All activities are on schedule tonight!

• 6:15 PM Children's Choirs
• 6:15 PM Youth Missions Group (headed to Keystone)
• 6:30 PM Weeknight Worship
• 7:30 PM Chancel Choir

The Lovelace Scholarship

Applications for the Dr. Charlie J. Lovelace, III Memorial College Scholarship are due TODAY by 4:00 PM.

This Sunday @ VBC

The Russells will be back for morning worship this Sunday at 10:30 AM. Travis will continue his Lenten sermon series; his message is "Recalculating," and the scripture is Matthew 4:12-17. If you can't join us in person for worship, please do so through livestream at www.vintonbaptistchurch.org or 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. The brochure does not yet include our Young Adult Small Group, which meets at RND Coffee beginning at 9:00 AM; all young adults between 18 and 28(ish) years old are invited to join us.

Because of Roanoke County Schools' scheduled spring break, there will be NO youth or children's activities this Sunday after worship (no Youth Choir, no volleyball practice, no Dinner/Extreme). There WILL be a Homebound Team Interest Meeting at 11:45 AM in the church library for anyone interested in helping with the homebound ministry (see details below).

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 due 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 Homebound Team is planning to have an Interest Meeting this Sunday, 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.

Right Now Media

Right Now Media is on its way to your inbox! Per our customer service contact, you should receive your Right Now Media invitation via email this Sunday, March 23rd at noon. If you are interested in signing up, you can follow the user-friendly invite to get logged into the platform. If you are not interested, you can simply ignore the email. There is no cost to you to sign up with Right Now Media. VBC has purchased a three month trial subscription to these services on your behalf. The more people who get involved with it, the more likely we are to be able to continue the service beyond three months. If you'd like a "sneak peak" of their offerings, click here. And look for that email invitation on Sunday!

Changes to Next Week's Schedule

As noted above, next week is Roanoke County Schools' Spring Break, which means that we will NOT have all of our regularly scheduled programming. Please click the link at the bottom of this newsletter for our calendar and note next week's schedule. Thanks!

Upcoming JOY Senior Events

March Luncheon: Please sign up and pay by this Friday, March 21st if you plan to attend the March 25th JOY Senior Luncheon featuring lunch from Chick-fil-A and entertainment by musician Rick Dellinger. The cost is $12/person. You are always welcome to bring your own lunch or just come for the entertainment and fellowship, but please sign up so that we know to expect you.

Sight & Sound Trip: Join us for our trip to see "Noah," tour Philadelphia, see the dinner show "Then Sings My Soul," take an artisan farmland tour, and make our own ice cream at Turkey Hill! Please find all the details of this April 8th - 10th trip at our JOY Senior table. The deadline to sign up and pay is this 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 at the Welcome Center by March 30th, or you can click here to sign up online. 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.

Bunny Buddies Bash

Fun & the Son will celebrate Easter with all their buddies on Monday, April 14th, 9:30 - 11:00 AM! We will have games, a festive brunch, and the VERY popular egg hunt in the sanctuary! BYOB (Bring Your Own Basket) and join us for some fun! This event is open to all newborns - PreK and their adults. See Betty Jo Overstreet with any questions.

Passport Summer Youth Camp

Youth, mark your calendars for June 22nd - 27th, when we will attend Passport Summer Camp at Converse University in Spartanburg, SC! The cost for the trip is $325/person. A deposit of $125 is due by April 15th, and the balance is due May 15th. Click here for ALL the details, and see Whitney if you have any questions!

Lois Smith

3927 Blandfield Drive

Vinton VA 24179

Wednesday, March 12, 2025:

• Children's Choirs: 36
• Youth Missions Group: 14
• Weeknight Worship: 64
• Chancel Choir: 47

Sunday, March 16, 2025:

Sunday School: 170

10:30 AM Worship

• in person: 259
• online: 337

Annie Armstrong Offering for North American Missions

The Annie Armstrong Easter Offering goes to train, resource, and send more than 2,400 missionary families across the United States and Canada, which together include a total of 386 million people, 350 languages, and an estimated 161 unreached people groups. This year our church goal is $2,450. Will you help us meet our goal? There are special envelopes in your box of envelopes and also in the pew pockets in the sanctuary. You may also give online and designate your gift for Annie Armstrong. Thank you!

Bible Reading Plan

We're halfway through Leviticus! I hope you're sticking with me on this Bible reading plan!

Following is a scholarly commentary on the book as a whole:

"The book of Leviticus is the center of the Pentateuch. This placement conveys the importance of worship for the life and well-being of the community. As God had been active in Israel's history, so God promises to be active in worship. Through these visible and tangible means, from sacrifices to dramatized festivals, God continues to overcome slavery and death and bestows life and salvation. Leviticus has more of a life-giving word and world to offer than its formal character suggests" (A Theological Introduction to the Old Testament by Bruce Birch, Walter Brueggemann, Terence Fretheim, & David Petersen, 135). These authors also refer to Leviticus as "a priest's manual," while noting that much of this book is addressed to God's people as a whole (as opposed to just the priests), and that in doing so God is providing transparency about the priesthood and its commandments and expectations (135-6). Of the chapters we're currently reading, they state: "Two basic distinctions are made (10:10): holy (that which has a special relationship with God) and common (ordinary, profane); clean (normal) and unclean (anomalous, out of place). These distinctions - and all cultures have them - have to do with appropriate boundaries. (...) These distinctions ought not be translated into moral/immoral or dirty/clean or sinful/righteous. While all sins yield uncleanness, not all impurities are sins. For example, some impurities are associated with that which is natural and necessary (e.g., sex, death)...." (136-7).

I hope these comments help clarify some of the chapters we're reading. Next week our reading will carry us into the portion of Leviticus considered to be the "Holiness Code." We'll talk about it in more detail next Wednesday.

-- Kim

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!

Church Library News

We are grateful for the generosity of those who have donated books to our church library. Due to limitations on space, we need to be selective about which books we can accept. Please note that donated books should have a publication date between 2015 and 2025 and should be in good condition. We cannot accept workbooks, devotionals, Bibles, or books published prior to 2015. Thank you for generosity and your understanding!

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.