MIDWEEK MESSAGE #240
Hello everyone and welcome to Midweek Message #240! I hope you had a restful Spring Break week. I know some of you took off to parts unknown. Some stayed around here. We had 14 give up their lazy spring break to go to Tennessee to help IDES (International Disaster Emergency Services) re-build and repair some houses affected by the flood damage of last fall. However you spent your week, I hope it was a good one. This edition of MM is one big potpourri of “stuff.”
Be praying for our educators of the week: Brittany Greene, the principal of Spencer Elementary School and Aaron LaGrange, the assistant principal of SES. I suspect corralling students who have been off for a week will be an interesting venture this week. I read Thursday to SES and GES kindergarten students so I will have firsthand knowledge of that. It ought to be interesting. 😊
Speaking of praying for someone: Jeff Carlson will be leaving Saturday for Liberia with a group from Revive Liberia. Please keep them in your prayers.
We had several people take “going on spring break” to a whole new level. Brayton and Zoe Wyatt are taking a belated honeymoon (they married in 2020) to tour some of Europe. Andy and Stacy Wood flew to Barcelona, then cruised to France, Italy, and Tunisia. It was a family and friend affair.
SEVERAL DATES TO KEEP IN MIND:
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- Saturday, the 29th, is the next women’s Connection Event at Chambers Smorgasbord at noon. Cost is based on what you order from the menu or the buffet is $12.95, plus drink and tax. There is a sign-up sheet on the information table if you are interested. If you have any questions, ask Linda St. John.
- This Sunday, the 30th, is our 5th Sunday Family Worship. The elementary age children will join us for morning worship in the auditorium. Nursery and Preschool will meet at 10:45.
- This Sunday, the 30th, is also the Care Team Reunion following 2nd service. There will be a pitch-in and time for checking to see how the teams are doing and what is new! Whether you are on a team, would like to join one, or would like to know more, you are invited to join them.
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This past Sunday was a special day in the life of OVCF. Tom Mangia was welcomed as a new elder. Wayne Akerson also announced that he was taking a sabbatical for the coming year. In the latter half of last year, the elders began discussing the need to implement a sabbatical to give rest to the elders, to avoid burnout, and to give other men an opportunity to express an interest in being elders. Jeff Carlson began his sabbatical in November. (Jeff had been on leadership-even when there were no elders-since the inception of OVCF). Due to changes in Wayne’s work responsibilities he felt it was a good time to begin his sabbatical. We thank Wayne for his contributions to the leadership team of OVCF. He will be missed. Would you like to consider
serving as an elder? We are looking for men who are willing to make that commitment. If you would like to pursue that (the first characteristic Paul tells Timothy in I Timothy 3), please contact me, Pastor Ryan or one of the elders (Bobby Anderson, Tom Mangia, and David Robertson). I wrote a short study on elders that I will sit down and go through with you to give you more perspective on what an elder is and does.
Tom Mangia was joined by his wife, Kristine, daughter, Aubrey, and son Jordan (in Preschool class) this past Sunday. Being an elder is a family affair and as Tom & I talked recently, I remember what he said about a conversation with Aubrey. When he asked her what she thought, she said, “Dad, you are a leader.” She knows how to pick them!
Congratulations to Mike Wood! Mike was promoted to Lieutenant for Indiana State Police and will be the leader for the Bloomington post. While I am speaking of Mike, please remember to pray for all our Law Enforcement Officers and their families.
ONE DATE LEFT OUT EARLIER (ON PURPOSE)
Sunday, April 20th is Resurrection Sunday! Hard to believe it is less than a month away! At 10:00AM we will be celebrating the resurrection of Jesus together at Abram Event Venue (next door). We are so grateful Bill and Suzie Abram let us use their venue so we can all be together. The one caveat is that there is a wedding there Saturday night so we will not be able to set up until Sunday morning. We will need all the help we can get. Chairs, tables, sound equipment, and a whole lot more need to be set up that morning. We will start at 7:00 and, with all the help we have had in the past, everything is mostly done by 8:00. You can then go home, freshen up and come with your family. We will also need help with parking and shuttle service to and from the church parking lot. (Please see Pastor Ryan if you would like to help with that). There is a sign-up sheet on the info table if you would like to help.
ANOTHER DATE LEFT OFF (A JOHNNY-COME-LATELY)
April 6th is a date you won’t want to miss. Remember back at the beginning of this MM I mentioned the group of 14 that went to east Tennessee? They will be sharing about their experience in pictures and words with us at both services. I’m excited and can’t wait to hear more!
SOME LATE-BREAKING BUT VERY EXCELLENT NEWS:
Robert Herrington, the son of Scott and Heather, just received the great news that he has passed the test (physically, mentally, and in every other way) to become an Army Ranger. I had asked about Robert a couple of weeks ago and Heather sent me a YouTube video of his swamp phase. Grueling is a good word to use and all on about 15 minutes of sleep! Scott and Heather leave Wednesday for Fort Benning, Georgia for his graduation. He will return to Louisiana with Hannah, his wife whom he has not seen since January, on Saturday. I’m looking forward to seeing him at his next visit home.
I continue my year-long theme of Burning Hearts this Sunday with “Who Rules Your Roost?” from Judges 13-I Samuel 12. I look forward to seeing you all. Know that you are loved.
Pastor Bill
