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1 The Ridgeway Newsletter Vol. 14 Issue 2 September 2015 http://ridgewaymennonite.org [email protected] Ridgeway Mennonite Church 546 E. Franklin Street, Harrisonburg, VA 22801 540-434-3476 ____________________________________________________________________________________________ Our purpose as a church is to love God and all people, enabled by the Holy Spirit to become the living presence of Jesus Christ in our homes, across the street, and around the world. __________________________ This newsletter is published monthly. Please provide information to the editor, church secretary, by the fourth Sunday of this month. __________________________ Women’s Retreat A wonderful weekend retreat is planned for women of all ages on October 30-November 1. Join your sisters in a beautiful mountain setting at the Massanutten Springs Conference Center in Harrisonburg, VA. The theme this year is “Our Stories, God’s Story” presented by Sharon Landis Clymer, co- author of The Spacious HeartRoom for Spacious Awakening. Extra registration forms and scholarship applications are on the foyer table. Final registration deadline is October 5. Wonderful Trip to France Sandy Kauffman On Wednesday, July 21 I woke up in the middle of the night and didn't know where I was. It took me a while to recognize my own home. Needless to say, we slept well in our own bed after traveling around France for 11 days. We spent almost a week in Paris followed by a weekend with Mark and Chantal Logan (Cathy Cupp’s brother) in a small village south of Paris. The flight back went very smoothlyonce we got off the Glen and Sandy in Paris. ground. We did not have any concept of time so being late didn't bother us. We appreciated our son Daniel and his now wife Erin picking us up at the airport. “So what did you like best?” they asked. How do you answer that after such a wonderful trip? Here's my top dozen: #12 Best museumThe Louvre was amazing in its massive size and amount of art. I also liked one of the smaller museums that had more variety without the huge number of pieces to sort througheasier to appreciate each piece. #11 Most impressive paintingI liked looking at the small details of a grape that had many different colors within it or how white and dark strands show the fall of material. I also liked a portrait that was made up of different fruits to Glen holding up a pillar at the Louvre. represent the nose, chin, etc. Of course people who really knew something about art liked "Mona." #10 Do differentlyless time at The Louvre Museum and more time exploring places outside the main attractions. #9 "Grumpy" timewaiting in line for Eiffel tower when busloads of people with "reservations" cut in front. See France, Page 2

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The Ridgeway Newsletter Vol. 14 Issue 2 • September 2015 http://ridgewaymennonite.org • [email protected] Ridgeway Mennonite Church 546 E. Franklin Street, Harrisonburg, VA 22801 540-434-3476

____________________________________________________________________________________________

Our purpose as a church is to

love God and all people,

enabled by the Holy Spirit to

become the living presence of

Jesus Christ in our homes,

across the street, and around

the world.

__________________________ This newsletter is published

monthly. Please provide

information to the editor, church

secretary, by the fourth Sunday

of this month.

__________________________

Women’s Retreat

A wonderful weekend retreat is

planned for women of all ages

on October 30-November 1.

Join your sisters in a beautiful

mountain setting at the

Massanutten Springs Conference

Center in Harrisonburg, VA.

The theme this year is “Our

Stories, God’s Story” presented

by Sharon Landis Clymer, co-

author of The Spacious Heart—

Room for Spacious Awakening.

Extra registration forms and

scholarship applications are on

the foyer table. Final registration

deadline is October 5.

Wonderful Trip to France Sandy Kauffman

On Wednesday, July 21 I woke up in

the middle of the night and didn't know

where I was. It took me a while to

recognize my own home. Needless to

say, we slept well in our own bed after

traveling around France for 11

days. We spent almost a week in Paris

followed by a weekend with Mark and

Chantal Logan (Cathy Cupp’s brother)

in a small village south of Paris.

The flight back went very

smoothly—once we got off the

Glen and Sandy in Paris. ground. We did not have any concept

of time so being late didn't bother us. We appreciated our son Daniel and

his now wife Erin picking us up at the airport.

“So what did you like best?” they

asked. How do you answer that after

such a wonderful trip?

