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Hello and welcome to Midweek Message #205. School is officially over for the summer and I hope you have plans to enjoy and relax! I have talked to several teachers and school personnel and I have yet had one of them say they are disappointed school is out. Now…why is that?
By the time you are done reading this MM you just might say, “Hmmmm. That was a youth edition.” And you won’t be far off the mark!
OV graduation was this past Saturday. Now is the time of graduation parties and life changes. As promised in past MMs, I would like to highlight each graduate and tell you a bit about them and their plans. Here they are in alphabetical order:
College:
I would be remiss if I didn’t take some time (words to be exact) to thank the crew who stayed Sunday afternoon for the workday. WOW, what a beautiful job they did! It was hot and sticky but they stayed with it. Next time you come make sure you take a look! Here is a list of those who helped (based on the group picture): Rusty and Karen Turner. Bobby (that tractor saved us all!), Alli and Rob (he was having too much fun with that leaf blower) Anderson. Westin and Cassie Linville. Geoff, Michelle and Marla Lippert. Ryan, Anna, Caleb and Rachel East. Bob, Tiffany and Sophia Kropack. Joe and Charlotte Pavich. (Sophia and Charlotte helped Linda with the ice cream delivery. Thanks girls!). Gail Kempe. Brad Corder. Jerry and Carol Sturgeon. Linda St. John (who also provided a much-needed and much-appreciated ice cream break). And yours truly. Hope East took the picture. Part of the “this church spells HOME” is the curb appeal people see when they drive in. Thank you s-o-o-o-o-o much for giving up a couple of hours to spruce up what people see. 
I’ll let you know ahead of time that there will be no MM next week. With the Memorial Day holiday Monday); our daughter, Janna, coming in from Ohio for eye surgery on Tuesday; then Jo and I taking her back on Wednesday, I decided to take the week off from the MM. I hear a certain office manager yelling a big “Hooray!” from her office as she reads this.😊😊
This week is my last sermon for the month of May focusing on women in the Bible. I’ve entitled it Hope and Hospitality and it will focus on Sarah and Lydia. Beginning June 2nd the focus for the month of June will be on men in the Bible. Since there will be no MM next week I’ll fill you in on that Sunday. The sermon is entitled Second Place and the focus will be on Abel and Andrew.
I look forward to seeing you Sunday. If you are taking off for vacation, please be careful and enjoy yourself. I hope you come back refreshed. I know this will make your day, week, month and summer: I love you all.😊
Pastor Bill
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Hello and welcome to Midweek Message #204! Mother’s Day 2024 is history, at least on the calendar. The next big event is graduation and the end of the 2023-2024 school year. I would be remiss if I failed to tell you that I hope you had a relaxing and good Mother’s Day.
Speaking of graduation, this coming Sunday is our Graduate Recognition Sunday. Both high school and college graduates will be recognized at the 10:45 service. We have a pretty good number of graduates and I plan on telling a little bit about them in next week’s MM.
Don’t forget that immediately following the second service we will be having a pitch-in lunch and then a work day on the grounds. When someone owns a business they hear a lot about “curb appeal.” We are no different. Many times a person’s first impression of the church is the way the building and property are taken care of. One overtaken by weeds says, “We don’t care.” That doesn’t bode well for how they care about people. It is true that perceptions can be skewed but more often than not, such is the case. An effort was made a few weeks ago to begin sprucing up the area around our building but it was way too much for one afternoon and the number of people/amount of work involved. Pastor Ryan thinks a 2-3 hour work day with many hands will get the job done. The pitch-in is informal and the work part of it will last until about 3:30 or sooner if done. If you would like to help, it is appreciated. You may want to check with Pastor Ryan to see what tools are needed (if any).
This past week the S-OCS system honored their nurses for National School Nurse Day. Congratulations to Kim Floyd for being honored. She is the nurse for MCES.
