Church, this outreach opportunity helps us have visibility in our local community and allows folks to put a smiling, friendly face with “Blue Ridge Bible Church.” Sign up for a slot below to be a part! Volunteer options:

>>Walk in the parade – 12 slots
Show up 9am-12pm on July 4. No prep work required! Pass out pens, balloons, smile and say hi to folks as you walk the parade route. Plan to walk the parade route, which is about a mile and a half. 8:45am if meeting at BRBC; 9:30am if meeting at Blue Ridge Middle School.

>>Help decorate the float (the week prior) – 6 slots
We’ll be reassembling the float decorations from last year. If you’re willing to consider helping, sign up and Steven Jessberger will contact the team to set a time.

>>Donate a case of water – 15 slots
We’ll be passing out bottles of water with BRBC logos and the church website. Donate a case of water and drop it off in the church lower lobby– we need them early, by June 4 or June 11.

Sign up HERE! (You’ll be prompted to login to Blue Ridge Connect)
Or – you can sign up here without logging in … but be sure to check your email and click the verification link within 5min so your sign-up actually gets confirmed

The post BRBC Float @ Fourth of July Parade appeared first on Blue Ridge Bible Church.

When: May 21, 2023, 7-9pm
Where: In the Quad

Ladies, please join us for “Born to Bloom” on May 21, from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m., to celebrate the gifts of our original births and our unique spiritual births. God gave us life to bloom where He has planted us. He also has called us to be rooted in His Word and to share the gifts He has given us. We will be celebrating ALL of our birthdays together so you can see which ladies were born in the same month as you. Karen Gill will encourage us further in the theme for the evening. And of course, as a “birthday party”, there will be lots of fun desserts provided.

In order to share our blessings with others, we ask you to bring pampering-type gifts valued at around $5.00 These can be lotions, soaps, body spray, shampoo, conditioner, nail polish, which will be given to the women who live in the Tree Of Life transition apartments. Gently used women’s clothing may also be donated for the two Tree Of Life Clothes Closet stores.

Your RSVP HERE would be greatly appreciated so that the Committee will have a special spot just for you.

The post Born to Bloom Women’s Spring Fellowship – May 21, 2023 appeared first on Blue Ridge Bible Church.

Men, we invite you to the next Men’s golf event,  Saturday May 20th in the mid-morning. Specifics are still TBD.
Location is Appleland in Winchester VA. Plan is to hit the range and then, for those interested, play their 12 hole executive course.

More information coming, but wanted to get this on calendars soonest.

Questions? Contact Chuck 

The post Men’s Golf Gathering – May 20, 2023 appeared first on Blue Ridge Bible Church.

The post Child Dedication – May 14, 2023 appeared first on Blue Ridge Bible Church.

SIGN UP to join us in the March for Life! This marks the 50th year since Roe v Wade & the first march since it was overturned in the Dobbs decision this past summer. It is a critical moment in our nation’s history and the advocacy for unborn lives! 

When: January 20, 11:00am-6:00pm — Meeting at the BRBC at 11:00am. Return by 6:00pm. The march itself is 1-4pm. 

Where: Washington DC – the math goes from between 12th&14th St. down the mall to the Capital (basically from around the Washington Monument to the US Capitol Building).

DRIVERS NEEDED* (parents or leaders 23 or older willing to help drive). 

We plan to park somewhere between the start and end of the march so that our vehicles are more easily accessible. 

Here are some finer details you should know. 

1. Be at the church 11:00am sharp Friday January 20! 
2. PACK A LUNCH!!!
3. Depending on our time, we may stop somewhere for a light dinner and debrief after the march. 
4. Feel free to make a Pro-Life sign to carry  
5. DRESS WARM!!!! and be prepared to WALK a lot. 

Sign up HERE

The post March for Life appeared first on Blue Ridge Bible Church.

Register HERE for the winter session! Sundays 9:00-9:50am
Current serving needs available HERE. 

