Category: OVCF News

MIDWEEK MESSAGE #82

Hello and welcome to Midweek Message #82.  Given the spirit of the month, I want to thank you for inviting me into your life, (or is that your inbox?). 

November and December seem to be busy months for everyone and that includes the church. While we don’t have the typical Thanksgiving and Christmas pageants and events, we seem to find ourselves really busy and occupied with various events.  I thought I would highlight a few of them for you. 

But first, something of extreme importance.  As we have announced, the offering for our 17th anniversary was split evenly between missions and the building fund, except where otherwise designated.  Now that all the figures are in, I am happy to say that we were able to deposit $3000 into our building fund and $3000 divided up between 8 missions. That equals $375/mission. My math has always been suspect and if you were here Sunday or listened online, you heard me give the figure of $350. Yeah…when God was handing out “pre-birth gifts” math was left off my list. ☺  Anyway, here are the 8 missions who were blessed by your generosity:

• Hilltop Christian Camp
• The Britt, Cook & Furr families from Chi-Alpha (IU campus ministry)
• Campus Life/Youth for Christ 
• New Beginnings Pregnancy Resource Center
• Revive Liberia
• WRE (Weekly Religious Education) for our elementary schools 

Thank you for your generosity in making this all possible. 

Okay…now to the “stuff” that is happening. This will give you an up-to-date as well as a future in-the-know outlook:

1. Operation Christmas Child is in full swing. Pastor Ryan, Diana and I were so excited to see all the boxes gone and many of the unassembled ones picked up. The deadline for bringing the boxes to OVCF is 11/14. On Monday, 11/15, we plan on delivering them to Sherwood Oaks church in Bloomington. Because of many of you, children around the world will not just receive some gifts, they will also hear about Jesus in their own language. I see that as a win/win. 
2. Thanksgiving Day we will be offering a FREE Thanksgiving meal to our community from 11-1:00. As in the past we will use the Lions Club as our base of operation and will offer meals three ways: in person; delivery; and (newly added) curbside pickup. This meal is free to anyone who requests it or comes in person. If you know of someone who would love a home-cooked meal for Thanksgiving, please call or have them call the church office (812.828.9840) no later than November 22nd.  We are in need of volunteers who will fix certain dishes, as well as help in other areas. The sign-up sheets for those are on the table in the back of the church auditorium. OVCF is providing turkeys and hams this year, along with the pans to bring them (and side dishes) in. Want to help cook one? Please contact the church office and we will make sure to get those to you. If you have any questions please contact Jeanna Srinivasan (812.821.7776/ daisymay85@gmail.com) or her mom, Marcia Morris (812.821.7786/ logcabincook.@gmail.com). 
3. The Giving Tree. Last year the pandemic changed our plans (as well as thousands of others) and we donated some money to Tri Kappa for their Christmas Shopping for kids effort. This year we are reinstating The Giving Tree because we want to help local children receive Christmas gifts (and many of you asked about it).  Diana is in charge of this (and it is close to her heart) so after this Sunday’s announcement, I will offer more information here next week. Stay tuned!! 
4. One last one (honest). Every year we’ve offered a Christmas breakfast for the community from 7-9 at the Lions Club. After staff meeting Monday, it was requested that we reinstate it this year. But here is the deal: there is no one to coordinate it. We need someone who will step up before the end of November to say, “I will coordinate it” for that breakfast to happen. If you would like to do so, please contact me. 

We have tried not to burn you out with program after program during the months of September through December, but these have been favorites down through the years so we want to offer them again since our community needs this help. They work because of you!! 

I read an article last week by Rebecca McLaughlin that I thought was super-insightful and very, very helpful. It is easy to get into our own worlds on Sunday morning, leaving others out, especially new people. Here is the beginning of the article:

“Sorry to cut you off!” I’d just started connecting with a close friend at church. I was eager to catch up. But as she talked, I noticed a woman sitting alone, thumbing through her service sheet. 

