Monthly Recap
(With so much happening at CBC, we find it helpful to "review" God's work. Each month we will provide an update on this page).
August Recap
Well folks, the dog days of summer are well and truly here! The humidity pops you in the face like a steam bath as soon as you hit the street. Depending on your source [my source is The Old Farmer’s Almanac], the dog days of summer coincide with the heliacal rising of the Dog Star, Sirius. Technically, they ended August 11th. But the humidity reminds me of a sauna with no off button!
The CDC staff happily welcomed children and families to their newly renovated digs August 1st with all of the excitement and jitters associated with any grand opening. While there were a few bumps in the road for first-time attendees, the first day went amazingly well. We have expanded our mission this year to include infants and toddlers; thus broadening our potential ministry opportunities to families in the Culpeper area.
And while I’m talking renovation—check out the balance of the renovation work. We added a family bathroom and re-did the ladies and gents facilities on the second floor behind the sanctuary. They’re roomy, as well as beautiful! The new HVAC system is doing a great job of keeping everyone cool! And the facilities behind the Fellowship Hall are finished, too. These projects, while crucial to our vision of ministry expansion to folks in and around Culpeper, also make these areas more accessible to our church family as our needs change during the aging process. If you’ve been watching the Matching Fund thermometer—and I hope you are—you know it’s rising! Currently our total is $40,270.17. Folks we’re over half way there! We can still make the $75,000 Matching goal! There are still seven, count them: 7 weeks before the end of the matching campaign. Every little bit helps!
CBC partnered with Spirit Works Foundation for this gig in our Worship Center. Matt Butler performed the powerful song, “Just One,” which he also performed in the documentary/movie “Generation Found,” as well as other original compositions. Converge, the new weekly youth ministry of five churches combined, came together for their inaugural gathering of worship, small groups and fun August 22nd. Almost forty teens came! This ministry has the potential to offer safe space as well as peer-led worship, small groups and FUN, along with acceptance and encouragement for a segment of our society that faces mounting pressure to fit in with the culture around them. We simply must join the conversation with compassion and wisdom and be willing to offer a better alternative! Please pray for this ministry.
What do magic, comedy, the Culpeper Sheriff’s Office, 60 men and women from the Culpeper Jail, Lifepoint, Mountain View and Culpeper Baptist have in common? We had a great day with the magic, comedy and MESSAGE of Dewayne Hill. Dewayne performed during the morning in our sanctuary for the men and women from the jail. We then shared lunch together. It is such a privilege to have this relationship! Dewayne also had an evening performance at EVHS with over 400 people in attendance!
As you may remember, CBC recently became a Stephen Ministry church. With that in mind, Sara Bywaters-Baldwin along with Joyce Beales, Lynn Gore and Jane Wayland attended Stephen Leader Training in Pittsburgh, PA during early August. This was an intensive, 60+ hour training course geared toward development of the Stephen Minister Program here at CBC. Look for more information to be shared during upcoming months.
The senior adults continued with their core group for Game Day, and they had an outing to the Museum of Shenandoah Valley, which interprets the art, history and culture of the Valley. Check out the online church calendar for dates/times of outings scheduled for the fall.
The kiddies have had an active, fun-filled summer too, with all of the different camps here at CBC, and Mrs. Judd also had some remedial classes for young readers and mathematicians. Fall promises to be just as jam-packed with activities as the summer. Keep your eyes on the website and social media for dates of exciting fall fun!
Three hundred forty folks, 5 churches and 40+ organizations/ministries came together this year for the annual One Table, One Community celebration! What’s not to love about that—all sharing how God is working through them to meet the needs of hurting individuals all around us. The weather was delightful and many folks enjoyed their hot dog lunch al fresco in the sunny courtyard, while others sought the cool, shady recesses of the Worship Center. The music was fantastic—big Thank You’s go to Randy Sheets and the COAH Praise Band.
That about wraps up August, folks. This three-day weekend marking Labor Day, signifying the yearly, national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity and well-being of our country, will give us one last gasp of summer fun; then it’s time to settle down to our routines. The Experiencing God Weekend launches the Fall Season here at CBC. Hope to see you there!
July Recap
CBC launched Culpeper’s Independence celebration July 1st with the Celebrating America, Land of the Free, Home of the Brave Concert, and it did NOT disappoint. This fabulous event was the brainchild of Randy Sheets. Thank YOU, Randy! Folks, if you haven’t realized it yet--this concert required a lot of hard work and no small amount of skill; as well as perseverance. Ten churches and 3 handbell choirs participated. The concert captured a rich tapestry of music, including our country’s National Anthem; old favorites such as My Country, ‘Tis of Thee and Battle Hymn of the Republic; the United States Armed Forces Medley, along with well-known hymns and several handbell selections. We heard lots of: so glad you all are doing this; What a great concert; Hope you do it again next year.” Just think we have a whole year to plan the next one!