On a Mission from God 
Facilitator: Dr. Jack Elwood 

Dr. Jack Elwood (missionary, pastor, and mission executive) will help us discover the Biblical, historical, cultural, and strategic dimensions of God’s mission to declare his glory among the nations. Come and find out what you never heard in Sunday School! Be warned: If personal peace and affluence are your highest values, you may find this class disturbing. For more, see Jack’s sermon here from Dec 4. 

The Stage of Truth: The moment-by-moment impact of salvation 
Facilitators: Justin Boswell & Rob Hackworth

What does it really mean to be saved? Did you choose salvation, or did God choose it for you? Why was it necessary that Jesus, the eternal Son of God made flesh, had to die in order for you to be saved? What was accomplished by his death? And can a person’s salvation be lost, like a precious piece of jewelry? In this winter Ridge class, let’s talk all things salvation. We’ll dig into the Scriptures and hear from prominent theologians. We’ll explore both fact and theory, and help you come away with a deeper and broader understanding about God’s greatest gift to mankind.

This class will continue our journey through the “Making Theology Accessible” program, around the stage of truth that Pastor Jack often references with us. Growing our understanding of theology makes a practical impact in our everyday lives. As we come to know God’s character better, it motivates our love in response to Him and our love for others, as we want them to know Him too.

RIDGE KIDS CLASSES – 5th grade and under

2s & 3s: A safe, fun time of childcare with a rotation of BRBC teachers and helpers.

4s & 5s: This class is going thru a rotation of ALL the main Bible stories, plus a fun play and singing time! Our amazing BRBC member Jodi Benedict will continue as your 4&5 year olds teacher.

1st-3rd grades: These children will learn how all stories in the Bible point to ONE main story pointing to Jesus. Using the Jesus Storybook Bible curriculum, they’ll see how “every story whispers his name.” Our amazing BRBC members Chris & Nellie Elliott will continue as your 1st-3rd grader teaching team. 

4th-5th grades: Learning the foundations of Christianity, how to develop their faith and understanding of the Bible and who God is, and what being a Christian really means. Our amazing Children’s Director Regina Gossage will continue to step in and teach here. Do you have a heart for kids and teaching and modeling God’s truth to them? Contact us about teaching 4th & 5th grades!

RIDGE YOUTH CLASSES –

Fun, fellowship and a growing confidence to study the Bible in community and on your own. We will have fun together, share prayer requests – but our main goal for this hour is to learn skills that build our confidence to understand God’s Word.

6th-8th grades: Our middle schoolers are led by amazing facilitators who deeply care about loving these students and helping make their faith their own. Middle School will be led by BRBC member Leanne Manzo and focus on the theme “Head to Feet.” We will take principles/ideas we may already know from the Bible, and actually apply it; discover what it looks like to live it out in our everyday lives.

9th-12th grades: BRBC member Rob Cooper will teach our high schoolers and come alongside as they continue to make their faith their own. They are embarking on the year-long “Interlocked” program: how to view the world thru the Bible. Classes over the next year will help give teens a framework for their worldview in really practical and foundational areas, which will serve them throughout the rest of their lives!

Register HERE for the winter session!

The post Winter RIDGE Classes: Jan 8 – Mar 5, 2023 appeared first on Blue Ridge Bible Church.

Kings Dominion! September 17. 8:00am-10:30pm

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP NOW

We will meet at the church parking lot at 8:00am Saturday morning and caravan from there. Parents willing to help with transportation please email pastor David at david@brbible.org. We will spend the whole day there and head back at 7:00pm. We will likely stop around Fredericksburg for dinner and plan to be back at church by 10:30pm.

COST: $40 (admission ticket + transportation)

*Recommended: Bring $30-40 for food (or bring packed lunch/dinner). The park doesn’t allow outside food (meals are about $15), but a group will exit to eat lunch at the picnic area. We’ll plan to stop for dinner on the way home.

Sign up deadline is September 4.

The post Youth Kings Dominion Trip! appeared first on Blue Ridge Bible Church.

