MIDWEEK MESSAGE #156
Hello and welcome to Midweek Message #156! I hope your week has been going well and that the rest of the week will be even better.
Please be praying for Jennifer Schmitter, our school-related person for the week. Jennifer is in charge of the Food Service and Technology Reporting for S-OCS.
I owe a great big debt of thanks to the men who were involved in giving the Communion Meditations the past three months. In Midweek Message #148 I gave the names of the men who served during the first month and a half. Here is a list of all the men who went out of their comfort zone and gave a meditation thought: Bobby Anderson, Robert Herrington (now stationed at Fort Benning, GA), Bruce Davis, Steve Pendleton, Charley Shipley, Brad Brinson, Joe Pavich, Bruce Fisher, Jacob Schunk, Andy Wood, Mike Edwards, Ryan White, Matt Beckwith, Wayne Akerson, Westin Linville, Dave Keith, and Terrie MacMorran. The good news is that many of them have said they would do it again, and I been able to add a couple more to the list! That excites me to see men step forward.
This Sunday is a big deal for several reasons.
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- The first and biggest deal of all: it is Mother’s Day. It is certainly a great day to celebrate the women who have had and still do have an influence on our lives. ☺
- This Sunday also starts the Change for Life fundraiser for New Beginnings Pregnancy Resource Center. Change for Life runs from Mother’s Day to Father’s Day. There are several ways you can donate:
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- Take a bottle (available at OVCF or the Center) to fill and return on or before Father’s Day
- Mail a donation to the Center (PO Box 313, Spencer)
- Give online through their website: http://newbeginningsowen.org
- Use the link on their Facebook page or our Facebook group (once available)
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This is a great way to make a difference for the sanctity of life in Owen County.
One of the worst things a person can do is forget acknowledging the achievement of someone, especially when that achievement is a milestone. One such milestone is graduation-high school or college. Unfortunately, I have been on the end of forgetting someone’s name and it is not a pretty sight. YOU CAN DO US A GREAT BIG HUGE FAVOR! If you have a high school or college graduate we need to know. But time is of the essence. Deadline is May 21 and Graduate Recognition Day is June 4. Please call the church office (812.828.9840) or contact Diana or Pastor Ryan. Thanks.
In Midweek Message #143 I mentioned to you that Pastor Ryan and I have been reading to the Kindergarten classes in the Owen County school system. Ryan has been reading to the two K classes at McCormick’s Creek Elementary School (MCES), as well as a pre-school class. I have been reading to the three K classes at Spencer Elementary (SES), as well as at Patricksburg (PES), and Gosport (GES). We had, in the past, both taken part in the Real Men Read program that originated out of Monroe County United Way. COVID sort of shut that down, except I was able to read to Mrs. Lee’s class at SES when we were able to go outside. With Tami teaching Kindergarten at SES this year, I asked about starting the program again. The three teachers there were fine with it, and when I contacted the teachers at PES, GES, and MCES they were all on board as well. Since Ryan had a connection with MCES I asked if he would continue there and I took the others since it was too late to ask other men to be involved. It has been one of the most fun things I have done all year!! But, for me, this week ends reading to the kids for this school year. It has been interesting working all the schools into my schedule, but I would do it again in a heartbeat. Special thanks to Tami, Mrs. Patterson and Mrs. Glaze at SES; Mrs. Hensley at PES; Mrs. White at GES; Mrs. King, Mrs. Potts and Miss Bougher at MCES. I understand things will be even more challenging next year with some additional classes. (The emoji I can’t insert is one with eyes and mouth wide open). ☺
The laminated bulletin inserts from Sunday’s sermon on God’s Desire for You are still available. We had some left and they will be on the back table or you can call or text me to ask for one. To stay with Sunday’s theme, here are the books I recommended to you:
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- Winning the War on Worry and Putting An X Through Anxiety by Louie Giglio
- Attacking Anxiety by Shawn Johnson
- Anxiety: Knowing God’s Peace by Paul Tautges (31 day devotional)
The two by Louie are easy reads with sections to fill in. The one by Shawn is his coming-to-grips with panic attacks, depression and anxiety from the standpoint of a sufferer (who also is a pastor of a megachurch in Colorado). The latter book speaks for itself. You can purchase them from Amazon or Christianbook.com.
This Sunday’s sermon is not a sermon at all. Several women have agreed to share their hearts with you about a woman in the Bible whom they admire. I look forward to hearing the women speak and seeing you Sunday. I love you all.
Pastor Bill
