Category: MidweekMessage

MIDWEEK MESSAGE #182

HELLO and welcome to Midweek Message #182. When you get this Thanksgiving will be over and we will be sleighing towards Christmas. I hope you had a grateful Thanksgiving filled with appreciation for family and friends, but most of all for God’s goodness to all of us.

I’d like to remind you to pray for the following folks this week:

• Our Educator of the Week, Christine Chambers, is the first of our homeschool moms whom you will be asked to pray for over the next couple of weeks. Christine, and her husband Jimmy, have four children (Eliza, Isabella, Alexander, and Arionna). Christine was a public school teacher until she started having her own children. As you can imagine her life is filled with studies and being “mom’s taxi service.” ☺ She and Jimmy are the owners of Chambers Restaurant.
• Our College Student of the Week is Mollie Wainscott. Mollie is a freshman at Milligan University. Mollie is an accomplished violinist and is playing in the orchestra at Milligan.
• Our Mission of the Week is Serge, specifically Will & Theresa Reed. Will & Theresa and their three girls- Audrey (5), Ellie (7) and Tallie (2) are serving in Nairobi, Kenya.

YOUTH CORNER

Yep, opened up a can of worms (see last MM), but I wouldn’t have it any other way. ☺ Here are some young people I want to spotlight this week:

• Cammie King was voted MVP by her JV volleyball teammates and recognized at the Fall Sports Banquet for the honor. Proud mama Cara was the informant. ☺
• A number of our young men are playing basketball for OV basketball teams.

1. Kaden White is playing on the freshman boys’ basketball team.
2. Kaden’s brother, Kyson, is playing on the 7th grade team. Rumor has it both boys got their basketball genes from their mom, Karen (Redenbaugh) White, who set several records at OVHS and went on to play at IU.

• I saw Eli Wood’s picture on the wall at OVMS (not a Wanted poster). I was impressed with his 4.0 GPA.

Next week I will feature some more of our outstanding young people who attend OVCF. If you know of special achievements please let me know. You can text me or drop me an email.

Before I go any further I need say a huge, and I mean a HUGE THANK YOU for everyone who helped with the Thanksgiving meal. We served about 80 meals (delivery, curbside, inside and take-out). While that was lower than last year, we still made 80+ people happy by giving them a Thanksgiving meal. I have received a few thank you’s from people and they were extremely grateful for their meal. We also took a ton of food (mostly desserts which will put those folks on a sugar high for days) to the EMS workers. It would not have been possible if not for your help in preparing the food, packaging meals, and delivering them. We will need to make some adjustments for next year, but I know God was blessed by our service.

BACKPACK BUDDIES

Every weekend during the school year over 200+ students receive food from the S-OCS school system to take home. As you can imagine this is a daunting task and would be totally impossible if not for the generosity of people and businesses in our community who care about the students. OVCF is one of those who cares. During the year we will sometimes ask for donations of food to be taken to the school. We will give a financial donation to help with buying food. We have also asked you to help us make food possible for these students. This year OVCF bought over $1000 worth of items for the students to take home for Christmas break, but we are also asking for your help in adding to what the church itself purchased. Diana has made a handy list that you can take with you to do your shopping, but just in case you are unable to be here to get the list (or they are all gone), I thought I would include it below. Every little bit helps. The best gift of all? You are helping one of our S-OCS students have something to eat over Christmas break. Here’s the list:

• Ramen noodles (chicken or beef)
• Little Debbie- Cosmic brownies
• Little Debbie- Star Crunch
• Little Debbie- Nutty Buddies
• Fruit snacks
• Snack-size chips, pretzels, goldfish crackers

If you would like to help, please bring donations to the church building by or on December 3rd. We plan to deliver them that week.  Thank you again for being such generous people. ☺

I have been preaching a series entitled More Than a Holiday during the month of November. I decided to carry that theme over into December. I thought you might like to see what is ahead for the month:

• December 3- Long, Long Ago
• December 10- What a Heritage!
• December 17- The Role of a Lifetime
• December 24- Don’t Miss It!
• December 31- What Does it all Mean?

One extra: Since Christmas Eve is on a Sunday, we will be having one 10 AM service + a Christmas Eve service at 5:00 PM. I’ll fill you in more when I have a more concrete idea. (Not my brain…the plan). ☺

Meanwhile, have a great week. It was a joy seeing many of you and spending part of Thanksgiving Day with you. I look forward to spending the month of December with you.

Due to the death of Jo’s sister on Sunday, we will be out of town from yesterday (Tuesday) until Friday. The service is Thursday. Prayers would be appreciated for safety and all to go smoothly.

Pastor Bill

MIDWEEK MESSAGE #181

Hello and welcome to Midweek Message #181. I say this quite often but I appreciate you taking the time to read my ramblings. ☺  I also want you to know with next week being Thanksgiving week, there will NOT be a MM. (Don’t act so happy sad). So this edition will have several weeks of information for you.

Following are several weeks of people I would like to remind you to pray for.

