A Visual Faith Assembly- August 3

Wondering what you could do to gather neighbors

 around the Word in your home?

How about starting a 

Worship into the Week group?

Adding something to Confirmation

 or Sunday School?

Featuring a practice with a 

Make and Take event for families?

If you are in the Northern Virginia 

or Southern Maryland

 area we would love for you to stop in

 for some ideas at this 

Visual Faith Assembly for families.

Lots of Creative ideas and a chance

 to see what the team of Visual Faith coaches 

have been up to for helping all people have a

"new prayer story" 

and spend more time in His Word.

Featuring centers and hands on practice.

Grab a friend.

Bring your family.

RSVP to Joen Schultz:

joenschultz@verizon.net

(the last part was left off the flyer)

Visual Faith- a Counting Gifts Journal

After a MOPS Visual Faith encouragement time in May, 

a group gathered to make Counting Gift journals.

 at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Springfield, Virginia.

An evening out. 

Focused time.

All the materials right in one place?

Super!

Visual Faith Coaches- Sara Wilson and Joen Schultz 

teamed to coordinate the gathering of supplies.

 Information was sent out to the 

MOPS moms in their FB group.

Chatting and catching up with each other.

But, staying pretty focused on the task at hand.

So what is a Counting Gifts Journal?

 One Journal.

 2 pages for each month.

 One side to count one gift (or blessing) a day.

One side to gather the collected prayers for the month-

called Prayers by the Month.

Intentional and prepared prayer time.

A process to gather snippets of time for busy mommas-

for a collected PRAYER STORY.

Want more information?

Want to host your own Make and Take?

Contact Joen Schultz, Sara Wilson 

or Connie Denninger at Visual Faith Ministry.
Visual Faith Ministry

Creating Community in the Neighborhood- Part 2

Part 2-Creating Neighborhood

First, we need to define our “neighborhood”. Who are the people that you regularly come in contact with?  These can be your physical neighbors in the houses or apartments around yours, or they can be the people that you see at work, at a club or social activity, at the local coffee shop.  

Secondly, we need to intentionally go about engaging with these folks to get to know them and their stories.  Everyone has a story and most people are eager to share at least part of their story.  There is a deep need in every human to be heard and affirmed for the unique person he/she is in Christ.  

So how do we engage people without seeming pushy or strange?  Maybe it’s as simple as going out of your way to greet a person by name and asking about something going on in their life.  If you’ve noticed a neighbor who walks a dog every day past your house, you could make a point of being in your front yard at that time, ready to greet the person as they pass by.  If you have children on a team or part of a club, arrive a bit early for pick up and intentionally speak with some of the other parents.  Or, maybe plan an event at your home or in a community gathering spot to which you will invite a particular group of people whom you’d like to get to know better. 

Hopefully this group of people would not be folks you regularly attend church with.  You already have a community built in there.  Think bigger and differently.  Look around at those who seem to be alone or lonely.  The people that aren’t the head of the PTA or the coach of the soccer team.  The folks who you don’t see outside for a walk with a spouse or friend.  Pray for God to open your eyes to see the neighbors around you.

Have a plan!  Keep it simple!  Remember to pray before, during, and after every encounter.  Building community takes time and persistence.  You have to regularly meet and talk with someone in order to establish the kind of trust where true sharing and caring can occur.  Relationships need tending in order to bear good fruit.  Don’t get discouraged if everyone you meet isn’t open to forming a relationship with you.  People are in different places on their journey.  Some will be receptive, some will not, some will come around in time.  Our job is to plant seeds and water them.  God, through the Holy Spirit, will bring the growth.

So – who are the people in YOUR neighborhood?  What are the needs of YOUR community?  How can YOU begin to show Christ’s love through your words and actions?

Thanks to Deaconess Deb Lennox

 for sharing this encouragement 
for Neighborhood ministry.

Creating Community in the Neighborhood- Part 1

Creating Community in the Neighborhood

What is Community?

-your neighborhood?

-your church?

-your circle of friends?

-your workplace or social organization?

YES!  All of these can be your community.  Community is not defined by geography, but by commonality and intentionality.

When we speak of community, we are talking about the people that you are in regular, close contact with and share something in common.

True community is something that takes time to create, it is work and it requires effort.  It is a place where the voices of the members are listened to and heard, where the members tend to each other’s needs, and where the strength of the whole is more important than the individual.

When we talk about Christian community, we simply mean that we share a common life in Christ.  We commit ourselves to life together as the people of God.  We move out of the self-interested isolation of our private lives and beyond superficial social contacts.  It is deep and it is real.

Why should we care about community?