The July 4 5k Race and Kids Fun Run garnered lots of enthusiastic participation by locals, following a circuitous route through the lovely residential areas of S. West Street and Blue Ridge Avenue meandering by stately homes of a bygone era before looping around Yowell Meadow Park and back to the church.; The temperature was a mere 88F, but with 80% humidity, I can imagine some real sweat equity was involved by the end of the race. Estimations have adult participation at 100+, with kids sporting a respectable contribution of about 15.
Vacation Bible School rolled around the second week of the month with temperatures scoring in the 90’s, and the CBC shipwrecked crew ready to set sail with a cheery ‘Heave Ho!’ From what I’ve heard, there was lots of wiggling and giggling, thumping and bumping, gaming and entertaining all blended with L O T S of laughter! This cruise down memory lane wouldn’t be complete without adding a small postscript: even during all of this fun, there was still time to share Bible stories of how Jesus rescues all of us and, the little folks hung on every word! Including the pre-school, we had about 150 children who participated! What a jam-packed week. As the week ended, the children provided the music during the contemporary service Sunday morning! A BIG Thank You to everyone!
Another big hit, the Art Is In Dramatic Camp, wowed their audience with a fantastic production of “Two Tickets to Hollywood.” This drama told the heart-warming story of two sisters who learned the true message of telling the truth and holding true to God’s word. Twenty children from kindergarten through eighth grade made up the cast, and let me tell you—they were fantastic actors! New this year, the Puppet Camp came toward the end of the month. Twelve youngsters learned to use their imagination and creativity with their puppet actors and hand-drawn set production. Not to be outdone, the kids in Sunday school had the pleasure of Painting and Brunch with Sara [Bywaters-Baldwin] during the month and painted self-portraits. Closing out the month, we partnered with Antioch Baptist Church for their annual Back to School Jam on Saturday, July 28th. Thanks to everyone who donated funds or provided supplies! 750 local school children received bags of school supplies—and we all know the first day of school is right around the corner!
Well folks, the CDC renovation is almost complete—just in time for their grand opening on August 1st. You won’t recognize the second floor! WOW! W h a t a facelift! Moms and dads, with their little ones in tow, have been dropping by to meet teachers and take tours. Furniture is arriving almost daily, volunteers are coming down the home stretch with the painting and folks have been dropping off extra toys and baby stuff. The entrance canopy is on order and things are definitely winding down. Wait ‘til you see it! The commissioning service was July 31st, with a prayer gathering to ask God’s blessing for the coming school year.
The senior adults have been busy this month with their usual activities and Pickleball is still going strong even in this hot humid weather. These pickleballers are really serious about their sport. In a more serious vein, Pastor Dan conducted sunset vespers Sunday evening, July 22nd, at the Luray Singing Tower. This forty-seven bell carillon was a gift by Col. T. C. Northcott and his daughter, Katherine Graves, in memory of his wife, Belle Brown Northcott. Twenty of our church family attended this special service.
The bathroom/HVAC renovation is in full swing, and I understand that workers are laying tile in the bathroom behind the sanctuary. If you’re keeping an eye on the “thermometer” for the matching funds, you’re already aware that $19,687 has been given even as I write this. We still have twelve days before Restore Sunday and fifteen days to meet our goal of $25,000! We can make it!!!
Well, this is the end of the line….literally—this is the last line on the page! See you next month, same time.
Those who live on in our Memory:
Mrs. Nancy Hicks
Mrs. Edith Taylor, June 8, 2018
Fourth Quarter, 2017 Recap
By the time you read this, the New Year’s parties will all be over and for some, possibly only a hazy memory, except for a few extra pounds. 2017 will be in our rear view mirror, with 2018 stretching out before of us—a blank canvas. As believers, we are fortunate that we can look back over the past weeks and months and see God’s brushstrokes all over our story. And, how great is that! So before we leave 2017 behind entirely, let’s take a quick look back at some highlights.
The pipe organ and carillon restoration concluded, and we celebrated with the Seipp/Sheets Duo Trumpet and Organ Recital at the end of October. WOW. Listen folks, this was a superb concert by two top musicians! If you missed it, Randy and Chuck gave a five-star performance. AND…the entire restoration project was completely funded from the generous gifts of our church family and friends!
