Keeping Christ In Our Christianity

This ancient yoke was on display as I gave a sermon at the
Zion Mennonite church on how those yoked to Jesus are
bound to live, love and serve as He did.

We're hearing a lot these days about Americans needing to promote Christian values. But often Christian language is used to promote beliefs and practices that support our personal or political views but which are inconsistent with Jesus's actual teachings.

Here are some examples:

1. Every true Christian should aim to marry, settle down and raise a family.

Jesus, while strongly supporting fidelity in marriage and consistently opposing divorce, was himself never married, a fact no one seems to note.. And the New Testament, in sharp contrast to the rest of scripture, offers the names of only two complete families, that of Zechariah, Elizabeth and John, and of Joseph, Mary and Jesus. Jesus clearly elevates the importance of the worldwide kingdom-of-God-family over the nuclear family.

2. It is the patriotic duty of good Christians to pledge allegiance to, and sacrifice their lives for, their country.

Jesus taught that only the worldwide, heaven-governed Empire of God demanded our supreme loyalty, and never aligned himself with either liberal Sadducees, conservative Pharisees, revolutionary Zealots, pro-liberation nationalists, or loyal Roman citizens. One cannot picture him tossing free Make Israel Great Again caps into any of the crowds he addressed.

3. Christians should earn as much as possible, tithe what they earn, but save all they are able for a comfortable retirement and to pass on to their heirs. 

Very few proponents of Christian values ever even mention Jesus's teachings about the impossibility of serving both God and money and the need to avoid hoarding ever more wealth. Nor do they note the fact that the Son of Man, their Supreme Prophet (Teacher), Priest and King never owned a place to lay his head. As North American Christians we tend to justify our sense of entitlement as among the wealthiest people on the planet.

4. Christians should give primary attention to good things in their nation's history and not on  stories that highlight its sins and shortcomings. 

The Bible is one of the most brutally honest texts in the world when it comes to exposing unvarnished and necessary truths from our past. Jesus and the prophets spare no words when it comes to calling for thorough repentance for past wrongs.

5. Christians should support every means necessary to keep desperate foreigners from crossing their borders, and to apprehend those whose visas have expired, even if it means separating families. 

Jesus's Bible, the Pentateuch, has more to say about welcoming foreigners and treating them with respect than it does about the observance of the Sabbath. And Jesus commended both a Roman occupier and a Phoenician outsider for their faith, and showed special regard for despised half-Jews in neighboring Samaria. 

In the words of Richard Rohr, "The only way evil can succeed is to disguise itself as good. And one of the best disguises for evil is religion. Someone can be racist, be against the poor, hate immigrants, and be totally concerned about making money and being a materialist but still go to church each Sunday and be 'justified' in the eyes of religion. "

https://harvyoder.blogspot.com/2017/03/a-demonic-trinity-of-evil-nationalism.html

Petitioning For A Model Criminal Justice System

If you are a Virginia resident, please add your name and zip code to the petition below as a message on our FB page or feel free to print copies, gather signatures and mail them to VJC, P.O. Box 434 , Harrisonburg, VA 22803 by November 15.

When I was in college in the sixties, some fellow students and I made regular visits to the former jail at 60 Graham Street, which had a capacity of around 50 men and with one small cell for several women. Our experiences with Sheriff Strawderman and his staff, and especially with those in his charge, forever changed my life.

Thirty years later, in 1995, our community opened a new jail at 25 South Liberty Street, designed for 250 inmates. But in less than three decades after it opened, the new facility had been double bunked to hold as many as 400, with up to an additional 200 housed at the Middle River Regional Jail in Verona.

While those numbers have leveled off since covid, something about that dramatic increase just didn’t seem right to many of us, which led to the formation of the Valley Justice Coalition, a citizens group focused on alternatives to incarceration. 

We wondered why, with our local census numbers increasing only around 55% since 1965 (much of that due to JMU’s rapid growth), our jail numbers skyrocketed by over 600% during that period. Were we really seeing that much more crime? And are Americans in general so much more criminal than other industrialized nations in the world that have far, far lower rates of incarceration?

Much of that increase can be attributed to a rise in drug related sentences, which is why we have fully supported Commonwealth’s Attorney Marsha Garst’s (and others’) efforts in establishing a Drug Court and a Day Reporting alternative to incarceration for those with substance use disorders. 

We also applaud Sheriff Hutcheson for providing educational tablets for inmates. These offer music and other forms of entertainment that can be accessed by individuals availing themselves of a set number of educational and self-improvement classes on these devices. With over 90% of the jail population being repeat offenders, the sheriff hopes, in the words of Marsha Garst, to have jail become more like a greenhouse rather than simply a human warehouse.

