Category: MidweekMessage

MIDWEEK MESSAGE #232

Hello everyone and welcome to Midweek Message #232! As I write this (Sunday) the weatherman is telling us we will be going from the ridiculous amount of snow just a mere two weeks ago; to fairly decent weather this past week as the rain helped melt the snow; to some more ridiculous temps in the below zeroes. I know what I am hoping (Sing with me: “We’re having a heat wave, a tropical heat wave.”), but I have this sneaking suspicion that it really doesn’t matter what I want in the grand scheme of things. 😊Anyway, I hope you are able to bundle up and stay warm.

Please pray for our educator of the week, Shelly Sutton, one of our homeschool moms. Shelly and her husband, Johnathan, have been married for 27 years. They are the parents of three children. Lauryn, the oldest will graduate from Ivy Tech in December. She was in Kindergarten when Shelly started homeschooling. This makes Shelly’s 16th year! Brodie is a senior and Ayzleah is a freshman. Lauryn is involved with two Christian college groups; Brodie enjoys ROOTS and Deeper; Ayzleah just started choir this semester. Shelly enjoys party planning and gardening. Johnathan has the green thumb and is project planner. They also enjoy watching movies together.

YOUTH CORNER

Yay!! I finally have some information to include in the youth corner!! It has been silent the past two or three MMs.

• • • A little birdie told me that Addilynn (Addi) Hutchison won the Top Cat Award in her class for the second nine weeks (Fall break to Christmas break).
    • Another little birdie (might have been mom) told me that Tanner Wood also won the Top Cat Award for his class.
    • Eliza Chambers won some medals this past weekend for gymnastics. Her first meet was successful after moving up two levels to be on the level 6 team and overcoming 8 weeks off for a wrist fracture. Here are her awards: Beam (2nd). Bars (4th). Floor (5th). All around (3rd). A little birdie (mom) told me the results and was a pretty proud mama Sunday.

We often focus on the educators of the week and rightly so. But do you know this is School Board Administration Month? Here is the S-OCS School board (In alphabetical order):

• • • Lizz Bixler- School Board Secretary (Lizz is part of our church family😀)
    • Chad Cooper- School Board Member
    • Derek Morgan- School Board President
    • Mark Rogers- School Board VP
    • Rick Smeltzer- School Board Secretary
    • Deanna Stickles- School Board Member
    • Jack White- School Board Member

If you know any of them, or see any of them, make sure you let them know that you appreciate
their involvement.

There are two events scheduled for this coming Saturday!

• • • For the past 5-6 years, maybe more, OVCF has hosted the Legislative Breakfast (LB) for the community. Some may wonder if we are venturing into politics. The answer is No. The Owen County Chamber of Commerce was looking for a good venue to host the LB and I offered our building. It has been a fantastic place to hold it. Due to our ability to live stream it has become even more valuable. (Pastor Ryan graciously stepped in to do that). This is a long session for the Legislature so there will be 4 Saturdays of meetings (One/month).
    • Also this coming Saturday is the Connection Women’s Ministry event from 2-4 p.m. It is called Coffee and Chocolate and you are asked to bring a treat to share and join other ladies for the afternoon. If you have any questions, please ask Macy Carlson, Sally Carlson, Hope East or Linda St. John.

Don’t forget the Pitch-in dinner scheduled for Wednesday, January 29th at 6 p.m. This will be a great time to eat, chat, laugh, visit with friends, and get to know other people from our church family. Bring something to share and we will provide the plates, utensils, and drinks!

From the “I CAN’T REALLY BELIEVE IT” department: Hilltop Christian Camp registration is open! Yes, you read that correctly! SUMMER camp!!! Register soon to receive the early bird discount. Please contact Pastor Ryan or Diana for the scholarship code. You will also be asked to complete a simple scholarship form the church keeps on file. I saw one scholarship application on Diana’s desk Monday morning. Now THAT is getting an early jump on camp!!😀

I hope you are enjoying the Everyday Gospel Devotional (EGD). I have heard from so many who are thoroughly enjoying it. I spoke with someone who got started late and they are catching up by reading a couple a day. I love hearing that!! This past Sunday I had several ask me about the EGD, especially after hearing Wayne Akerson, one of our elders, mention it during his communion meditation, and then listening to the sermon Sunday. I explained to them about reading the previous week’s devotions and Scripture in preparation for the Sunday sermon. I preached Sunday on Joseph, whose story we read about all week from Genesis 37-Exodus 3. I relayed to them to read January 19-January 25 in preparation for this coming Sunday’s message. They asked for copies of EGD. 😀 Someone else asked me if we had any copies so she could give them to two co-workers. I dropped them off at her work and met the two ladies. This coming
Sunday’s message is Do You Really Know God? from Exodus 4-24 (I will include some discussion of Exodus 1-3). You can prepare by reading the devotional or the Scripture.

It will be good to see you this week. I trust you know you are loved.

Pastor Bill

MIDWEEK MESSAGE #231

Hello everyone and welcome to Midweek Message #231! WOW! Has this past week and a half been something else, or what? Two Sundays ago we had our first cancellation of a Sunday service in a long time. We made the right call. Our first priority is your safety and the live stream allows us the opportunity to facilitate that. The weather was just downright unsafe to be out in so I am glad for the live stream. Final total was at least 96+ people watched the live stream. (Preacher count says 200!😊) Guess something good came out of COVID (starting our live stream)! Thanks for understanding and being willing to “go with the flow.”

