“He Leads Us”

The moment has arrived when we must move ahead; may God be with us always wherever we are led. He’ll hold our hands and guide us and teach us how to cope with life’s little problems and lift our heads in hope. The Lord stands beside us and helps us to be strong; there’s nothing we can’t conquer as long as He’s along. So as we face tomorrow and in God do abide, there’s promise for the future for He is by our side. ~ Lea Kemp Valedictorian of her Graduating class Mt. Vernon, AR

668 Wakemans Grove Road, Edinburg, VA 22824 E-mail: wgcob@shentel.net 540-984-8383

GRADUATES: George Daugharty—Stonewall Jackson High School Tessa Feller—Central High School Amanda Orndorff—Central High School Will Thompson—Central High School Kaitlyn Wakeman—Valley Baptist Christian School We extend our love and best wishes to each of these high school graduates as the face the next season of their lives.

June 7 through August 30

Sunday School – 9:30 a.m. Morning Worship –10:30 a.m.

NEWS FROM THE GROVE

June, July, August 2015

Mark Bowyer, Pastor

On Sunday, June 7 our congregation will honor our High School graduates for this season. There will be a special recogni-tion during worship and a covered-dish luncheon will be held at 11:30 am. Note the summer schedule: Sun-day School at 9:30 and Worship at 10:30. Everyone is encouraged to attend. Bring a covered-dish and celebrate this spe-cial time for our graduates.

Congratulations, Graduates!!!

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THANK YOU Dear Wakemans Grove Family, As we are heading towards another sum-mer, I just wanted to thank you all for the love, sup-port and prayers that you have provided for me during my last four years working at Brethren Woods. I could not have asked for a more loving Church Family to spend my summers with. The time that I have spent at Camp has been some of the best I can remember, and I will certainly miss it this year! I also wanted to thank you for the finan-cial support you have provided me with for two of my summers, it certainly helped to stipend Camp pay and cover the cost of college. Thank you all so much for everything you have done to help make my Camp summers abso-lutely wonderful! Love and God bless, Kaitlyn Dunn

SUMMER MUSIC The Summer Special Music Schedule is posted on the bulletin board. If you would like to share special music during June, July or August, please sign the sheet on the board. We are blessed with many talented folks in our congregation—now is the time to share that ability with everyone!! To God be the glory, great things He hath done. Sign-up today!!

CHILDREN’S CHURCH

Children’s Church began in September 2007. On the first and third Sunday, September through May, children are able to attend Children’s Church during the last 30 - 40 minutes of morning worship. It has been a very successful program and many children have enjoyed this ministry. The aver-age attendance for Children’s Church this past year was about 20. During the months of June, July and August, we will not have Children’s Church so our leaders and helpers may take a well-deserved break and be refreshed come September. Our thanks to those who have committed themselves to this ministry, to our children and especially to Sherry Arey for coordinating the program this year.

FOR THIS WE PRAY

“For this reason, since the day we heard it, we have not ceased praying for you and asking that you may be filled

with the knowledge of God’s will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding…..”

~ Colossians 1:9

Annual Conference will be held July 11 - 15 in Tampa, Florida. Gabe and Pamela Dodd will be at-tending as our delegates. Also Jerry Funkhouser will be serving on Standing Committee. Please be in prayer for safe travels and also for decisions that need to be made during the business sessions.

CARD SHOWER

90th Birthday Card Shower for Mrs. Pearl Pence 625 Kestrel Ct.

Woodstock, VA 22664

Requested by her family.

July 1 Nicholas Foltz 1 McKenna Rimel 1 John Hunsaker 2 Gary Kalwaytis 3 Kevin Minnick 3 Jean Kohne 5 Jane Hottle 6 Savannah McCaffrey 7 Howard Miller 8 Tiffany Smith 9 Keith Smith 10 Diane Burner 10 Jerry Funkhouser 10 Candace Frenchak 11 Lauran Baker 12 Lisa Hoffman 14 Lynda Burner 14 Stuart Wakeman 17 Marty Burner 19 June Thompson 19 Jean Wilkins 19 Rebecca Daugharty 19 Harold Ebersole 20 Gary Markley 23 Cheryl Wakeman 23 Ruth Crowe 24 Grace Cook 24 Aaron Bowyer 25 Amy Wakeman-Hill 25 Haleigh Myrtle 25 Madison Marston 26 Tucker Markley 26 Andrew Wetzel Please contact Gloria Markley in the church office if you have additions or corrections to the birthday or anniversary list.

