Welcome our Intern, Taylor Davis

Beginning this month through August, Vinton Baptist is thrilled to welcome Taylor Davis as our Children and Youth Ministry Assistant Intern. Taylor will be working weekly throughout the remaining school year and summer to help support our children’s and youth ministry programs. She will be helping to prepare for children’s worship, support our children’s ministries, and working to prepare for our summer events, including VBS. Taylor is also currently serving as an intern in Kindergarten at Herman L. Horn.

Taylor is an exceptional scholar, basketball and soccer player, and student leader at William Byrd High School. She participates in every aspect of our youth program- including singing in the praise band and serving on our student leadership team.

Taylor has felt God calling her to ministry over the past year and is looking toward pursuing full time vocational ministry. She will be attending Virginia Tech in the fall, majoring in Elementary Education with a minor in music. After college, she is looking toward seminary.

I am so thrilled to spend the next several months working with Taylor to support, encourage, and nurture her call. Taylor is a diligent and hard worker, she leads by example in our youth group, and is dedicated to her faith, her family, her school, and her church. We are so thankful for the work that Taylor will be doing to ensure our children’s ministry continues to run smoothly during our current transition.

Taylor brings such wonderful positivity, energy, and joy to all that she does. I am so excited for her to serve in this position! We are truly blessed to have her. Welcome and thank you, Taylor!

--Whitney

This Sunday, February 12th

Come worship with us at 8:45 or 11:00 AM this Sunday, and we hope you'll join us for Sunday School at 9:50 AM, as well. Travis' sermon is, "A Slow Church," and the scripture reference is 1 Corinthians 13:1-13. At the 11:00 AM service, we'll be celebrating two baptisms and will also hear from the Sonshine & Cherub Choirs. If you cannot join us in person, tune in through our website or Facebook group page.

Youth Choir Mission Tour

There is a signup sheet in the choir room for this summer's Youth Choir Mission Tour to Niagara Falls. Our dates are June 3rd - 8th, and the cost is $330/person. A $100 deposit is due this Sunday, February 12th to secure your spot.

Youth Choir Fundraiser Meal & Raffle

All of our tickets have been sold! If you purchased a ticket for this Sunday's meal (fried chicken, twice baked potato, green beans, roll, & dessert), please remember that you can pick up your meal to go as early as 10:45 AM, or you can sit down with us in our valentine-themed gym as early as 11:45 AM for food & fellowship. We will also draw winners for our Gift Card Bouquet raffle this Sunday. (You do not need to be present to win.)

A BIG thank you goes to all who have supported our Youth Choir through these fundraisers! God bless you!

Children's Ministry Events this Sunday

All children in kindergarten through 5th grade are invited to join us this Sunday afternoon in the gym, 4:00 - 5:30 PM, for Art from the Heart and CIA! We have fun activities in store for you. There will be no children's dinner.

Wednesday Nights

Join us tonight for Wednesday Night Dinner (5:30 PM for those who signed up), Youth Missions Group (6:00 PM), Adult Bible Study (6:15 PM - on Psalm 80), Children's Choirs (6:15 PM), and adult choir rehearsals (usual times). Adult Bible Study will be livestreamed through our website and on Facebook.

Following are our upcoming February menus:

• February 15th - fajita seasoned chicken, red beans & rice, corn, chips & salsa, & dessert
• February 22nd - sloppy joe, tater tots, fried cabbage, salad, & dessert

Please make or change dinner reservations by calling the church office (540-343-7685) by 5:00 PM the Monday prior to dinner. Dinner costs are $7/adult (ages 13+), $5/child (ages 4-12), children 3 and under are free, and the max per family (living in the same household) is $20. First-time guests are complimentary.

Preteen Ice Skating

Preteens will meet Sunday, February 19th immediately following the 11:00 AM worship service. We will have lunch and a devotion. Then we'll head out to Lancerlot for ice skating, 1:00 - 3:00 PM. Cost is $8/child.

JOY Seniors

Happy Hearts is sponsoring a make-and-take event Thursday, February 16th, 10:00 AM - noon in the small dining room. Join us for fun and fellowship as we make homemade, all-natural sugar scrub. Double the fun by inviting a friend or making a jar for a friend. These make great gifts! Please sign up and pay at the JOY Seniors table by tomorrow, February 9th. The cost is $7 per 4 oz. jar.

Our next luncheon is Tuesday, February 28th at noon in the gym. Our menu is grilled chicken sandwich, green beans, chips, dessert, & water. Our program is presented by Gerri Wade on the History of Virginia Indians. The cost for lunch is $10/person. Please sign up by Friday, February 24th.

