Skyrocketing prices for homes and rent has caused a housing crunch across the country in Harrisonburg, where city leaders are looking for ways to alleviate the need. Habitat for Humanity's central Valley chapter is working on the problem by "putting God's love into...
How Journey Counseling is helping those with mental-health challenges in Harrisonburg
Mental-health awareness has taken on increased importance in our nation in recent years, including at universities, such as JMU. The pandemic has only increased the need, and local and university counseling centers are often overwhelmed. In Harrisonburg, Journey...
The Courtyard, a new green space on Court Square, now open
The Courtyard is open! While we are still awaiting stage lighting and lighted crosses on the sanctuary wall, this new outdoor space is ready for you to visit for lunch, Bible study or a relaxing moment. There are two tables available, and lots of green space. The...
How serving in leadership knit me to the church
by Martha Graham A handful of years ago, I was asked to join Session. Initially, I said “no.” It wasn't the right time, but after two more invitations, I eventually relented and agreed to serve—even though I wasn't quite sure what I was getting into. Frankly, it felt...
A prayer of lament and grief for Bridgewater
Our community has suffered a great loss after an act of violence took the lives of a Bridgewater College police officer and a security officer. Today, we are praying this prayer as we mourn and lament. We awake today, Lord, wishing it was a bad dream. But the...
Q&A: How GriefShare transformed my life
Teri's grandson had just turned 2 when he died. That was in 2020, during the depths of COVID lockdowns. A few months later, still grieving and isolated because of the pandemic, Teri joined GriefShare, which she had heard would be "a place where I could find support in...
Thank you from Kentucky
When a mudslide damaged our sister congregation's church in Stopover, Kentucky, we mobilized to send assistance with a small work team. We later collected funding to further help Shepard Memorial get back on their feet. Now, our friends in Kentucky have sent us a...
We’ve been blessed, and we want to bless others
Jim Stiefvater was recently part of a team that helped with repairs to the sanctuary at a Kentucky church damaged by a mudslide. He reflects on what it means to give back and wants to invite you into the project. The door was old. Probably opened and closed for...
Hurricane Ida did its damage. Now, we’re partnering to rebuild.
Being part of a connected church means helping when others are in need. We did that recently when we sent a team to help Shepard Memorial Church in Stopover, Kentucky, one of the churches in our regional body that suffered major damage from a mudslide in the rains...
How you can serve your community right now
One way we proclaim Jesus is by serving our community, and we have three ways you can do that now and in the coming months. Our Soup Kitchen organizers need teams for the Soup Kitchen schedule. The organizers have five of the needed eight teams. They are specifically...