Join us for a weekend of fellowship, growth, and aligning our hearts with God's guidance!

“No Man is an Island”themed photography exhibition.

“什么是教会？”、“教会与我的关系是什么？”

Dumplings(包饺子), Art (艺术工坊), Culture (文化展), Activities (活动) and Dinner (新年大餐）

Announcing 2024 Bible Reading Plan: Pick a hard copy at church, join the WeDevote Bible App, and Sign up for the Devotion Partner Program!

To better connect members in our church as well as to connect with newcomers, we are organizing a welcome team and a caring team. The welcome team will serve on Sunday mornings to welcome all members and visitors. The caring team will use the weekdays to contact church members and collect prayer requests. The caring team will take one more step to devotedly pray for these prayer requests. We hope by doing so, the church will be connected and be built as a loving and united community. 为了更好地连结我们教会的成员，并与新朋友建立联系，我们正在组建一个欢迎团队和关怀团队。欢迎团队将在周日上午为所有成员和来访者提供热情的欢迎。关怀团队将利用平日时间联系教会成员并收集祈祷请求。关怀团队将进一步用心地为这些祈祷请求奉献祷告。我们希望通过这样的举措，教会能够相互联系，并成为一个充满爱和团结的共同体。

We are looking for volunteers to join OIC’s cleaning department. There are two teams: Weekly Cleaning Team - looking for 10-15 members, groups of 2 that would come to clean at least once a month, and report to the weekly cleaning leadership。 Event Cleaning Team - looking for any number of members, Members on this team will assist during events they attend, and report to the event cleaning leadership If you are interested in becoming a part of maintaining our facilities' cleanliness please contact Jacob Eades. 我们正在寻找志愿者加入OIC的清洁部门。任务时间根据角色而异。我们有两个团队：每周清洁团队 - 寻找10-15名成员，每2人一组，每月至少来一次，并向每周清洁负责人报告。活动清洁团队 - 寻找任意数量的成员，该团队成员将在参加活动时提供协助，并向活动清洁负责人报告。如果您有兴趣成为我们维护设施清洁的一部分，请通过WhatsApp与Jacob Eades联系。

Our church is still seeking donations of lamps, string lights, chairs, rugs, wall décor, paint, and tablecloths for the youth ministry room as well as for a broader plan to redecorate and remodel the church. The plan for redecorating the church is still in the works, but please contact Gillian Howell if you have donations or you would like to volunteer to help redecorate the church. 我们的教会仍在寻求捐赠台灯、串灯、椅子、地毯、墙面装饰、油漆和桌布，用于青少年事工教室，以及更广泛的教会重新装饰和翻新计划。教会重新装饰计划仍在进行中，如果您有捐赠物品或愿意志愿帮助重新装饰教会，请联系Gillian Howell。更多细节即将发布！

Join us for a blessed evening of Christmas caroling at OIC church on Thursday, 12/21, at 6:30 PM. Christmas caroling is a heartwarming tradition where we gather to sing songs that honor the birth of Jesus Christ. This gathering is a special time to praise God through music, reflecting on the true meaning of Christmas and sharing the joy of Christ's love with our community. ‍邀请您在周四（12月21日）晚上6:30来OIC教会参加圣诞颂歌之夜。圣诞颂歌是一个温馨的传统，我们聚集在一起唱歌来纪念耶稣基督的诞生。这次聚会是通过音乐赞美上帝的特殊时刻，反思圣诞节的真正意义，并与我们的邻舍共享基督爱的喜悦。

Donate Blood and Receive an Exclusive Pair of Elf & Red Cross Socks. Supplies are limited. Join us to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the film "Elf," and make giving blood a holiday tradition. Optimize your donation experience – save up to 15 minutes by booking an appointment online and completing your pre-donation reading and health history questions. 捐血并领取独家的“精灵与红十字会”袜子。供应有限。与我们一起庆祝电影“精灵”20周年，并把献血变成一个节日传统。优化您的捐赠体验 - 通过在线预约并完成您的捐赠前阅读和健康历史问题，可节省多达15分钟的时间。

