Category: MidweekMessage

MIDWEEK MESSAGE #264

Hello everyone and welcome to Midweek Message #264! Thanks for joining me this week! I hope your week has been going well.

Please remember to pray for our educator of the week, Hannah Foster. Hannah teaches and is also the director of the daycare at Sweet Owen Industries. Hannah’s husband, Matthew, is currently deployed in Kuwait and is hoping to be home in January or February. They are the parents of 10 month old James. While praying for Hannah this week, please remember to pray for Matthew as well.

What a privilege it was to hear Eli Wood make his confession of faith before the church in the second service. Eli will be baptized on Sunday at the YMCA at 12:50. We invite you to join us there as Eli’s new adventure really begins.

I’m excited! For the past 6-7 years, I have been reading to the Kindergarten students at several of the elementary schools in the S-OCS system. This week starts the monthly adventure all over again. In fact, by the time you read this I will have read to SES and GES for the month of September. Pete the Cat and the Lost Tooth was this month’s selection. Pastor Ryan reads to the K students at MCES (He read to them today!). I know he loves reading to his students as much as I do to mine.

Speaking of reading!! Something new is cooking at PES! The new 3rd grade teacher grew up across the street on our cul-de-sac in Terre Haute. Ashley was a red-headed spitfire who was an absolute delight to have as a neighbor and to also see at the church I pastored on Sundays. We moved away in 2000 and had not seen her since. Tami told us Ashley was a new teacher at PES, so when I took the K books out last week, Jo and I arranged with Kris Samick to be able to visit Ashley. It took her a minute to realize who we were. It had been 25 years since we had seen her and we haven’t changed a bit so it must have been her 39 year old brain. 🙂 When we stopped in to see her, many of the class remembered me reading to them 3 years ago. One of them was Charlotte Pavich. We are working on reading to her class once a month, but obviously not the same books I read to the K classes. We are actually working on team reading (Kris, Ashley, and myself) the C.S. Lewis book, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. I absolutely love that book and it is a great book to get third grade imaginations pumping.

YOUTH NEWS

• • • The OVHS cross country team is on fire! They placed first in Saturday’s meet at Greencastle and placed 4th in the Top Ten. Aubrey Mangia finished 7th and Alli Anderson 8th to help the team do so well.
    • OVMS cross country news: Akaydia Beckwith qualified individually for the girls’ MS State Championship. Tad Nicholson and the boys’ team qualified for the MS State Championship as well! We have some very talented young people at OVCF. 🙂
    • Jo and I were able to watch Alexander and Isabella Chambers, Conrad Keene, Jordan Mangia, and Barrett Zigler play in the Upwards soccer league Saturday.
      (Man, was it hot!). Their final games are this Friday night. Starting times are unknown at this time. Following the games (which will also include Hudsyn Biggs who was gone Saturday), they will receive awards for playing, then have a big bonfire. If you are free and want to watch and support some of our young people having fun, make your way to the Upwards soccer field just past the 43/46 intersection. Games last 1⁄2 hour.

NOW FOR SOME CHURCH ANNOUNCEMENTS!

• • • Tonight (Wednesday) is the Church family pitch-in at 6:00. I look forward to seeing you there.
    • Sunday: B-Town worship night at Switchyard Park at 6:00. This area-wide event is open to all ages. For more info you may go to their Facebook page (B-Town Worship Collective) or ask Pastor Ryan.
    • Anna East leaves for her four month YWAM (Youth With A Mission) trip to New Zealand on October 9th. Make sure she is on your prayer list.
    • OVCF’s 21st anniversary celebration is on October 26th!! I will have more details as they develop in upcoming issues of the MM. Meanwhile, please set this date aside. Two worship services. One big pitch-in. Important detail: The offering that Sunday will go to the Building Fund (unless otherwise designated) to help complete the building addition.

SOME PRAYER REQUESTS:

In MM #262 I mentioned that I was going to try to keep you up to date on some of the prayer requests we receive, especially after Sunday. Here are a few you can remember:

• • • Brenee Helderman is moving to Green Bay, WI to live with her sister. She has received a preliminary diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease.
    • Bobby Anderson and son-in-law, Logan Cain, left yesterday (Tuesday) for Camp Pendleton, CA. They will be driving a huge Penske truck and hauling a car on a trailer for the 3000+ mile trip. Kathryn will be flying there on Friday with their two dogs.
    • Jane Schneider, Will’s mom and Janet Jones’ sister, has been fighting a glioblastoma for about two years. She is at the Majestic Care facility in Bloomington.
    • Keaton Jackson, a friend of Nate Rode’s, has been fighting cancer since he was 7. His most recent chemo shows no improvement on his cancer. In fact, it is wrapped around his spinal cord and impinging it. Surgery for that is Wednesday (today). He is 14.
    • Rylee Robb, Sherrie Pavich’s great niece, began her chemo last Wednesday for Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Rylee and her parents were baptized two Sundays ago in Lake Michigan.
    • Brenda Willis (Sierra Floyd’s grandmother) and Lester Schenck (Dave’s dad) both met Jesus this past weekend. Pray for the families.

My sermon Sunday is The End and the Beginning from Habakkuk 1-Matthew 4. I look forward to seeing you. Until then…know you are loved.

Pastor Bill

MIDWEEK MESSAGE #263

Hello everyone! Welcome to Midweek Message #263. I hope your week is going well and you are enjoying an extra measure of God’s blessings.

Remember to pray for Gabrielle Corder, our educator of the week. This is her third year teaching Kindergarten at Gosport Elementary School (GES). Gabby has been married to Caleb for 3 years and they have a 15 month-old daughter, Charlotte. Caleb and Gabby have gotten involved in the Gosport community since moving there and were both involved in the recent Lazy Days Festival. Both have been baptized since coming to OVCF 3 years ago. 🙂

A COUPLE OF DATES FOR THE CALENDAR:

• • • Teen Worship Night at the East’s Friday, September 19 from 6:30-9 PM. Dinner followed by worship. All MS and HS students are welcome.
    • Next OVCF family pitch-in is Wednesday, September 24 at 6 PM.
    • Btown Worship Night at Switchyard Park- 9/28 at 6 PM. NO ROOTS. All invited to the worship night event.

