2660 Brambleton Ave • Roanoke, VA • 24015
Listen to the spirit!
“Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit is saying . . . ”
Revelation 3:13-22
~Theme~ ~Schedule~ ~Leadership~ ~Delegate Information~ ~Age Group Activities~ ~Information for Congregations~ ~Meal Reservations~
~Conference Choir Information~ ~Disaster Response Project~ ~Agenda & New Business~ ~About the Location~ ~Exhibits~ ~Wrap Up & Evaluation~
Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches. And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the origin[a] of God’s creation: “I know your works; you are neither cold nor hot. I wish that you were either cold or hot. So, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I am about to spit you out of my mouth. For you say, ‘I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing.’ You do not realize that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. Therefore I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire so that you may be rich; and white robes to clothe you and to keep the shame of your nakedness from being seen; and salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see. I reprove and discipline those whom I love. Be earnest, therefore, and repent. Listen! I am standing at the door, knocking; if you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to you and eat with you, and you with me. To the one who conquers I will give a place with me on my throne, just as I myself conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne. Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches. --Revelation 3:13-22, NRSV
~This year's theme~
"Let anyone who has an ear, listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches..."
Brother Tim Emmons, our 2017 moderator, shared his reflection on this theme and scripture passage. Find it here: 2017 Moderator Article
~Schedule~
• FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 10 •
Ministers & Spouses Dinner: Registration – 4:30 p.m.; Meal – 5:00 p.m.; Program by Samuel Sarpiya
Registration, Hospitality & Exhibits: 5:00 p.m. – 6:45 p.m.
All District Choir Rehearsal: 5:45 p.m.; Director: Paul Brockman
Hymn Singing and Worship: 7:00 p.m.; Preacher: David Steele, Church of the Brethren General Secretary
• SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 11 •
Registration, Hospitality & Exhibits: Opens at 7:30 a.m.; Also during lunch and breaks.
Childcare, Children's Activities & Youth: Childcare (infant-preK): during worship and business; Children (K-5th): Saturday, 8:00 a.m. – end of business; Youth (6th-12th): Saturday, 8:00 a.m. – end of business
Hymn Singing and Worship: 8:15 a.m.; Preacher: Samuel Sarpiya, 2018 Annual Conference Moderator
Lunch: 12:00 – 1:15 p.m.; Box lunches can be reserved. (District Board & Outdoor Ministries Committee Reorganization)
Business Sessions: 9:10 a.m. - 12:00 noon & 1:20 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
~Leadership~
Moderator: Timothy H. Emmons (Nineveh COB)
Moderator-Elect: Deborah S. Humphrey (Roanoke, Ninth Street COB)
Clerk: Pamela K. Clark (Peters Creek COB)
~Delegate Information~
PRE-REGISTRATION FOR DELEGATES
A registration form has been mailed to the pastor or contact person of every congregation. Please send a check made payable to Virlina District and the completed registration form to the Virlina District Resource Center. This form is also available (link below) for downloading and printing.
REGISTRATION AT DISTRICT CONFERENCE
Registration for delegates and non-delegates will take place in the Welcome Area of the Ministry Activities Center. Registration will be open from 5:00 - 7:00 p.m. and following the worship service on Friday evening. It will open again at 7:30 a.m. on Saturday morning. Delegates will receive their delegate packet at registration.
CONFERENCE BOOKLET
Booklets will be mailed to congregations in October. Pastors or contact persons are asked to distribute the booklets to the delegates. Delegates should bring their booklets to conference. The 2016 District Conference Minutes will be published in the 2017 District Conference Booklet.
~Age Group Activities~
CHILD CARE (Infant - Pre-K) – During Worship and Business Sessions – Pre-Registration Required!
Friday 6:45 - 8:30 p.m.; Saturday 8:00 a.m. - 12:10 noon and 1:10 - 4:10 p.m. A registration form has been sent to congregations and is available above. In order to secure child care workers, children must be pre-registered by October 31st.
CHILDREN (Grades K - 5) – During Business Sessions on Saturday – Pre-Registration Required!
