MIDWEEK MESSAGE #126<\/b><\/p>\n
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Hello and welcome to Midweek Message #126. Thanks for allowing me to \u201craid\u201d your day with my musings.<\/p>\n
Jo and I had a relaxing weekend. It started with attending a football game on Thursday evening (and being so glad I took a jacket to wear). When we left the house it was comfortable and Jo wondered why I was taking a sweatshirt. I\u2019m glad I did! Between the metal bleachers and the wind, it was one of those times you felt like the chill went to the bone. After a relaxing Friday (my normal day off), we had a good time Saturday watching one of the young people play football and then watching a baseball game in the late afternoon. Talk about a \u201ctale of two kinds of weather!\u201d Saturday at noon I forgot to wear a hat and I had a \u201cred head\u201d that evening. Then Sunday we visited a church in Martinsville with Ryan and Amanda Spires.\u00a0 It was nice being with friends, but we sure missed being with you.\u00a0 You know how to spoil me and Jo.\u00a0 Anyway, thanks to Pastor Ryan for filling in for me. I heard from someone that my job was in jeopardy.\u00a0 He is <\/b>younger than me I was told, as the man (but I won\u2019t mention Don Taylor\u2019s name) was so ready & willing to share when he dropped in on our staff meeting Monday.\u00a0 \u263a<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t forget to pray for our Educator of the Week, Carol Watson. Mrs. Watson is principal at Gosport Elementary. I received a really nice note from her in response to my note to her about praying for her. I\u2019m glad the church does that.<\/p>\n
In last week\u2019s MM I asked you to set aside October 30th on your calendar as OVCF celebrates its 18th year.\u00a0 I trust you have done that and plan to take part in the celebration. Two services. A pitch-in. A sermon entitled \u201cAs We Live and Breathe,\u201d will present the revised Mission and Vision of OVCF which the elders have spent some of the last six months working on. \u00a0But we also need your help. To make the pitch-in more evenly distributed, Diana has made some sign-up sheets with various food options for you to sign-up and bring. This will make sure the food is spread out over all the food groups (that way we don\u2019t get all desserts). \u263a Please take a moment and consider what you might bring and sign-up so we can prepare for it. The church will provide water and the drinks (tea, coffee and lemonade). I look forward to sharing the day with you. To make the day even more special, we will recognize our volunteers! \u263a More info to come!<\/p>\n
FYI: In the past, our Easter offering has been given to missions and our anniversary offering has been given to our building fund. Last year we divided the anniversary offering between the two. This year\u2019s anniversary offering will all go to our Building Fund (unless you designate funds otherwise). Thanks to your continued generosity and support, you\u2019ve made the dream of a building addition where we can all meet together attainable in the near future, Lord willing! \u263a<\/p>\n
Speaking of the building: In last week\u2019s MM I also mentioned a meeting which was to take place on Thursday with a builder. That meeting did happen with 6 people and the rep. We had a couple who wanted to come, but simply could not get away from their work. Let me just say this: it was a great meeting! He asked a lot of questions and offered some great suggestions.<\/p>\n
I contacted one other firm Monday (in order to get multiple bids) and we are still hoping to have something to show you at the 18th Anniversary celebration. We won\u2019t be able to have things in great detail but it is totally possible we will have some drawings for you to see. As of today, we have over $231k in the Building Fund.<\/p>\n
This Sunday night from 5-7:00 Wayne Akerson\u2019s small group will be meeting again in the youth addition main room. You are welcome to visit and take part. We will begin viewing and discussing the series Jesus. The Man. The Myth. The Legend.\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n
During my morning Encounter Time, I have been using a 90 day devotional written by Bill Crowder from Our Daily Bread called A Compassionate Heart.<\/i> Over the weekend I read the following:<\/p>\n
Frances Kemble was a British actress who moved to America in the early 1800s and married a southern plantation owner named Pierce Butler. Frances enjoyed the life afforded by the wealth of the plantation, until she saw the cost of that luxury-a cost paid by the slaves who worked her husband\u2019s plantations.<\/p>\n
Having written a memoir of the cruel treatment slaves often suffered, Kemble was eventually divorced from her husband. Her writings were widely circulated among abolitionists and published in 1863 as Journal of a Residence on a Georgian Plantation in 1838-1839.<\/i> (My note: That is a long book title!) Because of her opposition to slavery, the former wife of a slave owner became known as \u201cThe Unlikely Abolitionist.\u201d<\/p>\n
Crowder goes on to make this point: \u201cIn the body of Christ, God often wonderfully surprises us. He regularly uses the unlikely-people and circumstances-to accomplish His purposes.\u201d He quotes I Corinthians 1: 27-28 and then says this: \u201cThis reminds us that God, in His grace, can use anyone. If we will allow His work to be done in us, we might be surprised at what He can do through us!\u201d<\/p>\n
One of the biggest complaints I have heard down through the years has been people saying, \u201cI just don\u2019t fit in.\u201d Or \u201cI don\u2019t know what I can do to serve.\u201d There are other ways to say that, but the truth is there are so many ways to serve-some very public and some private. Some big and some small. But all important. Don\u2019t downgrade what you can do to serve Jesus.<\/p>\n
Have a great rest of the week. I love you all and look forward to being back with you and seeing you this Sunday.\u00a0 New Series: \u201cWake Up Sleepy Head!\u201d starts this Sunday.<\/p>\n
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Pastor Bill<\/p>\n
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MIDWEEK MESSAGE #126 Hello and welcome to Midweek Message #126. Thanks for allowing me to \u201craid\u201d your day with my musings. Jo and I had a relaxing weekend. It started with attending a football game on Thursday evening (and being so glad I took a jacket to wear). When we left the house it … <\/p>\n