{"id":6992,"date":"2013-09-02T00:00:47","date_gmt":"2013-09-02T00:00:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/new.brethren.org\/news\/?p=6992"},"modified":"2018-11-13T03:01:38","modified_gmt":"2018-11-13T03:01:38","slug":"monday-at-noac","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/news\/2013\/monday-at-noac\/","title":{"rendered":"Monday at NOAC"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Photo by Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford<\/small><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Dava Hensley, Monday evening preacher, speaks about the cross she wears as a witness to Christ.<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n

Quotes of the Day<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not a piece of jewelry. It\u2019s about a death, and a resurrection.\u201d \u2013 Dava Hensley, opening preacher, talking about the cross she wears as a witness to those she meets<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat happens in Schwarzenau, stays in Schwarzenau.\u201d \u2013The NOAC News Team<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cI think you should call yourselves \u2018chronologically advanced.\u2019\u201d \u2013A member of the NOAC Planning Committee during an amusing opening reading playing on the common misconceptions of aging, and listing all of the things that NOAC attendees will remember and appreciate because of their life experiences<\/em><\/p>\n

Glow in the Darkness<\/strong><\/p>\n

Focusing on The Message translation of Isaiah 58:6-10, Dava Hensley called on the Brethren at the opening worship at NOAC to \u201cglow in the darkness.\u201d Sharing a story about a young girl at Sunday school, who when challenged by her mother to let her light shine admitted, \u201cI blowed out my light,\u201d and a parable about four glow sticks willing to sing \u201cThis Little Light of Mine\u201d while all giving excuses for not helping out in a blackout, Hensley asked, \u201cHave we blowed out our light? We are to glow in the darkness!\u201d<\/p>\n

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Photo by Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford<\/small><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Worshippers wave glow sticks.<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n

After all, she pointed out, after reading the first couple verses of Genesis, \u201cThe first thing that came out of that dark chaotic mess was light.\u201d God\u2019s people, she said, were challenged by the prophet Isaiah to understand that \u201ctrue worship is concrete action.\u201d She then asked, \u201cHas our worship become frozen ritual?\u201d<\/p>\n

Having proclaimed, \u201cWe are to be a sent people to the ends of the earth sharing God’s love, mercy, forgiveness, and good news of Jesus Christ in word and deed,\u201d she told a personal story of a time she did not feel like shining very brightly at all. Members of her congregation had agreed to wear crosses and to use any question about the cross as an opening to share about Jesus. One night at the hospital she hoped to rush in and out, visiting a parishioner and heading home, when someone complimented her on the cross she wore. At first she was silent, but her conscience finally caused her to thank that person, and to share it was her faith in Jesus she wore that cross. The person then told her he was at the hospital to visit a loved one, and facing a difficult decision about continuing life support. She helped that person realize Jesus would be with them during this tough time.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf I had kept my mouth shut I would not have let my light shine,\u201d she said and then asked, \u201cWhat is holding us back from allowing our light to glow in the darkness? I challenge us. When was the last time we allowed our light to shine in the darkness? Jesus was talking about us when he said you are the Light of the World.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Photo by Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford<\/small><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Welcome to NOAC and the theme, Healing Springs Forth.<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n

At the close of worship all in attendance snapped and shook the glow sticks handed to them when they arrived, so that they might shine a light in the darkness.<\/p>\n

Dava Hensley has been the pastor of First Church of the Brethren, Roanoke, Va., the past seven years.<\/p>\n

–Frank Ramirez is pastor of Everett (Pa.) Church of the Brethren and a volunteer on\u00a0the NOAC Communication Team.<\/em><\/p>\n

Question of the Day<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat are your hopes and dreams for the week?\u201d Some answers from NOAC staff and planning committee members.<\/p>\n

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Photo by Eddie Edmonds<\/small><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
The NOAC staff and volunteers who make the conference a success.<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cMy dream is that we have a great time, with great weather, and a great NOAC.\u201d\u2014Kim Ebersole<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cMy hope is that we have the sort of community we are known for here at NOAC, that we hear a challenging and encouraging word from our speakers, that healing will spring forth.\u201d\u2014Jonathan Shively<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cI am really excited just to be here. I was supposed to be here in 1958 for NYC but I broke my leg! I\u2019m recognizing landmarks from photographs I saw. I\u2019m really glad I can help with hospitality.\u201d\u2014Delora Roop<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cMy hope is to reconnect with brothers and sisters, experience a deep sense of Christ\u2019s presence.\u201d\u2014Eric Anspaugh<\/em><\/p>\n

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Photo by Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford<\/small><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
The NOAC News Team play Peter and Paul.<\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cMy hope is that we have meaningful worship, great singing and preaching, and have fun.\u201d\u2014Bev Anspaugh<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cMy hope is that everyone leaves here feeling more spirit-filled than when they arrived.\u201d\u2014Donna Kline<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cI hope that we have a blessed time of renewal with each other and our Lord, meeting old and new friends.\u201d\u2014Jennie Ramirez<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cMy hope is that people will be able to take a Sabbath rest, reordering rhythm, and share not only worship but play together, have reunion with friends, and ice cream.\u201d\u2014Deanna Brown<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cMy hope is to build relationships between young adults and older adults.\u201d\u2014Becky Ullom Naugle<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Words and pictures from the first day of NOAC 2013<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":[],"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[1259],"wf_post_folders":[],"class_list":["post-6992","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-noac"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6992","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6992"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6992\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13299,"href":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6992\/revisions\/13299"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6992"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6992"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6992"},{"taxonomy":"wf_post_folders","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brethren.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/wf_post_folders?post=6992"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}