We have the same Lord, the same Holy Spirit, the same message, and the same instruction from Christ to be His witnesses in Jerusalem. We invite you, your pastor, and your church to stand with us for a few hours on Saturday, September 30, to allow Christ the opportunity to use you to be a blessing to our city and a smiling servant to thousands of folks who will visit our booth and meet us in the streets.

Our volunteers serve up free cold water and lemonade; provide a baby changing table for life's little emergencies; minister through puppets, music, and more; and distribute literature. We also encourage churches to put together teams who will mingle among the crowd to meet neighbors, share who we are and what we are about, and spend time prayer walking the streets of Bedford. Take advantage of the time to promote special events in your own church. Invite these folks to a youth gathering, concert, sporting event, movie, or other unique presentation. Share how you can help families oversome difficulty and grow together.

Think about it! This is a built-in evangelism opportunity that comes to your door. We mustn't ignore our own town when such a privilege presents itself. This is a wonderful way to meet folks, help them find their way around the booths, and offer to refresh them on a hot fall day. A smile, a kind word, a prayer, and a cup of cold water in the name of Christ will go a long way in building relationships among Christians, churches, and communities.

If you are willing to be a missionary for a day at the SBA booth, pray, or take part in the various street ministries, please contact Julie Arthur at jarthurmves@yahoo.com or the Association office at 540-586-8345 or sba@sbava.org.

The week before CenterFest we will conduct a rally to help us get ready for the big day. This brief orientation session will prepare everyone for what we will be doing in the booth, on the stage, and among the crowd as we prayer walk and pass out literature. We'll share rally details later.

Our service as witnesses must first begin at home if it is to be genuine and effective on the distant field. Please help us promote this "mission trip," and come join your brothers and sisters for a fun and eventful day at CenterFest 2006!

Flint Hill will celebrate 140 years at a homecoming celebration to be held on Sunday, September 17. Sunday School begins at 9:45 a.m., with morning worship service at 11:00 a.m. Dinner at the Flint Hill Community Center will follow the service. An afternoon service will feature a history of the church, a video presentation, special music, and all former pastors present will be given an opportunity to speak. All members, former members, and friends are invited to attend.

Thaxton will host Kids Fest '06 on Saturday, August 5, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. There will be face painting, balloon animals, puppet shows, giant inflatables, carnival games, hot dogs, etc., as well as registration for Vacation Bible School which will be August 6-10.

Trinity has called David Welch as Minister of Music, effective June 15, 2006.

Trinity will hold an auction on Saturday, August 5, 7-10 p.m., at Minute Man Auction in Bedford (old Moore's building on Industrial Ave.). Refreshments and entertainment will be provided. Proceeds will go to the Scholarship Fund at Trinity.

The Women on Mission Get-Away will be held on November 3-4 and November 4-5 at Eagle Eyrie. The Women's Rally/WMU Annual Meeting will be Saturday, November 4, at 2 p.m. We can rent a lodge if enough people are interested in attending for the first session, November 3-4. If interested, please contact WMU Director, Lois Stevens, at 586-7409 or email lstevens44@netzero.com.

Mission Friends in the association are continuing to collect money to help build a "children's village" in partnership with Virginia Baptists and the Precious Children's Home in India. At the end of August, each church that participates should send a check to Strawberry WMU, c/o Mrs. Emily Morris, Treasurer, 2161 Penns Mill Rd., Big Island 24526. Your children can truly make a difference in the lives of children just like themselves and they can connect to something "larger than life" that will truly change lives. Some churches are using their VBS offerings for this purpose. So far, we have received $986.56 from Mentow; $1,000 from Suck Spring; and $233.36 from Walnut Grove; for a total of $2,219.92.

On Sunday, August 20, at 7:00pm, Mount Olivet will host Ann Brown, WMUV vice-president, who served on a mission team to the Precious Children's Home in April. She will present a program on the ministry of the orphanage as well as share experiences relating to her mission work there. Everyone is welcome.

Please note: Only SBA officers are automatically messengers. Clerks, if we could get a list of elected messengers from each of our churches a couple of weeks prior to the Annual Meeting, we could possibly do away with the messenger cards. Alternates that come in place of a messenger whose name was sent in would just have to give us the name of the messenger they're replacing. If you would have a problem with this, please let us know by August 15.

The meal this year will be catered at a cost of $10.50 per person. The clerk (or another individual) from each church is asked to call a meal count in to Hunting Creek at 434-299-5045 by October 16.

Andy Fariss who is returning to the Bedford area after retiring from the military is available to play the piano on a substitute or interim basis. He may be reached at 540-297-5821, 540-586-8221, or 334-221-1000.

The Bedford Christian Free Clinic is asking the churches of the Strawberry Baptist Association for assistance. We currently need manpower (skilled or unskilled) to assist in the remodeling. We also will accept monetary donations in memory or in honor of a loved one. Free-will donations are also accepted. For more information, please contact the clinic at 586-3711 or contact Rick Mallory, board president, at 330-7467. Thank you to the Strawberry Baptist Association churches for your continued support of this ministry!