Here's my top dozen:

#12 Best museum—The Louvre

was amazing in its massive size and

amount of art. I also liked one of the

smaller museums that had more

variety without the huge number of

pieces to sort through—easier to

appreciate each piece.

#11 Most impressive painting—I

liked looking at the small details of a

grape that had many different colors

within it or how white and dark

strands show the fall of material. I

also liked a portrait that was

made up of different fruits to Glen holding up a pillar at the Louvre.

represent the nose, chin, etc. Of course people who really knew something

about art liked "Mona."

#10 Do differently—less time at The Louvre Museum and more time

exploring places outside the main attractions.

#9 "Grumpy" time—waiting in line for Eiffel tower when busloads of

people with "reservations" cut in front.

See France, Page 2

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France from Page 1

#8 you've got pain—Glen with blisters and Sandy enduring a bruised heel from all

the walking.

#7 never do again—exchange US dollars for Euros without using a credit card. (We

only got about 75% of its value.)

#6 best food—the French pastries!, baguettes, and we were surprised that we liked

escargot (snails baked in butter and garlic).

#5 should do more of—eat veggies and fruit (to help with digestion...he he).

#4 bored—having read all of my books I had nothing to read/do while waiting for

the plane.

#3 surprise!—we happened upon the Bastille Day parade and saw 50 airplanes fly

directly overhead.

#2 appreciation—for how well Glen and I work/play together and found our way to

anywhere in the city using the metro. Mona Lisa at the Louvre, Paris

#1 challenges I took home—be kind, especially to those who are confused or don't understand. Also get out of my

comfort zone and allow God to use me.

So went our trip. We celebrated our 32nd

anniversary while there. It will be difficult to top that next year.

Glad to be home.

A meal with Mark and Chantal Logan. Kiss at the top of the Eiffel Tower, Paris

____________________________________________________________________________________________

“God Still Calls,” an Eastern District

mission event, begins Saturday,

September 12 at 5:30 with an

international potluck at Huntington

Mennonite Church. Bring your

favorite dish, local or foreign. Drinks and serving

utensils provided. Try on an international costume

and more. Following the meal will be a joint

celebration with special guests Linford and Janet

Stutzman. On Sunday at 4:30 p.m. David and

Rebekka Stutzman will share. VMMissions mission

offerings will be received at both services.

Second Saturday Night Out! Featuring Chef

Praserth of Beyond restaurant on Saturday,

September 14, 5pm-8pm, at Our Community Place.

See foyer bulletin board.

Join the 18th annual Bike Shenandoah on

Saturday, September 19. Bike Shenandoah is a cycle

for service offering five rides for all ages and

abilities. The ride starts and ends at Eastern

Mennonite School and supports NewBridges

Immigrant Resource Center, Our Community Place,

Roberta Webb Child Care Center, MennoMedia,

Mennonite Central Committee and Virginia

Mennonite Missions. Visit bikeshenandoah.org or

contact [email protected].

Annual Open House—Our Community Place,

Monday, September 21. Doors open 6:30 p.m.

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Mennonite World Conference...three from Ridgeway share about their participation.

My Experience at Mennonite World Conference Paul Groff

I had an awesome experience at MWC July 21-26. I stayed at my

dad’s and we took a bus to the Farm Show Complex in Harrisburg,

PA, each day. Key highlights included:

o Meeting friends from around the world (especially East

Africa where I had served with MCC three years)

o Inspiring singing

o Challenging talks by young adults each morning

Making new friends...Besides catching up with many friends I hadn’t

seen in years, I had a chance to make new friends. It was really neat

Paul and his dad met up with Irma Molina. to get to know folks

sitting next to you at a meal, at worship or in a seminar. A neat feature

they had were “friendship groups,” where you met with the same

(random-selected) folks every morning to get to know each other

better.

One evening I sat next to a deaf woman from Guatemala. At first we

just ate in silence, then I started writing on a pad to get to know her

better. I told her how my oldest son’s birthparents were from

Guatemala. I was very touched when she gave me a small painting that

her friend had made.