The students also had an extended Christmas vacation with the cancellation of school for three days. Then they had an eLearning Day on Friday. All in all, we were at the mercy of the weather. Here is a novel thought! Maybe, just maybe, we won’t have any more snow the rest of the winter!! I would not complain about that.
Pray for Jeanna Srinivasan as our educator of the week. Jeanna homeschools her two children, Aasha and Nathan. I asked Jeanna for some info about their family. Here is what she sent: She and Kartik have been married for 15 years and met while she was attending The University of Indianapolis and he was pursuing his Master’s degree (he is a Physical Therapist for IU Health). Aasha is 12 and in the 6th grade and Nathan is 7 11/12 (his answer) and in the 2nd grade. Aasha runs track for Indy Genesis, cross-country and basketball for Bloomington Bobcats, was just initiated as a cadet into the Civil Air Patrol, co-president in the Pathfinders 4-H Club, sings in the White River Music Studio homeschool choir and is in dance. Nathan loves working outdoors. Anything laborious like chopping wood, hauling and lifting things, he’s your man. Jeanna
teaches high school sciences for the Freedom Homeschool Co-op and is on the Eli Lilly Scholarship selection committee. In her spare time (?) she has dogs, chickens, ducks (this spring) and loves going camping.

While I am asking you to pray, I want to bring up the whole California wildfire situation. I said this past Sunday that natural disasters like fires have no favorites. They don’t care if you are rich or poor, white or black, Republican or Democrat, or any other mixture you can think of. I was just speaking with someone (I’m writing this on Sunday afternoon) who called to tell me about her friend who lives in California. He was 12 miles away, then 6, and now is waiting to see which way the wind blows. When this person told him we were praying for them, he was shocked. You know why? Remember when I said fire has no favorites? He is married to a man and his friends are all of the same persuasion. I saw church buildings leveled and collapsed (good thing the church is not the building). I’m going to ask you to keep praying for the victims of these fires and that the winds shift, rain falls or something miraculous happens to bring an end to this devastation. I was not here in early 2005, but I was here in the flood of ’08 and still remember the destruction our small community faced. Pray not only for the victims but also for those trying to minister God’s love to them. Perhaps this will draw people who are desperately looking for hope to the ONE who alone gives hope.

My Wednesday Night Conversations begins this Wednesday, the 15th. The topic of discussion will be 9 Common Lies Christians Believe and Why God’s Truth is Infinitely Better. It is based on a book by Shane Pruitt. The goal is to discuss and study what the Bible says about different topics:

• • • God won’t give me more than I can handle
    • God gained another angel
    • God just wants me to be happy
    • I could never forgive that person\
    • Follow your heart
    • God’s doesn’t really care
    • Well, ________ will never change
    • I don’t think God likes me
    • Believe in yourself

You may have a topic you would like to discuss. I will fit that in here or in the next WNC. There may an occasion where we might need to combine two due to scheduling conflicts. We already know that the Wednesday night pitch-in will omit one study. The plan is to go to March 12th and then pick it back up after Spring Break for about 6 weeks or so. We meet from 6-7:00. Bring a Bible, a notebook (if desired) and yourself. Oh yeah…no school = no WNC. I just mentioned the Wednesday night pitch-in. It is scheduled for the 29th of this month at 6 pm. We are trying something new and ask that you consider it along with us. As I said in last week’s MM, we used to have these when OVCF was just a baby. We are looking at different ways to foster a church family connection and this is one way we can make it happen. I look forward to seeing you there!!

I hope you have been enjoying the Everyday Gospel Devotional. I heard from several people this past Sunday who are really loving it. I’m so thankful for those who have taken the time to let me know how it has helped. I’m convinced God doesn’t really care how we study His Word or spend time with Him, just that we do, and this is a great way to get started. I told someone recently, when they talked about reading it and the  Scripture, that she will grow by leaps and bounds by the year’s end. I believe many of us will. Some of you are probably wondering about our expansion. Two four-letter words sum it up: R.A.I.N. and S.N.O.W. That’s all we know at this point. 🙁 We will keep you informed when work begins again. 😀

Sunday’s message is Overcoming Life’s Challenges from Genesis 35-Exodus 3. The main emphasis will be on Joseph. I look forward to seeing you there. Love you all.

Pastor Bill

MIDWEEK MESSAGE #230

Hello everyone and welcome to Midweek Message #230. It has been several weeks since the last MM. I hope you missed me! If you didn’t please don’t tell me!😊My last MM anticipated the Christmas break. This one anticipates going back to school. Well…only if the weather cooperates. I have to admit I was kind of disappointed when the weather report for this past Sunday was snow, snow and more snow. I had been looking forward to preaching the first of the Burning Hearts sermons in person, but instead took a detour. I’m so glad for the live stream that makes it possible for us to make a change like we did and still be able to include anyone who wants to watch and listen. Granted, it isn’t like being there, but it is the next best thing. Unless, of course, you want me to come to your house and preach the sermon. Nah…never mind I even said that! Please just keep in mind that we made the decision to just do live stream because we love you and want you to be safe. I wrote the preceding paragraph before the snow started flying. Guess the weather people were correct this time.

With school back in session, I want to get back to praying for specific individuals. Before the break we had been praying for some of our homeschool moms. This week please pray for Michelle Lippert. Michelle has been married to Geoff for 10 years. He is a commercial plumber for a company in Indianapolis. Their daughter, Marla, is 15 and a freshman. I asked Michelle if she had any hobbies and she said she enjoys crocheting, sewing, and reading. They have some sheep but her real heart, she says, is for her dogs. She has 3 Chinese crested dogs and a small little terrier.

This MM will involve a lot of catch-up since we have been out of the loop for a couple of weeks. Here is a list of upcoming events which involve our OVCF family and friends.

• • • For the youth there are several items to remember. ROOTS will resume this coming Sunday, January 12 at 5 pm at OVCF. Pastor Ryan would love to reconnect with each of you! DEEPER will resume meeting this Wednesday, January 8th, at 4:00 pm at the East’s home.
    • Wednesday Night Conversations will be starting back up on Wednesday, January 15th at 6 pm. My plan is to do WNC until Wednesday, March 12th, since the 19th is during Spring Break. The topics for discussion will be 9 Common Lies Christians Believe. I’ve read the book twice in preparation for the class and it lends itself to a lot of discussion. There is no sign-up sheet so please feel free to  come. In the event school in cancelled due to that white stuff that falls from the sky, WNC will also be cancelled.
    • The Connections Women’s Ministry will be having a Coffee and Chocolate get together on Saturday, January 25th from 2-4 pm at OVCF. Bring a treat to share and enjoy spending time with other ladies for the afternoon.
    • OVCF has hosted the Legislative Breakfast for the Chamber of Commerce for the past several years. This year will be no different. The first breakfast will be Saturday, January 25th. It normally meets on the 3rd Saturday of the first 4 months (this year due to a long session for the lawmakers), but a scheduling conflict caused them to make a change for this month only.