• Our educator of the week for this week is Angela Mayle. Angela is an Inclusion Teacher at SES. She is married to Brent, who works at Cook at Park 48 and they have a daughter, Addison, who is a Freshman and plays on the OVHS girls’ basketball team.
• Our college student for the week is Cayden Paquette. Cayden is a Sophomore at Blackburn College where he plays basketball. He is majoring in Business Management and Marketing/Minoring in Coaching.
• Our mission of the week is New Beginnings Pregnancy Resource Center.
• Our educator for the week of November 19-25 is Rachel Nicholson. Rachel teaches Special Education at MCES. She is married to Dale, who works at The Chapel Funeral Home, and is the mother to Tad, a 6th grader at MCES (who happens to love baseball and is a catcher).
• Our college student for the week of November 19-25 is Grace Pendleton. Grace is a Junior at IU, but is currently in Italy until December 20th for Interior Design.
• Our Mission of the Week for November 19-25 is Revive Liberia Missions.

YOUTH CORNER

Diana told me I might open a big can of worms by starting this Youth Corner. ☺  I agreed but I thought it would be cool for you to know what some of our young people are doing. Here is more info about some of them:

• Charli Wood has recently won the True Patriot Award for OVMS. Along with that she also won Offensive MVP for the volleyball team; was elected VP of Student Council; and was given a solo for the Veterans Day service through the school choir. Oh…along the way she also made straight As.
• Cooper Wood (brother to Charli) made the 5th grade basketball team, is an A/B Honor Roll student, and in his spare time also earned a Safe Sitter Certificate for babysitting.
• Tanner Wood (yep, same family) was chosen as an SES Top Cat and is a straight A student. And yes, mom, Shelby VanDerMoere, proudly shared all of that info with me. ☺

• Amelia Biggs, Geoff and Kala’s daughter, made the 5th grade basketball travel team.
• Londyn Frye, Brock and Tiffany’s son, made the OVMS team for both 7th & 8th grade.
• Jo & I watched Haven Mosier, daughter of Tommy and Kristina, and Deanna Cain, daughter of Elijah and Cassie Arthur play Saturday in the 9U basketball league.

So…if you know more young people I can shine a spotlight on, please let me know. And as you can see, it doesn’t always have to be for sports. A little birdy told me there will be more in the next MM. ☺

I have sometimes been accused of being a “day late and a dollar short.” This is one of those cases. I read the following on Thursday of last week and it was too late to put it in the MM. So I thought I would include it here. The author is Pastor James Emery White. Enjoy:

Saturday is (was) Veterans Day. It is a well-known American holiday, but one with many misconceptions. So many that the U.S. Department of Defense issued “5 Facts to Know About Veterans Day” in relation to its observance back in 2018. In honor of Veterans Day, and as my own salute of gratitude to veterans, I thought it fitting to share the five again:

1. Veterans Day does NOT have an apostrophe. In other words, it’s Veterans Day, not Veterans’ or Veteran’s Day. It is not a day that belongs to one veteran or multiple veterans. It’s a day for honoring all veterans.
2. Veterans Day is NOT the same as Memorial Day. Veterans Day honors all of those who have served the country in war or peace – dead or alive – though it’s mostly intended to thank living veterans for their service. Memorial Day is a time to remember those who gave their lives for our country, particularly in battle or from wounds they suffered in battle.
3. It was originally called Armistice Day, commemorating the end of World War I. World War I officially ended when the Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28, 1919. The actual fighting, however, ended about seven months earlier when the Allies and Germany put into effect an armistice on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. Since it was seen to mark the end of “the war to end all wars”, November 11 was named “Armistice Day.” But then more wars came, so to honor all veterans, it was renamed Veterans Day in 1954. In 1968 it was moved, along with a few other federal holidays, to a Monday to ensure a long weekend.
4. Veterans Day was originally set for the fourth Monday of every October. The first Veterans Day under the 1968 bill didn’t take place until 1971. The delayed implantation, along with moving it to a date different from the historic 11th day of November, led to confusion. Many states continued to celebrate Veterans Day in November. On September 20, 1975, President Gerald Ford signed another law that returned the annual observance to its original date (November 11).
5. Other countries celebrate it, too, in their own ways. World War I was a multinational effort, so there are many celebrations around the world on November 11. In Canada and Australia, it’s called “Remembrance Day.” Great Britain also calls it “Remembrance Day” but observes it on the Sunday closest to November 11 with parades, services and two minutes of silence in London to honor those who lost their lives in war.

Have a great week as you prepare for Thanksgiving Day. Be thankful for all you have and remember from WHOM it came. I am grateful for you.

Pastor Bill

MIDWEEK MESSAGE #180

Hello and welcome to Midweek Message #180. I’m not too sure about this cooler weather. Ask me in about a month and half what I think. I’ll probably tell you it was balmy. ☺ I hope you have had a good week so far.

Remember to pray for our Educator of the Week: Kristine Mangia. Kristine teaches 4th grade at Spencer Elementary School. She is married to Tom, who works at Catalent and coaches the 6th-8th grade boys cross country team. They are the parents of three children: Mason, a senior at ISU; Aubrey, a 7th grader at OVMS; and Jordan, a Pre-school student at SES.

Travis Floyd is our College student of the Week. Travis is a senior music major at IU Jacobs School of Music.  He begins his student teaching at Bloomington North in January. He added another accomplishment to his life this year! He married Sierra on April 22nd.  You will also find Travis playing bass with our Worship Team.

Our Mission of the Week is Jesse Cook/International Friendships, Inc. Jesse is married and has two very active boys who love soccer. Jesse was involved in Chi Alpha until accepting the challenge from IFI to engage with international students. Jesse/IFI is one of the missions we support as a church family.

This Saturday is Veterans Day. There is a Veterans Dinner, sponsored by 4-H at the fairgrounds. The dinner is at 6 PM and is offered free of charge to all veterans.

