Category: OVCF News

MIDWEEK MESSAGE #109

Hello and welcome to Midweek Message #109. Thanks for taking time out of your busy schedule to read this (and I am assuming you are).  J

This past Sunday was such a full day. We played a video put together by one of our young men, college student Travis Floyd, who graduated from OV in 2020. He, like thousands across our country, was unable to have a graduation ceremony due to that word we don’t like to use. So playing all instruments but the clarinet and flute, he put together a video of “Pomp and Circumstance.” Travis has a great future ahead of him in the musical field. We then honored our high school and college graduates. Some were unable to attend due to other commitments, but we had a total of 12 graduates. I think that stands as our highest at one time since I came in 2005. To top it off we asked Logan Cain to come to the front so we could pray for him, his family and several others who are close to him. Logan leaves this coming Sunday for Marine boot camp and we like to pray for any of our young people before they leave.  Be praying for Logan as he heads off to boot camp and then returns to Missouri for specialized training to be an MP. His ultimate goal is to be in law enforcement.  Be praying for all of our high school and college graduates as they head off to school, or in the case of one, his already secured job in sales.  Personally, I pray for them to have the strength to stand against the prevailing culture and to concentrate on their studies, all while keeping Jesus first. After our full morning, we had a full afternoon-our Day of Service. We had only 6 residents needing help but our volunteers really put in a lot of work for them.  We had a total of 19 volunteers, not counting Jo and me. It was hot and sweaty work but no one complained.  J  I deeply appreciate all the help you gave.

Just want to give you a heads up. Father’s Day is coming and it will be similar, but different to our Mother’s Day special program. I will simply say that I have been blown away, but oh so proud, of the men who have stepped forward to say, “Yes, I will take part.” I’ll leave it at that and let you speculate about FD. One word I have to start sharing: there will only be one service that day as well. 10:00. Got that? J  I’m sure you will hear it more as the time draws closer. I just know you are going to enjoy it.

I’d like to ask you for some special prayer. The month of June is going to be a whirlwind, especially for Pastor Ryan. Every summer he gets deeply involved with Hilltop Christian Camp by leading the two Wilderness weeks they have for Jr High and Sr High students. June 5-10 is the Jr High week. He has 29 campers! That is capacity. June 19-24 is the High school week. As of this MM, there are 21 campers signed up to attend. He throws himself into preparing for each week; gives himself totally while there; and comes home “pleasingly exhausted” knowing lives were touched for Jesus in spite of his fatigue. His wife, Hope, is right there with him through all the prep work and during the week overseeing the meals, etc. Several others from OVCF are also helping this year. At the risk/fear of forgetting someone, I will withhold names right now until I know all of them. Pastor Ryan does not do this alone, but I know the amount of time he puts into it. Meanwhile, he has other responsibilities he maintains. So please pray extra for him over the next month or so.

It has been awhile since I said a word of thanks to all the teachers and helpers of our preschool-6^th grade programs on Sunday mornings. Every Sunday morning they take part in a rotation to teach our children age-appropriate lessons. They do a phenomenal job, the fruit of which can be seen in the number of students who are coming. During this past month or two we have had 40-50 children in the youth department! It is a challenging but very rewarding time with the children. Also, a BIG thanks to our nursery and check-in volunteers! The nursery has been bursting at the seams as well.  Every Sunday MJ Ramsay and Kori Wainscott “man” (or is that “woman?”) the check-in desk where parents sign their child in securely. Each week our youth worship team (Emily Wyatt, Gracie and Mollie Wainscott, and Micah Nally) lead them in worship. Each week Jo Grandi and Cara King makes sure lessons are ready for each teacher.  So to all of you who take this responsibility to heart: THANK YOU!

