106 Clearview Rd, Madison Heights VA, 24572
Northminster Church © 2017
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29
Aug '26
News & Announcements for Sunday, September 6, 2026
29
Aug '26
SUNDAY SCHOOL IS ON SUMMER BREAK
Sunday school is on summer break. We will resume in September with a study on how Christians can faithfully engage in politics. More information coming soon!
MIDWEEK PRAYER – WEDNESDAYS @ Noon
Please join us on Wednesdays at noon for a time of prayer in the sanctuary as we bring our needs before our loving God.
CONGREGATIONAL MEETING – NEXT SUNDAY, 12:15PM
The Session has called a congregational meeting for next Sunday, September 13 immediately following the worship service for the purpose of electing three members of the church to serve on the nominating committee.
WOMEN’S BIBLE STUDY – TUESDAY, SEPT. 8, 3:00 PM
The Women’s Bible Study will begin our new year on Tuesday, September 8th at 3:00 p.m. We are continuing to use the book Sermon on the Mount by Jen Wilkin. Please work on week 6 – pgs. 96 – 113, Secret Righteousness. Thanks so much Karey for continuing to be our teacher. Grab your Bible, your book and a snack that you can share with the whole group and join us as we learn together! This would be the perfect time to bring a friend!!
MEN’S BIBLE STUDY – SATURDAY, SEPT. 12, 9:00 AM
We’re partnering with our friends at Elon EPC and starting a new monthly men’s bible study, beginning Saturday, September 12. We’ll use Zach Wagner’s book, Men of Virtue, to guide use through a study of the Fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5. We look forward to seeing you there!
MISSION FOCUS FOR SEPTEMBER: NHN4KIDS
Our mission focus for the month of September is Neighbors Helping Neighbors 4 Kids (NHN4Kids). NHN4Kids is a collaborative effort of school, community, churches, and individuals to provide weekend, holiday, and summer food to the neediest students in the Amherst County School System. You can support NHN4Kids by putting “4kids” in the memo field of your donation to the church, or by purchasing any of the needed products on the list posted on the bulletin board outside the sanctuary. You can place your donations in the bin in the narthex of the church.
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27
Aug '26
SEPTEMBER 2026 PASTOR’S CORNER — FOR THE GLORY OF IT ALL
27
Aug '26
Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha… When he heard this, Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.”
— John 11:1, 4
Bear with me, we’re going to get a little nerdy about the Gospel of John for a minute. The Gospel of John has traditionally been divided into two sections, generally referred to as the Book of Signs (chapters 1-12) and the Book of Glory (chapters 13-21). The Book of Signs earns its label because much of the action in the first half of the gospel surrounds Jesus’ signs (or miracles), beginning with Jesus turning water into wine in Cana and ending with the resurrection of Lazarus. His miracles are all done publicly, and most of his teaching is delivered to crowds of people. These chapters also cover the longest period of time, about 2 or 3 years. The Book of Glory, on the other hand, covers one week. Additionally, beginning with chapter 13, John’s gospel becomes much more intimate and focuses on the private interactions between Jesus and the disciples (other than his trial and crucifixion in chapters 18 & 19). There is a pronounced increase and focus on the glorification of Jesus Christ and the glory of God the Father in the second half of the Gospel, which is why it’s called the Book of Glory.
This increased emphasis on glorifying God the Father actually starts to become more prominent in chapter 11, with the raising of Lazarus from the dead. As mentioned, this is the last major sign that Jesus performs in the gospel. As quoted above, the chapter opens with Jesus saying that all that is happening to Lazarus is for God’s glory and the glorification of the Son. Then, right in the middle of chapter 12, Jesus says, “Now my soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. Father, glorify your name!” (John 12:27-28) A few verses later, John says, “When he had finished speaking, Jesus left and hid himself from them.” (John 12:36) In this way, chapters 11-12 serve as something of a bridge between the Book of Signs and the Book of Glory.
We’re in the middle of the longest season of the church calendar, the season called “Ordinary Time,” which runs from the Sunday after Pentecost until the Sunday before Advent, which is called Christ the King Sunday. Philip Reindeers writes,
Ordinary Time offers us the space to find our place in God’s story. We’ve celebrated and taken in the momentous life of Jesus; now we need a long stretch of days to absorb and assimilate it. In Ordinary Time, we fully take in the gospel, allowing it to take shape in our daily living, making connections between Jesus’ story and our lives.