Connecting with folks who know Jean Claude and Francine...I had a

nice conversation with MCC folks who are working in the Great Lakes

region of Africa, which include Burundi and Rwanda. Swiss Alpine horn played for us as we left one evening.

They know Jean Claude and are very impressed with

him. They were happy to hear of their connections with

Ridgeway.

Working through difficult times...I attended a

seminar on how MWC had worked through difficult

issues over the last 90 years. Early issues included “Is

being Mennonite an ethnic thing or belief?” and

pacifism. I also heard the story that after WWII,

German and Dutch Mennonites were on the same boat

together coming to MWC in the US. There was a lot of

tension between the groups since their nations had been

fighting in the war. There were a lot of hard

conversations on the boat ride and during the

convention there was reconciliation. One man

commented that maybe today we need more long boat

rides.

Inspiring worship services...Besides lots of singing Around 7,000 people attended worship services in the Farm Show arena.

from cultures around the world, I was inspired and challenged by speakers young and old. One day the theme was

on doubt and conviction: “Don’t fear those who doubt. Fear those who don’t doubt.” A young adult challenged us:

“Can we regain our confidence to be prophetic?” Another young adult said: “Mission must meet the needs of the

whole person. When we give, are we transformed by the need? Revival comes when we are pushed out of our

comfort zone.”

See World Conference, Page 4

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Total attendees (including

daily and evening

registrants): 8,454

Countries represented: 77

Meals Served: Over 40,000

World Conference from Page 3

Environmental stewardship...All the plates, cups and

plastic ware were collected and sent to a composter.

The Farm Show folks were very impressed with

MWC’s recycling and composting efforts and hope to

implement ideas in future events.

Reflections on World Conference Lois Wenger

World Conference is now my idea what heaven is

like—multitudes from every nation, praising God in

song and worship, in unity and joy. The sewing area where folks could quilt. They completed 50 comforters.

Several interactions stand out to me. One question we were to address in my Friendship Group was “How can

we build each other up in the midst of church conflict?” A young Dutch woman looked puzzled and said, “I don’t

understand what you mean—church conflict?” When it was explained that North American Mennonites are in

conflict about LGBT issues, she didn’t respond but her look of incredibility and surprise gave her away. An older

Dutch woman in the group explained, “We resolved that a hundred years ago.” Another person in the group shared

that a pastor from Philippines who had preached at their church suggested we have “less meetings and more

potlucks” because it is in getting to know one another that our differences become less important.

On the last night Bruxy Cavey from Canada spoke on fruit of the spirit. He emphasized that “love initiates” or is

active. He pointed out that “niceness,” which he views as passive and not doing any harm, is not listed in Galatians

5:22. This made me think about Ridgeway’s reaching out to our neighbors—love requires our actions, not just our

niceness. Photos by Paul Groff.

To Attend or Not Attend Angela Rempel

We had decided not to go to Mennonite World Conference. Both

Erwin and I have attended some previous assemblies of MWC.

We’ve been to numerous large assemblies, conferences and

gatherings of our denomination plus some inter-denominational

events. Even though Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, is quite close, we

didn’t plan to go. We figured we’d “been there; done that.”

That is until Sheldon and Marietta Sawatzky, our friends from years of overseas mission and mission

administration, heard that we weren’t planning to attend. They’ve retired and live in Harrisburg close to the big

complex where MWC was held. We had assumed their friends from Taiwan would occupy their guestroom. But in

an interesting turn of events, the Taiwanese wanted to experience a “pure” American Mennonite home-stay during

the conference and having to use only English. They would visit the Sawatzkys either before or after the assembly.

Marietta just couldn’t imagine that we would miss attending since it was so close and we would know lots of

people. They offered us use of their guestroom.

With that unexpected invitation, we decided to go for just one day, Thursday, and are very glad we did. We

drove on Wednesday to Sawatzkys’ nice condo in a large renovated apartment building on N. Front Street along the

wide Susquehanna River.