OVCF’s 21st anniversary celebration will be October 26th

• • • Two services- 9:00 and 10:45
    • Pitch-in meal to follow
    • Walk throughs are planned for the new addition. You will have the opportunity to see where different rooms will be located.
    • We invite you to write Scripture or prayers on the unfinished walls in the auditorium.
    • All giving that day, unless designated, will go to our Building Fund to help complete the addition.

YOUTH NEWS:

• • • Congrats to Tad Nicholson. He ran in a cross country meet this past Wednesday and placed 6th for the team and 9th overall. His time was a personal best.
    • I went to a MS volleyball match last Thursday. They girls played hard but lost the first two games. They were without several of their starters. One was Rusti O’Neal, who was thought to have a concussion. (She did). Get better, Rusti! Amelia Biggs is a manager on the team.
    • Saturday the OVHS girls ran in a cross country meet in Brown County. Alli Anderson ran well for OV and had a personal best. Aubrey Mangia ran well until a fall interrupted her on the course.

I purposely held my thoughts to a minimum in order to include the remarks I made Sunday about the events of the past week. I was asked to say something and because I never want to talk politics from the pulpit, I wanted to make sure my remarks were just that: non-political. I appreciate all the positive feedback I received, but since some of you were not able to hear or to watch, I thought I would include them here:

This past week our country has faced some horrific events. On September 11th we commemorated the most devastating attack on American soil when two planes hit the Twin Towers, one hit the Pentagon and one was taken down early in a field in PA. 2977 precious souls lost their lives in the attacks. This past Thursday was the 24th anniversary of that attack. (I hope you took some time to remember). Bookending that remembrance was a brutal attack of Ukrainian refugee, Iryna Zarutska by a man who should never have been on the streets, and the assassination of conservative commentator and Christ-follower, Charlie Kirk. Sadly, the use of video has brought both the stabbing death and the assassination to our eyes and to be forever burned in our memories.

For various reasons very little was said about the stabbing death, possibly due to the assassination of Charlie Kirk. I don’t care what political persuasion you are and how you feel about him. What I do care about is the response to his death. From celebration to extreme sadness and tears, I am glad that except for some rogue people, people across the aisle are appalled at the senseless killing of another human being.

What has me disconcerted is the hatred and vitriol spewed out about his death, both locally and nationally. What is even more appalling to me is that some of this is coming from those who call themselves Christians. You may not have agreed with his views, but no one should rejoice in the death of another, especially one who follows Christ. Two weeks ago in a sermon on pride I said, “Pride rejoices in an evil person’s death.” I mentioned how some were not sad that Ozzy Osbourne had died. It saddens me (as well as maddens me) that those who call themselves Christians can rejoice over the death of another. The hatred and mean words must stop with each one of us. Ironically, while all this was going on, there was a revival taking place on the campus of Ohio State University, where our grandson attends, with hundreds of students coming to Christ and being publicly baptized. THAT is the solution right there: giving our hearts and lives to Jesus.

Instead of hatred I suggest we pray. We need to pray for a move of God in our country. We need to pray for the family of Iryna Zarutska. We need to pray for Charlie’s widow and 2 young children who will now grow up without a dad. We need to pray for our own hearts, and ask God to help us get rid of any hate we carry toward anyone, to learn to forgive and live as Christ would have us live. If you have spewed out some of that hate, you need to repent because that is not the way of Jesus.

I can remember after 9/11 the politicians who could not see eye to eye on what was the best thing to eat for breakfast, standing on the steps of the Capitol and singing together, “God Bless America.” Was it for show? Possibly. But it told us that we need God’s blessing on our country. I would also add that we need to start saying, “America, bless God.” We need to turn our hearts to Him and pray for Him to work in the hearts and lives of each of us, especially His people. I still believe in a God who can change this country around and bring peace and healing.

This Sunday’s sermon is God’s Unfailing Love from Hosea 1-Nahum 3. I look forward to spending time with you. Until then, just know you are loved.

Pastor Bill

MIDWEEK MESSAGE #262

Hello everyone and welcome to Midweek Message #262. Thanks for joining me this week and allowing me to invade your inbox. I hope you are having a good week.

Remember to pray for Matt Beckwith, our educator of the week. Matt has been teaching at OVMS for the past 4 years in what used to be called Shop. It is so much more than what I remember when I was taught wood and metal shop. Am I the only one whose mother did not save what you made for her? 🙂 Matt teaches basic carpentry, computer science, medical detectives and robotics in his class. He and his wife, Mary (last week’s educator) have been married for 13 years and are the parents of Kaedence, Akaydia, Kayliana, and Aksel. Matt volunteers helping Mary, when needed, in the pre-school class and he also volunteers with giving the communion meditation.

The first Introduction to OVCF is in the books. This past Sunday I had 5 participate in the first session. Melissa Arnold, Geoff and Kala Biggs, Sherry Pavich and Joe Pavich were the “guinea pigs” for the class. We had a good time and also a good discussion with some great questions asked. At this point the next class will probably be in January.

This past Sunday was a really special day for our church family and for the Wells family. Gavin and Jenna Wells dedicated Teddy to raise him to love Jesus and the church committed to helping them accomplish that. Teddy was born on September 4th, and it was one year ago (September 6) that Jenna got a call about Teddy. Gavin was able to visit that night and Jenna got to hold him for the first time on the 7th. They brought him home, eventually adopted him and Sunday made it even better by his dedication. For your memory bank: besides Teddy, they now have Warner, August, Christian, Emmy, Zara (soon to be Gwendolyn), Fletcher, Lanie (foster), and Gigi. 🙂Make sure you pray for Gavin and Jenna and, in fact, all the families who are adopting and fostering.

Every week we have a prayer list in our bulletin of people who are in need of prayer for various reasons. Occasionally we receive one that is urgent. I try my best to mention them during the Sunday prayer time, especially if they are given to me at the last minute. This past Sunday there were two given to me. I’m going to try to be more diligent in reminding you in the MM.

