Category: MidweekMessage

MIDWEEK MESSAGE #136

Hello and welcome to Midweek Message #136. We are inching closer to two weeks out of school, I mean, from celebrating Christmas. ☺  Thanks for your time.

I’d like to start off by asking you to remember our Educator of the Week: Cara King. Cara teaches Kindergarten at MCES and is part of our OVCF family. I know she appreciates your prayers. In fact, I know that all of our teachers do. Both teachers and students are ready for the Christmas break so it is a tough week to teach anything.

Speaking of schools, I want to take a moment and commend you (again) for your generosity. Operation Christmas Child saw over 60 shoeboxes delivered to Sherwood Oaks for distribution to children around the world. Next, we were able to serve close to 125 people during our Thanksgiving meal because there was so much food you helped prepare. Following Thanksgiving we focused our Christmas “gifting” on Backpack Buddies. Diana posted some pictures to the church’s Facebook group of the food you donated which will help over 200 students during Christmas break. Thank you so much! I also want to put out a huge thank you to Rob Babbs for his last minute fulfillment of boxes of crackers for each student to take home. I heard from Linda St. John that they had jars of peanut butter for the students but nothing to send with it. So I contacted Rob and he was able to order boxes of crackers for each student. The elders said the church would pay for them and now each student has a jar of peanut butter and crackers to take home on Christmas break. I mean, after all, what is a jar of peanut butter without crackers or bread? ☺ I’m honored to know someone like Rob, who at the last minute came through. Tell him thanks next time you see him (or send him a note).

I want to remind you again of the Christmas schedule. I’ll just put it here again for you to put on your calendar or refrigerator (which often passes for the calendar):

• Christmas Eve service from 6-7:00 pm
• Christmas morning service from 10-11:00

Here are the details about the services themselves:

• Both services will have singing, Communion, a short message/devotion from me, and a closing candlelight ceremony.
• The young people will be involved in both services. I’m excited to see what all they will be doing to make our Christmas celebration more memorable.
• There will be no children’s programs for either service. The nursery will be open but not staffed. We will have activity pages available for preschool aged children.

I’d like to encourage you to invite others to attend one of the services with you. There are two times when people are more likely to attend church: Christmas and Easter. This is a great, non-threatening time to invite your family and friends.  Spread the word to those you know. We don’t have the luxury of having a newspaper to help with advertising, but the best advertising is word of mouth.  I look forward to seeing you there.

Here is something for you parents who are looking for some time to do some Christmas shopping (or taking a nap as someone suggested) without the children “hanging around.” Jasmine St. John is offering a Parent’s Day Out this Saturday, the 17th, from 12-5:00 in the OVCF children’s addition. She will offer hot dogs/chips for lunch. Donations will be accepted to cover costs and any extra will go to our children’s ministry. Any questions? Please contact her at 812.821.4655.

Holidays always play havoc with scheduled activities. Here are a few of them:

• My Route 66 class will not meet on 12/14, 12/21, or 12/28. Study resumes on 1/4/23. (WOW! We are going to have to get used to that last number).
• Deeper will not meet 12/21 or 12/28. It resumes on 1/4/23. (I’m getting into practice).
• Roots will not meet 12/18-1/8/23. It resumes on 1/15/23. (I think I got the hang of it now).

Down through the years we have ordered Christmas devotional booklets for you to have. This year we ordered one called Jesus: Light of the World. It is 10 devotional thoughts from Our Daily Bread you can use for yourself, a friend or your family this Christmas. Please feel free to pick one up. We also have several different booklets left over from previous Christmases which you may have. They are on the back table in the auditorium.

I’ll have one more MM for 2022…next week. The week of the 25th I will not put out a MM because of both Diana and I being out of the office a couple of days that week.  Have a great rest of the week. Christmas is a time of remembering God’s love. Do that. But please remember than I love you also.

Pastor Bill

MIDWEEK MESSAGE #135

Hello and welcome to Midweek Message #135. I always consider it a privilege that you allow me to “invade” your inbox with my ramblings. So, thank you for being so accommodating. ☺ I have important things to share with you in this MM so I hope you will take the time to read it and not delete it immediately. Then again…if you did that there was no sense in writing that last line. See how my mind works…or doesn’t?  Anyway…

Please let me encourage you to pray for Tami Grandi this week as our Educator of the Week. I happen to know this one a bit better than the others, but I’m not sure why. ☺  I send a note to all of our educators and after she got hers she came knocking on my door at home and said, “You could have saved a stamp.” I told her, “Yeah, but I know how you like to get good mail.” Tami teaches Kindergarten at SES.

This past week I received an email from someone (she has asked to remain anonymous so I will honor her wishes).  Here is what her email said: “After Thanksgiving I was exploring on my cell phone and ran across some comments from a couple of ladies in a senior housing project in Cunot. They were excited and thankful that ‘someone brought me a lovely Thanksgiving meal and I didn’t feel so alone.’ A third one chimed in and said she wished she knew where the wonderful meal came from and I remembered you (referring to me) saying that one of our drivers slipped up there. I just typed in ‘Owen Valley Christian Fellowship’ and left it at that. They all typed back how grateful they were, not only for the good food, but the thought of being remembered.”  This person then finished her email saying, “Sometimes we don’t get to see or hear how our actions affect people. And then other times we get a glimpse of how deeply a plate of food can cheer a lonely heart. Just thought I’d share that with you.”  I couldn’t have said it better myself. Jesus once said, “For I was hungry, and you gave me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited me in; naked, and you clothed me: I was sick, and you visited me; I was in prison, and you came to me.” (Mt. 25:35-36 NASB2020). When asked by His disciples when they did that He said, “When you have done it to the least of these, you have done it unto me.”