“Ordinary” doesn’t mean boring or second-rate but simply “everyday.” The Christian faith is not an otherworldly faith; it’s about this creation, your life, these days. Ordinary Time gives us the space to consider all the implications of God’s salvation in Jesus Christ for our day by day, week-in, week-out lives.
On Sunday mornings, we spent the first half of Ordinary Time looking at the Book of Signs, John 1-10. Each week, we saw how Jesus takes ordinary people, things and moments and does extraordinary things in and through them. For the rest of the season of Ordinary Time, we’ll journey through the Book of Glory, John 11-19. We’ll start with the death and resurrection of Lazarus and then, appropriately enough, on Christ the King Sunday, we’ll wrap up this series with the death of the King of the Jews. John intentionally draws a lot of parallels between Lazarus and Jesus, parallels that make the differences stand out all the more loudly. In between, we’ll see how John helps us see God’s glory in each chapter.
The Westminster Catechisms open with, “What is the chief end of man? Man’s chief end is to glorify God and fully to enjoy Him forever.” It’s easy to talk about glorifying God in the abstract, after all, what believer doesn’t want to glorify God? It gets harder when we start getting into the weeds. Consider that Jesus explicitly states that He allowed Lazarus to die so that He would be glorified through it. That’s also easy to say when we know the end of the story, but outside of Scripture, we don’t usually get to know how the story ends. Which means we’ll be wrestling with difficult questions, like: how can we say or it be true that some of the worst tragedies and moments in our lives or our world are “for the glory of God”? I don’t promise that we’ll find satisfactory answers to questions like that, but I can promise we’ll find the beginning of an answer in verses like John 12:16: “At first his disciples did not understand all this. Only after Jesus was glorified did they realize that these things had been written about him and that these things had been done to him.”
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.
— Romans 8:28-30
Blessings,
Rev. David Garrison
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27
Aug '26
News & Announcements for Sunday, August 30, 2026
27
Aug '26
SUNDAY SCHOOL IS ON SUMMER BREAK
Sunday school is on summer break. We will resume in September with a study on how Christians can faithfully engage in politics. More information coming soon!
MIDWEEK PRAYER – WEDNESDAYS @ Noon
Please join us on Wednesdays at noon for a time of prayer in the sanctuary as we bring our needs before our loving God.
WOMEN’S BIBLE STUDY – TUESDAY, SEPT. 8, 3:00 PM
The Women’s Bible Study will begin our new year on Tuesday, September 8th at 3:00 p.m. We are continuing to use the book Sermon on the Mount by Jen Wilkin. Please work on week 6 – pgs. 96 – 113, Secret Righteousness. Thanks so much Karey for continuing to be our teacher. Grab your Bible, your book and a snack that you can share with the whole group and join us as we learn together! This would be the perfect time to bring a friend!!
MEN’S BIBLE STUDY – SATURDAY, SEPT. 12, 9:00 AM
We’re partnering with our friends at Elon EPC and starting a new monthly men’s bible study, beginning Saturday, September 12. We’ll use Zach Wagner’s book, Men of Virtue, to guide use through a study of the Fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5. We look forward to seeing you there!
MISSION FOCUS FOR AUGUST: DOWNTOWN EPC
Our mission focus for the month of August is Downtown Presbyterian Church, a new EPC church plant in downtown Lynchburg. Through the faithful ministry of Downtown EPC, God is building a community of faith and sowing the seeds of the Gospel. We are grateful for the opportunity to partner with and support this vibrant church plant just across the river from us. You may make a donation by specifying Downtown EPC on your check memo line.
HELPING HANDS OFFERING – THIS MORNING
Each 5th Sunday, any undesignated offerings placed in the collection plates go to Helping Hands, a ministry of churches in the Madison Heights-Elon area of Amherst County to help residents in need. It is administered through Madison Heights Baptist Church. Thank you for helping us meet the needs of those in our community!
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19
Aug '26
News & Announcements for Sunday, August 23, 2026
19
Aug '26
SUNDAY SCHOOL IS ON SUMMER BREAK
Sunday school is on summer break. We will resume in September with a study on how Christians can faithfully engage in politics. More information coming soon!
MIDWEEK PRAYER – WEDNESDAYS @ Noon
Please join us on Wednesdays at noon for a time of prayer in the sanctuary as we bring our needs before our loving God.
MEETING JESUS: CHANGED BY THE GOSPEL COMMUNITY WORSHIP SERVICE – SUNDAY, AUGUST 23, 7:00 PM
Join us at Randolph Memorial Baptist Church on Sunday, August 23 at 7pm for a community worship service. This is a wonderful opportunity to worship together with our brothers and sisters throughout Madison Heights and Amherst County.