• • • The family of Marion Smith, who passed away on Friday, the 5th. She has been a long- time resident of Owen County and many of you know her.
    • Becca Anderson has asked that we pray for Logan and Kathryn Cain (son-in-law and daughter). They are driving here Friday in a U-Haul, hauling their car and dog. They will be staying for a couple of weeks before driving to Camp Pendleton in CA where Logan will be stationed.
    • I have asked occasionally for you to pray for my friend, Dave, in AZ. Dave was diagnosed in March of ’24 with a glioblastoma. Susan, his wife, texted Jo and I over the weekend that they had to put a shunt in for drainage and he has since suffered a seizure. Pray, of course, for healing, but also pray for Susan to know God’s peace.

YOUTH NEWS

It was another jam-packed week with our young people being involved in so many events!

• • • Did you hear the Pavich kids (Charlotte, Thomas, and Margaret) will lead the Pledge of Allegiance at the S-OCS Board Meeting his Thursday, September 11th? Congrats to them!
    • I read a funny social media feed from Kris Samick, the interim principal at PES. It seems Kris had to leave and go to a meeting. Maverick Pendleton offered to fill in as principal and “make sure everyone followed the rules.” 🙂Maverick is a remarkable young man. Three years ago he was diagnosed with a brain tumor and not given very long to live. Even earlier this year they were told to call in hospice but he has greatly improved! I had the privilege of baptizing his dad (Josh), who then baptized Maverick and Waylon (brother) and Whitley (sister). It never ceases to amaze me what God can do!!
    • Congratulations to Tad Nicholson who ran a personal best this past Wednesday at the OVMS cross country meet.
    • Aubrey Mangia also ran well this past weekend after being sick all week. She placed 4th with a personal best and helped the team to place 9th among some really big schools.
    • Alli Anderson finished 3rd for the team at the same meet.
    • I love the innocence of children like Barrett Zigler. I went to watch some of our kids play football Saturday so I missed the soccer games. When I asked Barrett how he did and did he score any goals, he said, “No, but our team won 2-0.” That’s what I like to hear!! “The team won…”
    • Jo and I went to a football game this past Saturday. We watched Mike Wood’s team, with his son, Auggie, and Christian Wells play. Emmy Wells was a cheerleader. The heat caused us to leave early so we will have to go back to watch Fletcher play.
    • Eli Wood is playing football for OVHS.

WHEW! It is no wonder we see a lot of parents/grandparents walking around in a daze! How do they keep up with all the activity?

UPCOMING EVENTS

Our next OVCF family pitch-in will be on Wednesday, September 24 at 6 pm. Please join us for lots of good food and fellowship! 🙂

Please join us to celebrate our 21st anniversary as a church family on Sunday, October 26th! We will have two services here (9 & 10:45), then a pitch-in meal. All our giving that day will go to our Building Fund, unless designated, to allow us to pay cash as we go for the continued work and future completion of our new addition without debt. 🙂

This coming Sunday my sermon is entitled In His Presence from Ezekiel 43-Hosea 7. It is getting harder and harder to stand against the draw of culture. We are being asked to compromise what the Bible says is right and wrong. The Scripture for this week covers familiar ground for many because included are the stories found in Daniel. I love those stories! I look forward to sharing them with you this Sunday. See you then. Until then, know you are loved.

Pastor Bill

MIDWEEK MESSAGE #261

Hello everyone and welcome to Midweek Message #261. I hope you enjoyed your long weekend and celebrated Labor Day. Fun fact: when I was going to school (you know way back in the Dark Ages) we didn’t start until after Labor Day. Finished Memorial Day weekend and started after Labor Day. A full three months of summer vacation!! And trust me when I say I looked forward to it and used e.v.e.r.y day to the hilt. 🙂

It is hard to believe it is September 2nd as I write this. It just seems like yesterday it was cold and snow was falling. 🙂 Although, if you live in Australia that is a true event! Come to think of it I don’t mind holding off on that for a while…like forever.

Our educator of the week is Mary Beckwith. Mary is a Special Education preschool teacher at Edgewood Early Childhood Center and has been teaching for 13 years. This is her second stint at EECC. She has been married to Matt (next week’s educator) for 13 years and they are the parents of Kaedence, Akaydia, Kayliana, and Aksel. Mary also volunteers to teach once a month in our Sunday morning pre-school class and serve in our nursery. Please remember to pray for Mary this week.

The young adult group will begin meeting weekly this Thursday, Sept 4th at the East’s. If you, or someone you know, is a recent High School graduate up to 25 years old, you are invited to join them! If you have any questions please contact Pastor Ryan at 812.585.0545.

This coming Sunday, September 7th, will be the first time “An Introduction to OVCF” will be
offered. It isn’t too late to make plans to come. One more time (for now):

• • • A simple lunch (sandwiches, snacks, etc.) will be provided
    • The session will be an informal, small group setting lasting 1-1 1⁄2 hours.
    • Child care will be provided, if needed, by two of our teens.
    • Please let me know if you have any questions.

Sunday is also the deadline for signing up and paying for the Fall Ladies Bible Study. It will be based on the book, Now and Not Yet by Ruth Chou Simons. They will meet Monday nights from 5:30-7:30 from September 15-October 27. Each week they will have a themed pitch-in. The first meeting’s theme will be an appetizer pitch-in. If you have any questions please see Macy Carlson or Hope East.

YOUTH NEWS

Several of our young people did really well this week in their sporting events.

• • • Alli Anderson ran a season best at the cross country meet last Wednesday which placed her 3rd overall. Best of all, OV won the meet!
    • Aubrey Mangia also ran a good race and helped the team gain that win.
    • A little birdie told me that CJ Wood is a cheerleader for the Junior High Fall sports teams.
      They also won their games this past week.
    • The Middle School has a cross country meet this Wednesday. Tad Nicholson is a member of that team. I will have the results for you in next week’s MM.
    • Want to become a Red Cross Lifeguard? The YMCA is looking for young people 15 years of age by the date of the final exam. This is a blended learning class schedule (in person and online videos). The certification is good for two years. If you are interested please contact the Y at 812.828.9622, ext. 101. It starts this Saturday so if you are interested contact them now! Sorry for the late notice. I just received it the middle of last week.

