Join Me For A "100-Mile Prayer Walk" For MCC

Since I've been advised against taking part in public events, I've come up with an
alternative to this year's SOS "Hundreds for Hundreds" Walk. 

As a part of the Virginia Mennonite Relief Sale's efforts to raise desperately needed money for Mennonite Central Committee during a worldwide pandemic, our SOS (Sharing Our Surplus) Committee is sponsoring a special "Hundreds for Hundreds" Walk August 23. Through this and other means we are hoping to enlist large numbers of people to help make this the greatest fundraising year ever--in honor of MCC's 100th anniversary and in light of unprecedented needs around the world.

My own modest plan for helping this cause is to prayerfully walk a total of 100 miles between now and the date of the Sale, October 3-4, and to enlist as many people of all ages as possible to make generous contributions during this time. But we hope all who can will solicit generous sponsors and donors for the actual two-mile Refugee Walk planned in Harrisonburg August 23, starting and ending at Community Mennonite Church. Representatives from MCC will be present in the parking lot area with information on refugee and other needs and to collect contributions by cash, check or credit card. Walkers will be encouraged to wear masks and to maintain appropriate distance during the walk.

Interested individuals, families and youth groups can also plan their own walks or other fundraising activities,  and make their own generous contributions at any time. For my part, I am not actively seeking sponsors as such, but I will be urging people to visit the Relief Sale donation page frequently during the next months.

We also urge everyone to "Like" the SOS Refugee Facebook page and encourage all of their friends to share the link on social media. The "Learn More" link will connect them to the donation page.

This is not about seeing how successful we Virginians can be at fundraising. Rather, it is about responding to the crying needs of millions whose very lives are at stake due to food shortages, lack of medical care and from the spread of COVID-19, especially in densely populated refugee camps.

Here are among the things I will be praying for on my daily walks, hoping to encourage others to do the same:

1) For an outpouring of generosity worldwide for millions of our neighbors in need.
2) For the efforts of MCC and other relief organizations attempting to meet some of those needs.
3) For an end to wars, persecutions, famines, floods, locust plagues and other disasters that add to the number of people fleeing for their lives.
4) For the health, safety and resettlement of families in crowded and "temporary" refugee camps, some of whose children have lived there for all of their lives.
5) For God's mercy on all of us who remain well-to-do and who live in comfort and ease while so many are experiencing unimaginable levels of despair.
6. For Mark Keller (434-4535), Jason Ropp and others who are coordinating the Walk.

Here are four possible responses: 
https://harvyoder.blogspot.com/2020/06/four-responses-to-sos-hundreds-for.html

The President's July 3 Speech At Mt. Rushmore

Did the president make his best speech ever, as some maintain, or did he continue to make sweeping statements that polarize and divide? 

I'm posting the middle segment of Mr. Trump's recent address to encourage readers to judge for themselves--and to faithfully pray for him every day:

THE PRESIDENT: ...Our nation is witnessing a merciless campaign to wipe out our history, defame our heroes, erase our values, and indoctrinate our children.

AUDIENCE:  Booo —

THE PRESIDENT:  Angry mobs are trying to tear down statues of our Founders, deface our most sacred memorials, and unleash a wave of violent crime in our cities.  Many of these people have no idea why they are doing this, but some know exactly what they are doing.  They think the American people are weak and soft and submissive.  But no, the American people are strong and proud, and they will not allow our country, and all of its values, history, and culture, to be taken from them.  (Applause.)

AUDIENCE:  USA!  USA!  USA!

THE PRESIDENT:   One of their political weapons is “Cancel Culture” — driving people from their jobs, shaming dissenters, and demanding total submission from anyone who disagrees.  This is the very definition of totalitarianism, and it is completely alien to our culture and our values, and it has absolutely no place in the United States of America.  (Applause.)  This attack on our liberty, our magnificent liberty, must be stopped, and it will be stopped very quickly.  We will expose this dangerous movement, protect our nation’s children, end this radical assault, and preserve our beloved American way of life.  (Applause.)

In our schools, our newsrooms, even our corporate boardrooms, there is a new far-left fascism that demands absolute allegiance.  If you do not speak its language, perform its rituals, recite its mantras, and follow its commandments, then you will be censored, banished, blacklisted, persecuted, and punished.  It’s not going to happen to us.  (Applause.)

