Category: MidweekMessage

MIDWEEK MESSAGE #248

Hello everyone and welcome to Midweek Message #248, your source for all good things happening at OVCF. 😊 I hope you enjoyed your Memorial Day celebration and along the way took some time to be grateful for the men and women who have served our country. Remembering them is one of the greatest ways to honor their service.

Many of you have asked how our trip to Ohio went. We left early Saturday morning because we found out Braden, our grandson, played a ball game at noon. The weather was great, even though the score didn’t quite turn out like we would have liked. I didn’t realize that it was the first time Tami has had a chance to see him play a high school baseball game. Then it hit me: she is always in class teaching while he is playing. I’m glad we were able to make it.

Graduation went well. Well…relatively well. There were over 400 students in his graduating class. Sadly, acoustics were horrible and it was really hard to hear many of the remarks the speakers made. Here is why we are button-popping grandparents and aunt: Braden graduated with academic highest honors (4.2 GPA)! He received several other honors: 2024 All OCC scholar athlete (football); 2nd team All OCC and 1st team All District (baseball); Gold Key, Keith Noble Jr. scholarship.

Okay… let’s move on to some other important things! 😁 I hope you have made plans to attend the OVCF family pitch-in tonight. I look forward to seeing you tonight at 6:00.

The New Beginnings Pregnancy Resource Center’s Change for Life fundraiser is happening now! There are baby bottles on the info table for you to take and fill with your change, $, or check and then return by June 15th (Father’s Day). All proceeds from Change for Life work to help the Center’s work to help families in our community.

YOUTH CORNER:

The end of the school year always brings a flurry of awards, the biggest, of course, being that students move up a grade. Here are some others:

• • • Draven Stahl was given the Top Cat Award for 2nd grade.
    • Tad Nicholson received 5 academic awards and was presented with the Best Defensive Player Award for the A-Team, due to his work behind the plate (He is a catcher for the baseball team)! I won’t say anything at all that his mom may have posted that on Facebook.

The VFW hosts the Illustrating America Art Contest for kids grades K-8. We had several who were winners in their age group.

• • • Grades K-2: First place was Alexander Chambers
    • Grades 3-5: First place was Sophia Kropack; second place was Deanna Cain; third place
      was Isabella Chambers
    • Grades 6-9: Second place was Eliza Chambers
    • In a separate category, Creative Patriotic Art, Brodie Sutton, a graduating senior, took first place at the local VFW level and fifth place as State of Indiana winner.

MORE SCHOOL RELATED NEWS:

• • • Kristine Mangia was honored for her 25 years to S-OCS as a teacher
    • Kim Floyd celebrates 5 years as a school nurse.

School is out for the summer so I thought it would be good to acknowledge and remind you to pray for those who were a focus of our weekly prayer list. A LIST OF ALL THE ADMINISTRATORS AND TEACHERS WHO ARE PART OF THE OVCF FAMILY: Mary Beckwith, Matt Beckwith, Gabrielle Corder, Karen Fisher (bookkeeper), Heather Herrington (secretary), Kim Floyd (nurse), Tami Grandi, Hannah Morse, Cara King, Kristine Mangia, Angela Mayle (inclusion), Rachel Nicholson, Kris Samick (Admin) and Jenn Zigler (OVMS

counselor). Homeschool moms are Christine Chambers, Rebecca Chesser, Hope East, Jenny Hess, Michelle Lippert, Jeanna Srinivasan, and Shelly Sutton.

I checked, double checked, and triple checked this list so I hope I have not left anyone out. If I have please let me know and I will include you in next week’s MM.

Welcome to Kathy Wisley! This past Sunday, after studying the First Steps study with me a couple of weeks ago, she made the decision to be baptized. Kathy was baptized this past Sunday at the YMCA. It was a pleasure to baptize her with her family there to witness it.

In MM #245 I mentioned that we have hired Hannah Pendleton as a part-time Children’s Ministry Director. She is fitting into her role rather nicely and will be a big asset to our youth ministry as time moves on. What I failed to mention is that we have also hired Bob Kropack as a part-time maintenance man. Ever since Dick Hogan retired from that position, we have been without one. There have definitely been some things that needed to be taken care of. Bob will work when the need arises and he has already helped make a difference. Welcome, Bob!

A reminder to you about Serving Owen County Together scheduled for June 21st. A rain date (a definite possibility) is June 28th. We have taken part since its inception 4 years ago. It will be located at the front parking lot at OVMS/OVHS this year.

One last thing: have you had a chance to see the progress on the addition? They were finally able to get in and begin putting the stem wall forms together. Good weather will help us this week to see progress with that.

Sunday’s message is When All Seems Lost from Esther 6-Job 21. I look forward to seeing you then. Just know you are loved.

Pastor Bill

MIDWEEK MESSAGE #247

Hello everyone! Welcome to Midweek Message #247. Thanks for taking the time to read this edition. I toyed with not doing a MM this week but decided there was so much going on that it would be good to do one.

First on my mind is a big thank you to all who shared in Sunday’s celebration. Jo, Tami and I were able to watch the live stream (the whole first service and both graduate celebrations) and so we at least felt like we were here in a small way. Each week I am grateful for those who do the live stream faithfully and make it available for those who can’t be here to at least have a small taste of being part of the OVCF family. I commented on the YouTube channel since I don’t have Facebook, but I don’t know if I was doing something wrong (totally possible) or if no one wanted to say hi. 😁 Congratulations again to all our graduates. Here is a complete list of them for you:

• • • Elijah Clausman (homeschool)
    • Calvin Dean (OVHS)
    • Anna East (homeschool)
    • Jordan Mahon (OVHS)
    • Nolan Miller (homeschool)
    • Adriana Moreno (OVHS)
    • Mason Powell (BHSN)
    • Adam Samick (OVHS)Brodie Sutton (homeschool)

College

• • • Alec Akerson (IU)
    • Colby Beckwith (SMWC)
    • Tori Floyd (IU)
    • Travis Floyd (IU)

My prayer for all of you is found in Psalm 37:5- “Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust him, and he will help you.” (NLT) I pray you will consult Him in all you, every step you take, and every move you make. I pray your future will be blessed by Him and you will bring honor and glory to Him in all things.