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June 2 Viola Burner 2 Pearl Pence 2 Morgan Marston 3 Emily Neff 4 Meredith Bauserman 6 Betsy Price 7 Lisa Roberts 8 Jay L. Fix 9 Laura Funkhouser 12 June Dirting 12 Misty Schweigert 14 Keith Click 14 Daniel Mace 14 Luke Smith 15 Kymberly Fix 15 Ronnie Wilkins 16 Fred Garber 18 Kathy Shipp 18 Bernidine Click 19 Lance Rhodes 20 Marvene Gochenour 22 Audry Keeler 23 Sheila Trelawny 23 Anna Knicely 23 Kelley Funkhouser 23 Leah Moyer 24 Bonnie Barrick 24 Reagan Bowman 25 Ron Gisewhite 27 Donna Hopkins 27 Wendy Raynor 30 Phil Burner

BIRTHDAYS AND ANNIVERSARIES

June Anniversaries 2 Mr. & Mrs. Steve Payne 2 Mr. & Mrs. Jeff Bly 11 Mr. & Mrs. Sid Price 12 Mr. & Mrs. Ray Hawkins 12 Mr. & Mrs. Frank Conti 12 Mr. & Mrs. Jerry Funkhouser 13 Mr. & Mrs. Gary Wakeman 15 Mr. & Mrs. Bill Lam 16 Mr. & Mrs. John Shrum 19 Mr. & Mrs. Jamie Tharp 21 Mr. & Mrs. Terry Foltz 22 Mr. & Mrs. Mike Marston 24 Mr. & Mrs. Richard Hottle 25 Mr. & Mrs. Adam Zirkle 29 Mr. & Mrs. Keith Click July Anniversaries 1 Mr. & Mrs. Rick Looman 6 Mr. & Mrs. P.J. Wakeman 12 Mr. & Mrs. Keith Rocco 15 Mr. & Mrs. Bart Hoffman 23 Mr. & Mrs. Andrew Bauserman 25 Mr. & Mrs. Donald Hopkins 30 Mr. & Mrs. Kevin Zirkle

August Birthdays

Aug. 1 Crystal Hollar 1 Scott Bowers 2 Dottie Couch 3 Denise Conti 3 John Dove 3 Pamela Dodd 3 Dawn Estep 4 Bryan Wakeman 6 Sierra Sager 8 Kevin Zirkle 8 Maveric Good 9 Noah Crowder 10 Vicki Minnick 10 John Shrum 12 Bradley Tusing 12 Keeyarra Dodson 13 Briana Fix 13 Chuck Shipp 14 Adam Dove 18 Ella Wakeman 20 Kelsey Tharp 22 Katelyn Wilkins 22 Jennifer Carroll 23 Cathy Mansfield 24 Eleanor Cook 25 Aimee Eisensmith 25 Charlie MacLeod 26 Sandy Ross 28 Galen Kohne 29 Rick Looman 29 Eddie Sherman

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August Anniversaries

2 Mr. & Mrs. George Daugharty Sr. 4 Rev. & Mrs. Gene Knicely 7 Mr. & Mrs. Tim Rhodes 9 Mr. & Mrs. Joshua King 18 Mr. & Mrs. Gabe Dodd 25 Mr. & Mrs. Ron Gisewhite 29 Mr. & Mrs. Gamaliel Cook 30 Mr. & Mrs. Nelson Wakeman 30 Mr. & Mrs. Terry Wakeman

THANK YOU To my Church Family, I would like to thank you for the flowers and balloon I received for my birthday, Thanks to all who sent cards, flowers, calls, visits and gifts. All were greatly appreciated. God bless you, Leona Dirting Thanks to my Church Family and the Family Life Committee for remembering my recent birthday. Your thoughtfulness is greatly appreciated. Cecil Holler Dear Church Family, Words don’t adequately express our grati-tude for the loving support that you all have shown us during Gary’s illness, surgery, and recovery from surgery. All the cards, calls, and visits have been such a blessing. A special thank you to Pastor Mark and Les-ley, Jerry and Laura, Fred and Barbara, and Ken and Brenda for your faithful visits. We ask that you continue to remember Gary in your prayers as he enters the next phase of treat-ment. Blessings, Gary and Jeri Wakeman

FROM PASTOR MARK "Hiding in Plain Sight"

When the teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw him eating with the sinners and tax collectors, they asked his disciples: “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?” On hearing this, Jesus said to them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

