Happy New Year! January 6, 2021 - Shenandoah District

January 6, 2021

                  Happy New Year!
                           In Our Prayers
We remember the family of Linda Marie Utz Koranek, who died Monday, Jan. 4.
Linda was married to Dennis Koranek and was active with the Disaster Auction
and Brethren Woods. Read the obituary here.

We also remember in prayer our brothers and sisters with Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa a
Nigeria (EYN, the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria), who experienced violent
attacks from Boko Haram on Christmas Eve. According to the Church of the
Brethren Newsline published on Dec. 28, reports from EYN staff indicated three
churches were burned, five people were murdered and five more are missing.
Many people suffered injuries and still more fled and have sought refuge in the
brush. Read the full story here. May the Lord intervene and bring peace.

From the Desk of District Executive Minister
               John Jantzi
New Year’s Greetings in the name of Jesus,

You have most likely heard and seen all the puns and wry comments regarding
2020. I will not add to your burden! My deepest prayer for 2021 is we continue
gathering around Jesus Christ as the center of our faith. May the decisions we
make, the attitudes we convey, and the spirit of our life together reflect our
common loyalty to our Lord and Savior.

By way of information, we adjusted our publication schedule at various points in
2020 to reflect the changing environment of District life. For 2021, we have
decided on Wednesday publication dates for both the Update and District
meditations. From some feedback we received, publishing on Wednesday will
allow more flexibility for congregations to use District news in their weekly
communications. This also has the advantage of adding continuity and
predictability to staff schedules.

The Shenandoah Update will be published every two weeks, with the Wednesday
meditation on alternate weeks. We will continue the pattern of publishing
meditations from a variety of District members.

May God’s richest blessing rest upon each of you this coming year.

John Jantzi
District Executive Minister
John Jantzi

                              District News

2020 District Giving Deadline is Jan. 11
We are truly grateful for the financial support congregations extended to the
District this past year. We know that it has been a challenging time for all of us
and are appreciative of the continued support of the District office and
programming. Thank you.

Two items for your consideration
     As congregations close out the year, remember to send in your budgeted
     allocations for 2020. Thanks in advance for your assistance in helping the
     District budget finish on a strong note.
  • District Director of Finance Gary Higgs has announced the deadline for
     2020 congregational giving to the Shenandoah District will be January 11,
     2021. Monies received by Monday, Jan. 11, will be credited to the 2020
     revenues. Contact Gary Higgs for more information.

New Ordination Cards Distributed
New ordination cards, along with a letter of affirmation, were mailed in Dec. All
those who completed paperwork were notified of their renewal before the end of
2020. Contact Sarah Long for more information.

District Leadership Meeting, Retreat Set
The annual District Leadership Retreat will be held on Saturday, Jan. 16, likely
by Zoom. Contact Wayne Pence for details.

In Our Pastoral Family
Elk Run issued a call to Jonathan Farmer to serve as part-time pastor.

Pastoral Vacancies

                      Bridgewater - full-time, Christy Dowdy, interim pastor,
                      congregational profile forthcoming
                      Directions

                      Garbers - part-time, Ken Dolan, interim pastor,
                      congregational profile forthcoming
                      Directions

Leake's Chapel - part-time, congregational profile
                      available
                      Directions

                      Mountain View Fellowship - McGaheysville -
                      fulltime, congregational profile forthcoming
                      Directions

                      Pine Grove - part-time, Linda Waggy, interim pastor,
                      congregational profile available
                      Directions

                      Staunton - full-time, J. D. Glick, interim pastor,
                      congregational profile available
                      Directions

                      Sunrise - part-time, Garold Senger, interim pastor,
                      congregational profile available
                      Directions

                      Waynesboro - full-time, Dot Mellott, interim pastor,
                      updated congregational profile available
                      Directions

                     Denominational News

                    Moderator's Q&A for Shenandoah
                    District Announced

The Annual Conference Moderator’s District Q&A sessions for the Shenandoah
District will be Wednesday, Feb. 17, at 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. Information from the
denomination's website states, "These ZOOM sessions are for districts, focusing
on the 'state of the church.' Both laity and clergy are urged to participate. The
sessions utilize a Q&A format, with an emphasis on listening to the hearts of our
constituency; any and all questions are invited."

A Zoom link for each session will be released at a later date. Click to read more.

                     Congregational News
Celebrating New Growth
Antioch celebrated nine new members on Dec. 20. Jesse Clark, Carson Clark,
and Carsyn Burton accepted Jesus and were baptized. Emmalee Clark and
Amanda Clark transferred membership and were rebaptized. Brandon, Cassie,
Logan and Landon George transferred their membership.

