Category: OVCF News

MIDWEEK MESSAGE #243

Hello everyone and welcome to Midweek Message #243! I appreciate you taking the time to  read this and take note of what is happening with the OVCF family.

Remember to pray for our educator of the week: George Bergen. Mr. Bergen is the counselor at McCormick’s Creek Elementary School (MCES). Mr. Bergen and his helper, Walker (therapy dog), have been at MCES for several years. I know he appreciates us praying for him.

It was good to have Ryan and Mala Kroft from Hilltop Christian Camp with us this past Sunday. Hilltop is the camp we send our young people (and adults) to during the summer. With some exceptions, it is not too late to register for a week of camp. Please contact Pastor Ryan or Diana for a code to use when you register.

Keep in mind the OVCF Worship Service goes on the road this weekend. Resurrection Sunday is this coming Sunday and we will be having one service at Abram Event Venue (next door) starting at 10:00 AM.

• • • We have a bunch of people signed up to help at 7:00. Tear down will happen afterwards.
    • Pastor Ryan will be contacting those who offered to help with parking and shuttle service between the church and AEV, before and after the service.
    • There will be no children’s programs that morning but activity sheets will be available for any young person who would like to use them. A place for you to take your infants will also be provided.
    • All of our giving (unless designated) will be equally divided among the missions we support.

April 30th is our next Wednesday night pitch-in. The first three have been well-attended and they have served to be just what we were hoping for: an opportunity for you to get to know each other. We have no agenda except to eat, laugh, and get to know one another better. We start promptly at 6:00 (because I have learned that people don’t like to wait to eat).😄

Due to the flooding conditions last weekend we had to cancel in-person services. That also meant we had to cancel the presentation of the group that went to east Tennessee over Spring Break to work in the area affected by the floods following Hurricane Helene. That presentation has been rescheduled for May 4th at both services. It just struck me that a flood event here caused us to cancel the presentation of a flood relief event in east Tennessee. How strange is that?

You are also going to want to put May 18th on your calendar. That is Graduate Recognition Day here at OVCF. We will be honoring both our high school and college graduates (if we have any) that morning during the second service. You can help us by calling the church office or by telling Pastor Ryan or Diana if you have a graduate. Please let them know by May 4th.

From the “Are you kidding me department?” We have a graduate in our family. Our grandson, Tami’s nephew, Braden, graduates from Worthington Kilbourne High School in May and will be attending Ohio State University in the fall majoring in finance. He will graduate with a 4.2 GPA (and I can guarantee you he did not get his intelligence from me). For those of you who have been here since his birth, welcome to the shock of our world. 😄 Surely we aren’t that old!

YOUTH CORNER

I don’t have much to offer this week but what I do have is pretty phenomenal. Kalia Keene competed at state in gymnastics. She was telling me about it at the beginning of 2nd service and I finally had to ask her mom to text it to me. NO WAY was I going to remember all there was.

• • • She had a 9.325 on the beam and 9.375 on floor exercises. She qualified for regionals. She was in the top 20 for state. Way to go Kalia! 😄I

In MM #241 I told you about some books I put in the library for you to borrow and enjoy. I want to tell you about 4 more I am putting in the library. The ones from #241 were more history-oriented. These are more life-oriented.

• • • Living with Hope is about and written by Michael Panther. Michael was born in war-torn South Sudan and was 10 years old when he began to lose movement in his legs. Michael was adopted by an American doctor who has also helped Michael form a widespread ministry that provides resources and training to disabled people in Africa.
    • Out of the Blue is written by Greg Murtha. In December 2011 a perfectly healthy and athletic 46 year old man was diagnosed with “Aggressive Stage 3 colon cancer.” This book is about his life with cancer. On June 22, 2017 Greg “moved to the front of the line.” (p.206) You will be inspired by this book. Guaranteed.
    • A Change of Affection by Beckett Cook is the incredible story of a gay man’s redemption. By society’s standards Beckett had it all. At a coffee shop with his boyfriend, Beckett met a man leading a Bible study at another table who invited him to church. He went and long story short, found Christ. This is a wonderful book for you or anyone you know who may be struggling with this issue, or if you simply want to know what to say.
    • Sober Cycle by Sherry Hoppen. Sherry was/is an alcoholic and a cyclist. This is her journey to sobriety (not a pretty one). I have given several copies to people because Sherry’s journey offers help. She has since opened Selah House for women who are seeking recovery.

