Category: OVCF News

MIDWEEK MESSAGE #143

Hello and welcome to Midweek Message #143! Animals are unpredictable in many ways. I cannot say enough how I hope Punxsutawney Phil is wrong this year. He supposedly is predicting 6 more weeks of winter. I vote for no more weeks of winter!  Anyone standing with me? J

Sunday was a special day for OVCF. On February 3, 2013 we were privileged to ordain Ryan East into the ministry. Pastor Ryan and Hope were already volunteering here at OVCF in the youth department, so as his heart for God and for youth became more and more evident, it seemed natural for him to move into this stage in his life. It was a big move to make though. He had a solid job with IUCU and 5 mouths to feed, but he and Hope were both willing to step out in faith and accept God’s call on their lives and our invitation to go full-time at OVCF. I have said it in the past and will continue saying it: calling Ryan to be part of the staff and leadership of OVCF is probably the best decision we have ever made. I’m glad there were some thoughtful people who foresaw his 10^th anniversary and wanted to do something special to honor the occasion. I’m honored to call Pastor Ryan a friend, a comrade in arms serving OVCF together, and one I would trust with my life (he is a black belt in TKD). J  Thanks to the ladies who made Sunday a special day, and thanks to so many of you who helped in doing that.  It was also good to see some old friends come to share in the occasion. And thanks to the God who will forgive Hope for her little white lie to cover the truth of the occasion. J

Remember to pray for Jenny Hess this week. Jenny is our Educator of the Week and homeschools her two children: MiaRose and Meilynn. John and Jenny and the girls are newer to our church family, but many people here have known them for years.

I would like to ask for your prayers about something. I’m guessing many of you do not know that I have been asked recently by our new Owen County Sheriff, Ryan White, to be the chaplain for the OCSD. After speaking with him to get details, talking to Jo, the elders, and to Pastor Ryan and Diana (to get other opinions), I decided to accept that offer. While I feel somewhat unqualified in some areas, I also know there are some ways it is an extension of my ministry to people (counseling, helping those who may be grieving, etc). I did not take the decision lightly, and actually gave up one of my outside commitments to do this. Of course, no one knows how often I will be called upon to help in reaching hurting people with compassion, but when (not if) that time comes, I want to be available and ready.  Thanks for praying.

I share the above with you because I want you to know how much Pastor Ryan and I are trying to be involved in our community.

• Did you know that Pastor Ryan visits the schools once a week to have lunch and visit with the students? He goes for no other specific purpose than to let them know he is willing to be where they are and to meet them on their turf.
• Did you know that every month I read to the Kindergarten classes at PES, GES, and the three classes at SES? And did you know that Pastor Ryan reads every month to the two Kindergarten classes and to a Pre-K class at MCES? I’d like to get something like the   Real Men Read program into Owen County again with some reading help starting in September of ’23.
• Did you know there are other areas we are involved in as well?

So…pray for us please! Pray we keep our priorities straight. And pray that we can touch lives with the love of Jesus without “preaching” to them.

To close out this issue of the MM, I’m going to borrow from a devotion I did on my “Living in the Shadow” blog on February 1:

I read a short blurb recently about how some years ago, 300 whales were found marooned on a beach.  Scientists speculated that the whales had been chasing sardines and became trapped in shallow water when the tide went out. By chasing little sardines, these gigantic creature were ultimately lead to their doom.

The application to us is easy to make. How many people do you and I know who are now or will get “beached” due to chasing little things? What makes it even worse is that it happens before we realize it.

I’m reminded of several Scriptures-both from the mouth of Jesus.

“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.” (Mt. 6:24)  {As an exercise, substitute another word for money-sports, fame, pleasure, people acceptance, etc. and see how it fits}

The other is found in the same chapter of Matthew: “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” (Verse 33)

I’m sure you can add more Scripture. Like the book of Ecclesiastes. Like Matthew 22:37-38.

I will grant you that it is a daily battle. I know it is for me. To stay focused on that which is important-on WHO is important-on WHAT is important-is a titanic struggle of great magnitude. But it is one we must fight. To choose to chase sardines is a losing game. It only leads to “beached” lives. A dead end.

To choose to pursue God and His kingdom may not yield much fruit here on earth, but the reward is out of this world!

I love you all.