Something different is coming! One of the characteristics of families is gathering around the table to eat. The staff talked last week about having more pitch-ins to allow us to spend more time together as a church family. When OVCF was just a mere baby, we used to meet at the Owen Valley Sports Complex. One Wednesday night a month we used to have a pitch-in that was well attended. When we moved to this building we stopped having pitch-ins. Then we went to two services (as we are now) and it became difficult to find a good time for one. The folks in first service wanted to be involved, but that meant they would leave and have to come back two hours later. So the staff (Pastor Ryan, Diana and myself) got our heads together and came up with the hair-brained scheme of trying to have a pitch-in on a Wednesday night. Jeff Carlson used to be fond of saying, “One of our strengths is trying something new. If it doesn’t work, well then okay. We will try something else.” We aren’t sure if the Wednesday night idea is a good one or not, but we can at least try. If not, we will go back to the drawing board. Please set aside that date-Wednesday, January 29th at 6:00 pm-for a pitch-in. We will set up in the main auditorium in anticipation of a good group.😊You bring
the food. We will provide the plates, utensils, and drinks. *My WNC group will not meet that evening.

I trust you are reading your Everyday Gospel Devotional (EDG) daily. Did you know we wound up ordering 135 books? I told a friend that number and he was shocked. His exact words were: “Dude, that is phenomenal!” He and his wife are also taking part (from AZ). They are also committing to watching the live stream to stay current. My sermon this coming Sunday is Two Recipes from Genesis 16-34. Reading the Scripture and staying current in EDG will sure help you understand more, as well as make my job easier. 😊

One last thing before I go: this past Sunday I read something at the end of the sermon which I said I would include in the MM. Here is that reading:

No matter how much we know the Bible; no matter how long we have known the Lord; no matter how intelligent you are in spiritual matters; no matter how many facts you know; no matter how spiritually mature you may think you are; we all rely on God’s transforming grace. Be grateful you were included in that grace and accepted His offer of salvation. If you haven’t why put it off any longer?

My goal and hope is that as we go through the theme of Burning Hearts I will be able to leave you with something to think about and chew on for the week ahead. Thanks for joining me on Sunday and in reading this MM. To the new folks: WELCOME! Just know you are loved.

Pastor Bill

MIDWEEK MESSAGE #229

Hello everyone! Welcome to Midweek Message #229! I hope you have a sense of anticipation as we get closer to Christmas day. After reading to the Kindergarten kids at SES and GES this past week I can definitely say the teachers have their hands full as I think many of the kids have already “checked out” for Christmas.😊I certainly don’t envy the teachers as they try to corral the children. Anyway, thanks for taking the time to read this edition of the MM.

Please be praying for our educator of the week: Jenny Hess. Jenny is one of our homeschool moms. She and John have been married for 23 years and are the parents of two daughters. MiaRose is a freshman at Cedarville University in Ohio, majoring in business management with minors in entrepreneurship and the Bible. Meilynn is currently a junior in high school. John is the maintenance manager at People’s State Bank. Jenny said they also have a hobby farm with a horse, cows, goats, rabbits, chickens, ducks, cats, dogs and lots of honey bees. And in their spare time…… .😊

Since there will be no MM next week and no school due to the Christmas break, I’m going to ask you to simply pray for all our teachers and administrators over the break. I will be back when school is back in session with our educators.

I was stunned when I came to the office and Diana told me how many had signed up for the Everyday Gospel Daily Devotional. Our first order placed on week 1 was for 30 books. Our second order placed last week…wait for it…was for 60 more! That order has arrived and is ready for pickup. I said Sunday from the pulpit that means at least 90 people are planning to take part in reading the devotional and reading through the Bible in 2025. WOW! Then, as I talked about it, I made one last call for people to sign up. Are you sitting down? We ordered another 35 this week. That means close to 120 people signed up to do the devotional and to read the Bible this year. We will even have two of my friends in Arizona reading along with us. I cannot begin to tell you how excited I am to hear you say, “Teach us the Bible, Pastor Bill!” This past week or so I began reading the devotions and am sitting at January 31st as I write this. I’ve already begun preparing the four sermons in January. I will go back and read the Scripture passage on the day it is scheduled. I do have one vital and huge prayer request though. Preaching through the Bible is way out of my comfort zone. I’m used to doing a series of sermons on a book or topics, but never just starting at Genesis and preaching as I come to a passage(s). SO PLEASE KEEP MY NAME ON YOUR LIPS AS YOU PRAY EACH DAY! Ask God for clarity and insight into His Word as I study. I don’t want to shortchange His message, nor your eagerness to learn as we take this venture together. One more thought and reminder: if you ordered an Everyday Gospel Daily Devotional there will be a post-it note with your name on the book. Please take the book and either write a check for the amount OR put the post-it note attached to your cash. I sort of made a lot of work for the offering counters with this so first, I apologize to them; and 2) you can help make it somewhat easier by attaching the note. Thanks. Just so you know: Crossway Publishers gave us a phenomenal deal on the devotionals.

