Blog Posts
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Venture Christmas Party!
Posted by stephen on December 4th, 2011Blanket Stock-up Christmas-Potluck: Sunday, December 11 from 6-10 p.m.
Come celebrate the season with us at 6338 River Downs Road, Alexandria, 22312. Please bring a new or gently-used and laundered blanket (suitable for the outdoors) to the party. We will give the blankets to the homeless on December 18. Last name A-H: Please bring a side dish. Last Name I-P: Please bring a main dish. Last name Q-Z: Please bring a dessert. -
Thanksgiving Boxes
Posted by stephen on November 3rd, 2011
HolidayFoodDrive2011-edited – CLICK ON LINK FOR A PDF WITH LIST AND DIRECTIONS.
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Men of the Bible
Posted by stephen on September 19th, 2011The MOB gives you an opportunity to develop meaningful and lasting relationships with other men as we study God’s Word together and apply it in every aspect of our lives.
This study begins September 20 at IBC in room W102 from 8-9pm.
Register Here – or just show up.
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Ultimate Frisbee!
Posted by stephen on September 12th, 2011Ultimate Frisbee,
Cookout, & Pie Contest
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 17 | 2:30-7pm
Jefferson Manor Park | Alexandria
Sign up as a complete Frisbee team (7 people) for $10. Sign up as a partial team or an individual for $2 per player. If you don’t want to play, come to cheer and hang out during the tournament or just for the cookout at 5pm. Sign up to play and/or come to the cookout here.
If you have questions or would like to help with this event, go to the Ultimate Frisbee registration table today or email Kristen Law – krcarter2002@yahoo.com
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Nicaragua Living Water Int. Trip 2011
Posted by stephen on August 5th, 2011Join us this Sunday, August 28 in Venture for a special service all about our trip!
See you in the IBC Gym at 11am! Hear from our team and find out how you can
get involved in future trips!
Update 8-11-11 (Part 2- 7pm):
Today we finished the well and dedicated it! It was a wonderful ceremony hosted by the leader of the community – a woman older than I would like to guess… I was also asked to speak on behalf of our team and had the opportunity to share with the whole community that we did this because we love Jesus and wanted to help them fulfill a need. I also told them that there were hundreds of people in the states that though they couldn’t be there to dig the well did participate by donating to us and funding our trip and were and are praying for us and the community. They made us an amazing meal and we are now back at Jorge’s resting and getting ready to travel back to Managua tomorrow and back to the U S on Saturday – please pray for safety for everyone on our last day and as we head home!Update 8-11-11:
Hello! Today was another fun day! We had one hiccup with the compressor and it broke the PVC t shade pipe that shoots the water out to the side of the rig! We had to wait for a replacement and, in the mean time, Eric tied the compressor down and we continued pumping without any way to direct the water – it was wet! After we replaced the broken piece we got back to work and put the concrete down. Our water is running at 110 gallons per minute! With a flow like that we are told the well will never run dry.
The hygiene team had an excellent time with the kids and community and actually had the opportunity to bring school supplies to the school. The kids were extremely excited. The teacher praised God for such an answer to prayer! It was really great to hear how receptive the community has been to our teaching team.We ended the day with a game of soccer with the kids — Greg and Marcos are really good and so are the kids. I did my best to keep up!
Tomorrow we will dedicate the well!
Thank you for your prayers — pray for safety traveling back to Managua and a safe flight home!
Update 8-10-11:
Another successful day! Lisa and Monica are having a great time with the children – it seems that the people are very receptive to the teaching – they say on average there is one person who knows about brushing teeth or washing hands but it is new to the majority. All the kids are in love with them — and Greg, who played so hard with the kids the kids today that he nearly passed out.We re-dug the well using a 7 inch bit and then went Bout putting the PVC piping in a x sterilized the casing- the work was messy and wet but we are all having a great time!
Thank you all for your prayers! tomorrow we will try to put the piping in and after that we will cap it and dedicate it with the pump!
