A New Playground

As strange as it may sound, I have always liked mowing more than gardening. Even during these hot summer months, there is something satisfying about mowing the lawn. No matter how overgrown and shaggy our yard may get, after a few hours of mowing, trimming, edging, and blowing, all is made new. The results are instant; our yard transforms before my very eyes. By the end of an afternoon’s work, I can see the impact of my effort.

Gardening is different; the hours are long, the work is hard, and there are no guarantees. After spending a day preparing the soil, planting the seeds, and watering the dirt, the only visual difference is some freshly turned rows of dirt in the backyard. For weeks, there is the daily chore of watering and weeding the soil with nothing to show for it. In a good season, the seeds will sprout, the plants will grow, and vegetables can be harvested. Other years, after just as much labor, some seeds will not sprout, nor plants grow, and there will be few vegetables to harvest. Despite all of the work and effort of gardening, the process is slow and the results are never guaranteed. We cannot make a garden grow any more than we can make the sky rain. All we can do is prepare the soil, plant the seeds, water, weed, wait, and trust.

Maybe that is why Jesus compared the Kingdom of God to a seed being planted in or falling on different soils. We cannot make God’s Kingdom grow in us or the world. All we can do is prepare the soil of our lives and in the world around us, and trust what God’s Spirit will do with our efforts. Preparing soil does not give instant results. The process is slow and there are no guarantees. And yet, that is the work to which we have been called. That is the mission of the church—cultivating the soil of our homes, communities, and world to prepare them to receive the gift of God’s grace, the growth of his love, and the transformation of his kingdom on earth as it is in heaven.

This fall we have an opportunity to prepare the soil (quite literally) on a piece of our church property to receive the gift of a new playground. As a site for the Boys and Girls Club, Vinton Baptist was made eligible to receive a grant from a nonprofit organization called Kaboom who is working with the Virginia Foundation of Healthy Youth to build eight playgrounds across the Commonwealth. Their goal is to encourage children to play outside by providing safe spaces for them in areas where such spaces are lacking. Kaboom reached out to the Boys and Girls Club of Southwest Virginia, and the BGCSWVA reached out to us since this project was not needed at their 9th Street location. After consulting with our Properties Committee and discussing the unbuildable grass lot we own beside Lotz Funeral Home, Vinton Baptist began the extensive application process as a candidate to receive this funding for our first ever playground.

A few weeks ago, we received the exciting news that we were one of the recipients of the grant. The funding covers the expense of the playground equipment, rubber mulch, assembly and installation of the equipment. The requirement is that we prepare the land, gather volunteers, and ensure the build is a community project. Working with Andy Nicely, who is the Chair of our Properties Committee and a Trustee of the church, as well as Mike Stovall, who is on the Properties Committee and Vice Mayor of the town, we have assembled a team of leaders for the completion of this project that includes representatives from Vinton Baptist, our community, and the Boys and Girls Club. Along with preparing the land, we would like to install a six-foot, chain-link fence with privacy slats for the safety of the children. The town has agreed to install a crosswalk on Poplar Street, so children and adults can safely access this space from our parking lot.

As Andy discussed at our last Ministry Matters meeting, pending the vote, the playground is set to be built on Wednesday, October 25 - Friday, October 27. We have received an estimate from our insurance company to raise our annual insurance coverage in order to account for the additional liability of the playground. The estimate is less than $200 more per year to our current coverage. The playground will be open to the community, but will be locked each night and reopened each morning for safety. We are currently establishing a maintenance plan for the annual upkeep of the equipment and grounds. Through the support of the Vinton community, we already have donors in place who have committed to assist us in covering the cost of the fence and ongoing maintenance of the playground. For additional questions, please reach out to Andy Nicely, Mike Stovall, or me and we will be happy to share more details or answer any questions in preparation for Sunday’s vote.