There is so much truth in Jesus’ words (as you would expect me to say). But just think about it for a moment: by receiving one meal these ladies heard of a church in Spencer who was the hands and feet of Jesus for them. They may never darken our church door, but that is not the point. The fact that we reached out to them made a difference to them.  And we followed Jesus. Thanks again to all who helped with the Thanksgiving meal. You were part of this email.  And thanks to the anonymous person who made my day by sending it to me.

Let’s switch gears for a moment. Okay, let’s switch celebrations. From Thanksgiving to Christmas. We have been telling you for a couple of weeks about our plans for the Christmas weekend. Here they are again:

• Christmas Eve (CE) service from 6-7:00 pm
• Christmas Morning service from 10-11:00

I have a few more details I can share with you.

• Both services will have singing, Communion, a short message/devotion from me, and a closing candlelight ceremony.
• Terrie MacMorran will be leading the singing on CE and Sunday morning will be the regular worship team leading our singing.
• The exciting part is that young people will be participating in both services. Some details still need to be fleshed out so I don’t feel as though I ought to spill the beans at this time. In fact, I guess I should just simply say, “Come to one of the services and find out what the young people are up to!”  ☺ I think you will be glad you did.
• We will close with a time of candlelight and song.

The last time Christmas was on Sunday, Spencer had a paper. That meant we could advertise that we were offering a Christmas Eve service. We had several visitors that evening, and even though they did not come back to worship on any given Sunday, it gave some an opportunity to worship and not feel like they left something out of making sure they had a meaningful Christmas and were able to look in the mirror and know they honored Christ in this most beautiful season. We, unfortunately, do not have the paper to do any advertising this time around, however, you can be the “mouthpiece” about our Christmas Eve service.  If you know of someone who is looking for a Christmas Eve service to attend, please invite them.

One more thing before I close: I have often told you how honored I am to be your pastor. The past 17 years have been the highlight of my 50 years in the ministry. Monday I was speaking to someone and he talked about the church. I’m going to capsulize what he said since it was said in our conversation and it was a long one (imagine that!). He said, “Bill, your church has done some pretty big things in our community. Your church has been the hands and feet of Jesus to many people and you have shown what it means to walk the walk and talk the talk.” I share that with you, not so we can get big heads and think “we are all that and more.” I share that with you because I find words hard to come by when expressing my joy to hear that about OVCF.  My continual prayer is that we will never rest on our laurels; that we will never sit back and say, “We have worked hard for years and now it is time to take a break”; that we will always see our community as a group of people who need Jesus; and that we will never get weary of doing good (I Cor. 15:58).  Thank you again for allowing me to pastor you for these past 17 years.

Lord willing, I will see you Sunday as we talk about The Unexpected Birth.

Pastor Bill

MIDWEEK MESSAGE #134

Hello and welcome to Midweek Message #134. Thanksgiving Day is history. Black Friday is (thankfully) a bad memory. Now we start gearing up for Christmas. Hard to believe isn’t it? It seems like not too long ago we were taking the Christmas tree and lights down, and here we are, putting them back up. Gives some credibility to just leaving them up all year ‘round I am thinking. ☺ Time flies when you are having fun…so they say. Anyway, thanks for joining me for this issue of the MM.

Please let me remind you right off the bat to pray for Kim Floyd, our Educator of the Week. Kim is a nurse at SES.

I bet you are just chomping at the bit to hear about our Thanksgiving meal!!

• First, let me say again a huge thanks to the five ladies who organized the whole event: Lizz Bixler, Nannette Edwards, Janet Jones, Karen White, and Stacy Wood.  You ladies did a phenomenal job of putting this together and in spite of concerns (which is normal), the day went off without a hitch.
• Second, thanks to everyone who volunteered-from cooking, to serving the meal, to putting together all the take-out meals, to working in the kitchen, to talking to those who came in to eat, to the delivery people (who were so efficient we were able to finish about 12:15), and last, but certainly not least, to the young people who stood out by the street and “advertised” our meal. Rumor has it that Charli Wood was dancing and Eli Wood (no relation) was encouraging people to come in.  Thanks to Eli, Kayden, Tanner, Cooper, Julian, and Charli for being our outside advertisement. As a side note, it was so good to see sons and daughters helping with deliveries. What better way can there be for young people to learn about caring for others than to see their parents model it?
• Now for the stats: I try my best to be as accurate as possible but I know some slip through the cracks due to setting up the deliveries, so please keep that in mind.  Meals delivered= 90.  Walk-ins= about 20. Meals picked up and taken= 10. Leftover food was also taken to the Owen County EMS and some were delivered to Cunot and Cloverdale Senior Apartments (these latter two were part of the 90 meals delivered).  All told there were close to 125 meals shared with others. While we had less come into the Lions Club to eat, we had far more deliveries than we ever had.  It was so exciting to see new faces mixed with the old faces to make it all run like clockwork.
• Special thanks to the Lions Club for the use (again) of their building. They have been so generous in allowing us to use their facility.  It is a great location.

Moving on from Thanksgiving, this is a reminder that this coming Sunday, December 4th, is the day we would like to have all the food for Backpack Buddies. The plan is to deliver it to the Middle School during the week. Looking at all you have brought makes me know why God has chosen to bless us in so many ways. Your generosity and concern for the young people of Owen County is a sight to behold.  Thank you!!