I ran out of room in last week’s MM to tell you more about the Pancake Meal Fundraiser scheduled for November 14th for Maverick Pendleton. Just about a year ago, Maverick (age 4 at the time) was diagnosed with a glioblastoma. He has been a real fighter and his doctors are doing all they can to help him defeat this cancer. His parents, Josh and Becky, have gone through this storm with him. As you can imagine, the cost of treatment is mind-numbing. The Pancake Meal is from 5-6:30 at the Patricksburg gymnasium. It is sponsored by the Patricksburg PTO. The cost is $5 per person. It is a great time for us to put feet to our prayers with our support. Even if you are not a pancake eater (here, here), it would be a great encouragement to them to offer your support and help.

Uppermost in my mind is the Thanksgiving Meal for the community scheduled for Thanksgiving Day, the 23rd. It may seem like I sound like a broken record, but I really feel it is one of the best things we do for our community. We help with several other events, advertise in several of them, but this is something that we can really do to have an impact.  For those who are not familiar with the meal, we serve the community from the Lions Club from 11-1:00. People can come to the LC to eat inside; we deliver to their house; or we can bring it to the curb for their pick-up. I’d like to reiterate what is needed:

Sign-up sheets are on the back info table. You can sign up for different food items: turkey/ham, mashed potatoes, corn or green beans, stuffing, rolls, pie, cookies or brownies, ice, tea, (unsweet/sweet) or lemonade. Your help is needed in the kitchen to help get the food ready to serve, sometimes prepare food, wash dishes, assemble the delivery meals, and help set up or clean up. If you can only work for 15-30 minutes that would be great!  Delivery drivers are needed.
It is an absolutely fun way to serve our community. Plus you get the added benefit of sharing your Thanksgiving with friends from your church family.
If you know of someone who needs a meal, please feel free to call the church office (812.828.9840) by Monday, November 20 and one of us will take your call/information.
I know I said this a few weeks ago, but it bears repeating: I am aware that Thanksgiving is a busy time for all of us, and many of you have family gatherings planned. Enjoy them! If you are able to help in any way, it is appreciated. Do not feel guilty of you are not able to be on site to help.

Operation Christmas Child boxes are due this coming Sunday, the 12th.  Special thanks to Jerry and Carol Sturgeon who volunteered to take the boxes to Sherwood Oaks. The only bad part of that is that Diana, Pastor Ryan and I used to deliver them and then use it as an excuse to have lunch together. Hmmm guess we will have to find another excuse!!  ☺ ☺

In MM #176 I asked you to pray for Valarie Akerson as our Educator of the Week. I mentioned that Valarie is a world class powerlifter and she and Wayne were heading to Coventry for the World Powerlifting Championships. Valarie came home with a gold medal as the #1 powerlifter in her age group (60-64) for women. That is quite an accomplishment. Congrats Valarie!

Youth Corner: 

At the 4-H awards this past Sunday, Eli Wood was given an award for Public Speaking and for his Grand Champion Steer at the OC Fair this past summer.
Alli Anderson, daughter of Rob and Becca, received the Mental Attitude Award at the Fall Sports Banquet. Alli is a sophomore on the OVHS Cross Country Team.
Oakley Groomer, son of Brock and Tiffany, was selected as a Leader of the Pack and awarded a Certificate of Citizenship at MCES. Bonus: He will get to eat pizza with the principal. Can I come? ☺
Know any others I can include in future editions of the MM?

Just a quick heads up. Our December focus will be collecting goods for Backpack Buddies.  A list is being compiled and a date will be set. As soon as we know the info we will let you know.

Cory and Cassidy, Emma, Chloe and Ben really enjoyed their visit with us this past Sunday and sharing about Team Expansion. Thank you so much for being gracious and asking questions and chatting with them afterwards.

I’m going to wind down this edition of the MM. Gratitude really does change us. I cannot begin to tell you how grateful I am to be your pastor. Thanks for that opportunity. I love you all.

Pastor Bill

MIDWEEK MESSAGE #179

Hello and welcome to Midweek Message #179. As I write this I think it is safe to say that Fall has arrived. I can’t honestly say that I am ready for it, but I live in Indiana so it is to be expected. I do hope your week has gone well so far.

Before I get to a recap of this past Sunday’s 19th Anniversary celebration and other events coming up, I’d like to remind you of some important bullet points.

• As our educator of the week, please pray for Cassie Linville. Cassie teaches Agriculture at Eastern Greene High School, is an FFA advisor, and is also the director for our local Campus Life program.  She and Westin live in Cloverdale and have been married for just over 2 years. She sings and Westin plays drums with our worship team.
• As our college student of the week, please pray for Tori Floyd. Tori is returning to IU to get her Masters degree in Epidemiology. Tori also works for the Owen County Health Department.
• As our mission of the week, please pray for Hilltop Christian Camp.  Ryan & Mala Croft are the directors, while Justin and Stevie Chandler are the assistant directors. Hilltop has affected many lives at OVCF-past, present, and certainly in the future. Justin was active at OVCF and his parents, Jason and April and twin sisters still worship here.
• Each week we ask you to pray for our Military friends and family, and also our Law Enforcement Officers and their families. Let me remind you to do that this week.