CHANGE FOR LIFE: NEW BEGINNINGS PREGNANCY RESOURCE CENTER. We are collecting for NBPRC from now until Father’s Day. Please take a bottle on the info table, (fill it with your loose change, money or check) and return it by June 15. EVERYTHING given will support the Center’s work to help families in our community. We have been supporting this for many years and it has always been a good opportunity to help out one of the missions we support.

You are invited to attend Kathy Wisley’s baptism at the YMCA this coming Sunday at 12:45. Notice the time difference from previous times. The Y has been so gracious down through the years to allow us to use the  pool on Sundays before they open, but it sure will be nice to have our own place to baptize people in our new facility (when and if it stops raining). 😄

HAVE YOU REMEMBERED to put the next OVCF family pitch-in on your calendar? It is scheduled for Wednesday, May 28th at 6:00. Someone has suggested we call it “Chat-n-Chew.” That name is up for debate, but getting together for some fun, laughter, and good food is not. 😄

Years ago when Jo and I first came to OVCF, we used to have a weekend called Family Camp. It was at another campground and it was a time for many to unwind and just have some good fun. It has been several years (at least more than the 15 OVCF has been in this building) since there has been a family camp. Several of our folks want to revive that weekend and have chosen August 1-3 at Hilltop as an “end-of-the-summer-right-before-school-starts” opportunity for you to spend time winding down and enjoying your church family. There is more information in this week’s bulletin. Start now by marking your calendars.

For the past 4 years we have taken part in Serving Owen County Together. This is Year #5 and we have been asked to help volunteer again. I will have more in future MMs and we will also post more in the bulletin, but right now I’m going to ask you to put June 21st on your calendar. A rain date (which seems to be a real possibility these days) is June 28th. As I know more I will share it with you. I can tell you it will take place in the front parking lot of the OV high school/middle school. This is a great way to serve our community.

This Sunday I will continue the trek through the Bible using the Everyday Gospel Devotional. I’m going to cover a lot of ground this week by preaching from Ezra 1-Esther 5. The three main characters we will learn from are Ezra, Nehemiah and Esther. Here is what you have to look forward to:

1. 1. 1. Ezra- the priest who brought a fresh start
      2. Nehemiah- the cupbearer who built a wall
      3. Esther- the queen who saved a nation

We will get a wonderful chance to see how God intervened in rebuilding a nation-spiritually and physically. I missed seeing you this past Sunday. I know vacations begin for many. For those who are here this week, I look forward to seeing you. For those traveling, be safe and please take a moment to check in on the live stream. Love you all.
Pastor Bill

MIDWEEK MESSAGE #246

Hello everyone and welcome to Midweek Message #246. I hope all you ladies had a nice day Sunday. There is no denying the weather sure was beautiful! 80 degrees and sunny! I was such a good husband and Tami was such a good daughter we didn’t even ask Jo to fix lunch for us. 😁

A couple of big events happen this coming weekend.

• • • We will be gone for our grandson Braden’s graduation from high school this coming Sunday. We will be heading over Saturday and, Lord willing, be back Monday.
    • Pastor Ryan will be preaching this Sunday. His Scripture will be taken from the Everyday Gospel Devotional (just as mine have been all year). His Scripture will be 2 Chronicles 13-36. Please come prepared by reading the Scripture ahead of time.
    • Graduate Recognition Sunday is this Sunday. For those who may not have had a chance to see last week’s MM, I thought I would list them again for you:
      • • • Elijah Clausman
          • Anna East
          • Jordan Mahon
          • Nolan Miller
          • Mason Powell
          • Adam Samick
          • Brodie Sutton
          • Alec Akerson (college)
          • Tori Floyd (college)
          • Travis Floyd (college)

Congratulations to all of you. I will be disappointed to miss your recognition on Sunday but just know that I will be praying for all of you as you follow His leading in your life. I am excited to see what journey God leads you on in the future. I also hope wherever you go you will always remember there is a church in the small town of Spencer, IN that loves you and cares about you.

Several important items will be taking place on Sunday, the 25th.

• • • Several months ago someone asked me about putting in the MM about any upcoming baptisms. Here is one for you to mark your calendar for: Kathy Wisely will be baptized at the YMCA following morning worship at 12:30. You are invited to attend.
    • Adriana, Matt & Mary Beckwith’s foreign exchange student, will be spending her last Sunday with us before heading back to Spain. Not only would I like to introduce her to you, she also has something she would like to say. If you see her, let her know how nice it was to have her visit and that you hope she remembers OVCF was a church that welcomed her. Those who host foreign exchange students take on a big challenge as well. Sort of like temporarily fostering a child. I’m proud of Matt & Mary and their family for taking Adriana in and making the adjustments to host her. Their children, Kaedence, Akaydia, Kayliana, and Aksel are to be commended also.

YOUTH CORNER:

• • • Well, I messed up again (that is two for this year. I’ve hit my quota). In last week’s MM, I stated that Aubrey Mangia took 4th place in the 2400 meter. That was correct. I wrongly stated that was 8 times around the track. It is 6 times. Along with being technologically-challenged, I guess I am reading-challenged as well. Her father, Tom, said 6. I saw 8. Either way she did well. 😀
    • Jo and I were able to make it to the ball diamonds on Wednesday and saw a number of our younger ones play ball. Those we saw were Addi and Owen Hutchison (I owe him one since his game finished as we got there). We also saw Grace Chesser, Jordan Mangia and Brett Zigler. Calvin Keene was playing but we were unable to see him play.
      Parents! Please get me a schedule so we can watch your child play! Jo & I want to see as many as possible play ball!
    • I was able to make it to the high school track meet Thursday evening to watch some of our young athletes compete. The girl’s relay 4×800 with Alli Anderson took first place. Alli also took first place in the individual open 800. The girl’s relay team took 1st place in the 4×400 after I left.
    • I also saw Eli Wood throw the discus 80’. Good job, Eli! Keep up the hard work!!

