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Michael's Memo
2016 So far . . . 

My July-September Sabbatical is quickly approaching and I thought now would be a great time to take a few moments and give you a report on some things I have been working on this year. I look forward to telling your more about my sabbatical and our special guest minister over the summer, Rev. Landa Simmons, in next month's newsletter which will be a combined July/August issue.

Worship has been awesome. We have Rebooted the essentials in our spiritual lives, we answered some of the Questions that Jesus Asked during Lent and Easter, and we talked together about the significance and history of Pentecost to our church and our own faith when we went In the Spirit.

The Youth Director Search will soon conclude (I believe). We have an excellent candidate that has reviewed the job description. We will interview on May 31st and I ask you to pray for us and our youth and children.  We will hope to have the Youth Director in place in September. Members of the Search Committee are Elana Gant, John Haines, Sandra Loving, Michael Peterman, Leslie West, and Jared Pierce, Chairperson. This group designed a new job description that includes duties with our middle school and high school youth as well as our Children Worship & Wonder volunteers on Sunday mornings with ministry to our children.

Dr. Anil Anil Henry from Christian Hospital Mungeli India (our Global Mission Partner) will be visiting Virginia this summer. We hope to plan a time for him to be at Slash. Members of our congregation are planning a mission trip to the hospital next year which you will be hearing more about soon.

Changes in the Christian Church in Virginia are coming as Regional Minister, Lee Parker, will retire at the end of the year. Other changes are being piloted that include changes to the structure of our region and how we do ministry. I will learn more about other changes in the region at the Regional Assembly in Lynchburg on June 3-5.  I will be attending on Friday and Saturday. I have been asked for permission to have my name presented as a member of the Search Committee for a new regional minister.

We have another busy month as school winds down and we get the opportunity to honor our graduates, our fathers, our summer camp participants and volunteers, as well as our mission trip participants. I always look forward to Bible School Sunday when our children lead us in worship and that is coming up on June 26.  Thank you all for your support, prayers, and ministry among us.  I will see you Sunday.  
 
En Agape',
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Board Meeting

Splinters from the Board
Looking to the Future
By Cathy Tillman, Moderator






This is such an exciting time for our church. There are so many wonderful things happening and so many wonderful opportunities to participate in at Slash!

Storage Facility and Pavilion
Permits have been obtained and work will be starting very shortly on the construction of our new storage facility and pavilion. Again we want to thank Carlton Shelton for working so diligently to get the ball rolling through the county and the entire Property Committee members for their dedication in working on this project. There will be numerous opportunities to be a part of this new venture through financial giving as well as through time. Most of all, let's give thanks and encouragement in the coming weeks.

 
Financial Secretary Position
We have been moving forward to change the process of handling our Sunday collections. The Stewardship and Finance Committee are working through the details to keep our process as confidential and secure as possible. Over the next few months, you will continue to be involved in those details as they develop. Thank you to everyone for understanding the need to change our current process.


 
                                                                                                                                                                                  
Reaching Up

June Serving Schedule
Elder of the Month: Catherine Young
Communion Prep: Becky Baugher

Date
Genesis Elder/GreeterElders
Diaconate
Acolytes
5
Catherine Young
Troy Payne
Becky Baugher*
Carrie Peterman
 Keith DaltonJudy PierceDon MooreAiden Youngken
   Julie Moore 
   Chloe Baugher 
12Harold ManahanCarolyn PutnamPolly Vaughan*Kaylee Coffey
 Ed BaugherNancy FarrellOlivia GantJohn Weeks
   Elana Gant 
   Grace Gilliam 
19Carolyn PutnamSteve HarrisonBrooken Loving*Kirsten Powers
 Tom PutnamCatherine YoungMark HighfieldMeghan Powers
   Angie Dalton 
   Kendall Dalton 
26Judy PierceGen BohannonBarbara Jellison*Elena Highfield
 Jared PierceReggie MartinPatsy FowlerAvery Pierce
   Mark Highfield 
   Ruthie Weeks 




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2016 Summer Schedule starts in July

We are blessed at Slash Church with more people every Sunday in worship than we can fit into our sanctuary comfortably at one service.  We are also blessed with many wonderful worship leaders and musicians who allow us to offer a variety of music and worship experiences on Sunday morning at our 8:45 am Genesis Worship and 11 o'clock services. 

