Every summer, hundreds of people from all over gather to worship God, hear great speakers, camp out in a field, and seek after God without the distractions of daily life.

This year, Breathe will take place July 13-15, 2012 at Heartland Retreat Center, 30 minutes north of Columbus, OH.

It doesn’t matter who you are or where you are coming from, you are welcome at Breathe.  The campground is full of single people, married couples, and families with kids. If you come alone, we’ll connect you with a campsite hosted by one of our small groups so you can meet some new friends!

At Breathe you’ll experience the most raw kind of relationships there are: fresh air, grungy, sleeping-in-tents-style community that you can’t get anywhere but in a campground filled with hundreds of new friends!

Also, in regards to Story Formed Life, the Elders will be going through the training together over the next several weeks and then making a decision about whether to offer it to the entire church.

Alright men. The ladies have been having bi-annual retreats for a couple years now. What have we done? NOTHING. It’s time to remedy this situation. I’m thinking Red River Gorge, June 2012. Anybody with me? There will be a preliminary man gathering this Sunday after church to begin plotting some good times.

The cost of the retreat is $35* and includes overnight accommodations at the Convent until all the rooms are full, so reserve early! All money can be given to Jody Nixon (checks made payable to Sustainable Faith) or through the Sustainable Faith website: https://secure.pledgeconnect.com/donation.aspx?sustainablefaith

*If money is a concern, please do not let that be a factor that hinders you from attending. Money has been donated to off-set the cost for those who need it. Please talk with Maurie Hanauer if money is a concern.

As this is the first year of this event they are asking that those interested RSVP with an estimated number of students that could attend by March 19th, 2012. They are mainly looking for the interest we would have in attending Conflux. The cost for this retreat is $140/person. This will take place October 19th-21st and will include cabin style lodging and meals on Saturday, and breakfast on Sunday; A late snack Friday night will be provided when the youth arrive. Conflux will be held at Camp Kern in Oregonia, OH. As we get closer to the event they will send out newsletters and packets for registration providing more information.   They are still developing the event website.

If you have any questions or interest in any of our youth attending, comment on this post or talk with one of the elders.

SERVE ON SUNDAYS:
Sign-up to bring eucharist bread and to volunteers with the kids (age groups are 0-4yrs and 5+yrs).

See Don or Janet McNeel if you’re interested in being a Eucharist server.

PRACTICES THAT MEMBERS COVENANT TO LIVE INTO:

• Partaking of eucharist (communion)
• Faithful participation in weekly gatherings and times of communal prayer
• Faithful service to the church and to the community in a specific, God-gifted role
• Faithful participation in discipling relationships (such as in small groups)
• Getting to know, and faithfully praying for, one’s immediate neighbors
• Faithfully assisting in VC-hosted community meals
• Faithful participation in decision making, including the selection of leaders
• Faithfully praying for VC and its leaders
• Faithfully giving at least 5% of one’s finances to VC
• Faithfully observing weekly times of Sabbath rest

THE WEEK AHEAD:
Prayers of the Morning Office – every Monday-Friday at 7:00am in the sanctuary of St. E’s.  All are welcome.

Spring Cleaning!See Tom Wuest if you’d like to help.

THIS COMING SUNDAY (2/19) – We’re on the move (for real)!  Service will relocate to the sanctuary beginning next Sunday.  Please plan to dress warmly! As we seek to faithfully steward this lovely, old building, we try to minimize use of the boiler to heat the sanctuary space, as it typically costs about $200 just to provide heat for a Sunday service (the boiler has to run the entire night before to make a difference). We’re working on some low-cost options to make the space comfortable, but please anticipate that it may be a bit less temperate next Sunday.

THIS COMING SUNDAY (2/19) – Consecration/Commissioning Service for Josh & Jill Stoxen to pastor Vineyard Central.  POTLUCK FOLLOWING – please bring a soup, side, or dessert to share!

THIS COMING SUNDAY (2/19) – Easter Choir meeting in the upstairs gathering room at 5:00pm.  Please come if you’re interested in singing with us on Easter Sunday!  Email Drew Abbott at abbottrdrew@gmail.com with any questions.

COMING SOON:
VC Women’s Retreat  - May 19-20 at the Convent Cost – $35 per person (includes overnight accommodations, available on limited, first-come basis).  If you would like to attend or would like more information about the retreat, please see Jill Stoxen.   If you are interested in sponsoring an attendee, or if you wish to request financial assistance or barter to offset retreat costs, please see Maurie Hanauer.