Many thanks to Pastor Ryan and the Roots youth group for decorating the auditorium this past Sunday night with lights and a celebration of Christmas. Ryan and I talked this past Saturday and I asked if he would consider leaving the decorations up for a few more weeks and he said, “By all means.” They are planning on leaving the lights and decorations up until the 2nd or 3rd week of January. Who says Christmas ends on December 26th? .😊

I mentioned in the second service (forgot to do so in the first service) that excavation was planned for this past Monday, but when I said something to somebody on the building team he said, “The rain may have something to say to that.” (For the record Dave Keith was right). It will be so exciting to see the earthmoving equipment here as our planned addition gets underway.
Just a reminder:

• • • The excavation will start (hopefully) this week
    • Along with the groundwork we also plan to do some parking expansion as well (east side of the parking lot will be extended)
    • The ground will sit until the spring when we hope to lay the concrete pad and erect the shell. Stone will be laid in the parking lot expansion to begin that development.
    • Our progress from that point on will be determined by the finances. As we have said in the past, we have committed ourselves to paying cash for the work and to not borrow any money. We are trusting God to honor our commitment.
    • As always we will keep you informed.

In MM #227, I gave you a heads up about possible changes to the office hours during the Christmas season. All three of us will be out of the office at different times during the week of Christmas and it goes without saying the office will be officially closed Tuesday-Thursday. If needed please feel free to call or text.

The week of the 29th is a 5th Sunday. The elementary age young people will be in with the adults that week. Nursery and Pre-school will still be in session.

As I have said, there will be no MM next week. I will try to have a MM for the week of December 29. I pray you have a joy-filled celebration of the birth of Jesus and have a time of unforgettable memories with family and friends. This week’s sermon is See and Tell from Luke 2 and Matthew 2. The 29th will begin the 2025 theme of “Burning Hearts” with a sermon on A Heart on Fire from Luke 24 and 2 Peter 1:16-21. I look forward to seeing you. Be careful if you travel. Never forget you are loved.

Pastor Bill

MIDWEEK MESSAGE #228

Hello everyone and welcome to Midweek Message #228! So much is happening in your lives right now with school and the Christmas holiday coming that I want to thank you for taking the time to read this MM.

Remember to pray for our educator of the week: Hope East. Hope is one of our homeschool moms. I think you are all pretty familiar with Hope. You may just know her husband from somewhere. 😊 She and Pastor Ryan are the parents of three teenagers-Anna, Caleb, and Rachel. Several years ago Hope was foundational in establishing the local Co-op for homeschool children. She continues as leader of that group to this day. Hope likes to hike and camp with her family in her spare time. 😊

I don’t want the following announcement to get lost in the midst of this MM so I thought I would share it early. Last week I mentioned that Andy Wood and the Military Care Team (MCT) were putting together some care packages for our military personnel. This coming Sunday, December 15th, the MCT will be putting those packages together. This past Sunday I mentioned that there was a list of suggested donations on the info table, but when some went back to get one they were all gone. I decided to include that list in this week’s MM so you can have it in case you would like to help:

• • • Cards/letters of appreciation & encouragement
    • Protein bars
    • Snacks
    • Candy/gum
    • Toiletries
    • Baby wipes
    • Books/magazines
    • AA and D batteries
    • Gift cards (Amazon or Walmart)

You may bring your items this coming Sunday. Boxes will be packed following the second service. If you have any questions or would like to help, please feel free to reach out to Andy Wood.

Sunday sure was a big day for us! When we finished the youth addition in 2018, we immediately began saving to expand the adult worship area. After 6 years, we were finally able to break ground this past Sunday!! We could not have asked for a more beautiful day (except if it had been in the 70s or 80s). 😄 The frigid weather of the early part of the week gave way to a gorgeous sunny sky and temps in the 40s. We were able to go outside between services, with about 50-60 people present and have a Groundbreaking. I read from Psalm 84:1-2, 10-12 and made a few comments. Then after prayer, members of the Building Team and leadership dug their shovels in and turned some dirt. It was good to see so many come outside and then clap as the dirt was overturned. However, I have an apology to make. I told Diana Monday morning that I had one of those “after the fact” moments, or as they say, “Hindsight is always 20/20.” As I laid in bed that night I replayed the day and realized to my horror that I had failed to include you all in the shovel turning. This new building is a testimony of God’s faithfulness to us, but it is also a testimony of your faithfulness to Him by consistently giving to the Building Fund. I realize after talking to Diana that it would have been logistically impossible to have everyone turn dirt due to the time limit, but the tribute to this building goes to God and to you, His faithful servants. Some have given faithfully even when the idea was just that…an idea. You have  been ultra-patient as we have slowly been saving the money to build debt free. We are not quite there yet, but I have the faith that God will provide and you will continue being faithful. Thank you so much for praying and giving and encouraging us to follow God’s will. The plan is to excavate-starting within a week or so-then let it sit all winter. This spring we hope to lay concrete and erect the shell and then move ahead as we have the money. I dream of the day we can write Scripture on the walls (before painting, of course) and then stand within the walls of a completed building singing praises to the ONE who has never failed or let us down.

Sunday had several other big highlights.

• • • After I mentioned that I would be preaching all year (that is the plan anyway) 😄 from the weekly readings in Everyday Gospel, there were over 30 more people who signed up for a copy! To say I was blown away would be an understatement. I showed Diana the list Monday morning after she got to the office and I wish you could have seen her face! In over 50 years as a pastor I have never-read that NEVER-preached through the whole Bible as we will attempt to do in 2025. But I gotta tell you that your eagerness to sign up for a copy of the book has fueled my desire to really make a strong effort to prepare and be ready each Sunday. Thank you so much for this encouragement.
    • The other event was the Chili Cook-off. The last count I heard was there were 13 entries in the contest. They went from the sublime to the ridiculously hot (Jackie Helderman II made a California Reaper Chili). One person said it killed his taste buds.😮Me? I stuck with mac & cheese and cheesy potatoes. I wanted to live another day. The great part was that over $1100 was raised toward the mission trip to help the victims of Hurricane Helene. Pastor Ryan is looking at a Spring Break trip with IDES. He will keep you informed. But thanks to all who entered the contest. Congrats to those who won. A special pat-on-the-back to those still standing. And a very, very special thank you to the
      one who provided TUMS and placed it by the Carolina Reaper crockpot. And I have a question for Caleb East and all the others who took part in the chili tasting: have you recovered yet? 😄

This Sunday I will be continuing my series on From Start to Finish by looking at “Live Life on Purpose.” I will be looking at Zechariah & Elizabeth (John) and Mary’s song (Jesus). Check out Luke chapter 1 if you want to read ahead. I look forward to seeing you then. I love you all.