We were also pleased to collaborate with Delegate Wilt in his championing legislation to create a Public Defender’s Office for our community last year, through a bill he co-sponsored with Delegate Sam Rasoul, a Democrat. Good representation in court for those unable to afford an attorney can result not only in more just sentences but also in less court time and taxpayer money spent in costly appeals.

In a recent Zoom conversation with Delegate Wilt and Virginia Department of Corrections Director Chadwick Dotson, we were able to share our concerns about the fact that the Virginia Parole Board, whose mission it is “to grant parole or conditional release to those inmates whose release is compatible with public safety,” actually released only 16 persons in 2024, some of those due to serious health problems. We noted that for the first time ever, there are more aged and often ailing individuals eligible for geriatric release than for all other current categories combined, creating astronomical healthcare costs for taxpayers in the Commonwealth. And according to the Parole Board’s most recent report, it granted not even one release last month. Has our Department of Corrections failed to correct even a single one of the nearly 200 cases the Board reviewed in September?

We also recently had retired professor Howard Zehr as a guest at one of our recent VJC meetings, someone  known worldwide for his pioneering work in Restorative Justice alternatives to typically adversarial court processes. Our local Fairfield Center is ready and able to facilitate this kind of process, one in which offenders meet with their victims to work out a plan for making satisfactory restitution to repair harms they have inflicted, rather than simply being prescribed a punishment and denied the right--and the responsibility--to make things right.

None of these alternatives represent being “soft on crime,” but rather our becoming more “smart on crime,” and more effective in actually correcting wrongdoers, which is what a Department of Corrections should be all about.

In the interest of promoting a model criminal justice system in the Commonwealth, we are circulating a "public purpose"  petition in support of policies we believe are in every citizen’s best interest, regardless of their political leanings, as follows:

A PETITION IN SUPPORT OF SAFER AND MORE JUST COMMUNITIES

To: Public servants in Virginia involved in criminal justice issues

By:Concerned taxpayers in the Commonwealth

We favor the creation of an ever more just and effective criminal justice system, one that supports:

• Rehabilitation over mere punishment.
• Restorative justice alternatives that give high priority to victims' needs for reparation and restitution by offenders.
• Supervised release for aging and thoroughly rehabilitated persons behind bars.

NAME (legible, please)   ZIP CODE  (required)   PHONE OR EMAIL (optional)

In the spirit of the prophet Micah, we believe we are all required to not only do justice, but  to love mercy and together walk humbly with our just and merciful God. 

More Affordable Housing For Growing Families

The following was published in Tuesday's edition of the DN-R.

Columnist Jim Parrott of the Urban Institute estimates that some 6 million homeowners 65 and older live in homes that are over twice as large as the national average. He states, “As older Americans pay for excess space, younger families are stuck in homes too small to meet their needs.”

One of his proposals is to eliminate capital gains taxes for all but the most expensive homes, thus providing incentive for more people to sell their homes, downsize, and move to smaller spaces. 

Of course many of these homes may still not be affordable for young families, but should we be concerned about all the excess space in expansive homes in our neighborhoods with only one or two occupants?

Here are four simple principles to consider:

1. No one should be homeless.

2. Large homes should be occupied by large households.

3. Smaller homes should be occupied by smaller households.

4. Empty nesters should consider downsizing or taking in extra occupants.

So might the housing problem in our community be less about a shortage of space than a lack of equitable access to it? 

Fortunately, there are many modest homes, apartments, townhouses and duplexes in our community that provide adequate housing to individuals and small families, along with mobile homes and other older dwellings in various states of repair. Yet at the same time, the Harrisonburg Housing Authority has hundreds of people on their waiting list for subsidized housing, and those on low incomes are finding it ever more difficult to find a house or apartment they can afford.

According to a recent locally funded United Way ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) report, a family of two adults and two children in our area needs a combined income of over $66,000 in order to afford housing and other living costs. But based on information available from Trulia.com there are almost no 3-bedroom homes available for rent for under $1000 a month, and very few homes that can be purchased for under $200,000.

Here are some things we empty nesters and others with more space (and more stuff than we need), might do to help:

1. Put our home on the market and purchase or rent a smaller place, including the option of moving into an independent living facility at a retirement community. This would immediately make more homes and more bedrooms available to growing families. It would also encourage us to downsize, get rid of some of our surplus things and make things easier for our children and others when we pass on.

2. Take in international or other students and/or offer hospitality to other individuals who need a bedroom on a short term or long term basis.