I guess in some ways I’m clueless. (No comment from the peanut gallery). April 13th would have been my mother’s 93rd birthday if she had not lost her battle with cancer in March of 2004. April 13, 1975 I chose to be ordained into the ministry to honor her on her birthday. This past Sunday, April 13th, was the 50th anniversary of my ordination. Someone congratulated me. Tami had posted it on FB and I had lost track. Time flies when you are having fun. 😄

See you Sunday at Abram Event Venue! I can’t wait to celebrate Jesus’ resurrection with you.

Know that you are loved.
Pastor Bill

MIDWEEK MESSAGE #242

Hello everyone! Welcome to Midweek Message #242! I think I just saw Noah’s Ark floating by. Has this not been crazy weather? I told someone Saturday that I’ve heard of church or school being cancelled because of snow, but water? When the flood of ’08 hit, we met the first Sunday at the Seventh Day Adventist building and then for the next 4 months we met at the Middle school until the sports complex was cleaned up. Sunday on the live stream I shared something for you history buffs. The flood stage of the White River is 14’. It was expected to crest Monday at 24.8’. The White River crested at 26.8’ on June 8, 2008. The highest was 28.5’ on March 26, 1913. And there you have it…straight from the historian’s annals. 😄 Thanks for going with the
flow Sunday. (Pun intended). We don’t like to cancel but sometimes safety requires it.

Well…enough of that gloom and doom stuff. Rain. Snow. Fog. Sleet. Hail. Sun. All are part of God’s creation design. Soon it will be warm and sunny…and DRY!!😄

Remember to pray for our educator of the week: Kathryn (Anderson) Cain. Kathryn married Logan last summer. They make their home in Woodbridge, Va. Logan is currently in the Marine Corp. Kathryn is a preschool teacher.

YOUTH CORNER

After last week’s drought I have a slew of names to give you this week! First, one who stands alone. Congrats to freshman, Eli Wood for placing second for OV at the track meet this past Thursday. A big shout out to Eli for a job well done!

The following young people were given the TopCat Award at the SES assembly this past Friday. I’ll put them in alphabetical order since I don’t know their ages or grades:

• • • Kenadi Collier
    • Kendra Collier
    • Ciel Kelly-Krintz
    • Sophia Kropack
    • Kane Mosier
    • Rusti O’Neal
    • Cooper Wood

Way to go young people! Keep up the good work!

Here are some calendar highlights you can mark down!

• • • This Sunday Ryan and Mala Kroft will be with us speaking about Hilltop Christian Camp. They will be giving us a brief rundown of what is happening with camp and during the second service will be visiting the young people in children’s church.
    • Sunday, April 20th (that is only two weeks away) we will be taking the OVCF Resurrection Sunday worship service on the road! Yeah, I know it is just next door at Abram Event Venue but it sounds good. 😄 We will have one worship service at 10:00. A sign-up sheet is on the info table if you would like to help with set-up or tear down or with parking/shuttle needs. All the day’s offering will go to missions we support, unless designated.
    • Wednesday, April 30th, is the date for the next pitch-in. We have had fantastic participation for the first three! It starts at 6:00 and is a great time for good food, good laughs, and good conversation. Please put it on your calendar now.
    • Sunday, May 4th has been set aside as the day for the presentation of the east Tennessee mission/service trip which had originally been scheduled for this past Sunday. As previously planned, they will be speaking at both services.
    • Sunday, May 18th. I know. That’s over a month away. What could be so important to ask you to put it on your calendar already? That is Graduate Recognition Day!! We will be honoring our high school and college (if we have any) graduates that morning. You can help us by calling the church office or by telling Pastor Ryan or Diana if you have a graduate. Please let them know by May 4th.

The OVCF CARE Team has launched an additional team as part of their desire to make OVCF feel
like home. It is the WELCOME Team. The WELCOME Team is divided into 4 different working
parts:

• • • Greeters- They are the first smiling face people see when they walk in. Greeters should be hospitable, welcoming, engaging, and friendly. They should open doors and greet each person as they enter and exit. Offer a bulletin. The Greeters connect guests with Welcome Hosts as needed.
    • Welcome Hosts- They connect with first time guests before Sunday service. If it is their first visit, they offer them a welcome gift. Help them find locations (children’s area, nursery, etc.)
    • Coffee Bar Hosts- They should be prepared to serve if providing baked items. Serve coffee, tea, etc. Help clean up afterwards.
    • Communion Prep- They will prepare communion for the Sunday services {adult and children’s church}.

