MIDWEEK MESSAGE #51
Hello and welcome to Midweek Message #51! I really appreciate that you have entrusted some of your valuable time to allowing me into your inbox. I know there are a whole lot of other things clamoring for your time and attention so thanks for taking the time to read this small attempt to keep in touch with you.
The past few days have been typical Indiana Spring days. Rumor has it (but since when can the weatherman predict the weather?) that Resurrection Sunday is supposed to be sunny and in the 70s. Now you’re talking!!
Speaking of Resurrection Sunday. I have been announcing several important items concerning that day. I’d like to reiterate them for you one last time or just in case you haven’t heard them. 🙂
- We will have two services-one at 9:00 and one at 10:45 (this service will include children’s programs). These times are for both in-person and online.
- Even though we will add some seating, we will still be limiting the seats. If you are concerned about the spacing for the chairs, we will be using the youth addition as an overflow during the first service only. The service will be streamed to that area. The young people will be occupying that area during the second service so it will be unavailable. If you are still concerned, please feel free to join us online.
- Until this past Sunday, I failed to tell you something really important. Our practice for the past few years has been to use the Easter offering for missions. We’d like to continue that practice this year. Unless designated (like for Building Fund), all monies will go to missions. For those of you who are not familiar with what we do: we take the offering for that day and give it all away. In this case, we divide it up among the missions we support on a monthly basis, and sometimes even add a mission, and send it to them as a way to bless them. I believe God has honored that commitment in ways we cannot see-for us and for them. Please keep that in mind when you consider giving for Easter.
- This Sunday is the first Sunday of the month, typically the Sunday of our masked service. But at last month’s service they graciously changed it to next Sunday, the 11th, so they could spend Sunday afternoon with family and friends.
- Above all, please remember the meaning behind the day of celebration: Jesus is alive! For some it may just be another Owen Valley Sunday (remember that song Pleasant Valley Sunday by the Monkees?), but for Christ-followers it is a day of celebration. So whether you are in-person or watching the live stream, please take time to celebrate the greatest day in history.
The Christian group, Fee, did a song called O Happy Day with these lyrics: “The greatest day in history/Death is beaten You have rescued me/Sing it out Jesus is alive!/Empty cross and empty grave/Life eternal, you have won the day/Shout it out Jesus is Alive! He’s Alive/O Happy Day, happy day/You washed my sin away/O happy day, happy day/I’ll never be same.” It is a great, up tempo song that will get your feet tapping and bring a smile to your face. Go to YouTube and type in Fee O Happy Day and it will give you several options or use this link: https://youtu.be/GirtIPZRZeg
Go ahead. I give you permission to stop reading and listen. But please come back! 🙂 By the way, our worship team will be leading us in this song on Sunday, so please give the song a listen!
Springtime also means sprucing up. Dick Hogan mowed the church lawn last Saturday for the first time this year. J Diana will have a sign-up sheet for volunteers to mow and weed eat the church lawn on the info table. We sure could use your help with that this summer. We could also use some volunteers to help with the flower beds around the building. If you would like to do that please contact Diana to coordinate times with her. One of the first impressions people get is what the building looks like at first glance. If it looks clean and nice that makes a positive impact. But the opposite is also true. If things look shabby and unkempt they will often just turn away without a glance inside or a chance to meet people. So if you can help, please call the church office or sign up at the info table.
Resurrection Sunday is always a big day in the life of any church. We are no different. Please pray for all involved in the celebration of the Savior’s resurrection from the grave. I look forward to celebrating with you. I love you all.
Pastor Bill