It takes a lot of work to compete in high school sports (or middle school). I am impressed by
those who do the discipline of both competing and school work. I’m also excited to see so many
of our young ones playing ball and getting away from the screens. A big tip of the hat goes to
the parents (and grandparents) who make a point of getting their young ballplayers to and from
practice and games. I was texting with one of the parents last week about their schedules and it
made me tired just reading it. 😄

I KNOW YOU HAVE SURELY MARKED THE DATE! Wednesday, May 28th is the next pitch-in at 6:00. The online poll and word-of-mouth was highly in favor of continuing them through the summer so that is what we are planning to do. We have several ideas mulling around in our brains-one of them a cookout with sort of like a game night involving corn hole and other games. I know…maybe with all the dirt that will be piled around and a little water…nah better not suggest that one. 😄

As I write this it is Sunday afternoon and 80 degrees. The plan is to start building the stem wall for our addition tomorrow. The forecast says 70% chance of rain. Again, I ask Jerry Benton: are you sure we can’t build a dome over our church building and addition area? Sure would come in handy don’t you think? 😁 UPDATE: due to the weather and a repair to the new line REMC installed, the stem wall was delayed. Please pray for several dry days to facilitate the equipment and forms being able to be brought in and the wall to be poured.

Congrats are in order for Zach and Nicole Bell. Kane Jesse Bell was born on 5/8 and tipped the scales at 6# 9oz and was 19 3⁄4” long. Kane means “man” in Hawaiian, Zach’s heritage.

And on that high note I will close this MM. I will miss seeing you this Sunday but I trust you will have a meaningful time with Pastor Ryan. Love you much.

Pastor Bill

MIDWEEK MESSAGE #245

Hello everyone and welcome to Midweek Message #245. I know some of you went to your inbox last Wednesday looking for the MM and were sorely disappointed. 😁 It didn’t go to your junk mail. Jo and I went to Ohio to see Braden play some high school baseball so I made plans not to publish one. Little did I know that the weather we had here in the early part of last week would hit there even worse, so we ended up cutting our visit short and came home Tuesday morning. But it was still too late to put a MM together so I stuck with my original decision. We did get to see him play Monday and get a couple of hits (they still lost), but it was reminiscent of a couple summers ago when every time we went the game was rained out. 🙁Hopefully, we will get to see him play some this summer before he starts college at Ohio State.

Since I’m writing about Braden, our next visit will be the weekend of May 17-19 when he will graduate from high school. His graduation is Sunday afternoon, the 18th, so Pastor Ryan will be preaching that Sunday. That is also Graduate Recognition Sunday in the second service. I’m sorry I am going to miss that day because I love to honor our students who have worked so hard, but Ryan and Diana have always done an excellent job of recognizing our graduates. Here is the list we have:

• • • Elijah Clausman (Homeschool)
    • Anna East (Homeschool)
    • Jordan Mahon (OVHS)
    • Nolan Miller (Homeschool)
    • Mason Powell (BHSN)
    • Adam Samick (OVHS)
    • Brodie Sutton (Homeschool)
    • Alec Akerson (Masters of Science in Teaching, Learning and Curriculum: STEM Track at IU)
    • Tori Floyd (Masters at IU School of Public Health)
    • Travis Floyd (IU-Jacobs School of Music)

Remember to pray for our educators of the week: Bonnie Richmond and Beth Sewell. They are
both counselors at OVHS.

YOUTH CORNER

• • • They did it again! The four young men (Walker LaGrange, Charlie Burkett, Dane Stahl, and Landrin Wolford ) on the OVMS track team continue making history. They broke the school record again for the 4×100 and the 4×400. Dane Stahl (Kim’s son) broke the school record for the 200 at 24.43. He now qualifies for the New Balance Nationals next month in Pennsylvania. Way to go, Dane and the other young men!
    • She did it again and excelled! Aubrey Mangia took part in the OVMS track meet this past Saturday. Here were her standings:
      • • 4th place in the 2400 meter (1.5 miles or 8 times around the track)
        • 2nd place in the Girls 800 meter
        • 6th place in Girls’ Long Jump
        • 1st place in the Girls’ 4×800 meter (along with Makynlie Hall, Layla VanHorn and Kenadi Collier)

I really enjoyed the East Tennessee presentation by the folks who went. I was so proud of them being servants. I’m honored to be the pastor of a church that likes to send people and makes it possible for that to happen. Your continued generosity for young people-whether it be for camp or some other venture-needs to be highlighted. A perfect example of that is at the moment, we have 26 campers registered for Hilltop camp. WOW!

Have you taken the time to look at the north end of our property? Not only is excavation done for the water management & drainage, there has been more “playing in the dirt” (i.e. progress) over the past couple of weeks. The electricity for the new building has been connected. Footers have been dug & poured and we are just waiting for clear weather to have the stem wall poured. Next will be putting down gravel for the future foundation! You can really begin to see the footprint of the new building! We plan to expand our parking by
adding to the east which will accommodate 50-75 more spots. Diana has been posting pictures of the progress on the church’s Facebook page. If you would like to see what is happening, come by and check it out! Jerry Benton, the contractor, tells us that he will lay the concrete pad when we are ready to put it under roof.

MONTHLY PITCH-IN! I was mistaken when I spoke at the last pitch-in. For some reason I was thinking it was May and it would be our last one. I was wrong (first time all year). 😁 We asked and several of you weighed in- all in favor of continuing our monthly pitch-ins! Many of you enjoy the time together for food and fellowship (we do, too!)! We will have our next pitch-in on Wednesday, May 28th at 6 PM.

A big, huge welcome to Hannah Pendleton! Hannah began her ministry with OVCF as our part- time Children’s Ministry Director this past Monday. We had a staff meeting and initiated her to Ryan’s use of Dry Bar Comedy videos that often keep us laughing. Then we made her all better by taking her to lunch to celebrate Cinco de Mayo at El Ranchero. 😀Welcome, Hannah! We look forward to growing to love her even more as she helps us move forward and improve what we offer for our children’s church programs! Pastor Ryan will be mentoring her and helping her adjust.