Easter Sunday – Baptism & Child Dedication – if you are interested in being baptized and/or participating in the child dedication on Easter Sunday, please see one of the elders.  More information to come!

OTHER NEWS AROUND VC:
From Joshua Hanauer:  Norwood Rugby needs your help! See me or email hanauer@norwoodrugby.com for full details and creative ways to support this effort. Let’s go Rhinos!

Spring Cleaning! – Begins THIS SATURDAY – Feb. 11th at 9:00am.  Our building needs lots of TLC!  See Tom Wuest if you’d like to help or JUST SHOW UP!

COMING SOON:
Monthly potluck – This month’s potluck will be after the February 19th service.  Plan to bring a soup or side dish to share!

VC Women’s Retreat  - May 19-20 at the Convent
Cost – $35 per person (includes overnight accommodations, available on limited, first-come basis).  If you would like to attend or would like more information about the retreat, please see Jill Stoxen.   A scholarship fund is being established to ensure that all ladies who want to attend are able to do so.  Please see Angie Ferrell if you’re interested in contributing.

Easter Sunday – Baptism & Child Dedication – if you are interested in being baptized and/or participating in the child dedication on Easter Sunday, please see one of the elders.  More information to come!

MINISTRY TEAM NEWS:

• Building Team — No meetings scheduled.  See Greg York for more information.
• Children’s Team — Please sign up and plan to “shadow” for a week or two prior to observe how we’re using our time with the kids.  See Karen Wuest or Liz Bruner for more information.
• Music/Worship Team — Those interested in music (singers and/or musicians – leading worship is not a requirement) see Tom Wuest or someone on the worship team for more information.  Those interested in participating in the preparation of liturgy materials to be used in our weekly gatherings, please see Laura McNeel.
• Community Engagement Team — Serving our neighbors and neighborhood and fostering lasting, loving relationships.  No meetings scheduled. See Mandy McLaughlin for more information.

OTHER NEWS AROUND VC:
From Joshua Hanauer:  Norwood Rugby needs your help! We have several opportunities for the folks of VC to get involved in the lives of some fine young people in our neighborhood. See Joshua Hanauer or email hanauer@norwoodrugby.com for full details and creative ways to support this effort. Let’s go Rhinos!

PRACTICES THAT MEMBERS COVENANT TO LIVE INTO:

• Partaking of eucharist (communion)
• Faithful participation in weekly gatherings and times of communal prayer
• Faithful service to the church and to the community in a specific, God-gifted role
• Faithful participation in discipling relationships (such as in small groups)
• Getting to know, and faithfully praying for, one’s immediate neighbors
• Faithfully assisting in VC-hosted community meals
• Faithful participation in decision making, including the selection of leaders
• Faithfully praying for VC and its leaders
• Faithfully giving at least 5% of one’s finances to VC
• Faithfully observing weekly times of Sabbath rest

Neighborhood Health Care and The Jaymie Jamison Foundation for Hope bring you:

Cervical Cancer Awareness & Action January 2012 Kickoff 6 out of 10 cervical cancers occur in women who have never received a Pap test or have not been tested in the past five years.

You can schedule your Women’s Health Exam today at one of our five Neighborhood Health Care health centers or pass the info on to a neighbor! Locations in Mt. Auburn (close to University of Cincinnati), Walnut Hills/Evanston, East End, Norwood (close to Xavier) and Harrison.

Low Cost to No Out of Pocket!!!

Call 221-4949 to make an appointment.

January 28, 2012 - 9:00am - 4:00pm

When: Saturday, January 28, 9am-4pm

Hi VC’ers

To brighten up Winter I’d like to offer a marriage seminar Saturday, February 4^th from 9am to noon. Let me know if you’re interested by replying to this. Judging by the cheer that went up when I announced this last Sunday, it sounds like we’ll have a lively group.  Bring enough healthy and unhealthy breakfast food to share, and I’ll provide coffee and tea. BYO mug, pen, paper, and Bible. I’m going green: no handouts, no photocopies, no power-point (I don’t know about you but I usually take all the binders and handouts home, mean to reread them, put them on a shelf, and forget about them). I’m working on getting childcare; I’ll let you know when it’s secured (If you have someone else to leave your kids with that would reduce the need/cost; if any of you have good leads for childcare I’d be glad for the input). Suggested donation of $10 per couple to cover heat and childcare.