Did you know the New Testament is just around the corner? In less than a month, September 28th to be exact, we will be in Matthew 1-4 as part of our journey through the Bible with our Everyday Gospel Devotional. I know for many, myself included, reading through the Old Testament has, at times, been a real challenge. It is easy to do the old “speed reading” thing and bypass reading the tough parts, especially the prophets. But it will be worth it all when you come to the end of Malachi, and then Revelation, and know you stuck with the program. Seriously though, thanks for hanging in there with me this year. I know it hasn’t been easy but I have so appreciated your words of support and kindness.

Jo and I went to Hobby Lobby last week. Actually, she went and I tagged along. 🙂 As you walk into the opening section where the check out and books/calendars are, you will be reminded of the upcoming yearly Operation Christmas Child event. We will soon be making information available to you about how you can take part in OCC.

Did you know we provide Bibles on the information table for those who may need one or forgot to bring one? They are the New Living Translation (the version I am using) and…get this…they are in Large Print. No more needing a magnifying glass to read the Bible!!🙂 We purchased the last batch in the ESV version and did not know how small the print was! Well, we alleviated that problem with Large Print. Feel free to pick one up to use on Sunday morning. If you happen to walk away with it, just read it all week. If you need it, keep it. If you like, we can put you in touch with a way to get a new Bible.

This coming Sunday my message will be A Picture of God from Ezekiel 23-42. Children will often wonder what God looks like. Well, obviously we don’t have a picture of God. Least not in physical form. But we do get a pretty clear picture of Him from Ezekiel. I look forward to sharing that with you this Sunday. Until then, know that you are loved. Have a great rest of the week!

Pastor Bill

MIDWEEK MESSAGE #260

Hello everyone and welcome to Midweek Message #260! I hope you are having a good week so far. This edition is jam-packed. I hope you enjoy reading it.

This is a reminder for you to pray for Valarie Akerson, our educator of the week. Valarie has been a professor in the Science Department at IU for 24 years. She also taught at Washington State University for 4 years before moving here. She was an elementary school teacher (Grades 1-3) for 5 years before WSU. Valarie has also written several articles and co-authored several books. She has been married to Wayne for 26 years and they have one son, Alec, and a daughter-in-law, Caylan. Wayne and Valarie also have three dog children and one grand-dog. 🙂 Her side gig is she is a world class powerlifter for her age group.

Just for your information: Pastor Ryan, Tom Mangia, Charley Shipley and I will be attending a DiscipleShift Conference in Brownsburg this Wednesday (today) and Thursday.

This coming Sunday is 5th Sunday Family Worship. Our elementary students will join us for worship. The nursery and preschool classes will meet at 10:45, as usual. The second service worship time will be led by the kids’ worship team.

Did you know there is a Young Adult Group (YAG) that will begin meeting Thursday nights at the East’s? Their first meeting is scheduled for 9/4. This group is open to all recent HS grads to 25 year olds. They met last year and the group grew as they ate, talked, laughed and studied together. Make friends and enjoy sharing life with others. If you would like to know more, check with Pastor Ryan (youthpastor@ovcf.org or 812.585.0545)

I can’t go without mentioning my Introduction to OVCF get together scheduled for September 7th immediately following the second service. If you have ever wondered or been asked about OVCF-questions like “Who are you?” “What denomination do you belong to?” “What do you believe?” “What are you about?” this is a good time to find some answers to those questions. I’ll reiterate again:

• • • A simple lunch (sandwiches, snacks, etc.) will be provided
    • It will be an informal, small group setting lasting 1- 1 1⁄2 hours.
    • Daycare is being provided by two of our teenage girls. Please let me know if you would need daycare.
    • Please sign the sheet on the information table. I am limiting it to 12 since I plan on offering it on a regular basis (once a quarter).

FALL LADIES BIBLE STUDY, Now and Not Yet, by Ruth Chou Simons is coming soon! It will be offered Monday evenings, 5:30-7:30 from September 15-October 27.
Something new is being offered as well: a themed pitch-in each week. They need you to sign up/pay by September 7th so books can be ordered. Cost of the book: $15. Ladies, if you have any questions please see Macy Carlson or Hope East.

YOUTH NEWS:

• • Jo and I had a lot fun watching our young people play Upwards soccer this past Saturday. We were able to watch all of our young people play! Hudsyn Biggs, Alexander and Isabella Chambers, Conrad Keene, Jordan Mangia, and Barrett Zigler all played well. Hudsyn, Alexander and Isabella, and Conrad all scored goals for their teams. Jordan and Barrett were right in the middle of the action too! Such fun watching them! Why not come out and spend 1⁄2 hour on a Saturday morning (10:45-11:15) cheering them on! They are off this weekend (Labor Day weekend) but will be back at it September 6, 20, and 27.
  • The Bloomfield Cardinal Invite was this past weekend. Aubrey Mangia did well Saturday in her cross country meet. Dad, Tom, said she finished in the top 15. After a tough race the previous week (battling dehydration), she deserves a “well done” for her effort.
  • Alli Anderson placed 4th in that same race-faster than the week before and faster than ever on that course. Alli and Aubrey run for OVHS.
  • Akaydia Beckwith finished first in Thursday’s cross country meet and Tad Nicholson finished 11th overall for the boys with a Personal Best. They both run for OVMS.
  • Christian Wells and Auggie Wood are playing minor football. Auggie’s dad, Mike is their coach. Fletcher Wells is playing rookie football and his dad, Gavin is the assistant coach.