Make no mistake: this left-wing cultural revolution is designed to overthrow the American Revolution.  In so doing, they would destroy the very civilization that rescued billions from poverty, disease, violence, and hunger, and that lifted humanity to new heights of achievement, discovery, and progress.

To make this possible, they are determined to tear down every statue, symbol, and memory of our national heritage.

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  Not on my watch!  (Applause.)

THE PRESIDENT:  True.  That’s very true, actually.  (Laughter.)  That is why I am deploying federal law enforcement to protect our monuments, arrest the rioters, and prosecute offenders to the fullest extent of the law.  (Applause.)

AUDIENCE:  Four more years!  Four more years!  Four more years!

THE PRESIDENT:  I am pleased to report that yesterday, federal agents arrested the suspected ringleader of the attack on the statue of Andrew Jackson in Washington, D.C. — (applause) — and, in addition, hundreds more have been arrested.  (Applause.)

Under the executive order I signed last week — pertaining to the Veterans’ Memorial Preservation and Recognition Act and other laws — people who damage or deface federal statues or monuments will get a minimum of 10 years in prison.  (Applause.)  And obviously, that includes our beautiful Mount Rushmore.  (Applause.)

Our people have a great memory.  They will never forget the destruction of statues and monuments to George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant, abolitionists, and many others.

The violent mayhem we have seen in the streets of cities that are run by liberal Democrats, in every case, is the predictable result of years of extreme indoctrination and bias in education, journalism, and other cultural institutions.

Against every law of society and nature, our children are taught in school to hate their own country, and to believe that the men and women who built it were not heroes, but that were villains.  The radical view of American history is a web of lies — all perspective is removed, every virtue is obscured, every motive is twisted, every fact is distorted, and every flaw is magnified until the history is purged and the record is disfigured beyond all recognition...

Click here for the full text of the speech.

Guest Post By Professor Neufeldt-Fast: Political Rally At The Foot Of Holy Mountain 1935

Arnold Neufeldt-Fast is Academic Dean and Associate Professor of Theology at the Seminary at Tyndale University in Toronto. Here, with his permission, is a part of what he posted on Anabaptist Collective--A Mennonerds (Facebook) Group. 

1933 postcard courtesy of Professor Neufeldt-Fast: "What the King (Fredrick the Great) conquered, the Prince (Otto von Bismarck) shaped, and the Field Marshal (Paul von Hindenburg) defended, was rescued and united by the soldier (Adolf Hitler)."

Around the time of the summer solstice well over 10,000 people gathered tightly-packed under a gloriously clear evening sky in the outdoor amphitheater at the national “holy mountain” (“Heiligen Berg”).

On June 22, 1935 a key national leader--Reich Ministry of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda Minister Dr. Joseph Goebbels--arrived by plane and entered the flag-draped stage together with the state governor. Words of thanks were extended to those who worked hard behind the scenes to make this possible.

The event was covered in detail by national newspapers and the following is a composite of the speech.

The iconic rocky monument was birthed out the spirit of the nation and carved out of stone--a visible expression of national vision and inspiration for future generations.

There is no better place to celebrate the nation’s greatness and to pay tribute than beneath this magnificent, incredible majestic mountain. It embodies the nation’s will, and will stand forever as an eternal tribute to our people and our freedom—the most exceptional nation to exist on earth. In hundreds of years people will still come to come to this rocky site and the monument our people created. They will stand in awe, of how it inspired a new national focus for the challenges of this day.

The ruling party’s purpose from its early years has been to protect the state from within. The security of our own people has always been our first task through this term of office.

Internal law and order is one of the pillars upon which our state rests and will live eternally. We will never allow an existential threat from within to take root and attack our liberty. The other pillar is our armed forces who secure our borders. Internationally we are sometimes accused of worshipping the state; that’s the furthest from the truth. It’s not about the state, but about our people. We must take care of our nation first.

There is new energy stirring and rising from within to make us great again. Maybe our prayers have not been perfect, but our works have displayed divine blessing (applause). God has helped us. That’s why we have the right and privilege to celebrate in this way this evening. That is why can look full of awe and fervor at these flags and salute. While we carry the responsibility for the nation today, we summon the bravery and determination of our national ancestors.

People across the nation are flocking to our movement because in other parts of this great nation there was nothing of our nation left to be found. But a new age is dawning again. We do not need to be ashamed.

