This ruling has the potential to impact National Day of Prayer proclamations across our nation.

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On Thursday, May 10, 2012, just one week after a record turnout for the National Day of Prayer across the country, when millions gathered from coast to coast to unite in prayer, the Colorado Court of Appeals ruled that the governor’s proclamation for a state Day of Prayer violates the Constitutions’ provisions for religious liberty. The Colorado Court of Appeals also requested that a trial court decide if a governor should be prohibited from making such proclamations in the future, as well as a permanent ban on state prayer events. The judges did not weigh the National Day of Prayer proclamations, which federal courts have ruled are constitutional.

This case began in 2008 against former Governor Bill Ritter by a small group of atheists headquartered in Madison, Wisconsin. Judge Mullins of the District Court in Denver, Colorado, initially dismissed the case on October 28, 2010, declaring “…there is nothing controversial about a restatement of a right protected by the First Amendment of the United States Constitution…the proclamation [does] not have the force and effect of law, and even if [it] did, the language does not support the foundation for a state religion, but only an acknowledgment of the rights of the citizenry as recognized as far back as the Declaration of Independence.”

If Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper and Colorado Attorney General John Suthers do not appeal this decision to the state Supreme Court, it is likely there will be national impact as a direct result.

To read the rest of the article and to sign a petition encouraging Colorado Governor Hickenlooper and Colorado Attorney General John Suthers to prepare a vigorous defense against the decision by the Colorado Court of Appeals, please click here.

Women from all denominations and walks of life are invited to come together to meet, fellowship, worship, and learn what it means to be a woman who is flourishing in the design and dream of God’s heart for her.

Time:
Friday, May 18th, 6:30 – 8:30 pm
Saturday, May 19th, 9:00 – 4:00 pm

Location:
13715 Berry Hill Road
Elkwood, VA 22718
(formerly Elkwood Crossing Nursery & Garden Center)

Pack a lunch. Bring a friend and a blanket for bleacher-style seating and join others… in the Garden.

For more information, please call Tabitha at (540) 522-9350 or e-mail her at tabathaslaugh333@yahoo.com.

Family and friends of the graduates are invited to attend. Class members should arrive by 1:30 p.m. in their caps and gowns.

For more information, please contact Pastor Erick Kalenga at (540) 729-7330 or by e-mail at erick@hisvillage.org.

If you, or someone you know, would like to attend, please contact Darla Hedlund darladhedlund@msn.com or Pastor Kate Costa pastorkatecosta@gmail.com, (540) 825-8358.

St. Luke’s Lutheran Church is located at 1200 Old Rixeyville Rd., Culpeper, VA 22701.

But now, O Lord, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand. Isaiah 64:8

Virginia Morton read Jeremiah 17:5-8:

“Thus says the Lord: ‘Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart departs from the Lord. For he shall be like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see when good comes, but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land which is not inhabited.’

‘Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, and whose hope is the Lord. For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, which spreads out its roots by the river, and will not fear when heat comes; but its leaf will be green, and will not be anxious in the year of drought, nor will cease from yielding fruit.’”

Pastor Adam Meisberger delivering the sermon.

The sermon: “God’s Transformational Blessing for Our Nation Starts with You” was delivered by Adam Meisberger, Pastor at Bethel Baptist Church. Pastor Meisberger said that there are only two types of people in this world and throughout eternity. There is only one thing that divides all of humanity. Is the person’s trust and confidence and assurance and faith in the Lord?

Our only concern should be: Where is our confidence? If our confidence is not in the Lord, we will not be blessed by Him. Where is our nation’s confidence? Christians cannot point their fingers of blame at our government, at our media, or at anyone else. Christians also are to blame for our nation’s direction. We must take the plank out of our own eyes before we can take the speck out of someone else’s eye.

A Christian must ask this very serious question: Is his/her sole confidence in his/her life the Lord God Almighty?

If you lost your house tomorrow, would you still have confidence in Him? If your bank accounts were suddenly gone, would you still have confidence in Him? If you had no health insurance, would you still have confidence in Him?

For revival to spread throughout our country, so that our country can once again be a “Nation under God,” Christians must be entirely sold out to Christ. Our sole confidence must be in the Lord God Almighty!

To hear Pastor Meisberger’s message in its entirety, click here.

The evening concluded with prayers for our Government, Military, Education, Families, Businesses, Media and Church by Marsha Fishbaugh, Pastor Ludwell Brown, Laura Burt, Art Fellows, Mike Garrett, Jithendra Manne and Ed Lyons, respectively.

Thank you to all who showed up at our noon National Day of Prayer event on the Culpeper Courthouse lawn today, May 3rd. Approximately 125 people were in attendance. It was good to see so many who serve our community in areas of government, police, fire and rescue, education, military, business and worship.

