April 2018 In this issue:

Page 1

WyldLife Update

Page 2

Mike’s Message

Want Ads

Page 3

Senior Warden Report

Thank You Letter

Page 4

Deacon’s Corner

An Observation

Page 5

In the Lord’s Service

Page 6

Magazines in Our Library

Light of Christ Anglican Church THE BEACON

P.O. Box 609 • Heathsville, Virginia 22473

9500 Northumberland Highway

804 580-4555 • email: lightofchristva@gmail.com

www.lightofchristva.org

Let your light so shine before men

that they may see your good deeds

and praise your Father in heaven.

Matthew 5:16

The past month has been full of joy as I have spent tons of

time with kids and their parents. I am volunteering with the

middle school track team, which has been such a blast! There are

currently 43 kids on the team who are excited for a fun season. I

am the long distance coach and work with about 10 athletes daily.

This has been such a wonderful opportunity of relationship

building and consistent time with kids. We’ve also held various

events, including dinner out at T&J’s Dairy Barn in Burgess, movie

nights, and game nights. With each event that kids come to, we

get the chance to deepen our friendships, and I get the chance to

earn the right to be heard to share the Gospel with them. I have

also gotten to meet some high school students who are interested

in volunteering with WyldLife. It has been so fun getting to know

them and see the heart they have for Christ. Please continue to

be praying for opportunities to hang out with kids and to earn that

right to be heard!

We will be hosting a WyldLife reception at Light of Christ

after the worship service on Sunday, April 15th during coffee

hour. There will be an

opportunity to give

financially to help

s u p p o r t L O C A ’ s

p a r t n e r s h i p w i t h

N o r t h u m b e r l a n d

WyldLife. Please make

every effort to attend

so you can hear more

about WyldLife and our

vision for the teens of

our community!

WyldLife Update from Laura Raciborski

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Blessings! Mike Moffitt

Mike’s Message

Morris Dillingham is looking for an exercise bike. If you have one you are not

using, please contact him.

“Your Love, O Lord, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies.” Psalm 36:5 “See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we

are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him.” 1 John 3:1

I am writing this from my room in a city in Asia, where I have been for the last six days. For me, there is a feeling of being disconnected when I travel so far from home. There are so many differences in the way that life is lived here and almost nothing is familiar to me. The people in this Asian country are very welcoming and friendly and do everything they can to accommodate. The food has been good, but I think I’ve had more curry in the past week than in the past five years. The traffic here is extremely congested, and there don’t seem to be any traffic laws, other than you drive on the left (except when you don’t want to, apparently). The drivers here are first class and could compete on any NASCAR circuit that I’ve ever seen. Roads that are barely big enough for one car serve as the path for two cars and an untold number of motorbikes. I’ve seen this kind of congestion in Africa, but the people here are exceptional. In the time that I’ve been here, I have not seen an accident but have witnessed hundreds of close calls. I’ve yet to see anyone get particularly upset at being cut off or nearly sideswiped. I visited an ancient temple and a shrine and have seen the beauty of the countryside. I’ve met and spoken with many people from all over the world who are here either visiting or working for non-profits. I’ve not been bored at all, but the two things that have carried me through the disconnectedness of being in a place so culturally different are my times in the evening when I Skype with Teresa and my times with the Lord. We are so blessed to live in a time when

communication is so accessible and cheap.