Sunday is Mother’s Day. The sermon is entitled A Godly Woman! I’ve taken each day’s reading from Everyday Gospel and condensed it into an idea and then found women in the Bible who exhibit that quality. It will be a woman-honoring message. See you then and know you are loved.

Pastor Bill

MIDWEEK MESSAGE #244

Hello everyone and welcome to Midweek Message #244. Well…Easter 2025 is now history. And what a history it brings! We had a beautiful Sunday morning. Sunshine. Spring weather. Plenty of smiles and hugs all around. I saw little girls smile at me and when I got close play shy and hide. I saw little boys be…well…little boys. I heard the worship team do a tremendous job in leading us to worship. I heard the congregation raise the roof on the songs. I saw a great spirit of cooperation setting up before and tearing down after. Pastor Ryan had the shuttle system  working like a well-oiled machine. You should also know that Diana puts in a lot of extra work to make sure things go smoothly for us. Many thanks to all those who helped set things up (chairs, sound and live stream) and tear things down. And in case you are wondering, we set a new attendance record for our worship of any kind: 315. Abram Event Venue only has 300 chairs so that meant many folks gave up their seat so others could sit with family or at least find a seat. Thank you to those who did that. (I still wonder why no one wanted to sit up front with me). A super big thank you to Pastor Ryan who noticed the nursery was packed with little ones who were too big for that room and took them outside and played kickball, tag, and a whole bunch of other games.

I had someone ask about our addition, someone who was visiting for the first time and is moving here from Indy. I explained where it will be and what the capacity will be. They said they really enjoyed today and would be back. We also had someone who went to the church building and saw the cars and wondered where everyone was. They finally figured it out and came as I was finishing up. But they did say they would be back. I’m sure glad Tiffany Kropack was still greeting when they came.😄 Thanks to all of you who invited friends and family to join us. I hope they had a joyful experience.

Up to this point in the MM, everything I have written was done on Sunday afternoon. From this point on it is Monday. So here it is: Back to earth. 😄

This coming weekend, April 26-28 eight teenagers will be attending the Brown County Chrysalis  Flight. Those eight are Rogan Campbell, Abigail Clausman, Elijah Clausman, Caleb East, Rachel East, Kalissa Hamlin, Meilynn Hess and Nolan Miller. Some of you have been to a Chrysalis weekend or Emmaus Walk in the past. Ryan, Hope and Anna East are sponsoring many of these young people in this venture. If you would consider writing an agape’ letter of love and encouragement to any of these students that you know, it would be much appreciated. If you do, please return your letter to Ryan, Hope or Anna by this Friday the 25th so they will be
received on time. Candlelight is at Hilltop Christian Camp, and anyone who has attended Emmaus or Chrysalis is welcome to attend.

YOUTH NEWS

• • • Congratulations to Cecilia Arnold. This past week she was awarded the True Patriot Award for the third quarter of this school year. Grandma Melissa found out it was for being kind and respectful to her peers and teachers, being a good student, getting good grades, etc. She was nominated by her teacher. What an honor Cecilia!
    • The Jr. High track team is making history. Liam Bevington set the record for the 200 m. Walker LaGrange, Charlie Burkett, Dane Stahl (Kim’s son), and Landrin Wolford set the record in the 4×400. To top it off those same 4 young men set a record in the 4×100 as well. Congratulations to all of them!

Our time with our grandson, Braden, playing high school baseball is winding down. I’m not sure Jo will know what to do when she can’t watch him on her iPad as the games are live streamed. Oh, I know…she will have to talk to me. But I think she would prefer to watch him.😄 We have not been able to watch him play at all this spring. Our last time to watch him play high school baseball live is next Monday and Tuesday so we will be heading out after church next Sunday for Ohio. We will be back Wednesday in time for the pitch-in. (You didn’t expect me to miss that did you?) Our next time gone will be in May for his graduation. Would you please pray for a safe trip for us? Pastor Ryan and Diana will hold the fort down rather well. Because of being gone for the first part of the week, there will be no MM next week.

Because of what I just said, I’ll include our educator of the week for this Sunday and all next week in this edition of the MM. Our educator will be Jenn Zigler. Jenn graduated from Taylor University and received her Masters from Ball State. She has been a counselor at OVMS for 8 years. She has been married to Chris for 13 years and they have two sons, Winston (8) & Barrett (6). They love going to McCormick’s Creek Park to hike, picnic and walk the trails.

Last Monday evening the Building Team met with Jerry Benton, our contractor, to talk about the next stages of our expansion. I know some of you have asked so I thought I would give a quick rundown of our discussion points:

• • • Underground utilities are in and this past Wednesday our power was switched over to the new service cabinet. The new gas line will go in when the building is completed.
    • What is next? Top soil work is first, hopefully within the next 2 weeks. (This is the second week). Then gravel work, a stem wall (footer and wall) and rough grade work will be done. Dirt work, seed, and straw will quickly follow.
    • The pad will be poured when we are ready to enclose it. Jerry is hesitant to pour the pad and then have it sit in the sun for a long period of time.
    • Parking lot expansion will also be taking place. We are planning on 50-75 more parking spaces to the east of the current parking lot. We will be placing flags out soon for that work to be done.

When will all this be done? When it stops raining!😄And please keep in mind that we will proceed as we have the money.

My sermon this Sunday will be entitled Our God Reigns! from 2 Kings 1-19. The next Sunday will be Simple Words-Lifetime Lessons from 2 Kings 20-I Chronicles 17. I look forward to seeing you! And once again I say thanks for making Resurrection Sunday one to remember. I love you all.

Pastor Bill

MIDWEEK MESSAGE #243

Hello everyone and welcome to Midweek Message #243! I appreciate you taking the time to  read this and take note of what is happening with the OVCF family.

Remember to pray for our educator of the week: George Bergen. Mr. Bergen is the counselor at McCormick’s Creek Elementary School (MCES). Mr. Bergen and his helper, Walker (therapy dog), have been at MCES for several years. I know he appreciates us praying for him.