MEN’S BIBLE STUDY – SATURDAY, SEPT. 12, 9:00 AM
We’re partnering with our friends at Elon EPC and starting a new monthly men’s bible study, beginning Saturday, September 12. We’ll use Zach Wagner’s book, Men of Virtue, to guide use through a study of the Fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5. We look forward to seeing you there!
MISSION FOCUS FOR AUGUST: DOWNTOWN EPC
Our mission focus for the month of August is Downtown Presbyterian Church, a new EPC church plant in downtown Lynchburg. Through the faithful ministry of Downtown EPC, God is building a community of faith and sowing the seeds of the Gospel. We are grateful for the opportunity to partner with and support this vibrant church plant just across the river from us. You may make a donation by specifying Downtown EPC on your check memo line.
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11
Aug '26
News & Announcements for Sunday, August 16, 2026
11
Aug '26
SUNDAY SCHOOL IS ON SUMMER BREAK
Sunday school is on summer break. We will resume in September with a study on how Christians can faithfully engage in politics. More information coming soon!
MIDWEEK PRAYER – WEDNESDAYS @ Noon
Please join us on Wednesdays at noon for a time of prayer in the sanctuary as we bring our needs before our loving God.
WOMEN’S BOOK CLUB – THURSDAY, AUGUST 20, 11:00 AM
The Northminster Book Club will meet on Thursday, August 20 at 11:00 a.m. at Depot Grille. We will be discussing The Correspondent by Virginia Evans. Come join us for lunch and lots of great conversation!! Feel free to bring a friend!
MEETING JESUS: CHANGED BY THE GOSPEL COMMUNITY WORSHIP SERVICE – SUNDAY, AUGUST 23, 7:00 PM
Join us at Randolph Memorial Baptist Church on Sunday, August 23 at 7pm for a community worship service. This is a wonderful opportunity to worship together with our brothers and sisters throughout Madison Heights and Amherst County.
MISSION FOCUS FOR AUGUST: DOWNTOWN EPC
Our mission focus for the month of August is Downtown Presbyterian Church, a new EPC church plant in downtown Lynchburg. Through the faithful ministry of Downtown EPC, God is building a community of faith and sowing the seeds of the Gospel. We are grateful for the opportunity to partner with and support this vibrant church plant just across the river from us. You may make a donation by specifying Downtown EPC on your check memo line.
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05
Aug '26
News & Announcements for Sunday, August 9, 2026
05
Aug '26
SUNDAY SCHOOL IS ON SUMMER BREAK
Sunday school is on summer break. We will resume in September with a study on how Christians can faithfully engage in politics. More information coming soon!
MIDWEEK PRAYER – WEDNESDAYS @ Noon
Please join us on Wednesdays at noon for a time of prayer in the sanctuary as we bring our needs before our loving God.
WOMEN’S BOOK CLUB – THURSDAY, AUGUST 20, 11:00 AM
The Northminster Book Club will meet on Thursday, August 20 at 11:00 a.m. at Depot Grille. We will be discussing The Correspondent by Virginia Evans. Come join us for lunch and lots of great conversation!! Feel free to bring a friend!
MEETING JESUS: CHANGED BY THE GOSPEL COMMUNITY WORSHIP SERVICE – SUNDAY, AUGUST 23, 7:00 PM
Join us at Randolph Memorial Baptist Church on Sunday, August 23 at 7pm for a community worship service. This is a wonderful opportunity to worship together with our brothers and sisters throughout Madison Heights and Amherst County.
MISSION FOCUS FOR AUGUST: DOWNTOWN EPC
Our mission focus for the month of August is Downtown Presbyterian Church, a new EPC church plant in downtown Lynchburg. Through the faithful ministry of Downtown EPC, God is building a community of faith and sowing the seeds of the Gospel. We are grateful for the opportunity to partner with and support this vibrant church plant just across the river from us. You may make a donation by specifying Downtown EPC on your check memo line.
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29
Jul '26
AUGUST 2026 MILLS’ MUSINGS – MOZART, MUSIC, AND THE CHURCH
29
Jul '26
As I noted in last month’s newsletter, Tim and I recently visited Salzburg, Austria. While there, we toured the small, third-floor apartment in which the composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart had been born. We also visited the Mozart Residence, the much larger apartment to which his family moved when Wolfgang was 18.