One of the dangers many church leaders and many churches get into is forgetting where they came from. For those who have been Christ-followers for any length of time or for those, like me, who have been raised in the church since they were “knee high to a grasshopper,” it is easy to take for granted that others know what you are speaking about. I try hard to make sure those who don’t know a Bible story are not left out by me saying, “You know…” I will try to say, “For those of you who are not familiar…”
All that to lead up to this: something was brought to our attention recently that was a really good suggestion. Someone texted me about having Bibles pre-marked with Scriptures I will be using in a sermon so that those who are unfamiliar with the Bible will be able to find them. That was a really great idea to consider. Pastor Ryan, Diana and I got our heads together and came up with a plan we hope works. The church purchased Bibles for use on Sunday mornings that will be on the info table for use. Each Scripture to be looked up while I am preaching will have the page number listed in the bulletin and on the PowerPoint so it can be turned to and read as I am reading it. We hope this will encourage people to look up the Scripture but also lead to a desire to read and love the Bible even more on a personal level. Thank you Jenna Wells for the suggestion!!
As I mentioned at the beginning, Mother’s Day 2024 is history, but one event is not. Change for Life, a fundraiser for New Beginnings Pregnancy Resource Center (NB), began Sunday and goes until Father’s Day. Many of you are familiar with this, but if not, here are some details:
Serving Owen County Together (SOCT) has been a welcome event in our community for the past 5 years. This is, if my calculations are correct, Year #6. One Saturday in June the whole community is invited to serve in helping the community. Booths are set up and clothing, shoes, food and more are open to the people to come and get what they need. Some local service agencies set up booths for you to know more about them. The organizational date is May 20th at 5:30 and the date for SOCT is June 15th with a rain date of June 22nd. If you would like to help please call the office or ask me.
That’s all for this week. I hope you have a terrific rest of the week. I look forward to seeing you Sunday. My sermon will be All In and the ladies under the microscope will be Hannah and Mary Magdalene. Don’t forget this: I love you all.
Pastor Bill
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Hello and welcome to Midweek Message #203. These last few weeks of school are filled with activities for both students and families. In spite of the hustle and bustle these days bring, I sure hope you enjoy them. I know I will not be the only one who says this, but it sure seems like school just started (except if you are a teacher!).😊Soon graduation, parties, baseball, softball, soccer and maybe a vacation will fill our days. Enjoy them.
Speaking of school, we are encouraging you to pray for all administrators, teachers, staff, and students this week. Pray for them as they make preparations for the end of the school year and begin preparing for school year ’24-25. Did I really say that?
Don’t forget we plan to honor our graduates at the second service on May 19 at 10:45. A full list of graduates and their plans will be included in the MM the next week.
That Sunday, the 19th, is going to be a full day. Along with graduate recognition we will be having a pitch-in and work day here at the church property. Several weeks ago Pastor Ryan and Hope, Westin and Cassie Linville, Robert Anderson and some of our young people did some mulching and also some landscaping around the new sign. But there is so much more to do and so it was decided to have a work day to get as many involved as possible. The plan is to begin with a pitch-in followed by yard work. We plan to work until around 3:30 (or earlier, if finished). Can’t do yard work? We will have a list of some other things that need to be done.😊
Every year New Beginnings Pregnancy Resource Center (NB) promotes the Change for Life fundraiser. For those who may not be familiar, Change for Life begins on Mother’s Day and goes until Father’s Day. It is simple. A baby bottle is provided and all they ask is that you take your change and fill the bottle, then bring it to the church building from now until Father’s Day. It will then be taken to NB. It is a simple, easy way to support the ministry of NB. Becca Anderson is on the board of NB and she said last year the bottles brought in donations of over $13,000. If you prefer to include a check or dollar bills they will not frown on that either. 😊😊 The baby bottles will be available for you to pick up this coming Sunday (Mother’s Day). You may also donate online at newbeginningsowen.org or through the “donate” button on their Facebook page.
I mentioned in last week’s MM that Anna, Caleb, and Rachel East all won in the Red, White and Blue contest through the VFW. The “Easties” won for singing the national anthem, recording it and submitting it. Sophia Kropack won for her age group in the VFW Illustrating Art Contest. What I failed to mention is that all were advancing to the State Level! Congrats to all four of you. We will be cheering for you as you move on.