Congratulations is extended to Tommy and Kristina Mosier. They welcomed a new son, Koe Russell on October 25th. Haven and Kane are excited older siblings. Oh…I can’t forget mamaw, Janet Jones.  ☺

And I should be horse whipped. In the second service we had a brand new newlywed couple with us and I forgot to mention it. Matthew and Hannah Foster were married Saturday afternoon here at the church building and had their reception outside in the shelter. Brrrr.  Hannah works for Sweet Owen as Director of their daycare and has been attending OVCF for several months. Matthew works for DVM in Bloomington. Congratulations and may God grant you many years of love and happiness together!

About Sunday…WOW! What a great day! This week’s bulletin will share the numbers with you, but let’s suffice it to say that the attendance was higher than we have had in a long, long time. The offering-which went to the Building Fund-was phenomenal! ☺ Your generosity continues to amaze me. The presentation made by Wayne Akerson was spot on and informative (Thanks to Diana for making his notes). Hearing from David Samick about the effort to help the building fund along by investing part of it was a good thing. The singing was good. The sermon was, well…so-so. ☺  The crowd and food for the pitch-in was a beautiful sight to see. There was a lot of food and a lot of talking and laughing going on.  Thanks for making the day extra special. As for the building addition: we will keep you updated as often as we can!

This Sunday, Cory and Cassidy F. and their children will be with us. They serve with Team Expansion and spent 10 years in the Middle East. They are raising support for their transition to serving in Europe. I have known Cassidy since she was in 2nd grade and she and her family played a significant role in the life of my family. I look forward to hearing their presentation Sunday. They will also be spending some time with the youth during the second service.

One of the items uppermost in my mind is the Thanksgiving Meal for the community. I have been sharing about it in the past couple MMs. This Sunday Diana will have the sign-up sheets for food and to volunteer on the info table.  We do several outreaches to the community every year and this is one of my favorites. It is a lot of work for all, but the reward is so great! We plan to offer a meal, as always, at the Lions Club from 11:00-1:00. We will also be delivering meals during that time. Here is how you can help:

• Sign up and offer to cook an item or several. If you sign up to cook a turkey or ham, the church will be glad to purchase it, if needed.
• Sign up to help at the Lions Club. There are tables and chairs to set up and cover, food that needs prepared to serve, dishes that need washed, and delivery/carry out meals to prepare. We know you also have family commitments so anything you can do to help would be appreciated.
• We need to get the word out due to not having a newspaper. You can help us do that by telling folks about it. We have put up posters at several locations around town.
• If you know of anyone who could use a meal, please contact the church office (812.828.9840). We will call and confirm with them about time and any dietary restrictions. We always deliver to those who are working Thanksgiving Day, but taking the food to others is a special time. If you are able to help deliver, please sign up for that.

This Sunday I start a new series with the theme of More Than a Holiday. I was going to use that just for November but I’ve decided to include the December series on Christmas in that theme. As followers of Jesus, we need to see both Thanksgiving and Christmas as more than just   holidays. They hold extra special meaning to us and my desire is to bring that out. Here is how the November sermons will shake out:

• November 5- Why Be Grateful?- I Tim. 1:12-15; Psalm 67
• November 12- Let’s Compare!-Col. 3:16-17; Romans 1:20-23
• November 19- Just Do It!- Luke 17:11-19; James 2:14-17,28
• November 26- When It’s All Said and Done- Pr. 16:18; 2 Cor. 9:9-11

That’s all for this week. Thanks again for a wonderful day Sunday! I love you all.

Pastor Bill

P.S. Reminder! There is an all-you-can-eat pancake dinner fundraiser for Maverick Pendleton, Tuesday, November 14 from 5-6:30 PM at the Patricksburg Elementary gymnasium. Cost: $5 per person.

MIDWEEK MESSAGE #178

Hello and welcome to Midweek Message #178.  I hope your week is going well. It has been a doozy for me and Jo and I plan to fill you in a little bit later in this MM. But there are much more important things to consider.

THIS IS THE SUNDAY!!

I don’t know about you but this is the Sunday I have been looking forward to for the past couple of months. It is OVCF’s 19th anniversary!! Just in case you didn’t know that I thought I would remind you…again. ☺ One more time:

• • Two services this Sunday at 9:00 and 10:45
  • Recognition of our amazing volunteers at both services
  • An update on our planned building addition at both services
  • A pitch-in dinner following the second service.
  • All giving that day (unless designated) will go to our Building Fund.
  • The young people will be having their own classes even though it is a 5th Sunday. All that is needed right now is your attendance, excitement and food (if you signed up). And even if you did not but want to join us, we invite you to do so.
  • If you have any questions please contact the church office (812.828.9840)

Please be praying for the following people each day:

• • Cara King. Cara is a Kindergarten teacher at MCES. She is married to Brad and has two teenagers, Cooper and Cambria (Cammie). Cara worked at SES from 1993-2000 and at MCES since it opened in 2000.
  • MaryRose Farmer. MaryRose is a student at Indiana State and is majoring in General Ed with Phys Ed as her specialty.
  • Jacob & Mia McCall. Jacob and Mia work with Freedom International Ministries in the Dominican Republic.

Cori, Cassidy F. (their last name cannot be used for safety’s sake) and their children serve with Team Expansion. They’ve spent 10 years working in the Middle East, and are now transitioning to Europe. They will be with us to share of their new mission at both services on November 5th.

HERE IS SOMETHING WE CAN ALL DO! On Thursday, November 14th, the Patricksburg Elementary School (PES) PTO is flipping pancakes as a fundraiser for Maverick Pendleton’s ongoing medical care. It will be at the PES gymnasium from 5:00-6:30.  This will be a great way to help Josh and Becky with medical costs. Cost is $5/person. More info in next week’s MM.