The Residence was more of a museum and research facility than was his birthplace. One room was set aside for what is known today as “installation art.” As I walked into the darkened room, I saw four smallish TV screens mounted on the wall in front of me. They were showing shifting shapes that, at least to my still squinting eyes, seemed to lack any discernable pattern. Then the music started. As my eyes adjusted, I saw that I had stepped onto a small, round plate on the floor that seemed to have triggered the recording.
I’m not a Mozart expert, but I quickly recognized the music as the last movement of his last symphony. That movement introduces five separate musical themes. Mozart then weaves all five together in one of the most brilliant passages of contrapuntal music ever written. Contrapuntal music, or more simply, counterpoint, is music in which two or more melodies are sounding simultaneously. If you’ll forgive me a couple didactic paragraphs, perhaps the best way of describing counterpoint is by comparing it with monophonic and homophonic music.
Monophonic music (from mono, one, and phonos, sound) is music in which everyone is playing or singing the same note at the same time. There is only melody, no harmony. Examples of monophonic music include you singing alone in the shower and monks singing Gregorian chant in a cathedral.
Homophonic music (homo = same) has a melody, usually in the highest voice or instrument, with chords below it providing harmony. The four-part hymns we sing in church are homophonic. The sopranos sing the melody while the alto, tenor, and bass parts supply the harmony. The praise songs we sing are designed to have everyone singing the melody while the piano plays the harmony.
Counterpoint is a form of polyphonic music (poly = many) in which each voice sings or plays its own melody. The composer’s carefully combination of these melodies results in the desired harmonies. It might seem that chaos would be the inevitable result of many melodies sounding simultaneously. But in the hands of a master craftsman such as Mozart, the end product is one of nearly incomparable beauty.
The idea of a Master Craftsman blending many voices into a beautiful whole brings to mind Paul’s description of the Church as the body of Christ, “12 For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. … God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. 19 If all were a single member, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, yet one body” (I Cor. 12:12, 18-20).
To be sure, music that consists of nothing more than melody can be beautiful, as can a choir or congregation singing a hymn in four parts. But there is a special kind of beauty that emerges when many different melodies are skillfully combined to form a single, seamless whole, a musical tapestry in which each voice makes not only a unique but an essential contribution.
Musical counterpoint depends on independent voices making their entrances, and exits, on time and in tune. Similarly, as Paul’s inspired imagery so wonderfully illustrates, the Church, its mission conceived and orchestrated by God, displays its full glory only when each of us play the part we’ve been gifted.
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29
Jul '26
AUGUST 2026 PASTOR’S CORNER — DANCING WITH THE DEVIL
29
Jul '26
Tell me something, my friend. You ever dance with the devil in the pale moonlight?
— The Joker. Batman
Don’t… tempt me Frodo! I dare not take it. Not even to keep it safe. Understand, Frodo. I would use this ring from a desire to do good… But through me, it would wield a power too great and terrible to imagine.
— Gandalf, The Lord of the Rings
Note: I originally wrote this for the November 2021 newsletter, the last time Rosie’s was on the ballot. As it is coming up again, and my thoughts on the matter haven’t changed, I felt it appropriate to share this again. — DG
Something’s been nagging at the back of my mind for the past several months, and I thought I’d work through it with you in this space. Sometimes things happen in our lives and culture and we wonder how to think it through biblically, and that’s what I hope to do here.
Have you noticed the incredible surge in advertisements for sports betting apps recently? You can hardly watch anything on TV or stream on the internet without being barraged with advertisements for these apps. This has happened because sports betting became legal in Virginia as a result of two bills that passed through the Virginia General Assembly in 2020.
Now a referendum is coming up for Amherst County on the November ballot. Voting “yes” on this referendum will allow pari-mutuel wagering in the county. If it passes, a Rosie’s Gaming Emporium will open in Seminole Plaza. By this point, this should be old news — the amount of money and effort being spent to promote this referendum and change is pretty amazing (that alone should be cause for concern). It’s being presented as a “win-win,” particularly for Madison Heights and Amherst County. Bringing in Rosie’s, we’re told, will jumpstart a much-needed revitalization and transformation of our community.
I suspect this isn’t going to work out as we expect. Every time I see an ad for those betting apps or Rosie’s I keep thinking about the quotes at the top of this article. Take the lottery for example. It was supposed to provide a financial windfall for public education. But how has it worked out? The amount the state spends on education has been significantly reduced, a reduction almost directly related to the amount received from the lottery. So instead of a significant increase to education spending, schools have the same amount of money available.