Honestly, I wished I hadn’t seen her. Interrupting my friend would be rude. It’s good for me to invest in friends! Someone else will likely spot that woman. These were some of the excuses that ran through my head. But the woman was clearly new, and for all I knew, not a believer. So, reluctantly, I interrupted my friend. 

As soon as I sat down with the newcomer, I thanked God I had. Raised Catholic, she hadn’t been to church in over a decade. Her fiancé had just broken up with her right before their wedding, and she needed something else in life. I took a risk and asked if she’d like to come to our community group. She said yes. She’s been coming to church and Bible study ever since.   If you would like to read the rest of Rebecca’s article, just click on this link (https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/make-sunday-mornings-uncomfortable) and it will take you there. We have all been there. Let’s change how we act when we see a visitor or someone we don’t know.   I love you all. 

Pastor Bill 

MIDWEEK MESSAGE #81

Hello and welcome to Midweek Message #81. I thank you for taking the time to read this and hope you are having a great week.

Last week I gave a round-up of our 17^th anniversary celebration. One of the steps we have taken over the past several years has been giving away our Easter offerings to missions and our anniversary offerings to the Building Fund (except for the pandemic-influenced celebration in which we gave it all to missions). This year it was decided to split the offering: 50% to missions and 50% to the building fund, unless it was otherwise designated. Now that all the figures are in the elders took the step of adding a bit from our general fund to make it an even $3000 for both.  The mission offering was divided up equally with the 8 missions we support. My handy-dandy calculator tells me that each mission will receive $375 and our building fund will now be $157,151.08. Thanks to all of you for your generosity which made this possible.  J

Every year we have participated in Operation Christmas Child. This year is no different. Diana announced Sunday that the boxes to pack and the information for packing them is on one of the   tables at the back of the auditorium. The due date is November 14^th and since we are not a collection site this year, we will deliver your boxes to Sherwood Oaks.

In 2008 we started offering a Thanksgiving meal to the community.  We have had an in-person meal as well as offered delivery. Last year we had to cancel because of some virus. J  But thanks to two ladies-Jeanna Srinivasan and her mom, Marcia Morris- we will be offering the meal again. It will be Thanksgiving Day from 11-1:00 at the Lion’s Club (LC). We are also adding a new feature this year: curbside pickup. So someone can come to LC for a meal; we can deliver it; or they can pick it up. Our advertising is somewhat limited due to the lack of a paper so we will need your help. Flyers will be distributed wherever we can, but we can really use your word-of-mouth help to get the word out. Calling in advance will be necessary for delivery and curbside pickup options so tell the folks you know who would like a warm meal to call the church office (812.828.9840) to make a request by November 22.  And we could use your help in food prep. OVCF is purchasing the turkeys and hams this year, but we do need those who will volunteer to prepare them. We will also be providing you with a pan/lid to put the sliced meat in so you can bring it to the LC.  There are other ways to help. The sign-up sheets are on the back table or you can call the church office.  I don’t think I need to tell you how much this is needed in our community this year. It only takes a small amount of time to help in some way. You will be glad you did.

I have several prayers requests for you to remember:

1. Gary Cunningham, Becky’s husband, received a liver transplant on 10/17. Pray for his health and his body’s continued acceptance of his new liver. Becky says he is weak but doing well!
2. The Laws family (my friends from Ohio) have been in our prayers due to Mike’s donation of his kidney to his son, Ryan. Mike had COVID recently and despite all efforts to isolate, I found out Sunday night that Ryan has tested positive. Please pray for them.
3. Darrin and Anitra Line are expecting their first child-a son-on May 2^nd. I told Anitra we would pray for her/them. Speaking of pregnancies: please be praying for the Chambers’ and the Hutchison’s as they await their new babies.
4. Caleb Hutchison is in week #4 of his DNR training. This has always been his dream so please remember to pray for him (and his family back home).
5. Chris Wainscott remains in a rehab hospital in Greenwood from diabetes complications. He is a long way from home so please pray for him and his family.
6. Jim Markland has a co-worker whose husband had major surgery on Tuesday. She has asked for us to pray.
7. Jo and I ask that you continue to remember Tami as she recuperates from her heart attack. You might throw in a prayer for us as well.
8. We have recently had several lose loved ones. It is always a heart-wrenching time for them.
9. Are you remembering to pray for our law enforcement officers and military personnel on a daily basis?