OPERATION CHRISTMAS CHILD has already started. As Jo and I watched the live stream this past Sunday, we saw the display on the stage and we were excited to see some of the boxes were taken already. I am writing this part of the MM on Tuesday afternoon and I can’t find hide nor hair of any boxes! I have to say I am astounded at your generosity! More shoeboxes will be available this Sunday! They are due back by Sunday, November 12th.

In last week’s MM I shared with you my desire to serve our community by offering a Thanksgiving Meal. The sign-up sheets of what food items we need will be on the info table the first Sunday of November.

• • Here is a list of the food/drink items which will be needed (so you can be thinking about it): turkey/ham (the church can provide one for you, if needed), mashed potatoes, corn or green beans, stuffing, rolls, pie, cookies or brownies (consider making a sugar free offering of the last three items), ice, tea, (sweet/unsweet), lemonade.
  • The meal will be served at the Lions Club from 11:00-1:00. We will also deliver during that time.
  • If you can’t help the whole time, that’s okay. Just let us know how and when you can.
  • If you know of someone who could use a meal, please let Diana know. She will need their name, address and phone number.
  • Delivery drivers are also needed.

I’d like to fill you in on what has been happening with us. As many of you know and have become aware, Jo’s sister has been in a nursing care facility in Sandusky, OH for several years. Diabetes and dementia (now Alzheimer’s) has taken its toll. She is also on dialysis three times a week. On our way to Ohio Friday to watch our grandson, Braden’s last football game this season, Jo got a call saying Vicki was going to possibly need surgery for a detached retina and that Jo (as her POA) would need to be there. Originally scheduled for Tuesday, I asked for it to be moved to Monday since we were going to be in Columbus. They then scheduled it for Monday afternoon at 2:30. To make a very long and complicated story short, the surgery was cancelled and we may have to make our way back there in the future. Several things:

• • Prayers for this whole saga would be appreciated.
  • My thanks to Pastor Ryan and Diana for taking care of things back on the ranch. ☺
  • Even the Kindergarten teachers at SES rearranged their schedules to accommodate my coming Wednesday to read, instead of Tuesday. Thanks ladies!
  • A super special shout out goes to my Wednesday night 66 class. They were so gracious when I had to cancel class this week due to my lack of preparation for class. I shudder at a half-baked job and they were overly supportive.

You would have thought I was gone for a year with this much information. ☺ It is good to be home and I look forward to celebrating with you-people I dearly love-this Sunday.

Pastor Bill

MIDWEEK MESSAGE #177

Hello! After a week’s break due to Fall Break, I hope you are looking forward to another edition of the Midweek Message. If not, please don’t tell me! ☺

I hope the Fall Break was good for you and to you. We all need a break from time to time, a break from the routine (or is that rut?). I know many of you traveled and visited places you have wanted to for quite a while. I trust that your time with family and friends was refreshing and will give you the oomph to jet toward Thanksgiving.

Let me remind you to pray for our Teacher of the week, Hannah Morse. She has been teaching 4th grade at Gosport Elementary School for 6 years. She is married to Cole and they have twin boys, Tripp and Cohen.

Our college student of the week is Meilynn Dow. Meilynn is a sophomore at the University of Southern Indiana where she is studying nursing.  Her parents are Chad & Terri Dow and she has an older brother, Dalen, and a younger sister, Annalei.

You can also add the Britt and Furr families to your prayer list for the week. They minister to the IU students through Chi Alpha as one of the missions we support.

We have a very important event coming up really soon. We are quickly coming up on the date for OVCF’s 19th anniversary.  In fact, when you get this it will be exactly a week and a half away.  So if you haven’t already done so, please mark your calendar for the 29th of this month.  Here again is a quick recap of what to expect:

• • Two services at 9:00 and 10:45 as usual.
  • Pitch-in dinner following the second service. If you plan to come to the first and return for the second, plan for about 12:15 for setting up tables and the food.
  • Recognition of our phenomenal volunteers during both services.
  • We plan to make a presentation of the proposed building addition that Sunday.  We will do that in both services so those unable to make it to the dinner can see how things are progressing.
  • Keep in mind parents that even though that is a 5th Sunday, the young people will have their own classes that morning.
  • There are sign-up sheets to let us know what you plan to bring. It is never too late to sign up and if you aren’t sure what to bring, come anyway.  If you are unable to bring anything, come share in our joy. There is always plenty of food.

The past couple of weeks some really cool things happened that I thought you might like to know:

1. 1. Travis Floyd, who plays bass for us on Sunday mornings, had his Senior Recital on Thursday, the 5th. Travis is a senior at IU in the Jacobs School of Music. His instrument of choice was the trombone. Fantastic job Travis!
   2. Congratulations to Jacob and Sydney Schunk who became husband and wife on Saturday, the 7th. They were married at Trestle Valley Farm Event Venue in Greene County. After their honeymoon in Jamaica, they will be living in Aurora, IL where Jacob is employed by Grainger in Chicago.

Operation Christmas Child (OCC) will kicking off this coming Sunday. We have been participating in OCC for more years than I can remember.  When we reevaluated several years ago what we participate in from October through December, there was no question we wanted to continue with OCC.  Shoeboxes and brochures telling you what to pack will be available this Sunday.  If you have any questions, please call the church office and Diana can answer any questions you may have.