I know some folks are always looking for Christmas gift ideas.  May I suggest a copy of the ESV Bible? This past year I took a break from the ESV and used the NASB2020. Beginning with the first sermon on Revelation (January 8), I will be using the ESV for 2023.

Now for something a bit more serious that I think is important for you to know. As you can probably imagine, during Christmas we seem to be inundated with requests for help. It is hard to say no to people, so several years ago the elders set a policy for Diana, Pastor Ryan and me to follow. Unfortunately, it was needed, since people took advantage of us. To avoid that and to stop being part of the endless cycle of people calling every church and organization in town for help, we asked for help. Here is the policy we follow:

• When someone calls and asks for help- whether bills, gas, rent, travel, or food- we first ask them if someone from OVCF has recommended that they call. If they say no, then we politely tell them we are unable to help and try to direct them to several options. If they say yes (and give your name), we try our very best to listen and help. We will not give money to anyone. We might offer to help pay/pay on an electric bill or buy a gas card, etc. but they must be recommended by you. Some just hang up when we say that or when we say we will not give them cash.  We are not trying to be cold-hearted, but we are trying to be good stewards of God’s money, money you have given and entrusted to be used wisely. If you have any questions about this approach, please feel free to ask Diana, Pastor Ryan or me about it.

This coming Sunday is the last of the series of Feasts with a Purpose. It will serve as a great lead-in to the series which will run through January 1: Expect the Unexpected. As I mentioned Sunday, the pamphlets I ordered-Feasts of the Bible- have trickled in. I will put them on the back table for you to take. Developing the series has been a real treat for me, so I do hope I have been able to give you a bit better picture of the OT roots and how the NT age of grace is so much more meaningful. January 8th starts my series on Revelation. Yikes!

Speaking of Christmas (that was a couple paragraphs ago), please keep in mind the plan for that weekend. We will have a Christmas Eve service at 6:00 and a service Christmas morning at 10:00 only. Both will be somewhat different from normal fare, but identical, except for the music.  {Editor’s note: did you get that last statement? ☺ }  I know. I know. Sometimes I make absolutely no sense. I’ll tell you more in future MMs.

Thanks again for taking the time to read this, even though I know you have a busy schedule.  I look forward to seeing you Sunday, if not sooner. May you experience the peace, love and joy that we talk so much about at Christmas. You have to know love (John 3:16) because that is why we celebrate this season in the first place.  And never forget that I love you all (but definitely not as much as He did!).

Pastor Bill

MIDWEEK MESSAGE #133

Hello and welcome to MM#133. Due to the short work week, this will be a shortened version of the MM. (I know what some of you are thinking…shortened? When has Pastor Bill ever shortened anything?) ☺  So…here is your shortened MM.

First, pray for Karen Fisher, our Educator of the Week. Karen is from OVCF and is a bookkeeper at OVHS.

Second, I am so excited about this Thursday.  Our Thanksgiving meal for the community is planned and ready to go. All we need is people to come into the Lions Club or to ask for deliveries. We never turn anyone away who needs a meal.

Third, Thanksgiving Day reminds us of a very important part of every Christ-followers lifestyle: being thankful for all God has done and given to us. We can choose to grumble and complain or we can choose to be grateful. I can choose to praise or pout. I can choose to count my blessings or complain about what I don’t have. But I have noticed how much better life is when my attitude is one of gratitude for the simple things God has given me.  Family. Friends. Job. A ride on a bike. A night with friends. A good book or puzzle. Relaxing with Jo. Eating pizza or ice cream (yum). I thought I’d list specific things I am grateful for. May I suggest you do the same?

• A totally awesome, marvelously miraculous, startlingly surprising, graciously giving, forever faithful God who has never failed me through all my 70 years.
• Jo, my wife of almost 50 years (Lord willing on June 3, 2023). You are my jewel.
• Tami & Janna, my two daughters, whom no father could be more proud of. Braden my only grandson (who will soon have his license). AAAHHHH!! (think Home Alone).
• Ryan and his family. Hiring him in 2013 was the best thing we did.
• Diana & Jim. Diana and I started at OVCF at the same time. It’s been a good 17 years. ☺
• Wayne Akerson, Jeff Carlson, and David Robertson. Three men who serve as elders and whom I am more than honored to work with.
• OVCF volunteers who step forward in so many ways-both big and small (if there is such an animal). The list of volunteers and tasks is too numerous to mention. I take a chance of forgetting someone if I start doing that. Just thank you for stepping up.
• And TO ALL OF YOU…who have given me the opportunity to pastor you for 17 years.  Diana and I both start Year #18 this week. I have never enjoyed being a pastor in all my years than I have for these past 17 years. I am humbled that you have allowed me to love you and be your shepherd. I pray it continues with tons of victories.  I don’t say this emptily: THANK YOU!!

Have a Happy Thanksgiving Day.  Eat. Spend time laughing with family and friends. Don’t watch any football. ☺ Above all, remember how good God is. Along the way, remember I love you.