3. Make our home available to an organization like Oxford House or some other group home for persons in recovery or with special needs, or turn it into a homeless shelter(!). I know there are zoning issues that could get in the way, but our community should be able to work together to make reasonable accommodations for more just and equitable housing.

4. Join with others in the community in a campaign to help make existing housing more energy efficient, thus reducing housing costs and helping save the planet.

Harrisonburg is known as the "Friendly City." I hope that means being hospitable to those who are struggling to make ends meet as well as a willingness to help make more good homes available for growing families.

Is John 3:16 Only About Life In The Hereafter?

The small blue dot in space we get to inhabit inhabit is a part of the vast cosmos God loves.

"Christ is the perfect teacher, and his sacrifice is the perfect sacrifice."    

- Menno Simons 

One of the most quoted texts in the Christian Bible is John 3:16, often referred to as "the gospel in a nutshell." It is part of a response to Nicodemus, a noted religious leader who came late one night to learn more about Jesus, whom he addressed as "Rabbi" and as "a teacher sent from God." 

Here's the key verse from that conversation (King James Version):

For God so loved the world (the cosmos, a word used to describe the complete, orderly and harmonious universe)

that he gave his only begotten Son (God in human form, incarnate as a human being)

that whosoever believeth in him (all new-born people everywhere who embrace and live by his life-giving message)

should not perish (come to an end or be destroyed)

but have everlasting life (a life that will be forever secure and lasting)."

Jesus goes on to say, in the next verse "For God sent not his Son into the world (again the cosmos) to condemn the world (cosmos), but that the world (cosmos) might be saved."

We have typically interpreted these words to apply only to how each of us can receive assurance of living forever in a far off heaven, based on the sacrificial death, by crucifixion, Jesus was later to suffer. 

But is it only that, or is Jesus' redeeming work even more consequential that just that?

In other words, is God, through the Word made flesh, intending to salvage and restore all of creation to its original state of shalom, where "nothing is marred and nothing is missing?"

I'm beginning to see it as both, as later affirmed by the apostle Paul: 

"God was pleased to have his whole nature living in Christ. God was pleased to bring all things back to himself. That’s because of what Christ has done. These things include everything on earth and in heaven. God made peace (Greek word is eirene, Hebrew is shalom) through Christ’s blood, by his death on the cross."   - Colossians 1:19-20 (NIRV)

Two More Deaths At Deerfield Prison Last Week

Deerfield Correctional Center houses over 1000 men, many with serious medical conditions requiring costly tax funded medical care. According to someone there I regularly correspond with they currently have no full time MD on staff. 

Last week's deaths were not untypical, with one person dying of cancer who had just been put on chemo, and the other with severe heart disease.

 Here are the names of some persons who have agreed to meet with Director of the Virginia Department of Corrections Chadwick Dotson at an upcoming visit of the facility. 

1) Charles Zellers, 1036758

Born: 04/10/68 (Age 57)

COMPAS Score: LOW RISK for General or Violent Recidivism
Chronic Medical Condition(s): Long COVID, severe sleep apnea, severe Peripheral Neuropathy, Pulmonary Fibrosis, Dupuytren's Contracture (both hands), and he must be on 2 Liters of continuous supplemental oxygen.
Home Plan: 1/3 ownership of home at 723 East 6th Avenue, Kenbridge, VA, with his two sisters
Financial Goal: To be on Full Disability
Mandatory Release Date: N/A
Infraction free over 25 years
First time in prison.
January 2026, would have served 33 consecutive years.

2) John Thomas Carter, 1419465
Born: 06/04/56
COMPAS Score: ?
Chronic Medical Condition(s): Legally blind, had reconstructive surgery to face, has a tube in his trachea to breathe, severe headaches, intestinal issues, and etc.
Home Plan: Live with son and daughter-in-law in Farmville, VA
Financial Goal: Social Security
Mandatory Release Date: 10/??/42

3) Denny Coggin Melton, 1177600
Born: 03/05/1954
COMPAS Score: ?
Chronic Medical Condition(s): Black lung, Cancer, Diabetic, COPD, etc.
Home Plan: To Brother Allen Thomason @ 28 Clover Hill Drive, Stafford, VA 22554 (540) 846-1550
Financial Goal: Social Security
Mandatory Release Date: N/A