~ Mark 2:16-17 The old spiritual from slavery days cries out in its chorus, "Nobody knows the trouble I've seen- Nobody knows but Jesus!" Unfortunately, that is often literally true in the church today. A man has just lost his job. But ask him how he's doing at church the next day, and he'll reply, "Can't complain!" A woman is struggling in a rocky marriage. But ask her how she's doing at church, "Just fine!" A couple has a visit from the sheriff because their son was picked up for dealing drugs. But for church, they will paste on a smile and keep their painful secret just that - a painful secret. Now, I'm not meaning to be critical here of politeness, nor of people who are hurting. The problem I have is with the church when we some-how send the wrong message... The church is clearly meant to be a place of openness and honesty, a place where we can, "Find a need and meet it, find a hurt and heal it," to quote the mission statement of a church I attended during college. It is meant to be a hospital for sinners, not a museum for the saints, as the old saying goes. So how did the church ever achieve museum status? It's a long story, but it comes from the atti-tude of the Pharisees - you ought to be able to "be good" in your own strength and handle your struggles privately! What that sounds like today is when people think the church is a bunch of nice people with a nice guy standing up front telling them to be nicer. They think that the way to attract more people is if everybody behaves and keeps their messy problems to themselves! Boom. Museum! But, what would it be like to attend that church? What would the expectations be? How open could you be about your sin struggles and failures? In a church like that, when someone isn't nice (doesn't meet our expectations), he or she is judged- and shunned. Judgment usually begins with, "He/she ought to know better...!" This makes people hide in plain sight! And it also keeps the church from growing because nobody ever feels good enough to get in. Of course, this is not the Good News of Jesus Christ, for the good news is that the church is not for the 'right sort of people,' it is for sinners who can be saved by grace...! It is a beggar telling other poor beggars where they can find Bread. Now, this is messier and harder by far than the Pharisees' way. In Je-sus' church, people will be difficult. They'll share their problems at awkward moments. They'll disagree and even fight and squabble. They'll require a lot of care, and some of them will be people we don't like. Why? Because it's a place that welcomes sinners, and just like a hospital, there are hurt people in all stages of healing... One reason I appreciate The Grove is that it is a place where I feel my family and I can be our-selves and be loved and accepted. This is a pretty good indicator of hospital status! I think we are a pretty safe place for sinners, like ourselves, to come and find healing. But our attitudes can always use a tweak, amen? So that when man has just lost his job, his story can be told to his Sunday school class. When a woman is struggling in a rocky marriage, maybe she can let the tears come for a few friends gathered in a classroom after church. And when a couple has had a visit from the sheriff, another couple will cry and pray with them over coffee in their home. Welcome to the hospital. By the way, sign up to be in a Vital Ministry Journey group. It will be a safe place too!

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Roger Barbee was inspired to write this article after “Under The Oaks” on Sunday. It is so beautifully written and so nice to see that someone “got” the bigger picture of the evening. He has given permission for us to include it in our church newsletter. Thank you to everyone who helped in any way to make the evening such a great success. We had over 200 people in attendance and $1494.00 was raised to benefit Family Promise of Shenandoah County.