Any church prayer list can seem endless. It is also dangerous since someone can feel left out. I would be glad to include you or your family to this list and my plan is to make this a weekly addition to my MM. And it will, of course, be as discreet as you want it.

Did you know your elders, along with Steve Pendleton, met this past Friday night for 2 ½ hours and the same amount of time on Saturday morning to indulge me?  Actually, I had read a book called A Church Called TOV several months ago. (Tov is the Hebrew word for good.) I wrote a study about it and asked to present it to them. I hope to present it to small groups of people soon. If you are interested in knowing more please let me know.  Or if you see me lurking in your vicinity you may want to hide! I may be wanting to ask you to be a part of it. J

I want to close this edition of the MM by giving my “hats off” to two people who have been going above and beyond lately. I hope you or they never tire of hearing how much I appreciate them: Pastor Ryan and Diana. Hardly any of you know what goes on all week long since it is not expected of you. You see the finished product on Sunday or Wednesday. But we make a great team and I give a large part of the credit to those two. Pastor Ryan tirelessly loves our kids and I found out at the celebration pitch-in how one family feels about him. Diana’s pay says she works from 8-1:00 each day, but I can attest to the fact that many days it goes far beyond that. BTW: check out the building display this Sunday she has put together. You’ll like it! You saw the camaraderie we have this past Sunday as we joked about my flub about Thanksgiving/ Christmas. Our respect and love for each other is mutual. I’m glad God brought us together.  I am not ashamed to say I love them both (and their families). J I know you do as well.

**Don’t forget! This Sunday is a 5^th Sunday so the elementary kids will be with us for morning worship!  Nursery and pre-school will meet as usual.**

It is time to close. I hope there is no doubt in your mind how much I love you.

Pastor Bill

MIDWEEK MESSAGE 80

Hello and welcome to Midweek Message #80.  Thanks ahead of time for letting me “bend your ear” for a few minutes. 

Where do I start?  I have so many things running through my mind about Sunday’s 17th so I guess I’ll just start and see where I land:

• The 17th anniversary celebration was a success. You all adjusted so well to the different conditions.  Some of you came ready for the coolness of the morning but some of you headed for the comfort of the sun. Little did I realize the picnic tables would be much more popular than I thought they would be. I should have known since they were in the direct sunlight.  ☺
• It was heart-warming to see so many of you visiting and laughing together. That is, perhaps, the #1 complaint about having two services. 
• In spite of the different conditions, I thought the spirit was good and I heard from one source that you were really singing.  From where I stood, I was only able to hear myself and trust me when I say that it was not very good!  ☺
• The turnout for the pitch-in was phenomenal. After only having 40-50 people sign up I only set up tables and chairs for about 60. I was wondering when Pastor Ryan and Chris Brown set up a couple more tables if that was going to be necessary. I’d say that and more were needed!  It was exciting to see so many people stay afterwards to eat, laugh, and enjoy being together. 
• I was really stoked when Pastor Ryan set up a volleyball net and when I went outside there were at least 20-30 people involved in playing. It started out as just hitting the ball, then the young people started feeling their oats and wanted to play the adults.  6 adults vs about 100 kids. The adults won!  ‘Course there is a rumor I may be a bit prejudiced but that would be untrue. 
• Even though it was difficult to see the possible future building plans while we were outside, many of you had a chance to see them as they scrolled on the screen during our meal.  I hope you were excited to see what the possibilities are. 
• Your generosity still astounds me. I will include details about offering next week. ☺

During my sermon I said that those I have talked to really could not pinpoint the exact first day of OVCF so that explains why we have jumped around to different Sundays in October. While we were eating, Terrie MacMorran informed me that…get this…October 17, 2004 was the exact date for the first meeting of OVCF. Is that cool or what?  ☺

Here is the part I look forward to, but could also get me in trouble: the thank you part. I know it is dangerous and I wrote a bunch of names down as things happened. Please forgive me if I leave you out. It is not on purpose, but there are some folks who need a virtual high five. 