Pastor Bill

MIDWEEK MESSAGE #142

Hello and welcome to Midweek Message #142. I hope your week is going well and you have seen God working in your daily activities. After the snow event which didn’t happen (I’m not complaining) last week, this week is supposed to be pretty tame. I have not, however, heard a teacher or student complain about the day off.  I know I never did!

Please remember to pray for Hope East, our Educator of the week. Hope homeschools her three children as well as being actively involved in the youth program as she works alongside Ryan. Sunday, Pastor Ryan asked us to pray hard for Hope.  I’m not sure why… ☺

This past Sunday I mentioned during the sermon about the way each letter to the churches of Revelation flowed. I was unable to include it in the weekly outline for the bulletin and I know it was a lot of material to write down, so I mentioned I would include it in this Midweek Message. Here is the material I used concerning the flow of thought in each letter:

• Jesus presents Himself with certain attributes suitable to the church being addressed.
• The situation or particular problem is addressed.
• On the basis of #2, Jesus issues either an encouragement to persevere or to repent.
• That forms the ground for issuing a call to respond by heeding to what He has said needs done.
• Finally, if they respond correctly they are promised an inheritance.

As I said in the sermon, this formula can be applied to each of the seven churches in chapters 2 and 3. My hope is that you will go back over the two chapters with this flow of thought in mind and look for these ideas. In fact, it will make a great personal study for you.

We all had a great time at the Tivoli this past Sunday night for the church movie night. Many thanks to Linda St. John for offering the evening for Pastor Ryan to use for ROOTS. Thanks to Ryan for inviting our OVCF family to participate.  It is good to see your church family and friends outside of the church gathering. It is really good to laugh together and joke around. I also saw a lot of faces I had never seen before. Many of them were young people who attend ROOTS. I love it! And I loved seeing so many with young children there.

Let me remind you again about our mission for February: New Beginnings Pregnancy Resource Center (NB). I know you save every one of the Midweek Messages sent your way (Ahem!), but just in case you don’t, please let me reiterate to you what we are trying to do for NB. Every year they have an annual diaper drive in February to prepare for the many clients that come their way. Donations may be brought to OVCF during the month or you may choose to take them directly to New Beginnings at 189 N. Main St here in Spencer.  The following is a list of their most needed items:

• Baby wipes
• Diapers, size 3 and up. *Pampers and Huggies brands especially needed due to skin sensitivities.
• Pull-ups, ALL sizes needed.

I would love for us to overwhelm NB with our love and support in supplying these needs beyond their wildest dreams! Let’s make it happen!

This past Sunday was our 5th Sunday Family Worship. It was a great day. I honestly believe it was the best attended 5th Sunday we have ever had. At the end of the second service, I made a comment which I believe I should make again. We had a large group of teenagers present Sunday, as well a pretty large group of elementary students. I have to brag on all of our young people. They were phenomenal! I know it isn’t easy listening to some old codger yap on about churches in the Bible, but Parents! You would have and should have been proud of your young person if they were in that group. They were attentive (unless they have great poker faces) and very respectful. So….

• Thank you young people for being so respectful.
• Thank you young people for making your parents proud you are their child. ☺
• Thank you mom and dad for bringing your child and staying to worship with them.  I think the young people deserve some ice cream and you deserve a well-earned pat-on-the-back and a big Atta Boy! (The young people can thank me later for that suggestion).

The next 5th Sunday Family Worship is April 29th and Lord willing, Pastor Ryan will be preaching. April holds many good things. Palm Sunday and Resurrection Sunday on April 2 & 9. Will and Theresa Reed will be back with us (Will is preaching) on the 16th. They will soon be heading to Colorado for training and then on to Nairobi, Kenya. We want to give them a great send off.  April is also the second month of the Revelation “break.” May 7th should get us back on track for that series: The Lamb Wins.

My sermon for Sunday is “He Knows-Part 2.” We will be studying the impact of God’s Omniscience in chapter 3. I look forward to seeing you there. Laughing with you. Studying with you and allowing God to change our lives. Remember: I love you.

Pastor Bill

MIDWEEK MESSAGE #140

Hello and welcome to Midweek Message #140. Thank you so much for taking the time to read my rambling thoughts. I don’t take that privilege lightly.

Let me start off by reminding you to pray for Rachel Nicholson, our Educator of the week. Rachel teaches Special Education at MCES. Rachel will also be having hip replacement surgery on February 8th. She has been putting this surgery off for several years so I know she would really appreciate your prayers for her. She will then need to rehab while being a teacher, wife, and mother.

