News from the Corner
January 22 - February 4, 2012
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RBC 411
| Ravensworth Baptist Church
5100 Ravensworth Road
Annandale, VA 22003
703-941-4113
ravensworth@rbc-va.org
OFFICE HOURS
Monday - Thursday
9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
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WEEKLY SCHEDULE
Sunday
Sunday School -- 9:30 a.m.
Worship -- 11:00 a.m.
Monday College/Young Adult Bible study -- 7:00 p.m. Tuesday
Tuesday Mornings -- 10:00 a.m.
Choir rehearsal -- 7:00 p.m. ________________________
Ravensworth Baptist Church is an inclusive and welcoming Christian community where expressing the love of God to all people is central to our worship, study, and service.
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REFLECTION
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It's odd to feel that the death of a 97-year-old man was premature. But I cannot shake the feeling that Homer Carhart died at too young an age.
Homer might not have agreed with that. I'm sitting in my office at church, in the same space where I enjoyed lively, inspiring conversations with Homer. I'm looking at his empty chair, and imagining him sitting up straight with his eyes fixed on me, that boyish "Can you believe I'm still here, having this much fun?" expression on his face. I have to tell you that I'm going to miss these amazing times with this 97-year-old boy. The reason I think Homer might disagree with me is that I can almost hear him saying, "It happened at exactly the right time, in just the right way. I could not have planned it any better!"
Carla, the great friend he called his "guardian angel," was with Homer when he took his last breath. Carla was at last week's Tuesday morning session, and shared Homer's last hours and his final moments in a deep and wonderful way with our Bible study group. I said something to the group about Homer's childlikeness, but just to be clear, his life and work experiences would impress just about anyone. He was a highly accomplished person.
Almost one year ago, Carla had given me a copy of his writing, An Old Man Looks At Death and Beyond. I had not read it from cover to cover, and when I looked at it today, I was struck by how Homer described himself in much the same way. In 2004, Homer took a course in which an assignment was to write his own eulogy, and here are his opening words: "Homer Carhart was essentially a small boy who never quite grew up. Throughout his lifetime he retained a wide-eyed wonder about all things. . . . He also retained the childlike sense that most people were fundamentally good, and that the world really was not going to hell in a hand basket."
In his end-of-the-year letter for 2011, sent out ten days before he died, Homer offered a shorter version, a one-paragraph summary of his year. For those who were interested, he wrote a longer version of 14 pages. If you want a short summary of Homer's conclusion, 2011 was a very good year. If you want the longer conclusion written by this remarkable man and beloved friend, here it is:
"Now, as I look back on this year, the word cornucopia comes to mind, that great horn of plenty overflowing with goodies and goodness. And I am so thankful for all the blessings bestowed on me and the richness of my life, most of it supplied by all of you. I think of the rest of the world, all seven billion of us by now, and my heart bleeds for such a great percentage of them who live (exist might be a better descriptor here) with constant hunger, fear, and oppression. Yes, I can fall on my knees in full gratitude for a great life.
"Sure, age has taken its toll. I am becoming more and more wheelchair-bound, and use a walker most of the time, but nonetheless I look forward to another great New Year embellished and graced by my relationship with you all and how much you do enrich, excite and fulfill my being physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. And there is a nice warm and fuzzy feeling in the cockles of my heart as I think that together we will share this great next adventure together because I certainly wish the BEST for each and every one of you for this coming year!!!!!"
Thanks, Homer! Much love to you, too, from the cockles of our hearts!
