12), children 3 and under are free, and the max per family (living in the same household) is $18. First-time guests are complimentary.

Next Wednesday, March 22nd our dinner menu will be French toast, eggs, sausage, and fruit. Please be sure to make or change dinner reservations by calling the church office (540-343-7685) by 5:00 PM Monday, March 20th. Billy Meador will lead Adult Bible Study with an introduction to the Psalm of Praise.

Please note that there will be no Wednesday night activities (except Chancel Choir rehearsal) Wednesday, March 29th due to Roanoke County Schools' Spring Break.

Called Business Meeting

There will be a Called Business Meeting Sunday, March 26th at the end of the 8:45 AM service and at the beginning of the 11:00 AM service to vote on the proposed members of the Children's Minister Search Committee. The HR Committee presented these nominees at last Wednesday's Ministry Matters meeting. They are Ken Williams (HR representative), Heather Jones (Children's Committee representative), Travis Russell (staff representative), Christina Epperly (Deacons' representative), and Holly Graham and Ann Cranwell (members-at-large).

Thrive Student Ministry

We're excited for DNOW this weekend! We will have volleyball practice this Sunday at 1:30 PM, but there will be no Youth Choir and no Extreme. Sign up for our Youth Mission Trip to Nashville June 18th - 23rd. Cost is $175/person. Please click here for all the details.

JOY Seniors

A trip to Thomas Jefferson's Poplar Forest is planned for Thursday, March 23rd. The cost of the tour is $15, plus lunch on your own at Liberty Station. We will depart VBC at 9 AM and expect to return around 2:45 PM. As of today, there are just a few spots left. The deadline to sign up and pay is noon next Wednesday, March 22nd OR when we reach a total of 37 participants (the maximum our bus can hold).

Pack your own lunch for our next JOY Luncheon, Tuesday, March 28th at noon in the gym. Dessert will be provided. Entertainment by musician Bryan Ratliff.

A private, guided tour of The Greenbrier is planned for Thursday, April 20th. The cost is $60, plus lunch on your own at Cook's Country Kitchen.

Our first overnight trip of 2023 will be to Lancaster, PA May 9 - 11 to see the Sight & Sound production of "Moses." We will also enjoy a ride on the Strasburg Railroad, visit Landis Valley Farm & Museum, enjoy a dinner/show, and shop at the Farmer's Market. Details at the JOY Senior table, and a payment plan can be set up (see Mary Kendrick).

Join us October 17 - 20 for a trip to the Ark Encounter and Creation Museum. This trip will also include a riverboat dinner cruise on the Ohio River. Find more details, including pricing, at the JOY Senior table. Payment plans are available (see Mary Kendrick).

Passport Kids' Camp

This year's Kids' Camp will be June 14th - 17th at Eagle Eyrie. It is for all 3rd - 5th graders. The total cost is $175, $75 of which is due as a deposit by March 31st. Please click here for a packet with ALL the details!

Edible Easter Eggs

The Preteens are selling Edible Easter Eggs as a camp fundraiser. They come in 3 flavors - Reese's, Butter Cream, & Oreo - and must be pre-ordered. Eggs are $4 each, or two for $7 if you order from a Preteen. You can also order online at https://subspla.sh/pc8f97g/; online orders are $4/egg. All proceeds benefit the Preteens. Orders are due by Sunday, March 26th. Eggs will be available for pick-up in the kitchen on Palm Sunday, April 2nd, 10:00 - 10:45 AM and 12:00 - 12:30 PM.

Supper Club

Our Supper Club/Life Group begins Saturday, March 25th, 5:30 - 7:30 PM in the gym; we plan to meet once every month or two. This month's theme is GAME NIGHT. Each family group should bring a dish to share, potluck style. Paper products and cutlery will be provided. Each person should bring their own beverage(s) in a cup with a lid. If you have a favorite game (& rules/instructions), bring it to share! We will have game tables set up and hope to rotate to play 2-3 different games during the evening as we fellowship. This will be FUN for ALL AGES!

The Dr. Charlie J. Lovelace, III

Memorial College Scholarship

Applications are now being accepted for the Lovelace Scholarship, which is awarded each year to a graduating senior who is a member of Vinton Baptist and who will be attending a four-year college or university. The $1,000 scholarship is awarded for the student's first year of school. An application can be printed by clicking here, or you can pick one up in the church office. Completed forms must be returned to the church office no later than Friday, April 7, 2023.