Save the date for a day of fun and fellowship at OIC Church on October 28, 2023! First on the agenda is our Brunswick Stew gathering at 5 pm. If you're unfamiliar, Brunswick Stew is a tomato-based Southern stew, brimming with meat and vegetables—a hearty meal perfect for the cooler weather.Then, at 6 pm, join us for Trunk or Treat. This is a safe and family-friendly Halloween event where children trick-or-treat from car to car in our church parking lot.Invite your friends and family—everyone is welcome! Don't miss out on this special day. 在2023年10月28日这一天加入OIC教堂的乐趣和团契！我们将在下午5点开始一个Brunswick炖菜聚会。如果您不熟悉，Brunswick炖菜是一种以番茄为基础的南方炖菜，里面充满了肉和蔬菜——这是一道适合凉爽天气的丰富食物。然后在晚上6点，加入我们的“车尾或招待”活动。这是一个安全、适合全家的万圣节活动，孩子们可以在教堂停车场从一辆车走到另一辆车进行安全地不给糖就捣蛋。邀请您的朋友和家人——每个人都欢迎参加！不要错过这个特别的一天。

The church's theme for this fall will be "connect." Emphasizing the importance of working together to strengthen bonds, we're planning an exciting white water rafting trip to Richmond, VA. It will be an exciting and fun adventure, with guidance to ensure safety. The water temperature will be around 50 degrees, but participants will be provided with wet suits to keep warm once the water gets between the suit. It will be an all-day activity (leaving around 7 am and returning at dinner time). The price will be $125, which includes a guided rafting trip, lunch, and gas. If you would like to pack your own lunch, the price will be $113. The only age restriction is 9+ years old. If you're interested in connecting with fellow OIC members in this unique way, please let Miranda Sparklin (434-420-0510) know on or before Sunday, August 27, in order to reserve spots in time! If there are any questions or if you would like to come, please let Ryan or Miranda know. It should be fun!

Operation Christmas Child mission project is underway. Please consider participating in this worthwhile ministry that allows the gospel to be shared with children around the world through Samaritan's Purse. You may pick up boxes and supplies at the table in the foyer while supplies last. There are also WOW items that can be purchased to use as shoebox gifts while supplies last. "圣诞儿童行动"任务项目已经启动。请考虑参与这个有价值的事工，通过撒玛利亚人的钱包（Samaritan's Purse) 将福音传递给世界各地的儿童。您可以在门厅的桌子上领取礼盒和所需材料，送完即止。还可以购买一些惊喜礼品用作礼盒的礼物，数量有限。

Starting this Sunday (8/27), we are offering a special 4-week Sunday School teacher training led by Pastor Paul in English. This will be followed by another 4-week training session in Mandarin Chinese. During these training sessions, our source book will be "Preaching: Communicating Faith in an Age of Skepticism" by Tim Keller, but the material will extend beyond the book. Once both training sessions are complete, we plan to offer two additional classes for your spiritual growth. Please note: All other Sunday School classes will continue on their normal schedule.

On Sunday, August 20, we will hold our Sunday service at Smith Mountain Lake, where we'll also be performing baptisms. Following the service, we'll celebrate this special occasion with a churchwide picnic. 8月20日星期日，我们将在史密斯山湖举行周日礼拜，并进行洗礼。礼拜结束后，我们将以全教会的野餐方式庆祝这个特殊时刻。

Please pray for Karen Nixon as she recovers from her knee replacement surgery on July 18th. It is a huge praise that the surgery went well, but she will need time to fully recover and heal. Please pray for Steve Brugh. He was in the emergency room at Centra Hospital on 7/25 and came home late at night. He has to go to a neurologist, but things are looking better. Thank you for lifting him up in prayer. 请为Karen Nixon祷告，她正在恢复于7月18日的膝关节置换手术。手术顺利进行是一个巨大的喜悦，但她需要时间来完全康复和愈合。请为Steve Brugh 祷告。他7/25进了Centra 医院急救室，很晚的时候出院回家了。他还需要去神经科医生那里复查，但是情况已经好些了。谢谢大家在祷告里纪念他。

Listen to Maggie's Story on Podcast. 来播客上听听王雨琦的故事

OIC Church successfully hosted VBS from July 17th through July 21st. With the help of over 25 volunteers, we were able to bring so much joy to the faces of over 30 children each night! It was a great time learning about Jesus, singing songs, making crafts, playing games, and eating delicious snacks and dinners. The commitment from volunteers and their hearts of serving the Lord helped the children enjoy their time and get to learn more about Jesus. This was a great opportunity for us to host our first event as One In Christ. Thank you all for your help volunteering and continued prayers over this week. 教会成功地在7月17日至7月21日举办了暑期圣经学校。在25多名志愿者的帮助下，我们每晚为30多名孩子带来了无尽的快乐！我们在活动中学习耶稣的故事，唱歌，制作手工艺品，玩游戏，享用美味的零食和晚餐。志愿者们的投入和为主奉献的心让孩子们度过了愉快的时光，并更多地了解了耶稣。这是我们One In Christ举办的第一个活动，感谢大家的志愿帮助和在本周持续的祷告。