Steve
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| ALL IN THE FAMILY | |
Prayer Concerns:
- Karen (Binns) Craig and family
- Nadine Steward
- Kristin Marks
- Carrie Karegeannes
- Mary Nelle Evans
- Bob Myers, Jeanne Myers's son
- James Kelley, Jeff
 Van Ness's uncle - Louise Coombes, Mary Ann Ashley's sister
- Jim Weber, Carol Weber's brother
- Bob Moss, Gail Fewell's uncle
- Wanda Dobbins
- Bea Fones
- Martha Masser, Gail Fewell's cousin's wife
- Norma Parker
- Gail Fewell
- Lisa Eversburg
- Dot Runion, Mary Padgett's sister
- Diane Hines
- Billie Moore, Bea Fones's sister
- The men and women of the armed forces and their families
- Deployed:
- Travis Hall, Nancy Hall's son
- Kent McLaurin, Jeff Van Ness's friend
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COMING WEEKS AT A GLANCE
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Sunday, January 22
- Third Sunday after the Epiphany
- Leewood Healthcare Center
- 9:00 Prayer Group
- 9:30 Sunday School
- 11:00 Worship
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Sunday, January 29
- Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany
- Youth Return from Ski Retreat
- 9:00 Prayer Group
- 9:30 Sunday School
- 11:00 Worship
- 12:15 Quarterly Business Meeting
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Monday, January 23
- 9:30 Staff Meeting
- 7:00 College/Young Adult Bible Study
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Monday, January 30
- 9:30 Staff Meeting
- 7:00 College/Young Adult Bible Study
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Tuesday, January 24
- 10:00 Tuesday Mornings
- 7:00 Adult Choir
- 7:30 Al-Anon
- 8:30 AA
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Tuesday, January 31
- 10:00 Tuesday Mornings
- 7:00 Adult Choir
- 7:30 Al-Anon
- 8:30 AA
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Friday-Sunday, January 27-28
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Wednesday, February 1
- 2:00 Education Commission
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Saturday, February 4
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SUNDAY WORSHIP
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Sunday, January 22
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Sunday, January 29
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Third Sunday after the Epiphany
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Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany
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Sermon by Steve Hyde:
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Sermon by Steve Hyde:
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Fishing for People
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A New Teaching
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Lectionary Readings:
- Jonah 3:1-5, 10
- Psalm 62:5-12
- 1 Corinthians 7:29-31
- Mark 1:14-20
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Lectionary Readings:
- Deuteronomy 18:15-20
- Psalm 111
- 1 Corinthians 8:1-13
- Mark 1:21-28
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Worship Leader:
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Worship Leaders:
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Carol Weber
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Kathy Morgan
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| SUNDAY MORNING VOLUNTEERS | |
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Sunday, January 22
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Sunday, January 29
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Preschool:
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Preschool:
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Kay Tarazi
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Patti Brockmeier
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Outreach:
- Host: Brad Moffett
- Caller: Ray Roan
- Cookies: Geneva Pope
- Committee Rep: Steve Gallo
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Outreach:
- Host: Carper/Cunningham
- Caller: Bob Sampson
- Cookies: Lucyann Billups
- Committee Rep: Kathy Morgan
| | Library: | Library: | |
Roberta Head
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Roberta Head
| | Children's Worship: | Children's Worship: | |
Jesse Baskin
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Roberta Head
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BOOK SIGNING -- AFTERIMAGES, BY CARRIE KAREGEANNES
| Saturday, January 21, 2:00 p.m.
 Ravensworth is hosting a book signing for Carrie Karegeannes for her book Afterimages: The Paris We Walked/The Dream We Lived/The Life We Loved. Carrie's husband, Peter, was the photographer for the book. The book signing will take place at the Goodwin House, 3440 S. Jefferson Street, Falls Church, in the second floor Activity Room. If you would like to attend and need a ride, come to the church by 12:55 p.m. We have several volunteer drivers who will leave the church at 1:00 p.m. At this time we are out of books, but we are trying to find additional copies. Please join us to honor Carrie. Refreshments will be served.
Directions: Take Columbia Pike towards Bailey's Crossroads, turn right on S. Jefferson Street (just before the light), and take the second entrance into Goodwin House. If there are no parking spaces in the lot, go into the first entrance. A sidewalk joins that lot to the entrance needed to get to the Activity Room. Sign in and take the elevator to the second floor.
If you would like to attend and haven't already been contacted by Ercell Binns, please email her or call 703-208-7111. |
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RENOVATION UPDATE
| January 2012
A lot has been going on behind the scenes related to the renovation of our building, and the Renovation Working Group (RWG)has been hard at work planning for the upcoming changes. We met last week with the architect, Neal Roseberry, and the senior project manager and the director of preconstruction from Scott Long Construction Inc., who will be the primary contractor on the building project. Neal has provided the construction drawings, and Scott- Long has been soliciting bids from subcontractors for various parts of the project. The RWG, along with our current House Chair, Rhine Morgan, and our prior House Chair, Roy Fewell, will be meeting with the construction team on January 26 to review the bids.