It was good to have Ryan and Mala Kroft from Hilltop Christian Camp with us this past Sunday. Hilltop is the camp we send our young people (and adults) to during the summer. With some exceptions, it is not too late to register for a week of camp. Please contact Pastor Ryan or Diana for a code to use when you register.

Keep in mind the OVCF Worship Service goes on the road this weekend. Resurrection Sunday is this coming Sunday and we will be having one service at Abram Event Venue (next door) starting at 10:00 AM.

• • • We have a bunch of people signed up to help at 7:00. Tear down will happen afterwards.
    • Pastor Ryan will be contacting those who offered to help with parking and shuttle service between the church and AEV, before and after the service.
    • There will be no children’s programs that morning but activity sheets will be available for any young person who would like to use them. A place for you to take your infants will also be provided.
    • All of our giving (unless designated) will be equally divided among the missions we support.

April 30th is our next Wednesday night pitch-in. The first three have been well-attended and they have served to be just what we were hoping for: an opportunity for you to get to know each other. We have no agenda except to eat, laugh, and get to know one another better. We start promptly at 6:00 (because I have learned that people don’t like to wait to eat).😄

Due to the flooding conditions last weekend we had to cancel in-person services. That also meant we had to cancel the presentation of the group that went to east Tennessee over Spring Break to work in the area affected by the floods following Hurricane Helene. That presentation has been rescheduled for May 4th at both services. It just struck me that a flood event here caused us to cancel the presentation of a flood relief event in east Tennessee. How strange is that?

You are also going to want to put May 18th on your calendar. That is Graduate Recognition Day here at OVCF. We will be honoring both our high school and college graduates (if we have any) that morning during the second service. You can help us by calling the church office or by telling Pastor Ryan or Diana if you have a graduate. Please let them know by May 4th.

From the “Are you kidding me department?” We have a graduate in our family. Our grandson, Tami’s nephew, Braden, graduates from Worthington Kilbourne High School in May and will be attending Ohio State University in the fall majoring in finance. He will graduate with a 4.2 GPA (and I can guarantee you he did not get his intelligence from me). For those of you who have been here since his birth, welcome to the shock of our world. 😄 Surely we aren’t that old!

YOUTH CORNER

I don’t have much to offer this week but what I do have is pretty phenomenal. Kalia Keene competed at state in gymnastics. She was telling me about it at the beginning of 2nd service and I finally had to ask her mom to text it to me. NO WAY was I going to remember all there was.

• • • She had a 9.325 on the beam and 9.375 on floor exercises. She qualified for regionals. She was in the top 20 for state. Way to go Kalia! 😄I

In MM #241 I told you about some books I put in the library for you to borrow and enjoy. I want to tell you about 4 more I am putting in the library. The ones from #241 were more history-oriented. These are more life-oriented.

• • • Living with Hope is about and written by Michael Panther. Michael was born in war-torn South Sudan and was 10 years old when he began to lose movement in his legs. Michael was adopted by an American doctor who has also helped Michael form a widespread ministry that provides resources and training to disabled people in Africa.
    • Out of the Blue is written by Greg Murtha. In December 2011 a perfectly healthy and athletic 46 year old man was diagnosed with “Aggressive Stage 3 colon cancer.” This book is about his life with cancer. On June 22, 2017 Greg “moved to the front of the line.” (p.206) You will be inspired by this book. Guaranteed.
    • A Change of Affection by Beckett Cook is the incredible story of a gay man’s redemption. By society’s standards Beckett had it all. At a coffee shop with his boyfriend, Beckett met a man leading a Bible study at another table who invited him to church. He went and long story short, found Christ. This is a wonderful book for you or anyone you know who may be struggling with this issue, or if you simply want to know what to say.
    • Sober Cycle by Sherry Hoppen. Sherry was/is an alcoholic and a cyclist. This is her journey to sobriety (not a pretty one). I have given several copies to people because Sherry’s journey offers help. She has since opened Selah House for women who are seeking recovery.

I guess in some ways I’m clueless. (No comment from the peanut gallery). April 13th would have been my mother’s 93rd birthday if she had not lost her battle with cancer in March of 2004. April 13, 1975 I chose to be ordained into the ministry to honor her on her birthday. This past Sunday, April 13th, was the 50th anniversary of my ordination. Someone congratulated me. Tami had posted it on FB and I had lost track. Time flies when you are having fun. 😄

See you Sunday at Abram Event Venue! I can’t wait to celebrate Jesus’ resurrection with you.

Know that you are loved.
Pastor Bill

MIDWEEK MESSAGE #242

Hello everyone! Welcome to Midweek Message #242! I think I just saw Noah’s Ark floating by. Has this not been crazy weather? I told someone Saturday that I’ve heard of church or school being cancelled because of snow, but water? When the flood of ’08 hit, we met the first Sunday at the Seventh Day Adventist building and then for the next 4 months we met at the Middle school until the sports complex was cleaned up. Sunday on the live stream I shared something for you history buffs. The flood stage of the White River is 14’. It was expected to crest Monday at 24.8’. The White River crested at 26.8’ on June 8, 2008. The highest was 28.5’ on March 26, 1913. And there you have it…straight from the historian’s annals. 😄 Thanks for going with the
flow Sunday. (Pun intended). We don’t like to cancel but sometimes safety requires it.

Well…enough of that gloom and doom stuff. Rain. Snow. Fog. Sleet. Hail. Sun. All are part of God’s creation design. Soon it will be warm and sunny…and DRY!!😄

Remember to pray for our educator of the week: Kathryn (Anderson) Cain. Kathryn married Logan last summer. They make their home in Woodbridge, Va. Logan is currently in the Marine Corp. Kathryn is a preschool teacher.

YOUTH CORNER

After last week’s drought I have a slew of names to give you this week! First, one who stands alone. Congrats to freshman, Eli Wood for placing second for OV at the track meet this past Thursday. A big shout out to Eli for a job well done!