A portion of those who attended the noon NDOP event on the Culpeper Courthouse lawn.

Special thanks to Maddie Wheeler, George Bowles, Doug & Anne Farmer, Darlene Neff, Troy Smith, Steve Buchanan, and Tim Smith who led us in prayer for our country’s education, church, family, government, military, media and businesses, respectively.

Dave Wheatley led us in songs of worship, and Pastor Baker Rigg of Church on the Rise encouraged us to truly know God more intimately. Baker said the U.S. is at a critical juncture. To truly remain a nation under God, we will need a full-scale revival. To have that, we must be obedient to Jesus’ teaching to love the Lord our God with all of our heart, soul, strength and mind, and to love others as ourselves. 

Pastor Baker Rigg of Church on the Rise

Wouldn’t it be great if a revival broke out in Culpeper that spread across this nation?

Yes, Pastor Rigg, we agree that it would indeed!

“Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord.”

The National Day of Prayer is a vital part of our heritage. Since the first call to prayer in 1775, when the Continental Congress asked the colonies to pray for wisdom in forming a nation, the call to prayer has continued through history, including President Lincoln’s proclamation of a day of “humiliation, fasting, and prayer” in 1863. In 1962, a joint resolution by Congress, signed by President Truman, declared an annual, national day of prayer. In 1988, the law was amended and signed by President Ronald Reagan, permanently setting the day as the first Thursday of every May.

As we seek to remain a nation under God, let us call out to Him with a unified voice. There are a number of events planned in the Culpeper area.

Noon to 1 PM at the Culpeper Courthouse Lawn, located off of West Davis Street, across from the Culpeper Fire Department. Rain location: Culpeper Presbyterian Church on Main Street next to the US Post Office. Contact Ed Lyons at (540) 829-5353 for more details.

7:00 – 8:30 PM at the Culpeper United Methodist Church in their sanctuary. Contact Fran Kimball (540) 937-7298 for more details.

Wednesday, May 2nd – Culpeper County Public School’s Rize-Up Club is hosting a National Day of Prayer event in the Culpeper Middle School forum from 7:00 to 8:30 PM. This is a student-led prayer event. Contact Jon Morton at (540) 498-3333.

ii. Bishop Harry Jackson, Washington, DC http://www.thehopeconnection.org/index.php/understand-hope/senior-pastor/

iii. Rev. Stephen P. Burke, Temple, Texas www.thelordwillprovide.org

iv. Others

Explanation:

I believe this to be a special time for the people of God in this region. God is once again graciously on the initiative to stir His people back to Himself; To Himself that they would be One in Christ, ready and willing for His purposes NOW and TOMORROW. “Wake up, Be Ready, Walk United”

This is the result of the prayers of many over the past several years. Hearts impassioned for unity and integrity, coining such phases and names as: ‘Pray Culpeper’; ‘One Culpeper’; ‘Culpeper Revival’; corporate prayer activities (e.g., NDP, GDOP, Lenten, Thanksgiving service), Billy Graham Crusade and more – the prayers and heart cries of the churches for God’s will to be done here now.

This is not about a conference – not about another activity. Indeed – God has begun this work we are merely attempting to catch up and get in step. We sense God has been sending forth waves of such initiatives and this is the latest of His wake up call to His people. The times are critical: NOW. Ad this will provide training for the faithful should the Lord permit us to serve Him TOMORROW. The call: Being Prepared for the Kingdom work Today. Change is coming. The season of special grace may well be over.

Issues within the Body of Christ:

· We have forgotten who we were and who we are in Christ

· There is severe decay/we have permitted deep encroachment of the enemy

o Weak in areas of:

§ Unity of the Body of Christ

§ Integrity of the Body of Christ

§ Basic Relationships affecting the health of the Body of Christ: Marriages, Child/parent/other

God seems to have chosen the 2011 10th Anniversary of the Terrorist attacks to rally His people to (a) unity and to (b) connect in preparedness (ministry expo):

o September 9-11 Conference & Ministry Expo (See details below)

§ Unity in Christ – Worship & Prayer & Action

§ Preparedness – Motivational Preaching/Teaching

§ Preparedness – Practical Ministry Networking

§ Preparedness – Practical Ministry Breakout/Teaching

1. WORSHIP & PRAYER – We will worship as one; we will pray as one – intentional leadership teams and special participants are being formed to catalyze corporate worship and Prayer through unified teams (representation across the Body). Folks are being directed to sign up for this at www.walkunitedinchrist.org – a dedicated website for this conference.

2. MOTIVATIONAL PREACHING AND TEACHING – God is selecting and bringing His special speakers to Culpeper. We don’t understand it all as of yet (and not too proud to admit it)J – But as of now, we are so blessed to know the special speakers listed above have committed to come and be used by God. Thanks to much Tom, Harry, and Steve.

