Advancing Life, Faith, Family, and Freedom in Virginia
This is a reminder about a range of outstanding events that are coming up in the Valley.
All of them, in their own way, aim at reaffirming our Biblical values and rebuilding our Founding principles in the culture and in the public square. Please participate in and support as many of them as possible, and get your reservations in where needed. Details follow.
The Valley Gathers for Prayer and Praise
Sunday, March 23: Valley-Wide Night of Intercession
The Steve Wingfield Evangelistic Association is hosting this Concert of Prayer from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Blue Ridge Christian School on Dinkel Avenue in Bridgewater. It responds to God’s call for a man to “stand in the gap so that He should not destroy the land.” If you need more information, call 433-0769.
Tuesday, April 1: Shenandoah Valley Prayer Breakfast
This 51st annual breakfast will be held from 7:00 a.m. at the JMU Festival Conference and Student Center with featured speaker David Beasley, former Governor of South Carolina, and special music by George Dennehy. Tickets are $20/person or $160 for a table of eight. For reservations, go to www.valleyprayerbreakfast.org . Please confirm as quickly as possible.
Saturday, April 12: WRE Students’ Spring Concert
Come early to get a seat for a great choral program featuring Weekday Religious Education students from throughout Rockingham County. Entitled “Worthy of All Praise!”, the concert begins at 4:00 p.m. in the Commons Building at Eastern Mennonite University. Proceeds from the free-will offering will help WRE continue to offer Bible classes for public school children during release time. Donations can also be mailed to WRE at PO Box 835, Harrisonburg, 22803.
Thursday, May 1: National Day of Prayer
This 63rd NDP observance will again take place at over 40,000 locations across America, including some 40 events in the Shenandoah Valley. For example, the First Presbyterian Church on Court Square in Harrisonburg will host a gathering at 7:00 p.m. This year’s theme is “One Voice, United in Prayer” drawn from Rom. 15:6: “So that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”
… for God and Country
Thursday, March 27: Harrisonburg Tea Party on the “Convention of States”
Have you ever heard of a “self-butchering hog”? Do you wonder what we can do to rein in a federal government that seems to be out of control? That is the topic that Rita Dunaway, Forum Deputy Director, will address at the TEA party’s monthly meeting which begins at 6:30 at the Freedom Baptist Church located at 141 Pleasant Hill Rd. in Harrisonburg.
Saturday, April 12: Rita Dunaway in a “Call to Action”
Rita will also be the keynote speaker at the 2014 Lincoln-Reagan dinner beginning at 6:15 p.m. in the Yellow Barn located at 261 Caverns Rd. in Shenandoah Caverns. She will be issuing a “Call to Action” for the Valley to lead the way in returning America to its Judeo-Christian values and Constitutional principles. Tickets are $25/person, with checks payable in advance to “The Republican Party of Shenandoah County” and sent to Dennis Barlow at 5 Tee Court in New Market 22844. For more information, call 740-9232.
… for Life and Hope
Saturday, March 29: Huddleston Ministries Dinner
Brad Huddleston Ministries is hosting its 5th annual fund-raising dinner from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. at the First Assembly of God Church in Harrisonburg featuring Gospel Bluegrass and keynote speaker Phillip Mutzelburg, President of the A2A (Acts 2 Alliance) organization based in Australia. For details, free registration, and table sponsorships, go to www.bradhuddleston.com.
Saturday, April 5: Rally in the Valley
Especially for students, the Community College Ministries is sponsoring its 5th annual Christian Leadership and Evangelism Conference at Blue Ridge Community College from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. For details and free registration, including breakfast and lunch, contact James Wright at wrightj@brcc.edu.
Saturday, April 12: The HPC Annual 5K “Move for Life”
Our area includes over 30,000 students in local colleges and universities. They contribute to a teen pregnancy rate in Harrisonburg that is three times the state-wide rate for teens. We can help the Harrisonburg Pregnancy Center meet this challenge by participating in its annual fund-raising “Move for Life” at the Spotswood Elementary School in Harrisonburg at 9:30 a.m. Registration begins at 8:30 or online any time at www.support.harrisonburgpregnancy.org. For more information, call the Center at 434-7528.
Tuesday, April 29: “Greater Hope” Dinner
What is available for people who are experiencing sexual and relational brokenness in various forms, and who are reaching out for help? That is the purpose of Greater Hope Ministries. We can help by participating in its annual fund-raising dinner at the JMU Festival Conference and Student Center beginning at 6:30 p.m. For reservations, call 574-4189.
… and for Marriage
Tuesday, May 27: Forum’s “Celebration of Marriage!” Dinner at JMU
It’s Coming! The Forum is hosting its 13th annual “Salute to the Family” gala from 6:30 to 9:00 p.m. at the JMU Festival Conference and Student Center. This year’s theme is “A Celebration of Marriage!” with an outstanding, nationally known, keynote speaker. Early Bird table reservations will become available on Thursday, March 20. Stay tuned for details.
Thursday, June 19: A March for Marriage in DC
The National Organization for Marriage is coordinating this Marriage March on the Mall as a powerful show of national support for true marriage between only one man and one woman – “Til Death Do Us Part!” Go to www.marriagemarch.org for details. The Forum is chartering a bus for this important event. Mark your calendar and stay tuned for details.
For God and Country,
Dean Welty serves on the Board of Directors for the Virginia Christian Alliance and is Director of the Valley Family Forum, a network of families in the Shenandoah Valley that helps build Faith, Family, and Freedom in the culture and in the public square. He also hosts a weekly television program entitled “Valley Faith in Action“.
Valley Faith in Action airs at 8:00 p.m. on Friday and at 8:30 p.m. Sunday on WAZT-TV, which is Comcast Cable Channel 13 in the Harrisonburg area. It will air again at Wednesday midnight. You can also access it and other recent programs by clicking HERE.