The following young people were given the TopCat Award at the SES assembly this past Friday. I’ll put them in alphabetical order since I don’t know their ages or grades:

• • • Kenadi Collier
    • Kendra Collier
    • Ciel Kelly-Krintz
    • Sophia Kropack
    • Kane Mosier
    • Rusti O’Neal
    • Cooper Wood

Way to go young people! Keep up the good work!

Here are some calendar highlights you can mark down!

• • • This Sunday Ryan and Mala Kroft will be with us speaking about Hilltop Christian Camp. They will be giving us a brief rundown of what is happening with camp and during the second service will be visiting the young people in children’s church.
    • Sunday, April 20th (that is only two weeks away) we will be taking the OVCF Resurrection Sunday worship service on the road! Yeah, I know it is just next door at Abram Event Venue but it sounds good. 😄 We will have one worship service at 10:00. A sign-up sheet is on the info table if you would like to help with set-up or tear down or with parking/shuttle needs. All the day’s offering will go to missions we support, unless designated.
    • Wednesday, April 30th, is the date for the next pitch-in. We have had fantastic participation for the first three! It starts at 6:00 and is a great time for good food, good laughs, and good conversation. Please put it on your calendar now.
    • Sunday, May 4th has been set aside as the day for the presentation of the east Tennessee mission/service trip which had originally been scheduled for this past Sunday. As previously planned, they will be speaking at both services.
    • Sunday, May 18th. I know. That’s over a month away. What could be so important to ask you to put it on your calendar already? That is Graduate Recognition Day!! We will be honoring our high school and college (if we have any) graduates that morning. You can help us by calling the church office or by telling Pastor Ryan or Diana if you have a graduate. Please let them know by May 4th.

The OVCF CARE Team has launched an additional team as part of their desire to make OVCF feel
like home. It is the WELCOME Team. The WELCOME Team is divided into 4 different working
parts:

• • • Greeters- They are the first smiling face people see when they walk in. Greeters should be hospitable, welcoming, engaging, and friendly. They should open doors and greet each person as they enter and exit. Offer a bulletin. The Greeters connect guests with Welcome Hosts as needed.
    • Welcome Hosts- They connect with first time guests before Sunday service. If it is their first visit, they offer them a welcome gift. Help them find locations (children’s area, nursery, etc.)
    • Coffee Bar Hosts- They should be prepared to serve if providing baked items. Serve coffee, tea, etc. Help clean up afterwards.
    • Communion Prep- They will prepare communion for the Sunday services {adult and children’s church}.

If you would like to know more about this team, please see or talk to Hope East. Or sign up at the info table!

My thoughts: we have worked hard to let people know they are welcome here at OVCF and we would love to have them feel like this is home. Many of you have already been doing what the Welcome Team is all about. This puts it in a way everyone can see and understand. Even though I am a social creature and love to visit with people, as a church grows it is impossible to see and say hi to everyone. That is why this team is so vital. In all honesty, you reaching out to people is much more important to them than me or Pastor Ryan doing so. They expect the pastors to do that. When someone who calls OVCF “home” does so, it strikes a chord in them. Please don’t minimize your importance to the mission of making people feel like OVCF is home.

This Sunday the message is Hero and Zero from 2 Samuel 4-I Kings 2. We will be taking a walk through of the life of David. I look forward to seeing you then. Until then, remember you are loved.

Pastor Bill

MIDWEEK MESSAGE #241

Hello everyone and welcome to Midweek Message #241. “Welcome to Indiana” as they say. The weather has been all over the place making it “up in the air” when it comes to the weather. Pun intended. 🤣 Today, as I  write this (it is Sunday), they are calling for rain, possibly hail, and even a possible tornado in the mix. “Say it ain’t so, Joe!”

While we may not know what is in the future, we can have confidence in a God who is always faithful. With that in mind, please be praying for our educator of the week, Brianna Wigington. Brianna is a counselor at SES. Pray for her to have wisdom in her interactions with students and faculty alike.

I’m really looking forward to this coming Sunday! No…not because of the sermon. 😄 This Sunday, in both services, many of the volunteers who went on the mission/service trip to east Tennessee will be sharing personally (including a slide show) about the area where they worked and how they helped. The area is still recovering from the flooding and damage caused by Hurricane Helene last year. Pastor Ryan took some time in our staff meeting last week to show pictures to Diana and me of what they did, who they helped, and the destruction those folks are still dealing with. Like many events, when we aren’t in the mix we tend to not see the extent of the damage. The pictures Ryan showed us brought a reality to my eyes that I cannot fathom.
Come Sunday morning prepare to be proud of our 14 people who worked hard all week long with a smile on their face, no complaint leaving their lips, and showing people there is a Jesus who cares about them.

Sunday, April 13th, Ryan and Mala Kroft from Hilltop Camp will be with us to share about the new camp season. They will give a short recap of camp and what 2025 will look like. In the second service, after their presentation, they will be visiting with the students in kid’s church, telling them about camp and making s’mores with them.

Sunday, April 20th is our Resurrection Sunday service at Abram Event Venue (next door). Here are some specifics you should know:

• • • One service at 10:00 AM
    • All our giving (unless designated) will go to missions we support.
    • No children’s programs but we’ll have activity sheets available. 😀
    • We will set up on Sunday morning. We plan to start setting up chairs and tables and carrying sound equipment, etc. from the trailer at 7:00. Due to the amount of help we usually get, we are done in about an hour. You are then able to go home and come back with your family.
    • Please plan to help put tables and chairs away following the service. The number of people who usually help makes this go really fast.
    • Shuttle service from the church parking lot is provided. Remember parking space is limited so using the shuttle is helpful. Pastor Ryan could use your help with parking and the shuttle service.
    • There is a sign-up sheet on the info table if you would like to help.