Everyday I’ve been able to sit at my laptop and see

Teresa’s beautiful face and talk and laugh with her

in real time. One night, our son Ben called Teresa

on her cell phone while we were chatting. She held

the phone up to the screen of the laptop, and we

could hear each other like we were in the same

room, even though we were separated by

thousands of miles. It was wonderful to hear Ben’s voice, and it was so comforting to be talking with ones whom I love so deeply. It was a reminder of how much we need to keep in touch with the ones we love, and how much better life is for it. The same is true of the absolute need for keeping in touch with God who loves us completely. I have traveled quite a bit over the years and have often found myself in places and situations that were completely unfamiliar and sometimes uncomfortable. The one constant in my life is the awareness and certainty of the presence and love of God going with me. The result is that when I’m in those places, I don’t wait, but I run to God. I visited a local church and an international church that averages 35 nationalities each week. I didn’t know anyone in either church, but I felt right at home. The worship in both places took me to the throne of grace, and the Word preached nourished my soul and gladdened my heart. It’s amazing that wherever you travel God

has gone before you and revealed his love and

mercy to those in that place. I have been reminded

of that many times this week. I look forward to

coming back home and being with those whom I

love deeply, and if you’re reading this article, that

would mean you too.

If you can write using calligraphy, or know of

someone who can, please contact the church office

for help with a special project.

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Thanks be to God

and the Family of Light of Christ!

We serve a mighty God! Quick to save and

ready to answer our prayers. For this we are most

grateful. We are overjoyed to inform you that our

granddaughter, Alli Simunich, has gone home! She

was discharged from the UPMC Presbyterian

Hospital in Pittsburgh on Friday afternoon. She

underwent a double lung transplant on January 31,

2018. The Lord heard our cries and, through His

strength and with the skills of the doctors and

transplant team, she is a new woman—free to

breathe the life-giving air that God provides!

Tom and I and Alli’s family can’t begin to

express our gratitude to this wonderful family of

friends and believers of LOC! You have lifted us up

and supported us in our time of need. Thank you,

dear friends.

I am including a picture of Alli saying goodbye

to the amazing Dr. Pablo Sanchez, who was the man

who decided to give her a “shot” at living (his words).

He has been wonderful, and Alli thinks he is the

most fantastic doctor she has ever met—and she has

met a few in her lifetime!

Joyfully,

Tom and Elaine Price

Maundy Thursday Worship—7:00 p.m. March 29th

Good Friday Worship—12:00 noon March 30th

Easter Sunday Worship—10:00 a.m. April 1st

followed by a celebratory coffee hour

courtesy of Hospitality Team 2

Everyone is asked to please gather in the church

immediately following worship for a group photo.

Also, there will be no children’s Sunday school

or nursery on Easter Sunday.

Tim e for con fess ion … wh en Er n ie

Pr octor an d Walt TeSt r ak e appr oach ed m e

abou t join in g th e Ka ir os Pr ison Min is t r y

team , m y ca r efu lly cr a fted ex ter n a l im ag e as

“th e Sen ior War den ” d icta ted th a t I g ive a t

leas t a pass in g th ou g h t to pa r t icipa t ion .

Rea lity beg an to set in as I was

com plet in g th e m an y for m s r equ ir ed by th e

Depar tm en t of Cor r ect ion s an d wh en I ag r eed

to join th e team for an a ll-day t r a in in g sess ion

in pr epar a t ion for th e u pcom in g Apr il 19 th -

2 2 n d K a ir os Week en d a t Bu ck in g h a m

Cor r ect ion a l Cen ter . I don ’t m in d sayin g th a t I

was a lit t le n er vou s.

Wh at I ex per ien ced was an am azin g

ex am ple of th e Holy Spir it ’s awesom e power to

g r aciou s ly t r an sfor m , equ ip , an d lead m en to

br in g love an d h ea lin g to th ose desper a tely in

n eed of J esu s. I’m con vin ced th a t th e biblica l

love an d fa ith fu ln ess on d isp lay by th e m en

an d wom en en g ag ed in th is m in is t r y is a

won der fu l m odel for a ll of ou r d iscip lesh ip

an d ou t r each effor t s h er e a t Lig h t of Ch r is t .

P lease a lso be in pr ayer for ou r Ka ir os

team as th ey pr epar e to bold ly br in g th e lig h t

an d love of God’s ver y g ood n ews to th ose wh o

ar e in desper a te n eed of h ope.