4).Jackson Puckett, 1456242
Born: 10/19/51
COMPAS Score: LOW
Chronic Medical Condition(s): Stage 4 Kidney Disease, broken screw in neck (makes him shake), needs pacemaker, needs cataract surgery, type 1 diabetic, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, hiatus hernia, acid reflux disease, and etc.
Home Plan: Own home at 403 Fields Avenue, Blue Ridge, VA 24064
Financial Goal: Social Security
Mandatory Release Date: 08/11/31

5) Linwood T. James, #1095666
Born: (Age 67)
COMPAS Score: Low/Low
Chronic Medical Condition(s): Back issues, disabled veteran
Home Plan: Live with sister
Financial Goal: Social Security, Veterans Administration
Mandatory Release Date: N/A
Infraction free 20 years
Served 37 years

6) Troy L. Weeks, 1037843
Born: (Age 58)
COMPAS Score: Medium/Low
Chronic Medical Condition(s): Crohns Disease, Hypoglycemic, Pancreas problems
Home Plan: with brother in Vinton, VA
Financial Goal: Working with DOC or P&P as a Peer Recovery Specialist
Mandatory Release Date: Single Life (Fishback)
Infraction free 17 years
Served 29 years

Some others willing to meet:
1) Dennis Ray Graves, 1176500 - Legally blind
2) Minor Junior Smith, 1158588 - Legally blind
3) Richard Palmer, 1092784 - Legally blind, Diabetic, Diabetic Neuropathy, Lower Back issues, Circulation issues, etc.
4) George Edward Cooley, 1135561 - Dementia
5) Oscar Lee Robbins, 1119888
6) John Bennie Williams, 1091323 - Legally blind

Guest Post: Justice Matters DN-R Column: Introducing The Public Defender's Office

Abigail Thibeault (Tee-bow) is a real blessing to our community.

When I moved to Harrisonburg in 2021, I thought I would work for the public defender.

I was living in northern Virginia, where I worked as an assistant public defender in Maryland and was committed to public defense. I was shocked to learn that Harrisonburg and Rockingham County didn’t have a public defender’s office. Public defenders staffed courtrooms in Staunton, Winchester, Charlottesville, and even Page County, but not here.

In Maryland, every county, no matter how small, has a public defender’s office. Instead of waiting, I joined the Federal Public Defender’s Office for the Western District of Virginia and daydreamed about the day the Virginia Indigent Defense Commission (VIDC) might open an office in Harrisonburg.

I’m a public defender to my core, and I believe in the power of a public defender’s office. An office of attorneys and professionals committed to indigent defense working together can stand up for defendants and stand against the abuse of power in a way that individual attorneys may not be able to. Harrisonburg and Rockingham County still had court-appointed attorneys — zealous lawyers in private practice willing to take on court-appointed cases individually — but no office solely dedicated to indigent defense. I wondered why a place as big as Rockingham County didn’t have this awesome resource until last fall.

Last fall, I left the Federal Public Defender’s Office, and we quietly began to build the first Office of the Public Defender for Harrisonburg and Rockingham County. The work started years ago, when the VIDC, community members, courthouse stakeholders such as VIDC Commissioner and local attorney Aaron Cook, and local government, along with state Dels. Tony Wilt, R-Rockingham, and Sam Rasoul, R-Roanoke, who cosponsored the bill that established our office, started advocating for public defense in Harrisonburg and Rockingham County. Our office was founded on the hard work of countless individuals.

For me, the work started last September, in my living room, where I reviewed employee applications and introduced myself via email to everyone I imagined might be helpful — the sheriff, the commonwealth attorney, the Department of Social Services, the Community Services Board — anyone I thought might be a colleague, ally, or resource for our clients.

In October, I became “we,” and we began working in our office at 50 West Market Street. The office manager and investigator joined me at a long conference table in an otherwise empty office, where we began to imagine our office and set big goals.

We spent months hiring nine other attorneys, two mitigation specialists, two paralegals, and two legal assistants. Finally, we rounded out our team on Sept. 10, when our tenth attorney joined the office.

The Office of the Public Defender represents individuals facing criminal charges in Harrisonburg and Rockingham County who cannot afford to hire private counsel. Most people charged in criminal court are eligible for court-appointed representation, which includes the services of the public defender. The VIDC is dedicated to protecting and defending the rights and dignity of our clients in criminal court through zealous, compassionate, high-quality legal advocacy. We take our mission seriously. We work to protect our clients’ rights, knowing that our advocacy ensures fairness for every member of our community. Every day, we hold the line on our Constitutional rights and the fair enforcement of the law.

We believe that your wealth should not dictate the quality of the legal advocacy you have in criminal court. To that end, we fight for freedom every day. We cherish our own and take to heart the words of Toni Morrison, “the function of freedom is to free somebody else.” We further strive to show the Court, the Commonwealth, and the community the whole of our clients, who are too often the most vulnerable residents of Rockingham County.