Wednesday update from David:
*Double-click on pictures to enlarge them!

We went early in the morning to a morning assembly of a public school to share the gospel. Tyler and Thomas spoke and then David wrapped up. Thomas shared his testimony of how he was found by Christ and Tyler shared the “wordless book” description of the gospel message with senior high school students. We have been able to distribute hundreds of “wordless book” bracelets that several in our BRBC body helped to assemble.

We visited another church BRBC helped to build after that (Doba church) before coming home for breakfast.

Pastor Desmond is in the back, in the green.

Then we went to get lunch with a whole bunch of the pastors here. It was really, really good. They were the district church leaders who thanked us for coming to serve them and the partnership we have had over nearly two decades!

Then we came back to rest a bit before evening service. Just got back from that service. I was prepared to give a sermon, but when we got there it needed to be more like having a small group discussion, on what does it mean to love your enemy.

It was really cool, like being in a Ghana life group! Only with interpreters. So it was interesting because it was a discussion, but everything was having to be interpreted both ways!

Thanks for your continued prayers for strength and the continued Spirit’s guidance as we share Christ.

Today (Thursday) will mark the end of the team’s time in Navrongo. They are making the four-hour drive south to Tamale and are connecting with some pastors in Tamale. Then they’ll spend the night in Tamale before beginning their travel back to Virginia on Friday.

The post Update #7 – Wednesday appeared first on Blue Ridge Bible Church.

Tuesday was a rest day! The team went to see the crocodile’s in Paaga. Always an adventure!

Today (Wednesday) will be a full day for the team. Please pray for their strength and continued wisdom as they look to possibly adjust the original plan for Thursday/Friday.

(They will travel back home Friday and be back in VA Saturday morning.)

And some additional details and photos from Sunday and Monday:

Sunday was a busy day for all of us. We all split up and ministered in 4 different churches scattered around Navrongo. Two of these churches BRBC funded their buildings.

Monday we played  Awana style games and shared the Wordless book gospel story with about 300 children at two large schools.

The post Update #6 – Tuesday appeared first on Blue Ridge Bible Church.

Ended the day hanging out … David says at 10pm, “Currently – they are playing some game kind of like ‘Sorry.’ They are making a lot of noise! ” (And that’s Mama Mercy on the far left. )

The post Update #5 – Monday appeared first on Blue Ridge Bible Church.

The post Update #4 – Sunday appeared first on Blue Ridge Bible Church.

10 & 11. We drove out to Kulogo Church today for the second leadership conference.

12 & 13. Patti shared some of her testimony to start the speaking portion.

14. Anita followed Patti by sharing her testimony also – very powerful set of testimonies from them both!

15. The guys shared the same message on leadership – this was a different audience. This church was even more remote. No roads – people walked in arriving up to an hour after we started.

16. This was the church I broke my nose at 11 years ago. [David broke his nose playing soccer with a bunch of students when we were in Ghana in 2011.] This was one of the students who was at the youth conference 11 year ago when I broke it. Douglas! He still attends and helps serve at this church. It was fun to have such a connection with this community.  (There was one other guys there – “Solomon” who was also there and Solomon was actually playing on the game. He wasn’t the one who broke my nose. But I did not get a picture with him unfortunately!)

We did dance some at the church. That was pretty fun. We also sang some American songs. Tyler played the violin. We sang amazing grace. And holy holy holy, and Soon and Very Soon. It was awesome. They were all videoing us . Then they sang Ghanaian songs for us.

Tomorrow (Sunday) the team is splitting up to go to four separate churches, potentially speaking/preaching at each. Please keep them in prayer! And for continued guidance in BRBC’s partnership with the churches in northern Ghana. 

The post Update #3 – Fri & Sat appeared first on Blue Ridge Bible Church.

The post Update #2: Thurs & Fri appeared first on Blue Ridge Bible Church.