If you would like to know more about this team, please see or talk to Hope East. Or sign up at the info table!

My thoughts: we have worked hard to let people know they are welcome here at OVCF and we would love to have them feel like this is home. Many of you have already been doing what the Welcome Team is all about. This puts it in a way everyone can see and understand. Even though I am a social creature and love to visit with people, as a church grows it is impossible to see and say hi to everyone. That is why this team is so vital. In all honesty, you reaching out to people is much more important to them than me or Pastor Ryan doing so. They expect the pastors to do that. When someone who calls OVCF “home” does so, it strikes a chord in them. Please don’t minimize your importance to the mission of making people feel like OVCF is home.

This Sunday the message is Hero and Zero from 2 Samuel 4-I Kings 2. We will be taking a walk through of the life of David. I look forward to seeing you then. Until then, remember you are loved.

Pastor Bill

MIDWEEK MESSAGE #241

Hello everyone and welcome to Midweek Message #241. “Welcome to Indiana” as they say. The weather has been all over the place making it “up in the air” when it comes to the weather. Pun intended. 🤣 Today, as I  write this (it is Sunday), they are calling for rain, possibly hail, and even a possible tornado in the mix. “Say it ain’t so, Joe!”

While we may not know what is in the future, we can have confidence in a God who is always faithful. With that in mind, please be praying for our educator of the week, Brianna Wigington. Brianna is a counselor at SES. Pray for her to have wisdom in her interactions with students and faculty alike.

I’m really looking forward to this coming Sunday! No…not because of the sermon. 😄 This Sunday, in both services, many of the volunteers who went on the mission/service trip to east Tennessee will be sharing personally (including a slide show) about the area where they worked and how they helped. The area is still recovering from the flooding and damage caused by Hurricane Helene last year. Pastor Ryan took some time in our staff meeting last week to show pictures to Diana and me of what they did, who they helped, and the destruction those folks are still dealing with. Like many events, when we aren’t in the mix we tend to not see the extent of the damage. The pictures Ryan showed us brought a reality to my eyes that I cannot fathom.
Come Sunday morning prepare to be proud of our 14 people who worked hard all week long with a smile on their face, no complaint leaving their lips, and showing people there is a Jesus who cares about them.

Sunday, April 13th, Ryan and Mala Kroft from Hilltop Camp will be with us to share about the new camp season. They will give a short recap of camp and what 2025 will look like. In the second service, after their presentation, they will be visiting with the students in kid’s church, telling them about camp and making s’mores with them.

Sunday, April 20th is our Resurrection Sunday service at Abram Event Venue (next door). Here are some specifics you should know:

• • • One service at 10:00 AM
    • All our giving (unless designated) will go to missions we support.
    • No children’s programs but we’ll have activity sheets available. 😀
    • We will set up on Sunday morning. We plan to start setting up chairs and tables and carrying sound equipment, etc. from the trailer at 7:00. Due to the amount of help we usually get, we are done in about an hour. You are then able to go home and come back with your family.
    • Please plan to help put tables and chairs away following the service. The number of people who usually help makes this go really fast.
    • Shuttle service from the church parking lot is provided. Remember parking space is limited so using the shuttle is helpful. Pastor Ryan could use your help with parking and the shuttle service.
    • There is a sign-up sheet on the info table if you would like to help.

One of my goals when I started the Midweek Message back in 2020 during that season that no one wants to even think about was to keep the OVCF church family informed of what was happening in the lives of our church family. Because we spent several months unable to meet together, it was vitally important to stay in touch. The elders were given a different list of people each month to pray for. I did what I called Drive-Bys, where I prayed for each family while sitting in their drive way or on the street. The MM kept people up to date on different happenings involving the young people and what little we were allowed to do as groups. All that to say, the goal of the MM hasn’t changed. I still try to keep you informed about a myriad of events and
people. I was pleasantly surprised last week when I received an email commenting on the fullness of what is happening in the church family and that it was a good MM. That made me smile because after 240 of these, the goal is still the same. Some weeks are not as full as others with information, but there are some (like last week) that Diana and I struggle to edit by taking out and including material. I have no clue how long I will continue doing the MM. I guess until you get tired of it, Diana and I retire, or there is nothing happening in our church family. You can pretty well figure out which one will be the reason! 😉 All that to say that I hope you do enjoy the work we put into this each week.