Pastor Bill

MIDWEEK MESSAGE #132

Hello and welcome to Midweek Message #132! Thanks for hanging out with me for a few minutes.  I started out MM #131 with these words: “As I start writing this it is Monday and the sun is shining. Can you hear me saying, ‘please let it stay’?” Well, I guess you now see how much clout I have in the weather department. I couldn’t believe Saturday morning. When I came to the office it was cold but that was it. About an hour later I looked outside and AAAAAH snow was falling. I went to the Y trying to figure out what that white stuff was that was falling. As far as I’m concerned, it showed itself enough for the year. It can go back into hiding. But unless I miss my guess God is going to chuckle at that and show me who is boss. ☺

Be in prayer this week for our Educator of the Week: Mary Beckwith. Mary is back teaching at MCES after maternity leave and is juggling a lot of plates right now.  I owe an apology to Mary for a big mix-up on Sunday. Jo told me afterwards that I said Mary is our educator but prayed for Brianna, the educator from the week before. Sheesh! You would think I’m getting old by the way I make silly mistakes. Sorry Mary. I corrected it in the second service. Mary and family were gone this past Sunday celebrating with their former church as they dedicated their new facility. They built it debt free (Yay for them!!). Mary’s late mother always hoped for that to happen. I think it is cool that Mary honored her mother that way.

Just a heads up: At the beginning of Sunday’s sermon I mentioned a brochure the church purchased called Feasts of the Bible. I had ordered 30 and I’m thrilled to tell you we were “picked clean.” Since people from both services had a chance to get one (and I had asked one per household), we have ordered more for anyone else who needs a copy. We hope to have them soon!

And while I’m at it: thanks so much for the encouraging words concerning Sunday sermon. I am praying it lights a fire under each one of us to know more about who Jesus is from beginning to end.

It sure looks like the focus on Backpack Buddies is off to a good start! I can’t wait to see the faces of those who are in charge when we deliver all your donations! ☺  Someone came up to me before services started and was asking and talking about BB. They were so glad we were doing that this year instead of the Giving Tree. While the Giving Tree was a nice effort on our part to make Christmas happy for children and their families, the scope was limited. This BB collection will spread all over Owen County. Diana said Sunday there are about 210 young people who take food home on the weekend so they can eat. We will be collecting food until December 4th, then taking it to OVMS where it is stored and distributed. Kristen Portteus has a class that fills the bags each week and the JROTC classes help when needed. They are all to be commended.

Sadly the Owen Valley Patriots came up short this past Friday night against Monrovia. They finished the season at 12-1. They went further and set a new goal for future football teams. Thanks Patriots for a thrilling season! You played hard and never quit. You done us proud! ☺

We still need your help for the Thanksgiving Day meal. I just looked at the lists and we need folks who will help cook not just the turkeys and hams (if you need help buying one the church will do that), but also the sides. We can still use help with volunteers.  Please call the church office (812.828.9840) to see where you can help or contact Stacy Wood.

Here is your heads up for the week!! Christmas is on a Sunday this year. We plan to offer a Christmas Eve service, probably 6 PM, and then one service on Christmas Sunday at 10 AM. We are still working out all the bugs, but you can plan your Christmas gatherings around those services. We will keep you informed as we get into December.

Early in Sunday’s sermon I mentioned the commitment I made to God, to you and to myself about my study. For those who collect the MM, ☺ it was MM#99 where I communicated to you about that commitment. With the desire to do a series on the Feasts and then after the first of the year a series on Revelation, I thought I would reiterate that commitment to you again as to why I would take on some difficult (for me at least) projects. I’ll start by saying this: it is not unusual for me to read of another pastor who is retiring after 35 or 40 years. On April 13, 1975 I was officially ordained into the ministry by a church in Akron, OH. That does not count the years I preached while in college and the year I was an Associate Pastor after graduating in 1974. That means in 2025 I will have been an “official” pastor for 50 years. I’ve been asked lately when I plan to retire. The answer is, I don’t. There are several reasons why, but one big reason is I love what I do. I have no idea how long God will allow me to do this “pastor thing,” but I personally hope it is for a long time yet…I guess as long as I can be effective and remember how to put my shoes on. ☺  Anyway, here is my commitment to you. I’m not sure if I wrote this years ago or found it somewhere and kept it:

• I promise to keep doing original and hard work in my study. You deserve my best not the plagiarized words of someone else.
• I promise to maintain a heart for God. That means having a devoted time with Him. I prefer early mornings.
• I promise to remain accountable. I don’t want to live as a Lone Ranger.
• I promise to stay faithful to my family. Our nest may be empty but Jo is still a priority to me. She deserves my time, affection, and attention. My adult children and grandson do as well.
• I promise to be who I am. Just me. I plan to keep laughing, joking, saying things a little off the wall from time to time, being a friend, loving wholeheartedly, and making a few mistakes each month day.

There you have my “creed.” I love being your pastor and look forward, Lord willing, to more years serving Jesus hand-in-hand with you. I love you all.

Pastor Bill

MIDWEEK MESSAGE 131

Hello and welcome to Midweek Message #131. As I start writing this it is Monday morning and the sun is shining. Can you hear me saying, “Please let it stay”?☺

Before I move on to other bit of information, let me remind you to pray for Brianna Wigington this week. She is a counselor at SES.

What a great Sunday it was with Will and Theresa Reed and their three children, Ellie, Audrey and Tallie. I heard so many comments about Will’s message being spot on, or what they needed to hear, or so poignant. Our small group Sunday night was about Jesus being the Bondage Breaker and several references were made to Will’s sermon. The great thing is Will and Theresa are genuine people who are willing to share their experiences with us. I talked to Will about the possibility of having them again this Spring or closer to their departure time (and, of course, lunch is always on the docket). I gotta tell you, though, something Theresa said as I was leaving the pitch-in to take communion to someone. She looked at me and said, “You have one of the most loving, kind, and welcoming church communities I have ever known. They have welcomed us and shared with us and you don’t know how much that means.” I’ll admit. I teared up. It is always good to hear statements like that, especially when they are unsolicited. Thanks to you for being that type of church community.