And speaking of the youth worship team: May 29^th is our next 5^th Sunday Family Worship service. The youth, except for the nursery and preschool class, will be in with the adults. The youth worship team will once again be leading our worship that morning. I’m excited! J

I’d like to leave you with something I read this week and then wrote a devotion about on my “Shadow” blog. https://livingintheshadow.ovcf.org/ Monday morning I read Revelation 12. I am slowly working my way through each chapter in Revelation and taking a “de-prophecying” approach to it. I’m not at all trying to interpret the prophecy, but to look for nuggets I can take and learn from. The opening scenario of chapter 12 confused me somewhat, although I pretty much know who the woman, the dragon, the child and the angel are. In fact, that is pretty simple. What stopped me in my tracks was verses 10-11. {Please read them}. It is easy to feel defeated these days. Things we thought were sacred and would never change…have. Things we thought would never happen…do. But rather than be discouraged, this is the time followers of Christ can stand strong! Satan is a defeated enemy. First, by the power of the cross and the resurrection. His days are numbered. Second, he can also be defeated by those of us who follow Christ. Verse 11 says, “They overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death.” That is, of course, speaking of the early martyrs, but it is also speaking to us. Ephesians 6 tells us our “battle is not against flesh and blood,” and then we are given the armor to wear to win the battle.  Don’t give up and don’t give in!! I just wanted to leave you with those words of encouragement this week. No matter what you are facing or will face, you are not alone.

I love you all and look forward to seeing you sometime this week.

Pastor Bill

MIDWEEK MESSAGE #108

Welcome to Midweek Message #108. It’s always good to “chat” with you this way since I can’t see everyone in person all the time. I hope you are having a good week so far.

Mother’s Day 2022 is history. Mother’s Day is not. According to someone close to me (I will withhold her name), every day is Mother’s Day. J  Honestly, I can’t disagree. I think we can all agree with the old adage: “A man’s work is from sun to sun but a mother’s work is never done.” The challenge for us men is to not allow just one day of the year be a special day. Find your lady’s love language and meet it. I do want to say that I thought the Mother’s Day special program went very well. So did some of you since you let me know. Thanks for the kind words you spoke or texted. But I seriously CANNOT take any credit. The ladies involved did a super job and I owe them a huge debt of thanks. Sorry ladies, I can’t take all of you out for a meal. J  So here is my tribute: Thanks to Becca Anderson and Jill Curry (both of whom were unable to be here so they did theirs via video), Tami Grandi, Heather Keith, Stephanie Nally, Erin Pendleton, and Kris Samick. Your willingness to sit in front of the audience was deeply appreciated.  I also owe a debt of thanks to Amy Hamlin, Janet Jones, and Cara King who helped by their suggestions. As I mentioned, I had so many different suggestions I could not have possibly done one sermon on the names submitted.  So the ladies saved my bacon for sure! Again, thanks to all the ladies who took part and to you for showing your support.

That, of course, has led to another issue. What about the men? As I put together the Mother’s Day program, I began to think about Father’s Day next month (June 19^th). Could I get some men to do this? I put it aside because I wasn’t quite sure and really wanted different men to participate. But then…but then…I had a few ladies who said they really enjoyed the Mother’s Day program and wondered if I would do the same for Father’s Day.  *insert face here of Kevin from Home Alone when he puts after shave on his face*  So I made a list of men to contact and this past Monday night began to reach out to 14 men.  We shall see…  I may have a coup on my hands since many of them are stronger than me, and all of them younger than me. J J

ONE MORE TIME!!!

This Sunday, the 15^th, is a big day for OVCF.  Please let me keep you updated ONE MORE TIME  on what is going on this week.