Speaking of Diana, (I am about to get shot for this but at least you will know who did it), she celebrates a birthday this Thursday. I can already feel her wanting to edit that out of this week’s MM but I’m going to hold my ground on this! 🤣🤣 I WON!!

It used to be that one of the most used parts of the church building was the church library. But books are losing their appeal. The church library is a source of reading material you can trust. Ours is filled with fiction books and others as well. I love historical fiction and I recently included several I think you might enjoy reading if you like that kind of fiction.

• • • To Rescue the Republic by Bret Baier. Subtitled as U.S. Grant, the Fragile Union, and the crisis of 1876.
    • The President and the Freedom Fighter by Brian Kilmeade. It is about Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass and the slavery issue of the Civil War.
    • Becoming Mrs. Lewis by Patti Callahan Henry. A fanciful story about the developing relationship and marriage of confirmed bachelor C.S. Lewis and Joy Davidman
    • Once Upon a Wardrobe by Patti Callahan Henry. A really great story based around “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe” and a young woman’s passion for meeting Lewis and finding the story behind the story for her dying brother.

My sermon this Sunday is “The Contrast of Two Men.” See you then! Love you all.

Pastor Bill

MIDWEEK MESSAGE #240

Hello everyone and welcome to Midweek Message #240! I hope you had a restful Spring Break week. I know some of you took off to parts unknown. Some stayed around here. We had 14 give up their lazy spring break to go to Tennessee to help IDES (International Disaster Emergency Services) re-build and repair some houses affected by the flood damage of last fall. However you spent your week, I hope it was a good one. This edition of MM is one big potpourri of “stuff.”

Be praying for our educators of the week: Brittany Greene, the principal of Spencer Elementary School and Aaron LaGrange, the assistant principal of SES. I suspect corralling students who have been off for a week will be an interesting venture this week. I read Thursday to SES and GES kindergarten students so I will have firsthand knowledge of that. It ought to be interesting. 😊

Speaking of praying for someone: Jeff Carlson will be leaving Saturday for Liberia with a group from Revive Liberia. Please keep them in your prayers.

We had several people take “going on spring break” to a whole new level. Brayton and Zoe Wyatt are taking a belated honeymoon (they married in 2020) to tour some of Europe. Andy and Stacy Wood flew to Barcelona, then cruised to France, Italy, and Tunisia. It was a family and friend affair.

SEVERAL DATES TO KEEP IN MIND:

• • • Saturday, the 29th, is the next women’s Connection Event at Chambers Smorgasbord at noon. Cost is based on what you order from the menu or the buffet is $12.95, plus drink and tax. There is a sign-up sheet on the information table if you are interested. If you have any questions, ask Linda St. John.
    • This Sunday, the 30th, is our 5th Sunday Family Worship. The elementary age children will join us for morning worship in the auditorium. Nursery and Preschool will meet at 10:45.
    • This Sunday, the 30th, is also the Care Team Reunion following 2nd service. There will be a pitch-in and time for checking to see how the teams are doing and what is new! Whether you are on a team, would like to join one, or would like to know more, you are invited to join them.

This past Sunday was a special day in the life of OVCF. Tom Mangia was welcomed as a new elder. Wayne Akerson also announced that he was taking a sabbatical for the coming year. In the latter half of last year, the elders began discussing the need to implement a sabbatical to give rest to the elders, to avoid burnout, and to give other men an opportunity to express an interest in being elders. Jeff Carlson began his sabbatical in November. (Jeff had been on leadership-even when there were no elders-since the inception of OVCF). Due to changes in Wayne’s work responsibilities he felt it was a good time to begin his sabbatical. We thank Wayne for his contributions to the leadership team of OVCF. He will be missed. Would you like to consider
serving as an elder? We are looking for men who are willing to make that commitment. If you would like to pursue that (the first characteristic Paul tells Timothy in I Timothy 3), please contact me, Pastor Ryan or one of the elders (Bobby Anderson, Tom Mangia, and David Robertson). I wrote a short study on elders that I will sit down and go through with you to give you more perspective on what an elder is and does.