Just a reminder: Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes are due this Sunday, the 13th. We plan to take them to Sherwood Oaks on the 16th. Questions? Please see Diana or call the office.

I’d also like to remind you about the upcoming Community Thanksgiving Meal. Just a little story: I took one of the flyers to the Y and asked if it could be displayed. “Most definitely. I like to see things like this. What a wonderful way to serve the community.” This person even offered to make what she called, “The best, and I mean the best turkey for it.” I told this person that if needed the church would buy the turkey and I was told, “No. I will provide the turkey, or two.” WOW! Never underestimate the impact doing something for others has on people.  Also keep in mind that we need people who will help serve, set up and clean up and deliver. And if you volunteer to cook a turkey or ham, the church will buy it if you need help with that. Just contact Diana.

There is something else really big you can help with. But first, the backstory. A couple of years ago we felt that we put too much on you financially during the months of October-December. So we pared it down to Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes, the Community Thanksgiving meal, and the Giving Tree. After several really rough years of the Giving Tree (people’s expectations of gifts and their lack of timeliness of notifying us and other factors), we decided to help the children in Owen County in a different way this year. We have been involved in Backpack Buddies (BB) since its beginning and then backed off when some of the groups and students of OVMS and OVHS took it on as something they wanted to do. So in September the elders gave Diana the okay to buy supplies for BB. Those food supplies were greatly appreciated. So we decided to do more. BB serves 200+ students in our community who need food when away from school! 200+!!! Our Christmas-time focus will be collecting food supplies for BB at   S-OCS.  Here are some particulars Diana would like you to know:

• We will be collecting items at OVCF from November 13-December 4. You saw that right: starting this Sunday.
• Rather than have a bunch of random food items, here is a list of specific items that are needed:

• Ramen noodles (beef or chicken)
• Little Debbie Cosmic brownies
• Little Debbie Fancy cakes
• Little Debbie Nutty Buddies
• Fruit snacks
• Snack size chips, pretzels, and goldfish (crackers not the real ones) ☺

I’m anticipating a really big response. I would love to have so much food to give that their eyes bug out (not really but it would be interesting to see). It will be fun to see the joy on the faces of those who run the program.

On another subject: Tami reminded me of a “dubious” anniversary Monday morning. She texted me to say her memories told her it was six years since the hit-and-run incident on my bike. I told her, “Thanks…I think.”

Many of you (who knew) asked how my leg was doing. For those who don’t know, I was at the Y two weeks ago and ran my leg into an iron bar. It left a pretty significant “goose egg” on my leg (just above the ankle) and has since become a rather ugly reminder of running into something stronger than your skin. With other complications developing and at the advice of a nurse friend, I went to see the doctor. But you know how that goes. No openings. So they told me to call a central number and perhaps she could help me find another doctor in the system. No go. Nada. Zip. As we talked she said, “Let me look again.” Then she said, “I found one for 9:05. Can you be there?” “You bet.” So I went and the diagnosis was as expected. I was telling her (the Dr) about my efforts to see her and as she walked out of the room she said, “I just happened to have a cancellation this morning. “ I didn’t have the opportunity to tell her that I don’t believe in “just happened to.” Just as I don’t believe in luck or chance. Not in life. Maybe in games like Backgammon or cards or “games of chance”.  The Bible is very clear that my steps are ordered by the Lord (Pr. 20:24) and that He directs my steps (Pr. 16:9). I have freedom of choice. True. But chance, luck or “just happened to” is not in His vocabulary.  And I don’t want it in mine either.  Just something for you to think about.

My sermon series on “Feasts with a Purpose” starts this Sunday.   Have a great week. I love you all.

Pastor Bill

MIDWEEK MESSAGE #130

Hello and welcome to Midweek Message #130! By the time you get this the week will be half over so I hope it has been a good one. And may the last half be better than the first! And here is something else to think about: Christmas is less than two months away. Yikes!

WHAT A WEEKEND! 

The Owen Valley Patriot football team overcame an early 14-0 deficit and made all of Owen County proud by winning the sectional game 28-21. They defeated another previously undefeated team. Along the way, the fans of Gibson-Southern complimented our young men. That is a great tribute in and of itself.  We hope they continue their winning ways, but always doing it with humility.

Saturday we hosted a Safe Worship seminar which was open to all. It went from 8-12:00 and was taught by 32 year police veteran, Ed Sanow. It was a great eye-opening experience for all who attended. It dealt not only with safety from a crisis perspective, but also medical safety. I’m thinking it will take us a bit to implement some things, but it sure has stirred the fire.

Sunday, of course, was our anniversary.  Both services had some high energy and it was phenomenal to hear the congregation sing How Great Thou Art and then an acapella rendition of Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus. WOW! I had duck bumps listening. The meal afterwards was filling (as always) and we had fun honoring our volunteers with a drawing. It was also good news to hear about the building addition progress. I owe a debt of thanks to the Worship Team for leading our worship; to Pastor Ryan for team teaching with me on “As We Live and Breathe” (our Mission and Vision); to all who brought food for our pitch-in and to all who helped with the drawing; and to Wayne Akerson for the building presentation. A special thanks to Pat and Vanna (Ryan and Diana) for being the game show hosts, to Linda St. John for contacting several restaurants for gift vouchers, and to Travis and Jill Curry for donating honey.  But most of all, thanks to all of you for making our 18th anniversary a fun time, for laughing (especially during the volunteer time with the sheer joy of the children), and for sharing in our dreams.