Congratulations to Hannah Pendleton. She is one of our graduates and at her party Sunday we were informed that she graduated Salutatorian of her class of 545 students. I can guarantee you that she is a whole lot smarter than I ever dreamed of being! Way to go Hannah!
It sure was good to see Logan Cain here for the weekend. He came to celebrate Kathryn Anderson’s graduation and birthday. He and Kathryn plan to be married in September. He went back to Quantico Tuesday. Logan serves in the Marines. Tony and Audrey Courson (mom and dad) and Jackson (brother) were also glad to see him, as were the rest of his family. But I’m guessing Kathryn might have been a wee-bit happier than all.😊
I’d like to give a tip of the hat to our Sunday morning children’s program volunteers. That includes the nursery workers, the check-in folks, the worship team, and every teacher and helper. We were talking in the elder’s meeting Monday night about the youth department on Sunday morning. It is packed, very often to the gills. We have a nursery and classes for Preschool, Grades 1-3 and Grades 4-6. This past Sunday alone they had around 50! I don’t have a list of all the teachers and helpers so I am afraid to list them lest I forget someone, but I can’t say thank you enough for your service to our children every Sunday. I realize there are some churches that don’t believe in having a separate youth area during adult worship, but I have several questions about that:
Again, I can’t say thanks enough to Pastor Ryan and his hard workers for making the youth program on Sunday morning top-notch. We even have some of our older high school youth helping. I love it!
Thinking along that last thought about space/room for everyone: we are waiting for the architect’s plans, as well as the topographical plans before we can get started. Trust me when I say there are a few of us in the office chomping at the bit, but we will continue to wait. God has His timing and it will do us no good to move ahead of Him with impatience. I have moved ahead of Him in my personal life and it has never worked out well for me. 🙁 There is a reason Proverbs 3:5-6 and Isaiah 40:28-31 drip with truth. (Why not take a moment and look them up?).
As I look outside today (Tuesday) the weather is playing with my head. It was supposed to rain all day yesterday and it was gorgeous. Today it is supposed to be stormy and while it has rained it hasn’t been quite as bad as they say. I’m going to sign off for this week. I look forward to celebrating Mother’s Day with all of you, especially the ladies. My sermon is Hard Acts to Follow (Ruth and Mary & Martha). Have a good rest of the week. Love you all.
Pastor Bill
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Hello and welcome to Midweek Message #202! Here we are at the end of April already and the start of May. That can only mean two things: 1) Mother’s Day is right around the corner (hint, hint, guys!); and 2) school will soon be over. May 16 to be exact. Hey! Don’t shoot the messenger!😊And I’m glad you are taking time to read this edition.
Remember to pray for Brianna Wigington and Mandy Bowman. Both are counselors at SES. Briana is married to Nathan, they have one daughter, age 3, and live in Bloomington. Mandy has two daughters and one granddaughter and also lives in Bloomington.
Do you have a child who is playing ball this summer or is in some activity? Jo and I love to watch the young people take part in activities. Please get me a schedule so I can plan to attend. We even let Tami out of her cage and she sometimes comes with us. 😊
Please keep in mind that May 19 is the day we will be honoring our graduates. I’ll give all the pertinent information following that Sunday.
I don’t normally do this but I feel like it would be good to list some of the folks we prayed for this past Sunday. For some reason this past Sunday was a “heavy” week of people to pray for. Not that every week isn’t, but this one seemed to have its ups and downs. And also, with the short prayer time I feel sometimes we rush through without really focusing on the nitty gritty of people’s needs. Now, before I do this, I know there may be some who feel like “What about my prayer needs?” I’ll state right up front that I know some could be hurt. But here is the deal: if you would like me to include you in a future MM, I wouldn’t mind at all to include a weekly prayer feature. But for this week:
Did you know that one of the missions we support is Weekday Religious Education? Dave Schenck is one of the teachers at the Patricksburg WRE. Sunday he announced that 17 kids made decisions for Christ this past week during WRE. I can hear the angels singing and dancing!! 😊
I’d like to give a big shout out to the men who take part by giving the Communion thought each week. Each one is different and I appreciate every one of them. For some, it is out of their comfort zone, but it is good to see men stepping up. I’m always up for more men to volunteer! (Hint hint). 😊
I’m going to bring this week’s MM to a close. Just a reminder: Mother’s Day is 2 Sundays from now. Just sayin’. Love you all.