One of my goals when I started the Midweek Message back in 2020 during that season that no one wants to even think about was to keep the OVCF church family informed of what was happening in the lives of our church family. Because we spent several months unable to meet together, it was vitally important to stay in touch. The elders were given a different list of people each month to pray for. I did what I called Drive-Bys, where I prayed for each family while sitting in their drive way or on the street. The MM kept people up to date on different happenings involving the young people and what little we were allowed to do as groups. All that to say, the goal of the MM hasn’t changed. I still try to keep you informed about a myriad of events and
people. I was pleasantly surprised last week when I received an email commenting on the fullness of what is happening in the church family and that it was a good MM. That made me smile because after 240 of these, the goal is still the same. Some weeks are not as full as others with information, but there are some (like last week) that Diana and I struggle to edit by taking out and including material. I have no clue how long I will continue doing the MM. I guess until you get tired of it, Diana and I retire, or there is nothing happening in our church family. You can pretty well figure out which one will be the reason! 😉 All that to say that I hope you do enjoy the work we put into this each week.

Speaking of Diana, (I am about to get shot for this but at least you will know who did it), she celebrates a birthday this Thursday. I can already feel her wanting to edit that out of this week’s MM but I’m going to hold my ground on this! 🤣🤣 I WON!!

It used to be that one of the most used parts of the church building was the church library. But books are losing their appeal. The church library is a source of reading material you can trust. Ours is filled with fiction books and others as well. I love historical fiction and I recently included several I think you might enjoy reading if you like that kind of fiction.

• • • To Rescue the Republic by Bret Baier. Subtitled as U.S. Grant, the Fragile Union, and the crisis of 1876.
    • The President and the Freedom Fighter by Brian Kilmeade. It is about Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass and the slavery issue of the Civil War.
    • Becoming Mrs. Lewis by Patti Callahan Henry. A fanciful story about the developing relationship and marriage of confirmed bachelor C.S. Lewis and Joy Davidman
    • Once Upon a Wardrobe by Patti Callahan Henry. A really great story based around “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe” and a young woman’s passion for meeting Lewis and finding the story behind the story for her dying brother.

My sermon this Sunday is “The Contrast of Two Men.” See you then! Love you all.

Pastor Bill

MIDWEEK MESSAGE #240

Hello everyone and welcome to Midweek Message #240! I hope you had a restful Spring Break week. I know some of you took off to parts unknown. Some stayed around here. We had 14 give up their lazy spring break to go to Tennessee to help IDES (International Disaster Emergency Services) re-build and repair some houses affected by the flood damage of last fall. However you spent your week, I hope it was a good one. This edition of MM is one big potpourri of “stuff.”

Be praying for our educators of the week: Brittany Greene, the principal of Spencer Elementary School and Aaron LaGrange, the assistant principal of SES. I suspect corralling students who have been off for a week will be an interesting venture this week. I read Thursday to SES and GES kindergarten students so I will have firsthand knowledge of that. It ought to be interesting. 😊

Speaking of praying for someone: Jeff Carlson will be leaving Saturday for Liberia with a group from Revive Liberia. Please keep them in your prayers.

We had several people take “going on spring break” to a whole new level. Brayton and Zoe Wyatt are taking a belated honeymoon (they married in 2020) to tour some of Europe. Andy and Stacy Wood flew to Barcelona, then cruised to France, Italy, and Tunisia. It was a family and friend affair.

SEVERAL DATES TO KEEP IN MIND:

• • • Saturday, the 29th, is the next women’s Connection Event at Chambers Smorgasbord at noon. Cost is based on what you order from the menu or the buffet is $12.95, plus drink and tax. There is a sign-up sheet on the information table if you are interested. If you have any questions, ask Linda St. John.
    • This Sunday, the 30th, is our 5th Sunday Family Worship. The elementary age children will join us for morning worship in the auditorium. Nursery and Preschool will meet at 10:45.
    • This Sunday, the 30th, is also the Care Team Reunion following 2nd service. There will be a pitch-in and time for checking to see how the teams are doing and what is new! Whether you are on a team, would like to join one, or would like to know more, you are invited to join them.

This past Sunday was a special day in the life of OVCF. Tom Mangia was welcomed as a new elder. Wayne Akerson also announced that he was taking a sabbatical for the coming year. In the latter half of last year, the elders began discussing the need to implement a sabbatical to give rest to the elders, to avoid burnout, and to give other men an opportunity to express an interest in being elders. Jeff Carlson began his sabbatical in November. (Jeff had been on leadership-even when there were no elders-since the inception of OVCF). Due to changes in Wayne’s work responsibilities he felt it was a good time to begin his sabbatical. We thank Wayne for his contributions to the leadership team of OVCF. He will be missed. Would you like to consider
serving as an elder? We are looking for men who are willing to make that commitment. If you would like to pursue that (the first characteristic Paul tells Timothy in I Timothy 3), please contact me, Pastor Ryan or one of the elders (Bobby Anderson, Tom Mangia, and David Robertson). I wrote a short study on elders that I will sit down and go through with you to give you more perspective on what an elder is and does.

Tom Mangia was joined by his wife, Kristine, daughter, Aubrey, and son Jordan (in Preschool class) this past Sunday. Being an elder is a family affair and as Tom & I talked recently, I remember what he said about a conversation with Aubrey. When he asked her what she thought, she said, “Dad, you are a leader.” She knows how to pick them!

Congratulations to Mike Wood! Mike was promoted to Lieutenant for Indiana State Police and will be the leader for the Bloomington post. While I am speaking of Mike, please remember to pray for all our Law Enforcement Officers and their families.

ONE DATE LEFT OUT EARLIER (ON PURPOSE)
Sunday, April 20th is Resurrection Sunday! Hard to believe it is less than a month away! At 10:00AM we will be celebrating the resurrection of Jesus together at Abram Event Venue (next door). We are so grateful Bill and Suzie Abram let us use their venue so we can all be together. The one caveat is that there is a wedding there Saturday night so we will not be able to set up until Sunday morning. We will need all the help we can get. Chairs, tables, sound equipment, and a whole lot more need to be set up that morning. We will start at 7:00 and, with all the help we have had in the past, everything is mostly done by 8:00. You can then go home, freshen up and come with your family. We will also need help with parking and shuttle service to and from the church parking lot. (Please see Pastor Ryan if you would like to help with that). There is a sign-up sheet on the info table if you would like to help.