Got a call from David earlier this evening! They had made it almost to Navrongo, Ghana (so, from Accra —> small flight to Tamale —> 4-hour car ride to Navrongo) after traveling for nearly 24 hours. He said they moved the Leadership conference to tomorrow instead of Friday (tomorrow is a holiday of some type so they expect a better turn-out). Please pray the team will be able to get good sleep tonight and God would supply what they need to present tomorrow. Tomorrow was initially anticipated to be a rest day, so prayers for finishing up preparation to present at the conference. They appreciate you all lifting them up in prayer!

The post Team has arrived – please pray for Thurs! appeared first on Blue Ridge Bible Church.

Praise God – we are fully funded, we have our detailed itinerary and we are firing on all cylinders to get things together before we leave.

This is where we will be posting updates and asking for prayer. We greatly appreciate those who are partnered with us in prayer and financially – we haven’t even left yet and we have seen God’s faithful abundance.

But we need prayer support as things ramp up.

Give thanks!! We have received many donations of medicine, clothes, school supplies, and more. We are also so appreciative and humbled by the outpouring of generous financial donations. Wow! So encouraged to see God move through so many people to support and partner. Please also continue to partner with us through prayer.

• Pray for wisdom as we try to maximize space with the gifts and supplies we are taking for the churches there.
• Please ask God to help us prepare to share God’s word – we will be speaking at several churches and schools.
• Leadership seminar – there church there asked if we would prepare to speak at a leaders seminar/training for many of the church leaders from the surrounding area. This is currently planned for Aug 5-6.
• Pray for strength and endurance – they have a PACKED week for us. Please ask God to keep us healthy and strong to be able to do the work laid out for us.
• Pray for good weather! It will be the rainy season when we are there and torrential rain can cause everything planned to be put on hold.

We are very excited and encouraged to know our team of seven is actually a team of so many more who have helped and supported and continue to partner with us in prayer. Thank you!

The post Almost Time to Go appeared first on Blue Ridge Bible Church.

August 2-12 

A Rich and Fruitful Partnership! 

Our church has partnered with churches and ministries leaders in Northern Ghana for close to 15 years!  Specifically – the Good News Bible Church and Strategic Community Ministries located in the upper east Nakani region of Ghana. 

These two organizations focus on evangelizing unreached people groups, planting churches and training pastors. Our church has sent seven teams and supported our partners financially all this time. The growth and blessing is mutual: the teams from the US learn and grow as much, if not more, from the Ghanaian churches. It’s been over 5 years since we last sent a team! In 2020 we tried to send a team but that got bulldozed by covid. Now we can finally return!

God’s Faithfulness Despite Loss

In the middle of planning this trip, one of the key leaders in Ghana and our foremost contact, Stephen Aputara, passed away suddenly from heart failure this past February. This has been a devastating loss! Unsure of how to proceed at first, it has since become abundantly clear of the need and timing for a team to go and rekindle our gospel-centered partnership. Other Ghanain church leaders have stepped up, and expressed the need and desire for a team from Blue Ridge to come at this time! We cannot delay another year or two.

What will we be doing? 

1) Spreading gospel seeds: One of the top priorities of this partnership has always been evangelism. The school systems in Northern Ghana are different from here. Provided the local church leaders there have built a trust with school principals, schools will allow our team to come to morning assemblies and present the gospel to students. It is very unique for a school from that area to be visited by a westerner. So it provides an awesome platform to sow the gospel seeds to larger audiences. The local team there leverages this and is able to follow up for discipleship in the wake of those who respond by accepting Christ as their Savior. 

2) Deepening roots: There are only two seasons in Ghana – “Dry Season” and the “Rainy Season”. It will be the Rainy Season during our time there and the Ghanaians want to leverage this time for our team to also share God’s word and pray alongside other Ghanaian believers. We will be meeting in homes and churches, sharing encouragement from God’s and testimony of His work! These are things that the Ghanains know well already, but there is a genuine deepening and bolstering that happens when we continue to remind one another of these truths – even from a different continent.