Thrive Student Ministry

• There will be NO evening Youth activities this Sunday.
• Mark your calendars for March 5th, which is Youth Sunday!
• DNOW weekend (March 17th - 19th) is rapidly approaching, and registration is OPEN! Please sign up as soon as possible. Click here for the registration form.
• Also, mark your calendars and see Whitney to sign up for our Youth Mission Trip to Nashville June 18th - 23rd.
• Youth Volleyball practices will begin in March. See Ken Williamson or Whitney with questions or to sign up.

Mabel Willis

Westlake Health & Rehab.

115 Retirement Drive #105

Hardy VA 24101

Congratulations to Mrs. Audrey Ferguson, who will be celebrating her 98th birthday this Sunday, February 12th! Audrey is our oldest member at Vinton Baptist Church! Her address is 3120 Richard Avenue NE, Roanoke VA 24012.

Children's Worship Volunteers Needed

We need help in Children's Worship each Sunday. Please consider volunteering either as a teacher or as a helper. We need extra helpers at the 11:00 AM service because we tend to have more children at this service. Please click here for the sign-up sheet (dates run through February) and help us out. Thanks!!

Help Refresh Our Youth Space!

We have a number of projects needing to be accomplished to refresh our youth space. Some involve basic cleaning and painting; others require more creativity and specialization. We would also love to entertain any ideas you may have for our space. Please click here for more details and consider signing up for a project.

Boys & Girls Club

The Boys & Girls Club is in need of monetary donations to purchase snacks. If you would like to support them in this way, please make checks payable to Vinton Baptist and notate "Boys & Girls Club snacks." Thank you!

Please extend a warm welcome to several new members:

• Doug Bradley, husband of Lauren and father of Abigail, who joined VBC last Sunday by letter from Old Providence ARP Church in Steeles Tavern. The Bradleys live at 1237 Hales Ford Road, Moneta VA 24121.

• Brad, Beth, & Becca Radford, who all joined VBC last Sunday by statement. Their address is 461 Maplewood Drive, Vinton VA 24179.

• We announced new member Bobby Estienne in last week's Witness but did not have a picture. His announcement is now complete!

Updated List of Blessing Box Needs

Needed items are Hamburger Helper meals, Spam, muffin mixes, cereal (any kind, any size), and shampoo. Donations can be dropped off in the Blessing Box bin at the Missions Tables.

"Check out" our newest books in the Library:

• The Deeper Journey by Robert Mulholland
• Wrapped in Rain by Charles Martin
• The Mountain Between Us by Charles Martin

Bible Reading Plan

Last week we finished up Genesis in our 2-year Bible reading plan and are well on our way into the narrative of Exodus. A few notes to keep in mind from "How to Read the Bible Book by Book" (Fee & Stuart):



Exodus continues the narrative found in Genesis, but be prepared for an upcoming shift (starting in chapter 21) to a list of laws, then details about the construction of the tabernacle (starting in 25), then more narrative (starting in 32), and then repetition of the details of the tabernacle (starting in 35). Fee & Stuart urge us to keep context in mind as we read through some of the more challenging laws and details of Exodus: "...Exodus narrates the crucial matters that define Israel as a people in relationship to their God, Yahweh. As you read, therefore, watch especially for the three absolutely defining moments in Israel's history, which cause this narrative with its embedding of portions of the law to make sense..." (35). Those three "defining moments" are the rescue of God's people from Egyptian slavery through the Passover, which is a critical juncture in Israelite history and involves a constant call to remembrance, even through modern times; God's presence becoming manifest once again with his people, as it was in the Garden of Eden; and God giving his people laws that represent his covenant, and by extension, his relationship with them (and consequently their relationships with each other).

--Kim

Click here for a printable copy of our Bible reading plan, or pick up a copy at the Welcome Center. You can also access the plan through our VBC app on your mobile device. Just click on "Bible Reading Plan" across the bottom menu of the app.

AARP Tax-Aide

AARP Tax-Aide offers free, in-person tax preparation in the Vinton Baptist library Thursday mornings through April 13th (other locations are also available). You may make an appointment now by clicking here, or you can call 540-345-2820. Appointments are required.

Thank you for remembering us at Christmas and on our anniversary. We appreciate the visits, cards, and prayers. A special thanks to Marissa Brewer for her beautiful artwork.

Fred & Jean Swisher

A big thank you to all of my church family for the wonderful cards and expressions of love!

Ethel Dickerson

There are no words to tell all of you how much your celebrating with me at my 40^th Anniversary at Vinton Baptist Church has meant to me. You are absolutely the most wonderful church family anyone could have. I appreciate so much the monetary gift the church gave me along with a beautiful Coach handbag to put that money in!! Each card was so precious and meaningful, along with so many gift cards, monetary gifts, and sweet gifts. You are all the very best, and I love each of you! You’ve really made this a very special time for me!

Patsy Talbert