Deferred maintenance was another area where we finished the year strong accomplishing $216,110.57 in deferred maintenance projects in 2016-2017. Below is a list of some of the big-ticket items:
· $68,650.00 Schantz Pipe Organ Restoration
· 6,435.50 Carillon Project
· 13,670.00 Roof/Gutter Repair
· 9,325.00 Heat Pump Replacement
· 4,300.00 Parking Lot Crack Repair
· 14,450.00 Seal/Repaint Parking Lot
· 23,189.98 CDC Playground Equipment
The complete list of deferred maintenance projects is found on our website.
We celebrated 30 years of Mission Trips through CBC with Roger T. Clatterbuck at the helm. Here’s a recap of the impact these folks have made:
· Repaired and helped to build 139 homes
· Helped to build/repair 24 churches
· Helped to build/repair 6 other projects
What a record! Thank You for that long-term commitment!
Financial Peace, a class designed by Dave Ramsey to help folks maximize their dollars and take control of their money, has had two successful semesters and a new semester begins in February 2018. Way to Go! Skip and Lou Price lead this informal, fun group. Keep your eye on printed and social media for dates and times for the next class.
Our GriefShare Team has had active groups through the fall and a special seminar for the holidays designed to help individuals who are grieving a loved one’s death to cope with their loss as well as the stress of the holidays and at the same time offer hope for the future. The next group begins in February 2018. Check the website for further details.
‘The Masks We Wear’ art exhibit, on display at CBC November 9-15, moved to the Culpeper Public Library for two weeks at the end of November. This project involved folks of all ages to raise awareness of domestic violence, and promote prevention and early intervention through community education and awareness in partnership with SAFE.
Samaritan’s Purse Christmas Shoe Box Gifts, one of our long-time ministries, was a smashing success netting 110 boxes taken to Open Door Baptist Church, the local drop off center. Children in developing countries are the recipients of these gifts that are tools to open the door for presentation of the Gospel.
Drums Alive, a national program that combines movement with the power of drumming, now offers classes at our campus. This is a whole-body work out and a powerful stress reduction tool to maintain mental balance. Public classes are available Tuesday and Thursday evenings in the 6:15 p.m. time slot.
The Flower Team worked their magic again this year and beautifully transformed the sanctuary in preparation for celebration of Christ’s birth. My, it was beautiful! Check out our facebook page for lots of photos.
And who can forget the many musical programs during the month. Alex Smith and the Spotsylvanians kicked off the season in early December with their Christmas concert; then came the Blue Ridge Chorale celebrating their 50th Anniversary Concert, “Alleluia,” featuring well-loved songs from many of their concerts during the past five decades. Mid-month we celebrated Christmas with all of our musical groups. Of course, the Christmas Eve Candle Light Service was a beautiful celebration encompassing three churches, two languages and six pastors! Over 700 folks filled our sanctuary. As we departed the sanctuary during the brief “snow flurry,” it was delightful to hear the carillon pealing out “Peace on earth, good will toward men…”
Sunday morning, December 10th, we paused during the Sunday School hour to gather in the sanctuary and recall members and friends who live on in our hearts and continue to bless us with fond memories of times gone by. Later in the month the Longest Night of the Year service, designed to temper the struggle with darkness and grief faced by those living with a loss, afforded folks another opportunity to pause and seek comfort in the caring intimacy of our church family.
Another particularly moving event during the month occurred when we hosted the inmates from the Culpeper jail and their families in our Worship Center for some meaningful time together. Country Cooking and Pepper’s catered this extraordinary event. This was one of those rare and beautiful opportunities to come alongside hurting families and be a redemptive as well as a healing presence in their midst.
The actors of The Culpeper treated us to a delightful performance of The True Meaning of Christmas, fresh from the pen of Pastor Hans. The children from CDC Preschool attended this charming little Christmas story and were spellbound the entire time.
The “Class with Clara” captured little imaginations and was hosted by the Charlottesville Ballet for children of the CDC. The children learned introductory ballet steps, experienced the magic of The Nutcracker and even had photo ops with the pros. Nineteen children attended and over fifty family members!
Thus, another year has drawn to a close here with our church family. It’s been a good year with lots of good memories, and our lives have been enriched by God’s abounding love and mercy. Can’t you just see His presence in our stories—and don’t we have an abundance of great stories?! Good things are happening here. I hope you’ll look around and see where you can join Him in His work at CBC and the Culpeper community.
In Memoriam
Earle Mitchell Inez Jenkins Juanita Whitesell