Category: OVCF News

MIDWEEK MESSAGE #259

Hello, everyone and welcome to Midweek Message #259. I already anticipate a jam-packed edition with so many things going on, but before I get to that I want to say thanks for taking the time to read this (I KNOW you do!). 😊

Jo and I had a nice visit with our daughter in Ohio last week. Janna’s birthday is this coming Saturday but we knew last week was the only time we were going to be able to celebrate with her. Thanks for praying for our safe travel.

Our school-related prayer this week is for Kris Samick. Kris and her husband, David have three grown children and a grandson they adore. Kris has been the Director of Communications for S-OCS for the past couple of years but has taken on an additional new role: Interim Principal at Patricksburg Elementary School. Pray for wisdom and stamina and God’s strength as she takes on this double role.

Don’t forget tonight is our church pitch-in. For this one month we changed the date of the pitch-in. It will start at 6:00 and I look forward to seeing all of you there. Our last pitch-in had 70 people. I’m looking for even more this week! 😊

YOUTH NEWS:

• • • Several of our young athletes competed in the cross country invitational in Terre Haute this past weekend. The heat and humidity took its toll on several of the runners-not just on ours. I’m glad none of it was life-threatening. Congrats, to Alli Anderson for a personal best at this meet.
    • Did you know some of our young people are involved in Upwards soccer? Devotions are at 10:00. Practice is from 10:15-10:45 and then games are from 10:45-11:15. We have 6 young people participating this year: Hudsyn Biggs, Alexander and Isabella Chambers, Conrad Keene, Jordan Mangia and Barrett Zigler. Upwards is sponsored by the Spencer Nazarene Church and is a good program for the young people to learn sportsmanship and teamwork in a very casual environment. The dates left, if you would like to watch them play, are August 23, September 6, 20, and 27. The  field is the future home of SNC just past the intersection of 46/43 on your left. There is no cost.
    • ROOTS Kickoff is this Sunday from 5-7:00. All Middle School/High School students are invited to join in the fun! Pastor Ryan has Fall Youth Schedules/calendars available for you to get in on the fun and study!
    • PLEASE REMEMBER THAT SUNDAY, AUGUST 31ST IS 5TH SUNDAY FAMILY WORSHIP! Our elementary students will join us for worship and the nursery and pre-school classes will meet at 10:45 as they normally do. The second service worship time will be led by the kids’ worship team.

Ladies, there is something coming your way! The Fall Ladies Bible Study, Now and Not Yet by Ruth Chou Simons will be Monday evenings, 5:30-7:30 from September 15-October 27. To make it even more inviting there will be a themed pitch-in each week. Please sign up by September 7th so books can be ordered. The cost of the book is $15. If you have any questions please see Macy Carlson or Hope East.

Do you consider yourself a Young Adult? Yeah…I know. Some of us want to be that age again or at least feel like it. But I’m talking recent HS graduates-25 year olds. Sorry. Everyone else is an “oldie”. 😊 The Young Adult Group (YAG) will begin meeting weekly on 9/14 at the East’s home. Contact Pastor Ryan (youthpastor@ovcf.org/812.585.0545) if you have any questions.

What do you believe? What kind of church is OVCF? Are you (Pastor Bill) the boss of OVCF, i.e. do you make all the decisions about the church? (Hint: NO!!!!). What motivates the decisions OVCF makes about its present and future? If you have ever wondered about questions like these and others, now is your chance to find answers!

• • • I’m offering An Introduction to OVCF on Sunday, September 7th, following the second service.
       Lunch of sandwiches and snacks will be provided.
    • Two of our teens have offered to provide daycare, if you need it. I just need to know.
    • What to expect? An informal, small group setting that will last about 1- 1 1⁄2 hours. No lecture. Definitely no preaching! 😊
    • There is a sign-up sheet at the info table if you are interested. I’m limiting the number to 12 since I want to maintain that small group feel and also because I plan to offer this about once/quarter.
    • If you have any questions, please feel to contact me.

It hardly seems possible that we are into the middle of August already. Things sure have been ramping up in the “things to be involved in” category. Forgive me but I’m going to throw a few other items onto your plate so you can begin to think about them.