Tom Mangia was joined by his wife, Kristine, daughter, Aubrey, and son Jordan (in Preschool class) this past Sunday. Being an elder is a family affair and as Tom & I talked recently, I remember what he said about a conversation with Aubrey. When he asked her what she thought, she said, “Dad, you are a leader.” She knows how to pick them!

Congratulations to Mike Wood! Mike was promoted to Lieutenant for Indiana State Police and will be the leader for the Bloomington post. While I am speaking of Mike, please remember to pray for all our Law Enforcement Officers and their families.

ONE DATE LEFT OUT EARLIER (ON PURPOSE)
Sunday, April 20th is Resurrection Sunday! Hard to believe it is less than a month away! At 10:00AM we will be celebrating the resurrection of Jesus together at Abram Event Venue (next door). We are so grateful Bill and Suzie Abram let us use their venue so we can all be together. The one caveat is that there is a wedding there Saturday night so we will not be able to set up until Sunday morning. We will need all the help we can get. Chairs, tables, sound equipment, and a whole lot more need to be set up that morning. We will start at 7:00 and, with all the help we have had in the past, everything is mostly done by 8:00. You can then go home, freshen up and come with your family. We will also need help with parking and shuttle service to and from the church parking lot. (Please see Pastor Ryan if you would like to help with that). There is a sign-up sheet on the info table if you would like to help.

ANOTHER DATE LEFT OFF (A JOHNNY-COME-LATELY)
April 6th is a date you won’t want to miss. Remember back at the beginning of this MM I mentioned the group of 14 that went to east Tennessee? They will be sharing about their experience in pictures and words with us at both services. I’m excited and can’t wait to hear more!

SOME LATE-BREAKING BUT VERY EXCELLENT NEWS:
Robert Herrington, the son of Scott and Heather, just received the great news that he has passed the test (physically, mentally, and in every other way) to become an Army Ranger. I had asked about Robert a couple of weeks ago and Heather sent me a YouTube video of his swamp phase. Grueling is a good word to use and all on about 15 minutes of sleep! Scott and Heather leave Wednesday for Fort Benning, Georgia for his graduation. He will return to Louisiana with Hannah, his wife whom he has not seen since January, on Saturday. I’m looking forward to seeing him at his next visit home.

I continue my year-long theme of Burning Hearts this Sunday with “Who Rules Your Roost?” from Judges 13-I Samuel 12. I look forward to seeing you all. Know that you are loved.

Pastor Bill

MIDWEEK MESSAGE #239

Hello everyone and welcome to Midweek Message #239! Thanks for joining me this week. I’m going to let you know from the start that there will be no MM next week since it is Spring Break. That gives everyone a break. You from hearing from me; Diana from editing my sometimes incoherent words; and me from writing said words. 😉Enjoy your time away from school and (some of you) from home, and from having your week interrupted, I mean blessed, by the MM.😄

Our educator of the week is Dr. Michael Robison. He is the principal at Patricksburg Elementary. Pray for Dr. Robison to have patience and wisdom this week. I’d like to remind you to pray for all the school personnel, as well as the students this coming week. Pray that this Spring Break will be the much-needed time away everyone needs. 🙂

Please pray for our team heading to east Tennessee next week (Mar. 17-22)! The service trip volunteers are partnered with IDES (International Disaster Emergency Services) to help those affected by Hurricane Helene last year.

I mentioned in last week’s MM about Tom Mangia being considered as an elder of OVCF. I also said that our practice has been to suggest an elder, then give you two weeks to respond yay or nay. If you choose to disagree with our suggestion, we ask that you put it in writing, sign it (No anonymous letters will be accepted), and give it to one of the elders (Wayne Akerson, Bobby Anderson or David Robertson), to Pastor Ryan or to me. March 19th is the deadline for your response. We will be confirming and praying for Tom and his family on the 23rd.

I often use this opportunity to give you updates on events involving the whole church family, as well as news about the young people. I want to take a side road for a moment and tell you about some prayer needs I have been asked to specifically pray for and mention. I have received the okay to include them in this week’s message.