Don’t forget ladies, that you are invited to participate:

• Every Monday night at 6:30 several ladies meet to pray. They would love to have you join them! Contact Adienne Robertson or Gail Kempe for more information.  Their contact information is in the church directory.
• This coming Saturday is Coffee and Chocolate at OVCF from 2-4:00.  This is a great way to have fun and make new friends. Any questions you might have you can ask Hope East or Sally Carlson.

Ever since we have been blessed with this building, being able to remodel it, and then being able to build the youth addition, we have taken the attitude that our building is to be used. Several community organizations use our youth addition almost on a monthly basis-the Owen County Chamber of Commerce, the EDC, and until recently WRE used our building on a weekly basis (they decided to move closer to MCES). Every year we have made our building available to be used for the Legislative Breakfast, which is hosted by the Owen County Chamber of Commerce. This year is no exception. The Legislative Breakfast is on the 3rd Saturday of the month and because it is the long session, we will be hosting them for four months: January through April. This Saturday is the first one and it begins at 7:30 in the auditorium. It is open to all who are interested in knowing what is happening in our state and in Owen County.  Different legislators are given an opportunity to tell what is happening and then it opens up to a Q & A. You are more than welcome to attend. OVCF is not making a political statement whatsoever. We are offering our building for the community to meet.

The series on Revelation continues. I was bowled over by the response to the pamphlets about The Four Views of the End Times. I had ordered 30 originally and they were all taken and had a waiting list of 16. I ordered 25 more, so if you had signed your name as wanting one, Diana has put a post-it-note with your name on it on a copy for you. If we need to order more after this batch is gone, we can do that, but please sign the form provided.  As of this writing, we are down to one pamphlet left.

And speaking of Revelation, I am really excited about preaching this series. As I have said, I have never done so before, and it has stoked some “sermon fire” in me. ☺ What hasn’t hurt has been the comments made by some of you to me and those who are asking about the book I highly recommend. In case you are interested it is called Blessed by Nancy Guthrie. It is available at several booksellers. Someone called while I was driving last week and was so excited about the book. She is finding it easy to understand and hard to put down, which is what I experienced, as well as one other person I recommended it to.  One of the things I told her was don’t hold it against me if you hear me say some things you may read. ☺ I believe it was Chuck Swindoll who once wrote, “There are no original thoughts.” While I (or any pastor) may say something to expand on what he heard or read, I can’t say I have many original thoughts (if any). That certainly goes for this series on Revelation. I pray for clarity as I speak and understanding as you listen and discern.

I believe very strongly in having a daily Quiet Time (I personally call it my Encounter Time since that is what I want to happen). I also know many desire to have daily time with God, but just don’t know where to start. Mine is simple. I have several daily devotion books I read from, but I also take some time to read through the Bible. I know there are some who have committed to reading through the Bible in a year. I applaud you for that. It really takes some discipline to carry that out. I have done that several times in the past, but I have found a slow, easy read is best for me. Since the beginning of the year I started with Matthew 1 and I am now in Matthew 16. I read and highlight as I go. I don’t read for speed; I read for need. I also use several books to focus my devotional thoughts. What I’m leading up to is this: I have placed several of those devotional books in the church library.  You can find a copy of Alistair Begg’s daily devotion Truth for Life-Vol. 1; New Morning Mercies by Paul David Tripp; The Uncommon Life by Tony Dungy; Drawing Near Devotional Bible by John MacArthur; Daily Readings from the Life of Christ-Vol. 1,2,& 3 by MacArthur; One Perfect Life and One Faithful Life by MacArthur. The former is a compiling of the harmony of the Gospels as they frame Jesus’ life, and the latter is the life of Paul. I encourage you to feel free to borrow them, but I ask only one thing: please sign a card that you borrowed one.  I am currently using a book by Pastor Greg Laurie and also the late David Powlison during my Encounter Time this year.

Your head may be swimming after all of this information. So I think it is about time to check out for this week’s MM. I love you all.

Sunday’s sermon will be Feast Your Eyes on Him from Revelation 1: 9-20. See you then!

Pastor Bill

MIDWEEK MESSAGE #139

Hello and welcome to Midweek Message #139. As I write this it is supposed to warm up again this week. We go from bitter cold to the 60s to cold and then back to the 50s. Can I just put my vote in for the 80s and 90s and settle it? J Oh well, that’s life in Indiana.   My friend, Dave in Arizona, texted me two weeks ago and said, “-20 in Indiana? Seriously?  I was out walking in a light sweater this morning and will get rid of that this afternoon.” It was in the 70s. I asked him if he wanted to trade places and for some odd reason he said, “No.” Such a fair-weather friend.