• Graduate Recognition Day. During the 10:45 service we will be honoring our 2022 high school and college graduates. Here is the list of high school graduates in alphabetical order: Kaedence Beckwith (OVHS), Logan Cain (OVHS), Luke Hamlin (Lighthouse Christian Academy), Cayden Paquette (OVHS), Gavin Truesdel (OVHS), Mollie Wainscott (Seven Oaks Classical School), Olivia Wainscott (OVHS), and Zoe Wainscott (OVHS). The list of college graduates is: Robert Herrington (U of I), Eli Markland (IU), Mandy Samick (ISU), and Anthony St. John (Purdue).
• Day of Service. We will be meeting here for a light lunch about 12:15 or so and then heading out to help some older folks in our community who need help with gutters and landscaping. We have only had 5 folks who have responded so it may not take as long as we thought. But nonetheless, we will serve and we will need your help. And as I said in last week’s MM, if you are unable to work but do have time to chat with the folks that would be great! We need some who will do that.
• Logan Cain prayer send off. Logan leaves the 22^nd for Marine boot camp so we will be praying for him. Pastor Ryan will be gone that Sunday so our prayer for Logan has been moved to this Sunday so Ryan can participate.
• Last ROOTS for the summer. That speaks for itself.

The question I asked the men for Father’s Day is the same one I asked the ladies. My question was “Who (woman/man) in the Bible, is a hero to you?” Stephanie Nally brought up a very valid point as she prefaced her talk about Esther when she mentioned what a real hero is.  My take: The real heroes are the men and women of the military who serve our country. The men and women in law enforcement, who lay their lives on the line every day. And I particularly liked what Stephanie said about the Superheroes of comic books and the silver screen. Again my take: They are not real heroes, except in our imagination. Real heroes don’t go into phone booths to change clothes in order to jump tall buildings in a single bound. Real heroes don’t have indestructible shields that return when thrown. Real heroes don’t have flying suits giving them superhuman qualities. Real heroes breathe like you and me. Real heroes don’t say, “Hulk smash!” They struggle with maintaining order in their lives. They struggle with making decisions which can literally change a life.  They struggle with paying bills, going to work, fixing meals, and the list goes on. Make sure you let your “hero” know how much you appreciate them.

And just a short reminder: May 29^th is a 5^th Sunday. The youth will be with us that morning. Nursery and pre-K will meet. The youth worship band will do our worship music that morning.  More complete information will be forthcoming in the next MM.

Thanks again for supporting the Mother’s Day special presentation. I so appreciate the “allowance factor” of being able to do something different from time to time and watching you adjust. I have loved that from Day 1 about OVCF.  Father’s Day is another one. I have already had some men respond with a Yes. One Service. More info later. I love you all.

Pastor Bill

MIDWEEK MESSAGE #107

Hello and welcome to Midweek Message #107.  Thanks for taking the time out of your busy day to read this issue of the MM.

May is going to be a busy month for various reasons. Graduation and grad parties. Family trips to visit relatives. The rather mundane things like cutting grass and the yard work which needs done. (Sorry I had to mention that fact of life). But the biggest event, especially if you ask a certain sector of our population, is Mother’s Day this coming Sunday. Moms see it as a day to honor them with a nice, quiet day of dining out or of a home-cooked meal (Jo opts for dining out since my cooking skills leave much to be desired) J , relaxing and doing whatever they want to do. Oh…is that every day of the week?  I forgot! Just kidding ladies. I know you work hard inside and outside the home.

All that to say, I’d like to remind you about this coming Mother’s Day at OVCF. As I mentioned in last week’s MM, this Sunday will be totally different from what we normally do. I’m not going to reiterate everything for you but here are the highlights:

• One service at 10:00. Please pass the word along to your family and friends.
• It will probably be a bit crowded. The chairs have been moved and other adjustments have been made, but I still suspect it will be “fun,” I mean, crowded.
• The nursery and children’s programs will still meet. I am deeply indebted to the teachers who would love to be in with the adults but view their responsibility of the children with the utmost importance. Thank you, thank you, thank you for doing that!
• Come prepared to be blessed in a totally different way. For one, you won’t have to listen to me preach. (No comment needed). Plus, you will get to hear some really good insights from some ladies.
• And remember, it will be live streamed as it is every week.

I honestly do look forward to seeing you Sunday.