Peace,

Dave Barr

• Thurman Allen
• Matt Dawson
• Jeremy Eyre
• Angie Ferrell
• Kenny Havens
• Mandy McLaughlin
• Laura McNeel
• Nathan Myers
• Josh Stoxen

On Sunday, members will each vote for five of these candidates. Please spend some time prayerfully considering those who have decided to put their names forward. Click here to review the role that elders will play in our church.

The vote will take place immediately following the gathering on Sunday. Since Tom and Natasha are not candidates, they will facilitate the voting and the counting of the votes. If you are a member and are unable to attend this Sunday, please vote in absentia by emailing your vote to vcelders@gmail.com before noon on Sunday.

We have also received nominations of 20 different people to serve as elders for our church body. This is a testament to the leadership gifts that are evident among us. Those who have been nominated will be receiving a letter with questions to prayerfully consider as they decide whether to accept their nomination. We are asking nominees to decide by next Tuesday, Dec. 13, and to communicate those decisions to a member of the Discernment Team (Natasha, Laura, Nathan, Josh, or Tom). If more than five people accept, there will be a vote after our gathering on Sunday, Dec. 18 to choose five of the nominees. Names will be made available ahead of time, so that people have the opportunity to prayerfully consider the nominees and vote in absentia if they cannot make it to the Sunday gathering.

Here’s the layout of the next few weeks for your preparation:

Nov 27th: First Sunday of Advent
Worship gathering: 10 am
Last day for membership covenant commitments
Evening worship gathering for singing and praying: 5 p.m.

Dec 4th: Second Sunday of Advent
Worship gathering: 10 am
Last day for elder nominations
Evening worship gathering for singing and praying: 5 p.m.

Dec 11th: Third Sunday of Advent
Worship gathering: 10 am
Covenanting ceremony for members during worship gathering
Evening worship gathering for singing and praying:  5 p.m.

Dec 18th: Fourth Sunday of Advent
Worship gathering: 10 am
Elders elected directly following worship gathering
Evening worship gathering for singing and praying: 5 p.m.

Dec 24th: Christmas Eve
Worship gathering: 5 pm

Dec 25th: Christmas Day
Worship gathering: 10 am

Click here for the elder nomination form. Please print out, complete, and bring the form to the Sunday gathering. Click here to review the expectations and responsibilities of elders.  The last date for receiving elder nominations is December 4th.

If you have yet to sign the membership covenant and are desiring to do so, click here to access that document. Please print out, sign, and bring the covenant to the Sunday gathering.  The last date for receiving membership covenants is this Sunday, November 27th.

As with other things in our Discernment Process, if you cannot be present at the worship gathering this upcoming Sunday, please email one of the members of the Discernment Team (Natasha, Nathan, Joshua, Laura, or Tom) with your intention to covenant with VC and sign the covenant as soon as possible. Please submit any questions or problems with the links in the comments section below. Thanks!

Unfortunately this year (due to an internal audit & new management) the Norwood YMCA will no longer be offering discounted memberships to Vineyard Central members.  If you are already a member, they will waive the one time $50 activation fee, but we will have to pay regular rates now, like everyone else. They do, however, offer a sliding scale payment if that is helpful.
Here are regular prices:

Membership Type / Monthly Rate

Adult $56
Family/Household $83
Two Adult Household $73
Senior Adult $39
Senior Family $50

Here is their link if you want more information:http://www.cincinnatiymca.org/our-ys/branches/re-lindner

We will also have membership proposals available for people to sign and return as pledges of their intent to become covenant members. We are planning on a Dec. 4 consecration service for all those who commit to covenant membership. You can view the membership proposal here.

Covenant members will also be invited to begin nominating people in our church who they feel would be qualified to be elders. We are encouraging members to nominate up to five people, as there will be five positions available. Forms for this purpose will be available on Sunday. A description of elders and their responsibilities will be available this Sunday as well. See you then!

Our “Intercambio de Idiomas” or “Language Exchange” will begin on Saturday, October 29^th. It will be held here at Su Casa on Saturdays noon until 1 PM. This is an opportunity for native Spanish speakers to practice English and native English speakers to practice Spanish, and is free of charge. Please tell everyone who you think would benefit. Have those interested contact me if they have any questions: 513.761.1588, ext 14.