We are pleased to partner with many outstanding community advocates in town, including the Valley Justice Coalition, which played a key role in the establishment of our office. Through these partnerships and our work in the court, we aim to enhance public safety. That may sound strange given we defend people charged with committing crimes, but we believe that a fair, humane, and forgiving court system improves safety and reduces crime.

To celebrate our first year, we are hosting an open house from 4 to 6 p.m. on Oct. 24 at our office, 50 W. Market St., in Harrisonburg. Please take a moment to visit our office, speak with our team, and ask any questions you may have about public defense. Light fare will be provided. We are grateful to be here.

Abigail M. Thibeault is the chief public defender of Harrisonburg and Rockingham County. Justice Matters columns are provided by members of the Valley Justice Coalition, a local citizen voice for criminal justice reform in our community and in the Commonwealth since 2014.

I'm Becoming An Unapologetic 'Proxy Beggar'

 

I picture homeless Gazan families, malnourished Yemeni mothers, starving
South Sudanese children and millions of others in desperate need around
the world begging as if their lives depended on it. For all too many, they do.
Are they not our neighbors?

Like the pious priest and Levite in Jesus' story in the gospel of Luke, chapter 15, we find it easy to "pass by on the other side" when we see images of hungry, homeless and helpless neighbors in faraway places. 

Jesus told the story of the Good Samaritan in answer to the question, "Who is my neighbor?" To love our neighbors as ourselves means we are to have the same regard for their wellbeing as for our own. But are our neighbors just those who live near us and who are much like us, or is the whole world both God's neighborhood and our own?

In the gospel story, Jesus affirms the "good neighbor" as the person who, even though from another place and of a different faith and culture, sees a need and does everything he can to meet it. Ignoring suffering, passing by on the other side when people are dying for lack of care, is not an option.

One opportunity to help fellow neighbors in need is to give to organizations like Mennonite Central Committee--or to any of scores of similar organizations--is to make a generous contribution. MCC, for example, accepts donations on their website and receives help from efforts like the Virginia Mennonite Relief Sale, where all profits from food, auction and other sales go to help those in need. They also have a Sharing Our Surplus (SOS) giving table for making donations by check, cash or credit card.  All donations will be matched dollar for dollar up to a grand total of $25,000.

You can also donate on the VMRS website by credit card or by sending a check made out to VMRS (with SOS on the memo line) and mail it to VMRS, 601 Parkwood Drive, Harrisonburg, VA 22802. Those gifts will also be matched.

On behalf of the desperately poor, on behalf of their compassionate Creator and on behalf of the servant of the poor, Jesus himself, I beg your help.

Not Your Ordinary Stewardship Seminar

Keynote speaker Sam Funkhouser notes: "We live like royalty, enjoy
a level of prosperity that is unjust and unsustainable, and that is
 predicated on the poverty of others...  Nothing could be more clear in
the teachings of Jesus and the prophets than a condemnation of this
kind of wealth."

The Virginia Mennonite Conference is offering a ground-breaking workshop at the Harrisonburg Mennonite Church Saturday, November 15, on "A Rebirth of Anabaptism: Living Justly, Joyfully and Sustainably." The event is open to anyone interested, with a registration fee of only $15.

Here are some of the special features of this 9 am-2 pm event:

• The keynote speaker is a Princeton Seminary graduate, a farmer, and a member of the Old German Baptist Brethren, New Conference.

• The noon meal will be a stone soup vegetable stew with ingredients brought by participants, served with an assortment of home baked breads provided by the planning committee.

• Washington-based attorney J. Daryl Byler, with panelists Pat Hostetter Martin, Carmen Schrock-Hurst and Steven Pardini will offer practical ways to live more justly, joyfully and sustainably.

• An original theme song has been created for the event by local songwriter Seth Chrissman, and music will be led by George Makinto, an award winning international musician and  performer.

• Generous donations will be received from those attending in support of Mennonite Central Committee in support of its worldwide relief and development work.

• There will be table groups for Bible studies on the topic and for discussion of what it means to live justly in today's deeply troubled world. 

You can also register at https://virginiaconference.org/events/fall-equipping-event-rebirth-of-anabaptism-just-joyful-and-sustainable-living/ or Virginia Mennonite Conference, 601 Parkwood Drive, Harrisonburg, VA 22802 (540-434-9727)

**************************************************

Honor the Lord in the works of your hands, and let the light of the Gospel shine through you. Love your neighbor. Deal with an open, warm heart your bread to the hungry, clothe the naked, and do not tolerate having two of anything, because there are always those who are in need. 