ANOTHER DATE LEFT OFF (A JOHNNY-COME-LATELY)
April 6th is a date you won’t want to miss. Remember back at the beginning of this MM I mentioned the group of 14 that went to east Tennessee? They will be sharing about their experience in pictures and words with us at both services. I’m excited and can’t wait to hear more!

SOME LATE-BREAKING BUT VERY EXCELLENT NEWS:
Robert Herrington, the son of Scott and Heather, just received the great news that he has passed the test (physically, mentally, and in every other way) to become an Army Ranger. I had asked about Robert a couple of weeks ago and Heather sent me a YouTube video of his swamp phase. Grueling is a good word to use and all on about 15 minutes of sleep! Scott and Heather leave Wednesday for Fort Benning, Georgia for his graduation. He will return to Louisiana with Hannah, his wife whom he has not seen since January, on Saturday. I’m looking forward to seeing him at his next visit home.

I continue my year-long theme of Burning Hearts this Sunday with “Who Rules Your Roost?” from Judges 13-I Samuel 12. I look forward to seeing you all. Know that you are loved.

Pastor Bill

MIDWEEK MESSAGE #239

Hello everyone and welcome to Midweek Message #239! Thanks for joining me this week. I’m going to let you know from the start that there will be no MM next week since it is Spring Break. That gives everyone a break. You from hearing from me; Diana from editing my sometimes incoherent words; and me from writing said words. 😉Enjoy your time away from school and (some of you) from home, and from having your week interrupted, I mean blessed, by the MM.😄

Our educator of the week is Dr. Michael Robison. He is the principal at Patricksburg Elementary. Pray for Dr. Robison to have patience and wisdom this week. I’d like to remind you to pray for all the school personnel, as well as the students this coming week. Pray that this Spring Break will be the much-needed time away everyone needs. 🙂

Please pray for our team heading to east Tennessee next week (Mar. 17-22)! The service trip volunteers are partnered with IDES (International Disaster Emergency Services) to help those affected by Hurricane Helene last year.

I mentioned in last week’s MM about Tom Mangia being considered as an elder of OVCF. I also said that our practice has been to suggest an elder, then give you two weeks to respond yay or nay. If you choose to disagree with our suggestion, we ask that you put it in writing, sign it (No anonymous letters will be accepted), and give it to one of the elders (Wayne Akerson, Bobby Anderson or David Robertson), to Pastor Ryan or to me. March 19th is the deadline for your response. We will be confirming and praying for Tom and his family on the 23rd.

I often use this opportunity to give you updates on events involving the whole church family, as well as news about the young people. I want to take a side road for a moment and tell you about some prayer needs I have been asked to specifically pray for and mention. I have received the okay to include them in this week’s message.

• • • Tim Huffman has been in the hospital since Saturday, the 1st. They have been unable to locate the source of his infection. Monday they went into his heart to see what or if they could find anything there. I spent this past Sunday afternoon with him and Cathy visiting and praying with them about the procedure. UPDATE: No infection was found in his heart or the area around his pacemaker! He may be released to go home this week. {Tim and Cathy are Sarah Schneider’s parents. 🙂}
    • Christine Chambers told me after 2nd service was over that she heard from Kaitlyn Anderson’s mom that the hospital in Nashville, TN is sending her home. The doctors said they will be able to do for Kaitlyn at home what they were doing for her there. She also related that all scans show no  cancer! That’s a praise!! 🙌They are still unsure what is causing the weight loss and lack of energy so keep praying for a solution.
    • I found out that Charli Wood was to have her tonsils and adenoids removed Tuesday (yesterday). Pray for a quick recovery. UPDATE: Charli’s surgery went well!
    • Eliza Chambers’ MRI showed a stress fracture to the growth plate of the tibia. Mom (Christine) asks for prayers for it to heal properly.
    • On the lighter side: Brayton and Zoe Wyatt leave Wednesday (today) for a 5 year belated honeymoon trip. They had planned to go in 2020 but I think we all know what happened then. They will be spending 3 weeks touring parts of Europe. Pray for their safe travel and safety while there. And pray for their daughter, Hazel, who will be staying with her Nana and others. And  congratulations to Brayton who was sworn in last Friday as the new detective for the prosecutor’s office.

I know there are more prayer requests. If you have one and give me permission to include it here I will be glad to do so.

March 26th is an evening you need to put on your calendar. That is the date of our next pitch-in. It starts at 6:00. The first two were hits and it was so exciting to see and hear the buzz that took place during the meal. We had close to 70 (preacher count says 100 😄) this past month. I was excited to hear from a couple who attended my Wednesday Night Conversations this past week that they had been visiting with someone at the last pitch-in.

Speaking of Wednesday Night Conversations: tonight’s lesson will be on “Follow Your Heart.” We are diving into 9 Common Lies Christians Believe. We will take a two week break (Spring Break and the pitch-in) then be back on April 2nd. I would love to have you join us.

We started telling you this past Sunday about our Resurrection Sunday service being at Abram Event Venue (AEV). April 20th will be here before we know it, so please put it on your calendar to worship with us that day. One service + One heart = One God to be praised and honored together. We will start at 10:00 so begin reminding yourself of that. Meeting at AEV always requires extra work on our part, but it is worth it when we all get to worship together as ONE. Over the next few weeks expect to hear more information coming your way!!

I have been surprised as to how much I have enjoyed preaching through the OT and using the Everyday Gospel devotional as a help. I know it has not always been easy to read and it certainly hasn’t always been easy to prepare and preach. This week we move from Deuteronomy into Joshua with my sermon entitled Say Yes!! With Spring Break beginning I anticipate a lot of people being gone. May I ask you to make sure you watch online? I welcome your input as well, not just on the sermon, but the whole online experience. Even when we move into our new building, we will continue offering our live stream service online. It has proven to be a real blessing. An added blessing this week for me is, Lord willing, our friends, Dave and Susan from
Arizona will be here visiting!

Have a great rest of the week and Spring Break week. Just know whether you are here or not,
you are loved deeply.

Pastor Bill