For your information from last week:

• • For the “I can’t wait to see” department. If all goes as planned, we should begin seeing the shell of our new addition sometime in the middle of September.
  • For the “If-that-is-true-about-the-addition” department, we could conceivably celebrate our 21st church anniversary in the new facility. The date we have scheduled is October 26th. An alternate date is November 2nd at Abram Event Venue. We will keep you informed. *All our giving that day, unless designated, will go to our Building Fund.
  • For the “Seriously, we are already talking Christmas?” department, we will take part in Operation Christmas Child during the months of October-November. More info coming.
  • For the “We didn’t do that last year” department, we plan to offer a Thanksgiving meal (lunch) to the community this year. My knee surgery sort of put the nix on that last year. I hope to come back with a roar this year.
  • For the “community outreach” department, Backpack Buddies will be in need of snacks for kids over Christmas break. We will be collecting snacks mid-November through early December. More info coming.

This Sunday’s message is entitled The Calamity and the Cure from Ezekiel 1-22. This ought to give you a hint as to what it is about: “Pride is the only disease known to man that makes everyone sick except the person who has it.” I look forward to seeing you there. Until then…know you are loved.

Pastor Bill

MIDWEEK MESSAGE #259

Hello, everyone and welcome to Midweek Message #259. I already anticipate a jam-packed edition with so many things going on, but before I get to that I want to say thanks for taking the time to read this (I KNOW you do!). 😊

Jo and I had a nice visit with our daughter in Ohio last week. Janna’s birthday is this coming Saturday but we knew last week was the only time we were going to be able to celebrate with her. Thanks for praying for our safe travel.

Our school-related prayer this week is for Kris Samick. Kris and her husband, David have three grown children and a grandson they adore. Kris has been the Director of Communications for S-OCS for the past couple of years but has taken on an additional new role: Interim Principal at Patricksburg Elementary School. Pray for wisdom and stamina and God’s strength as she takes on this double role.

Don’t forget tonight is our church pitch-in. For this one month we changed the date of the pitch-in. It will start at 6:00 and I look forward to seeing all of you there. Our last pitch-in had 70 people. I’m looking for even more this week! 😊

YOUTH NEWS:

• • • Several of our young athletes competed in the cross country invitational in Terre Haute this past weekend. The heat and humidity took its toll on several of the runners-not just on ours. I’m glad none of it was life-threatening. Congrats, to Alli Anderson for a personal best at this meet.
    • Did you know some of our young people are involved in Upwards soccer? Devotions are at 10:00. Practice is from 10:15-10:45 and then games are from 10:45-11:15. We have 6 young people participating this year: Hudsyn Biggs, Alexander and Isabella Chambers, Conrad Keene, Jordan Mangia and Barrett Zigler. Upwards is sponsored by the Spencer Nazarene Church and is a good program for the young people to learn sportsmanship and teamwork in a very casual environment. The dates left, if you would like to watch them play, are August 23, September 6, 20, and 27. The  field is the future home of SNC just past the intersection of 46/43 on your left. There is no cost.
    • ROOTS Kickoff is this Sunday from 5-7:00. All Middle School/High School students are invited to join in the fun! Pastor Ryan has Fall Youth Schedules/calendars available for you to get in on the fun and study!
    • PLEASE REMEMBER THAT SUNDAY, AUGUST 31ST IS 5TH SUNDAY FAMILY WORSHIP! Our elementary students will join us for worship and the nursery and pre-school classes will meet at 10:45 as they normally do. The second service worship time will be led by the kids’ worship team.

Ladies, there is something coming your way! The Fall Ladies Bible Study, Now and Not Yet by Ruth Chou Simons will be Monday evenings, 5:30-7:30 from September 15-October 27. To make it even more inviting there will be a themed pitch-in each week. Please sign up by September 7th so books can be ordered. The cost of the book is $15. If you have any questions please see Macy Carlson or Hope East.

Do you consider yourself a Young Adult? Yeah…I know. Some of us want to be that age again or at least feel like it. But I’m talking recent HS graduates-25 year olds. Sorry. Everyone else is an “oldie”. 😊 The Young Adult Group (YAG) will begin meeting weekly on 9/14 at the East’s home. Contact Pastor Ryan (youthpastor@ovcf.org/812.585.0545) if you have any questions.

What do you believe? What kind of church is OVCF? Are you (Pastor Bill) the boss of OVCF, i.e. do you make all the decisions about the church? (Hint: NO!!!!). What motivates the decisions OVCF makes about its present and future? If you have ever wondered about questions like these and others, now is your chance to find answers!

• • • I’m offering An Introduction to OVCF on Sunday, September 7th, following the second service.
       Lunch of sandwiches and snacks will be provided.
    • Two of our teens have offered to provide daycare, if you need it. I just need to know.
    • What to expect? An informal, small group setting that will last about 1- 1 1⁄2 hours. No lecture. Definitely no preaching! 😊
    • There is a sign-up sheet at the info table if you are interested. I’m limiting the number to 12 since I want to maintain that small group feel and also because I plan to offer this about once/quarter.
    • If you have any questions, please feel to contact me.

It hardly seems possible that we are into the middle of August already. Things sure have been ramping up in the “things to be involved in” category. Forgive me but I’m going to throw a few other items onto your plate so you can begin to think about them.

• • • For the “I can’t wait to see” department. If all goes as planned, we should begin seeing the shell of our new addition sometime in the middle of September.
    • For the “If-that-is-true-about-the-addition” department, we could conceivably celebrate our 21st church anniversary in the new facility. The date we have scheduled is October 26th. An alternate date is November 2nd at Abram Event Venue. We will keep you informed.
    • For the “Seriously, we are already talking Christmas?” department, we will take part in Operation Christmas Child during the month of October-November. More info coming.
    • For the “We didn’t do that last year” department, we plan to offer the Thanksgiving meal to the community this year. My knee surgery sort of put the nix on that last year. I hope to come back with a roar this year.
    • For the “community outreach” department, we will plan to collect snack items for our school children in late November-early December. We will deliver them to Backpack Buddies in time for Christmas Break. 😊

My sermon Sunday is Profound Truths to Live By from Jeremiah 38-Lamentations 5. I’ll look forward to seeing you there. Until then, just know you are loved.

Pastor Bill

MIDWEEK MESSAGE #258

Hello everyone and welcome to Midweek Message #258. It is good to have you join me and make me part of your week. I am honored you would do that. I do anticipate a little shorter MM this week since Jo and I will be heading to Ohio to visit and celebrate our daughter, Janna’s birthday. We will be traveling Tuesday-Thursday. Prayers for safe travel would be appreciated.