- Anna Jansz, 16th century Anabaptist martyr 

The whole scriptures speak of mercifulness and love, and it is the only sign whereby a true Christian may be known… All those who are born of God, who are gifted with the Spirit of the Lord, take to heart the needs of the saints. They entertain those in distress. They take the stranger into their houses. They comfort the afflicted; assist the needy; clothe the naked; feed the hungry; do not turn their face from the poor, and do not despise their own flesh…” 

- Anabaptist reformer Menno Simons, Complete Works p. 558 

A Prisoner Creates Art In Support Of Those In Need--And Invites Us To Match His Generosity

This beautiful manger scene, crafted by someone incarcerated at the Dillwyn Correctional Center, was donated to the Virginia Mennonite Relief Sale's annual auction to help raise money for world relief. The creche is currently on display in the lobby of VMRC's Park Place, along with other items for the Sale.

Over  4000 people are expected to attend this year's Relief Sale at the Rockingham County Fairgrounds October 3-4. Among them are the many who contribute to make this fundraiser possible for Mennonite Central Committee, mostly by donating auction and other sale items and through selfless hours of volunteer time to make this an annual event a success. 

Many of the rest of us will help mostly by being consumers of the food and craft items offered at the event and not primarily as actual contributors to this effort. We will leave the Sale with full stomachs, good feelings about having enjoyed a pleasant day, and with whatever items we have added to our store of possessions.

Could more of us consumers become generous contributors as well? 

One way is by encouraging increased cash, check or credit card donations at the SOS (Sharing Our Surplus) giving table, or for those unable to attend, by sending a gift to the Virginia Mennonite Relief Sale, 601 Parkwood Drive, Harrisonburg, VA 22802, with checks made out to VMRS. 

On the Virginia Mennonite Retirement Community campus I am personally collecting contributions for the SOS effort, which since 2017 has raised well over $200,000, thus substantially adding to the total income produced by food, craft and other sales.

Having said all that, this effort isn't primarily about raising record funds for the Relief Sale, or even for MCC. Rather it's about loving our hungry, homeless and hurting neighbors around the world just as we love and care for ourselves, neighbors whom God loves and longs to bless with daily bread and adequate shelter.

Let's all join good people like the one who created the Christmas creche shown above, someone who gave so much of his time, talent and meager means for a cause he deeply believes in. 

Here's how he describes his amazing creation:

Artist: Brian E. Brubaker

Dillwyn Correctional Center

A Virginia Model Facility

1522 Prison Rd.

Dillwyn, VA 23936

This project made for the 2025 Virginia Mennonite Relief Sale is

in part made possible by the many members of the Mennonite

community residing in the Virginia Mennonite Retirement

Community, the greater Harrisonburg area, and my friends and relatives scattered across our great nation. I simply would not be able to craft if not for those who have chosen to journey with me supporting my artistic endeavors during my incarceration. I must also give credit to the Administration here at DWCC who give artists the ability to purchase Elmer’s Glue for artists like myself who work in three dimensions. This project required the following materials to create and my only tool not created by myself that I can purchase off the commissary used was the tiny 2” in length, fingernail clipper used to cut every popsicle to size.

2 boxes of popsicle sticks (roughly 2000 stick)

25 pencils split in half

4-sheets of 15”x20” aquarelle artists painting paper

16 8 1\2”x11” cardboard legal paper pad backings

17 4 oz. bottles of Elmer’s Glue

2 16oz. Peanut butter jars of sifted sand to make plaster

1 cornstarch shower powder bottle added into the plaster

2 handsfull of stones used to the stable/chimney construction

4 an estimate of the number of 2 oz. Bottles of acrylic paint

6 broken or worn out mini fingernail clippers

2 bottles of Kiwi brand brown shoe polish

Brian would be honored to have his effort inspire each of us to make an equally generous contribution.

https://harvyoder.blogspot.com/2023/10/some-reflections-after-2023-va-relief.html

In Resigning As A Pastor, I Want To RE-sign As A Newborn In the Jesus Family

The Zion Mennonite Church nurtured and supported me
in the first two decades of my ministry as a pastor. 

It was September of1965, sixty years ago, that I was first licensed as a minister in the Virginia Mennonite Conference. I was only 26, and had no seminary trining when I began serving as an assistant pastor, then senior pastor, at Zion Mennonite for the next two decades while also teaching part time at Eastern Mennonite High School. 