3. “Practical Ministry Expo” – Booths/tables of local ministries relevant to the conference theme and our regional body of Christ, sharing information, resulting in synergy and increased awareness and collaboration. Getting the word out over the three day period – For examples, but not limited to the following list. Folks with ideas/a desire to include a practical Christian ministry are invited to register the ministry for the expo at www.walkunitedinchrist.org:

a) In Support of Disaster Relief/Preparedness

i. Christ In Action

ii. Crisis Relief International

iii. Culpeper Emergency Services Association

iv. Culpeper Regional Hospital

v. Other

b) In Support of Healthy Families

i. Adoption

ii. Foster Care

iii. Children’s Bible Ministries

iv. Young Life

v. Gideon’s

vi. Pregnancy Centers of Central VA

vii. Marriage Matters

viii. Spiritual Care Support Ministries

ix. Senior Citizen groups (Aging Together; etc…)

x. Jail Ministry – Chaplaincy/re-entry

xi. Parenting Education

xii. Other

c) In Support of Regional Communication

i. WPRZ 88.1 FM Praise Radio

ii. Virginia Living Television

iii. Culpeper Times Exponent

iv. Cable Channel 21

v. Other

d) In Support of Benevolence

i. Culpeper Social Services

ii. Piedmont United Way – First Call For Help

iii. Helping Hands Ministry

iv. OMEGA Partnership

v. Warming Shelter

vi. Food Closet

vii. Christian Service Project Organizations:

a. Habitat for Humanity

b. “Kelsey’s Big Give”

c. Impact Virginia

viii. Other

4. “PRACTICAL MINISTRY BREAKOUT SESSIONS” – The conference will feature practical breakout sessions (+/- 90 minute) for the Body of Christ to learn/become informed of special activities of the Lord in our region. These will be added as the Lord leads. Tailored as the Lord leads (some will be panel discussions, some will be round table, etc..). Those breakouts known to be planned at this time as listed below. Folks with ideas/a desire to lead a breakout session are invited to register the session at www.walkunitedinchrist.org:

o The Art of The Healthy Marriage – Dwayne & Julie Higdon

o The Art of Christian Worship – Stacey March, Tabatha Haines, David Wheatley

o The Art of Christian Prayer – The Culpeper Prayer Room, Pastor Adam Meisberger

o Women’s Ministry Focus – Rev. Nancy Sharman

o Men’s Ministry Focus -

o Youth Ministry Focus

o Children’s Ministry Focus

o God’s Word for Peace & Justice

o Adoption, Foster Care, Healthy Pregnancies

o Called To Serve (a series of breakouts by special interest/areas of passion to serve)

§ Information Services (Web Design, data bases etc)

§ Construction Services (Carpentry, Plumbing, HVAC, etc..)(e.g., “Habitat for Humanity”)

§ Community Benevolence beyond the net (Omega Partnership)

Hospice of the Rapidan will offer free workshops for people who are grieving the loss of a family member, loved one or close friend this holiday season. The holidays can be especially difficult when dealing with the loss of a loved one. The program offers participants the opportunity to discuss their feelings, concerns, and questions with others who are going through similar experiences and to get assistance from Hospice of the Rapidan’s grief support team. All members of the public are welcome.

Four workshops will be offered, two in Warrenton and two in Culpeper. The Warrenton workshops will be held on Thursday, November 18th and Thursday, December 9th from 2:00 to 3:30 pm at the Warrenton-Fauquier County Visitor Center, 33N Calhoun Street. Workshops will be held on Tuesday, November 23rd and Tuesday, December 14th from 6:30 to 8:00 pm at Hospice of the Rapidan’s office, 1200 Sunset Lane, Suite 2320, Culpeper.

Pre-registration is appreciated but not necessary. For more information or to pre-register contact Craig Wilt at 540-825-4840 or cwilt@hotr.org, Monday to Friday, 8:30 am – 4:00 pm.

Hospice of the Rapidan is a licensed, Medicare certified, nonprofit community hospice that provides compassionate and dignified end-of-life care to terminally ill patients and their families in Culpeper, Fauquier, Madison, Orange, Rappahannock and surrounding counties.

It offers high quality medical care and emotional, practical, social and spiritual support for patients with a life expectancy of six months or less as well as caregiver and grief support for their loved ones regardless of ability to pay. Hospice of the Rapidan cares for most patients in the comfort of their own home, but also provides care in nursing homes, assisted living facilities and hospitals. To learn more about hospice, grief support, or becoming a volunteer call Hospice of the Rapidan at 540-825-4840 or visit www.hotr.org.

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