~ Libby Rocco

A Sense of Community by: Roger Barbee

On the afternoon of Memorial Day Sunday, Mary Ann and I went to Wakemans Grove Church for a free-will offering Concert Under the Oaks, which is an annual event at that church. The program offered music, food, and a cake walk, and all funds donated would be for Family Promise of Shenandoah County, so we could not see any better way to spend a Valley evening. We got more than our donation. After sharing a fellowship meal of hot dogs, chips, beans, and hamburgers, we sat under the shade of the white oaks amidst the crowd to hear the youth band sing. Also, the adult men's choir (which Libby the director pointed out had been the youth choir long ago) sang a hymn, and we were treated to a wonderful solo written and performed by a young, local artist. All of this was fine—the large crowd, the talent of the youngsters and elders, the fun of the cakewalk (Mary Ann won a delicious spice cake), and the opportunity to talk with old friends and the chance to make new ones. Sitting in the cool shade with the sun setting over Great Back Mountain, I looked east, across the field past the singers to see Short Mountain glimmering in the waning light of day. As the youngsters sang, killdeer flew across the newly mowed field behind the band, and the sunlight reflected the white of their underbellies as they hunted and called. Off to my right the church cemetery held its history of this place as yet another page of its on-going story was being made. On the playground young children romped, and their jubilant voices were a pleasing background to the youth band's performance. The music continued until the home-made ice cream was served, and the musicians took a well deserved break before they concluded the concert with a special song. Plus, it was time for another cake walk and socializing. As I sat surrounded by all of these blessings, I kept thinking of Thomas Gray's 18th century poem, Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard. On the first page of the 1753 edition of Gray's Six Poems is an engraving of a rural English scene from that time period showing farmers and their horses hitched to a wagon next to a field of wheat. The engraving is not too different than the scene in which I sat on Sunday evening. Gray's poem has a uni-versal appeal described by Samuel Johnson as, “It abounds with images which find a mirror in every mind, and with sentiments to which every bosom returns an echo.” The sun waits for none of us or our business, no matter how important it is to us. It was like that late Sun-day night, and the youth band sang its last song for us. There, surrounded by the natural beauty of the Valley, her people, and her history, the youth band sang (What a) Wonderful World, as several members of the band sang a verse solo. Those young, vibrant voices belted out the words of the song and especially the refrain “What a won-derful world.” Listening to these talented musicians sing, “I hear babies cryin'. I watch them grow./ They'll learn much more than I'll ever know,” I knew that Gray, Armstrong the singer of the song, and all of us do indeed live in a wonderful world full of many possibilities and talent. Sitting in the shade with the others, I listened to the sixth grade boy sing the last verse as I looked across the field to Short Mountain under the bright, blue sky, sharing the concert with Valley folks, and I knew it was all true—we are all more in common than not. We are community.

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Gabe Dodd sent this to the church when he was in Israel studying as part of his seminary education. So it is a little late but comes with his heartfelt thanks.

Wakemans Grove Church, I cannot thank this congregation enough for your support in my Seminary education and minis-try formation. I am now studying in Jerusa-lem/Bethlehem until May 23. Your prayers are welcomed. I will be able to share my experiences with you on June 14th in the morning and evening. Love, Gabe Dodd

VITAL MINISTRY JOURNEY

The Church Board, at its retreat on May 3, unanimously decided that Wakemans Grove Church should participate in the Vital Ministry Journey program. The Vital Ministry Journey is a process developed by the Church of the Brethren for congregations who desire to recapture a dy-namic vision and mission so as to live abundantly and be God’s blessing to its community. It consists of small groups (4-6 people) meeting 6 times in a 2 month period. Each meet-ing consists of reading a short scripture (with a study guide), prayer, and discussion of God’s meaning of the scripture for us individually and as a church. The emphasis is on listening, being sensitive, respect for each other along with praying and studying scripture. It is an opportunity for us to grow indi-vidually and as a congregation. What does GOD have in store for each of us and what are his plans for us as Wakemans Grove congregation. We ask for you to sign up on line at the church website or stop by the table in the lobby after worship. People who sign up will be as-signed to groups at the end of June. An attempt will be made to have the groups be diverse in age, gender, etc. If requested, families can be in the same group to facilitate meeting times. The groups meet at a time and location of their choice. If you have any questions, please ask any church board member. We ask you to prayerfully consider joining us on this exciting adventure.

COOKBOOKS

Have you been looking for a recipe with chicken or for a good homemade bread recipe to go along with dinner and then finish up with a yummy dessert or just something different to make? Or a special salad for that reunion or picnic!

Then, look no more! We still have cook-books for sale. If you need a graduation gift, birth-day gift for your father or father-in-law or friend or co-worker, give them a cookbook. They make an excellent gift for a couple just starting out and only $8.00.

There are 502 recipes for you to choose from in the cookbook. This is the fourth cookbook the church has done. The first one was completed in 1963 and the last one in 2008. If you would like to purchase a cookbook, please contact Sharon Foltz.

CBYF

We are ready for the end of school and summer to begin! Thank you for your continued prayers as we complete our school year. This year we are sad to say goodbye to three seniors who have been an active part of our youth group over the years. We know you all will go on and do great things, Tessa Feller, George Daugharty, and Amanda Orndorff! We are planning a kick off to summer party at Bryce in June. Throughout the summer we are also hoping to have more ad-ventures in services within our community. Bible Study will finish June 10th, but we will pick back up in the fall with our weekly Bible studies.