This is an opportunity for us to receive the gift of a much needed outdoor play space for our children at minimal cost to our church. This is an opportunity for us to reach out to our neighbors, work as partners with our community, and provide a place for children and families to gather, new connections to be made, and relationships to build. This is an opportunity for Vinton Baptist to cultivate the soil around us, plant the seeds of God’s love in our community, and trust the transformative work God will do through our efforts for the purposes of his kingdom. I hope you will join us this Sunday, July 30 following our combined worship service at 10:30am, as we vote on this exciting opportunity.

-- Travis

This Sunday @ VBC

This Sunday is a 5th Sunday! That means we'll have Sunday School at 9:15 AM, one combined morning worship service at 10:30 AM, a called business meeting at the conclusion of worship (to vote on the playground proposal), and a luncheon in the gym following worship. Lunch includes hamburgers and hot dogs, mac-n-cheese, potato salad, chips, assorted desserts and sundae bar, and coffee and tea. Travis' sermon is "A Disrupter" (Phoebe), and the scripture is Romans 16:1-2. If you can't make it in person, you can find our livestream at www.vintonbaptistchurch.org or on our Facebook group page.

STELLAR Vacation Bible School continues tonight

(Day 4) and tomorrow night (our Family Block Party)!

It's not too late to get started. Open to Pre-K - 5th graders. 5:30 - 8:00 PM.

Upcoming Youth Events

Please pray for our PGA Youth Camp participants and chaperones, who are headed to Alta Mons this Friday, July 28th and plan to return Sunday, July 30th. Our theme is "Identity." We will discover that we are God's creation, made in God's image, and loved unconditionally.

Our next event is a lock-in on August 4th. Meet at VBC at 7:00 PM. We will go to Thunder Valley ($13/person) and have a night of fun and adventure scheduled! See Whitney with questions.

Fun & the Son Play Group

If you're joining our Fun & the Son group tomorrow, remember that we will meet at Troutville Park for playtime and a picnic. See Betty Jo Overstreet with questions.

August Praise Team & Choir Rehearsals

Please note that Praise Team (6:30 PM) and Chancel Choir (7:30 PM) will have their August rehearsals next Wednesday, August 2nd. Please plan to attend if possible.

JOY Seniors

A very special thank you goes to David Norris for making a money collection box for the JOY Seniors. It can be found on the JOY Senior table, and payments for trips and luncheons can be placed in the box. Thank you, David, for seeing and fulfilling a need.

An overnight trip to the Bible Museum or the Smithsonian has been planned by Bonsack Baptist for August 30th - 31st. Vinton Baptist has been invited to join this trip. Find all the details at the JOY Senior table or on the JOY Seniors Facebook group page.

Are you a history buff? Join the JOY Seniors for a trip to Lynchburg on August 24th. We will have a guided tour related to Civil War history and the Civil War Medical Museum. Following the tour, we will enjoy lunch at Liberty Station in Bedford. The cost of this trip is $8 plus lunch. We will depart VBC at 8:30 AM.

The Ark Encounter and Creation Museum trip is full. However, you can sign up on the wait list at the JOY Senior table.

Annual Paper Drive for Keystone

Thanks to everyone who has already contributed paper products to the JOY Seniors' Annual Paper Drive for Keystone Community Center. Collection boxes are located near the Welcome Center and next to the elevator on the entrance level of the New Ministries Building, and we will continue to collect products such as paper plates, cups, bowls, plastic cutlery, paper towels, napkins, toilet paper, etc., through the end of this month.

August 6th: Blessing of the Backpacks

School is right around the corner! Join us Sunday, August 6th for the annual Blessing of the Backpacks. If you are a student, teacher, bus driver, cafeteria staff, school administrator, or otherwise associated with the school system, you are invited to bring your backpack, briefcase, or other school bag to receive this year's blessing.

Budget Committee Meeting

The Budget Committee meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, August 8th at 6:30 PM in the small dining room.

Supper Club

Mark your calendars for our next event, August 12th at 6 PM, when we'll have a Back to School PJ Party at the church. Questions? Contact Erin Berry.