3) Open Hands: We are leaving some space to respond to needs and opportunities as they come. Things can be unpredictable, but God knows! This is humbling and reminds our team of our dependence on HIM. We have seen His hand even through the turbulent beginnings of the trip planning with the passing of Stephen and we will continue to trust Him to guide our team and to provide for what is needed!

Join us in the Joy of God’s Work here! 

Pledge to Pray: Please email or text our team leader at david@brbible.org so we can add you to our team email updates. We will send you updates so you can continually pray for God’s power and work to be evident. 

Financial pledge: If you would like to support financially – we first require you to commit to pray! No dollar amount can do anything for the Kingdom without our King! 

• Give online HERE (or go to the GIVE button in the app)
• Give via check: Make checks payable to Blue Ridge Bible Church and in the memo put “Ghana STM” and my name. (STM stands for “Short Term Missions.”) 
• All donations given through BRBC are tax deductible!

The post Ghana Missions Trip 2022 appeared first on Blue Ridge Bible Church.

Good News Bible Church in Ghana shares: 

ON SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2022, WE LOST A DEAR FRIEND AND PASTOR AS HE ENTERED HIS HEAVENLY HOME

Reverend Stephen Aputara loved us each so well.  His hugs for each of us have a permanent place in our memory.  He and his wife, Mercy, welcomed everyone into their home and hearts, especially orphans, widows, recent converts, devoted pastors and visitors from the USA.  He lived such an exemplary life that I am sure the angels in heaven are rejoicing at his arrival.  Stephen and Mercy loved their Nankani people in Ghana by establishing numerous churches while also reaching around the world to spread the good news of Jesus Christ.

So who was Stephen Aputara?  Stephen and his faithful wife, Mercy, lived in the far northern part of Ghana near the border of Burkina Faso.  He was born in a little town in the Brong and Ahafo Region of southern Ghana.  He was the first born of his father, Aputara Amoah, who had 14 children.  His mother, Abiseboaba Anyire took him back to northern Ghana to his Nankani tribe when he was 7 months old.  As a baby, he had dysentery from drinking polluted water and became seriously ill, so she consulted a witch doctor for healing.  But the witch doctor said to the grandfather that the baby had a non-human spirit and needed to be killed in the morning.  The mother found out of this plot and fled in the night across a flooded river and then back to the south trusting that God had a plan for baby Stephen.  God most certainly did have a plan as we found out!!!!

As a four year old, Stephen would listen outside the Pentecostal Church with interest, but his father forbid any of the children from coming to Christ.  So, the father sent Stephen to live with his grandparents in the north to keep him from converting to Christ.  He went to school during the dry season and took care of animals and farmed in the wet season.  He did so until high school when he could attend school full time.  After high school, he received training in the telecommunications business where he worked for 5 years in another part of Ghana.  With this skill, he could have become a rich businessman, but Christ had other plans.  In 1982, Stephen gave his life to Jesus, met Mercy and married Mercy that same year.

Even though they were settled in marriage with nice incomes, Stephen and Mercy were obedient to the call of the Lord.  They both quit their jobs and went back to northern Ghana in order to share the Gospel throughout the towns and villages in that region since most of their people had never heard the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Stephen recalled, “God gave me a passion for winning souls and the desire to expand His Kingdom, so I enrolled in Maranatha Bible College from 1990 to 1992 to become equipped for effective ministry.  After graduation in theological studies, I retuned to northern Ghana to serve the Lord by planting and nurturing churches in many different towns and villages.”

Stephen worked tirelessly preaching the Gospel to his people who practiced  ancestral worship.  He said, “the news of God’s miraculous accomplishments and the manifestation of many other divine events in the churches rapidly spread among towns and villages.  Now I have trained many evangelists and pastors who assist in expanding the Kingdom of the Lord.”

In 2005, Stephen was elected the President of the Good News Bible Church (formerly the Bible Church of Africa), an indigenous denomination founded in Ghana now consisting of approximately 160 churches and 30 preaching points.  He served in this position until December 2013.  After service as President, he became General Secretary of the SIM (Serving in Mission) affiliated churches worldwide.  For three years, he served as counselor with the Widows and Orphans Movement in Ghana and then was elected Chairman of the Board for that ministry for 8 years.  He was also elected Chairman of the Parent Teacher Association at the local senior high school with an enrollment of 1,227 students.