May 15^th is going to be a jam-packed day for sure!  Here is why:

• It is Graduate Recognition Day. We will be honoring our high school and college graduates. We have a total of 13 graduating! Pastor Ryan and Diana do a great job of preparing and planning for this special day and I look forward to being an observer that morning as our graduates are honored.
• We will also be praying for one of our graduates, Logan Cain, who will be heading off to Marine Boot Camp on the 22^nd after the morning worship. Pastor Ryan will be gone that Sunday and I really wanted him to pray for Logan before he left since Logan has been an active part of ROOTS and Pastor Ryan has influenced him in his walk with Christ. We lift up every one of our military personnel and since Logan is heading off to start his career, I can think of no better thing to do than to pray over him.
• That is also our Day of Service. As I have said in previous MMs, I was approached and asked if the church might be willing to help out some of the older folks in our community who are unable to clean their gutters and their flowerbeds. After asking around, the answer was “Yes.” May 15^th was the best day since graduation and summer break is quickly around the corner. The plan is to offer a meal after the 2^nd worship service, pray, then send folks out to help. Our plan is to work from 1:30-3:30. With many hands, we should be able to finish on time and do a great job. Here is a challenge for some of you who are unable to climb ladders or to do yard work: We sure could use some folks-male or female-who would be willing to visit with the folks we are helping. No skill is required…just a willingness to talk/visit with them. Please sign up this week using the sign-up sheet at the info table or by calling the church office. We need to have a head count for the meal and also to see how many we have working.

Whew! That is a lot of stuff in one day! But at the end of the day there will be a feeling of satisfaction of honoring people and helping others who aren’t able to do for themselves.

The past couple of days during my Encounter Time have been eye-opening. I am currently working slowly through…(drumroll please)…Revelation. Say what? Yeah, I know, such an odd thing to do. I have written devotions on my Living in the Shadow blog (https://livingintheshadow.ovcf.org/) about chapters 1 – 3. I focused on each church in chapters 2 & 3. Monday and Tuesday of this week I have been in chapters 4 & 5.  This might sound like self-promotion (and I hope it’s not seen that way) but I’d like to ask you to read the May 2^nd and 3^rd blog. They are both about worship. Pay particular attention to the May 3^rd blog because you will find links to two fantastic worship songs-one we sing and I absolutely love to sing. Better yet, take the time to stop right now and read those two chapters in Revelation, paying particular attention to chapter 5.  It will make your spirit soar. And you will also see why those two songs came into play.

One last thing before I go: I mentioned in last week’s MM about a survey I was putting together and would like your input. It is short and painless (honest). Diana will include a separate link in the email which accompanies this MM. Thanks for taking the time to read and take the short survey (2 questions).

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfb9hFOVTWyp0HBvyGe__eQAqkYubG2x4JuxLuvtyZhwN5xfg/viewform

Have a great rest of the week. Hope to see you Mother’s Day! Love you all.

Pastor Bill

MIDWEEK MESSAGE #106

Hello and welcome to Midweek Message #106. It is so good to be able to communicate with
you in this way! I hope your week is going well.

Let’s talk about Mother’s Day. As I mentioned in last week’s MM, this is in the category of “I
NEED YOUR HELP.” Mother’s Day is only a week and a half away and as we have published in
the bulletin and in last week’s MM some things will be different.