First thing on Thursday morning who showed up sitting right behind us for the morning worship but our former

boss at Mennonite Mission Network, Stanley Green and his wife. All day long we encountered people we’d met

from around the world and even our next door neighbors here in Harrisonburg! Erwin recognized many people

from his days working in our denomination. It was a wonderful reminder of the various chapters of our life.

See World Conference, Page 5

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World Conference from Page 4

Tents from each continent we have visited or lived in

surrounded the Global Church Village exhibit area.

Inside each tent, interesting displays highlighted the

Mennonite connections in those parts of the world.

People wearing colorful traditional clothing from

their countries mingled with those of us dressed in

western styles. Some carried unusual musical

instruments. Music and videos played at the stage at

the far end of the exhibit area.

The one day we had picked to attend the World

Conference focused on Africa, a continent where we

lived for about six years. We could once again enjoy

traditional African music enthusiastically sung and

played by brightly garbed music groups.

Seeing Mennonites/Anabaptists from so many

places reminded us that God is at work in the world,

The Global Church Village

and that we’ve had the opportunity to participate in

some small slice of that work. We thank God for how

He has led us throughout life.

____________________________________________________________________________________________

Book Signing

Song of the Redwing Blackbird

An Amish Mennonite Girl Grows Up

A Memoir

By Ferne Lapp Bowman

On Sunday, September 13, between church and Sunday School, Ferne Bowman will be

in the Fellowship Hall to sell and sign her newly published book. The price is $17.00.

Copies will be on a table for your inspection. The following is taken from the back

cover of the book, written by the publisher.

When Ferne Lapp Bowman was born in 1934, she was the eleventh and last child to

join a large Amish Mennonite family in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Although the

Beachy Amish allowed modern conveniences such as electricity, telephones, and cars,

they dressed plain and retained the Pennsylvania Dutch language. Ferne’s vivid memories of growing up on the

farm include not only chores such as guiding the plow horse and weeding the garden, but also ice cream making,

summertime foot washing, and picking bluebells.

A keen interest in books and education eventually took Ferne to Eastern Mennonite College in Harrisonburg,

Virginia, where she learned to be a school teacher and met her future husband Dan Bowman, a young local

Mennonite. They married in 1967 and today, three children and numerous grandchildren later, they reside in

Harrisonburg, Virginia.

The Song of the Redwing Blackbird: An Amish Mennonite Girl Grows Up was born of Ferne’s desire to tell the

story of her unique journey through life, navigating a world both traditional and modern. The book is for her

children and grandchildren and anyone else who wants to peer into the world of the Amish and Mennonites. “This

book is not an autobiography. It is a collection of stories from my life….. It is meant to show where life has taken

me,” she said when explaining the motivation behind the memoir.

___________________________________________________________________________________________

2015 Mennonite Relief Sale

October 2-3

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Dorothy and Orval in front of the Mission Inn.

Part 2: Trains, A National Park, and A

Birthday Party Dorothy Shank

June 19. After a wonderful 3 ½ days in Yosemite, we

boarded the San Joaquin at Merced, CA, headed for

Bakersfield. It is a beautiful ride through everyone's

garden since this is the source for many products

used in the U.S.—grapes, nuts, corn, flowers, etc.,

and even oil wells. There were also fields that had not

been planted, whether due to dry weather or season,

we did not know. But dry it was!!

Having arrived in Bakersfield at 12 pm, it was

now time to board a bus for the remaining distance to

Riverside. There were about 10 AMTRAK buses

lined up, and we were told which bus to board; ours

turned out to be very full. Our bus driver, who was a

hefty lady, informed us that we would not be arriving

on time since it was Friday afternoon and the traffic

would be heavy...“please call your family member

and let them know that you will be late.” She was

right, and we were about two hours late getting to our

destination where my sister, Ruth, had waited much

too long for us in the summer heat.