The total anniversary offering was $5722.50 which now puts our Building Fund at $238,675.22. The Building Team will continue to meet and will keep you abreast of all progress and decisions.

NOW FOR WHAT IS NEXT:

Several events will be happening in November.

• Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes should be at the building by Sunday, November 13th.  We have set a date of November 16th for when we take the shoeboxes to Sherwood Oaks (collection site). As I said in last week’s MM, I was blown away by your response. 50 boxes were snatched up in one day. We have never had that happen before. In fact, many asked about getting more boxes. Your generosity is beyond belief. Thanks so much for being willing to help children all over the world.
• Please keep in mind the date of Thursday, the 24th. I know that is Thanksgiving Day but it also going to be the day we serve and provide a Thanksgiving meal to our community. We will be serving at the Lions Club from 11-1:00. Not only will there be a sit down meal for those who come to the LC, we will also be offering curbside pickup as well as delivery. Due to the lack of a local newspaper, our advertising is limited, so help us get the word out. If you know of someone who could use a warm meal on Thanksgiving and wants to spend some time with people, tell them about us. If you know of someone who can’t get out, or is shy around people, but would like a meal, give us their name and we will deliver it. Or better yet, we can give it to you and you can give it to your neighbor (and be the one who ministers to them). If you know people who are afraid of exposure to others, tell them we will bring it out to their vehicle or they can pick it up. Use this as an opportunity to reach out to others.  They/you may also call the church office to request a delivery (812.828.9840). Please call by Nov. 21st! ☺
• This Sunday sign-up sheets will be out for you to sign up for what you might like to bring. If you would be willing to cook a turkey or ham but can’t afford it, let us know. The church will provide it for you.  The sign-up sheets will also have a place for you to sign if you would like to help set up/tear down, serve food, or make deliveries.
• Five ladies-Stacy Wood, Karen White, Nannette Edwards, Lizz Bixler and Janet Jones are the Fab Five who are overseeing this. I really appreciate their willingness to take this ministry to our community upon their shoulders.

Please be in prayer for the Educator of the Week, Mr. George Bergen, the guidance counselor at MCES. I also failed to remind you in last week’s MM to pray for Jennifer Zigler, the guidance counselor at OVMS. You can pray for them both this week.

Monday morning I read a devotion about serving. I posted the following on my “Living in the Shadow” blog (condensed version):

Many people like to hide. They take a back seat and are totally content to do so. They like to labor behind the scenes. Unseen by many, each week they do “their thing.” Teach children. Work in the nursery. Safety and security. Work the sound. Live stream. Do Power Point. Clean up. Collect garbage. The list is endless.

They like it that way. They want it that way. Praise and accolades is not why they do what they do.  Paying homage to those who serve is not a new concept. They don’t clamor for it. A servant doesn’t do that. One who serves does just that: serves. Jesus once said, “I have not come to be served, but to serve, and to give my life as a ransom for many.

Every once in a while it is nice to be “seen” and to hear an “attaboy.” Have you taken the time lately to let a volunteer know how much you appreciate what they have done?

Have a great week. I love and appreciate each of you.

Pastor Bill

MIDWEEK MESSAGE 129

Hello and welcome to Midweek Message 129! As I begin writing this on Monday, we have had truly exceptional weather. Other than feeling like I might get blown away, the days (and even the nights) have been phenomenal in the weather department. The weatherman says it is all supposed to change in the very near future, but I’m going with Doc Brown in Back to the Future: “Since when can the weatherman predict the weather?”  They are also saying it is supposed to be a very snow-filled winter. We need the water but I’m hoping they are wrong. J

THIS SUNDAY IS THE DAY!! We have been talking about it for over a month now. Anniversary #18 for OVCF. Just to recap for you here are the essentials:

• Two services at 9 and 10:45. They will also be livestreamed.
• Both Pastor Ryan and I will be talking about the Mission and Vision the leadership has been working on the past 6 months or so.
• Pitch-in following the second service.
• Volunteer recognition during the meal time. We also hope to give you some insight into our hopes for the future proposed building addition.
• All monies given that day (unless designated) will go to the Building Fund. Brief history for those who may not know: Our Easter offering has been given to missions; our anniversary offering (with the exception of last year when we split it with missions) has been given to the Building Fund.
• Since this is a 5^th Sunday, the young people will worship with us this week. The Nursery and Pre-K will still meet in their respective spaces at 10:45.
• All that is needed is YOU! Bring a heart of celebration and worship with you.

On Sunday, November 6^th, we welcome Will & Theresa Reed! Will & Theresa were our guests several years ago as missionaries to Africa. They returned for a furlough and spoke at OVCF one Sunday presenting their work. It was decided they would need more time to heal, so they stayed in the states. Will worked for IU (and they also had two more children). They now sense God calling them to return to Africa (Nairobi, Kenya) to be a support to those who are serving in the mission field. They have quite a testimony of God’s healing of their lives and His calling for them to return to the mission field.  Pastor Ryan, Diana, Jo and I had lunch with them about a month ago and their story is captivating.  You will not want to miss that Sunday!

It was refreshing to hear Robert Herrington give the Communion thought on Sunday. Robert is now commissioned (and official according to his words Sunday) and he is awaiting February when he will report to Fort Benning in Georgia. Meanwhile, Logan Cain is now stationed at Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri. Like all military personnel they love to hear from folks back home. The Anderson family will be making some weekend trips to see him in November. If you would like to send a card, a note or some goodies, they will be happy to take them when they go. They have promised any food sent to him will reach him untouched! J Their info is in our directory if you would like to take advantage of them taking something to him. Believe it or not, he has to pay for every piece of mail he receives! So sending via the Andersons is the best way.