• Zach Hogan for donating the use of his stage and sound equipment.  What a tremendous act of generosity it was! Brad Brinson and Dick Hogan came to help put the stage together on Saturday morning. 
• Joe Pavich for going above and beyond in making the live stream a possibility. He spent hours here on Saturday, came back early Sunday, left to get his 3 children, and then return to run the live stream for us.  He had help on Saturday: his daughter, Charlotte, was a big help to him.  (And she liked my offer of peanut butter-filled pretzels…which dad okayed). 
• Daniel Hamlin not only made the two ends for the cable, he made a special trip in from his home near Jordan Village on Saturday to get it to Joe. 
• Pastor Ryan did a lot of ordering and helping Joe until he was no longer available because of a wedding. 
• Diana did a lot of extra work getting all the print materials ready, as well as ordering things which were needed. 
• My wife, Jo, was looking forward to having the Sunday off from Power Point but changed her plans to type up and do the Power Point for the songs. 
• Wayne Akerson worked on making the presentation for the Building Team. 
• The Worship Team-Dick and Vicki Hogan, Pastor Ryan, Jim & Diana Markland, Tiffany St. John, Cara King (who showed her multi-tasking ability by not only singing, but helping hold music for Heather so we weren’t singing “The music my friend is blowing in the wind”), and Heather Keith.  Each week a different worship team steps up and leads us. They always garner my thanks. 
• The nursery, check-in and children’s program volunteers who graciously taught our kids. 
• To all of you who helped afterwards I cannot say thanks enough. You helped make a long process very short. 
• And, once again, all of you for making the celebration a special day. 

After a celebration of God’s goodness and faithfulness to us as a church, it is important to keep in mind what our mission is and why, I believe, God has blessed us. There are two events coming which are really important. 

1. Operation Christmas Child is about to launch. As soon as Diana has the material from Samaritan’s Purse she will make it available. This is just a friendly reminder that OCC is fast approaching. 
2. We will be providing a meal for the community on Thanksgiving Day, November 25th from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the Lions Club. Specific details will be coming. 

I see my space is up for this week. Before I go, I’d like to ask you to read two passages which I read yesterday morning: Psalm 113:1-4 and 115:1. Our whole purpose is not to garner praise for ourselves. In fact, we make a pretty small package when you get right down to it. We are, instead, supposed to deflect the praise from ourselves to God, the only One worthy of that praise. Someone might say, “Well, Pastor Bill, you did an awful lot of praising others in this MM.” That is true because I do believe people need thanked for doing good things. But ultimately, the praise goes to God for providing for us in such a good way. 

Thanks again for everything. I am honored to serve as your pastor. 

Pastor Bill

MIDWEEK MESSAGE 79

Hello and welcome to Midweek Message #79.  Fall Break is over for most schools and “back to the old grind” is the moniker.  Many of you took off for a well-deserved time away. I hope you were able to get some sanity back.

Some of you are old enough remember records. Vinyl albums. After being sent into oblivion with the onset of 8-track tapes (well…we can bypass those monstrosities); cassette tapes; CDs; and now digital music, they are making a comeback. There was a saying used during the time of records: “you sound like a broken record.” I know exactly what they meant. I had records that got scratched and the needles would just repeat that word over and over.  I will warn you ahead of time that I will sound like a broken record by the time I am done because I want to talk about the 17^th Anniversary of OVCF coming up this Sunday. At the risk of shutting you down as you read this, please let me give the details to you one more time (with some additional information).  Drum roll please:

• OVCF’s 17^th anniversary is this Sunday, October 17^th at 10:00 a.m.
• When you drive onto the property you will see the tent at the east side of the parking lot by the shelter.
• Some chairs will be set up in shelter. We will have others available for you to use but encourage you to bring your own since it will be more comfortable.
• Joe Pavich and Pastor Ryan are working hard to have the live stream working that morning. We also hope to have the projector working as well.
• Following the sermon and communion, Wayne Akerson, one of the elders and a member of the Building Team will give an update on the new building progress.
• The offering that day will be divided evenly between the Building Fund and Missions (unless designated).
• The nursery and children’s programs will be happening as usual.
• Immediately following Wayne’s presentation, we will meet in the church auditorium for a pitch-in. It is not too late to sign up for the pitch-in. Please call the church office and let Diana know if and how many will be coming. We need to let the Chambers’ know how many to cook chicken for.