If you have been a part of OVCF for any stretch of time, you know we have offered a Thanksgiving meal for the community for the past umpteen years. (That is Bill speak for I’m not sure how many). We were still meeting in the sports complex when we started. For the newbies ☺, we offer a full meal for those who want to come into the Lions Club and we also deliver meals to those who request them here in our community. Last year, we served over 125 meals to various people, including those who work on Thanksgiving Day (EMS, police, gas stations).  I believe so strongly in the purpose of the meal and the benefit to the community that I plan to head it up this year. I would like to give those who took the lead over the past few years a break. Here are more details:

• • We will need help in the kitchen, assembling the meals for delivery and to be served. Gail Kempe has already stepped forward to offer her help in the kitchen.
  • FYI: food/drink items we will need are: turkey/ham (the church can supply one for you, if needed), mashed potatoes, corn or green beans, stuffing, rolls, pie, cookies or brownies, ice, tea (unsweet/sweet), lemonade. There will be sign-up sheets at the info table with the quantities of each item needed the first Sunday in November.
  • We will serve and deliver the food from 11-1:00. If you can only help set up that morning or clean up or say, only work for an hour that would be helpful.
  • Delivery drivers are needed.
  • It is an absolutely fun way to serve our community. An added benefit is getting to spend time with others as well.  And as the time gets closer, if you know of someone(s) who can use a meal, please turn their name into Diana. 

I know Thanksgiving time is busy for many of you.  Anything you can do will be a big help. I’ll give you more information as we get closer.

That’s all for this week. I hope you are having success getting back into the swing of things. But you should never have a question about being loved.

Pastor Bill

MIDWEEK MESSAGE 176

Hello and welcome to Midweek Message 176. The week leading up to a vacation, or in this case, Fall Break, is always a hectic one. So, thank you for taking the time to read this MM.

Please be in prayer for Gabrielle Corder.  Gabby, as she is known, teaches Kindergarten at Gosport Elementary School. This is her first year teaching in the S-OCS school system. She has settled in nicely and loves teaching here. Gabby has been married to Caleb for 9 months.

Our college student this week is Kaedence Beckwith. She attends Oakland City University and is majoring in Business. Kaedence is also a cheerleader for the school.

Our college student for next week will be Emily Bray. Emily is the sister of Caylan (Bray) Akerson and is attending Ivy Tech for nursing.  (See next comment as to why she is mentioned here.)

Since Fall Break is next week for the S-OCS system, I thought I would let you know that there will be several changes involving the church family.

• There will not be a MM next week. I know, I know, I can see the disappointment factor reaching 1 on the Richter scale, so great is your disappointment.  ☺
• To all of you 66ers out there! (That is not age 66 but those who are taking my Route 66 class on Wednesday night). We will NOT be meeting the week of Fall Break. Enjoy your time away or with family and try not to miss 66 too much.
• Our prayer focus will change next week. Since the school teachers will be on break, I’m asking you to pray for Valarie Akerson. Valarie is a Professor of Science Education at IU. Her focus is primarily on early childhood and elementary teachers teaching the nature of science. Valarie has been married to Wayne (one of our elders) for 24 years and they have one son, Alec, and a daughter-in-law, Caylan. Interesting fun facts: she has written several books. Valarie is also a world class power lifter for her age group. She and Wayne will soon travel to Coventry where she will compete in the World Invitational.
• Roots (MS/HS youth group) will continue to meet during Fall Break.

One other item to pray about: I asked you in last week’s MM to pray for Maverick Pendleton and his parents, Josh and Becky. Maverick has a glioblastoma and was to have a shunt put in to help his body absorb spinal fluid leakage. They were not able to do the surgery and decided to do an MRI instead. The MRI showed the tumor has spread. I personally cannot imagine the pain his parents are experiencing right now. Please pray for the family this week.

Have you highlighted, circled, put stars on, marked, or anything else you can think of on your calendar for October 29th? ☺ In case you were not aware, that is the date of our 19th anniversary celebration here at OVCF.  Here are some particulars to bring you up to date:

• There are sign-up sheets at the info table for you to indicate what you would like to bring to the meal. This has always worked well so we can make sure we have enough of everything.
• All giving that day (unless designated otherwise) will go to the Building Fund. This has been a “tradition” we have done for several years. Our Resurrection Sunday offering goes to missions; the anniversary to the building.
• Even though it is a 5th Sunday, the young people will be meeting in their classes that morning.
• We have been having pretty regular correspondence with our architect the past week or so about the building addition. We plan to give you an update on our building project that morning.
• THE CHURCH IS PROVIDING ICE CREAM AND ALL THE TOPPINGS IN HONOR OF OUR AMAZING VOLUNTEERS. Since I tend to have this fondness for ice cream and subscribe at times to the adage “Life is short; eat dessert first” I may head over that way before having the main course. ☺

We are going to have an amazingly good time. This is for the whole church family. And even if you don’t know what to bring, please don’t stay away. You are invited to share in our joy. We always have enough food and since I’m eating dessert first you can have my share. What a sacrifice I’m making!! ☺ ☺

I’d like to ask you to put a couple of upcoming events on your radar. More information will be given when we get closer.

• Operation Christmas Child.  Every year for the past umpteen (that is Bill speak for “I don’t have a clue”) we have taken part in this effort. Diana has already ordered the shoeboxes and flyers that tell you what to pack so look for this real soon!

