A child, innocent and pure, the Son of His Father. He is born, begotten of holy lineage, a direct descendant. And this Son is given, not sold or bartered. He is given freely, offered to all, surrendered to everyone. And such an innocent and selfless One will rule an empire, be the strength of a kingdom government that will rest squarely upon His shoulders. He will take responsibility even for those who do not know Him.

And His name, that which will best describe Him and by which He will be known and called shall be Wonderful, the Great and Marvelous One who will miraculously amaze every soul. A Counselor without equal given to only the highest advice, determined and resolved in purpose to perfectly guide those who follow.

Also to be revered as Mighty God, our Powerful Warrior and Champion, the Strong One. There was not, is not, nor ever shall be another like Him. He is unique and stands alone, the one and only Elohim, for there is no other god before Him. He is the Everlasting, never ending, forever the same. He will be called Abba, Daddy, by his children, the Father who always loves and covers us with his tender mercy.

He will be the Prince of Peace, the Lord, Steward, Master, and Sovereign who is distinctly able to keep us safe while filling us with happiness and wholly guarding our welfare.

His name is Jesus, and may He be yours and you His this Holy Christmas and into your New Year!

Steve & Barbara
Esther & John

Both classes will meet at Bonsack Baptist Church, 4845 Cloverdale Road, in Roanoke (corner of US 220 and US 460). Tuition for both classes is $375 per class; additional scholarshipping is available. Each class provides 3-hours credit.

For further information and registration, please contact The Southwest Virginia Christian Leadership Network by phone (540.777.3014 or 1.866.223.9344—toll-free) or by e-mail at info@vachristianleadership.net. The Network is a ministry of the Virginia Baptist Mission Board

Bedford Baptist will present a Live Nativity on the front lawn of the church facilities on Saturday, December 16, 6:00-8:30 p.m. On Sunday, December 17, 10:55 a.m., the music ministry will present the program, "Noel, Jesus is Born." At 5 p.m., that day, the Youth will present "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever." On Sunday, December 24, 7 p.m., the church will celebrate at Christmas Eve Candlelight Communion Service.

On October 22, Diamond Hill had the ground breaking for their new addition. On December 10, 6 p.m., there will be a Christmas program entitled "Jesus, Take the Wheel," and on December 17, 11 a.m., the cantata, "Jesus, There is Something About That Name," will be presented.

Mentow's Adult and Youth Choirs will present the cantata "Emmanuel" on Sunday, December 17, 11 a.m. That evening at 6 p.m., the children will present a program.

On November 12, the members of North Bedford called Rev. Calvin Sacra to be their pastor. Rev. Sacra and his wife Paula are moving here from Bumpass, VA, and will begin their ministry on December 10. Welcome, Calvin and Paula!

The people of Norwood have put together and will send 108 shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child!

Quaker collected 25 boxes for Operation Christmas Child.

Shady Grove collected 60 shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child. They are also looking forward to their Christmas Cantata on the 17th along with the Youth Christmas Play that same evening. On December 20, they will be going caroling.

IMB missionary, Lloyd Rodgers, will be speaking at Thaxton on Sunday morning, December 3. A cantata will be presented at 5 p.m. on December 17, followed by Christmas dinner at the church.

Thank you,
Daren and Shawna Davis

Attention: Church WMU Directors/
SBA Leadership Team Members
SBA WMU Planning Meeting
Tuesday, January 16, 2007, 5 p.m.
SBA Office

WMU Dues ($2.00 for each member of Women on Mission and leaders of age-level organizations) are past due for the 2006-2007 year. Please mail your checks (payable to Strawberry WMU) to Mrs. Emily Morris, 2161 Penns Mill Rd., Big Island, VA 24526.

It's not too late to participate in the cross stitch project for the Albania House in Athens, Greece. Bob and Janice Newell, missionaries to Albanian immigrants in Athens, invite individuals and groups to have a personal connection and make a practical contribution to the opening of The Albania House in Athens. Every first-time Albanian visitor to the AHA will receive a framed, handmade, cross stitched gift. This handcraft from Christians in America will decorate Albanian homes all over Athens and will communicate love to these immigrant families. Five hundred cross-stitched gifts are needed by April 2007. (This will allow them time to have the items framed before the opening of the House in June.) Please note: If you plan to participate in this ministry, you need to allow at least 4 weeks for shipping. If interested, contact the SBA office.

The Roanoke Valley Baptist Association in partnership with the Emerging Leaders Team of the Virginia Baptist Mission Board will hold a three-day regional youth evangelism conference set for April 18-20, 2007, at Bonsack Baptist Church. The theme for the three-day event is "yoU-turn" and is based on Romans 12:1-2. Seeking to challenge students to reach their non-Christian friends, the event will include a challenge rally on Wednesday night, special evangelism training for students on Thursday night, and conclude with a "harvest rally" on Friday night.

Special guests include guest speaker, Justin Lookadoo from McKinney, Texas. Those who attended YEC this past August 3-4 will know first-hand the powerful communication skills of this passionate youth speaker. The guest worship leader will be Phil Baquie of Nashville, Tennessee. Phil is well-known to Virginia Baptists who have experienced his worship leadership through events at Junior and Senior Weekends at Eagle Eyrie or at Impact Virginia. The conference is FREE to all students and leaders. A full publicity piece will be mailed in early 2007. For additional information, contact Bob Hetherington at the Roanoke Valley Baptist Association, 540.366.7631, or contact Ken Dibble, Youth Ministry Strategist, at 800.255.2428, ext. 2255. Web address is www.yec.org.