MIDWEEK MESSAGE #278
Hello everyone and welcome to Midweek Message #278. I hope your week is going well and you survived the frigid temps of the early part of this week. Man, was it cold Monday morning when I came to the office! I left a warm and inviting house to make my way to a warm office. In between it was c-o-o-o-l-d! But warmer days are ahead. Each day brings us closer to spring and according to Tami, baseball season. 😄 Anyway, stay warm.
Our educator of the week for you to pray for is Jeanna Srinivasan. I asked Jeanna (as I do all the educators) for some info on her family. Here is what she sent: “We have been married 16 years. Aasha is 13 and Nathan is 8, very soon to be 9. We have homeschooled for 8 years but honestly I consider it starting from birth to….13 years. I am a certified pathologists’ assistant and I used to work at Riverside Methodist Hospital in Columbus, OH and then LabCorp on Zionsville Rd. I performed autopsies and gross dissections of surgical resections. Kartik is a physical therapist at IU Health in Spencer and owns his own therapy business. This year is my first year as the Freedom Homeschool Co-op director. Nathan is in cross-country, track, and 4H. Aasha plays basketball, runs cross country and track, takes dance, sings in our homeschool choir, takes voice
lessons, also in 4H and is a cadet in the Civil Air Patrol. She is involved in Roots and Deeper at the church as well.” (I asked her what she did in her spare time). 😄 Remember to pray for Jeanna and the family this week.
YOUTH NEWS:
The school year is starting to “heat up” so there should be more news about our youth. Here is what I have to share with you this week:
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- Haven and Kane Mosier (daughter and son of Tommy and Kristine Mosier and grandchildren of Janet Jones) received Top Cat awards for the past 9 weeks.
- Jordan Mangia, son of Tom and Kristine Mangia, also received the Top Cat award for the same grading period.
- Lilly Brinson, the granddaughter of Brad and Tara Brinson, received the Top Cat award as well. I’m thinking it is grandma and grandpa’s influence that made the difference. 😄
- Eliza Chambers and her gymnastics team had a very fruitful and good time in California at a meet. Eliza ended up with some pretty cool medals against some really tough gymnasts from all over the country. She got 4th place on beam and floor and then 5th place all around. Mom said, “Considering she spent half the season injured and trying to get back, I’m super proud of her for working so hard.”
- The OV High school boys’ team played Clay City Saturday night. Kim Stahl sent me a picture of the Clay City boys in their warm up jerseys. On the back was #KeatonStrong. Keaton is the high school student who has had cancer since he was 7 and continues fighting. We have been praying for him. Don’t stop praying! And well done, Clay City Eels for recognizing one of your own!
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The Top Cat Award may be new to some of you. The following was in the letter sent to the parents: “The student is chosen by the classroom teacher according to their demonstration of the following attributes:
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- Being POSITIVE in attitude and behavior
- Being RESPECTFUL of students and staff
- Being a HARD WORKER
- Being an overall GOOD CITIZEN”
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Well done to all of our young people!
I announced this past Sunday that the elders are recommending Charley Shipley to you to become an elder at OVCF. For those who are new or may need a refresher:
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- The one being considered goes through a study with me on what an elder is by looking at why we have a plurality of elders and also a study of the qualities and characteristics of an elder as found in I Timothy 3 and Titus 1.
- We invite him to join us in several elder’s meetings so he can see how we operate.
- We then ask him if he would like to join our leadership team. If he says, “Yes”, as Charley has, we then announce it to the congregation and you have two weeks to submit a written (and signed) letter telling us why you cannot endorse Charley as an elder. (It must be a spiritual reason). After two weeks, if there is no concerning matter, we will announce Charley’s acceptance and will have him come to the front of the church to be prayed over and installed as an elder. You have until Sunday, February 1st to respond.
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I hope you have Wednesday, January 28th on your calendar! That is the date of our next Church Family Pitch-in. We start at 6:00 and we simply have a good time. We laugh. We tell stories. We visit with each other. And, of course, we eat. I love those evenings for all the above reasons, but most of all because I get to be with people I love.
A couple of announcements that affect our church family:
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- For several years now we have hosted the Legislative Breakfast for the Chamber of Commerce. A couple of our government officials come to share what is happening in Indiana and what the Legislative session has on the agenda. This coming Saturday, the 24th, is the first one of this session. It will meet from 7:30-9:00.
- Pastor Ryan is taking some of our folks to a church in Martinsville on Saturday, the 31st , for a “Safe Church” training session. We had it here a couple of years ago and it will be a good refresher course, especially with the upcoming opening of our addition. If you would like to know more please see Pastor Ryan.
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My sermon Sunday is The Guardian from John 10:6-10 and the miracle in John 4:46-54. I look forward to sharing God’s Word with you. See you then. Until then, know you are loved.
Pastor Bill