• There will only be one service that day at 10:00. So make appropriate plans to either be
  here early or plan to watch it via live stream. Of course, I’m hoping you will be able to be
  here in person.
• The service will be different that morning. I will not be preaching (no comments needed
  from the peanut gallery).   I have mentioned this in years past that I sometimes feel
  awkward preaching on MD. For years, I stood and preached as though I knew exactly
  what to say and how to make things better, as if I understood women. I got wiser as I
  got older and so there are times I have tried to mix it up a bit. This year I sent a text to
  10-12 women asking them who their hero was among the ladies in the Bible. I then
  thought about using the answers as my preaching points. But after receiving answers
  from all the ladies and seeing how varied they were, I changed my other mind. I thought
  it would be interesting to hear from the ladies themselves. Some declined for various
  reasons. Two are going to be out of town and offered to do a video. A couple said yes
  but there were some who hesitated. When I offered a different approach, they said,
  “Count me in.” So the different approach it is. But…you will have to wait until that
  morning to see what it will be.
• It will be crowded. Of that, I am pretty sure. AND THIS IS WHERE YOUR HELP IS
  NEEDED! I talked to Pastor Ryan and Diana to get their feedback and then asked the
  elders their thoughts about having one service. Some adjustments will be made to
  accommodate more seating but please come prepared for it to be a tad bit crowded.
  Keep telling yourself it will be only for one week. The youth programs and nursery will
  still be active.
• If you are concerned about it being too crowded for your comfort, then I encourage you
  to watch it via live stream. But…I do hope you will come.

Let’s talk about Graduate Recognition Day.

• First, the date is May 15th . We will honor our graduates at the 10:45 service.
• Every year we honor our high school and college graduates and every year the staff
  comes up with a list. We then ask you to make sure your child is included. We are asking
  the same thing this year. We have a ton of graduates this year and want to make sure
  we do not leave anyone out. You can help us out by contacting Pastor Ryan or Diana
  with the name of your son/daughter if they are graduating. WE DON’T WANT TO
  FORGET ANYONE!
• Please make every effort to be here so we can honor your student.

Let’s talk about the Day of Service. In MM #104 I began to highlight the upcoming Day of Service. Here are some particulars for you to know.

First, the date is May 15th . Yeah, that will be a busy day. (That is also the last day of
ROOTS for the summer).
 The plan is to offer a light lunch here after the second service (about 12:30 or so), pray,
then head out to serve from about 1:30 (or sooner) to 3:30.
 We have a sign-up sheet on the information table. Please let us know if you can help so
we can count on you, plus have enough food.
 What will we be doing? We have received a request from the Lewis-Worman
Homeowners Assoc. to help some of their residents with light work like cleaning gutters
and raking flower beds. The Chamber of Commerce is providing all the garbage bags and
gloves and pails to hook onto the ladders. We will need to bring ladders and rakes. Even
if you are unable to help, if you want to provide any of those items just put your name
on it and we will get it back to you.
 If you are unable to do physical work, you can still help!! We would love to have folks
who will chat with the homeowners while we work. Many of them are by themselves
and would love for someone to chat with. Doing that is far more important than you
know.

In next week’s MM you will find a link to do a real short survey (like 2 or 3 questions). It is from
me and I’m seeking your input. Just giving you a heads up on that.
Jo has always told me, “Bill, when you are done, stop talking.” Do you think she knows me? She
is referring to my preaching-encouraging me to not ramble on and repeat myself. So, I am going
to take her advice on this week’s MM. But I won’t leave until I tell you I love you and hope you
have a fantastic rest of the week.

Pastor Bill

MIDWEEK MESSAGE #105

Hello! Welcome to Midweek Message #105! Thanks for “tuning in” to the MM this week. I hope your week is going well.

As I begin to write this it is Monday morning, or what is affectionately called the “day after.” As a young pastor I was always warned about the dangers of the “day after Easter.” Not just the day after, but the week after. There were several factors which came into play in that thought.

