24
Apr '18
How To Support the Recovery Efforts Going Forward
24
Apr '18
According to a press release from Amherst County, 126 homes have minor damage, 25 are restricted use and 22 are destroyed. That means at least 47 families are displaced until their homes are repaired or rebuilt. The recovery needs for these families will be ongoing, long after this event moves out of the news cycle. And many of those in the path of the tornado, whether their home was destroyed or not, are dealing with wounds and hurts that go beyond physical. So what can we do to support our neighbors and friends in the weeks and months to come?
Pray
Make praying for those affected a regular part of your prayer routine. Include in your prayers the contractors and builders, insurance adjusters, police, fire and medical first responders who have and are continuing to step in to help these families rebuild their lives. Here are some practical steps and prayers in the weeks and months to come:
- Pray for healing. While certainly praying for physical healing, also pray for emotional and mental healing. Continue to praise God that no one lost their life, and ask Him to rest His hand of healing on those who need it. The emotional and mental scars can last far longer than the physical ones, which leads to…
- Pray for rest. This might sound trivial, but many of these people, particularly the children but also the adults, could well be having a hard time sleeping. Nightmares, stress, the internal need to keep working on cleanup, and especially post traumatic stress can negatively impact sleep. Pray for God’s peace to settle over those trying to piece their lives back together when they sleep.
- Pray for a smooth process. Working with insurance companies, contractors, government aid agencies is a difficult and time-consuming process. It can be its own layer of stress on top of an already stressful and traumatic event. Pray that God would smooth out the process and that there wouldn’t be any hiccups for these folks.
- Pray for moments of normalcy: In the midst of the aftermath of a traumatic event like this, it can feel as if “normal” is a word that will never be used again. Pray for moments of “normal” for these families and people, That might come in a meal taken as family at a restaurant, to even the regular routine of work and school, or maybe even just going to the store to buy groceries. A moment of “normal” can go a long way in helping the healing and recovery process.
- Set a reminder. Put a reminder in your phone to repeat once a week, and maybe another one in a month or two, to remind you to continuing praying for their recovery.
Give
Many have given sacrificially already, but there will continue to be ongoing needs for those affected in the weeks, and especially the months, to come. Many of them have no idea what they need at this time, so gift cards to grocery and home improvement stores can be very helpful, as they can make use of those as they figure things out. There are several GoFundMe donation pages set up for these families, if you would like to give directly to them. Here are some suggested links and ideas:
- GoFundMe: This link is a generic search for “Madison Heights, VA fundraisers,’ however at the time of posting (4/24/18), all but one result on the first page of results were for victims of the tornado (there’s another tornado victim fundraiser on the 2nd page of the results as well). If you would like to give aid directly to the families, this can be a good option.
- ElonStrong.com: Our friends at River Church have been actively involved in helping those affected from the first day. Donations made through ElongStrong.com and AmherstStrong.com are primarily going to families with no insurance.
- Gleaning For The World: GFTW has been partnering with local churches to minister to those displaced by these storms, particularly in providing emergency assistance to those are are victims of the tornado. They have been distributing food and materials directly to the families and victims.
- Through Northminster: Please put “Elon Strong” in the memo field of checks made out to Northminster, and we will direct those funds to those in need.
- Gift Cards: Purchasing gift cards to Food Lion, Walmart, Target, Lowe’s, Home Depot and various places like that are very helpful. Many of these families have lost everything and don’t know what they need right now. A gift card can be very helpful in allowing them to purchase what they need, when they realize they need or are ready for it. Gift cards can be turned in to the Amherst County Chamber of Commerce & Visitor’s Center in Amherst, to the church office, or placed in the offering plate on Sunday mornings. Gift cards given to us will be passed along to Elon Presbyterian for them to give out directly to the community impacted.
- Set A Reminder: As with praying, set a reminder for a month or two, if not longer, from now. There is always a large influx of donations in the immediate aftermath of disasters like this, but the needs last for months.
Volunteer
If you are looking to volunteer, we encourage you to contact Gleaning for the World to see when and where they are distributing materials. Right now, we are not aware of other organizations that are actively looking for volunteers to help victims rebuild and repair. If you know families impacted, we encourage you to contact them directly to see how you might be of service. As we hear of opportunities, we will post them here and on our Facebook page.