A small hotel near the University of California,

Riverside, was our pad for the next five nights—a

convenient and quiet place (it passed Evonne's sniff

test; several prior rooms had not) and was within a

short distance from Ruth's house. Ruth has shared

housing with a friend for a number of years; this past

February Barbara died of a massive heart attack. So

Ruth is in transition, sorting through and deciding

where Barbara's belongings should be distributed...to

family, etc.

On Saturday after picking up our rental car we

went to Ruth's house for the day. She thought we

needed a rest day, and so we all sort of collapsed,

slept and watched “Selma.” Later we were happy to

have one of her specialties...a smoothie to remember!

Sunday was the day to celebrate Ruth's upcoming

(July 19) 80th birthday. After attending worship

service at a Lutheran Church close by (we had been

there before), we picked up Ruth to celebrate at her

favorite restaurant...it has the best coconut cream pies

in the city, she says. She didn't want a cake, so after

sharing a meal we walked out carrying a whole

coconut cream pie...and it was delicious.

We did several

special activities in the

next couple days. One

day was a work day,

and we helped Ruth to

clean up a part of her

front yard. She has only

native plants in place of

grass, blooming trees

(desert varieties), many cacti; all of which require

limited water resources. Another day we went to the

Mission Inn in old town Riverside which you should

not miss if you are there. It is not like the Spanish

(religious) Missions that were established many years

ago. The story of its origin is too long to tell here; for

many years it has been a hotel and covers one (1) city

Ruth and Dorothy

block. Tours are offered, and we all four enjoyed it

thoroughly. You may like to look up on the internet,

the Mission Inn at Riverside, CA. It has an interesting

story and includes an owner who was from

Minnesota and was a pacifist. A third activity was a

visit to the UCR Botanic Gardens, where lovely cacti,

roses and many other plants/trees are a feast for the

See Part 2, Page 7

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Part 2 from Page 6

eyes. It is quite large and

unfortunately we had neither the

time nor energy to take full

advantage of the beauty.

Too soon our days had

passed, and it was time to repack

our bags and check out of our

hotel. Later in the evening when

we boarded our train (June 24),

we were assigned to the last car

where there were not many

persons. That particular night we

each had two seats to stretch out

on for the night...that was good!

At 5:30 am the next morning a

group of women boarded at

Flagstaff, AZ…now we each had

one seat, but we didn't complain.

June 25. The scenery through

Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado

is enough to keep one engaged. I

took a lot of pictures through the

windows of the train. Each stop

along the way had its own

interests. When we stopped at

Raton, NM, a large contingent of

Eagle Scouts were waiting.

Hiking gear on their backs told

immediately what they had been

doing; they put all their gear into

the lower level of our car, and

we wondered if they would be

boarding there as well. However,

they were placed in another car,

and we were not sorry...later

from Chicago to Elkhart we

were on the same car.

June 26. We crossed three

rivers all at flood stage: the

Missouri near Kansas City, MO;

the Des Moines in Iowa and the

Mississippi near Ft. Madison,

Iowa. It was a slow go for our

train both for safety and to avoid

shorting out the electric motors

that drive the wheels of the

locomotives. (Ask Orval to tell

you about the generation system

on an AMTRAK diesel

locomotive.) At one point there

had been a washout, and two

back hoes were working trying

to restore lost soil/gravels; it felt

very precarious.

We were five hours late

getting to Chicago due to the

flooding and slow pace required

for safety. To our great

advantage there was a train out

of Chicago at 9:30 pm and

arriving at Elkhart, IN, at 12:30

am where my youngest sister,

Lois, lives (Middlebury). It was

raining, and we were so happy to

see her with her daughter, Susan.

The two days we spent with

Lois was a gift for her and us.

Her husband, Lynn, died in

April, and there is a lot of

transition happening. Evonne's

husband, Gerald, died about four

years ago, so her presence and

words were meaningful to Lois.

June 28. On Sunday evening

at 9:30 pm we boarded the

'Capitol Limited' for

Martinsburg, WV, arriving there

about 11:30 am the next

morning. It had been a

wonderful trip filled with trains,

a national park and a birthday

party...and a safe journey for

which we praise our God.

DRAMA OF THE DAY.