You r s in Ch r is t ,

Bar t

From the Senior Warden

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Deacon’s Corner

The college basketball

season is almost over for

another year, but I still find

myself reflecting on my favorite

team and their coach. The

coach is Tony Bennett of the

University of Virginia. Tony is

known for his strong Christian faith and builds his

basketball program around “Five Pillars,” all with

a scriptural basis. These are posted everywhere and

discussed in daily practice with his team. The

pillars and description are the following:

Unity—do not divide the house

Humility—know who we are

Passion—do not be lukewarm

Servanthood—make your teammates better

Thankfulness—learn from every circumstance

These are Christ-like values, but in team

player language that really speaks to me. I

encourage you to turn to Colossians 3:12-17. Here

you will find the Apostle Paul describing similar

values for Christian living. These words remind me

that as a member of the family of Christ, and of His

church, we strive to live this way with each other in

all matters.

My team had a disappointing end to their

highly successful season, but their coach still holds

to these values and stresses the importance of

living this way with disappointment as well as

success. There’s a lot to learn here!

Deacon Mary Swann

An Observation

As I sit up in the

choir looking out into the congregation, I notice a few things. People are

territorial. Many people sit on the aisle seat,

s o m e t i m e s a l o n e , sometimes as a couple, and if anyone wants to sit in that row, he or she has to squeeze around those folks

since they do not want to move inward to allow someone to take the outer seat. Others always sit in the back.

This territorial behavior was mentioned in one of my classes at George Mason University. So I experimented. Each day I would sit in a different seat

in a class room. A student who usually sat there would come in, start for the seat and then, as if

surprised, would go sit elsewhere. When I went to Truro Church in northern Virginia, Fr. Martin Minns would ask people to please move to the center of the

pew so that others could fill in before the service started. Susan Moore, our visiting pastor’s wife at the last soup supper, even told me that one time their

family of six was visiting a rural Episcopal church years ago when they still had young ones at home, and they filled up a row in this small church. A

couple came in and announced that the Moore family was in their seats. Susan asked if they wanted them to

move and the couple said yes! Now we are not such a church, and I think folks feel welcome here. Most of us try to greet newcomers.

There are a few of us who need to sit on an aisle in case we need to get up in a hurry. But I would like to see

more folks sit closer to the front and to move in so that

the rows were filled. That way we could gather closer and easily greet more people. What do you think?

Just an observation.

Joan Blackstone

Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Colossians 3:12-17

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IN THE LORD’S SERVICE

Coffee Hour April 1 Hospitality Team 2 April 8 Eleanor Semerjian

Melinda Floom April 15 Randy Smith & Sharon Baldacci

Jeanne Hickey April 22 Bobby & Pauline Edmonds

Herb & Pam Smith April 29 George & Jan Beckett

Altar Rail Ministers April 1 Jim and Lyn Conley April 8 Tom and Elaine Price April 15 Steve Proctor and Mary Swann April 22 Walt and Phyllis TeStrake April 29 Stan and Judy Rasberry

Vestry Person on Duty April 1 Bart Morrison April 8 David Peresluha April 15 Alison Kimmitt April 22 Harrison Williams April 29 Ernie Proctor May 6 Barbara Seed

April 2 April 3 April 6 April 9 April 11 April 19 April 22 April 28

Chris Cralle Eleanor Semerjian Bill Ressler Bobby Edmonds Shirley Smith, Bob Dalzell Sally Custer Agnes Burke Ed Ulfig

O God, our times are in your hand: Look with favor, we pray, on your servants named above, as they begin another

year. Grant that they may grow in wisdom and grace, and strengthen their trust in your goodness

all the days of their lives; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Happy April Birthdays!

