Category: OVCF News

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