I was totally blown away by your response to Operation Christmas Child. Every shoebox was taken…all 50 of them!! I shouldn’t have been surprised though. You folks have always been super generous when it comes to young people-in our church, the community and the world. Some took boxes and forgot to take the packing lists with labels for boys and girls. Please see Diana if you happen to be one of them. Some asked me what they could do when they found out they were all gone. I talked to Diana and it will not be prudent to order more boxes. They have to be ordered in lots of 50 and we wouldn’t get them until they are due back here. She suggested you may want to go to Hobby Lobby and get one of those boxes to send your gifts or use a shoebox of your choice. Please keep in mind they are due back here on the 13^th so we can deliver them to Sherwood Oaks.

With for a few exceptions, we have served our community with a Thanksgiving meal on Thanksgiving Day. This year will be no exception. The meal is served at the Lion’s Club from 11-1:00. We also will be offering curbside pickup as well as delivery. Five ladies (Stacy Wood, Nannette Edwards, Karen White, Lizz Bixler, and Janet Jones) have agreed to work together to make this a great event for our community. More information will come in the next MM.

I read the following quote from Corrie Ten Boom this past Monday:

“Look without and be distressed. Look within and be depressed. Look at Jesus and be at rest.”

Let’s take a look at each of those statements:

“Look without and be distressed.” Ain’t that the truth! I would tell you to watch or read the news but that could stress you out and lead you to distress.

“Look within and be depressed.” So many today put a lot of weight on being empowered. Or they might say, “You have it within yourself to change the world.” That is a dead end. We are all broken people and broken people can’t fix things.

“Look at Jesus and be at rest.” Jesus promised His peace to all who follow Him. He said, “Take my yoke upon you and I will give you rest.” He is the One who gives us stability. He is the One who walks with us no matter the storms that rage-on the inside or the outside.

Keep your focus on Jesus.  As you do that, ask Him to take your week and use it for Him.  I love you all and can’t wait to celebrate with you this Sunday. Until then, have a terrific week.

Pastor Bill

MIDWEEK MESSAGE #128

Hello and welcome to Midweek Message #128. I hope you had a restful Fall Break (if you had the opportunity to enjoy it) and that getting back to the “old grind” wasn’t too bad.

Let me first remind you to pray for Beth Sewell and Bonnie Richmond, guidance counselors at OVHS. They are our Educators of the week.

There are some other folks you can pray for as well:

• Paul & Marilyn Hill. Paul’s sister, Alma Marshall, passed away last week.
• We had been praying for Robert Wells, a friend of Dave Tarrence. He lost his battle with cancer.
• Melvin Bault was experiencing chest pains on Sunday, the 9th. A visit to the ER showed he had suffered a heart attack.
• Bob Kropack has asked prayers for his grandfather, Fred Mueller, who is in the hospital with pneumonia.
• Kris Owsley, a friend of mine and Jo’s, is battling stage 4 non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Kris has just finished her second round of chemo and has asked prayers for relief from the symptoms.  Dan & Kris are the managers of Wonder Valley Christian Camp near Salem.
• Maverick Pendleton (4 y/o) is home, but they took him to Cincinnati Children’s Hospital on Tuesday to talk about radiation treatments that just target the tumor. Please continue praying for Maverick, for his parents (Josh and Becky) and his four siblings.
• Keep praying for the Wainscott family-Chris, Kori, Gracie, and Mollie as Chris continues his recovery and physical therapy.
• Please continue praying for all our Law Enforcement and Military personnel.  Only a casual glance at the news will tell you there is a crisis with both branches of service.

It is unusual for me to start out with a list of prayer requests. I chose to do that because I wanted to follow my own advice from Sunday’s sermon.  It is the urgent or the important. The other items in the MM can be labelled Urgent. Prayer should one of those things which are of first IMPORTANCE.

Now to “stuff” of other importance.

Our 18th anniversary celebration is quickly approaching. Remember the date of October 30th. Quick recap for you: Two services (9 and 10:45).  Pastor Ryan and I will be tag-teaming the message that morning on OVCF’s Mission and Vision. The leadership has spent the past 6 months or so reworking and tweaking both. We are excited about sharing it with you. Immediately following the second service we will have an all church pitch-in. (Have you signed up to bring a food item?) During the meal we plan on honoring our volunteers and also hope to present some ideas to you about the proposed building addition. As a reminder, all giving that day (unless designated) will go to our Building Fund.

Speaking of volunteers, I read the following and wanted to share it with you: But first, a question. I suspect all of you know what Mount Rushmore is. But do you know the name of the South Dakota state historian who conceived of the idea? Didn’t think so (unless you are a super smart trivia buff who likes obscure history info). While millions know of Mount Rushmore with the heads of four US presidents, relatively few know the name Doane Robinson. He is the South Dakota state historian who conceived the idea of the magnificent sculpture and managed the project. The monument is admired and appreciated, but he is the forgotten man behind the masterpiece. His name is either largely unrecognized or was never even known by some.  I see our volunteers in the same light. Week in and week out we have a ton of volunteers doing a lot of behind the scenes “stuff.” They get little recognition due to the fact that they are serving where few see them. Our recognition of them is an attempt to show how much we appreciate them. We know, of course, God sees them and that is good, and it is the best applause. But it is also good that they receive human thanks.  We want to do that and would love to have you join in with us.