• • • For the “I can’t wait to see” department. If all goes as planned, we should begin seeing the shell of our new addition sometime in the middle of September.
    • For the “If-that-is-true-about-the-addition” department, we could conceivably celebrate our 21st church anniversary in the new facility. The date we have scheduled is October 26th. An alternate date is November 2nd at Abram Event Venue. We will keep you informed.
    • For the “Seriously, we are already talking Christmas?” department, we will take part in Operation Christmas Child during the month of October-November. More info coming.
    • For the “We didn’t do that last year” department, we plan to offer the Thanksgiving meal to the community this year. My knee surgery sort of put the nix on that last year. I hope to come back with a roar this year.
    • For the “community outreach” department, we will plan to collect snack items for our school children in late November-early December. We will deliver them to Backpack Buddies in time for Christmas Break. 😊

My sermon Sunday is Profound Truths to Live By from Jeremiah 38-Lamentations 5. I’ll look forward to seeing you there. Until then, just know you are loved.

Pastor Bill

MIDWEEK MESSAGE #258

Hello everyone and welcome to Midweek Message #258. It is good to have you join me and make me part of your week. I am honored you would do that. I do anticipate a little shorter MM this week since Jo and I will be heading to Ohio to visit and celebrate our daughter, Janna’s birthday. We will be traveling Tuesday-Thursday. Prayers for safe travel would be appreciated.

Our school-related prayer focus this week is Andy Cline. Andy, as you probably already know, is the Superintendent of S-OCS. He has a lot of responsibilities! Long hours. Big decisions to make. Lots of employees to care about. Yeah…he needs our prayers. 😅

Congratulations to Jordan Mahon! Jordan made the ultimate decision to follow Jesus by being obedient in baptism. He was baptized Sunday by Pastor Ryan and Joe Pavich at the falls at McCormick’s Creek State Park. Joe was super excited to be involved. He is the athletic trainer for the school system and when Jordan was injured he helped him with PT. It is always a great joy to see someone you care about and invest time in come to desire a deeper walk with Jesus. Way to go, Jordan! And way to go, Joe! And Joe? I was standing next to your mom and she was crying tears of joy for you. 😊

Don’t forget this Sunday, the 17th, is a special day for us. Anna East, Pastor Ryan and Hope’s daughter, is planning to serve with YWAM (Youth With A Mission) in New Zealand starting in October. She will be back in February. Anna is going to share with us what her mission trip is to include and what she will be doing. I will let her tell you more Sunday. We have had several of our young people (and adults) take part in mission trips in the past and I hope we have more in the future. Please plan to come and listen and support Anna.

Have you made the notation on your calendar for the change for our next church-wide Pitch-in? Pastor Ryan and I will be gone with some of the leaders to a DiscipleShift Conference in Brownsburg on August 27-28th, so we decided to change the Pitch-in to Wednesday, August 20th at 6:00. I’m going to be honest: I do enjoy the different foods brought in by all of you, but I miss the fellowship even more. I mean…Jo can cook for me. 😉 But I really do miss visiting and laughing with all of you. A little birdie told me there will be Babbs chicken there that night.

Keep in mind that Sunday, August 31st is a 5th Sunday. That means the elementary-age children will be with the parents in adult worship that morning. There are plans to include some youth songs led by the youth worship team (during second service) on Sunday morning for the young people. Just keep in mind that the nursery and pre-school class will still meet as usual, at 10:45.

ROOTS begins Sunday, August 24th from 5-7:00 here are the church building. You may want to bring a change of clothes because water games are the plan for that night. 😊Pastor Ryan’s theme for the year is “Scripted”. He has hand-outs with more information.

Do you have questions about OVCF or have you ever been asked questions like “What kind of church are you?” or “What do you believe?” I’m excited to offer an “Introduction to OVCF” to anyone interested in knowing more about the church. As a refresher, here are the particulars:

• • • September 7th following the second service.
    • Light lunch of sandwiches and snacks will be offered.
    • The session will be in the youth addition and will be very informal.
    • I plan on it lasting 1-1 1⁄2 hours as we discuss our Mission and Vision, our Core Beliefs and Core Values, and why we are structured the way we are.
    • I do not plan to lecture but to sit around and discuss and ask/answer questions.
    • Child care by two of our teenagers will be provided. Please let me know if you need it.
    • A sign-up sheet is on the back info table. Class is limited to 12 since I plan to offer it once every quarter.
    • I would be honored to have you join me and others as we learn more about OVCF.
    • If you have any questions please feel free to ask, text or call me.