Pastor Bill

MIDWEEK MESSAGE #227

Hello everyone and welcome to Midweek Message #227! It is crazy how a surgery can mess with a person’s schedule. (I would say “with a person’s mind” but I can already hear the comments from the peanut gallery).😁Between what was once a pretty regimented sleep pattern (bed at 9:00 and up at 3:30) to who-knows-when-I-will-get-to-sleep-or-how-long-I-will-sleep to early morning PT twice a week, my schedule has been all catty-wampus. (Yeah, I don’t know how to spell that either). The regimented person in me says that I sure hope I can get back to a regular schedule, but I’m suspecting it will still take about a month or so. I love sitting
in my recliner but I sure to miss my bed. 😁Anyway, you have enough going on in your world without me adding my junk to it. I do hope you are having a good week after enjoying a Thanksgiving break.

Reminder: Please pray for our educator of the week, Rebecca Chesser. She is one of our homeschool mothers. Rebecca and her husband, Ethan, have been married for 8 years. They are the parents of 6 children-Grace is 6; the quads (Aiden, Mason, Collin, Karoline) are 3; and Hazel is 18 months. Ethan works full time at the Terre Haute Air National Guard base in Security Forces. Two fun facts: They actually started dating while he was deployed in Afghanistan and Ethan also has a Bachelor’s Degree in informatics at IU (call me clueless on what that is). 😁

I was really excited this past Sunday. Of course, for me to get back in the pulpit was special to me. Even though I was somewhat limited in movement (I was told by the PA that I could preach on the condition I didn’t fall off the stage and didn’t become rambunctious. As if…😁), I enjoyed being with people I love, sharing a message I love even more. It was so good to see everyone and for some to make the extra effort to come see me and to say a few words was good for my heart. But my excitement goes even beyond that. All 75 FREE copies of Everyday Gospel Christmas Devotional were taken. That means we could have 75 or more people working their way through the devotionals on a daily basis. To top that off, we also ordered 30 copies of the Everyday Gospel Devotional for the whole year! That also means we will have a number of people working their way through EG at the same time. That is phenomenal!! I look for this to be a year where our “hearts burn within us” as we study the Scriptures together.

In case you are wondering why I put quotes around the phrase “hearts burn within us,” it is because my sermon theme for 2025 is taken from Luke 24:32. When the followers of Jesus realized who it was that walked and talked with them on the road, they said to each other, “Didn’t our hearts burn within us as he talked with us on the road and explained the Scriptures to us?” My goal this year is not to preach topics but to preach chunks of Scripture, even whole books, as we see how the Scripture applies to our lives. I’m even giving some thought to preaching one called “Favorites.” I am thinking of preaching on favorite Scriptures you might have. Not a hobby horse one, but one that has been especially meaningful to you down through
the years, or even just recently. So…be thinking of one you might like to have preached on.

SPECIAL SUNDAY EVENTS!!

• • • Collection for Backpack Buddies ends Sunday. We plan to take them to the high school on Wednesday, the 11th
    • Chili Cook-off following second service! Fun, voting for favorite chili, and plenty of food is all for a good cause: to raise money for the team to help after Christmas for those recovering from Hurricane Helene.
    • The weather is supposed to be in the 40s so we plan a special time of prayer and dedication for the GROUNDBREAKING of our building addition project! You won’t want to miss it!!! Please plan to join us between services at 10:15! 😊

Special note from Andy Wood and the Military Care Team (MCT): On Sunday, the 15th, the MCT will be meeting to put together some packages to send to our military personnel. Great gift ideas for them would be cards of encouragement as well as gifts. Andy says a list will be available of good items to provide.

I have a long list of thank yous for people. Jo, Tami and I are so grateful for the meal train that made sure we had enough to eat for the first two weeks of recovery. Jo was so glad she didn’t have to wonder, “What am I going to fix tonight?” and could be more focused on helping me recover. In spite of what I jokingly say, she was a wonderful nurse, even sleeping in the living room in her chair while I slept in my recliner. Eventually, I woke up and sent her to the bed while I headed to the recliner in my Mancave. I slept fitfully, but she was a trooper. Tami hibernated (I mean, helped) when she got home from school.😁

I also owe a debt of thanks to Pastor Ryan and Diana for picking up the slack in my absence, and then as I was in-and-out of the office. Ryan preaching for the two weeks certainly eased my burden (but increased his), and Diana was her usual very efficient self. We corresponded some on MM #226 via email and talked/texted some. I was able to stop in for short visits but I’m not really sure I was any good. 😊 My sleep pattern is still fitful and unstable (my sleep pattern not me) so I am going to have to adjust my pace to fit my recovery. Thanks for praying for me. And thank you from the bottom of my heart for showing me the family of OVCF.

Before I forget, I want to give you a heads up. The week of Christmas (22-28) the office schedule will be in flux. When we have it more in concrete, we will let you know.

This Sunday I will be continuing my series From Start to Finish with a sermon titled “Say It is So!” We will be studying Matthew 1 as well as Isaiah 7:14 and 9:6. I look forward to seeing you there.

I am blessed beyond words. I love you all.
Pastor Bill

MIDWEEK MESSAGE #226

Hi everyone! Welcome to Midweek Message #226. I don’t suspect this will be a long MM since I am still recovering at home from surgery, but I did want to give you an update on several things happening at OVCF and then a brief word from me.