Thank you for the wonderful ways you have already cared for our neighbors affected by the tornado, may God bless each of us as we seek to continue to be Christ’s hands and feet in caring for and loving them in the weeks and months to come.
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20
Apr '18
Community Service of Prayer and Praise
20
Apr '18
Sunday Evening, April 22nd at 7 p.m. we are going to have a service of prayer and praise for the Elon Community! Even in the midst of the storm, maybe especially in the midst of the storm, God’s hand has been protecting and loving His people. We want to praise God for our community and praise Him for being with us through it all! We will join with Elon Baptist, Elon Presbyterian and other churches as well as our entire community to give thanks to God for His great faithfulness and for each other. Area pastors will help lead the service. The service will be held at Elon Baptist Church, 145 Younger Drive, Madison Heights, VA 24572 (Next to Elon Elementary School – click here for map and directions).
Please note that Youth Group/Confirmation Class will meet from 5:00-6:30PM this Sunday.
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20
Apr '18
GFTW Seeking Volunteers for Monday, 4/23
20
Apr '18
Volunteers needed for Monday, April 23rd from 9 to 5 … Gleaning for the World plans to set up out of Elon Presbyterian’s parking lot again Monday to distribute supplies to those affected by the storm. We’re going to do things a bit differently this time around. We will send pickups and/or vans and SUVs – anything with substantial cargo space – along with two or three volunteers into the neighborhoods affected. The vehicles will be loaded with a good variety of the things we anticipate people may have need of. If we don’t have it, we’ll have it delivered later from the home base in the parking lot. We’ll need vehicles and/or volunteers in shifts more or less as follows: 9 – noon, noon – 2:30, 2:30 – 5. Please text or call David at 828.273.1003 to volunteer … or, just show up! Thanks in advance!
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18
Apr '18
Ways to Help With Tornado Cleanup
18
Apr '18
There are several ways to provide assistance and aid to those impacted by the tornado in Lynchburg and Elon.
If you would like to volunteer, please to go www.amherststrong.com. Volunteers must be 16 years or older, and will have to sign a liability waiver.
Amherst County Chamber of Commerce is accepting disaster relief donations for individuals and families affected by the tornado. You can find a list of what to donate and where to take it here: http://www.facebook.com/AmherstVAChamber/posts/10156431846504470.
Gleaning for the World is also actively involved in bringing aid to those affected. If you would like to donate to Gleaning, please see the following link: https://gftw.org/central-va-tornado/.
We will update this post as more opportunities become available.
Thank you for caring and supporting our community!
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11
Apr '18
EPC issues call to prayer and fasting for April 15 ahead of Andrew Brunson trial
11
Apr '18
The Evangelical Presbyterian Church has issued a call for prayer and fasting for Andrew Brunson as he prepares for and faces trial this coming Monday in Ismir, Turkey. Below, you can find the letter from the EPC with more details. The original post can be found here.
On April 16, 2018, EPC Teaching Elder Andrew Brunson will go on trial in Izmir, Turkey. If convicted of the charges in the 62-page indictment filed by the prosecutor, Andrew could be sentenced to 35 years in prison. The indictment charges Brunson with helping terrorist organizations and of trying to convert Turks to Christianity.In an effort to stand with and pray for the entire Brunson family, the EPC is issuing a Call to Prayer and Fasting for Sunday, April 15. The trial is scheduled to begin at 9:00 a.m. local time in Turkey, which is 2:00 a.m. EDT Monday.Jeff Jeremiah, EPC Stated Clerk, said Andrew’s wife, Norine, has requested three specific prayers:
- Pray for Andrew’s release, using Psalm 18, which speaks of deliverance from the “cords of death” (v. 4-5).
- If he is given the opportunity to speak in his defense, please claim Jesus’ promise, “But make up your mind not to worry beforehand how you will defend yourself. For I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict” (Luke 21:24-15).
- That the steadfast love of the Lord will comfort our children (Jordan, Jaqueline, and Blaise) and that He will give them peace and help them to trust.