YOUTH NEWS!

• • • Lucas and Ellie Arnold were winners of the sidewalk chalk drawing contest at the Gosport Lazy Days Festival this past weekend. Looks like we have some budding DaVinci’s in our midst.
    • The Owen News had a whole section of the latest edition dedicated to the Owen County Fair. If I had included every one of the winners from OVCF, I would have needed to have a newspaper-like MM. Congratulations to all our young people.

This coming Sunday I will be preaching on “God’s Plans for Us” from Jeremiah 14-37. I will be praying for you as we travel and will be looking forward to being with you this Sunday. Until then…know you are loved.

Pastor Bill

And see…I can be short 😉

MIDWEEK MESSAGE #257

Hello everyone and welcome to Midweek Message #257. It is good to have you join me today. This is a busy month so I hope this week starts it out on the right foot.

The biggest news is, of course, school starts this week. For some of you I just went from Mr. Nice Guy to Mr. Worst News of the Week guy. 😉Sorry. However, there is one bright spot in this picture. We have a name to pray for each week. This week is a general one. Please pray for all the administrators, principals, staff, teachers and students this week.

• • • Pray for a good school year.
    • Pray for a safe school year for all involved.
    • Pray for the teachers to communicate well.
    • Pray for the students to learn well.

We will be giving you a specific individual to pray for each week from this point on. Living with a teacher in the household keeps me praying and learning that being a teacher is hard work. It is also mentally challenging, especially if you know a teacher who truly cares about his or her students.

More great news to share! This past Wednesday night we had our monthly church family pitch-in. We had the most people we have ever had! 70! Count them: 70! Funny thing about that is we had 69 and a few moments after I had counted and announced the number, someone came up to me to say, “Someone just came. You can add her.” We had not only a great turnout, but some great conversations. In fact, when I left there were still some people talking and visiting (Pastor Ryan stayed to lock up). We also had a great spirit of cooperation as all the tables were taken down and the chairs were set up so I had very little to do Thursday morning in getting the chairs ready for Sunday morning. Thanks to everyone who helped clean up, put
away, set up, and made life much easier. You da best! 😊

• • • Speaking of the pitch-in. We are having to move the next pitch-in to a week earlier. Pastor Ryan, Tom Mangia and I will be attending a two-day DiscipleShift Conference being held in Brownsburg on the 27th and 28th of this month. Since you know it is essential that I be there (for the food and fellowship, remember), it was decided to move the pitch-in to a week earlier. So mark the date of August 20th for the next pitch-in at 6 pm.

Now for some YOUTH NEWS!

• • • ROOTS begins Sunday evening, August 24th from 5-7:00. ROOTS is open to all Middle School and High School students. Pastor Ryan sent an email to all parents and students this past week. If by some chance you did not get one, please reach out to him. The letter told about ROOTS, Deeper and several other events on the horizon. There is also a sign-up sheet on the info table if you would like to provide snacks for ROOTS.
    • Right after the OC fair started I mentioned to you that MiaRose Hess was chosen as the Fair Queen. I also mentioned her sister, Meilynn is making quite a name for herself in 4-H as well. She texted me her list of awards this past week and it could quite possibly take the rest of this MM to list them all. When I talked to her, she said I could cut it down and maybe just list the Champion and Grand Champion awards. So here goes:
      • • Western Sr. Showmanship in 4H project awards-Reserve Champion
        • Reserve Grand Champion for Top Dog and Dog Agility
        • Dog Showmanship-Grand Champion
        • Fashion Revue- Grand Champion
        • Bicycle rodeo- Grand Champion
        • Rabbit Showman-Advanced Champion
        • Pygmy market and Pygmy Doe- Grand Champion
        • Aerospace, Collections, Outdoor Photography, BeeKeeping-Grand Champion
        • Several Reserve Champion as well as multiple other awards
        • Well done, Meilynn! Keep up the good work.
    • Any others to add to the fair awards?
    • A little birdie told me Rusti O’Neal made the 7th grade Volleyball team. I bet she will tell you there is a difference in size from a softball to a volleyball. 😊

