MIDWEEK MESSAGE #188
Hello and welcome to Midweek Message #188. Thanks for taking a few moments out of your busy schedule to take the time to read this week’s edition of the MM.
WOW! Winter sure hit us this past weekend. After a mild one so far, I think it made up for it in one powerful punch. I can’t remember the last time we had such bitter cold weather. Charley and Cindy Shipley lived for several years in Montana and she said the weather reminded them of why they moved from Montana. She said, “Not looking forward to the next 12 days of not getting above freezing temperatures!!! And the single digits remind us of Montana again.” I guess we can always look on the bright side. My friend, Dave, said “The coldest I was ever in was -12 but with the wind chill that took it down to something like -50. That was nuts.” And I added: “Yep. That’s COLD!!” So there you have it. It could have been worse. But the other bright side is that it takes us one day closer to Spring. ☺
We found out one thing for certain. The “Weather Alert System” put in place by Diana worked well. I even got a text. ☺ I do hope each one of you were alerted. If not, please let us know so it can be corrected (can we hope there is not another time?). I’d like to give a big shout out to the ladies who have agreed to be a part of our weather alert team! Diana sends a text to them and they have taken on the responsibility of alerting you to changes in our worship schedule, or in the event of a major weather issue, the possible cancellation of our service. Diana also posts it on Facebook and sends out an email. If you did not get a text, call or email, please let Diana know. Many thanks to Madi Arnett, Heather Keith, Kris Samick, Linda St.John and JuliAnne Wiegand. I definitely believe we made the right call this past weekend. Our concern is for your safety and I appreciate the ladies who helped make the texts/calls. Pastor Ryan also cancelled ROOTS and I believe that was the right call to make as well. I would rather err on the side of caution than for one of our adults or young people to have an accident.
Be in prayer for our Educator of the Week, Brittany Greene. Brittany is the principal at Spencer Elementary School. She and her husband, Brad (OVHS Athletic Director), are the parents of three children, Parker, Morgan, and Cooper. Brittany has been at SES for 7 years.
YOUTH CORNER
- Several of our young people play in the 10U basketball league. I’m going to mention those I know. Please let me know if I missed any. Haven and Kane Mosier, Amelia and Hudsyn Biggs, Tanner Wood and Julian Carson.
- Koe Mosier (2 month old son of Tommy and Kristina Mosier) was there with his mamaw, Janet Jones, rooting for his big sister and brother this past Saturday. He was there through several games. What a trooper! What I can’t figure out is after I visited for a few minutes and almost had him laughing, he started crying. Was it something I said? ☺
- In last week’s MM I asked you to put a date on your calendar and that I would share more information in future MMs. The date is January 27th and the event is a fundraiser to benefit Nolan Miller in his battle against leukemia. Nolan is 16 years old and was diagnosed with leukemia in July of 2023. He immediately began treatment for it and is currently in remission, however, he continues in a maintenance treatment program and will for the next two years. The fundraiser will be at the Christian Life Center from 12-2:00. The meal will include soups, desserts, baked potato bar, and a silent auction. All proceeds will help offset expenses he and his family have incurred during this time. Suggested donation is $10/adult and $5/kids. I know Jo, Tami and I plan to be there and we look forward to seeing many of you. Nolan’s parents are Paul and Kelsey Miller and his siblings are Madison and Kaine. Their family is part of the Freedom Homeschool group along with many folks from our OVCF family. Maddy and Nolan are part of our youth group, too. Please keep them all in your prayers.
This coming Sunday my sermon series on WELCOME HOME…where… will continue with a sermon on Jesus is Honored. The Scripture is Colossians 1:15-20. Weather permitting (of course) I look forward to seeing you. Did you know that weather like we had last weekend is a perfect time to watch the live stream if you are unable to make it in? We had a different scenario last weekend due to only having one service at 10:45, but normally it will coincide with our 9:00 and 10:45 services. I miss seeing people but knowing we have the live stream gives me some measure of relief. Just don’t get too comfortable watching it in the recliner! ☺
Would you like to hear an update on our building plans and program? Come in person or tune in for a short update from Wayne Akerson, one of our elders and a member of the Building Team. We met this Monday with Jeff Hutton from J.L. Benton Contracting to talk about our next steps. The meeting was very productive and encouraging. I am so thankful for each member of the Building Team for their time and ideas and especially for coming out on such a cold night. A big plus is Madi always makes goodies. I’m just glad (I think) there were others who liked those brownies. I hadn’t eaten any supper…Just sayin’ ☺
That’s enough for this week. Please have a safe week. Take care in making sure you are warm enough and driving safely. I love you all.
Pastor Bill
