| DMC | SUNDAY SCHOOL – 9:00 “Jacob Sets Up a Sacred Pillar” Gen. 28:10-22
Adult Superintendent Adam Good
Primary Superintendent Krista Heatwole
WORSHIP SERVICE – 10:00
Worship Leader Blake Showalter
Moderator Roland Horst
Offering RNOC (Rosedale Network of Churches)
Song Leader Ian Trissel
Message “The Yoke of the Calling” Micah Heatwole
CHILD DEDICATION
Sawyer Bo (Rhett & Alayna Cline), Maple May (Ethan & Grace Harris),
Elliot Isaac (Ian & Arlene Trissel)
FELLOWSHIP MEAL
Served in the fellowship hall immediately after the service. All are
invited to the basement for a time of food and fellowship.
LOOKING BACK
Sunday School: 220 Worship: 367
Offering: Congregational Operating Fund 9,306.81
Building Fund 1,441,255.59… as of June 26 – Goal is 2,000,000.00
TODAY
Infant Nursery: Laura Beery, Charity Trissel
1’s Nursery: Simara Witmer, Audrey Showalter
2’s Nursery: Mary Witmer, Ruthann Weaver
THIS WEEK
Mon. June 30 @ 7pm: Ladies Jail Service pray for C | Edit |
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| me | LINVILLE — Every year since 1976, regardless of the weather, Phil Stone has come to the cemetery on the Lincoln Homestead to honor Abraham Lincoln on his birthday.
Sometimes, in terrible weather conditions, he does so solo.
Wednesday was no exception. But this year, Stone was not alone. A crowd of more than two dozen people trudged through the snow to join Stone in honoring the 16th president, who has ties to Rockingham County. Visitors came from as nearby as Harrisonburg to as far away as Allentown, Pennsylvania, and Edison, New Jersey, for this year's celebration.
Stone made his remarks in the cemetery, where some of Lincoln's relatives, including his great-grandparents, are buried.
Stone's dedication to Abraham Lincoln has been deemed so significant that later this year, he will be honored with the Lincoln the Lawyer Award from the Abraham Lincoln Association in Springfield, Illinois.
Joseph Garrera, a board of directors member for that organization, said it is an award rarely given.
"Over the years, Dr. Stone has told the Lincoln story to so many people," Garrera said. "He has introduced Abraham Lincoln to literally hundreds of thousands of people, and, as a result, the president of the Abraham Lincoln Association is coming to Rockingham County in June to personally confer the award to Dr. Stone. His contribution to American history is enormous."
Stone, 82, a lawyer, is the past president of Bridgewater College and Sweet Briar College. Stone is also the founder of the Lincoln Society of Virginia.
"It is the only one in the Old Confederacy," Stone said.
During the ceremony, Stone recounted the story of how he and his friend, Judge John Paul, were sitting in a Woolworth's Department Store in Court Square in the 1970's, thinking about how sad it was that no one was doing anything to honor Lincoln's birthday locally though he had connections to the region.
They decided to hold a ceremony to read and honor the president's birthday.
"What kind of ceremony?" Stone recounted. "You bring something to read, and I'll bring something to read, and we'll call that a ceremony, a paragraph or two, and that's what we agreed to do. John didn't bring anything. That's how I've ended up with it for 50 years."
Although he couldn't be there for Wednesday's ceremony, Paul has attended the ceremony most years, Stone said. In the past, many notable attendees have come to honor Lincoln.
"We've had federal judges and state judges and congressman, Lincoln biographers, and Lincoln cousins from as far away as California and Arizona come here," Stone said.
Stone said that the event is simple.
"We're not trying to make it into a happening," Stone said. "We're not trying to make into something that we're going to sell concessions or do anything. It's just for the people of the Valley to express their appreciation for one of our families whose son went on to do great things. We're glad that people come from all over the country to share this with us."
The Lincoln family came to the Shenandoah Valley in 1768, Stone said. Lincoln's great-grandparents, grandparents, and father all lived in Rockingham County at one point, Stone said.
When Abraham's father was about five years old, Lincoln's grandparents moved to Kentucky, Stone said, and Lincoln's grandfather died not long after. But many of Lincoln's other relatives, including cousins, stayed in the Valley.
Stone said that he enjoys honoring Lincoln every year.
"It'd be fun to be here for any president," Stone said. "Pierce, Buchanan, any of them. But it's a lot more fun to do it for Lincoln because he's special. He's the best."
Stone said that one thing that made Lincoln special was the kind of leader he was.
"I think he's the model of leadership," Stone said. "You could trust him. You could believe in him. We don't have any presidents now that we call honest. It just doesn't happen anymore. Lincoln also was so humble. He was focused on what had to be accomplished, not his ego, not how he could show his authority. He had an ability to see the vision. What is thi | Edit |
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