“As we consider Norine’s steadfast faithfulness and courage, my prayer is that she not grow weary,” Jeremiah said. “I have been claiming Galatians 6:9 and Exodus 17:12 for her, and she knows that we are helping ‘hold up her arms’ for her husband.”In addition to the April 15 Day of Prayer and Fasting, a seven-day prayer guide for the week leading up to the trial can be downloaded at www.epc.org/files/andrewbrunson7dayprayerguide.“I encourage the Prayer Team of every EPC church to utilize this guide and lift Andrew, Norine, their family, and the trial to the throne of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,” Jeremiah said.
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29
Mar '18
Pastor’s Corner – April 2018
29
Mar '18
Easter is HERE!
The forty days of spiritual house-cleaning has come to a glorious conclusion! Springtime for our souls, and in our lives, has finally arrived! All that kept us from God – our sinfulness, our insecurities, our doubts and so much more – has been swept away through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The wonder of this is more than can be comprehended in a day, and so with Easter Sunday we also begin the fifty day season of Easter. “The Easter season is a time to let the implications of the resurrection sink in deeper, inviting us to realign our worldview and conform our living to the reality that we have been raised with Christ to new life” (Philip Reinders, Seeking God’s Face pg 329).
The Centrality of the Atonement
But that is the crux of our modern struggle – realigning our worldview and conforming our lives to the reality of new life in Christ through his sacrifice on the cross. In short, we struggle to believe and accept the doctrine of the Atonement – so much so that many Christians have rejected it outright. But as Emil Brunner once wrote, the atonement “is the Christian religion itself; it is the main point; it is not something alongside of the center, it is the substance and kernel, not the husk.” To that end, on Sunday mornings through the season of Easter, we will seek to explore and unpack the wonder and glory of the atonement in order to “realign our worldview and conform our living” to our new life in Christ.
Tiptoeing Through the TULIPs
As Presbyterians, we are a part of a “stream” of Christianity known as Reformed Theology, which is itself heavily inspired by the writings and teachings of John Calvin. If you want to kill the mood at a party, just casually mention you’re a “Calvinist.” Most people view Calvin and the theology named after him with something of a stuffy, negative intellectual light. But nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, Calvin and his theology is very passionate and full of life and Spirit, as evidenced by his logo and slogan, pictured at right. We hope you’ll consider joining us for Table Talk on Wednesday evenings beginning at 5:30 on April 11 as we “tiptoe through the TULIPs” and see just what Calvin taught and what it means for us today.
Blessings,
Rev. David Garrison
Rev. David Garrison
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01
Mar '18
Pastor’s Corner – March 2018
01
Mar '18
6You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. 8But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. — Romans 5:6–8
Too Good to be True?
On Sunday mornings the past few weeks we’ve been exploring the idea of Lent as an opportunity for us to have “Springtime for our Soul” (you can get caught up on that idea by reading last month’s article and listening to the sermons at www.npcmh.com/teaching). One of the central themes running through this series is that God loves us, delights in us, knows us, and desires for us to abide in Him (John 15). For many of us, this idea sounds good in theory, but in reality we suspect too good to be true. There’s no way God could love me that much. In fact, just the other day someone asked me, “Doesn’t God sometimes just turn His love off?” What a fantastic question! And aren’t there times when we all feel that way? Maybe God loves me in general, but he’s sure turned it off lately!
God is Love
Thank goodness for the apostles and the Bible! In 1 John 4:8 and again in 16 it says, “God is love.” God is entirely made up of love, so it would be impossible for God to “turn off” His love. If He were to do that, He would cease to exist. Paul writes in Romans 8, “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38–39)
Yeah, But You Don’t Know…
No, I don’t know. I don’t know what you’ve done, I don’t know what’s in your heart. I don’t know the hurts and wounds you carry. But I know that God does. And I know this: that God loved you this much even before you were saved (see verse 8 at the beginning of this article). And I know that the verses from Romans 8 say that there’s nothing in heaven or on earth that could separate you from His love. How wonderful that God’s amazing love for us doesn’t depend on our believing or accepting it!