However, the summer is a busy time for families in our community of faith. We have many youth and several adults who will be gone this summer for church camp at Craig Springs (see the article below). Some of them for more than one week. Family vacations are scheduled and there are some among us who are gone to the river in the Summer time on weekends. Because of all these things we have a few less people in worship on Sundays in July and August and can actually all fit in the sanctuary at one time. What a blessing it is to share worship together in the summer at a special time.

Summer Sunday school attendance is unpredictable here at Slash. We do not want to ask a volunteer to plan a lesson and then have no one in attendance. This also allows us to give our Christian Education volunteers a much needed break so that they can come back fresh in the Fall. This summer we will again have  10 am ONE Worship and offer Children Worship & Wonder during the service for kids 4 years old through 4th graders. The Fellowship Adult Sunday School Class will continue to meet in the Loving Building in the summer at 9 am and they invite all members of the church to join them.

Regular Sunday Schedule resumes September 4, 2016
8:45 am Genesis Worship
9:45 am Church School
11 am Worship


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Outreach Opportunities

grocery bags
First ACES 2016 Food Drive - Pick up your grocery bag on June 5th and return it the following Sunday on June 12. As always the following items are in constant need: beef stew, rice, cereals, canned soups with meat, powdered milk, boxes of macaroni and cheese, peanut butter and jelly, toilet tissue, toothpaste, soap, deodorant, toothbrushes. So pick up your grocery bag to fill on June 5th and bring it back to church on June 12th. Ashland Christian Emergency Services has been helping others in need in our community for many years. The need for food rises as school begins to end for summer. 
So let's help by filling a grocery bag to feed the hungry!




Let's pull together and continue to help ACES and Ashland Open Door during the entire month of June. Here is the challenge presented by your Outreach Committee:

Ashland Open Door provides safe housing for children and families now living in crowded, dangerous motels in Ashland. The organization consists of community and faith volunteers and is working partly through Hanover Safe Place in Ashland. Due to new legislation taking effect July 1, restricting long term residency in Ashland motels, those families living there will need to move. Our challenge to you is this:
Each Sunday during the month of June, bring a can or cans of food to Slash. We will build a type of pyramid consisting of those cans of food. Wrapped around those cans of food, we ask you to put a dollar, 2 dollars, 5 dollars, 10 dollars, a check for whatever you wish - whatever amount you wish to donate. You can bring a can or cans every Sunday in June to see how high we can build this pyramid. All of the cans of food collected will go to ACES. All of the funds collected through this pyramid will go to Ashland Open Door to help these families find a safe home and get their feet back on the ground. Checks may be made payable to Slash Christian Church (memo line - Ashland Open Door). A handout will be available in the back of the sanctuary providing more details on Ashland Open Door and this project. So, let's fill the grocery bags on June 12th for ACES and build our pyramid all during June - HOW TALL CAN WE GO? 
 




Thank you to all who donated Baby boxes in honor or memory of our mothers. 
What a blessing and tribute to our mothers on Mother's Day when $765.00 was collected to purchase about 30 baby boxes in support of our global ministry partnership with the Christian Hospital and Dr. Anil Henry in Mungeli, India. What greater testament of God's love could there have been!  




Pentecost Offering
Through your thoughtfulness, donations totaling $878.87 were collected through our special Pentecost Offering - helping to promote the start of new churches across the United States.  Thank you!

 

Craig Springs Summer Camp


We will recognize our summer camp participants in worship on Sunday, June 5th. Please keep campers, counselors and volunteers in your prayers! They also love to receive mail. 
 