Remember to pray for Angela Mayle this week. Angela is our Educator of the Week and teaches Special Education at SES for Pre-K and Kindergarten students.

Congratulations to Ryan and Katie Keene! On January 2^nd they became the proud parents of Genevieve Eloise. She joins big sister, Kalia, and big brothers, Conrad and Calvin.  There is a reason I don’t bet in any way, shape, or form. I would have lost in the “name-the-baby-Keene-little girl.” I was trying to figure out a name beginning with “K” or “C” and failed on both counts. I’m just thrilled Genevieve is healthy and has a loving family to welcome her.

Please continue to pray for Will and Sarah Schneider. They are expecting baby #3 in May. Brantley and Stella are not too thrilled they will be welcoming a baby sister into their family.  They wanted a brother.  J  But I’m willing to wager their disappointment will change as soon as mom and dad bring their little sister home.

On another subject: For the past couple of years, Adienne Robertson and Gail Kempe have been meeting at the church building on Monday nights at 6:30 to pray for the church and individuals. They have been joined occasionally by others, but I have to admit my admiration of their commitment to pray. They are extending an invitation to any woman who would like to join them in praying. This is not a social hour; this is a “commitment to pray” hour. There have been very few Mondays over the past couple of years when they have not met to pray. If you carry that same burden then feel free to join them. You may contact Adienne at davadienne@hotmail.com for more information. Cell phone reception is very weak at their house, so emailing her is the best way to reach her. Gail has also said you may contact her as well at gehiker@gmail.com or you can text her if you prefer. Her number is in the directory.

Speaking of prayer:  I think it goes without saying that one of the most neglected areas of our spiritual lives is prayer. We were raised (most likely) on the “God is great, God is good” or “Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your Name…” formula. One church where I was the pastor made a weekly recitation of the Model Prayer mandatory. All was fine until I stopped saying it one morning and the building went silent.  It wasn’t because I had stopped, but because they were unsure what to say next. At that point, I decided I would discontinue that practice and only say it when I felt the Spirit moving me to do so.

Prayer is hard work. It is important to remember that no earthly relationship can be sustained without communication. Try not talking to your spouse or a friend from years ago and see where that takes you. (Then again, I don’t suggest doing that with your spouse). A relationship cannot be maintained without open and constant communication. I guess the question I have then is how can we expect to maintain a relationship with our Father in heaven when our communication is so spotty.

Pastor Ryan recently gave the elders a book he was given at a recent event he attended called Prayer and Fasting. I began reading it last week and found several interesting paragraphs worth underlining as I read.  They apply to us:

“If we are to tap into the power of God to create genuine, Spirit-led revival in our time, we must personally pray…The absence of powerful prayer is one of the reasons we do not see the power of God unleashed upon the church or our culture.”  (P.37)

“To see things happen in our church we have never seen before, we are going to have to do things we have never done before…It comes down to this observation. When there is a lack of prayer, there will be an absence of power. When there is an abundance of fervent, heartfelt prayer, God’s power will be evident among us. And it will be awesome to see!” (p.39)

If you listened in person or online to Sunday’s sermon, you might remember I asked for prayer…lots of it. It is not just for working on the Revelation sermons (which I specifically asked for) but every day. I rely on your prayers and don’t take them lightly. This past week someone sent me a meme she found on FB that had to do with praying for your pastor. I told her I appreciated the thought and that I definitely needed the prayers.  So…I’ll ask you again to make sure you pray for me each day. And I can promise you the same. Starting January 1, each morning I take the church directory and pray through one of the letters and for each person under that alphabet letter.

Sunday’s sermon, titled “Hear Ye! Hear Ye!” is from Revelation 1:1-8. Please take a moment to read it and pray through it before you come. Thanks. Have a great week and remember you are loved.

Pastor Bill

MIDWEEK MESSAGE #138

Hello and welcome to 2023! WOW that was different.  I know I’m getting old but I don’t remember 2022 happening.  J  Anyway, welcome to Midweek Message #138 and the first one of this new year.

Let me start off by reminding you to pray for our Educator of the Week: Cassie Linville. Cassie is a teacher at Eastern Greene High School. With the start of school after a break, I’m sure she would appreciate your prayers…as would all the teachers.