Whenever the unexpected,

unusual or humorous happened,

we called it the drama of the

day. Here are two stories:

June 10. When our train

stopped at Clifton Forge, VA,

this writer was sleeping and

missed the whole event; Evonne

saw it all. There were police cars

parked at the station; when the

train stopped two police officers

boarded our car and came to a

woman to speak with her. They

asked her to accompany them off

the train to which she refused.

After further conversation they

told her, “You may come

peacefully with us, or we will

arrest you here on the train.” She

decided to go with them...but we

don't know the 'rest of the story.'

Evonne called this the 'stage

coach' drama of the day (which

is how the drama idea was

born!)

June 22. We had been to

Mission Inn earlier in the day

and decided to go back after

dinner in the evening. The days

were long then. When we were

ready to return, Evonne and I

thought we had our directions

worked out, (Orval did not drive

due to his eye condition) but it

didn't work out as planned. But

finally we found our way to

University Boulevard and the

question was “do we turn left or

right?” I was in the lane to turn

left which we did and soon knew

this was not the right direction.

Now to get turned around...at the

next light I made a left turn into

an empty parking lot and swung

around to come back out and

head in the right direction. With

that a city cop pulled in front of

me so I wasn't going anywhere

for a bit! He wondered if I was

familiar with the streets of

Riverside. Well, no, I wasn't, I

was trying to get back to

University Boulevard. He

informed me that I had made a

turn onto a one-way street

(which Evonne had just

informed me). Well, no excuse!

He asked me for my driver's

license; I inadvertently gave him

one of my credit cards...how

funny can that be! After looking

at my license, he said, “Be aware

of the streets and have a nice

time, Dorothy.” I thanked him,

and we were on our way to the

right street!

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Back in Korea! Anna Engle

Greetings from Korea!

My summer in the US is

over! It feels great to be back

in Korea, though naturally

adjusting to speaking a second

language instead of my native

language takes some effort and

being in the city instead of the

Anna with Su-a, a friend’s baby. suburbs or country is less

peaceful but more convenient. :) I'm staying with my host family for a

week until I can move into my new apartment. I'm a little anxious and

nervous to get started at my new job. The work day will be long, and I just

hope I can adjust well to it. I'm also a little apprehensive about working

with small children all day long—I think it will be both fun and tiring. I

ask for your prayers in the transition for me.

I'm excited to go to my church tomorrow and meet my new cell group!

Next week on Monday I'll hang out with friends, then on Tuesday I go to

immigration and have my physical before I can start work. Wednesday I

have free, and then Thursday and Friday I will observe classes. I'm

supposed to move into my new place Friday. My birthday's on Saturday

so hopefully I'll do something fun with friends. I start at work officially on

Monday.

Transitioning: I had a wonderful

time back at

church on Sunday!

I love my church

so much, and it

gives a lot of

meaning to my life

in Korea. My new

cell group is

outgoing and a lot

Cutting the birthday cake. of fun. We

celebrated August birthdays, me and one guy, with a cake. Cutting the

cake together reminded me of weddings but obviously that's just a cultural

difference. :)

I've been back in Korea a week now, and it's feeling more real and

normal again. It gives me such joy to see my friends. My close friend,

Hyeyeon, was on her honeymoon about the same length of time as my trip

to the US (now that's a nice long honeymoon!), and it's great to hear about

her adventures, like the one where toilet waste came up from the shower

drain overnight in Thailand. She lives in my new neighborhood, where I'll

be moving on Saturday. I met up with her last night after being at work.

I'm not officially working yet, but yesterday I met most of the people at

work, got my health check done at the hospital, observed three classes,

and went to immigration to change my visa. I want to thank everyone who

prayed for me about my anxiety and uncertainty about this job. After

observing classes and being

there for a few hours yesterday, I

feel really good about having

chosen to work at this school. It

has a lot of similarities to

Connexus, where I taught

before, so it's not like I'll be

doing something I've never done

before. I love the location—a

small city outside of Seoul called

Guri—because it's close to

Seoul, close to the mountains,

and close to my friends in

Deokso. I know the work will be

challenging, fun, and tiring. I'm

excited to do something I have

experience in and to be a

working woman again.