In 1972-74 I was granted a two-year leave of absence to serve as an interim principal at Western Mennonite School in Oregon  and was later granted a nine-month leave to attend the Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary in Indiana in 1983-84. Meanwhile I was also taking graduate courses at JMU and intermittently at Eastern Mennonite Seminary before finally completing a masters degree in counseling at JMU in 1979 and one at EMS in 1996. I could have never done that without the encouragement and help of my good wife, family and church family.

In 1988 I left Zion and accepted an assignment as a counselor and congregational resource pastor at VMC's new Family Life Resource Center, where I worked for the next 38 years while also serving as an unsalaried pastor of  Family of Hope, a house church congregation I've been a part of up to this day.

At 86, I am far past the age at which Virginia Conference pastors are expected to retire, and our aging house church no longer has the required ten households to be recognized as an official VMC congregation.

In consultation with our overseer Roy Hange, and in light of normal uncertainties about my future vitality and health, I've felt it was time to resign my official role as pastor of the house church I have loved and been an active part of for nearly four decades. I've expressed my willingness to continue being an active participant in whatever form Family of Hope may take in the future, whether as an official VMC congregation (with another pastor or pastoral team), or as simply a fellowship or cell group of people who meet for occasional fellowship, prayer and/or Bible study, but in which each member has transferred their membership to another congregation. 

Needless to say, I feel some sadness and loss in coming to this place, as well as feeling a pastoral obligation to make sure none of our members are left spiritually homeless should the congregation choose to disband. I am meeting with individual members and with the group to consider a range of possible options.

I am likewise encouraging the HomeTown Pastoral Counseling Group, where I still work one day a week, to seek a replacement for me.

Meanwhile I'm making a conscious choice to reclaim a new sense of just being a beloved child in God's great extended family. As such I choose to re-sign for the following:

Me at around six or seven.

I am re-signing to experience the wonder of being an ever more avid learner, reveling in more of the mystery and miracle of all God has created rather than primarily being in the role of a teacher for others.

I am re-signing for closer relationships with friends, family and members of my church family, recovering more of my role as a sibling and an "under-seer" rather than primarily as an elder or overseer.

I am re-signing for a time of intentional preparation for the life to come, of getting my earthly affairs in order and focusing on whatever legacy I can leave behind for my children, grandchildren and other loved ones everywhere.

This is but the beginning of a list I want to be adding to in the time I have left here on earth.

Two Empires, Many Nations, One Judge Of All

God has therefore ordained two regiment(s): the spiritual which by the Holy Spirit produces Christians and pious folk under Christ, and the secular which restrains un-Christian and evil folk, so that they are obliged to keep outward peace, albeit by no merit of their own.

— Martin Luther

In my view, one of the problems with "Two Kingdom" (Empire) theologies as held by many Protestants and a lot of Anabaptists is that the two realms are seen as deserving equal priority and allegiance. The result is that many of those holding that view tend to see their secular government as having the greater relevance when it come to the affairs of this life, whereas the heaven-ruled, worldwide reign of God is seen as being mostly about the life to come.

From the Bible's perspective, nothing could be further from the truth. It is the nations of this age that are a transitory "drop in a bucket," who are to be shown respect but not ultimate allegiance, whereas the global God-movement is portrayed as eternal, preeminent, and as affecting every aspect of one's life, relationships and loyalty from the cradle to the grave.

Any form of Christian nationalism in which ones own nation is elevated above all others, and which is revered as "exceptional" and worthy of literally sacrificing one's life for, is a form of idolatry and is a worldview far too small and too limited. 

We need to remember that the US, for example, is only one of 193 nations around the globe, and represents less than 5% of the world's population. God clearly doesn't favor us above all others, and in the final judgment our leaders and legislators will be judged by the same standard as all other nations and peoples on earth. 

According to Jesus, God's final verdict will be based not merely on what we believe, but on what kind of fruit has resulted from those beliefs. In other words, have we been fully converted and transformed from a life of self-centeredness, as demonstrated by the followings:

I was hungry and you_______________

I was thirsty and you______________

I was a stranger and you______________ 

I was naked and you______________

I was sick or in prison and you_______________ 

This is not to say that other issues debated by the world's politicians may not need to be addressed, especially ones that have to do with the criteria above. But followers of Jesus will address such issues not in defense of a particular political party or political platform, but from the prayerful perspective of how policies reflect God's will being done on earth--here, now and everywhere--as it is in heaven.  

In contrast, the following are among  are Ten Commitments many in the nation, including Christians, believe should have priority:

1. To practice the kind of "good stewardship" that enables us to gain and maintain a level of wealth enjoyed by only 1-2% of the world’s population.