Remember to pray for our educator of the week: Kim Floyd. Kim has been in the S-OCS system for 7 years and for the past two years as a nurse assistant at McCormick’s Creek Elementary School. Kim has been married to Tony for 27 years and they have three children: Tori, Travis (who married Sierra just over a year ago), and Trevor. Tori works for the health department and is taking classes online majoring in epidemiology. Travis was a Marching Specialist for brass during marching season at Bloomington North and will graduate from IU’s Jacobs School of Music next spring. He also plays guitar on our worship team. Trevor is an 8th grader at OVMS and is being mentored in music by his brother.😊

2024 Operation Christmas Child is now a memory for OVCF, but the good thing about this memory is that it will keep on giving because of your generosity. The OVCF church family never ceases to amaze me with its generosity that goes outside our four walls. The way you responded, even given our late start, is one for the books. Thank you from every one of the children who will receive your shoebox. You’ll make a child’s Christmas a little bit brighter and you also give one more child an opportunity to hear about God’s love for them.

I’d like to tell you about something special. It goes along with my 2025 sermon series: “Burning Hearts.” The theme comes from Luke 24 where we have the account of the two men walking on the road to Emmaus when they meet a stranger. As they walk and talk they tell this stranger about all that has happened the past few days. When this stranger breaks bread with them and prays they realize later that stranger was Jesus, the risen Christ. Their comment to each other was, “Didn’t our heart burn with us as he talked with us on the road and explained the Scriptures to us?” (NLT) I have been on the lookout for resources to help us explore the Scriptures in 2025 together. This past June I came across a devotional geared toward Christmas called Everyday Gospel Christmas Devotional. Since they were free I jumped at the chance to get as many as they allowed (50). For myself, I bought a book called Everyday Gospel by Paul David Tripp to use in my daily devotional time. The Christmas devotions arrived and I found out that they were from that same devotional book! Even better: Everyday Gospel is available for $10 at a bulk price (if we order 10+). My Wednesday Night Conversations class signed up for 9. I want to give you the opportunity to sign up as well. This coming Sunday the Christmas devotionals will be available on a first-come-first served basis. However, my copy of Everyday Gospel will be displayed for you to look at and Diana has a sign-up sheet for you to sign if you would like to order a copy. Again, the cost is $10 and you can pay when it arrives by designating it on a check or envelope (if you pay cash). We will have the sign-up sheet on the back table for the next two weeks. Let’s read God’s Word together this year!

YOUTH CORNER

I’ve been sort of out of the loop lately so my Youth Corner news is slightly abbreviated this week. I received the following the day the last MM went to press so it was too late to print:

• • • Cooper Wood did the DARE program and had Deputy Bill Browne as his mentor. He took the pledge incredibly serious and then submitted an essay for a contest. He told his mom he didn’t think he would win anything but if he did he hoped he got 3rd place because he really wanted the sweatshirt that was awarded. Out of 163 kids who participated in DARE and submitted an essay, Cooper won! And if you guessed 3rd place you would be absolutely right! That made me laugh and also made me say, “Cooper, I want you praying for me!!” Way to go Coop! And thanks to the OCSD for the DARE program and to Bill Browne for investing in our kids. And, oh yeah, proud mom, Shelby VanDerMoere, may have been a bit prejudiced when she sent that to me. 😊
    • Pastor Ryan and Hope took 10 young people to ICOM (International Conference on Missions) in Lexington, KY this past weekend. The young people who went were Anna B., Rogan C., Ava D., Anna, Caleb and Rachel E., Meilynn H., Nolan M., Elijah C. and Ethan W. They got in really late Saturday (or is that really early Sunday morning?).

One last thing before I sign off on this “short” MM. Many of you have texted and asked how I was doing. I am truly grateful for your concern. My surgery went well…I don’t remember it. I found out he straightened my leg and had to move some ligaments and tendons to do so and I will be sore but, in his words to Tami, “In 6 months your dad is going to feel great!” I’m doing rehab at home and also at the IU clinic in Spencer. My first post-op with the surgeon is this coming Friday and I hope to find out more on how I’m doing. I think if you look up Pastor Bill in Webster’s Dictionary you will find the definition: “Stir crazy.” I have the loveliest drill sergeant who keeps me grounded when I want to fly. 😊 I am getting to see the OVCF church family from
another viewpoint and I like what I see. Thank you doesn’t seem strong enough to describe the food, the texts, the prayers, and the stop-in-and-say-hi I have experienced. I am hoping I can slowly reintegrate into the office (I have to keep those other two in line you know?) with my ultimate goal of being in the pulpit on December 1st. Until then, and in case I haven’t told you lately, I love you.

Pastor Bill

MIDWEEK MESSAGE #225

Hello and welcome to Midweek Message #225 and the end of Daylight Saving Time. I know I just made some enemies with that last remark. I grew up in Pennsylvania where DST was just part of life. I get the evil eye when I talk about it. Word of warning: DO NOT talk about it to Pastor Ryan. He will tell you what he thinks about it.😊

GREAT NEWS!
During our prayer time this past Sunday I mentioned that Hannah Foster was in labor with her and Matthew’s first child. I received a text late Sunday night with the news that James Michael Dale Foster made his arrival at 10:36 PM and weighed 8lbs, 2 oz. Congratulations to Matthew and Hannah and welcome to James! Please continue praying for all three.

I have several miscellaneous items to remind you of.

• • • Every year for (I don’t know how many), we have taken part in Operation Christmas Child. Diana and Pastor Ryan assembled 50 of them this past Friday and they were displayed on the table in the auditorium. They were ALL taken, plus more! 😊We have more available so please feel free to take as many as you would like. There are also some inserts to tell you how to pack the boxes, what to include, along with tags as to whether it is for a boy or girl and age. We know time is short but if you would like to help, please return them to OVCF by November 17th. We will deliver them to the collection point at Sherwood Oaks. Thanks ahead of time. You all never cease to amaze me with your generous and giving hearts. As they say: “You guys rock!”
    • We would like to support Backpack Buddies for Christmas break again this year. Backpack Buddies provides food for 200+ students each week! The elders met Monday night and have committed to donate $500 to the program. We would also like to give you a chance to take part. There will be lists of needed items available for you on Sunday, November 24th if you’d like to donate.More info to come.