Exciting news to share! This coming Sunday, Jordan Mahon, who was one of our graduating seniors, will be baptized by Pastor Ryan and Joe Pavich at the falls at McCormick’s Creek State Park. Jordan spoke with Pastor Ryan this past week and knew his next step in following Jesus would be to be obedient in baptism. You are welcome to observe. The baptism will take place after the second service, about 12:45 pm. Jordan will be attending Judson University to play basketball (and to study) this fall.

On September 7th I will be offering the first of what I hope are many sessions on “An Introduction to OVCF.” Following a lunch of sandwiches and snacks, I want to have an informal, casual conversation about what makes OVCF tick. You will have a chance to see our mission and vision, core beliefs and core values and why we are structured the way we are. There will be plenty of time to ask questions and hopefully get answers. 😊 My plan is to make it last around 1- 1 1/2 hours. If you have need of childcare, please indicate that or let me know. There is a sign-up sheet on the back info table. The limit is 12 per session and I had 3 sign up this past Sunday.

Did you know that Anna East is leaving in October and flying the coop? Well…she is flying but not the coop. She is actually going to New Zealand to serve on a short term mission trip (4 months) with YWAM (Youth With A Mission). Anna will be sharing about her trip on August 17th at both services. I admire any young person who wants to stretch their boundaries and see how God can use them. Come listen to Anna and show your support for her trip.

My sermon for Sunday is entitled What Does God Want from Me? The Scripture is Isaiah 54-Jeremiah 13. Let me just give you a heads up and maybe you can develop it on your own. Here are the main thoughts in the outline: I) He wants me to pursue Him; and II) He wants me to rely on Him. Your mission is to divide up the Scripture to see how you do. Until then, my thoughts and prayers are with you. I look forward to seeing you Sunday. You are loved.

Pastor Bill

MIDWEEK MESSAGE #256

Hello everyone and welcome to Midweek Message #256! I hope your week has been going well and you have seen God blessing you in all ways.

Did you remember our church pitch-in is tonight at 6:00?

With school starting, we will begin praying for our school personnel. This week we just want you to pray for the administration, faculty, teachers, and students as they get ready to start back next week.

Saturday was a day of excitement. No, nobody was here except me. But pictures don’t lie. 😊Saturday morning at 5:30, they began pouring the concrete for the foundation of the new addition. I left at 7:40 to go to the Y and when I came back they were still at it. Soon all the pouring was done, then the tedious work began. Around 12-1:00 they were all done and heading home. Not only do I not know how to do what they do, but the heat and humidity were brutal. But we now have the finished concrete pad. The last word we received is the shell will be started around the middle of September. There were a lot of excited people Sunday. If you didn’t get a chance to see it then Diana has posted some pictures on the church’s Facebook
page. You can catch them there. Better yet, come up and see for yourself.

Special Announcement!!! Two Sundays ago when I mentioned praying for someone from another church, a member of that church was shocked that another church would be praying for someone in their church. (It’s what we do). But I’m pleased to announce that another church has blessed US in a very tangible way. Several on our worship team sang and led worship at the women’s Women of the Word gathering last month at the Christian Life Center, which is sponsored and promoted by Shiloh Wesley Church. Dr. Diane Wells is not only a medical doctor, she is also the pastor of Shiloh. This past week their church blessed us with a very generous monetary gift to be used in the building of our addition. We want you to know so that you can tell her thanks if you see her. A letter of thanks will be sent from the elders to express our thanks for their generosity.

Sunday was a special day also.

• • • Derek Britt and Luke Furr were here to bring us up to date on Chi Alpha’s impact at IU. Like Ryan, I got choked up at the end of the video as they showed multiple students being baptized in all kinds of settings. To hear the voice-overs of some of the students and then to find out that it was their testimony at their baptism really moved me. Derek shared with us that in the neighborhood of 400-500 students were impacted by Chi Alpha this past year. Keep praying for their ministry. Chi Alpha is one of the monthly missions we support.
    • Even more exciting was that Sunday was Move-Up Sunday for 6 of our students who will be moving from the Late Elementary class to the Adult worship. Some were unable to be here this week but the list included Akaydia Beckwith, Amelia Biggs, Eliza Chambers, Aasha Srinivasan, CJ Wood, and Cooper Wood. Welcome, my young friends, to the adult worship. I look forward to watching you grow in your faith. (And Ryan looks forward to having you in ROOTS youth group 😊).