I have to start out the first MM of 2023 already offering an apology.  On Christmas morning our elementary age children did a skit depicting the Christmas story in Luke 1 & 2. The reader was one of our teenagers, Allison Anderson. But for some reason I called her Addi. Not once. Not twice. But three times!! I’ve known Alli for over 2 years now and I called her by the wrong name. I could rationalize it and say I had been texting with someone earlier that morning who has a daughter named Addi- and that would be true- but that is still no excuse. Alli was a good sport about it as I was teased multiple times and reminded. Thanks Alli for being such a good sport and laughing at an old man’s faux pas. Fortunately that took place in 2022 so I’m still good to go for 2023. But how much you want to bet…?

December is a blur to me. Normally I have a chance to slow down and catch my breath and enjoy the pace and sounds of the season. But this December was so different. It took a bitter cold and somewhat snowy (but not as bad as they predicted) Christmas time to slow things down some (except for the shoveling and thawing that had to be done). Jo, Tami & I had a chance to take off Christmas afternoon to visit our family in Ohio, as well as make a trip to Sandusky to see Jo’s sister in the nursing home.

With this being the first edition of 2023, and since we have so many new people who are attending and receive this MM, I thought I would share some vital information for you to know. Each week Diana puts some of this in the bulletin, but I suspect much of it is missed. So I put it here for you to know or to remember:

For your information: If we are here alone, the door will be locked for security. Please knock or call us and we’ll come to the door! Pastor Bill and Pastor Ryan are available whenever there is a need.  Church office phone number is (812) 828-9840

Diana is here M-F, 8 AM-1PM.  Her email is secretary@ovcf.org

Pastor Bill’s day off is Friday. His email is pastor@ovcf.org

Pastor Ryan’s day off is Tuesday. His email is youthpastor@ovcf.org

You might be wondering why we have not included our personal phone numbers.  This MM goes out to a lot of people-many who are not part of OVCF-through Facebook, the Owen County Chamber and others. We prefer our personal numbers not be published for all to see. If you have a reason to contact us, you may call the church office or the church directory has those numbers.  Thanks for understanding.

I’d like to thank all those who put their time and effort into the skit which took place on Christmas morning. Sadly, it was also supposed to be performed on Christmas Eve but the weather sort of changed that. L But thanks to all those who were involved in making it happen.

Speaking of the weather: Five ladies will be texting or calling you in case of inclement weather (like Christmas Eve). Madi Arnett, Vicki Hogan, Tiffany Kropack, Linda St. John, and JuliAnne Wiegand make those calls or texts. (Thank you ladies!) Diana also posts it on Facebook and sends out a mass email.

Don’t forget that I will be starting my series on Revelation this coming Sunday.

The theme for 2023 is Victory!

The theme for the series on Revelation is The Lamb Wins!!

January 8- Just So You Know- 1:1-3

January 15- Hear Ye! Hear Ye!- 1:1-8

January 22- Feast Your Eyes on Him- 1:9-20

January 29- He Knows-Pt. 1- Chapter 2

February 5- He Knows- Pt. 2- Chapter 3

February 12- God on the Throne- Chapter 4

February 19- The Lion who is a Lamb- 5:1-8

February 26- The Lamb is Worthy!- 5:9-14

Through March and April I plan to take a break from Revelation and focus on the cross, then my plan is to get back to Revelation. You can make a serious difference by doing two things:

1. Please pray for me as I prepare-for my heart and mind to be in tune with the Spirit’s leading.
2. By reading ahead and praying for an expectant heart.

My last words for this week: We often hear people at the beginning of the year setting resolutions. I stopped doing that and began to pray for a heart willing to be yielded to God’s leading, and to be the change we often hear so much about. Instead of expecting everyone else to change, why not start with me? Like everyone, I have my ups and downs, my highs and lows, my victories and defeats. But I also know I have a promise from the Father that He will never leave me or forsake me, no matter how much I mess up. I KNOW 2023 will have challenges. I expect them (but don’t know when). I pray I am prepared for those moments. Join me in being prepared.

Shameless plug coming: Did you know I write a daily devotional blog Monday through Thursday? You can find it at http://livingintheshadow.ovcf.org or by going to the church’s website and clicking on the icon on the left side.

Have a great new year! I’ll start out by saying, “I love you.”

Pastor Bill