Neighbors come together after violent attack

On June 21, Don and Leigh Ann Zirkle were attacked in their home by an armed intruder. Don did not survive his severe injuries. Leigh Ann remains in hospital; after multiple surgeries, she is slowly recovering from the physical trauma.

This horrific attack was a shock to all of us, and we have come together in many ways to offer our help and support — from neighbors who provided life-saving medical care to Leigh Ann until the ambulance arrived, to those who cut the grass or wrote cards of encouragement.

What can we do? Funeral plans for Don are on hold until Leigh Ann is strong enough to participate in the planning. In the meantime, we surround her with our prayers, but we also struggle with having our own sense of safety shaken and feeling helpless in the face of such violence.

The congregations of Westminster Presbyterian Church and Vine Street Christian Church invite our neighbors to a prayer service on Sunday, July 7, at 7 p.m., at Vine Street Christian Church (4101 Harding Pike). We want to come together to show our support, to pray, to share our grief and our hope, to strengthen the bonds of neighborliness and friendship, and to talk about how we can continue to build a community of support for Leigh Ann and her and Don’s families. Please join us.

RHE Summer Book Group

Rachel Held Evans’s death at age 37 was a shock to many, especially to readers of her blog and her books. Amanda Miller had planned to read Inspired: Slaying Giants, Walking on Water, and Loving the Bible Again (2018) this summer, and she would love to read it with a group. If you’re interested, please contact Amanda.

Here’s what the publisher wrote about the book: If the Bible isn’t a science book, instruction manual, or position paper, then what is it? Rachel Held Evans invites readers on a journey of rediscovery as she explores the magic of the Bible, engaging the old, familiar stories in new ways that honor the past and enlighten the present.

Drawing upon recent scholarship and literary analysis, Evans creatively retells our favorite Bible stories, explaining their contexts and possible interpretations, and then connects these ancient stories to our present-day ones. Using her well-honed literary instincts and experience in both evangelical and mainline Protestant traditions, Evans discovers a way of understanding that avoids noncommittal liberalism on one hand and strident literalism on the other. 

Readers are invited to fall in love with Scripture all over again without checking their intellect—or their imaginations—at the door.

Best Camp

Who: children who have completed K-5th grade

What: A day camp that focuses on learning music and serving our community

When: Monday, July 15 - Thursday, July 18

Where: Vine Street Christian Church

Why: To enhance and support faith formation through learning and doing in community

How (much): $105

Includes: the t-shirt, snacks, art supplies, staff, and BBQ supper for the family (campers provide their own lunch)

Daily check-in: 8:45-9 am

Daily check-out: 3:30 pm

Registration closes: June 1

Questions? Contact Allison or Katie

Register here and invite your friends!