• Thanksgiving Meal for the community.  The Lions Club has already been secured for Thanksgiving morning. Last year we served/delivered over 120 meals all over Owen County. There will be sign-up sheets on the info table soon.

• Backpack Buddies- As many of you know, many Owen County students would go without food on the weekends if not for BB.  We have tried several other gift giving ideas for the Christmas holidays but this one seems to be the most well-received. Diana is gathering information and will share it as it gets closer to collection time.

That’s it for the holidays. We decided a few years ago that we were loading up too much on you in November and December, as well as adding to the stress level of the staff, so we decided to cut back on what we did.

My space is up for this week. Have a great rest of the week. You are loved.

Pastor Bill

MIDWEEK MESSAGE #175

Hello and welcome to Midweek Message #175. I hope this finds you having a great week and enjoying these Fall days.

I’d like to remind you to pray for our school-related personnel of the week: Kim Floyd. Kim is a nurse at MCES.  Kim’s husband, Tony, works for the Spencer Street Department and they have three children: Tori, Travis (and Sierra), and Trevor.  She has been with S-OCS for 7 years.

Remember to pray for our college student of the week-Colby Beckwith. Colby is a Junior at St. Mary of the Woods majoring in Business and minoring in Web Design.

Congratulations to Grace and Gloria Chandler. They were baptized Sunday by Pastor Ryan at the Y. Love, love, love seeing folks, especially young people, deciding to be obedient and follow Jesus. But don’t let these identical twins fool you! They love playing tricks on a pastor (who shall remain nameless) who thinks they are one and exchange glasses so the other is wearing them.  As long as they don’t fool said pastor by changing glasses (they are both wearing them now), I have them figured out.  ☺

Congratulations is also extended to Don and Shelby VanDerMoere who were married on Saturday, September 23rd.  They left Sunday for a short honeymoon trip to St. Pete.

Our sympathy is extended to Sara Roberts and her family upon the death of her father, Tim Thacker. Tim was diagnosed with cancer just over a month ago. He fought hard and his family took great care of him but he passed away Sunday morning about 7:30. Please be in prayer for the whole family.

While we are on the subject of prayer, please be praying for Maverick Pendleton and his parents, Josh and Becky. Maverick is their 4 year old son who has a brain tumor (a glioblastoma). He is having a shunt put in Friday to help his body absorb the spinal fluid. Maverick has been a real trooper through all of this and he, and his parents, could use some extra strength these days.

One BIG praise!! Nolan Miller, the 15 year old son of Paul and Kelsey Miller (members of the homeschool coop and personal friends of Pastor Ryan and his family) found out that his leukemia is in remission. He still has quite a regimen to complete so please keep praying for God to work in his life and health. Pray for his family as they go through this with him.

Important announcement!! Jo needs your help.  She and I are going to be out of town the weekend of October 22nd. She needs someone who will help do the Power Point that weekend. It will be all typed up and ready to go on the computer. She has had someone step up and say they would do the second service, so the first service is open. If you would like to help, she can show you the ropes in the next few weeks.

She is also looking for someone who will volunteer to prepare the communion trays for that weekend. Again, she will be glad to show you what is done.

I hope you have your calendar marked for October 29th. Before you know it OVCF’s 19th anniversary will be here!  Here are some things to remember besides what we have been announcing:

• There will be sign-up sheets on the info table this Sunday for you to let us know what you plan to bring. This is one way to make sure we don’t all bring the same thing. ☺
• Even though it is a 5th Sunday, the young people will meet in their classes as usual.
• The offering that day, except for anything designated, will go toward the Building Fund. We hope to give you an update on the progress of our proposed addition.

My sermon this upcoming Sunday is God is Great…God is Good? Knowing, talking about, and affirming the goodness of God is easy; living it when life drags you down is something else. My desire is that we all see the goodness of God in all things.

Have a great week. I trust you know that you are loved.

Pastor Bill

MIDWEEK MESSAGE #174

Hello and welcome to Midweek Message #174. As always, thanks for reading.  I don’t take it lightly that you take a little bit of time to read this.

Remember to pray for Tami Grandi, our Educator of the Week. Tami teaches Kindergarten at Spencer Elementary.  I just happen to know this person. ☺

I found out we had another college student that I didn’t know about. Tori Floyd is attending IU to get her Masters in Epidemiology. Tori currently works for the Owen County Health Department.

Congratulations is extended to Travis Curry who graduated from Western Governors University with a Bachelor of Science in Business Management. He will be in Chicago this weekend to receive his diploma. Travis works for the Engineering Firm Curry and Assoc. (no relation) as a Construction Inspector.

Here is a complete list of our college students and where they are attending.  For their privacy, we have decided not to publish their addresses. HOWEVER, if you’d like the information so you may send them a note, please pick up a copy of list at the info table or contact the church office. ☺

• Caylan Akerson, Indiana University
• Kristi Arnold, Indiana University
• Colby Beckwith, St. Mary of the Woods
• Kaedence Beckwith, Oakland City University
• Emily Bray, Ivy Tech
• Meilynn Dow, University of Southern Indiana
• Mary Rose Farmer, Indiana State University
• Tori Floyd, Indiana University
• Travis Floyd, Indiana University
• Cayden Paquette, Blackburn College
• Grace Pendleton, Indiana University
• Mollie Wainscott, Milligan University

I hope you might put this list on your fridge or next to your Bible so that you will remember to pray for each one of these students. If you get a chance, perhaps you can drop them a note to let them know you are praying for them.