Speaking of ROOTS! ROOTS kickoff is Sunday, August 24th from 5-7 PM. ROOTS is open to all Middle School/High School students. Please feel free to invite your friends. If you have any questions about whether you will enjoy it, check with some of the young people who attend. If you, or your parents have any questions about snacks (yes they use them and there will be a sign-up sheet), lessons, etc. please check with Pastor Ryan.

It seems like almost every week, whether I am talking to people at the Y, at a meal, some gathering, or with a Sunday visitor, I am asked, “What is OVCF? What denomination is it? What do you believe about (fill in the blank)”? I try to explain it and sometimes they “get it” but there are also times when I am asked for more information and deeper clarification. Like “what do you mean Independent or non-denominational?” This past Monday in a conversation at the Y, I was asked about creeds and our stand on them. It came up because I had befriended a couple of folks and invited them to OVCF. What would you say to the above questions, and others like them? Would you like to know more? I wrote an “Introduction to OVCF” for that purpose. My
plan is to have a sit-down, non-formal gathering (with lunch😊) to give you a chance to ask
questions and to discuss with other people ideas like the ones I’ve been asked and more. So
here are the details…

• • • Sunday, September 7th, will be the first offering of “An Introduction to OVCF.”
    • It will be immediately following the second service.
    • Lunch will be served (sandwiches, chips, finger foods).
    • I plan for it to last about an hour to an hour and half.
    • We will discuss the material in a small group setting. I will not be lecturing or standing at a pulpit. I’ll set up tables solely for convenience in the youth addition.
    • Do you need child care? Please let me know so I can make sure someone is there for you.
    • All you need is a Bible, a notebook (there will be plenty of space in the material to take notes), a pen, a curious mind, and an open heart.
    • There will be a sign-up sheet and since it will be offered multiple times, there will be
      limit of 12 per session.

I look forward to chatting with you. Any questions, please feel free to ask me.

I’ve given you a lot to think about this week so I’m going wrap things up. This coming Sunday I will be preaching on Destruction to Reconstruction from Isaiah 23-53. I look forward to seeing you. You are loved…more than you know.

Pastor Bill

MIDWEEK MESSAGE #255

Hello everyone and welcome to Midweek Message #255. I hope your week is going well. Sunday was an exciting day for the OVCF family as two elders, Bobby Anderson and Tom Mangia gave an update about our building addition. In case you were unable to be here or to hear the live stream I thought I would include the text of their presentation for you:

7/20/25 Building Update to the Congregation

The Elders and Building Team have been actively meeting and working on the building project with the contractor, and we wanted to bring you an update and some exciting news. Would members of the Eldership (Bobby Anderson, Tom Mangia, David Robertson and Pastors Bill and Ryan); the Building Team (Wayne Akerson, Madi Arnett, Dick Hogan, Dave Keith, Diana Markland, Marge Monticue, Don Taylor, and Mark Truesdel) please stand. We would like to thank you for your dedication to not only this project but to the future of this congregation and church. We truly appreciate you. {Note: names added by me}

In late June/early July the Elders reviewed the current bid and identified some areas of opportunity that would allow us to reduce the overall cost. In partnership with our contractor and Building team, we were able to reduce the next phase of the project by ~$93k! These savings have allowed us to sign the contract earlier this week that will see us proceeding with finishing the foundation, erecting the building, completing all exterior work, and framing the interior walls. The concrete for the foundation is scheduled to be poured on 7/26/25 at5:30am, weather permitting. The building structure construction is currently planned to begin in September. Exciting things are happening, and all of these items are being done DEBT
FREE!