Blessings, CBYF Advisors and Youth

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Brethren Woods Summer Camp

The following kids from our congregation are going to church camp this summer: Miah Bowman Jennifer Carroll Lisa Carroll Emma Eberly William Eberly Nick Foltz Majestic Good Maveric Good Morgan Hollar Tucker Markley Whitney Markley Hannah McCubbin Sierra Sager Hunter Wakeman Jasmine Wakeman Tabitha Silvious will be a junior counselor at camp July 5-10 and July 12-17 Lee Ann is going to camp the week of July 19-23 to work in the kitchen. Pastor Mark is planning on going to camp the week of July 19-23 to be a counselor.

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Bible School registration will be available online and after church, TBA. Look for times in the bulletin.

Hard Work! Wonderful Results!

Blessed with gorgeous weather, the 2015 Shenandoah District Disaster Ministries Auction successfully celebrated its 23rd year in May. ◊ 1,050 people enjoyed the oyster/ham/chicken dinner on Friday (2014s total 1,023). ◊ On Saturday, 445 persons had breakfast. ◊ Saturday's plate lunch was served to 170 folks (198 in 2014). Preliminary accounting as of Saturday evening showed gross receipts of just under $209,102. The live-stock auction alone brought in $32,050. Some expenses are yet to be paid, and some income is yet to be received. The bottom line: a great weekend of hard work, a lot of fun and significant support for Brethren Disaster Ministries! Thanks to all!

RELAY FOR LIFE The Relay for Life team would like to thank everyone for their support. We had 11 team members and raised $3720. The total raised for Shenandoah County Relay for Life was $81,000 by 24 teams and 314 participants. June 7 is National Cancer Survivor day and July is Bladder cancer and Sarcoma awareness month. Here is a list of luminaries that were purchased in memory or honor of loved ones by folks in our congregation

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Carolyn Anson Richard "Dick" Barton Shirley Bentley Eugene Bowers Elmer Bowman Ann Bowyer Dr. David Bowyer Connie Brown Denise Buono Cindy Burner Pappy Jim Bursey Jody Bursey Lori Coffey Dwight Cook Kathleen Curtis Tony Dellinger Foster Families Katie Forrest Roscoe Funkhouser Robert George Jr Vernon Haives Granddaddy Haives Mary Harper Marg Hartman Frank Hartman Ruby Heishman Jimmy Hollar Barbara Holler Leonard Ketcherside Verna Ketcherside Doris Knicely Clara Kohne Jessica Lee

Donald Litten Hilde Maiezza Hilda Markley Tom McClelland Melissa McClelland David Noland Diana Noland Peggy Page Melvin Plogger John Thompson Jack Townshend Ava Tusing Crystal Wakeman Gary Wakeman Ward Families Zella Wilkins Mary Williams Blair Zirkle

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LIBRARY NEWS New Books Pre-and young teens. 1. Operation Excitement. A 3-in-1 Camp Club Girls mystery collection 2. Here’s Libby by Nancy Rue 3. The Wind, the Road & the Way by Jenny L. Cote. This is the 4th book in the Epic Order of the Seven Animals series. After a brief and joyous reunion with Jesus and the arrival of the Holy Spirit at Pente-cost., the animals split up for multiple missions and adventures as Christianity begins its journey around the world. 4. At the Movies and On the Scene by Robin Caroll. Follow the adventures of Samantha Sandereson as independent, resourceful middle schooler takes on mysteries galore and learns valuable life lessons along the way. Children’s 1. The Knight and the Firefly -a lesson in bravery 2. The Blessing Jar -a story about being thankful 3. Whatever You Grow Up to Be by Karen Kingsbury 4. Sammy Experiences Jesus 5. How Can I Help? God’s calling for children 6. Firebird -facing life’s storms with a smile 7. The Real Story of Exodus. Nonfiction When A Nation Forgets God by Edwin W. Lutzer The exclusion of church from state. An economic meltdown. Laws that bypass justice and morality. The systematic secularization of media, educations, work place, and popular culture. History revised to serve special interests. The erosion and breakdown of family systems. Sound familiar? Does this sound like a description of the US today? It’s Not! This is Germany in the 1930's. A society much like our own that transformed into Nazi Germany. Historical similarities don’t automatically result in identical out-comes, but they can call for our attention. Many people today are dismayed by the direction our nation is taking. Mr. Lutzer explores the se concerns. Don’t get the COB Messenger magazine but would like to keep up goings-on across the denomina-tion? Current issues are in the library for your use. Happy summer, Pam McCubbin Barbara Garber Librarians

Wakemans Grove Church of the Brethren 668 Wakemans Grove Road Edinburg, VA 22824