The activities for children are Saturday 8:00 a.m. - 4:10 p.m. Activities will include a Bible lesson, crafts, recreation, music, snack and an off-site trip to Lee-Hi Lanes Bowling Center. The cost is $10. Children will need to bring a packed lunch and booster/car seats will need to be left with the leaders. A registration form with more information has been sent with the pre-registration information mailed to each congregation and is available above. The deadline for registration is October 31st.
JUNIOR & SENIOR HIGH (Grades 6 - 12) – During Conference
Details with registration and permission forms have been mailed to congregations and is available above. Youth will gather after worship on Saturday morning and stay onsite. Together they will explore what it means to be Brethren and listen to the Spirit. Pizza will be ordered for lunch. The registration cost is $6. The deadline for registration is October 31st.
YOUNG ADULTS - Friday evening following worship
Connect - Young Adult Activity: An ice cream social will follow the worship service in the fellowship hall at Grandin Court Baptist.
~Information for Congregations~
Download and print this flyer for your newsletter or bulletin board! Find it here: District Conference Flyer
~Meal Reservations~
MINISTERS AND SPOUSES DINNER – Reservation required by October 27!
The Ministers and Spouses Dinner will be held on Friday, November 10, at the Grandin Court Baptist Church in the Fellowship Hall. Registration will begin at 4:30 p.m. and dinner will be served at 5:00 p.m. The cost will be $15.50 per person. Country Kitchen of Christiansburg will cater the dinner. Following dinner, Samuel Sarpiya, the 2018 Annual Conference Moderator, will have the program. An invitation with reservation form has been mailed to all ministers. It is also available for downloading and printing below.
Menu: fried chicken, roast beef, baked ham, green beans, macaroni & cheese, baked apples, mashed potatoes & gravy, glazed carrots, broccoli with cheese sauce, potato salad, tossed salad, broccoli and cauliflower, bread, assorted desserts, coffee, tea and lemonade
LUNCH ON SATURDAY – Reservation required by October 27th!
The lunch is catered by Henry County Schools and the cost is $10.00 per box lunch. Reservation forms have been sent to congregations. One is also available for downloading and printing below. Meal tickets will be distributed on Friday evening and Saturday morning at the meal ticket table.
Menu: grilled marinated sliced chicken breast with herb mayo served on a sub roll with lettuce and tomato, broccoli salad, chips, a fruit cup and cookie. A bottled water with Crystal Light flavor sticks is included. A gluten free option is available.
~Conference Choir Information~
An all district choir, led by Paul Brockman, will sing at the Friday evening worship service. There will be one rehearsal on Friday evening, November 10, 5:45 p.m., at Grandin Court Baptist. A flyer has been mailed with the pre-registration information to each congregation. It is also available for downloading and printing below. The anthem will be “To the Lamb on the Throne” by Dan Forrest.
The District Resource Center will have some copies available, which can be borrowed and returned after Conference (or, if you wish to keep your copy, we ask that you pay $2.00/copy.) Folks wanting to reserve a copy can call the office (540.362.1816) or email Tabitha (virlina2@aol.com). Congregations and choir members can also purchase the music here.
~Disaster Response Project~
Join other congregations in bringing cleanup kits/buckets and school kits. Organizations are in extreme need of cleanup buckets because of the recent hurricanes.
Find the information here: 2017 Disaster Response Service Opportunity
~Conference Agenda & Business~
Download the proposed Agenda here: 2017 District Conference Agenda
Download the New Business Items here: 2017 District Conference New Business
~About the Location~
LOCATION
Grandin Court Baptist is located at 2660 Brambleton Avenue, Roanoke, Virginia. The church building is located approximately 1.5 miles north of the intersection of US-221 (Brambleton Avenue) and VA-419 (Electric Road).
PARKING
Grandin Court Baptist has four parking areas which will be available to us throughout our conference time. The first parking lot is located beside the church building. That lot includes six designated handicap parking spaces and is the entrance to the Ministry Activities Center, which is ground level. The second parking lot is across the street from the church building. The third parking lot is directly behind the church building and contains nine handicap parking spaces. The fourth parking lot is across Sweetbrier Avenue behind the church building and has six handicap parking spaces. There are a total of 220 parking spaces and 16 are designated as handicap parking spaces.