Our party is here to stay, because we alone have the intelligence and the strength and the courage and determination to solve the great tasks that are given to us today. In a world full of enemies, isn’t it a miracle that this movement has been so successful? We know that the problems of future will not be solved alone through understanding and intelligence, but primarily through courage and character. One has to try the impossible to achieve greatness.

We live in the most magnificent country in the history of the world, and soon it will greater than ever before. What makes us stronger than other nations is that we are concentrating our national will to greatness in one direction and on one man. Just think, if our party was not at the helm at this hour, there would be not be seven million but ten or twelve million people unemployed!

We stand united--thousands of men and women stand at this iconic rock site—with hearts that swell with pride, in contrast to our pitiful, capitulating opposition who are ashamed.

Other nations once viewed us with contempt as well. Now they view us with respect. When we started, we made the commitment to fight for liberty and national sovereignty. We’ve stayed true to that commitment, and tonight at the celebration we speak up loudly and strongly to recommit ourselves to that struggle and resolve to defend the integrity of our country.

The newspaper reports described the dramatic music deep in the woods, and bright, flaming lights across the rock faces under the starry sky. In this way the celebration came to a close.

Six weeks later Dr. Goebbels held a larger rally in Essen where he took aim at agitators, the press, and social democrats—and clarified the party's positive stance toward the churches. Again a composite summary of that August 4 address:

It is clear that we know who our enemies are and that we will throw them in the dust (to great applause). The agitators are the radical left-wing (he calls them social democrats, even Bolsheviks) and Germany has the Party to thank that they have dealt with them. Especially if by chance a Jew is arrested and held by police, fake foreign press tries to make a public crisis out of it. If you look at a Jew the wrong way in Berlin, you will hear the cries of injustice in the fake press from London to Beijing. The foreign press does not rule our country, but we do (passionate applause). We will exterminate any anti-government sentiment. Yet we don’t want to stoke a culture war. We know however that there are certain groups that seem to want a culture war. We will ensure that trouble makers will receive draconian punishments.

Just Blessed With My 81st Lap Around The Sun

The birthday mug I received in the mail says "I'm not 81, I'm 18 with 63 years of experience."

Oldest son Brad, better at math than I, suggested I give my newly acquired age as "three to the fourth power" 3⁴ = 81 (3 × 3 × 3 × 3). 

I rather like the sound of that, as I really don't feel a day older than 81, even though today I am exactly that, having celebrated a memorable birthday yesterday.

Besides getting scores of blessings and best wishes from Facebook friends, I had a delightful conversation with each of our children and grandchildren, with the ones from Rochester (via video) singing Happy Birthday and lighting a birthday candle for the occasion.

My 90-year old brother called me from Costa Rica, and my only remaining sister did the same from Cumberland, Virginia. Another former neighbor and childhood friend called me from his home in Madison County, as did a fellow member of our local house church who also sang Happy Birthday for me.

Another longtime family friend and neighbor, Luann (Miller) Bender stopped by with a beautiful arrangement of homegrown flowers (above), without even realizing it was my birthday. Perfect timing!

And my precious wife Alma Jean pampered me all day long, which she pretty much does every day anyway, with good food and lots of love and attention.

It all makes getting another year older totally worth it.

Gemeinschaft Home Staff And Board Speak Out

This recent statement is the result of several weeks of intense conversation.

What began as an effort by the Gemeinschaft Home board to draft a statement against racism evolved into a process in which staff members became actively engaged.

All of us realize that actions, not words, are what really matter, but our prayer is that all we do will clearly reflect our commitment to racial equality and "liberty and justice for all."

Modified Virginia Relief Sale Aims To Raise Over $300,000 For Desperate Refugees Worldwide

The annual auction will be on line this year.

Here's the latest update from our Relief Sale Board:

The Virginia Mennonite Relief Sale has had a long tradition of uniting people for the common cause of raising money for Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) to help people around the world "In the Name of Christ." Last year we were able to raise over $300,000, our highest amount ever. In fact, almost every year that amount increases! 

Each year it takes many volunteers working together to pull off such an event and we very much appreciate all of their work and efforts. The Relief Sale Board wants to proceed with caution to protect the health and safety of those volunteers and everyone who supports the sale. 