As the temperature slowly warms up over this month, may the warmth of God’s love saturate your heart and soul as well.
Blessings,
Rev. David Garrison
Rev. David Garrison
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18
Feb '18
Christian Faith & Other Faiths: Judaism
18
Feb '18
Beginning Wednesday, February 21, Table Talk will resume the series Christian Faith and Other Faiths: Understanding and Outreach. Our focus will be on Judaism, emphasizing how our understanding of Jewish history and theology shapes our understanding of Christianity. On the first two evenings, Michael Babcock will highlight Jewish history from the biblical era until today. For the next two weeks, Bob Mills will help us explore three distinctive Jewish doctrines – monotheism, covenant, and law – and consider how those doctrines are foundational to, and have been transformed by, Christianity. Our final evening will return to the topic of outreach, specifically looking at the local church as the base for evangelism.
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06
Feb '18
Keeping up with Northminster on Facebook
06
Feb '18
One of the tools we, and many other churches, use to stay connected with our members and the community is Facebook. Recently, Facebook has made some much needed changes to what appears in your news feed. While these changes are necessary and important, one of the consequences is that our posts to our Facebook Page aren’t pushed out to those who “like” our page as much as they used to be. Here are some helpful tips on how to ensure that you are seeing our posts:
- Make sure you click “See First”. As shown in the picture above, this will prioritize Northminster’s posts in your news feed. Hover over the “Following” button near the cover photo, then select “See First.”
- Edit your News Feed Preferences. On a desktop computer, click the Down Arrow next to the Help icon (a ‘?’) in the upper right corner, then click “News Feed Preferences.” In the Facebook app on your phone or tablet, click the Menu icon in the bottom right corner (looks like three lines), then scroll down to “News Feed Preferences.” From here, you can choose which pages you would like to see more frequently in your news feed.
- Like, Comment and Share posts. The more folks interact with posts on the church’s Page, the more people will be reached with those posts. You can also share any posts or sermons from our website by clicking the blue “Share” button included in each post.
We hope these tips will be helpful for you. Let us know if you have any questions!
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30
Jan '18
Pastor’s Corner – February 2018
30
Jan '18
Most folks really struggle with February. Even though the days are getting longer, it’s often the month that winter really kicks into gear – the coldest temperatures and messiest weather. I think part of what makes it worse is the “indian summer” that so often happens in mid- to late-January. Having been teased a taste of spring, to have winter make a comeback just makes it so much worse. Added to the mix is the reality that, in most years, Lent kicks off in February. So not only is it still cold and dark weather-wise, but the church kicks off what is often considered to be it’s most drab and drear season. At least, that’s how I always viewed Lent when I was a child. Maybe for you as well.
Lent = Lencten = “Springtime”
So it’s probably not too hard for you to imagine my surprise when I found out that the word “Lent” comes from an Old English word, lencten, which is best translated as “springtime.” Chuck DeGroat writes, “In this season, one begins to see the goodness which emerges from the darkness of Winter. But the darkness of Winter is necessary for the greening of Spring.” There is, and ought to be, a somberness associated with the season of Lent, but that’s not all that there should be.
Spring Cleaning for your Soul
As we transition from winter to spring, most of us will celebrate the annual ritual known as “spring cleaning.” We clean out the cruft, muck, dust and general detritus that’s built up in our homes and yards over the past year in preparation for the warmth and growth of spring. Spring cleaning isn’t usually fun, and it’s often messy, but it’s worth the work because we know what is to come. Lent is the season of the year when we do the same thing spiritually. What happens physically in and around our homes happens spiritually in our hearts and souls as well. It is my hope and prayer that the season of Lent would be an opportunity for you to have “Springtime for your Soul.”
This year, Lent begins on Wednesday, February 14 (how ironic). We have a variety of ways for you take time for spiritual spring cleaning, from new devotionals, to a Sunday sermon series, to Wednesday Lenten services shared with churches around the area. Keep your eyes and ears open for special worship opportunities during Holy Week as well. May God bless you and enrich your soul this Lent!
Blessings,
Rev. David Garrison
Rev. David Garrison
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