• First, the “high” from the Resurrection Day service. It is no secret that the two most attended Sundays are Christmas and Easter, with Easter being the biggest since it is always on Sunday. It used to be Easter was the highlight of the “fashion” Sundays. It seemed like every woman or young female broke out an Easter dress and every man and young male broke out a suit and tie. It used to be I always wore a tie so that was nothing new to me. But the biggest “high” comes from the attendance. Churches all across the nation see a major spike in their attendance, more often doubling or tripling the norm. Every pastor knows the next Sunday will bring a significant drop in that area. Me? I realize it is what it is and just relish getting to see so many people at one time. (I just wish I could remember everyone’s name I met yesterday). J
• Second, the “back to the grind” which comes on Monday. After a weekend of remembering the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus, reality hits when we turn the alarm clock off.
• Third, exhaustion. So much is put into getting ready for the Resurrection Day service that exhaustion is often the result. That explains why so many pastors take off Monday and sometimes even Tuesday…to recover! In our case, all the logistics of making sure we haven’t forgotten anything to take to Abram Farm, plus the extra work required just finally catches up to us. This just might be the first Sunday in my 47+ years of ministry that I changed my Easter sermon at the last minute. I did a major rewrite on Saturday and so that weighed on me as well.
• Fourth, wanting everything to go well. It is always a challenge to have our service “away from home.”  The set up. The venue. The effort people put in. The different presentation. The audience. So many factors.

But here is what I want to say to all of that. Even though I was exhausted Sunday afternoon, I would do it all again in a heartbeat.  So many people showed up early to help set up we were actually done in 30-40 minutes. Zach Hogan provided his sound system and some members of the worship team helped him set up so that went much quicker than anticipated. We had people volunteer to help in various capacities, like making sure people had bulletins/music sheets and the pre-filled communion elements. Some were unofficial greeters. I saw so many people just walking around and welcoming others. Pastor Ryan ran the soundboard that Zach gave him a crash course on. Joe Pavich ran the live stream. The worship team sounded good. Tiffany Kropack offered to do family pictures (even though it was freezing cold outside).  And so many of you helped in the cleanup and by taking a moment to carry your chair to where they could be put away. The only glitch was the guy who was to speak, who choked on his communion, burned this throat with the juice, and then sounded hoarse the whole time. Oh yeah…that would be me. J  Yikes! A HUGE THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO HELPED BEFORE, DURING AND AFTER THE SERVICE. It went well thanks to you and God’s blessing.

Let’s switch gears now for another “I NEED YOUR HELP” plea. Mother’s Day (MD) is right around the corner- 3 Sundays to be exact. Occasionally in the past I have asked different women in the church to participate on MD. This one will be even more different. I sent out a text to 10 women who had not participated before with a question: “What woman in the Bible would be your hero?” Every one of them responded, some with two or more different names. I then asked them if they would be willing to present “why they chose that person” to the church on MD. Most of them agreed with 2 saying they would be gone and would be willing to do a video. My plan is to present the morning as an informal panel-type sit-in-a-chair time which will allow the women to relax and to feel as though they are not up there alone. After speaking with the staff and elders, it was agreed upon to have just one service that morning. That service will be at 10:00. Here is where your help is needed. I suspect with it being MD it will be a bit crowded.  Please come prepared for that. Keep in mind that families will be coming and will want to sit together so if you can leave seats for families or could possibly move over a chair or two, please take the initiative to do so. We will still have our children’s programs as we normally do. And remember: it will be crowded but it will only be for one week. If you are concerned about it, please keep in mind you can watch the live stream. Thanks ahead of time for your help.

I mentioned in last week’s MM about the opportunity to help some elderly residents who are unable to do some physical work needed around their homes. That date is May 15^th. The church will provide a light lunch and then we will plan to go to work from 1:30-3:30. Sign-up sheets will be on the info table for you to indicate your help. If you can’t do physical work, we have a need for those who like to talk. J  I’ll give more details in next week’s MM.

I want to close by saying, thanks again for making our Resurrection Day celebration at Abram Farm so special.  If you happen to know or see Bill and Suzie Abram around town, would you please tell them, “Thanks.” And if you are so inclined, please drop them a note of thanks. They have been very gracious to us in letting us use the venue.

One more thing (famous preacher line): I failed to mention that the size of the Abram Farm venue is just shy of what we are hoping to see as a reality for us in the near future.

Have a great rest of the week. I love you all and look forward to seeing you as we wrap up the series on Truth Decay by talking about “Eternity is Still Eternity.”

Pastor Bill