Perhaps his most cherished accomplishment beyond his love for Mercy and his children was his pastorship at All Souls Bible Church in Navrongo, Ghana.  All Souls Bible Church grew significantly under his leadership and launched a children’s school as well.  Stephen also established a church and school in his tribal village of Mirigu.  Stephen and Mercy took many orphans into their home to parent them.  In 2010, he said that they had 13 orphan children and they needed to build more rooms on their house to take in more children.

Stephen is survived by his wife, Mercy; his children: Kenneth, Japheth, Phoebe, Abigail and Ruby; his extended family; his orphan children; his spiritual children; and all of us who have been deeply touched by his life.

His family is making arrangements for the funeral.  Since Stephen loved so many, so well, they are expecting a lot of people to come visit the funeral.  So the family is making preparations for the week-long funeral event at Stephen and Mercy’s partially-finished new home.  His son, Kenneth Aputara, provided the following insight on Tuesday, February 15th, “We truly never expected this to happen to us so we are unprepared for his burial.  We want to give him a very befitting burial.  We want to complete the works he was doing with the house so we can have enough space to receive visitors that will be coming.  Our father indeed touched and transformed many lives and we’re expecting thousands of people at his funeral.  He was a friend to everyone.  There will be a lot of cost for hiring canopies, chairs, food, water, publicity, fuel and transportation among others things.  We will take care of his coffin and grave side and other cost.  We have already cleared his hospital bills.”

May our Lord Jesus Christ be your comfort as we mourn together the loss of this dear friend.

//

BRBC’s World Missions committee will be dedicating funds from their “Special Projects” line item from our budget in support in the family. If you would like to consider financially supporting the Aputara family with a one-time donation as well, please click below to donate toward this. (If donating via check, please designate “SCM-Aputara” on the memo line.) 

Donate to the Aputara family via BRBC.

The post Stephen Aputara appeared first on Blue Ridge Bible Church.

Click on a session to listen to the recording

Session 2 

Session 3 

The post Understanding, Interpreting & Applying the Bible – Class Recordings appeared first on Blue Ridge Bible Church.

Youth group Hershey Park Trip! Register HERE.
We will be carpooling together from the church for an amazing time at Hershey Park.

WHEN: Saturday September 11 – drop off at church @ 8:00am, departure at 8:30. Return to church by 10:30pm Saturday night.

COST: $45/student. This covers entry and helps offset gas reimbursement.

The post Youth Hershey Park Trip – September 11 appeared first on Blue Ridge Bible Church.

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When: Saturday March 13, 2021; plan to arrive at the resort by 10:30am. Our time slot for tubing is 11:00-1:00.
When: Saturday March 13th, 11am-1pm
Where: WhiteTail Resort 13805 Blair Valley Rd, Mercersburg, PA  (1 hr 20 min drive from Pville).

Cost: $32 per ticket

Parents invited/needed! Because of Covid, we aren’t offering our usual large-group transportation. Students need to organize their own rides (ask a parent, or carpool with a few friends). Let me know if you need a ride and I will try my best to get you connected with others who are going.

Register for this event by clicking HERE

The post Whitetail Resort Snow Tubing appeared first on Blue Ridge Bible Church.

‘Twas the night of Jesus’ birth, when all through the town Not a creature was stirring, not even a cow
The animals were munching in their stable where
They hoped that the Savior would soon be there.