Please join the Courtland Ave. House Church at Upper Millcrest on October 30th for a celebration of the space, as a thank  you to the neighborhood for allowing us to use it this year. There will be facepainting, pumpkin decorating, free lunch and desserts and a chance to view the long-term plan for the park. The event will be from 12:30 – 2:30

From Molly at Xavier University:

I’m writing to invite you THIS SATURDAY to a big day at the NEXUS Community Garden. From 9AM-1PM on 10/29, we’ll be “Putting NEXUS to Sleep” for the season and completing the “Color Your Block” Community-wide Mural Project (see attached flyer for details). Come for a few minutes or a few hours to see all the great things going on in and around the NEXUS project and lend a hand. We’ll need help adding compost to plots and preparing the garden for winter and all are invited to paint a block or more on the back of McGrath Health & Wellness (1714 Cleneay Ave.). All needed tools and supplies will be provided. Food, drink, and great people will be available.

Many hands make for light work and many minds and hearts make for great community. So, please come on out and contribute!

It was proposed that selling the building be an additional sixth option. It was also proposed that a new committee be formed to pick up where the last one left off, with a specific deadline for making a decision within the coming year.

Laura McNeel issued a call to more faithfully steward the building in the meantime. Don McNeel issued a call to join together in prayer to discern what God’s purposes are for the building and how we as a church are to be a part of that. Mark Bruner suggested that repairing the building may be something people from the community would be excited to be a part of. Stephen JohnsonGrove suggested that like St. Elizabeth the person, we might have to leave the building behind in order to more faithfully serve those around us.

Moving forward, we need to assemble a team of people to advance these discussions. If you are interested, please contact a member of the discernment team (Natasha, Laura, Nate or Josh). We also need to have intentional times of prayer together over the coming year. Caring for the needs of the building may also be included in what it means to be a member of VC during the year ahead.

The Courtland House Church and other friends of the park will be hosting a neighborhood gathering in Upper Millcrest Park on Sunday, October 30 from 12:30 -2:30. Lunch will be provided, along with games and pumpkin decorating. We will also be presenting the long-term vision for the park. Please come down and support the effort, and invite neighbors. We want to use this event both to thank West Norwood for allowing our community to use the park, particularly for the garden project, and also to invite our neighbors to be a part of the planning process.

Christ the King Sunday is Nov 20, and that is the final gathering of the discernment process. Here is the plan for the remaining weeks:

October 16- Building discussion, pt. 2; exploring the purpose(s) of the building in what God is calling us to as a church in light of the financial realities of the options discussed last week

October 23- Relationship to Vineyard USA; theological affirmations

Hello VCers.

As you know, we’re in the midst of an important Discernment Time for our church community, and we’ve been spending time on vital issues for our community one after another since Pentecost.  This upcoming Sunday, October 9th, we will begin what will be a 2-3 week conversation regarding our building, St E’s.

In the recent history of Vineyard Central, some among us dedicated an important chunk of time and energy to considering options for the building going forward.  As an affirmation of their important work, and as a confession that we’re not re-inventing the wheel now, several members of what was known as the St. Elizabeth’s Explorers will share with us their work, give us recommendations, and have some time to respond to questions we might have.

It will be a panel format, with those who can make it sitting together up front. Angela Pancella will begin with an overview of what the team discovered and the options they had been working on. The other panelists can chime in and add details as they see fit. Then there will be a time of Q&A for the whole gathering. If there is time, we will conclude by giving each panelist a couple minutes to share  their personal recommendation/desire for the building. So a general timeline:

• We recognize the need for us to be filled with the love of God ourselves, so that everything we do flows out of that. We love because God first loved us (1 John 4:19). We also recognize the need for consistent, intentional practices that we can commit to doing together, even (and especially) when we might not feel like it. Love in the Bible is always tied to action, not just feelings.
• We affirm the need for both proclaiming the Good News in words and embodying the Good News in deeds. We want to honor Jesus with both our words and our actions, following both the Great Commandment (Mt. 22:37-40) and the Great Commission (Mt. 28:18-20). We desire to live out a holistic view of the Gospel that sees God’s redemptive work reaching every facet of life.
• We desire to have a presence in our community that is enlivened by the Holy Spirit and characterized by the fruit of that same Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, and self-control. We want to see the gifts of the Spirit manifested among us in ways that bless our neighborhood and remind us that God is with us.
• We desire to cultivate good relationships with city officials and others in positions of authority. We want to build bridges with those who serve our city in this way and follow God’s command to respect and pray for them. Only then will we be able to address any issues of systemic injustice that we may encounter.
• We desire to be a church that consistently prays with and for its community. For those who commit to membership, actively praying with and for our immediate neighbors and blocks could be part of the covenant commitment.
• We desire to be a church that is real and genuine in our interactions with people in our neighborhoods. We acknowledge our own brokenness and seek to point to our hope in Christ and in His Spirit working to transform us and mold us into new people.
• We desire to share whatever gifts and abilities God has given us with each other and with our neighborhoods. We hope to bring some unity to all of our different visions for what God is calling us to, while also recognizing that God is already at work all around us. We want to look for Christ in the faces of all we interact with and recognize the gifts God has given them, too.