As part of the preparation phase we hired an asbestos surveyor, who completed a study of the main building and provided us with an action plan that will be incorporated into the demolition and renovation. The study did not produce any unpleasant surprises, as we already knew that some of the materials used in the construction of our 1950s-era building contained asbestos. None of these items are currently hazardous, but will have to be contained or removed during the renovation.
Permit applications will begin in February, in order to allow sufficient time for the County to approve the plans before we begin demolition in mid-May.
We hope the first step in the reconstruction will be replacement of the sidewalk ramp that leads to the front entrance. If we get at least a couple of weeks of warmer weather this spring, we could have this done before the interior renovations begin.
We will have more detailed information about construction plans in the coming months, and will be communicating with the various commissions and committees about how the renovation schedule will affect building use this summer.
Please talk to any RWG member if you have any questions.
Beth Moffett, Chair Renovation Working Group |
| ACCA | |
Help Feed the Homeless
 The Bailey's Crossroads Community Shelter provides daily breakfasts, lunches, and dinners to the participants in Fairfax County's hypothermia prevention program, which continues through March 31. The ACCA church network is one of the volunteer providers of meals. As we have done in pastyears, we would like to provide at least one dinner and one day of bagged lunches for 50 persons. If you are interested in helping, please contact Bob Sampson or Carol Weber. We haven't selected a date yet, but it will be sometime in February. We hope the youth will be involved, too. We prepare the food at the church and deliver it to the shelter by 4:30 p.m. Those interested may also help serve the meal at the shelter. We're also looking for simple recipes for the dinner. Thank you in advance.
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YOUTH UPDATE
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Things are happening in the Ravensworth youth group in the next couple of months. Here are some of them:
 Les Miserables Thursday, January 26, 7:00 p.m. Lake Braddock Secondary School We will meet at the church at 6:30 go as a group to see Will Baskin perform in his musical at Lake Braddock. If you reserved a ticket, please confirm your plans to attend by contacting me or letting me know on Sunday. Ski Retreat Our annual ski retreat is scheduled for January 27-29. We will once again be staying at Camp Allegheny and skiing at Hidden Valley. The balance of $85 is due Sunday, January 22. Watch your email inbox for important information about this event Service Project We will assist with the preparation of dinner and bag lunches for participants in the Fairfax County hypothermia prevention project at a date to be determined in February. See above for details. Passport Dates & Deposits We are registered for PASSPORTchoices in Wingate, North Carolina, for the week of July 8-13. At present, nine campers and two chaperones are registered. If you intend to invite one or more friends, please let me know as soon as possible and have them submit their $75 non-refundable deposit. Please pay me directly. You know the drill: check payable to Ravensworth; "Passport deposit" on memo line. Don't forget, Sunday School begins at 9:30 every Sunday in the Annex. Bring your Bible and a dollar for our adopted child at the Cornerstone Children's Home in South Sudan. I am always available to talk or to answer questions. Call me church (703-941-4113), call or text me on my cell phone (703-200-5866), email me, or write on my Facebook wall. Grace and peace, bob return to top |
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QUARTERLY BUSINESS MEETING MINUTES
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 Please click here to see the minutes from the October 23 quarterly business meeting. Contact Nancy Hall if you have any questions.
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SMALL GROUPS
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Kick-off Event -- Coming in March
We don't have a precise date yet, but following worship one Sunday in March, we will hold a brief meeting to highlight our small groups and give you an opportunity to sign up for one. The facilitators of the three groups that are forming (see below) will describe their groups and field questions about them. Watch for more information, including a firm date for this event, in the next newsletter.