The sheep were all nestled down for the night
While the shepherds made sure that all was just right
Everyone thought that it was just the same
As every other boring Bethlehem day

When out in the sky there arose such a light
The shepherds couldn’t look ’cause it was so bright
There was a beautiful angel up in the sky
The shepherds just couldn’t figure out why

The shepherds were scared and they covered their eyes
The angel told them in a manger there lies
A baby – the Savior – was born tonight
In the town of David which was nearby

The shepherds went off to where the baby lay
They knew they would see the Savior this day
More rapid than eagles, they ran so fast
To see the Savior — they didn’t want to be last

Now Peace! Now Joy! Now Everlasting Life!
On Goodness! On Love! God’s one and only Son!
To the city of Bethlehem! To the door of the stable!
Let’s hurry now and be on our way!

From the dry desert sand, the magi they came
Following a star, the didn’t know it’s name
So over the dunes they came from the east
This long journey they didn’t mind the least!

And then in a twinkling, the star just stopped
So in each sorry they simply popped
To wonder about the Christ child born today
In the city of Bethlehem, so far away

They saw His mother sitting by his bed
With Joseph softly rubbing his sweet head
Their hearts were both filled with great joy
Of the birth of this very special boy.

His eyes–how they twinkled! His dimples–how merry!
His checks were like roses, His nose like a cherry!
As his visitors awed – He simply laid On His mouth developed a smile
As though He wanted them to stay awhile
He had a sweet face and a little round tummy
He kept looping up and smiling at His mommy

It truly was a “Silent Night” in that stable
And the laughed to themselves, whoever was able
Each couldn’t believe where he was
This is so much better than meeting Santa Claus

They spoke not a word, but wanted to give more
Than what they had, but they could only adore
The wise men gave God, frankincense a myrrh
And the animals warmed Him with their fur

As they all left that place – so holy and mild
They couldn’t do anything but smile
They had just seen the Savior – the Christ child

Merry Christmas to all and to all
A Good life!

The post ‘Twas the Night of Jesus Birth appeared first on Blue Ridge Bible Church.

This week’s activity sheets:

This week’s coloring sheets: 

The post Kid’s Sermon: Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard appeared first on Blue Ridge Bible Church.

This week’s activity sheets:

https://sermons4kids.com/parable_of_the_rich_fool_wordsearch.htm

This week’s coloring sheets: 

The post Kid’s Sermon: The Parable of the Rich Fool appeared first on Blue Ridge Bible Church.

I know it’s been a long year for all of us.
I have a fun advent activity that I would like to invite you and your family to join me in doing. It’s called Truth in the Tinsel. I was part of a group that did this years ago, and it was such a blessing to our family and the kids loved it.

I have attached the pdf that is a booklet that gives you instructions for each days’ ornament, as well as scripture to connect the ornament to the Christmas story.

To make this easy and doable, here’s all you need to do:

1. Read through the days and crafts in the image below.
2. Pick one (or more) of the days and sign up HERE
   Note: Before your sign-up is complete, you will need to click the verification email you are sent. Be sure to check your inbox after signing up!
3. Your job will be to collect the craft supplies needed for the day(s) you choose & assemble them into 25 ziploc bags. (You will be putting together 25 identical bags.)
4. Drop off these identical 25 bags to church by Sunday/Nov 22nd.

I will have a team over Thanksgiving week assemble boxes that will have craft bags for all 25 days ready for you to begin Advent Season. You can pick up your box on Sunday, Nov 28th or Tuesday Dec 1st.

If you have more then one child, you could choose to do multiple days so you can get multiple sets. I actually did 5 sets when we did it so each child could make an ornament each day. That meant I was in charge of 5 different days of supplies. It’s up to you. If you have kids that love crafts, you might want to consider getting multiple sets.

Please look through the 25 days before you pick one. You may have some of the supplies on hand.

Plese let me know if you have any questions.
I look forward to being part of Truth in the Tinsel this year.

Deadline to sign up for a day is Friday, Nov 20th. The sooner you sign up the more choices you will have to pick from.

Blessings,
Regina

Click HERE for full PDF with instructions – Truth in the Tinsel email

The post Tinsel in the Truth appeared first on Blue Ridge Bible Church.