We have been blessed the past two weeks to have Robert Herrington and Logan Cain back home for a short stay. Please continue to keep these two young men and our other military personnel in your prayers. Both are trying to shine the light of Christ in their respective jobs. Robert is currently stationed in Fort Mitchell, AL and Logan is stationed in Quantico, VA. Interesting tidbit about Logan: at lunch last week he was telling me about his job protecting the president’s helicopters.

Don’t forget the church’s 19th anniversary celebration on October 29th!

Hope you have a great rest of the week. My sermon this week is Our One True God. I look forward to seeing you! I love you all.

Pastor Bill

MIDWEEK MESSAGE #173

Hello and welcome to Midweek Message #173. I appreciate you taking some of your valuable time to read the Message. I’d like to say it is the “happening place” for all things OVCF but that would be overkill. ☺ However, I do say thanks for reading.

I’d like to remind you to pray for Karen Fisher this week as our School related prayer. Karen is the bookkeeper at OVHS and she and her husband Bruce are part of our OVCF family.

Also, please remember to pray for Caylan Akerson, our college student of the week. Caylan is a student at IU, majoring in Accounting and Finance. She is married to Alec and is Wayne and Valarie’s daughter-in-law.

After a rather uneventful summer, things are starting to pick up at OVCF.

• Last Wednesday, the 6th, Deeper started back up for the school year. Deeper-which is for Middle & High school students-meets at the East homestead from 4-5:30 every Wednesday. If your student would like to attend, but doesn’t have a ride, please let Pastor Ryan know.
• This past Sunday, the 10th, ROOTS, the Sunday night program for Middle & High school students began meeting again after their summer hiatus. ROOTS meets every Sunday night from 5-7:00. If you would like to provide snacks for the teens (and yes, they like to eat) there is a sign-up sheet on the info table.
• This Wednesday, the 13th, “66” starts. The last couple MMs have told you about that study. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask me. We meet from 6-7:00.
• Ladies Bible Study also starts this week on Thursday nights from 6:30-8:30. For more info see Sally Carlson, Macy Carlson, Marilyn Hill or Hope East. The study is The Names of God taught by Melissa Spoelstra.

Focusing on our college students again this week, here are a few more to pray for:

• Emily Bray- Ivy Tech, Nursing (Emily is Caylan Akerson’s sister)
• Meilynn Dow- USI, Major in Nursing
• Mary Rose Farmer- ISU, Major in General Ed with Phys Ed as her specialty.
• Cayden Paquette- Blackburn College in Carlinville, IL.  Major in Business Management and Marketing/Minor in Coaching.

I will give you the full list next week and will include their mailing addresses if you would like to send them a note that you are thinking of them and praying for them.

I mentioned in last week’s Midweek Message that Josh Henson would be at the shelter house after both services selling mums. In spite of the Apple Butter Festival this weekend, he has made arrangements to be here this Sunday after the second service if you would like to purchase a mum from him. Cost: $10 each

This past Sunday I gave a list of my sermon titles for the next five weeks. I had several thank me for the sermon and tell me they cannot wait to hear the rest. That honestly makes my heart feel good. As I was giving the sermons for the next five weeks, I saw several writing furiously trying to get them all down. Just in case you missed them or were unable to get them all down, here is where we will be going for the duration of this series:

• September 17- Our Unchanging God– Heb.13:8; James 1:17; various others
• September 24- Our One True God– Deut. 4:15-40
• October 1- God is Great…God is Good?– Romans 8:28-29, 31-32; James 1:16-18
• October 8- The Good Father– Matthew 6:9; Mark 14:36; Ps. 103:13
• October 15- The God You Can K.N.O.W.– Psalm 18
• October 22- Pastor Ryan preaching while Jo and I take a Sunday off

I hope that helps you in preparing for the next few weeks. The sermons during the months of November and December will follow the theme of the season-Gratitude and Christmas.

Now to close on a more serious note: it should not have escaped you the importance of this past Monday: 9/11. I seriously doubt there is anyone of us who could ever forget what we were doing or where we were when we heard the news of the planes hitting the towers; the plane going down in the Pennsylvania cornfield or the plane hitting the Pentagon. Conversely, I doubt any of us can forget our emotions and actions of the next several days as we watched, cried, and stared in disbelief at the pure hatred exhibited and reckless abandonment of caring for human lives that unfolded. Twenty-two years later we still can see the towers burning. We still hear the ramifications of those actions. For those who lost loved ones, the pain will always be there.

But let’s take a twist from something said Sunday. Bobby Anderson gave a communion thought on the love of Christ and he talked about dying for his child, his wife, even his friend. But which one of us would die for one of the terrorists of that morning, or ever since? I am hard-pressed to raise my hand. But I know ONE who did. “But God demonstrated His love for us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom.5:8). I have no doubt that probably all of us would die for a family member or a friend, but die for an enemy, someone with that much hate? Probably not. AND YET, that is exactly what Jesus did. And that was one of the great points from Bobby’s meditation Sunday. The love of Christ led Him to the cross, as well as, to stay on that cross.

So…never forget what happened on 9/11 and remember to show your appreciation for those who sacrificed and those brave men and women who stand in line behind them. But more than that, allow yourself to ponder the great and magnificent love of Jesus lived out in the shadow of the cross.

Have a great week. I love you all.

Pastor Bill