HOSPITALITY AREA
The Hospitality Area will be located in the gymnasium on the lower level of the Ministry Activities Center. On Friday evening the Hospitality Area will be open with refreshments from 5:00 p.m. - 6:45 p.m. On Saturday refreshments will be available from 7:30 a.m. - 8:00 a.m. (prior to morning worship), from 9:50 a.m. - 10:15 a.m. (during morning break) and 12:00 noon - 1:15 p.m. (during lunch time). Refreshments will be provided by CONNECT!, a group of young adults in the district.
LODGING AND MOTELS
Camp Bethel, 328 Bethel Road, Fincastle, Virginia - (540) 992-2940
Baymont Inn and Suites - 179 Sheraton Drive, Salem, Virginia - (540) 562-1912
La Quinta Inn - 140 Sheraton Drive, Salem, Virginia - (540) 562-2717
Holiday Inn Express and Suites - 991 Russell Road, Salem, Virginia - (540) 562-3229
Hampton Inn - 1886 Electric Road, Salem, Virginia - (540) 776-6500
Comfort Suites Inn - 2898 Keagy Road, Salem, Virginia - (540) 375-4800
Holiday Inn - 4468 Starkey Road, Roanoke, Virginia - (540) 774-4400
Sleep Inn - 4045 Electric Road, Roanoke, Virginia - (540) 772-1500
Hilton Garden Inn - 4500 South Peak Boulevard Roanoke, Virginia - (540) 776-3400
~Exhibits~
EXHIBIT AREA
The Exhibit Area will be in the gymnasium on the lower level of the Ministry Activities Center. The Exhibit Area will be open Friday from 5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. and following worship. It will be open from 7:30 a.m. - 1:15 p.m. on Saturday.
Expected exhibits...(coming soon!)
To reserve table space, read the following information carefully, then complete the online reservation form by October 1st. Exhibits may be set up after 1:00 pm on Friday and removed by 2:00 p.m. on Saturday.
Before filling out the online form, have the following information ready:
- What size table do you need: 4 foot or 6 foot?
- Who will be responsible for the exhibit? This includes setting it up, looking after it during exhibit hours, and cleaning it up.
- Will your agency be sending material for the delegate packet? If so, we will need 300 copies by November 1st.
- Will you be joining us for dinner on Friday night or lunch on Saturday? If so, indicate who all will be attending and then send payment by mail to the Virlina District Resource Center | 3402 Plantation Road NE | Roanoke, VA 24012. Conference speakers (David Steele and Samuel Sarpiya) do not need to pay for their meals.
To download and print the Exhibit with Meals form, access it here: 2017 Exhibit with Meals
~Wrap Up & Evaluation~
Let us know how we did! Fill out the evaluation form here: 2017 Virlina District Conference Evaluation Form
Wrapping it Up...
Registration statistics at a Glance
Friday, November 10 -
- Attending Worship - 205
- Offering Received - $1,479.00 (for the Roanoke Rescue Mission)
- Attending Ministers and Spouses Dinner - 80
- Attending Young Adult Ice Cream Social - 12
- Nursery & Workers - 5
Saturday, November 11 -
- Attending Age Group Programming - 26 (including adults)
- Offering Received - $2,004.00 (for Conference Expenses)
- Congregations Represented - 77
- Pastors in Attendance - 62
- Delegates - 164
- Non-Delegates - 172
- Total of Pastors, Delegates, & Non-Delegates - 398
Conference at a Glance
The Forty-Seventh Virlina District Conference of the Church of the Brethren convened at the Grandin Court Baptist Church in Roanoke, Virginia on November 10-11, 2017. “Listen to the Spirit!” (Revelation 3:13-22) was the theme of the 2017 District Conference. Aggregate attendance on Saturday including youth and children was 398 persons. This included 164 delegates (including 62 pastors) and 172 non-delegates from 77 congregations. These participated in the worship, fellowship and spiritual discernment for the district under the leadership of Moderator Tim Emmons, pastor of the Nineveh Church of the Brethren in Franklin County, Virginia.