• • • Tim Huffman has been in the hospital since Saturday, the 1st. They have been unable to locate the source of his infection. Monday they went into his heart to see what or if they could find anything there. I spent this past Sunday afternoon with him and Cathy visiting and praying with them about the procedure. UPDATE: No infection was found in his heart or the area around his pacemaker! He may be released to go home this week. {Tim and Cathy are Sarah Schneider’s parents. 🙂}
    • Christine Chambers told me after 2nd service was over that she heard from Kaitlyn Anderson’s mom that the hospital in Nashville, TN is sending her home. The doctors said they will be able to do for Kaitlyn at home what they were doing for her there. She also related that all scans show no  cancer! That’s a praise!! 🙌They are still unsure what is causing the weight loss and lack of energy so keep praying for a solution.
    • I found out that Charli Wood was to have her tonsils and adenoids removed Tuesday (yesterday). Pray for a quick recovery. UPDATE: Charli’s surgery went well!
    • Eliza Chambers’ MRI showed a stress fracture to the growth plate of the tibia. Mom (Christine) asks for prayers for it to heal properly.
    • On the lighter side: Brayton and Zoe Wyatt leave Wednesday (today) for a 5 year belated honeymoon trip. They had planned to go in 2020 but I think we all know what happened then. They will be spending 3 weeks touring parts of Europe. Pray for their safe travel and safety while there. And pray for their daughter, Hazel, who will be staying with her Nana and others. And  congratulations to Brayton who was sworn in last Friday as the new detective for the prosecutor’s office.

I know there are more prayer requests. If you have one and give me permission to include it here I will be glad to do so.

March 26th is an evening you need to put on your calendar. That is the date of our next pitch-in. It starts at 6:00. The first two were hits and it was so exciting to see and hear the buzz that took place during the meal. We had close to 70 (preacher count says 100 😄) this past month. I was excited to hear from a couple who attended my Wednesday Night Conversations this past week that they had been visiting with someone at the last pitch-in.

Speaking of Wednesday Night Conversations: tonight’s lesson will be on “Follow Your Heart.” We are diving into 9 Common Lies Christians Believe. We will take a two week break (Spring Break and the pitch-in) then be back on April 2nd. I would love to have you join us.

We started telling you this past Sunday about our Resurrection Sunday service being at Abram Event Venue (AEV). April 20th will be here before we know it, so please put it on your calendar to worship with us that day. One service + One heart = One God to be praised and honored together. We will start at 10:00 so begin reminding yourself of that. Meeting at AEV always requires extra work on our part, but it is worth it when we all get to worship together as ONE. Over the next few weeks expect to hear more information coming your way!!

I have been surprised as to how much I have enjoyed preaching through the OT and using the Everyday Gospel devotional as a help. I know it has not always been easy to read and it certainly hasn’t always been easy to prepare and preach. This week we move from Deuteronomy into Joshua with my sermon entitled Say Yes!! With Spring Break beginning I anticipate a lot of people being gone. May I ask you to make sure you watch online? I welcome your input as well, not just on the sermon, but the whole online experience. Even when we move into our new building, we will continue offering our live stream service online. It has proven to be a real blessing. An added blessing this week for me is, Lord willing, our friends, Dave and Susan from
Arizona will be here visiting!

Have a great rest of the week and Spring Break week. Just know whether you are here or not,
you are loved deeply.

Pastor Bill

MIDWEEK MESSAGE #238

Hello everyone, and welcome to Midweek Message #238! I hope your week is going well so far and you see God working in your life. Thanks for allowing this visit from me this week.

We had another fantastic day this past Sunday. Caleb and Gabrielle Corder were baptized at the YMCA immediately following the second service. Caleb is an engineer and Gabby is a kindergarten teacher at Gosport Elementary. Their daughter, Charlotte, is a real cutie.

Your educator of the week to pray for is Matt Cazzell. Matt is the principal of McCormick’s Creek Elementary School. Matt has been the principal at MCES for several years now. Pray that he will lead with wisdom and grace.

Are you sitting down as you read this? You may want to because this next news item just might blow you away! Our pitch-in for February happened after last week’s MM so I had to wait to share this with you. We had…wait for it…almost 70 at our pitch-in last week! I tried to count everyone but you know how moving parts are. I did count 67 but I may have missed a few who were out of the room at the time. But WOW!!! But what made it even “more better” 😊 was watching all the interacting that was taking place. I stood around and heard people introducing themselves to people whom they had never met. I heard some trying to remember names. I saw laughter and chit-chat taking place. Someone came up to me afterwards and said, “Thank you for doing this.” It was a staff idea and we will be constantly evaluating as we proceed into the future. What makes it fun to watch is I see people every week because I’m in both services. But many who come to first service never have a chance to see or meet those who attend the second and vice versa. The next pitch-in is scheduled for March 26th at 6:00 pm. Please mark your calendar.