Acolytes April 1 LeAnne Nguyen April 8 Hannah Hamlett April 15 LeAnne Nguyen April 22 Hannah Hamlett April 29 LeAnne Nguyen May 6 Hannah Hamlett

Lesson Readers April 1 Ward LeHardy (L)

Judy LeHardy (P) April 8 Ed Feddeman (L)

Jeanne Hickey (P) April 15 Lyn Neira (L)

Phyllis TeStrake (P) April 22 Priscilla Williams (L)

Ernie Proctor (P) April 29 Irene Haley (L)

Bart Morrison (P)

Eucharist Ministers April 1 Ward LeHardy, Lucy Logan April 8 Bart Morrison, Phyllis TeStrake April 15 Suzy Norman, ____________ April 22 Ward LeHardy, Elaine Price

April 29 Frank McCarthy, Irene Haley May 6 Harrison & Priscilla Williams

Ushers April 1 Jim Logan, Lyn Neira April 8 Herb & Pam Smith April 15 Ed Feddeman. Phyllis TeStrake April 22 Bobby Edmonds, Bill Tracey April 29 David & Cindy Peresluha May 6 Dave Gwaltney, George Beckett

Greeters April 1 Fred Wimberly

Constance McDearmon April 8 Bonnie Odend’hal, Peggy Lassanske April 15 Doris Myers, Julie Pritchard April 22 Phyllis TeStrake, Barbara Seed April 29 Howard & Lynn York May 6 Ernie Proctor, Bonnie Odend’hal

Counters

April Betty Dillingham, Pam Smith

Altar Guild

April Elaine Price, Leslye Morrison

Nursery April 1 No nursery on Easter Sunday April 8 Margaret Radcliffe, Jeanette Cralle April 15 Julie Pritchard, Saunee Hamlett April 22 Irene Haley, Alison Kimmitt April 29 Margaret Radcliffe, Jeanette Cralle May 6 Doris Myers, Julie Pritchard

Happy April Anniversaries!

April 1 Charlaine & Bill Andrulot April 9 Lydia & Vincent Haynie April 28 Courtney & Doug Ludeman

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The Beacon LIGHT OF CHRIST ANGLICAN CHURCH

P.O. BOX 609

9500 NORTHUMBERLAND HIGHWAY

HEATHSVILLE, VIRGINIA 22473

April 2018

Recently, Jeanne Hickey gave me a copy of an excellent article that appeared in the

December 2017 issue of Decision magazine. The article, entitled “Holes in the Darkness,” was

written by Anne Graham Lotz, daughter of the late Billy Graham, and a renowed author and bold

evangelical speaker in her own right. In the article, Ms. Lotz discusses the properties of light in

the context of a Christian’s response to the “darkness in our world.” She says light discloses,

dispels, divides, directs, and draws, and she cites numerous Bible passages as she discusses ways

Christians can “turn on the light.”

While we do not subscribe to this magazine (but could), we subscribe to another

magazine, which we receive twice a month. It is World magazine, which has a mission

statement of “Biblically objective journalism that informs, educates, and inspires.” World

magazine reports on the issues of the day, both in the U.S. and abroad, from the

perspective of the Christian worldview, and each issue contains reviews of current, popular

movies, books (children’s books and adult books), and music. The most recent issue (March

17, 2018) features a multi-page spread on the legacy of Billy Graham as well as an in-depth

article on Rachael Denhollander, the first woman (who is a Christian) to go public with sexual

assault allegations against gymnastics physician Larry Nassar, and the fate of religious

minorities who have fled Iran and are seeking asylum in the U.S. In addition, each month there

are op/ed pieces written by astute, articulate Christ-followers who comment on a wide range of

contemporary issues.

We have several years of back issues of World magazine in our church library, as well

as many back issues of Decision, CT (Christianity Today), Focus on the Family, First Things.,

and Biblical Archeology Review. These issues are available for you to read, either here at

church or in the comfort of your home. In addition, I would be happy to share the article

Jeanne brought in with anyone who would like to read it. Margaret Radcliffe

Magazines in Our Library