Campers Name (session of camp)
Craig Springs Camp
30 Craig Springs Circle 
New Castle, VA 24127   
 
Postal service in Craig County is slow.  Mail your letters early! Even "overnight" packages mailed in-state can take more than three days to arrive. Please allow plenty of time for mail to travel to camp. 

Nature Camp Counselors, June 25 - July 1: Kacie Dalton, 
Elana Gant, Joel West
 
Triple Camp, July 10 - 15Kacie Dalton, Kendall Dalton, Ann Tyler Darden, Meredith Farrell, Julianna Kurz, Ruthie Weeks, Joel West

New Covenant Camp, June 24 - 29: 
Elena Highfield, John Weeks

Family Retreat, July 29- Aug. 1: 
Elana Gant, Janet Williams, Jeannette Williams

Adult volunteers: 
Ann Bremner, Cynthia Bremner, Angie Dalton, Kerby Dalton, Lois HainesAmy Jones, Justin Ott, and Janet Williams.
 

flowers_thankyou7.jpg
Thank you for your donation towards Ashland Open Door to help those persons in our community living in motels. As a local non-profit, Hanover Safe Place relies on committed community members. Our client's success and survival depends on the generosity of others to make our services possible. The same is true for those served by Ashland Open Door. Thank you again for your kindness and commitment to our efforts.
Sheree Hedrick, Executive Director

Thank you so much for your generous donation to the Cane Ridge Shrine, Inc. Gifts such as yours help us to tell the Cane Ridge Story and welcome future generations of visitors as well. As I write this letter we are having the interior of the shrine painted, perhaps for the first time since it was built in 1957. While much of our maintenance is handled by staff and volunteers, this is one task which requires trained professionals. We are grateful for those gifts which allow us to maintain these facilities.
Thank you again,
James H.Trader, II, Curator



Mission Trip to Red House, West Virginia on July 29-August 1 
Group Mission Trips
Please offer prayers and support to our Mission Trippers who will be representing our church this summer on a weekend home repair mission trip.

Participants will be: Chris Benson, Wendy Benson, Meredith Farrell, Olivia Gant, Julianna Kurz, Ruthie Weeks, and Joel West.  
Kelly Benson and Michael Weeks will accompany them on the trip.

Mission Trip Commissioning will be on Sunday June 26 at the 10 am ONE Worship during Bible School Sunday.

Gear up for an over-the-top underground adventure! 
Vacation Bible School
June 20 - 24
9 am to noon
and then the whole church will celebrate the week on 
VBS Sunday June 26th with a 
9 am Sunday School
and 10 am ONE Worship 

Registration Closes Soon.
The Slash Christian Church Pastoral Relations Committee (PRC)

If you have any questions or concerns about anything happening at Slash you are encouraged to share them with Rev. Michael. The PRC team works with him to nurture, guide, and support his ministry. The PRC also serves as another channel of communication which you can use to pass along praise and or concerns about Rev. Michael and all our ministries.

Again you are welcome to communicate directly with Rev. Michael or any of the current PRC members. They are Gen Bohannon, Keith Dalton, Alan Goodman, Christine Harrison, Sandra Loving, and Alex Smith.

Flower Ministry


flower-bouquet.jpg

The 2016 flower chart is posted by the office. If you would like to purchase flowers in memory of or in honor of a loved one please sign up on the flower chart, fill in an order form and return it to the office. You may email or call the office (798-4520) to order sanctuary flowers.  The sanctuary flower price is $27.00 with checks made payable to Slash Christian Church. Orders do not have to be prepaid.  
Next available dates are June 5, July 3, 10 and 24.


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softball_equipment.jpg
Slash Men's Softball League

Come out and support our men as they share in a time of fellowship and fun on Tuesday nights at Pole Green Park.