YOUTH CORNER

Another event that happened last week but too late to include in the MM was the Voice of Democracy (VOD) program for the Spencer and Gosport VFW. Several of our young people participated and won. The VOD involves Grades 9-12 where the students have to put together a 3-5 minute speech on the theme of “Is America Today Our Forefather’s Vision?” Here are the results:

• • • Spencer VFW: 1st place-Anna East. 2nd place-Eli Wood
    • Gosport VFW: 1st place- Haley Amador

Other youth news:

• • • Did you know that Caleb and Rachel East have learned how to swing dance?
    • Brodie Sutton, one of the seniors in ROOTS, is an amazing artist. His mother might have been proudly showing a drawing/watercolor of three dogs he did at the pitch-in. 😊They looked almost lifelike. Well done, Brodie! I thought about asking him to do one of me and making me look  handsome but I didn’t want to deflate him for the impossible. 😉
    • Eliza Chambers took 2nd place at the world’s largest gymnastics meet the weekend of February 21st. Way to go, Eliza! Mom may have said something about this.😊
    • I heard we had a number of first time wrestlers this past week at the elementary wrestling camp that took place at OVMS. The names I know of at this point are Rob Anderson, Hudsyn Biggs, Aiden and Emma Collier, Jordan Mangia, Charlotte, Margaret and Thomas Pavich, Lincoln VanDerMoere and Tanner Wood. Am I missing any? Please let me know.
    • Did you know Charli Wood was a cheerleader for the 7th & 8th grade basketball teams this past season?

Did anyone see the mini excavator at the back of the lot by the parking area this past Sunday? That can only mean one thing! Let’s hope for dry and decent weather this week! Further update: they brought in some cement drains/tile/culvert on Monday morning. They removed the playground fence because they will be moving utilities in that area and installing the new electrical panel. Man, am I excited! Do you think we can put a bubble over the property to keep things dry? 😊

Usually the elders meet on the first Monday night of the month. This past Monday was no exception. We had a good meeting and something really good came out of that meeting. We have been in a transition of sorts, seeking to do some things differently. One of those is giving the men a sabbatical from serving as elders. Jeff Carlson was the first. He had been an elder since the inception of OVCF. His year off began in November. This April/May Wayne Akerson will be stepping down, especially since he has taken on a more intense role at work that will require a lot of travel. David Robertson will be next. But for that to happen we have needed men to step up and consider the role of being a leader. Three months ago, Tom Mangia approached me about being an elder. Our procedure is to invite them to sit in on and take part in a couple of elder’s meetings. They get to see how we operate and it also gives us a chance to see how they will fit as an elder. I also wrote an “Elder study” the elders work through. This past Monday Tom expressed an interest to us of coming on permanently as an elder. He has prayed about it and also talked to his family. He and I have had discussions and yes, one of them was over lunch. 😊 The policy at OVCF is to tell you of his desire. You now have two weeks to let us know if you approve or reject his name. If the latter is a concern, you are required to put it in writing and sign your name. NO ANONYMOUS LETTERS ARE ACCEPTED. If after two weeks there are no
glaring reasons why Tom should not be an elder, at the second service on March 23rd the current elders will lay hands on him and pray for him, his family and his service to OVCF as an elder. Please be in prayer for Tom and the elders as we continue to be good servants of Jesus and to OVCF.

Sunday’s message is “Remember…” from Deuteronomy 8-29. Wait until you hear the surprise I have for you Sunday! I look forward to seeing you then. Love you all much.

Pastor Bill

MIDWEEK MESSAGE #237

Hello everyone and welcome to Midweek Message #237! It is good to have you join me. Thanks for taking the time to read it!

WAIT! BEFORE YOU GO ANYWHERE ELSE!!
Don’t forget tonight is the pitch-in at 6:00 at OVCF! Someone has graciously volunteered to buy chicken for the meal tonight so come and enjoy it, as well as all the other food people will bring! Most of all, come enjoy the fun and fellowship with your church family.