Rachel Nicholson is our educator of the week. See last week’s MM to know more about her.

Next week’s educator of the week: Karen Fisher. Karen is the bookkeeper for OVHS and has been with SOCS for 32 years! She and Bruce have been married 42 years and have two daughters and 5 grandchildren. (I think we know who have 4 of them! 😊)

YOUTH CORNER

• • • Congratulations to Tad Nicholson who was recognized as a recipient of the True Patriot Award from OVMS for the first nine weeks. Way to go Tad!
    • Correction: Alexander Chambers will have eye surgery tomorrow (11/7), not 11/8 as mentioned on Sunday. Please keep him and his family in your prayers.
    • ICOM (Int’l. Conference on Missions): We have 10 youth and 2 adult leaders attending this program 11/14-11/16 in Lexington, KY. Please keep them in prayer.

SPECIAL REQUEST FROM JO! As you know I am having knee replacement surgery next Monday, the 11th. Pastor Ryan is preaching for me on the 17th and 24th. Jo feels as though she should be with me (she thinks I might try to do something stupid. Who me?). Anyway, she is looking for someone willing to do Power Point for the second service those two Sundays. It would be a great help if you would volunteer to help. Please let her know. Thanks.

I wrote the following Monday on my LivingintheShadow blog. I’d like to share it with you: {I have recently reread the book largely responsible for my escape from legalism: Wisdom Hunter by Randall Arthur. This probably makes read #15 or more (but who’s counting?).😊 It is fiction, although the “doctrinal teachings/struggle” of the book’s main character, Pastor Jason Faircloth, are very real. I would simply encourage you to pick up a copy. You will be hooked!

Two quotes stand out in my mind. They are observations Jason makes:

“Christian growth is the lifetime process of personally discovering what is inherently valuable,
and what is not.”

“The essence of the Christian walk is to live contrary to human nature.” (Both quotes from page 249)

It is the latter one that struck me this time as I read. If there was ever someone who lived a counterculture life, it was Jesus. He rejected the supposed piety of the religious leaders. He rejected living up to the letter of the Law without sincerity and the heart engaged. An example is in the Sermon on the Mount where He says multiple times, “You have heard…but I say to you.”

Then there is the teaching in Mark 8:34-37: “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul?” (NLT) That teaching goes against the grain of commonly-heard teaching. Save your life by giving it away? Seriously?

Walking with Jesus is a walk against the grain. It is a walk contrary to human nature. Be different. Act different. Live different. This is the call of Jesus}.

I look forward to seeing you this Sunday. My sermon is “I’m Thankful…God Has a Body.” In case I haven’t told you often enough, I love you all. And BTW: there will not be a MM next week for sure. I may actually take a couple weeks break while I recover. Make sure you check out the weekly bulletin for the educator of the week.

Pastor Bill

MIDWEEK MESSAGE #224

Hello and welcome to Midweek Message #224! Thanks for taking time to allow me into your world and into your inbox. I had a few moments on Saturday to begin writing this and I’m thinking maybe I should wait. It has taken me almost 3 minutes to type up to this point with all the mistakes the computer, oops my fingers, are making. So far it has not been a pretty sight. Then again, maybe it is a good thing I started on Saturday. Maybe by Monday or Tuesday I may have repaired the message to my fingers to type what I am thinking and not what they are doing.😊

Of course, the first thing on my mind is the anniversary celebration this past Sunday. But I’m going to put that off for the moment.

Our educator of the week is Rachel Nicholson. Rachel is in her 22nd year of teaching, her 10th at MCES. This is her third year as the Special Education teacher. She has also taught K, 1st, 3rd, 4th, & 6th grades. She and Dale celebrate their 20th anniversary today (Wednesday) and they have a son, Tad, a very active 7th grader who loves sports (especially baseball).

YOUTH CORNER

Yay! I have some youth information to share with you! I’m doing a happy dance here (and no, you don’t want to see that).

• • Congratulations to Jordan Mangia, Haven Mosier, and Brantley Schneider who were chosen as Top Cats at SES for the month of October. I loved their pictures! I really got a kick out of a video Brantley’s mom, Sarah, shared on Facebook that Tami showed me. When Sarah took the video of Brantley standing with his Top Cat certificate in front of him, his little sister, Stella, was recorded saying, “Prisoners do that!” I laughed my head off! That was funnier than many comedians who think they are. 😊Jordan, Haven and Brantley, we are so proud of you!
  • Addilynn (Addi) Hutchison was awarded with a certificate for the A/B Honor Roll and Perfect Attendance for the first 9 weeks. Way to go, Addi! (Mom may have posted a picture of her). 😊
  • Aubrey Mangia was chosen to receive the Patriot Award for her season on the Cross Country team. She was sick the morning of the awards but since she had connections to the coach (her dad) she was able to receive her award. She was a great teammate and leader. Way to go, Aubrey! Keep working hard!
  • Colby Beckwith, brother to Matt Beckwith and Amanda Hutchison, earned Male Golfer of the Week for Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College. He placed 2nd at the Kalamazoo Invite with a 74 this past weekend.

Pastor Ryan and I have a great opportunity every month to read to the Kindergarten classes at MCES (Ryan) and SES & GES (me). Mrs. Hensley’s husband reads to her class at PES. I absolutely love reading to my classes and I know Ryan does also. May I make a suggestion that you find a teacher and tell them thanks for their hard work? Having a teacher living in my house keeps me constantly aware of what they experience-the highs and lows-each day. It will do their heart good to hear a kind word from you.

Okay…now the moment you all have been waiting for. A recap of our anniversary celebration at Abram Event Venue. I’ll not mention any names for fear of leaving someone out.