Pastor Bill
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Hello and welcome to Midweek Message #201. Jo walked in Sunday morning and said, “Those birds are noisy.” I said, “It’s because they are awake.” I hope it’s for another reason. They know warm weather is just around the corner and are singing its praise. After the small taste of it last week I know I’m ready for it. Anyway, I hope you are enjoying the weather and most of all, God’s goodness. Lamentations 3:22-23 says, “The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is His faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning.” (NLT)
Please remember to pray for George Bergen, counselor at MCES, and Emily Reuter, counselor at both GES and PES. Mr. Bergen is married to Kim and they have two grown daughters. He also has a service dog, Walter that works with him at MCES. Emily is married to Michael, they are parents of six children and live in Spencer.
While you are praying for them, please include our expectant mothers, babies (and fathers).
I’m sure James Anderson and his parents would appreciate your prayers as he makes his way to Riley for an appointment on Thursday.😊
YOUTH CORNER
Graduate Sunday is scheduled for May 19th. We plan to recognize our grads during our second service so if you have a senior, please mark that date!! Here is who we know is graduating at this point.
I’ll give more information on each of them after we honor them on the 19th. My point of including them here is to remind you that if you have a senior who is graduating high school or college please let Diana or Pastor Ryan know.
I know some people don’t like their “horn tooted” but this past Saturday several folks showed up to do some work on the grounds. New mulch was toted to the playground and spread around, and rock was put around the new sign. Those involved were the East clan; Bobby, Rob and Alli Anderson; and Westin and Cassie Linville. Both jobs look exceptionally nice. There is more to be done so plans are to possibly have an all-church work day following the second service with an informal pitch-in, then some grounds work. Pastor Ryan will keep you updated on that.
Two weeks ago on a Sunday I had the communion meditation. I was filling in for someone who had a change of schedule. I didn’t give it any thought until it was time for the meditation and I got emotional. The second service went much better than the first in the emotions department. I shared with you how two of my friends were struggling with cancer and James Anderson was an active 6 ½ year old boy who has been sick the last couple of months with no known cause. My friend, Dave from Arizona, was diagnosed with a brain tumor and had surgery less than a week after we got back from visiting with him and his wife, Susan. My friend, Jim, whom I have known and cycled with for 30+ years has fought cancer for 14 years and was told it was all through his body and there was nothing more they could do. They gave him 3-6 months to live. For the past 8 weeks I have been driving to Zionsville every other week to reminisce and spend time with him and encourage his wife, Tina. This past Thursday, Jo and I were 5 minutes from their house when Tina called to say Jim had just passed. It sure was bittersweet. I knew Jim was active and didn’t want to be shackled by a body filled with cancer and wouldn’t allow him to do anything. But I also had to deal with my own emotions of losing someone I loved. It’s not like I haven’t had to before, but this was different. He was at least 10 years younger than me and we had some really cool cycling adventures together. I could go on for quite a while, but that would only be of interest to me. Suffice it to say that sorrow is sweet joy when the one you say “See you later” to is a follower of Jesus. For that, I am extremely grateful. Let me also say thanks to many of you who expressed your sympathies and sadness for me. After the initial shock, I really am okay. He is being cremated and then Tina is going to spread his ashes outside. He loved the outdoors-hiking, water skiing, snow skiing, boating, scuba diving, hunting, as well as cycling. He lived life well and to the full so while I will miss him, I also know I will see him again. So I simply say, “Thanks for the memories.”
I deeply appreciate each and every one of you. Thanks for letting me be your pastor. Next to being a husband to Jo, a father to Tami & Janna, and a grandpa to Braden, I can think of no higher calling I could have. I love each one of you.
Pastor Bill
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