Valley ECHO Newsletter

THE ECHO

OF VALLEY BAPTIST CHURCH

"REFLECTING ON THINGS SPIRITUAL;
"REPEATING THINGS ESSENTIAL"

                 Jerry Cowan, Pastor
                  Volume XI Issue 9
                      September 2010

                                         Frooty
                         www.lilmsglitter.com

Feeling inspired to use your God-given gifts?

Our Ministry Development Team can help you find
your place of service.

Joint Worship Service Planned

Sunday, August 15

On this day we are inviting our sister church,
Cornerstone Baptist of Harrisburg to join us for
a celebration of baptism and the Lord’s Supper.
Both of our congregations have new believers who
will give evidence of their faith through the ritual
of baptism and we will draw together in the
observance of Communion. To top off the day,
we will host a potluck dinner for the two churches.
You will now want to miss this day of joy and worship!

Confusing Communication

In a perfect world of communication, one
person clearly says something to an attentive party
who responds appropriately. However, somewhere
along the way, a monkey wrench gets tossed into
the works and causes confusion. I tell students that
speaking too quickly, quietly, or not giving a person
your undivided attention may lead to unnecessary
hurdles that trip up the thought.

The wrong message ignites somewhere along
the trail and becomes a raging rumor that spreads
like wildfire, destroying people’s reputations. It is
hard for anyone to determine the point of origin
and likely would not matter anyway because the
damage is already done.

Teach your preteen the following skills to prevent
a forest fire of inflammatory remarks. First, speak
slowly and in a strong voice. Look at the speaker,
listen closely, and include a clarifying question or a
response that lets the other person know you are
tuned into him exclusively.

Secondly, deal with the main source. The more
people who help to transport a message, the more
likely accidents are to occur. Thirdly, the buck stops
with you. Do not accept negative comments about
someone as the truth, and even if you think there is
a grain of credibility in the rumor, get the 411 directly
from the person the comment is targeted toward.

Excerpted from Mean Girls & Boys, by Bill Conger

found in Parent Life a free resource available at VBC.

Teen Last Chance Fling

On Friday, Aug 20 from 5 – 11 pm all youth and their
guests are invited to celebrate the summer break one
last time before they head back to school. This event
will begin with pizza and include games, competitions,
a Bible study and end with a prayer that our teens would
be used of God in their schools to bring healing, hope
and many of their friends to Christ.

What Public School Teachers

Can and Can’t Say

Remember, parents have the right, in many
cases, to “prevent their children from being
taught material that would negatively impact
or burden their own sincerely held religious
beliefs.” If there is no compelling reason for
every child to participate in a questionable
assignment or activity, the student must be
allowed to opt out at the parent’s request.
The school board is elected by the community
and therefore “legally expected to represent
the perspective of the majority of the community.”
In other words, there’s strength in numbers.
The more people in a district who can present
a problem in a unified manner, the more likely
the school board will listen.
If and when religious discussions begin in a class-room,
students are allowed to share their own viewpoints,
“as long as these activities are not disruptive to the
educational climate.” Debate that is respectful, wise,
and well thought out can be a plus in any classroom.

Excerpted from Teaching Points by Fiona Soltes found
in Home Life a free resource available at VBC.

Baltimore Mission Trip

Aug 5 – 7

As many as ten folks from Valley will
drive to inner city Baltimore to minister
to children, teens and the community at
large. Pray for their safety in transit,
their reception by those to whom they
minister, and their success in sharing God’s
love in practical ways. If you would like
to help our with some of the expenses for
this trip (water bottles, food and supplies
for a youth party and other give aways)
mark your offering envelop for “Mission Trip).
If you would like to join us on this endeavor,
speak with Robin Rain to see if there is room.

Deacon Election

August is the month in which Valley nominates
and elects its deacons who serve for three year
stints. Candidates will be nominated on the first
Sunday of the month and voted on the last Sunday
of the month. The interim weeks will allow you to
talk with those nominated to ascertain their spiritual
qualifications and views on the role of the deacon in
church life. Be in prayer for this process and ask
that God would speak to you concerning our deacon ministry.

Your heard it here…

In three years every product my company makes
will be obsolete. The only question is whether we
will make it obsolete or someone else will.

Bill Gates

Controlling your direction is better than being controlled
by it. Jack Welch

The only difference between a rut and a grave is
their dimensions. Ellen Glasgow

Neither a wise man nor a brave man lies down on the
tracks of history to wait for the train of the future
to run over him. Dwight D Eisenhower

Gleaned online from Leadership Wired

From the Pastor's Heart

My family lives across the street from the local high
school. Around the facility is a walking path that is
utilized by dozens of people each day. I’m often amused
at how our dog Mojo intently observes these walkers
from the back door.

I also often wonder how all those people occupy
their minds while they walk. Do they sing to themselves
or listen to an MP3 player? Are they organizing their
day or reviewing grocery lists? Or are they counting
their steps to the end of the walk or sucking up the
pain of oxygen-starved muscles? What do you do when
you walk?

May I make a suggestion? Pray. It ought to be a
no-brainer. You can’t watch TV nor a computer. You
can’t knit nor shave. And it’s tough to read. But you
can easily talk. So why not talk to someone important – God.

2010 is the year in which we have been challenged
to pour out God’s blessings on our community: 5000
times!. What better blessing can we give than to pray
for those around who are our friends, neighbors,
community leaders and even strangers? What do we
call this activity? Prayer Walking.

I am asking each VBC attender to prayer walk your
neighborhood, cul-de-sac, or city block. We have simple
flyers you can leave at each house letting them know
that their home has been prayed for and inviting them
to bring other prayer needs to us. Your prayer over
each residence (or school or business) will be such a
blessing!

For what do you pray? Well, the fun of prayer walking
is God showing you how to pray. See a tricycle; pray for
a child’s safety. Notice a wheelchair ramp; pray for health.

Read a school bumper sticker; pray for good students.
And certainly pray for salvation and God’s hand on each house.

You are already walking, so pick up a packet of 25 flyers
in the entry way and use August as the month of blessings
for those you may not know well, but love all the same.
As you prayer walk, you may see a dog observing you.
Hopefully, its owner is also watching. But you can bet
God will see you…and answer your prayers.