I have two full days of class

observation tomorrow and

Friday. This weekend I move

into my studio apartment, which

is provided by the school. I've

never had my own place in

Korea, and I'm feeling excited

about it now, though at other

times I feel reluctant. Who will

clean and cook? What if toilet

waste comes out of the shower

drain? I lived alone before in

Japan, so I know what it entails.

I am really excited about being

able to invite people over to my

place anytime. Saturday is my

birthday, and though it might be

super messy because of the

move, I might invite friends over

to my place after going out to

karaoke.

I ask for your continued

prayers with my transition and

adjustment to my job and new

neighborhood. My cousin,

Audrey Engle, arrives in Seoul

on the 27th, during my first week

of work. I will be showing her

around on the weekends, and I

really hope she can have a good

time, and we can have lots of

good bonding. It's been years

since we've seen each other!

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MCC Bike PA

2015: Health for

Nigeria—Join 40-

50 other riders for

a three-day bicycle road tour

through the beautiful forest and

farmland of central Pennsylvania

from Sunday, September 20 (all

day) to Tuesday, September 22

(all day). Along with enjoying

the ride with great company,

you'll be supporting MCC's

health work in Nigeria. For

more information and to register,

see mcc.org/get-

involved/events/mcc-

bikepa2015-health-nigeria. Or

call Luke Schrock-Hurst in the

Harrisonburg, VA, based MCC

office at (540) 437-1201.

Discover what it means to

realign with God’s vision as it

is revealed to us, as we shift in

perspective from “the church of

God with a mission” to “the God

of mission with a church."

Missional Church: Vision,

Learning, Refocus will be a

four-day seminar featuring

keynote speaker Dr. Darrell

Guder, from Monday, September

28 to Thursday, October 1 at

various venues in Harrisonburg.

Learn more at

virginiaconference.org/news/mis

sional-church-seminar/.

Blue Ridge Ministries, Inc.

Offering for Fall 2015:

Thursday, October 15—Fall

Leadership Luncheon (cost $25

before October 1; $35 after

October 1 (meal included in fee).

Conversations on the book The

Spacious Heart: Room for

Spiritual Awakening. Event held

at Traditions Restaurant, 11:00

a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Register early;

limited seating. See foyer

bulletin board for more

information.

If you are looking for a chance

to attend the MEDA

convention "Growing Business,

Building Community" in

Richmond, Virginia, this

November 5-8, here is an

opportunity! The Shenandoah

Valley MEDA chapter is excited

to offer a scholarship to a young

adult between the ages of 18 -

25. Check out the link for more

details about the convention:

http://www.meda.org/meda-

convention. To apply, please

submit a 500-word essay

answering the question: Why do

you want to attend the MEDA

convention? Deadline for essay:

Friday, October 2. Please

submit your essay to

[email protected]

Anabaptist Vision &

Discipleship Series—

February19-21, 2016, Hesston

College Campus. Visit

www.hesston.edu/AVDS and

facebook.com/shaneclaiborne

for more information.

Registration is now open for

the upcoming

Nazareth/Bethlehem Work

Group (May 6-23, 2016)

sponsored by VMMissions as a

Partners in Mission

program. The work group will

engage in work projects at

Nazareth Village (Nazareth,

Israel) and at Diyar Consortium,

a ministry of Christmas Lutheran

Church (Bethlehem,

Palestine). The group will be co-

led by Dorothy Jean Weaver

(Eastern Mennonite Seminary)

and Lee Martin (Mount Clinton

Mennonite Church).

Registrations will be accepted on

a "first come, first served" basis.

For more information, contact

Dorothy Jean Weaver at (540)

432-4276 or at

[email protected]. See

brochure on foyer table.

____________________________________________________________________________________________

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10

Photos by Paul Groff.

The

Fruit of

the

Spirit!

June 24-August 19,

2015