Start DateStart TimeEnd TimeHome TeamLocation
5/31/20168:30 PM9:25 PMMechanicsville Church of ChristPole Green Park #3
5/31/20169:30 PM10:25 PMSlash Christian ChurchPole Green Park #3
6/7/20168:30 PM9:25 PMSlash Christian ChurchPole Green Park #3
6/7/20169:30 PM10:25 PMLife Church #1Pole Green Park #3
6/14/20168:30 PM9:25 PMSlash Christian ChurchPole Green Park #3
6/14/20169:30 PM10:25 PMRestoration ChurchPole Green Park #3
6/21/20168:30 PM9:25 PMSlash Christian ChurchPole Green Park #4
6/21/20169:30 PM10:25 PMBYE-DPole Green Park #4
6/28/20168:30 PM9:25 PMSlash Christian ChurchPole Green Park #3
6/28/20169:30 PM10:25 PMNew SongPole Green Park #3

Honoring our Graduates

We will honor our graduates on June 12th and would like to invite anyone with a graduate in their family to join us to be recognized in worship.

Graduation Sunday
High School
Kacie Dalton: Graduating- Atlee High School
Attending- Virginia Tech College of the Liberal Arts and Human Sciences
Major- Multimedia Journalism
Minor- Cinema
 
Joel West: Graduating- Hanover High School 
Attending- Eastern Kentucky University 
Major- Fire Protection and Administration 
Minor- Criminal Justice or Wildlife Conservation 
 
Lauren Wolfgang: Graduating - Lee Davis High School
Attending-Queens University, Charlotte NC - Atheltic Scholarship for Field Hockey
Major-Education
 
College
Elizabeth Farrell- Reynolds Community College
 
Anna West-Longwood University


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Keep Slash Growing!

When was the last time you brought a visitor to church? It is time for you to invite that person who has been asking you questions about your church. First you need to get them to join you for worship and then you can invite them to learn more about our congregation and its ministries at our next Learn About Slash class. Members of our church join our visitors in these classes. This is a great way to get visitors and friends more involved at Slash.  Get off the fence and invite someone to church this week! 

Learn About Slash



Current Needs:
Men's new undershirts and underwear - all sizes
Women's new underwear - all sizes,  Women's new socks
 
Children's summer clothes - all sizes, especially sizes 14-18;  Children's summer pajamas
Boy's new undershirts - all sizes
 
Boxed mashed potatoes, Baked beans, Applesauce, Oatmeal, Canned chicken, Spam, Spaghetti 
 
Toiletry items, Toilet paper

 Thanks for your continued support!

Prayer Requests

Church Family
Bill and Norma Jennings, Ronnie Benson, Dalton Pierce, Brenda Layne, Roger Martin, Diane Jones, Jakob Hellermann, Monroe Loving, Carolyn Nash, MaryLee Jones, Jo Richardson, Brooken Loving, Ernest Goodman

 
For Healing
Linda Samimi (daughter of Don and Helen Kersey), Joshua Traylor (son of Julie and J.D. Traylor)
Chelsea Stevenson (niece of Renee Bynum), Corey Patton (duaghter of Julie Moore)
Charlotte West (sister in law of Lloyd West), Joe Nuckols (grandson of Julie Traylor)
Ginnie Mosely (friend of Barbara Jellison), Shot Mangum (brother of Judy Pierce)
Charlie Ancarrow (friend of Jason Glasco), Sheryl Snellings (friend of Dianne Jones)
Myrtle Hillman (grandmother of April Pierce), Rachel Bassel (friend of Erin Payne)
Lindsay Lucchese (great niece of Becky Baugher), Bob Henderson (husband of Barbara Henderson)
Ann Graham (sister of Don Kersey), Tammy Harris (friend of Ted and MaryLee Jones)
Jack McGuire (uncle of Michelle Weeks)
All military personnel, first responders and their families
Unspoken prayer concerns
 
The Elders respectfully request that prayer concerns be updated every two weeks by notifying the office by phone (798-4520) or email ([email protected])


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Slash Christian Church| 804-798-4520 | [email protected]| www.slashcc.org
Office Hours: Monday through Friday; 9 a.m to 2 p.m.
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