Our school-related prayer focus this week is Andy Cline. Andy, as you probably already know, is the Superintendent of S-OCS. He has a lot of responsibilities! Long hours. Big decisions to make. Lots of employees to care about. Yeah…he needs our prayers. 😅

Congratulations to Jordan Mahon! Jordan made the ultimate decision to follow Jesus by being obedient in baptism. He was baptized Sunday by Pastor Ryan and Joe Pavich at the falls at McCormick’s Creek State Park. Joe was super excited to be involved. He is the athletic trainer for the school system and when Jordan was injured he helped him with PT. It is always a great joy to see someone you care about and invest time in come to desire a deeper walk with Jesus. Way to go, Jordan! And way to go, Joe! And Joe? I was standing next to your mom and she was crying tears of joy for you. 😊

Don’t forget this Sunday, the 17th, is a special day for us. Anna East, Pastor Ryan and Hope’s daughter, is planning to serve with YWAM (Youth With A Mission) in New Zealand starting in October. She will be back in February. Anna is going to share with us what her mission trip is to include and what she will be doing. I will let her tell you more Sunday. We have had several of our young people (and adults) take part in mission trips in the past and I hope we have more in the future. Please plan to come and listen and support Anna.

Have you made the notation on your calendar for the change for our next church-wide Pitch-in? Pastor Ryan and I will be gone with some of the leaders to a DiscipleShift Conference in Brownsburg on August 27-28th, so we decided to change the Pitch-in to Wednesday, August 20th at 6:00. I’m going to be honest: I do enjoy the different foods brought in by all of you, but I miss the fellowship even more. I mean…Jo can cook for me. 😉 But I really do miss visiting and laughing with all of you. A little birdie told me there will be Babbs chicken there that night.

Keep in mind that Sunday, August 31st is a 5th Sunday. That means the elementary-age children will be with the parents in adult worship that morning. There are plans to include some youth songs led by the youth worship team (during second service) on Sunday morning for the young people. Just keep in mind that the nursery and pre-school class will still meet as usual, at 10:45.

ROOTS begins Sunday, August 24th from 5-7:00 here are the church building. You may want to bring a change of clothes because water games are the plan for that night. 😊Pastor Ryan’s theme for the year is “Scripted”. He has hand-outs with more information.

Do you have questions about OVCF or have you ever been asked questions like “What kind of church are you?” or “What do you believe?” I’m excited to offer an “Introduction to OVCF” to anyone interested in knowing more about the church. As a refresher, here are the particulars:

• • • September 7th following the second service.
    • Light lunch of sandwiches and snacks will be offered.
    • The session will be in the youth addition and will be very informal.
    • I plan on it lasting 1-1 1⁄2 hours as we discuss our Mission and Vision, our Core Beliefs and Core Values, and why we are structured the way we are.
    • I do not plan to lecture but to sit around and discuss and ask/answer questions.
    • Child care by two of our teenagers will be provided. Please let me know if you need it.
    • A sign-up sheet is on the back info table. Class is limited to 12 since I plan to offer it once every quarter.
    • I would be honored to have you join me and others as we learn more about OVCF.
    • If you have any questions please feel free to ask, text or call me.

YOUTH NEWS!

• • • Lucas and Ellie Arnold were winners of the sidewalk chalk drawing contest at the Gosport Lazy Days Festival this past weekend. Looks like we have some budding DaVinci’s in our midst.
    • The Owen News had a whole section of the latest edition dedicated to the Owen County Fair. If I had included every one of the winners from OVCF, I would have needed to have a newspaper-like MM. Congratulations to all our young people.

This coming Sunday I will be preaching on “God’s Plans for Us” from Jeremiah 14-37. I will be praying for you as we travel and will be looking forward to being with you this Sunday. Until then…know you are loved.

Pastor Bill

And see…I can be short 😉

MIDWEEK MESSAGE #257

Hello everyone and welcome to Midweek Message #257. It is good to have you join me today. This is a busy month so I hope this week starts it out on the right foot.

The biggest news is, of course, school starts this week. For some of you I just went from Mr. Nice Guy to Mr. Worst News of the Week guy. 😉Sorry. However, there is one bright spot in this picture. We have a name to pray for each week. This week is a general one. Please pray for all the administrators, principals, staff, teachers and students this week.

• • • Pray for a good school year.
    • Pray for a safe school year for all involved.
    • Pray for the teachers to communicate well.
    • Pray for the students to learn well.

We will be giving you a specific individual to pray for each week from this point on. Living with a teacher in the household keeps me praying and learning that being a teacher is hard work. It is also mentally challenging, especially if you know a teacher who truly cares about his or her students.

More great news to share! This past Wednesday night we had our monthly church family pitch-in. We had the most people we have ever had! 70! Count them: 70! Funny thing about that is we had 69 and a few moments after I had counted and announced the number, someone came up to me to say, “Someone just came. You can add her.” We had not only a great turnout, but some great conversations. In fact, when I left there were still some people talking and visiting (Pastor Ryan stayed to lock up). We also had a great spirit of cooperation as all the tables were taken down and the chairs were set up so I had very little to do Thursday morning in getting the chairs ready for Sunday morning. Thanks to everyone who helped clean up, put
away, set up, and made life much easier. You da best! 😊

• • • Speaking of the pitch-in. We are having to move the next pitch-in to a week earlier. Pastor Ryan, Tom Mangia and I will be attending a two-day DiscipleShift Conference being held in Brownsburg on the 27th and 28th of this month. Since you know it is essential that I be there (for the food and fellowship, remember), it was decided to move the pitch-in to a week earlier. So mark the date of August 20th for the next pitch-in at 6 pm.

Now for some YOUTH NEWS!