Take a look at some of these sobering statistics:

• Since the 1980s, the percentage of American adults who say they’re lonely has doubled from 20 percent to 40 percent.
• About one-third of Americans older than 65 now live alone, and half of those over 85 do. 
• Individuals with less social connection have disrupted sleep patterns, altered immune systems, more inflammation and higher levels of stress hormones. One recent study found that isolation increases the risk of heart disease by 29 percent and stroke by 32 percent.
• Loneliness can accelerate cognitive decline and can contribute to premature health complications in older adults. 
• All told, loneliness is as important a risk factor for early death as obesity and smoking.

In the book, Bowling Alone, author Robert Putnam said the greatest social epidemic in American life is loneliness.  This statement may resonate with many who feel alienated, lonely, and depressed – those who go home every night to watch T.V. and eat by themselves on the couch.

Is this the life we should be living?  What does God want for our lives?  Consider the following:

And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.  Hebrews 10:24-25

For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. 1 Corinthians 12:13

One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?” “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” Mark 12:28-31

It is clear from these passages that God wants us to interact and be interconnected with our brothers and sisters, and even commands that we love each other.  So how do we begin to do that?

Watch for Part 2- Later this week!

Thanks to Deaconess Deb Lennox

 for sharing this encouragement 
for Neighborhood Ministry.

Consistent Prayer- Consecrated Hearts- Women's Retreat

 The Fall Women's Retreat

Our Savior's Way

Ashburn, Virginia

 Presenters- Deaconess Sally Hiller

and Connie Denninger

Wonderful preparations and welcome

for all the attendees.

 Visual Faith display 

of practices and projects.

Family Faith Rolodex

Advent and Lent prayer

Visual Prayer and

Bible Journaling 

The VRSLY project

Counting Gifts

Prayers by the Month

 Time in the Word.

Conversations around the Table.

Meeting new friends.
Great music and worship.

The Blessing of the Prayer Shawls.

Thanks to Nikki Deacon

 and Ramona Meese and her team 

for a beautiful day of refreshment.

Visual Faith and a Community Easter Egg Hunt

Barbara Haar- Minister of Parish Life

 at St. Paul Lutheran Church 

in Catonsville, Maryland 

contacted me about the possibility

 of using a Visual Faith component

 for their Commuity Easter Egg Hunt.

A quick email sent to the team 

and Barb received some great choices

 to offer those attending.

Some Visual Kinesthetic learning
and a Bible verse- 
right into their hearts for Easter,
and to share with their families.

Here is the link to download
 and print bookmarks
 or Bible margins for you!
EasterBookmarks
These were designed by Pat Maier.

And here are 2 more:
 designed by Karen Hunter:
Easter Margins

Thanks to Barbara 
for sharing a bit of the story.

Barbara Haar

Reach the Lost, Disciple the Saved , and Care For People 

Minister of Parish Life, St. Paul Lutheran Church

Church: 410-747-1897, 

Dina Vendetti- For When You are Mayor

Once in awhile you get to leave

 your normal day job 

and try out something else.

Dina Vendetti (L) serves as Principal at

St. John's Lutheran School

 in Dover, Delaware.

Dina is pictured here with Judy Diogo- 

 President of the Central DE 

Chamber of Commerce.

Recently she was the winner 

of the "honorary mayor" campaign.

And you might get to celebrate with friends.

Just so you have others to help tell the story.

Dina with her pastor- Rev. Dr. C.J. Ransdell

  and his wife Melinda.

And then you have to hang your 

"official gear"-

because for this whole next year-

Dina will be out and about

performing duties as needed.

And just a reminder- it's

never a bad idea 

to try something brand new.

 More about the Honorary Mayor program:

The Honorary Mayor program

 is one of two fundraisers

 held each year by the 

Central Delaware Chamber of Commerce. 

The proceeds help to underwrite several programs --

 many of which benefit our school- St John's.

  We have been members of the CDCC

 for many, many years

 and they have gone out of their way

 to provide us with business education, 

networking and marketing opportunities, 

and leadership development. 

They do an amazing job 

of keeping our school in the public eye.  

Each year the CDCC staff 

invites 4 - 5 people in the community

 to be candidates in the Honorary Mayor election.

 Which ever candidate raises the most money

 is declared the winner.  

The three month campaign

 (which began in February)

 will yield about $10,000 

worth of free advertising for our school. 

 The winner of the campaign 

will serve as "honorary mayor" 

for one full year. 

 As mayor, this person will be invited

 to attend ribbon cuttings 

and other functions of the chamber. 

These are often events 

that will be covered by the local media,

 again keeping that person's name 

and business in the public eye.  

Congratulations Dina!

and the St. John's Lutheran School

 and Church Community.