2. To maintain the kind of “law and order” that justifies detaining and deporting, without due process, foreigners who have fled here for refuge or whose legal status has expired.

3. To support the kinds of tax and other policies that reward billionaires for their ability to accumulate ever greater wealth at the expense of legislation affecting the less successful poor.

4. To ensure that no transgender persons participate in college sports.

5. To promote being “pro life” as showing more concern for the fate of fertilized human eggs than for the life and welfare of already born children.

6. To withhold needed aid to other countries around the world in favor of putting our own country's prosperity first.

7. To mandate (Judeo-Christian?) prayers in our public schools, and see that the Ten Commandments are posted in every classroom.

8. To maintain the most lethal military force possible, make sure to ever increase the money spent on war preparation, and to arm other countries we favor who are brutally attacking their enemies. 

9. To remove any reference to terms like "diversity," "equality" and "inclusion" from our mission statements and policy manuals.

10. To promote long prison terms for offenders as the primary way to keep our communities safe.

Question: In what way will adherence to the above beliefs be a part of God’s Final Exam?

An Inspiring Recovery Story: 8/29/25 DN-R Justice Matters Column

Emily Bartley, a former resident of Gemeinschaft
Home's Women's House, is now devoting her life to 
helping others in recovery. 

Peer Support Is Vital For Successful Reentry and Recovery

Reentering the community after more than a year in jail was terrifying. My addiction to methamphetamines had cost me everything, including the custody of my daughter. The thought of facing recovery alone felt daunting and near impossible. Isolated and scared, I was ready to give up.

Yet in that dark place, a shift began, a realization that I had a purpose. 

My journey from incarceration to my current role at Strength in Peers is more than my story; it is a testament to the power of peer support and the hope I carry for others.

I needed help reentering the community because I had lost everything. I walked out of Rockingham Harrisonburg Regional Jail with only the clothes I was wearing when I was arrested. I first began to build my support system at the Women’s Gemeinschaft Residential program and through them I found out about other support groups and resources in the area. 

The support I found in reentry programs in the Harrisonburg community was crucial to my journey, as I began to find my footing and a new sense of compassion for others. My own recovery became the foundation for my current role, where I now use my lived experience to provide empathetic guidance to others who are walking a similar path. I started as an intern, and after becoming a Certified Peer Recovery Specialist, was offered a full-time position providing one-on-one peer support services primarily to people experiencing homelessness and who have recently been released from incarceration. Seeing my own journey come full circle from needing help to providing it motivates me to continue offering a safe place to those who feel as lost as I once did.

My personal journey has given me a deep understanding of the barriers people face when they reenter the community from incarceration, and I use my experience navigating community services and overcoming challenges to help the people I serve. At Strength in Peers we offer a wide range of services for those coming out of incarceration, including help  with obtaining vital records, applying for employment, and securing public benefits. These services provide a practical foundation, but the true power lies in the peer-to-peer connection. 

I have witnessed countless individuals turn their lives around, but one participant’s journey stands out. This person came to Strength In Peers after spending over a year at Rockingham Harrisonburg Regional Jail, the same jail I was in. They were familiar with our organization after attending some of the peer-led substance use recovery groups that we offer there. Over the past eight months, I have had the privilege of watching him rebuild his life. He has found stable employment and housing since his release, and has worked hard at rebuilding relationships that were broken with his family and friends during his addiction and to build a support network for himself from nothing. The anxiety that once defined him has slowly given way to a quiet confidence.

He is now approaching his two-year sobriety milestone and has even applied for an internship to become a Certified Peer Recovery Specialist. Seeing someone find the hope thatmwas lost in his addiction is an incredibly powerful experience and I am grateful to be a part of it. This work is more than just providing resources; it is about walking beside someone on their journey, sharing mutual experiences and reminding them that a different life is possible.

My journey from incarceration to becoming a Certified Peer Recovery Specialist has taught me that recovery is not a linear path, and that it looks different for everyone. The greatest lesson I have learned, both for myself and the participants that I work with, is that a strong support system is key. So my work at Strength in Peers is more than just a job; it is a testament to the hope that a person’s darkest moments can lead to their greatest purpose. The hope I give to others strengthens my own recovery, a continuous journey of growth and service. I am living proof that with the right support, it is possible to not only survive the challenges of reentry but to thrive and help others find their way, too.

- Emily Bartley is a former client of Strength in Peers and now offers help to others as a full time Peer Support Recovery Specialist at 917 North Main Street.