Assisting in leadership during conference was Moderator-Elect Debbie Humphrey of the Roanoke, Ninth Street congregation, Pam Clark of the Peters Creek congregation who served as Clerk, Hannah Oakes of the Summerdean congregation who served as Timekeeper, and Tim Harvey of the Roanoke, Oak Grove congregation who served as Parliamentarian. David Steele, General Secretary of the Church of the Brethren, preached Friday night on the conference theme. Moderator of the 2018 Church of the Brethren Annual Conference, Samuel Sarpiya, spoke both Friday night at the Ministers and Spouses dinner and during the Saturday morning worship. Members of various congregations sang in an all-district choir led by Paul Brockman of the Roanoke, First congregation during Friday evening’s worship. Attendees were blessed by many gifted musicians both Friday and Saturday: Jonathan Emmons (Antioch COB), organist; Stephen Wills (Green Hill COB), pianist; Tracy Sink and Aaron Lavinder (Germantown Brick COB), vocalist and guitarist; Harvey Leddy (Roanoke, Williamson Road COB), chorister; and Dewey Williard (Fraternity COB), pianist.
Saturday's business included the following:
- Ballot Positions Filled:
- Moderator-Elect – Roy Turpin (Pleasant Valley)
- District Board – Dallas Bailey (Henry Fork), John Collins (Rocky Mount, First), Rick Randall (New Hope), Dan Johnson (Copper Hill), Hannah Oakes (Summerdean), Freddie Martin (Bethel), Merle Heckman (Moneta, Lake Side), Zach Hatcher (Summerdean), Kim Martin (Roanoke, Hollins Road), and Tony Robertson (Oak Grove South).
- Outdoor Ministries Committee – Sharon Flora (Roanoke, Oak Grove) and Zach Tabor (Nineveh).
- Standing Committee – Stafford Frederick (Summerdean)
- Program and Arrangements – Harvey Leddy (Roanoke, Williamson Road)
- Nominating and Personnel – Nicole Light (New Bethel), Annette Battle (Burks Fork), and Michelle Reed (Cloverdale).
- Bridgewater Trustees – Dewey Williard
- The 2018 District Board Budget was passed.
- Delegates received the Roanoke, Iglesia Cristiana Renacer fellowship as a congregation of the Church of the Brethren.
Other newsworthy items:
Received: A Friday evening offering of $1,479.00 for the Roanoke Rescue Mission and a Saturday offering of $2,004.00 to help offset conference expenses.
The District Board reorganized during the lunch hour. Serving as chairpersons are: Tony Robertson – District Board, Tara Bowdel as Vice Chair – District Board, Leland Flora – Commission on Ministry, Hannah Oakes – Commission on Nurture, Stacy Goff – Commission on Stewardship, and Roger Stultz – Commission on Witness. David Bess will serve as Chair of the New Church Development Committee and Naomi Powers will continue as Chair of the Outdoor Ministries Committee.
Delegates heard the reports of the District Board, New Church Development Committee, Outdoor Ministries Committee and other institutions of the district and denomination, as well as reports from the district staff. Among those representing the wider church were: Amy G. Ritchie (Bethany Theological Seminary), Jean Bednar (Brethren Benefit Trust), Kevin Dagget (TRIM), Dewey M. Williard (Bridgewater College), Mark Flory-Steury and David Steele (COB Mission and Ministry Board) and Samuel Sarpiya (Annual Conference).
We celebrated the graduation of three graduates from Christian Growth Institute this year: John Reed (Cloverdale), Michelle Reed (Cloverdale), and Zach Hatcher (Summerdean). We also recognized two members who graduated from TRIM: Paul Stuzman (Fraternity) and Dave McDaniel (Bethel).
Moderator Tim Emmons installed Debbie Humphrey as the 2018 Moderator and Roy Turpin as the newly called Moderator-Elect. Sister Debbie shared that the focus of the 2018 District Conference will be on the Fruit of the Spirit from Galatians 5:22. We look forward to planning for our 2018 district conference. See you next year!
To view previous District Conference pages, click here.