• • • ROOTS begins Sunday evening, August 24th from 5-7:00. ROOTS is open to all Middle School and High School students. Pastor Ryan sent an email to all parents and students this past week. If by some chance you did not get one, please reach out to him. The letter told about ROOTS, Deeper and several other events on the horizon. There is also a sign-up sheet on the info table if you would like to provide snacks for ROOTS.
    • Right after the OC fair started I mentioned to you that MiaRose Hess was chosen as the Fair Queen. I also mentioned her sister, Meilynn is making quite a name for herself in 4-H as well. She texted me her list of awards this past week and it could quite possibly take the rest of this MM to list them all. When I talked to her, she said I could cut it down and maybe just list the Champion and Grand Champion awards. So here goes:
      • • Western Sr. Showmanship in 4H project awards-Reserve Champion
        • Reserve Grand Champion for Top Dog and Dog Agility
        • Dog Showmanship-Grand Champion
        • Fashion Revue- Grand Champion
        • Bicycle rodeo- Grand Champion
        • Rabbit Showman-Advanced Champion
        • Pygmy market and Pygmy Doe- Grand Champion
        • Aerospace, Collections, Outdoor Photography, BeeKeeping-Grand Champion
        • Several Reserve Champion as well as multiple other awards
        • Well done, Meilynn! Keep up the good work.
    • Any others to add to the fair awards?
    • A little birdie told me Rusti O’Neal made the 7th grade Volleyball team. I bet she will tell you there is a difference in size from a softball to a volleyball. 😊

Exciting news to share! This coming Sunday, Jordan Mahon, who was one of our graduating seniors, will be baptized by Pastor Ryan and Joe Pavich at the falls at McCormick’s Creek State Park. Jordan spoke with Pastor Ryan this past week and knew his next step in following Jesus would be to be obedient in baptism. You are welcome to observe. The baptism will take place after the second service, about 12:45 pm. Jordan will be attending Judson University to play basketball (and to study) this fall.

On September 7th I will be offering the first of what I hope are many sessions on “An Introduction to OVCF.” Following a lunch of sandwiches and snacks, I want to have an informal, casual conversation about what makes OVCF tick. You will have a chance to see our mission and vision, core beliefs and core values and why we are structured the way we are. There will be plenty of time to ask questions and hopefully get answers. 😊 My plan is to make it last around 1- 1 1/2 hours. If you have need of childcare, please indicate that or let me know. There is a sign-up sheet on the back info table. The limit is 12 per session and I had 3 sign up this past Sunday.

Did you know that Anna East is leaving in October and flying the coop? Well…she is flying but not the coop. She is actually going to New Zealand to serve on a short term mission trip (4 months) with YWAM (Youth With A Mission). Anna will be sharing about her trip on August 17th at both services. I admire any young person who wants to stretch their boundaries and see how God can use them. Come listen to Anna and show your support for her trip.

My sermon for Sunday is entitled What Does God Want from Me? The Scripture is Isaiah 54-Jeremiah 13. Let me just give you a heads up and maybe you can develop it on your own. Here are the main thoughts in the outline: I) He wants me to pursue Him; and II) He wants me to rely on Him. Your mission is to divide up the Scripture to see how you do. Until then, my thoughts and prayers are with you. I look forward to seeing you Sunday. You are loved.

Pastor Bill

MIDWEEK MESSAGE #256

Hello everyone and welcome to Midweek Message #256! I hope your week has been going well and you have seen God blessing you in all ways.

Did you remember our church pitch-in is tonight at 6:00?

With school starting, we will begin praying for our school personnel. This week we just want you to pray for the administration, faculty, teachers, and students as they get ready to start back next week.

Saturday was a day of excitement. No, nobody was here except me. But pictures don’t lie. 😊Saturday morning at 5:30, they began pouring the concrete for the foundation of the new addition. I left at 7:40 to go to the Y and when I came back they were still at it. Soon all the pouring was done, then the tedious work began. Around 12-1:00 they were all done and heading home. Not only do I not know how to do what they do, but the heat and humidity were brutal. But we now have the finished concrete pad. The last word we received is the shell will be started around the middle of September. There were a lot of excited people Sunday. If you didn’t get a chance to see it then Diana has posted some pictures on the church’s Facebook
page. You can catch them there. Better yet, come up and see for yourself.

Special Announcement!!! Two Sundays ago when I mentioned praying for someone from another church, a member of that church was shocked that another church would be praying for someone in their church. (It’s what we do). But I’m pleased to announce that another church has blessed US in a very tangible way. Several on our worship team sang and led worship at the women’s Women of the Word gathering last month at the Christian Life Center, which is sponsored and promoted by Shiloh Wesley Church. Dr. Diane Wells is not only a medical doctor, she is also the pastor of Shiloh. This past week their church blessed us with a very generous monetary gift to be used in the building of our addition. We want you to know so that you can tell her thanks if you see her. A letter of thanks will be sent from the elders to express our thanks for their generosity.

Sunday was a special day also.

• • • Derek Britt and Luke Furr were here to bring us up to date on Chi Alpha’s impact at IU. Like Ryan, I got choked up at the end of the video as they showed multiple students being baptized in all kinds of settings. To hear the voice-overs of some of the students and then to find out that it was their testimony at their baptism really moved me. Derek shared with us that in the neighborhood of 400-500 students were impacted by Chi Alpha this past year. Keep praying for their ministry. Chi Alpha is one of the monthly missions we support.
    • Even more exciting was that Sunday was Move-Up Sunday for 6 of our students who will be moving from the Late Elementary class to the Adult worship. Some were unable to be here this week but the list included Akaydia Beckwith, Amelia Biggs, Eliza Chambers, Aasha Srinivasan, CJ Wood, and Cooper Wood. Welcome, my young friends, to the adult worship. I look forward to watching you grow in your faith. (And Ryan looks forward to having you in ROOTS youth group 😊).

Speaking of ROOTS! ROOTS kickoff is Sunday, August 24th from 5-7 PM. ROOTS is open to all Middle School/High School students. Please feel free to invite your friends. If you have any questions about whether you will enjoy it, check with some of the young people who attend. If you, or your parents have any questions about snacks (yes they use them and there will be a sign-up sheet), lessons, etc. please check with Pastor Ryan.