We have facilitators for three different groups so far:
 Lydia Mercado will serve as the facilitator of a group that will explore different models and methods of prayer. Jeff Van Ness will convene an issue-oriented group that will work on developing a "Continuity of Operations" plan for our church to prepare for possible disruptions caused by natural disasters or other catastrophic events. Kay Tarazi will facilitate a covenant discipleship group. Click here to see a description of this group. We are in the process of seeking facilitators for additional groups. Possible meeting days and times will be posted as they become available. Other possible groups include: - Bible Reading Groups
- Bible Study Groups
- Book Discussion Groups
- Mission Action Groups
- Relationship Evangelism Project (REP) Support Groups
If you have questions about any of these groups, or think you might be interested in facilitating a group, contact Bob Turner. Thank you, Education Commission return to top |
COVENANT DISCIPLESHIP GROUP
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 Spiritual Discipline and Christian Formation through Mutual Accountability
In this group, participants will seek ways to support each other in deepening our relationships with God as we follow the path of Jesus. To begin, the group will meet monthly for one hour to form a covenant of promises to God and each other; then in subsequent meetings will share successes and challenges in keeping the covenant. The group creates the covenant through personal and group discernment and mutual consensus. It will contain promises of worship and devotion as well promises of compassion and justice.
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SENIOR ACTIVITIES
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To register for anything you see under "SCAS Events" below, or to get additional information, call the Shepherd's Center of Annandale-Springfield (SCAS) office at 703-941-1419 or email them. Send your check to SCAS, 7610 Newcastle Road, Annandale, VA 22003. The office is staffed from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. every weekday.
SCAS EVENTS: 
Adventures in Learning, Wednesdays,
February 1 - March 14, 10:30 - 11:30 a.m.
John Rybicki, Bible Scholar and Teacher, will be leading a seven week class on the History of the Christian Church, Part III (from the post Chalcedonian schism of the 5th century through the East-West Schism of the 11th century.) This class will be held from 10:30 -11:30 a.m. each Wednesday morning from Febuary 1 - March 14, at the John Calvin Presbyterian Church, 6531 Columbia Pike, Annandale, VA.
Come early for "Easy Does it Yoga for Seniors" from 9:15 - 10:20 a.m. each Wednesday, and stay afterwards for coffee, tea, snacks, and lunch, followed by a series of speakers from 12:00 -1:00 p.m. on a variety of topics, including talks from local authors, and a series on coping with hearing loss. The cost is $45 ($43 for members) for any or all of the classe
Day Trip -- Historic Blenheim House, Saturday, February 4, 2012
Take a trip back in time to a peaceful idyll in the heart of Fairfax City. This 12-acre site features an interpretive center, historic buildings and beautiful vistas that will transport you to the Fairfax of yesteryear. The house contains one of the best-preserved examples of Civil War inscriptions in the nation, a diary on walls left by Civil War soldiers. The bus departs at 9:30 a.m. from the Annandale United Methodist Church, 6935 Columbia Pike, and returns no later than 3:00 pm. Cost: $10
Lunch N' Life -- Thursday, February 23, 11:30 a.m. Cost: $10. The program will feature Terry Shima of the Japanese-American Veterans Association, who will tell the little-known story of the Japanese-American soldiers who served in the United States military in World War II. These veterans recently received the Congressional Gold Medal. SCAS Fundraiser -- Tuesday, February 28, Heaven Can Wait, a play performed by The Little Theatre of Alexandria, 8:00 p.m. Tickets are $25. Bus service will be available, cost $10.
EVENTS FOR SENIORS AT RAVENSWORTH:
Tuesday Mornings
10:00 a.m. -- Bible study
11:15 a.m. -- exercise
12:15 p.m. -- brown bag lunch
Retirees' Breakfast
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| LOOKING AHEAD |
Sunday, February 12
Committee Chair Transition, 12:15 p.m.
Thursday, February 16
Leadership Council, 7:00 p.m.
Wednesday, February 22
Ash Wednesday Worship, 7:00 p.m.
Thursday, February 23
Lunch N' Life, 11:30 a.m.
Tuesday, February 28
SCAS Fundraiser, The Little Theatre of Alexandria, 8:00 p.m.
Save the Date -- Saturday, May 5, 2012...
...for the marriage of Heather Rude-Turner and Mark Diamond
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