Listen to Jackson's Story. 来听听黄翼童的故事

Listen to Tyler's Story on the Podcast. 在播客上听听Tyler的故事

During the summer vacation, students have an abundance of time. Let us pray that they cherish this precious time. May God work in the lives of these children, helping them realize how swiftly time passes and discern what is truly worthy of their time and energy, pursuing things that can last forever. 暑假学生的时间很充裕，为大家珍惜光阴祷告。求神在这群小孩子身上做功，让他们看到时间易逝，什么才是值得去投入时间精力，去追求可以存留到永远的事情。

This month, we were able to finalize our new church logo for One In Christ Church! After multiple rounds of feedback and revisions, our church congregation made the final decision on July 9th. Our communication team has been working with the designer, Gillian Howell, to make this logo come together for two months, so we are excited to have completed this important step for our church! We hope to complete all the church branding by August.在这个月，我们成功地完成了One In Christ的全新教会标志！在多轮反馈和修订后，我们教会的众人于7月9日做出了最终决定。我们的沟通团队的设计师Gillian Howell，历时两个月将这个标志打磨出来，因此我们为教会完成了这个重要的步骤感到兴奋！我们希望在8月前完成教会品牌的所有工作。

Chinese student small group was invited to Walnut Creek Park on the first Saturday of July to fellowship with the Chinese student small group from Richmond and Charlottesville. We went kayaking and hiking together with them. We also shared lunch together and had a great time with them at the park. It’s a blessing to students in all three Christian student fellowships. 七月的第一个星期六，One In Christ的华人学生小组受邀前往Walnut Creek公园与来自里士满和夏洛茨维尔的华人学生小组共聚。我们一同进行皮划艇和徒步远足。在公园里，我们共进午餐，与他们度过了愉快的时光。这对三个基督徒学生团契中的学生们都是一次美好的祝福。

For this summer, the Chinese student small group started doing role play at the beginning of each small group to learn and practice biblical counseling. There is a helper and the person in need in each role play session. The person in need is given a script of a life situation he or she does not know how to handle, such like roommate conflict, romantic relationship problems, or arguments between friends, etc. The helper/counselor’s task is to find out what is the problem,counsel the person in need and preach the truth of the gospel in these difficult situations. At the end of each role play, the whole small group gives feedback to the helper. In doing so, we learned how to face these problems in God’s truth and how to help others to see difficult situations in the perspective of the gospel as a group. 在今年夏天，One In Christ的华人学生小组开始每次小组聚会时进行角色扮演，以学习和实践圣经辅导。每个角色扮演会有一个需要帮助的人和一个帮助者。需要帮助的人将获得一个他或她不知道如何处理的生活情境的剧本，例如室友冲突、感情问题或朋友之间的争论等。帮助者/辅导者的任务是找出问题所在，给予需要帮助的人指导，并在这些困难情况下传讲福音的真理。在每次角色扮演结束后，整个小组会对帮助者提供反馈。通过这样的练习，我们学会了如何在神的真理中面对这些问题，并以小组的方式帮助他人从福音的角度看待困难情况。