The 54th Virginia Mennonite Relief Sale will look very different this year due to COVID restrictions and social distancing

recommendations. Although we are still exploring various options, here is a preview of what will be happening:

- There will be an online auction only. We are currently having the online auction website/app built for us. Items to be auctioned off will need to be photographed before a specified date to be displayed on the auction website. Items will then be brought to the

Rockingham Fairgrounds the morning of October 1. We will have all items displayed for people to view Thursday (October 1) through Saturday (October 3) at specified times. All through this time, people can be bidding online for each item. The auction will then start closing items Saturday morning (you can watch items/prices live online). Once an item closes, the high bidder would then come to the fairgrounds to pick up the item. We are also exploring shipping options. Payment could be done online with credit card or in person.

- We will still encourage people to donate baked goods to be sold at the fairgrounds. People can buy these items as they view the auction items (Thursday through Saturday).

- We are exploring the idea of having drive through dinners available. We could possibly have Beef BBQ, fresh Mississippi Catfish, Chicken BBQ, or other items available. We will be contacting those in charge of different foods to gauge their comfort level in participating this year.

- The Run for Relief 5K is still happening in one form or another.

- The Sharing Our Surplus (SOS) committee is planning a family-friendly three-mile "Hundreds For Hundreds Campaign" Refugee Relief Walk for 6 pm August 23. Participants are to solicit sponsors and/or simply make a generous donation. Those not wanting to join in a group walk can choose another time and place, and make contributions as indicated below*. For more information on the Walk contact Mark Keller mkeller123@gmail.com or 434-4535.

- We invite churches to do their own fundraisers for MCC. We would gladly publicize the event for you through our facebook page and church newsletters. These events could be done at any time, not just on the Relief Sale weekend. We have considered the possibility of having 2-4 churches sell their items at a central location as a drive-through option.

- My Coins Count will continue to collect coins (or bills/checks). We will collect these at a location to be determined. Congregations could consider making some sort of matching donation.

- We encourage individual fundraising, like someone who recently made a lot of sweet rolls and sold them as a fundraiser for MCC. Think creatively in how you might raise money.

As MCC is celebrating its 100th year, let’s help make this the

most generous year of giving ever. 

Maybe we can even top the $300,000 we raised last year!

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

* Note: Credit card contributions can be made any time at https://vareliefsale.com/donate/. Checks should be made out to "Virginia Mennonite Relief Sale" (with SOS in the memo line if you want it to go specifically for the "Hundreds for Hundreds" campaign for refugee relief).     
   The mailing address is Relief Sale, 601 Parkwood Road, Harrisonburg, VA 22802 (the Virginia Mennonite Conference Center).

You Know You're Filthy Rich When...

I see myself in the middle of this 16th century Italian painting by Jacopo Bassano.

"There once was a rich man, expensively dressed in the latest fashions, wasting his days in conspicuous consumption. A poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, had been dumped on his doorstep. All he lived for was to get a meal from scraps off the rich man’s table. His best friends were the dogs who came and licked his sores."   

- one of Jesus's stories, in Luke 16:19-21 (the Message)

We can be sure we are among the wealthy religious folks Jesus is addressing in this story when...

...we enjoy a life of luxury and ease that exceeds anything that could have been imagined by the Dives (Latin for "rich man") in Jesus's story, or by the wealthy family in the above 1550 painting.

...when each resident of our house has access to multiple rooms rather than each room having multiple residents.

...when we have pantries, freezers and refrigerators filled with an exotic variety of tasty foods from all over the world, with ready access to well-stocked supermarkets and wonderful restaurants.

...when as North Americans we receive extraordinarily good incomes based on 40-60 hours of work a week, and enjoy numerous vacation and other benefits, and can retire at age 65.

...when we have decent health insurance coverage, primary care physicians to respond to our every injury or illness, and all kinds of first responders, specialists and other healthcare providers when we face a medical crisis.

...when our closets are filled with enough clothes for several lifetimes--with garments made for us in far-off factories by workers putting in long hours at sweatshop wages.

...when each member of our household has access to one or more $15,000-$50,000 luxurious motorized and computerized vehicles to provide instant, convenient, and air-conditioned transportation whenever and wherever needed.

...when what we spend annually on entertainment, golfing and hunting trips, cruise vacations and other pastimes exceeds what most people have to live on in a giving year.

Note: I need the prayers, counsel and help of all God's people in light of our being in the top 3-5% of the world's wealthiest people.