Good afternoon VBF Family!
As we continue to limit our social interaction in larger groups for the sake of erring on the side of caution, know that we are beefing up our online presence through Facebook, YouTube, and our VBF website in order to stay connected and provide support and a means of connection to the church family.
To add to our Sunday service online, we will be offering three new ministry opportunities:
· A Mid-Week Prayer Service – Starting next week we will host an online prayer service which will include some worship songs and a short devotional. But our main focus is to hear from you! We will gather your prayer requests from the comments on the live-stream and then we will pray through them, together, seeking God for answered prayer! I will host this service along with the help of our Elders and Staff. Its just another way of connecting hearts and supporting one another. Look for the date/time soon.
· A Morning Devotional – On Thursday you will begin receiving these short devotionals from our Staff and Elders through this blog page and via our social media accounts. The idea is to give you an encouraging, reassuring thought from Scripture to strengthen you for each day’s challenges. We care about every member of our fellowship and want to be supportive to you personally and as a church family.
· Thursday Night Bible Study – As we continue in our study of the Book of Revelation, we invite you to join with us each Thursday evening at 6:30 for a live-stream Bible Study. It’s not quite the same without Terry Jones’ key lime pie, but we promise the study of God’s Word will be the same! We have just entered Revelation Chapter 4 where the focus of our study is on heaven and the throne room of God. The timing couldn’t be better to get a biblical perspective of the throne room of God!
As always, Deb will send out information of how you can tune in to each of these opportunities and participate in the ongoing ministry of VBF! Check back with the website and our social media pages regularly.
None of these online opportunities could ever replace getting on the phone and talking directly with one another, and when possible, visiting with one another in a safe environment. Our Elders and Staff stand ready to respond to any needs within our church family. Don’t ever hesitate to reach out to us or to tell us of needs in the body that you are aware of. We stand ready as shepherds and leaders to respond to the needs in our church family.
Now, I would like to get more practical with you regarding opportunities to focus on reading material that would minister to your heart and soul. For many, there is more downtime and this might afford you an opportunity to steal away time to read after the kids are down. We have lost the art of reading in this Information Age and it might do us well to pick up a book again, or, just download a reader app and get started. Here are a couple suggestions for you:
Tim Challies lays out a reading plan through 2020 that you might want to look at. He considers the light, avid, committed, and obsessive readers and lays out a reading plan. Here’s a link to his page to learn more about taking the challenge this year: https://www.challies.com/visual-theology/the-2020-christian-reading-challenge/
Let me also give you a link to Dr. Albert Mohler’s website. Dr. Mohler is the President of Southern Seminary in Louisville, KY. A conservative Southern Baptist school. His website will provide you with endless sermon videos, interviews and articles, but you will also find summer and winter reading lists the list consists of books concentrated in history and biography. I find his recommendation for books to be refreshing. I feel that I have broadened my understanding of history from the books I have read. Here is his home page: https://albertmohler.com/
Blessings to you as you set your heart and mind on Christ each day!
Pastor Greg Sempsrott