We had previously provided you with an update that we had planned to prioritize the parking lot expansion. We feel that it is also important to provide you with an update on that separate/subset project. The expansion of the parking lot is still a need and priority of the Eldership and Building team, but after discussing the parking expansion with the contractor, we have decided to delay that for now to focus on the building itself. We will be in further discussions with our current contractor regarding this separate project (parking lot). {End statement}

Is this not exciting news? 😃If you have any questions as we move forward, please feel free to ask the Building Team members (listed above) and we will do our best to answer any question or concern you may have.

Now for some other news!

• • • Pastor Ryan will be out of the office all week.
    • This Sunday, the 27th, Derek Britt and Luke Furr from Chi Alpha will be with us to give us brief update about their work among the students at IU.
    • This Sunday is also Move-Up Sunday! As Pastor Ryan explained a few Sundays ago, the students moving into 1st grade will move up to the Early Elementary and the 3rd grade grads will move up to the Late Elementary. The 6th grade grads will be recognized in second service with the adults where they will begin their new journey of growing in their faith.
    • Our next OVCF Family Pitch-in is next Wednesday, the 30th at 6:00. We look forward to seeing you there to celebrate God’s goodness with us.

YOUTH CORNER

Call me stumped. After having so many entries from the fair last year, I had to use several MMs to list all the awards. This year I have had no one contact me about the awards won. So I’m putting the word out for next week!! Text or email me any awards our young people have won from the fair.

• • • Congratulations to Aubrey Mangia for taking first place in her age division (women 14 and under) at the 5k fund raiser at MCSP this past Saturday benefiting the Tristan Calvin Scholarship Fund.
    • Tad Nicholson also ran in the same fundraiser. He ran the 5k in 30 minutes. (He would have definitely beaten me).

With my remaining space, I’d like to reiterate what I said Sunday morning before I preached about the T-shirt I wore. It said This Pastor has an Awesome Congregation. I wore it for a reason because I knew what Tom and Bobby were going to say. Here is what I also added as I reflected on the past 19 1⁄2 years as your pastor:

• • • Our move to this building in 2010 was a move of faith.
    • Even after the devastating financial news in 2011, we moved on in faith.
    • We added Ryan to our staff in 2013 by faith.
    • We added on the Youth Addition in 2018 by faith. With God’s help we did it debt free.
    • We began saving immediately toward an addition we believed would accommodate the adult worship and now 7 years later we are moving forward in faith. We obviously aren’t there yet, but we will be. We will continue to move by faith, trusting God to provide and not move until He does.

To echo my shirt: this pastor does have an awesome congregation. So thank you for being you. Thank you for continuing to focus on people, not on buildings. Thank you for making this a “Welcome Home” place-a place where people can find they are home. {One final note: thanks to whomever gifted the shirt to me during the “Welcome Home” series in September/October}.

My sermon this coming Sunday is The Danger of Self-Reliance from Ecclesiastes 9-Isaiah 22. I look forward to being with you. Remember you are loved.

Pastor Bill

MIDWEEK MESSAGE #254

Hello everyone and welcome to Midweek Message #254!! I hope you are all doing well as we find ourselves in the middle of July. The OC Fair is now history. The upcoming issues of the MM will include a lot of the awards won by many of the young people from OVCF. So…stay tuned!