Three special events are coming up that I hope you will consider taking part in. I’ll just list them here for you and fill you in with more details in the next MM.

1. Starting this week we will be participating in the Samaritan’s Purse Operation Christmas Child ministry. We have taken part in years past and feel this is a good thing to put on our “Christmas list.” The date to have the shoeboxes back to OVCF is November 13th.  Shoeboxes & packing lists are available! Please see Diana if you have questions. ☺
2. Thanksgiving lunch for the community is at the Lions Club on November 24th from 11:00-1:00. Five ladies have volunteered to steer this meal.  As I said, I will tell you more in an upcoming MM.
3. Our December “gift” to the young people of our community is going to be different this year. Instead of the Giving Tree, we are going to collect food for Backpack Buddies (BB).  BB is preparing bags for 206+ children in the S-OCS school system. They are running low. We want to help. More info coming.

Well…I have bent your ear and hurt your eyes long enough. ☺  Thanks again for taking the time to read the MM. I don’t know how it helps in keeping you informed, but I certainly hope it does. I look forward to seeing you Sunday as I continue preaching on the church. The sermon is “On Being Contagious” (and no we won’t be talking about masks and COVID). ☺ Love you all.

Pastor Bill

MIDWEEK MESSAGE #127

Hello and welcome to Midweek Message #127! For many of you this is Fall Break week and that means “get away.” For others it simply means the kids are off school, but your week will go on as normal.  I’ll try not to take up too much of your time with this MM so I don’t anticipate it being as long as they normally are.  I can see Diana rolling her eyes right now saying, “This is the same man who says he is not going to do a MM and then at the last minute changes his other mind.” J

I feel more mature as I write this. As many of you know my birthday was Sunday. The BIG 7-0!  Many of you said, “Happy Birthday” to me and some were oh…so…cruel. Eli Wood you know exactly who I am speaking to. He “smells someone older” and then he asked me if it is 39.   I told Jo that I was going to tell people I had finally reached the “mature” stage. She gave me “the look” as if to say, “Seriously?”  I don’t think her “seriously” was in response to me telling people that, but that I would actually think that and then to believe people would feel that way. What’s a guy have to do around here to get some respect? But, please, whatever you do, don’t agree with her! It will only embolden her. J Thanks again for your kind words and cards.

Our 18^th Anniversary celebration is getting closer!  I’d like to remind you to put October 30^th on your calendar. I’ve said a lot about the celebration already so I’m going to give it a rest this week. All I would like to remind you of is signing up to bring something to our pitch-in dinner following the 2^nd worship service. During that pitch-in we plan to honor our volunteers and hopefully present you with some preliminary drawings on the proposed building addition.

Three prayer reminders for this week:

• You will receive this on Wednesday. Yesterday Pastor Ryan and his wife, Hope, took 8 people to Hilltop Christian Camp to serve and help get the camp ready for the winter. They plan to return Thursday. While the group is smaller this time around, they will work hard to serve the camp. Please be praying for their safety, as well as a good time of getting to know Jesus better.
• Michael Robison, the principal of Patricksburg Elementary School, is our Educator of the Week. Even though this is Fall Break for S-OCS students and faculty, an educators work continues. (I know. I have one in the family). Pray for his rest and relaxation this week.
• I’d like to remind you to pray for Josh and Becky Pendleton and their 4 year old son, Maverick. Mavy (as he is called) has been on our prayer list for about a month. He has been diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor. Please pray for them, but I am also a firm believer in the power of prayer. The Bible says, “God can do far more than we can ask or think.” Pray for Maverick’s healing (if that is God’s will). If not, pray for grace for the family as they go through this.

ALSO, as a reminder, the 66 class will not meet on Wednesday, Oct. 12.

In the “this reminds you that you are getting older” department: our grandson, Braden, took his first driving lesson Sunday. He turns 16 this month as well. I can still remember making a surprise trip to Ohio to see him when they brought him home from the hospital. Janna did not know, so the tears were priceless and memorable. I can still remember holding Braden in my arms and praying for God to protect him and to use him for His use. I still pray that for him. But…16???? Where did the time go?

I said this would not be a long MM so I intend on proving Diana wrong and doing just that. I want to close with what I used for my Communion thought this past Sunday. I have been reading a book by Pastor Chris Hodges entitled Out of the Cave, a book subtitled “Stepping INTO THE LIGHT When DEPRESSION Darkens What You See.” Pastor Chris had a serious bout with depression several years ago, as well as fairly recently. He is writing from experience. As I said Sunday, I have (gratefully) never had a struggle with depression, but do need to know how others feel and how to help.  Here is some of what I said Sunday:

When we are in the throes of depression-or know people who are struggling with depression, anxiety, or mental illness-we need to treat ourselves and others the way Jesus treats us-with compassion. Compassion begins by recognizing our human limitations, brokenness, and even sin…God never condemns. Condemnation means you’ve got a problem and there’s no way out. Conviction, on the other hand, says you’ve got a problem and here’s the way out!  Romans 5:1 tells us “There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” (taken from pages 35-36) See that? NO CONDEMNATION. God doesn’t condemn us. He will convict us of our sin, but He will not condemn us.

Many of those I know who suffer depression struggle with condemnation and guilt and shame. Not all…some. But if you are one of those who simply cannot forget what has happened and dwells on it, I want you to know God does not condemn you. He does say, however, “Come to me.”

I hope you have a fantastic rest of the week and find some time to relax. In the meantime, know you are loved.

Pastor Bill