Mark Your Calendar
The Staunton choir has participated in a concert with another local church
choir and mini-orchestra for the past 14 years to benefit the area food bank.
Director David MacMillan chose selections from the past ten years to present
the program in a lessons-in-carols format. Local radio station WBTX 1470 will
broadcast the program twice today at 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. Download a flyer here.

                District Disaster Ministries
2021 Project Trip Dates Announced
Once again, Brethren Disaster Ministries continues to provide the opportunity
for all interested individuals to serve in a very fulfilling way during the coming
year. The following weeks have been set aside as designated weeks for disaster
work in North Carolina and Dayton, Ohio, in 2021.

Dates               Project Locations Number of Volunteers Needed

February 14-20          Coastal N.C.                     6 needed
April 4-10              Dayton, Ohio                     14 needed
May 30-June 5           Dayton, Ohio                     14 needed
July 25-31              Dayton, Ohio                     14 needed
August 22-28            Dayton, Ohio                     14 needed
September 19-25         Dayton, Ohio                     14 needed
October 24-30           Dayton, Ohio                     14 needed
December 5-11           Dayton, Ohio                     6 needed

In addition to Disaster projects, work will continue in the Disaster Ministries
building at the District Office, receiving kit supplies, cleanup buckets and school
kits. When the Centers for Disease Control allows greater volunteer
participation, volunteers will continue to assemble all three types of kits at the
disaster ministries building (health, cleanup buckets and school kits), as
supplies continue to come in or finances allow.

If you want to help in any way with this type of service, please call the District
Office or contact Brethren Disaster Ministries Disaster Coordinator Jerry Ruff at
540-447-0306. We are continuing the work of Jesus. Peacefully. Simply.
Together.

            Classes and CEU Opportunities
Clergy Tax Registration Deadline is Today
The annual Clergy Tax Seminar will consist of two sessions:
  • Session 1, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. EST, will focus on the rules surrounding
       Clergy Tax Returns, including who is subject to these rules, what income
       is subject to tax, and how to reduce total tax liability using various
       methods, including housing allowance, business expenses, and medical
       reimbursement plans. Credit for 0.3 CEUs will be available for attending
       Session 1 only.
      In Session 2, from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. EST, participants will complete a
     clergy tax return using H&R Block's highest tier (Premium and Business)
     downloadable software.

Registration and Cost
Registration is $40 per person (generally nonrefundable to keep fees and
overhead low). Current Bethany, TRIM/EFSM/SeBAH, and Earlham School of
Religion students may attend the seminar at no cost, although registration is still
required to reserve space and will allow us to provide you with web access to the
seminar. Instructions and handouts will be sent a few days prior to the event.
Registrations are not complete until payment is received. For quality reasons,
registrations may be capped at eighty-five persons online. Prompt registration is
advised - registration deadline is January 6, 2021. Earn 0.3 CEUs. Click
here for more information.

          Continuing the work of Jesus.
          Peacefully. Simply. Together.
           Shenandoah District website:
                www.shencob.org
         __________________________
                     Questions? Comments?
             Contact the Director of Communications
                        Brenda Sanford Diehl

            Today's feature photo courtesy of Brenda Sanford Diehl.

                Shenandoah District Church of the Brethren
    Phone: (540) 234-8555; Toll-free (888) 308-8555; Fax (540) 234-8333

                                     Staff:
       John Jantzi, District Executive Minister, johnjantzi@shencob.org
           Sarah Long, Administrative Assistant, slong@shencob.org
Brenda Sanford Diehl, Director of Communications, brendadiehl@shencob.org
             Gary Higgs, Director Finance, garyhiggs@shencob.org
  Larry Holsinger, Financial Sec./Bookkeeper, lawrence.holsinger@gmail.com
    Jonathan Prater, Director of Ministry Services, JonPrater@shencob.org
  Pastoral Placement Team, Glenn Bollinger, Bernie Fuska and John W. Glick
   Disaster Ministries Team, Jerry Ruff, Coordinator; ruffrev2@yahoo.com,
          Henry Elsea, elseaclan@yahoo.com; and Galen Halterman,
                           galenhalterman@aol.com

  Shenandoah District Church of the Brethren | PO Box 67, 1453 Westview School Road,
                                Weyers Cave, VA 24486

                            Unsubscribe {recipient's email}
                      Update Profile | About our service provider
                    Sent by districtoffice@shencob.org powered by

                              Try email marketing for free today!