Below is a short synopsis of our conversation from this Sunday (October 2nd). A strong attempt has been made to group together the thoughts and responses that were most connected to one another:

Joshua Stoxen kicked off the conversation with a reflection on how we might seek to see where God is already at work and join Him and others there.  He recalled Dave Barr’s sharing of the image of a open cistern with God’s water being poured in and overflowing outwards to bless others.  Joshua reflected that in a sense, there are cisterns all over Norwood; we are not the primary bringers of God’s Spirit, but companions with other.  He asked, “How do we listen and humbly join with others that God is pouring into?”  He also recalled the work of CCDA (Christian Community Development Association) and their work in the larger church to bring together the call to social justice and the call to evangelize with words, reminding us all that the good news is not either/or, but the deep togetherness of both.  So, the great call in Matthew 22 to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind” and “love your neighbor as yourself” is the framework for all we work towards.

Laura Menze:  Sensitive to and aware of mental illness/addiction present in our neighborhood.  In her work with Summit, she is sensitive to God’s beauty displayed through mental illness.  That also brought to mind for her a desire for the building to be handicap accessible.
Angie Ferrell responded that she would love for chances to be educated about how to connect with and communicate well with persons with mental illness.

Angie moved on to wonder how we could partner with other churches to use our building in a more full way
Joshua Stoxen responded that in the Norwood Ministerial Association meeting last week, he mentioned the possibility of St. E’s as a church-based health clinic
Sandie asked, “Would there be a conflict experienced with the Norwood Health Clinic?”
Stoxen: “That’s a good question.  One advantage of a church-based health clinic is that they have more freedom for spiritual conversations and therefore a more holistic care of persons.”

Mary: Could the building be used for child-care?

Don: “There’s a very diverse group of people here. Spreading our unique knowledge we might carry (hanging dry wall, mechanical, mental illness, etc) could be a practice we commit ourselves to (consistently spending time teaching others in practical, shareable skills)

Juli Thompson; “With just moving and around all new neighbors, I’m aware of the need for us to be authentic in our family-dynamics with our neighbors, to portray authentically who we are in interactions with them.”
Leslie Nixon: “It’s very helpful when talking with our neighbors to listen deeply to them. What do we hear? What needs do we sense?”
Sandie: “In the fundraiser Sarah Allen had at her home, we had a great conversation with the Mayor of Norwood and his wife. The conversation was of great benefit to both sides (old school Norwood meeting new school Norwood).
Greg York: Shared a reflection of his of late, that we carry lots of dreams, but we don’t have to start them all, or carry them all. He recalled a transformative conversation he had with a Norwood city official recently. He’s had some frustration in relationship with the city, but the official shared why he pursued working in his position; because he grew up in Norwood and really wants to see the community thrive again. Greg felt reminded of the need to bless the city officials in their work more and seek to understand their story too.