Looking Forward to Holy Week

On Sunday, April 2nd the Chancel Choir & Orchestra will present our Palm Sunday Musical, A Living Hope, at both morning worship services.

On Wednesday, April 5th we will have all usual Wednesday night activities. Menu TBA.

On Thursday, April 6th we will have a 6:00 PM Maundy Thursday service in the sanctuary.

And on Saturday, April 8th we will host a children's/family event, Journey to the Cross, 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM. Everyone is welcome! If you could volunteer for this event (we need 2 volunteers per station), please see Whitney Russell or simply click here to volunteer.

VBC Easter Offering

This year's VBC Easter Offering will be distributed equally among the Boys & Girls Club, Keystone Community Center, and GraceInside Prison Chaplain ministry.

Frances Obenchain

c/o Woodhaven Nursing Home

PO Box 168

Montvale VA 24122

Congratulations to Kristi & Joseph Miller in the birth of Luke David on March 8th, weighing 6 lbs., 4 oz. and measuring 19" long. Proud grandparents are Cathy & David Abraham.

Thank you to the Open Door Sunday School class for their donations to the Youth Choir Trip and the Youth Missions Trip.

WMU Mission Projects

December 2022 - February 2023

$ 50.00 Keystone Community Center Christmas Food Boxes

$100.00 Nickelsville Mission Trip to purchase supplies

$262.00 Lampstand (Human Trafficking)

Hats, gloves, socks, and warm items for Samaritan Inn and Salvation Army

Keystone Community Center Easter Food Boxes

Visits, cards, and gifts 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.

Helpful information from the Finance Committee:

• The Building Fund is used to track donations for major church construction or renovation projects or to pay any loans used to finance major construction or renovations. We do not have any church construction or renovation projects at this time, so the funds are held for future use.
• The Capital Needs Fund is used to pay for mechanical components, fixtures, furniture, or other assets needed by the church that would typically have a useful life longer than one year. It is often used for maintenance projects involving HVAC systems, roofing or other building repairs, or can be used to purchase new furniture or equipment such as cameras, projectors, sound equipment, or computers.
• If you would like to set up recurring giving and are uncomfortable doing so online, you can do so directly through your financial institution. Please contact your bank or credit union and let them know that you would like to set up automatic, recurring giving to your church, and they can assist you in this process. Questions? Contact Carrie Tolley, our Finance Administrator, at 540-343-7685.

Homebound Easter Surprises

Donations are needed to assemble Easter baskets and boxes for our Homebound folks: small tissue packs, sugar free candies, fuzzy gripper socks, large print word searches, adult coloring books & colored pencils, travel size lotion, travel size comb/brush, travel size hand sanitizer, travel size lint rollers, band aids, and 300-piece puzzles. There is a bin available at the Missions Tables to drop your donations; all donations are due this Sunday.

These Easter surprises will be ready to deliver to our Homebound folks by Wednesday, March 22nd. If you would be willing to deliver a few baskets/boxes, please contact the church office at 540-343-7685. Questions? See Joanna Williamson or Rita Martin.

Bible Reading Plan

This week's Bible Reading Plan takes us from Leviticus to Numbers. Fee & Stuart (How to Read the Bible Book by Book) explain, "If Leviticus tends to be an unappealing book to contemporary readers, then Numbers must be one of the most difficult in terms of 'what in the world is going on?' The problem for us is that it is such a mixture of things - narrative, additional laws, census lists, oracles from a pagan prophet, the well-known Aaronic blessing - and it is not easy to see how it all fits together."

Fee & Stuart encourage readers to remember that the Abrahamic covenant underlies everything in Numbers - God is in the process of fulfilling his promise to Abraham that his descendants would inhabit Canaan. They also explain that the censuses described in Numbers correspond with the first generation (that was supposed to take the land, but refused) and with the second generation (which finally took the land after the first generation died in the wilderness). In fact, the title "Numbers" refers to that first census listed in this book. The portions of the book that deal with the law specifically focus on "the presence of God in the midst of his people . . . and the proper worship of God once they are settled in the land." Throughout much of Numbers, we can expect to find grumbling and complaining against God by the people of Israel. "...[D]espite Israel's waffling, this is God's story above all, and God will keep his part of the covenant with Abraham regarding his seed inheriting the land. At issue is whether Israel will keep covenant with God - and Numbers reminds you over and again that the divine provision for them to do so is always ready at hand."

Let's keep wading through these challenging books to see how God keeps his promises despite the flaws and disobedience of his people.

Click here for a printable copy of our Bible reading plan.