MIDWEEK MESSAGE #116
Hello and welcome to Midweek Message #116. We left town Sunday afternoon with the temps in the sultry category and came home yesterday (Tuesday) to a pleasant 70+. I say pleasant for some of you. I like it hot. My friend, Dave, lives in Arizona and he texted me that it has been brutal for them this year. Anyway, I hope when you get this you have had a good week.
As I said, we left Sunday afternoon after we were done here and planned to be in Ohio around 5-5:30 to have supper with our family there. All the best laid plans often go down the tube (my “take” on Robert Burns’ quote: “The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry”). We were moving along well until close to Centerville when we got stopped dead in our tracks for almost 2 hours. When we came to the place of the bottleneck, we saw a truck of some sort on the side of the road with its load destroyed and the whole cab burned out due to a fire. My heart hurts when I see stuff like that. Long story short, we missed supper with them since we didn’t arrive until a little after 7. We had a nice visit though later and then took Braden to football practice on Monday morning and picked him up for lunch. Then we had a chance to meet Janna and Braden for supper. Whirlwind trip for sure, but he is playing high school football this year again, so we do plan on heading over for a game or two.
Some of you showed concern about Vicki, Jo’s sister, before we left. She was evaluated and her lungs are clear, but due to a cough they tested her and she tested positive for COVID. That changed our plans for visiting her on Tuesday, so we came on home. She is suffering from several health issues so your prayers would be appreciated. And thanks for asking.
Now on to some good stuff!! ☺
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- I have yet to speak to Pastor Ryan personally about their trip to KY, but he did send some pictures. They worked hard and you would be really proud of how they represented Jesus and OVCF. I’ll let Ryan tell you about their adventures some Sunday.
- This Sunday is our 5th Sunday Family Worship! Remember that during the second service (10:45) there will be no youth programs, except for Nursery and Pre-K. All other students will join us in the adult worship. There will even be a special music worship time. You won’t want to miss it!
- August 7 (1 Sunday from this week) will be move-up Sunday. Students beginning first grade will move-up to the Early Elementary Class. Students entering 4th grade will move-up to the Late Elementary Class. Students entering 7th grade will “graduate” from Kid’s Church and will receive a certificate and small gift at the end of their last class on August 7th (They will stay in the late elementary class THROUGH August 7th). ☺ Those students will be welcomed into our adult church worship on Sunday mornings.
- An added bonus! Those moving into the 7th grade are invited to ROOTS youth group, which begins meeting Sunday nights on August 14th from 5-7 pm. If you have any questions see Pastor Ryan because he is the man with the answers.
Speaking of ROOTS! The youth group has several outings planned as they wind down the summer and gear up, i.e. get the young people in a good mood, for school. ☺ Here is your information hot-off-the-press:
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- Saturday, July 30 (yeah this Saturday!) the ROOTS group will be kayaking Sugar Creek. The cost is $25/person.
- Saturday, August 6 they will be venturing to Koteewi Aerial Park for a fun day of “getting out from under the stress of school starting.” Cost is $30/person. Again…ask Pastor Ryan for any details. These are family events but some age restrictions apply for safety.
- Reminder!!!! ROOTS begins August 14th from 5-7 pm. This is open for all 7-12th graders. Friends are welcome.
And now something for the adults!
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- I mentioned in last week’s MM that we would be having an informational meeting for all who expressed an interest in Small Groups on August 14th at 5:00 in the Youth Addition. We will be having two presentations about possibilities for you to choose, and hopefully some good discussion with a Q & A time. (Note: Even if you did not or have not signed up, you are more than welcome to come and are under no obligation to join a group.)
I would like to give a shout out to our live stream crew. Each Sunday, we have some very faithful folks who make the live stream happen. Karen Turner takes care of the first service (sometimes with help from the grands) and Joe Pavich is largely responsible for the second service. Pastor Ryan helps by filling in if they are unable to be there. Two things:
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- We really need some new folks who are willing to learn how to do the live stream. You would be taught and given personal instruction on how to do the live stream. If you would like to help, please volunteer by letting me or Ryan know so we can tell Joe.
- And here is what I love to hear! The past several weeks we have had some folks visiting who have watched the live stream first. Three weeks ago we had a couple who decided to come after watching the live stream. This past Sunday we had a visiting pastor and his wife, who were staying at the Canyon Inn on a short vacation. They searched the area for local churches, watched our live stream from the previous Sunday and decided they were going to visit. I was so excited to know that our “unsung and often unseen” people were vital to some visitors coming. Don’t ever think what you do does not matter!
The longer I live the more I see God’s hand working in the events of my life. Like many others, I have wondered about God’s timing and answers to prayer. Events happen that want to drag me down and say, “See life isn’t good. God doesn’t really care.” But then an event like the two-hour stopped traffic happens. We left about 10-15 minutes later than we planned wanted to. We were disappointed we missed supper with our family, but this morning I read Isaiah 25:1- “Lord, you are my God; I will exalt You, I will give thanks to Your name; For you have worked wonders, Plans formed long ago, with perfect faithfulness.” That verse put things into perspective for me. I hope it will help you as you face uncertainty in your life. Love you all.
Pastor Bill