Nathan: Shared of a spectrum he’s had in his mind where one extreme is a community that consistently, habitually does good things, but without joy, without deep love, and the other extreme is a community that has lots of good ideas and has a desire to love, but whose practice is very inconsistent or non-existent. The middle would be the ‘sweet spot,’ where deep love and consistent practice ‘hold hands’ together. He observed his perspective that if we’re honest as a community, we’re very far over in the spectrum towards the community with a desire to love with very inconsistent practice. “So in order to have more balance, we need to choose to emphasize practices we can consistently carry out, even if it feels too tough, to grow our capacity over time. We’ve mentioned in the Discernment Time that we would like to have a community meal where our neighbors are invited. In order to grow in consistency, maybe we need to start at a place that we know we can handle. We’ve seen how our consistency in eating together weekly has petered out over the course of the Discernment Process. Can we begin with a once-a-month meal, and maybe after a year, or several years, or a decade, move to maybe twice a month as we build the capacity for consistency, and our neighbors can grow to know we are trustworthy with that time and space?”
Tom Wuest: Shared, “During the listening prayer time, I had an experience where I was sitting on an airplane beside Jesus, and he was in the window seat. As I sat beside him, I just felt like it was strange, so I asked ‘Jesus, why are you here?’ Jesus looked out the window, and said, ‘These clouds are awesome. I remember when we had the idea for water evaporating up and being caught in this way. They’re so beautiful!’ I responded, ‘Yes, but Jesus, we’re separated from the clouds in this metal container. Don’t you feel exiled here?’ Jesus said, “Yes, but I am also deeply present here. I am an exile wherever I go, but I am also deeply present.’ And I said to him, “I need to learn how to do that. I feel the sense of exile so deeply, and I need to learn how to be deeply present like you.’”
Tom then left the story to give his response to Nathan, saying, “When it comes to being deeply present to our neighbors, the idea of a common table, of a regular open community meal, is something I find deeply welcoming. I desire that.”

Todd Long: Shared about the importance of having a point person to communicate in simple consistent ways about the things we have said we will do. He wondered if this may have contributed to the inconsistency of meals during the Discernment Process.
Kenny Havens: Commented that he was sensitive to the need for that communication to not just be electronic to be as accessible as possible to as much of our community.

There is more that was shared, but hopefully this captures a good slice of it. Feel free to add comments below about what you heard (or didn’t hear) and were encouraged (or discouraged) by. We will be transitioning to talking about the building this Sunday, while continuing to hold our larger place in the neighborhood in view.

Also, as a reminder, if you have yet to do so, please fill out our short survey about the discernment process. You can find it here: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/D3GZWPQ. We definitely value your input!

This Friday, women will be gathering for “bring your own craft and hang out” time!  Meet us from 8pm-10pm at the back entrance to St. E’s. Enter in the orange doors and go up to studio 6 (Juli’s Studio).  I will have stamps and paper available to make cards for those who don’t have a craft project, but you can just come and hang out, too.  Apple cider and snacks will join us as well. Please let anyone who you run into without email access or internet capabilities know about this, too! It is open to all.

Hope to see you there!

If you have a penchant for gardening, a high tolerance for cats (there are 10 total in the building), and a desire for a living situation that is more interdependent than submitting rent once a month, this
may be the place for you.  Please contact Meridith Owensby at 513-223-3509 or  meridithowensby@gmail.com for more information.

We are moving forward with the idea of a parish model of church, a church that is committed to proclaiming and embodying the Gospel in Norwood, especially in the area immediately surrounding St. Elizabeth. Among other things, it means having regular worship services open to the entire community and seeking to reclaim St. E’s as a sacred, missional space during the week.

We are moving forward with the idea of covenant membership and are crafting a provisional, one year covenant for people to commit to. It will be a year of learning how we can be more intentional with God, each other and our community.

We are also moving forward with the idea of an eldership model of leadership where elders would be primarily responsible for the spiritual care of the covenant members and for leading the ministries of the church.

In the coming weeks we will discuss in detail how we will be more engaged with our neighborhood, how we will use St. E’s, how we will minister to our children, and how we will relate to our larger Vineyard family. In November, we will finalize these plans and begin the next stage of our journey on the first Sunday of Advent.

In order to get a feel for where people are at, we are asking that you fill out a brief survey about the discernment process. Your feedback will be very helpful! Follow this link to complete the survey: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/D3GZWPQ. Thanks for your help. Please continue to pray that God would guide our steps!

Hannah has stabilized since this morning and remains in the NICU. Of primary concern is the development of her lungs. Nathan and Bethany have gotten a little sleep, and were heading back down to pray with Hannah. Bethany is set to be discharged tomorrow (Wednesday) and seemed to be in good spirits. Nathan expressed deep gratitude for everyone’s prayers and for God’s faithfulness through a very trying night. The best way to support them right now is to keep praying. Stay tuned for details on providing meals for them in the days to come.

(For those who do not know, Hannah was born at 26 weeks, weighing 1 lb, 9 oz, nine weeks after Bethany’s water broke.)

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1l0htBR028IXVSm2tCdVCAw3SlPEZJ9Ekq-XpkuJlcyY/edit?hl=en_US