Before I get to some other information, please allow me to give you a brief recap of our trip this past week. If you are not interested, then skip on down past this paragraph. 😄😒We left on Sunday afternoon and spent the night in Ohio. We were able to have supper with our daughter,Janna and her boyfriend, Mike and while we were eating, our grandson Braden and his girlfriend, Cameron came to visit and say hi. Her family was having a meal at the same restaurant so it was kind of cool they came to say hi. We left Monday morning for my brother and sister-in law, Rob & Joy’s place in PA. I was sort of astounded that they have officially been married for 15 years. I remember traveling to PA, meeting Joy for the first time and doing the wedding. Her spiritual gift is definitely hospitality! We just sort of hung around for the rest of the day and most of Tuesday until my brother, Garry, his wife, Deb, and their daughter, Lia, came for supper and to hang out the rest of the evening. Garry will be having surgery again soon for recurring cancer, but he was in “fine form” in the humor department. Jo just rolls her eyes when the Grandi brothers get together. If you think my sense of humor is off-the-wall, you ought to be around when I am actually the sane one of the bunch. The only sad part of the visit was that our youngest brother, Curt, and his adopted son, Jonathan, were unable to make the trip because he couldn’t get a flight. We left Wednesday to return to Ohio and watched Mike play a softball game that evening. Thursday we had a chance to watch Braden play two games that lasted from 12:00-5:00. They got started late so we had a little more time in the beating sun. And rain. Yes, you read that right. It rained. Rain + humidity = steamy conditions. The good part is Braden’s team won both games. We arrived home on Friday before noon and after an afternoon of laundry, a trip to the Y, checking out a new bid for the church addition, and sitting in my recliner, Jo and I went to the fair. We saw tons of people, exhibits, and animals, but after being in the sun, heat and humidity 3 of the 5 days of vacation, we were “humiditied-out” (Yeah, I know that is not a word- 😄) after about 1 1⁄2 hours. I felt like the wicked witch in Wizard of Oz: “I’m melting!” I have the utmost respect for the young people and parents who take care of their animals during Fair Week. It was a long but enjoyable week for us. I drove 900+ miles but it was worth every one of them. It is good to be home though. Thanks for listening to my ramble.🙂

This past Saturday was the celebration of life for Tim Huffman at McCormick’s Creek State Park. Tim went to be with Jesus on April 1st. I was honored to be asked to say a few words. Tim was married to Cathy and they attended when able. Their daughter, Sarah Schneider, her husband Will and their children, Brantley, Stella & Elouise also attend OVCF.

Sunday morning I received a text from Kathy Wisely that Nancy King passed away. John and Nancy were involved in the start of OVCF in 2004. They have a daughter, Emily, who married Daniel Wisely. They also have a son, John. Our sympathies to John and family. Please remember the family in your prayers.

YOUTH NEWS:

• • • I thought I would return from my trip and have tons of information on the young people involved in the Fair. I was wrong…at least for this week. I suspect next week’s issue will have more. But there is one big one I do know! CONGRATULATIONS TO MIA ROSE HESS FOR BEING NAMED OWEN COUNTY FAIR QUEEN! This fall she will be a sophomore at Cedarville University majoring in Business Management with minors in Entrepreneurship and Biblical Studies . Her parents are John and Jenny Hess. She also has a younger sister, Meilynn, who is making quite a name for herself in 4-H. I will have more fair news in next week’s MM.
    • Tuesday (yesterday) Alli Anderson and Carolyn Myers left for a two-week trip to Ireland with Alli’s Ag group to visit different farms and learn about agriculture. Alli is the daughter of Bobby and Becca Anderson. Carolyn has been a long-time family friend, and attends OVCF, too. Please pray for their safety and for a great learning experience.

Here is some miscellaneous information you can check out:

• • • Diana will be out of the office on Thursday, Friday and Monday for a much-deserved few days off. A little birdie told me Jim’s birthday was Wednesday, their grandson’s 1st birthday is Thursday and for some reason she wanted to celebrate with them. 🙂
    • On Saturday, Madison (Maddy) Miller will be married in Valparaiso. Maddy is the daughter of Paul and Kelsey Miller, and the sister of Nolan and Kaine. Pastor Ryan is performing the wedding and Westin Linville is the DJ. Nolan gave a fantastic communion meditation a few weeks ago. He and Anna East are also building a skoolie. Ask them about it.😄Pastor Ryan will be out of the office next week.
    • July 27th is a day of multiple events. Derek Britt and Luke Furr will join us with an update on their ministry work with Chi Alpha at IU. Their ministry is one of the missions we support on a monthly basis.
    • Also on the 27th is Move-Up Sunday for our young people. More in next week’s MM!
    • Don’t forget, our OVCF Family Pitch-in dinner is Wednesday, July 30th at 6 PM.
    • It was announced last week during both worship services that the Family Weekend Camp at Hilltop has been postponed until 2026.

REALLY GOOD NEWS:

• • • Sunday morning we will give an update about our building addition project! We are excited to share with you about what has been done and what we are ready to do next!

My sermon Sunday is What the Heart Wants from Pr. 19-Eccl. 8. I look forward to seeing you Sunday. Until then, know you are loved.

Pastor Bill