The Witness

Volume 41, Issue 51

December 20, 2023

Please Note:

  • The only activity this evening is the youth visit to the Rescue Mission. Parents, see your email for details from Whitney. Youth should plan to be at the church by 4:00 PM (note time change).
  • The Witness will NOT be published next week.

This Sunday @ VBC:

This Sunday morning we will celebrate the fourth Sunday of Advent AND Christmas Eve! We'll have Sunday School at 9:15 AM, and Morning Worship at 10:30 AM. Travis' message is "Only One," and the scripture is Luke 10:38-42. If you cannot join us in person, you can livestream at www.vintonbaptistchurch.org and on our Facebook group page.


Plan to return at 5:00 PM Sunday for our Christmas Eve service, including communion and candlelight. Please invite your family, neighbors, and friends!

Family Christmas Tree

Our Family Christmas Tree is on display in the Welcome Center. If you are new to VBC over the past year, or if you have simply never donated an ornament representing your family, please bring your ornament and place it on our tree this season. Please notate your name/family's name and the year "2023" on your ornament. When Christmas is over, we will store all ornaments here at the church to be used on next year's Family Christmas Tree.

Church Office Holiday Hours

The church office will be closed Monday and Tuesday, December 25th - 26th. We will reopen Wednesday, December 27th at 9:00 AM. Please note that The Witness will NOT be published next week. The office will also be closed Monday, January 1st and will reopen Tuesday, January 2nd at 9:00 AM.

New Year's Eve Schedule

New Year's Eve falls on Sunday this year, and we will only have 10:30 AM Worship (no Sunday School). Please mark your calendars accordingly.

Worship Schedule for 2024

As we look beyond Christmas to the new year, please remember that we will continue our current Sunday morning schedule with Sunday School at 9:15 AM and Morning Worship at 10:30 AM. Our second weekly worship service will be on Wednesday nights (beginning January 10th) at 6:30 PM in the sanctuary. Travis will preach the same message at both Sunday and Wednesday worship services. Wednesday night services will be more contemporary, and music will be provided by our praise band. For those who attend Sunday morning worship and also enjoy a small group study on Wednesday nights, we've got you covered (see below).

Adult Bible Study/Small Group Options in 2024

Beginning January 10th, we will offer an optional adult small group study with Jessie Burgess in the small dining room at 6:30 PM (the same time that Wednesday Worship is going on). This study will focus on spiritual disciplines using Richard Foster's Celebration of Discipline. It is not necessary that you purchase the book to participate, although you are welcome to obtain your own copy.


For those who are interested in an adult small group but prefer morning hours, Travis will also be leading a Celebration of Discipline study on Thursday mornings at 10:00 AM in the small dining room. Everyone is welcome to attend either (or both) small group sessions.


Info about Wednesday Women will be available soon. It will most likely be scheduled to begin in February and run 7-8 weeks. Stay tuned for more details!

Geneva Dillon

PO Box 24

Daleville VA 24083

Sunday, December 17, 2023

9:15 AM Sunday School - 187

10:30 AM Worship

  • 300 in person
  • 282 online

Thank you to the Spirit Class for their donation of food in appreciation of Wayne Sink, Don Lawson, and Rick Haynes for transporting our Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes to Lynn Haven Baptist Church.

2023 Offerings

The final day to submit cash or check donations and have them counted for the 2023 calendar year is this Sunday, December 24th. Online giving (through our website/app) that is submitted by end of day December 27th will also be recorded as 2023 donations. All offerings received after these dates will be recorded as 2024 donations.

Christian sympathy is extended to Gary & Gwynne Myers and family in the death of his father, Sydney Myers, December 19th; to Joyce Hutchison in the death of her brother, David Altice, on December 11th; and to Frank & Martha Lang and family in the death of his brother, Rayburn Lang.

Property Security Update

Special thanks goes to Mark Hough for his many years of service in opening up and closing our church each day and monitoring its security. Mark has officially "retired" from this Property Security Manager position, and David Helms will be fulfilling these responsibilities going forward. Mark, we are so appreciative of your service these many years!

Blessing Box Needs

Following is a list of the most pressing needs for our Blessing Box. Donations can be dropped in the marked bin at the Missions Tables. Thank you!

  • Fruit (any kind/size)
  • Spaghetti pasta & sauce
  • Peanut butter
  • Hamburger Helper meals
  • Pinto beans
  • Cans of sloppy joe

Bible Reading Plan

Fee & Stuart (How to Read the Bible Book by Book) offer some helpful insight into Isaiah.

·        Isaiah is writing at a time when Uzziah has been king of Jerusalem for about 50 years, and there has been little threat from Assyria during that time. However, Assyria begins to become a menace again, and both the northern and southern kingdoms are faced with paying tribute. Both Isaiah 7 - 9 (which we've already read) and 36 - 39 (today's and tomorrow's readings) deal with the political ramifications of being indebted to Assyria.

·        Isaiah 40 - 55 specifically relates to a later time, after the exile of the Jewish people, when they are living in Babylon. Themes of return from exile are prominent, but those often refer to a time in the future.

·        Much of the theological emphasis of Isaiah involves the difference between a faithful, holy, personal God ("the 'Holy One of Israel'") versus the uncaring, unjust idols that the nations worship. The land of Israel, and specifically the city of Jerusalem, are representative of God dwelling with his people. "Thus the book begins with a desecrated Zion that is promised to be restored, and it ends (chs. 65 - 66) with the promised final expression of the Holy City and its Holy People, which includes the Gentiles."

·        "At the center of Isaiah's story is Israel, redeemed but wayward, stubborn but loved, and it is Yahweh's relationship with them, told over and over again by pointing back to the exodus and the Davidic covenant, that reveals his mercy and compassion. Judge them he must, but give them up he will not .... The story of this redemption thus climaxes with a servant Messiah who will redeem both Israel and the nations by dying for them - a story that finds its fulfillment in Jesus Christ and the cross."

·        Last week we shared a link to a BibleProject video about the first half of Isaiah. Please click here to access a video about the second half. You will find many of the above themes represented in this video.

Dear Church Family,

Thank you for the cards and sweet remembrances for Christmas this year. It means so much to me.

Karen Musselwhite Smith

Dear Vinton Baptist Church,

Thank you all for your kind support to our school's families this holiday season! Your generosity has helped so many in our community! Wishing you all the best this season!

Sincerely,

Ashley McCallum, Principal

Heather Everhardt, Asst. Principal

Vinton Baptist Church,

I want to thank you for the generous retirement gift. I am glad that I had the opportunity to serve our church for so many years. Thank you.

Mark Hough

Thank you to my church family for the cards and to the Preteens for Christmas gifts. A blessed Christmas to everyone!!

Linda Mayhew

The administrative and ministerial staff would like to thank all those who have brought food, gifts, and well wishes to share with us this Christmas season. May God bless you for generously remembering us!


Thank you to the WBHS Men's Varsity Basketball Team for their generous donations to our Food Pantry of items collected through their annual basketball tournament!

December 2023 Calendar
www.vintonbaptistchurch.org