This is what happens when you try and dance with the devil. He lets you think you’re leading and makes all sorts of wonderful promises, but it’s always too good to be true. He offers us shortcuts to the things we want, often even the things we need, but never comes through on delivering. Satan even tried the same thing with Jesus, telling him that if Jesus would serve Satan instead of God, then Jesus could accomplish all he came to do without the pain and suffering of the cross. But Jesus didn’t bite, because he knew it wasn’t true (you can read about this in Matthew 4).
We, as a church, have committed to being an active part in “transforming our homes, community and the world.” But there’s a key part of the transformation we want to see happen: the power of God. In fact, our purpose statement says that we are “seeking to experience and share God’s love to transform our homes, community and the world” (emphasis added). We want to see the Kingdom of God come so that Amherst County can experience and be transformed by God’s love and grace. There are no shortcuts in this work, and you can’t use the devil’s tools to accomplish it. Jesus said, “How can Satan cast out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.” (Mark 3:23–24)
Honestly, I am sure Rosie’s might well provide some good for our community and our county. I’m sure you can win some easy cash using those betting apps. However, when the devil comes promising blessing, you can count (I was going to say bet, but the irony stopped me) on there being a catch. As Paul warned the Corinthians, “For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds.” (2 Cor. 11:13–15) There might be some good… there will certainly be more bad that comes from it. Is it really wise and good to promote anything that will surely increase addiction, poverty and family dysfunction — issues that are already running rampant in our area?
As the saying goes, “the house always wins.” At the very least, you can count on Rosie’s getting more out of Amherst County than they put into it. There are better ways to revitalize Madison Heights and Amherst County. It might take longer and more work, but it’ll be better for the people and the community in the long run. In the five years since we first voted on this issue, we now have Starbucks, Cookout, and Planet Fitness. Chipotle will open soon and Amazon is about to open a local warehouse. A new residential community is (slowly) being built. Growth is coming. We don’t need Rosie’s, and the price we’ll pay for it, to get there.
Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. — 1 Peter 5:8–9)
Blessings,
Rev. David Garrison
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29
Jul '26
News & Announcements for Sunday, August 2, 2026
29
Jul '26
SUNDAY SCHOOL IS ON SUMMER BREAK
Sunday school is on summer break. We will resume in September with a study on how Christians can faithfully engage in politics. More information coming soon!
MIDWEEK PRAYER – WEDNESDAYS @ Noon
Please join us on Wednesdays at noon for a time of prayer in the sanctuary as we bring our needs before our loving God.
COLLEGE & CAREER BIBLE STUDY – SUNDAYS, 6PM
Join us for a weekly(ish) bible study for College & Career Young Adults this summer. We meet at the Garrisons for dinner (probably something fancy, like pizza) and then spend some time digging into God’s Word. This is a place and time you can bring your questions and whatnot as well. All young adults, ages 18-29(ish) are welcome.
MISSION FOCUS FOR AUGUST: DOWNTOWN EPC
Our mission focus for the month of August is Downtown Presbyterian Church, a new EPC church plant in downtown Lynchburg. Rev. Rich Brown, who occasionally preaches for Pastor David, is the church planter and pastor. Through the faithful ministry of Downtown EPC, God is building a community of faith and sowing the seeds of the Gospel. We are grateful for the opportunity to partner with and support this vibrant church plant just across the river from us. You may make a donation by specifying Downtown EPC on your check memo line.
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23
Jul '26
News & Announcements for Sunday, July 26, 2026
23
Jul '26
SUNDAY SCHOOL IS ON SUMMER BREAK
Sunday school is on summer break. We will resume in September with a study on how Christians can faithfully engage in politics. More information coming soon!
MIDWEEK PRAYER – WEDNESDAYS @ Noon
Please join us on Wednesdays at noon for a time of prayer in the sanctuary as we bring our needs before our loving God.
COLLEGE & CAREER BIBLE STUDY – SUNDAYS, 6PM
Join us for a weekly(ish) bible study for College & Career Young Adults this summer. We meet at the Garrisons for dinner (probably something fancy, like pizza) and then spend some time digging into God’s Word. This is a place and time you can bring your questions and whatnot as well. All young adults, ages 18-29(ish) are welcome.
MISSION FOCUS FOR JULY: HABITAT FOR HUMANITY
Our mission focus for the month of July is Amherst County Habitat for Humanity. We have partnered with Amherst County Habitat for Humanity for many years. Recently, we helped fund three houses in Amherst and provided volunteer support for two new homes off Coolwell Road. Learn more about Amherst County Habitat for Humanity in this month’s newsletter. You may make a donation by specifying Habitat for Humanity on your check memo line.
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