Listen to Lianjie and Huina's life story. 来听听薛连杰和胡慧娜的故事。

"Life Together” is a book of profound depth and inspiration that delves deeply into the study of collective spirit and common beliefs. From a unique perspective, the book reveals the relationships between people within a community, whether it's sharing faith, supporting each other in difficult times, or expressing love for one another, all of which can provoke meaningful reflection. This book advocates for a community life based on sincerity, love, acceptance, and trust. It emphasizes that even in the face of difficulties, the power of community can help us find hope and courage. "Life Together” also provides substantive advice on how to create a healthy and beautiful community environment. This is a practical help for anyone looking for support in the community or serving others. The author provides many practical examples in this book, enabling readers to understand the meaning expressed in the book more deeply. Therefore, whether you want to understand community or faith, “Life Together” is a good choice. “团契生活”是一本极具深度和启发性的书籍，针对集体精神和共同信仰的研究进行了深入探讨。书中以独特的视角揭示了团契中人与人之间的关系，无论是在信仰共享，还是在困难时期的支持，亦或是彼此之间的爱心表达，都能让人有所感悟。这本书主张以真诚、爱心、接纳和信任为基础的团契生活。它强调，即使面对困难，团契的力量也能帮助我们找到希望和勇气。“团契生活”也对如何创造出一个健康且美好的团契环境提出了实质性的建议。这对无论是想在团契里的寻找帮助或者是服务他人的人都有这很实际的帮助。作者在这本书里给予了很多实际性的案例，使得读者可以更深入的理解书里所表达的意义。所以无论是想了解团契或信仰，这本”团契生活“都是一个不错的选择。

Our church communication team has chosen WhatsApp as the main communication platform for the whole church. 教会通信团队正在尝试使用WhatsApp作为全教会的主要交流平台。

The month of June was the mission month. Three missionaries were invited to share their stories with us and preached their message on Sunday. We had many opportunities to have deep conversations with them. The heart they have for the great commission and the life they lived helped our members to reflect on what we are doing in our group and what our church is doing in our community. The mission month was a spiritual feast and we will strive to be a gospel-centered and mission-driven church! 六月份是One In Christ的宣教月。我们邀请了三位传教士与我们分享他们的见证，并在周日传讲他们的信息。我们有许多机会与他们进行深入的交流。他们对大使命的热忱以及他们的生活方式，帮助我们反思我们在小组，教会，及社区中所做的事情。这个宣教月成为了一场属灵的盛宴，我们将努力成为一个以福音为中心、注重宣教的教会！

The "Coming Home" themed silkscreen print art exhibit hosted by One In Christ church had a profound impact on its congregation. Through the captivating artworks of Jiuyang Zhu and Li Liu, church members discovered the profound connection between art and faith. Jiuyang Zhu's sharing of his faith journey alongside his art production experiences further enriched the experience, sparking meaningful discussions and inspiring a newfound appreciation for the interplay of creativity and spirituality. The exhibition served as a catalyst for fostering greater creativity and spiritual growth within the church community, leaving a lasting impression that will continue to inspire and unite its members in their shared spiritual journey. “回家”主题的丝网版画艺术展在One In Christ举行，对教会弟兄姐妹们产生了深远影响。通过艺术家朱久洋和刘莉的引人入胜的艺术作品，教会成员发现了艺术与信仰之间深刻的联系。朱久洋分享了他的信仰之旅以及艺术创作的经历，进一步丰富了此次展览，引发了有意义的讨论，并激发了对创意与灵性相互交融的新认识。此次展览成为教会内部培养创造力和精神成长的催化剂，留下了深刻印象，将继续激励和团结教会成员在共同的灵性旅程中前行。

Six families vowed to teach children according to biblical principles. The whole church vowed to support them as their own. 六个家庭发誓按照圣经原则教育孩子，整个教会承诺像亲人一样支持他们。

We had a church camp at Bethel Christian Camp & Retreat Center. We had several workshops regarding peacemaking, conflict resolution, reconciliation, confession, and forgiveness. We also had several case studies. Forty adults and eight kids attended. We made dumplings and BBQ for meals. We also had a great time worshiping and playing games together. 我们在Bethel基督教营地与退修中心举办了教会营会。我们开展了多个关于和平、冲突解决、和解、认罪和饶恕的工作坊，并进行了几个案例研究。共有40名成人和8名孩子参加。我们共进午餐，制作了饺子和烧烤。我们还一起敬拜和玩游戏，度过了美好的时光。

After the vote on Apr 30th by LCCC (Lynchburg Chinese Christian Church) and FBC (Freedom Baptist Church), (OIC) One In Christ church officially started. There were a total of 128 people at the church gathering. Church ministry collaborations emerged in many areas. Brothers and sisters, please pray for the leaders of the OIC, and hope that God's will will be fulfilled. 经过LCCC（Lynchburg Chinese Christian Church）和FBC（Freedom Baptist Church）的投票，OIC（One In Christ）教会正式成立。教堂聚会上共有128人参与。教会事工在多个领域展开合作。弟兄姐妹们，请为OIC的领袖们祈祷，愿上帝的旨意得以成全。