WE STILL NEED YOUR HELP!

We do have some “loose ends” to tie up that you can help us with.

• The tent will be here on Friday so Saturday morning at 9:00 we need your help setting up the stage (Zach Hogan is graciously providing his stage for us).
• At the same time, we need some folks who will help move the picnic tables out and carry chairs to the shelter (but not set them up).
• We need others who will help set up tables and chairs in the church auditorium for the pitch-in. We will possibly need help after the worship service to move tables and chairs after they are used for the children’s programs that morning.
• We will need help at 7:30 Sunday morning to move sound equipment and set up chairs in the shelter.

Most of all, bring an open heart to worship and to express gratitude to God for His marvelous work in and through OVCF these past 17 years.  I can’t wait to share this Sunday with you!

I’d like to share the following thought with you today. Maybe someone needs it:

Bone-tired. Weary beyond belief. Asleep on his feet. Those are just some of the phrases we might use to describe how we feel. I’ve been there. So tired I can barely think. So weary it is an effort to pick my feet up and put one foot down in front of another.

I’ve been there spiritually as well. The battles have been intense. The days long, the nights short. The arm wielding the sword hanging by my side. The helmet askew; the head bowed in weariness, and yes, even defeat. The armor stripped off because I am just too wiped out to wear it. The shoes too heavy for my feet.

But from out of nowhere comes a second wind. As Petra sang it so many years ago: “I got my second wind/The Spirit is moving again.” Isaiah 40:28-31 has just happened!

Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth Does not become weary or tired. His understanding is unsearchable. He gives strength to the weary, And to the one who lacks might He increases power. Though youths grow weary and tired, and vigorous young men stumble badly, Yet those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary.”  (NASB2020)

The end of myself became the beginning of Him.  The end of my strength became the beginning of His.

Physical. Mental. Spiritual. Weariness touches us all.  But so does the energy of the Spirit. I find myself rejuvenated.

Physically- the weariness gives way to intentional movement.

Mentally- a clarity comes that assesses situations and knows how to act.

Spiritually- The “light goes on” and a fresh wind blows through.

God’s Word is once again true: “Those who wait on the Lord will renew their strength.”

Have a great rest of the week. See you Sunday! I love you all.

Pastor Bill

MIDWEEK MESSAGE 78

Hello and welcome to Midweek Message 78. As I say each week thanks for letting me into your corner of the world. I don’t ever want to take that privilege for granted. So, again, thanks. 

I will admit right up front that some of this will sound a lot like last week. Like rinse and repeat. And no, I didn’t just copy and paste. 🙂  I am so excited about OVCF’s 17th anniversary so I thought I would let you know what we know so far. I shared this with the elders this past Monday night so they are up to date on it as well. Ready? Here we go:

• OVCF will celebrate our 17th anniversary on October 17th. 
• We will have one service at 10:00 AM. 
• It will be outside with a 40×40 tent erected as close to the shelter as they can get it. That will almost effectively double the space available. 
• Zach Hogan is graciously providing the stage and sound equipment for us. The stage will be set up on the inside, south side of the shelter.  (Read on for more on that). 
• Joe Pavich and Ryan East are getting their heads together on Monday, the 11th, to work out the live stream end of things. It will take some extra work, but we feel it is necessary to continue the live stream that morning. 
• Wayne Akerson, one of our elders and a member of the Building Team, will be giving you an update with some tentative scenarios of our proposed addition.  Please trust me when I say it will be exciting! 
• The offering that morning will be divided equally between the Building Fund and Missions (unless designated otherwise). 
• The Nursery and Children’s programs will be as usual. 
• Immediately following Wayne’s presentation, we will be making our way into the building to have our pitch-in dinner. OVCF is providing the chicken from Chambers restaurant. 