August 13th: Sunday School Promotion

On Sunday, August 13th our children's and youth Sunday School classes will be promoted. We will also take an opportunity to recognize and celebrate our Sunday School teachers who have taught for the past year, as well as those who have committed to teaching Sunday School for the upcoming 2023-24 year. If you are not yet connected with a Sunday School class, this will be a great time to get involved. More details to come.

Looking Forward

With school beginning soon, we will also resume much of our regular programming in September, as well as offer a few new opportunities. Following are some dates to keep in mind. Please mark your calendars!

• Wednesday, September 6th: Weekly Praise Team (6:30 PM) and Chancel Choir (7:30 PM) rehearsals resume.
• Tuesday, September 12th: Weeknight Worship begins at 7:00 PM and will be offered every Tuesday evening through mid-November.
• Wednesday, September 13th: Children's Choirs begin (6:15 - 7:15 PM), and we will have a Ministry Matters meeting at 6:15 PM. (Reminder: there will be no Wednesday night dinners.)
• Wednesday, September 20th: Wednesday Women begins (When You Pray: A Study of Six Prayers in the Bible), 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM. Travis' small group study on spiritual formation in the home begins at 6:15 PM. A small group on grief is being planned, as well.
• Friday & Saturday, September 22nd & 23rd AND Friday & Saturday, September 29th & 30th: Pictures will be taken for a new pictorial directory. More details to come. You can call the church office if you would like to go ahead and make your appointment; there will also soon be opportunities on Sundays to set up your appointment.

Shirley Nance

c/o Richfield Rehab. Roanoke Campus

1047 Mecca Street NE

Roanoke VA 24012

Thank you to the Alma Hunt Circle for their donation to the Community Assistance Fund.

Thank you to the Pete Creasy Sunday School class for their donation to the Food Pantry.

Blessing Box Needs

The following items are most needed for the Blessing Box right now: any size/type of fruit (easy open tops are particularly helpful for our homeless friends), cereal, Pop Tarts, pancake mix, and any type of Chef Boyardee canned products (Spaghetti O's, ravioli, etc.) Donations can be dropped in the appropriate bin at the Missions Tables. Thank you!

Food Pantry News

In the past year (since July 25, 2022), we have been blessed to be able to help 241 different households with non-perishable food items through our Food Pantry. Many of those households have received food every month during that time; others have received food only occasionally. We provide food (as often as once per month) when requested by our participants.

Unfortunately, our Food Pantry is running low on funds. Everyone, including our pantry volunteers who shop for non-perishable staples, has felt the financial pinch of increased prices at the grocery stores over the past year. The food that we currently provide averages $41 per household each time a participant visits our pantry. Our volunteers are currently in the process of determining ways that we can continue to provide our community with food at a sustainable level. They have decided to open the pantry once per week (Mondays) instead of twice per week, beginning in August, limiting the number of households serviced to approximately 9 per week. They have been continuously reevaluating the items we stock in an effort to save money. They will likely begin to limit the number of times a participant can visit the pantry (going to once per quarter or twice per year instead of once per month). We are also investigating opportunities to apply for grants to help fund our pantry.

We are sharing this information to keep our congregation aware of the financial needs of the Food Pantry. Keep in mind that this is a year-round ministry of the church; the need is continuous. If you would like to donate funds, please mark your envelope, check, or online gift with the notation "VBC Food Pantry." If we have any Sunday School classes or other groups that would like to sponsor the pantry, your donations would be much appreciated. Please keep our volunteers in your prayers as they discern how best to move forward financially while continuing to provide a sense of food security in our community.

Bible Reading Plan

We just began 2 Kings on our Bible Reading Plan (and, of course, we're working our way through Psalms for the second time). Click here for a link to a video from the Bible Project on the books of Kings. It covers some of the same points made in last week's commentary on Kings, and it does an excellent job of explaining the broad themes of Kings 1 and 2, as well as how various details fit into those themes. I hope it helps you in making sense of our daily reading.

Dear Church Family,

Thanks for the beautiful peace lily you sent in memory of Wayne. We appreciate it very much. Also thanks to Travis, Chris, & Beth for a wonderful service. In Christian love,

Barbara Wray & family