• • We had tons of volunteers. I got there at 7:00 and a good number of tables were already set up. We had people help carry all the sound equipment, put up chairs, put the communion on the tables, get the food on the tables and ready to be devoured, and then help tear down, wipe tables down, sweep, take out the trash, and help carry things out to vehicles. Some of our younger ones helped put the “We’re Glad You Are Here!” papers on the tables.
  • Thanks to the volunteers who helped with the parking and shuttled people back and forth.
  • Thanks to the worship team who did a superb job of leading us in the singing part of our worship. It took a lot of work to cart everything over there and get set up, only to tear it down and bring it back to the church building.
  • Thanks to Diana for all the extra work it took and also Pastor Ryan with working with Diana on getting the kid’s papers ready and overseeing the parking and shuttle.
  • Thanks to all of you who came and celebrated with us. I appreciate you more than you know.

As many of you know the plan is for me to have surgery on November 11 to replace my knee. I will be preaching the first two weeks in November and Pastor Ryan will be preaching the other two. Lord willing, I will be able to preach on December 1st. The series for November is “I’m Thankful…” This Sunday is “God’s Got This.” Please read Psalm 2 ahead of time. I look forward to seeing you this Sunday. Love you all.

Pastor Bill

MIDWEEK MESSAGE #223

Hello and welcome to Midweek Message #223. I certainly hope you had a nice relaxing time during Fall Break. I know some headed to the mountains of Tennessee; others went to Disney; others just stayed home and enjoyed some really fine weather. Jo, Tami and I left Wednesday for Ohio and had a nice time visiting Janna, Mike, Braden and Cameron (yes, he has a girlfriend, although he says that is so ‘90s to say that).😊Friday night was senior night for the football players so we had one last chance to watch him play football. We came home Saturday and it was back to normal (if you consider me normal). Now it is back to school for the push to Thanksgiving. I hope you are refreshed and rarin’ to go.

Remember to pray for our educator of the week: Hannah Morse. Hannah has been married to Cole for four years and their twin sons, Tripp and Kohen, are three years old. Hannah has been teaching for seven years at Gosport Elementary School, but this is her first year teaching 1st grade. Cole has a business called M&M EarthWurx. Hannah, the boys, and her mom, Christina Corder, spent the Fall Break at Disney and she said the boys loved it.

The 13th was a special Sunday for Ava Dawley! Ava gave her confession of faith and was baptized
at Covenant Baptist Church (The Connection) Sunday afternoon by Pastor Ryan. Ava’s mom,
Sara Parker, and her husband, Jason, both were super excited for Ava. So were the others who
came. We love you, Ava! Keep growing!!

NOT SO YOUNG CORNER

• • • Congratulations to Caleb Hutchison for being honored as District 5 Conservation Officer of the year. Caleb has been with the DNR for 3+ years. When he became a DNR officer it was the fulfillment of a lifelong dream. Way to go Caleb! We are proud of you. (But I have this suspicion Amanda, Addi, and Owen are even more). I did tell him I was going to call this OLD MAN’S CORNER. But I decided to go easy on him and call it the “Not So Young Corner.” Gotta let them old men down easy, you know?

SOME STUNNING NEWS FOR YOU!

Two weeks ago during our morning worship Pastor Ryan showed a video of Samaritan’s Purse and their ministry to the people of North Carolina following the devastating flooding from Hurricane Helene. He also told us that David and Adienne Robertson were taking donations for a group called Grindstone Ministries who had “boots on the ground” in North Carolina. The need was big for winter clothing of all kinds. While I was gone, Diana let me know that all need for donations were being suspended. Here is her “official” note left for me to announce this past Sunday:

• • • “Due to the huge response of donations we will not be collecting items after the 20th.
      The collection centers are overwhelmed with the amount of donations received! A
      good problem to have.”
    • It is a good problem to have for sure! That means that those who are desperately in
      need of clothing, especially warm clothing, will receive some. And by the way: did you
      know it snowed this week in some of the higher elevations? Yikes! Fortunately for us it
      was still in the 60s-70s. 😊
    • I would like you to keep in mind that relief efforts are not over by a long shot. After Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton, relief efforts and salvaging efforts will be going on for quite some time. There is more info to come.

COMING TO AN EVENT VENUE NEAR YOU!

We are excited to announce that the 20th anniversary of Owen Valley Christian
Fellowship is coming to Abram Event Venue. All are invited to attend.

Here is the information one more time:

• • • One service at 10:00 followed by a pitch-in meal at the venue. Tables will be set up for your dishes to be placed on. Sorry…no early dining available. 😊
    • Help is needed for set up and tear down, as well as help with the parking and shuttle service. If you are able to help with the latter two, please give your name to Pastor Ryan (who is coordinating that effort). If you did not sign up to help, but would like to, please be at the venue at 7:00.
    • We will not be offering children’s programs but will have an unstaffed space available for families with little ones.
    • All the day’s giving will go to the Building Fund (unless otherwise designated). See below for news about our proposed building addition.
    • The sermon will be different than I normally preach. You will be asked to take part so be thinking about this question: “Why did I choose OVCF as my home?” I’ll close with a short retelling of Luke 15: 11-32 (Parable of the Lost Son/Loving Father).
    • If you are unable to attend, Pastor Ryan and I prerecorded the sermon and a short communion meditation that will be shown at the 10:00 time. We are unable to live stream at the venue and this will allow you to be part of our special day. 😊

We look forward to seeing you there!!

BUILDING ADDITION UPDATES!

• • • We have plans! They have been approved by the state.
    • Our local/state permits have been approved.
    • Utilities have been marked which will allow for any relocation to take place.
    • We are awaiting the estimate (which should be here soon) so we can start our excavation and storm water/drainage control phases soon!
    • It is not beyond possibility to see the excavation work done before the snow flies. Then, Lord willing, we could possibly see construction begin in the Spring. We will go at the speed of our ability to pay cash. NO DEBT.

I hope you are as excited as I am!

See you Sunday! Please know you are loved immensely.
Pastor Bill