It seems like almost every week, whether I am talking to people at the Y, at a meal, some gathering, or with a Sunday visitor, I am asked, “What is OVCF? What denomination is it? What do you believe about (fill in the blank)”? I try to explain it and sometimes they “get it” but there are also times when I am asked for more information and deeper clarification. Like “what do you mean Independent or non-denominational?” This past Monday in a conversation at the Y, I was asked about creeds and our stand on them. It came up because I had befriended a couple of folks and invited them to OVCF. What would you say to the above questions, and others like them? Would you like to know more? I wrote an “Introduction to OVCF” for that purpose. My
plan is to have a sit-down, non-formal gathering (with lunch😊) to give you a chance to ask
questions and to discuss with other people ideas like the ones I’ve been asked and more. So
here are the details…

• • • Sunday, September 7th, will be the first offering of “An Introduction to OVCF.”
    • It will be immediately following the second service.
    • Lunch will be served (sandwiches, chips, finger foods).
    • I plan for it to last about an hour to an hour and half.
    • We will discuss the material in a small group setting. I will not be lecturing or standing at a pulpit. I’ll set up tables solely for convenience in the youth addition.
    • Do you need child care? Please let me know so I can make sure someone is there for you.
    • All you need is a Bible, a notebook (there will be plenty of space in the material to take notes), a pen, a curious mind, and an open heart.
    • There will be a sign-up sheet and since it will be offered multiple times, there will be
      limit of 12 per session.

I look forward to chatting with you. Any questions, please feel free to ask me.

I’ve given you a lot to think about this week so I’m going wrap things up. This coming Sunday I will be preaching on Destruction to Reconstruction from Isaiah 23-53. I look forward to seeing you. You are loved…more than you know.

Pastor Bill

MIDWEEK MESSAGE #255

Hello everyone and welcome to Midweek Message #255. I hope your week is going well. Sunday was an exciting day for the OVCF family as two elders, Bobby Anderson and Tom Mangia gave an update about our building addition. In case you were unable to be here or to hear the live stream I thought I would include the text of their presentation for you:

7/20/25 Building Update to the Congregation

The Elders and Building Team have been actively meeting and working on the building project with the contractor, and we wanted to bring you an update and some exciting news. Would members of the Eldership (Bobby Anderson, Tom Mangia, David Robertson and Pastors Bill and Ryan); the Building Team (Wayne Akerson, Madi Arnett, Dick Hogan, Dave Keith, Diana Markland, Marge Monticue, Don Taylor, and Mark Truesdel) please stand. We would like to thank you for your dedication to not only this project but to the future of this congregation and church. We truly appreciate you. {Note: names added by me}

In late June/early July the Elders reviewed the current bid and identified some areas of opportunity that would allow us to reduce the overall cost. In partnership with our contractor and Building team, we were able to reduce the next phase of the project by ~$93k! These savings have allowed us to sign the contract earlier this week that will see us proceeding with finishing the foundation, erecting the building, completing all exterior work, and framing the interior walls. The concrete for the foundation is scheduled to be poured on 7/26/25 at5:30am, weather permitting. The building structure construction is currently planned to begin in September. Exciting things are happening, and all of these items are being done DEBT
FREE!

We had previously provided you with an update that we had planned to prioritize the parking lot expansion. We feel that it is also important to provide you with an update on that separate/subset project. The expansion of the parking lot is still a need and priority of the Eldership and Building team, but after discussing the parking expansion with the contractor, we have decided to delay that for now to focus on the building itself. We will be in further discussions with our current contractor regarding this separate project (parking lot). {End statement}

Is this not exciting news? 😃If you have any questions as we move forward, please feel free to ask the Building Team members (listed above) and we will do our best to answer any question or concern you may have.

Now for some other news!

• • • Pastor Ryan will be out of the office all week.
    • This Sunday, the 27th, Derek Britt and Luke Furr from Chi Alpha will be with us to give us brief update about their work among the students at IU.
    • This Sunday is also Move-Up Sunday! As Pastor Ryan explained a few Sundays ago, the students moving into 1st grade will move up to the Early Elementary and the 3rd grade grads will move up to the Late Elementary. The 6th grade grads will be recognized in second service with the adults where they will begin their new journey of growing in their faith.
    • Our next OVCF Family Pitch-in is next Wednesday, the 30th at 6:00. We look forward to seeing you there to celebrate God’s goodness with us.

YOUTH CORNER

Call me stumped. After having so many entries from the fair last year, I had to use several MMs to list all the awards. This year I have had no one contact me about the awards won. So I’m putting the word out for next week!! Text or email me any awards our young people have won from the fair.

• • • Congratulations to Aubrey Mangia for taking first place in her age division (women 14 and under) at the 5k fund raiser at MCSP this past Saturday benefiting the Tristan Calvin Scholarship Fund.
    • Tad Nicholson also ran in the same fundraiser. He ran the 5k in 30 minutes. (He would have definitely beaten me).

With my remaining space, I’d like to reiterate what I said Sunday morning before I preached about the T-shirt I wore. It said This Pastor has an Awesome Congregation. I wore it for a reason because I knew what Tom and Bobby were going to say. Here is what I also added as I reflected on the past 19 1⁄2 years as your pastor:

• • • Our move to this building in 2010 was a move of faith.
    • Even after the devastating financial news in 2011, we moved on in faith.
    • We added Ryan to our staff in 2013 by faith.
    • We added on the Youth Addition in 2018 by faith. With God’s help we did it debt free.
    • We began saving immediately toward an addition we believed would accommodate the adult worship and now 7 years later we are moving forward in faith. We obviously aren’t there yet, but we will be. We will continue to move by faith, trusting God to provide and not move until He does.

To echo my shirt: this pastor does have an awesome congregation. So thank you for being you. Thank you for continuing to focus on people, not on buildings. Thank you for making this a “Welcome Home” place-a place where people can find they are home. {One final note: thanks to whomever gifted the shirt to me during the “Welcome Home” series in September/October}.

My sermon this coming Sunday is The Danger of Self-Reliance from Ecclesiastes 9-Isaiah 22. I look forward to being with you. Remember you are loved.

Pastor Bill