HOW YOU CAN HELP!

There are several different ways you can help, no matter your ability:

1. We need people who will volunteer to help set the stage up on Saturday and move the picnic tables out of the shelter. If you are able to help, please see Dick Hogan or give him a call (812.585.2524).
2. We need folks who will help set up tables and chairs inside on Saturday so they are ready to use Sunday afternoon for the pitch-in.  If interested reach out to me and I’ll let you know the time. 
3. We need folks who will come Sunday morning at 7:30 to help move and set up chairs and unload equipment (remember those days at Abram Farm?). 
4. Remember to bring your own chair if you prefer to sit in that. You may find them more comfortable since some of the seating will be ground seating under the tent. (The white chairs will sink)
5. Sign up for the pitch-in so we have an idea of how much chicken to order. 
6. Most of all: bring an open heart to worship and one filled with joy for God’s goodness, grace and blessings He has shown us.  Oh yeah. You might also pray for good weather. 🙂 

Among all the excitement there is also reality. We have many in our community, in our church fellowship, and friends of ours who are hurting. Let’s not forget them. I know it seems unfair that I would mention one over another but I’ve got a burden for some friends. Many of you had a chance to meet Mike, Trisha, and Ryan Laws in August. Ryan received a kidney transplant from his dad. All was going well until the past couple of weeks. I mentioned Sunday that Ryan’s blood count was dangerously low. Monday night I was texting with Mike and received the following: “Tests results revealed that his counts have dropped even lower…to dangerously low levels. Doctor ordered Ryan to stay home all week. No school or soccer to avoid larger crowds and prevent from contracting anything since his body can’t fight it off. Starts shots tomorrow. Will receive for three consecutive days. The shots should help boost the counts to get them in a safer range. Thank you for keeping Ryan in prayer.”  A few texts later Mike said, “We are praying this is just a bump in the road. God has done mighty work these past 20 months, we are trusting that He will continue to provide. I will keep you updated.”  I’m guessing I don’t need to ask you to pray for them. 

And while I’m on that subject: I want to remind you that your elders (Wayne Akerson, Jeff Carlson, David Robertson), as well as Ryan and I, pray for you each month. We started doing that during the pandemic and haven’t stopped. We hope you know how much we love you and care about you. 

Let me leave you with something “meaty” this week. Tuesday morning (1:00 a.m.) I was unable to sleep because of some discomfort (my encounter with the car which bruised my hand) and as I sat in my recliner with some ice on my hand, a word came to mind: “Blessed.”  I hear that word a lot. A fellow blogger always ends her comments with “Blessings.” Our sheriff always answers, “I’m blessed” if you ask him how he is doing. Diana has a t-shirt which says, “Blessed and highly caffeinated.” 🙂 Jesus used the word 9 times in Matthew 5 (Beatitudes).  The man who hit me said when he left, “God bless you.”  

I wish I had had the wherewithal to say, “He has. He does. He will.” I thought of that a few miles down the road. The truth is: in spite of the pain in life; in spite of the stumbles and falls; in spite of the missteps; in spite of the times of loneliness and feeling of hopelessness and abandonment which sometimes invades our space, we are blessed. 

I know I am. In many ways. One of which is to serve as your pastor. Thanks for allowing me to do that.  Love you all.

Pastor Bill 

MIDWEEK MESSAGE #77

 

Hello and welcome to Midweek Message #77.  I hope you are having a great week and enjoying the absolutely gorgeous weather we have been having. Thanks for taking a few minutes to read this. 

 

17 ON THE 17TH

 

OVCF is celebrating her 17th anniversary on the 17th of October.  Below is probably the most comprehensive gathering of information in one place. 