Update 8-9-11:
We just got back from our first day of drilling and… we already found the water!! Tomorrow we will case it up and get it set with a shoot and pump, and then we will purify it. By Wednesday we may be all finished and able to dedicate it!Update 8-8-11:
Morning! yesterday we spent some time in the village and then came back and worked on getting hygiene supplies ready. the rest of the day was spent reading and talking and building relationships as a team. we will be drilling in a community about ten miles from Jorges house. it is a great opportunity to show his immediate community what LWI is all about and show them Christ’s love. Today we will head back to start drilling and teaching. pray that the people are receptive and that we can be encouraging. pray that we work hard and for constant safety. (Stephen P.)Update 8-7-11:
Hello! Our team made it safely to Nicaragua, Managua last night. It was a very smooth entry and we all found our luggage with ease! Minutes later we were greeted warmly by Jorge who met us and took us across the street to the Best Western for the night. We spent some time catching up and learning about each other. Our team: Lisa, Monica, Michelle, Eric, Alex, Marcos, Greg and Myself could not be more different but that is a wonderful thing and I think we will really work well together. Jorge told us that they are moving to a new area in Nicaragua Because they have had over 50 teams sign up to participate next year. The new area is tricky to find water in due to all the volcanic rock but he and his family are excited and hopeful about the new challenges. Many of his team from last year are going to be working with us along with a couple that LWI sent from TX that was wanting to participate this year on a well dig. Today we will be going to church and getting settled in Jorge´s house about a two hour drive from here. Tomorrow we will go to the village and start digging and educating. That process will hopefully end with a successful well on Friday morning that can be dedicated to the village. Please pray for unity, safety and that we can continue to be representatives of Christ and his love for all of us as we learn and grow through this process. I do not know when I will get a chance to send you information updates again but I hope this is good enough for the blog!Update 8-5-11
We leave Tomorrow at 2pm from Reagan airport. Please pray for safe travels for our team! More updates to come throughout the week!
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Ruth Rhinier
Posted by stephen on July 7th, 2011Ruth Rhinier, will be at Venture for the next few weeks. Please be sure to say hello to her and ask how you can support her as she serves in Madrid with ECA.
PLease take a moment and watch this informative video about the program she is involved in.
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Jeff Gunther Stopped by VENTURE!
Posted by stephen on June 15th, 2011Last Sunday Jeff Gunther stopped by VENTURE to update us on how his building project in Uganda is going.
For a little less than a year Jeff has been living in a village populated by over 1,500 people, many of whom are former child soldiers abducted by the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA). He and a team of workers from the village are working on a Dream Center that will provide a medical center, clean water, and a vocational school to people who have been displaced and traumatized from a 20 year war that ended only a couple years ago.
While at Venture Jeff mentioned that there is a fungus that has been spreading throughout the village that takes over the skin on the head, arms, legs and feet and is very aggressive.
This fungus can end up taking the life of the person if not treated quickly. As of right now there is no way to support the stopping of this fungus however you can donate here to Jeff’s cause so that the medical center will become more rapidly available to the public.
Please be praying for Jeff and his work in Uganda. He keeps a consistent blog of what he is doing as well as a facebook page.
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Upcoming Studies
Posted by stephen on May 18th, 2011
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Psalm 96 Sermon Applications
Posted by danny on February 27th, 2011Today in Venture, Rob preached on Psalm 96 and gave us some specific ways that we can “sing a new song to the nations.” Here are some of his ideas from the sermon:
-Visit http://www.joshuaproject.net/
-Visit http://www.peoplegroups.org/
-Read Let the Nations Be Glad by John Piper
-Read Operation World – Jason Mandryk
-Attend the Church-Wide Concert of Prayer April 10th
-Pray through Psalm 96 or Revelation 5 and ask God what you should do
-Share the Gospel with someone -
Psalm 3, the Gospel, and our Fears
Posted by stephen on January 28th, 2011
In the January 30 Venture sermon on Psalm 3, I make the point that we find ultimate protection, deliverance, and victory in Jesus. The gospel addresses all of our deep fears, and the Spirit can overcome those fears in us as we live in the victory that we have in Christ. Here are some common examples of deep fears that we all have, at one level or another, and how victory in Christ has overcome those fears:
Fear of Death- Read Mark 16 and meditate on how Jesus overcame death.
Read Col 3:3 and1 Cor 15:55-57 and meditate on how our lives are hidden in Christ, and how we have victory over death in him.
Failure- Read John 6:38ff. about how Jesus came to do what his Father sent him to do.
Read John 1:12 about how we are children of God, something greater than any accomplishment that we could achieve. In Christ we are never failures.
Read Philippians 3:7-14 about how everything that we accomplish in nothing compared to knowing Christ.
Pain/Suffering -Read Mark 15 and see how Jesus suffered great pain.
Read 1 Peter 2:20-24 about how we have an opportunity to suffer with him.
Read 1 Peter 5:10 about how he is our comfort.
Rejection – Read Mark 3:1-6 about how Jesus was rejected by his own people; and then read Philippians 2:9-11 about how Jesus is highly exalted by the Father.
Read Eph 1:4-5 and Romans 8:31-38 about how we are completely accepted by God and how nothing can separate us from God’s love in Christ.
Powerless- Eph 1:18-22; 2 Cor 12:9-10 (Idol of Power)
Christ became weak in his death, but read how in his resurrection hewas given all authority in heaven and on earth (Matt 28:18) and how in Ephesians 1:18-23 he has supreme power.
Read in 2 Cor 12:9-10 about how in our weakness, we are strong in the power of Christ.
Reflect prayerfully and thankfully on these things that God has done for us in the gospel of his Son Jesus.