• Project Belong VA – our local ministry helping foster kids and foster families in Western Loudoun (formerly called Fusion ministry). brbible.org/opportunities-to-care/ (Be a point person to help find out needs from Fusion so BRBC can help – contact Brittany to learn more!)
• Romania Reborn – a BRBC-supported ministry helping the fatherless find homes in Romania, romania-reborn.org
• Nigerian widows & orphans (Smyrna Ministries) – our BRBC-supported ministry has stepped in to help provide shelter, education, and other necessities for the 14 widows & their children of the men who were martyred nearly 2 years ago. Smyrna is approximately 18mos in to providing this support for a total of 5 years to these families. smyrnaministries.org/give 
• Compassion International – sponsor a child in poverty. Here’s a testimonial from one of our BRBC church families, brbible.org/sponsor-a-child-compassion-intl/
• Learn about becoming a foster family (or support a current foster family) – contact Brittany to connect with a family in BRBC who has experience with the foster care journey
• Learn about pursuing adoption – contact Brittany to connect with a family in BRBC who has experience with the adoption journey
• Be intentional to pray! God, where am I merely watching instead of acting with compassion? How do You want me to respond?

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You normally hear—and probably have heard—much from Christian leaders in America about your vote today. We find it much rarer, however, to hear from them in the aftermath of an election. We want to take the road less traveled and give you the following exhortation and encouragement for the days ahead:

First, we encourage you to remember that those elected today will be appointed to that position by God, whether or not they acknowledge the appointment. We owe them our allegiance because we owe deference to God’s plan and God’s wisdom. We encourage you, in the days ahead, to read Romans 13:1-7 and ask God to give you the heart of submission that scripture requires regardless the today’s outcome.

Second, we encourage you to remember, and take great heart in, the truth that those elected today remain under the control and sovereignty of our great God, whether or not they acknowledge His authority. We encourage you to read Proverbs 21:1 in the days ahead and ask God to give you peace from knowing that our new leaders—whoever they are—are under His authority and control.

Third, we acknowledge that the days ahead may seem upsetting and fearful if God does not appoint the candidate or party you prefer. But, though we don’t know the details of how the story will play out, we do know—with complete confidence—what the end of the story looks like. In the days ahead we encourage you to read I Corinthians 15:22-28 and draw great confidence from knowing that Christ is on the move and will, in the end, bring all things into subjection under Himself.

Fourth, we encourage you to remember some of the very final words Christ spoke to His disciples before being led away to death: “Peace I leave with you…Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” We encourage you to mull over John 14:27-31 in the days ahead and ask God to infuse you, your family and our church with the peace that comes from knowing Christ. Demonstration of that peace in the midst of the storm of political and social controversy will set us apart and give us great opportunity to introduce others to the author of our peace.

Finally, we encourage you to remember Jesus’ prayer for the unity of His people just before He died. We encourage you to read John 17:14-24 in the days ahead and ask that God will keep us unified as a church so that Purcellville and Loudoun County will know that the Father sent the Son and that He loves us just as God loves Him.

We have the great, God-given privilege in America to vote and choose our leaders. We encourage you to exercise that privilege today if you have not yet done so. Then, once you have voted, we encourage you to thank God for the outcome, no matter what it is, to thank Him for His sovereign, eternal, immutable, omnipotent power over the affairs of the world, and trust Him for the future as we exhibit the peace, joy and unity that can only come from Him.

The Elders of Blue Ridge Bible Church

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Come prepare your heart for Thanksgiving! Whether the holiday is a good time for you, or one that requires effort to be with family, let’s join together and remember who we’re supposed to go to to be satisfied. Come enjoy baptisms as well as a unique thanksgiving-themed worship experience!

We’re adapting Satisfied this year to be a baptism service and celebration. We’ll be in the sanctuary Sunday-service style (sitting kids with families, distancing between families, etc).

Are you or someone you know interested in being baptized? Contact Brittany. Parents, contact Regina  Gossage for a helpful kids workbook that they can work to prior to baptism.

RSVP by clicking HERE

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This week’s activity sheets:

This week’s coloring sheets: 

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