Remember to pray for our educator of the week: Carol Watson, the principal at Gosport Elementary School. Once a month I have the opportunity to read to the kindergarten class taught by Gabby Corder, one of our OVCF family. GES is a good school with a lot of nice people. Pray for a good week for Mrs. Watson and for the school.

I’d like to officially welcome Jerry and Carol Sturgeon to our church family. Jerry and Carol have been attending and involved with OVCF for many years and recently transferred their membership. They have a daughter, Jade and a son, Hunter. They’re also grandparents to Sage (they might be just a little bit crazy about her!). 😊

This coming Sunday, Caleb and Gabrielle Corder are going to be baptized in the YMCA pool at 12:30. Someone asked me Sunday if I can let people know if a baptism is taking place so they can attend. Sometimes we just arrange it that week; sometimes we know a week or so ahead of time. I am happy to be able to let you know about Caleb and Gabby. Feel free to join us to celebrate the occasion with them! (We have plans for a baptistery of some kind in the new addition. I’m looking forward to that!)

YOUTH CORNER

• • Some of this news is developing so I will give you more details as I know them. Several of our young people are wrestling;
  • Jordan Mangia began wrestling this past Monday.
  • CJ Wood (Mike and Cristi’s daughter) and Maisy Pendleton (Josh & Becky’s daughter) are both wrestling. I understand Maisy had quite a year and went to State!
  • Jase Collier was having a fine year until an accident with a teammate put his season on hold. Jase had surgery two weeks ago for a broken eye socket. He told me Sunday that he can start wrestling again in 5-6 weeks.

Other related youth items:

• • Aubrey Mangia’s 8th grade girls’ basketball team advanced to the finals which were played last night. They were victorious over North Putnam 34-27 to win the WIC conference! 😊
  • Did you know one of our visitors this past Sunday was a classmate of one of our girls? She told her parents about the “No Complaining Rule Challenge” I gave for this past Monday. Her dad said she already blew it. She quipped back, “It doesn’t start until tomorrow!” 😊It made me chuckle but also made me proud that the girls who were visiting listened. And one more thing: they went home and asked for the Bible app for their phones so they could look up the Scripture I included with the 5 rules. I cannot even begin to tell you how excited that made me to get a text from one of the mothers telling me that.

The No Complaining Rule is the book by Jon Gordon I referenced in Sunday’s message. It included 5 Things to Do instead of Complain. I have also added some Scripture to fortify it from a spiritual standpoint. So here they are:

1. 1. 1. Practice Gratitude. Counting our blessings instead of our misery changes our perspective.
         We are confronted each day with positives and negatives. Practicing gratitude takes our eyes of ourselves. Phil. 4:4, 8-9 tells us to “rejoice always” and then the latter two verses tell us to think on the right things.
      2. Praise Others. We ought to be thinking how we can thank and praise others for acts of kindness. The Bible tells us to “encourage one another” and Hebrews 10:24 tells us to “think of ways to motivated one another to acts of love and good works.”
      3. Focus on Success. A few weeks ago my perspective got twisted a little and I was a grumbling, bumbling mess one morning. It was actually the morning I was going to implement including this in my sermon. It took me a few moments to reflect on what God has been doing here at the church, and in people’s lives I love, to realize that I had much to be thankful for. I began to focus on how God has blessed me and I found myself wallowing in praise instead of misery. Pr. 4:25-27 are great verses to keep us on the right path.
      4. Let Go. Focus on things you have the power to change. Focus on things you have control over, not those you don’t. For example, can you control the weather? Can you snap a finger and the weather go from 10 to 90? My guess is no. 😊 Ps. 20:7 says, “Some trust in chariots; some trust in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.” Pr. 21:31 also reinforces that thought.
      5. Pray and Read Scripture. Jon says Pray and Meditate but I’m leery of the connotation of that so I choose to replace meditate with Read Scripture. Great Scriptures to read are Psalm 57 & 58 and Proverbs 27. They are too long to print here.

Good things are happening at OVCF! Kid’s Church was stuffed to the gills on Sunday with an abundance of kids. We had to put out extra chairs for the adult worship and it was so good to see new people and connect with those whom I miss out on greeting. I hope you sense that God is doing something here! I’m excited. I  hope you are also. Love you much.

Pastor Bill