 

First off…GREAT NEWS! I announced Sunday that we found a tent. Trust me when I say it was no small task. First, let me answer the obvious question: why a tent, especially when we have a perfectly fine building? To be honest, there was a desire of the staff and many others that we find some way, somehow, to be together as one body that morning. Many will be okay with having two services normally, but there was a real strong desire to have just one that morning. It has been so long since that has happened and we wanted it to be this particular Sunday. Some may be asking why we didn’t go to Abram Farm like we have in the past. Two words: weddings and logistics. October is a full month with weddings at all times of the month, so we chose not to even consider that. Plus, the logistics of getting all our equipment there, having someone do sound, setting up and tearing down just seems so daunting. So with those two factors combined, we decided to celebrate here. However, putting everyone in the current space was going to be really uncomfortable in so many ways. That is when we came up with the idea of having a tent and an outside service. What we didn’t know was how hard it would be to find a tent!! Ryan tried for several days and kept waiting for one organization to call him back. When they finally did (it was a No), he had to bow out because of other commitments. So I started calling around. I kid you not that I called all over the state of Indiana. Indy. Greenwood. Clarksville. Evansville. Terre Haute. The answer was a No each time. We were looking for a 40×60 or larger tent. None were available. We ran into Homecomings. Covered Bridge. Weddings. You name it. Finally, I found one who could rent us a 40×40 from Shelbyville! And yes, you read that right. Smaller tent and Shelbyville. But it was an answer to our prayers so I made the arrangements and Diana worked on the details of the contract.  There are several more incidentals to work out on our end-like where to put the tent which would best suit us; where to put the stage which is being provided; recording it for live stream, etc. BUT WE GOT A TENT!  🙂  Praise the Lord for that. 

 

WOW! That was one long paragraph!!

 

Second, feel free to bring a chair. If you have a camp chair or some chair you are comfortable sitting in (no recliners please…LOL) please plan to bring it. If the weather is agreeable, some of you might even choose to sit outside the tent. The least amount of chairs we have to carry out the better. Plus, they might sink into the ground. 

 

Third, prepare for a pitch-in following the service.  It has been a long time since we had a “full-on” pitch-in. Depending on the weather, we will set up tables inside and under the tent. There is a sign-up sheet on the back table for you let us know what you plan to bring. Chicken will be provided by the church. Chamber’s Restaurant will be making the chicken so we need an estimate of how many to expect. This will be a great time to catch up with people. 

 

Fourth, the Building Team, represented by Wayne Akerson, will be making a presentation of a future building. We want to keep you informed as to what we are thinking and our progress.  We also plan to put it on a “continuous loop” in the auditorium so you can get a visual picture of our thoughts for the future. 

 

Fifth, there will be a fully staffed nursery and children’s programs that morning as well.  

 

Sixth, for those who may not know, our practice has been to take our Easter offering and give it to Missions (unless designated) and our Celebration offering toward the Building Fund. Due to the pandemic, we gave the last 3 offerings to Missions (and God has blessed us immeasurably). The elders have decided to split the 17th anniversary offering equally to Missions and the Building Fund.  As I write this, we have close to $152k in the Building Fund. That speaks volumes about how many of you want a building where we can gather together in one service.  But we plan to build debt-free so every bit helps. 

 

Sixth, invite your family, friends and neighbors to join us. Cards are available at the back table for you to use to pass around. 

 

I’m excited about this special day. One sidelight: my sermon will be “Let Me Remind You” from Mark 14:1-31.  I can already anticipate a long but very satisfying day. I am sure you will want to join us!! 

 

Something other than our 17th Anniversary: I am really appreciative of the Worship Team (WT) stepping up this past Sunday and giving Dick & Vicki Hogan the opportunity to be away. (Besides, Dick also had hand surgery). Many thanks to Zach Hogan who stood in as a replacement for his dad. The rest of the WT also did a phenomenal job leading us in worship. As I say that, I want all who are on the Worship Team from week to week to know that I deeply appreciate your hearts and willingness to lead us into worship. Many Sundays I stop singing to just listen, and I get goose bumps sometimes listening to their voices and yours as praise is lifted to God. Thanks to the WT and to you for your singing. 

 

And I better sign off since I have been long-winded this week. I love you.

 

Pastor Bill