Our Blog

Pastor's Point - November 2024

Dear Church Family,

Staying on Mission

Over the last several Sundays we have been considering the importance of thinking and seeing with eternal perspective. Christians, of all people, must rise above the temporal concerns and circumstances of life and focus on eternal things. Our church has a great history of living exactly this way and we are now at a time when we need to live that way once again. Three years ago, our church family made financial pledges above their regular giving to the amount of $750,000.00. As we conclude this current pledge time, we will have collected close to $900,000.00 at the end of this year!! These pledges have allowed our South Campus to build out and complete our new student room and to update and secure our children’s wing also. At North Campus, we have made the necessary repairs and updates to address most of the deferred maintenance issues that were prevalent throughout that building.

But for us to stay on mission and to complete the plan that God has given to us, we need to consider what we can give to complete the next phase of work that we need to begin. The new funds raised will allow us to add on to our North Campus foyer, install a new elevator for the education wing, and make the necessary improvements to the sanctuary so we can hold our 8:00 am service as well as our sister Hispanic church service there on Sundays. We also will then be able to move some of our adult Life Groups down there as well which will free up desperately needed parking spaces in the 9:30 am worship hour at South Campus.

The Lord has helped us to exceed our first financial goal, but the cost for all this work went beyond that first goal. We now need to raise funds to help us complete what we have started. Simply put, we need to stay on mission. I have shared with the church that the best estimates we have right now for the scope of work that needs to be completed on North Campus is around 1.7 million dollars. I know that is a quite a number, but it is not bigger than our God. We are praying for people who helped us reach our first financial goal, to help us once again. Would you continue the pledge you have been making for this new campaign? If you are newer to the church, would you consider joining us in giving sacrificially to this need? This is why we need to think and see with an eternal perspective. Please consider what God may have you to give. You will be hearing more about this need leading up to our Thanksgiving Dinner on Sunday, November 24th at 5:00 pm, where we will encourage our church family to consider turning in a new three-year commitment card with the amount that God has laid upon your heart to give.

Going on Mission

Would you please pray for Paul and Amy Willett, and for myself and my wife Paula as we join a team from the state of Indiana and go to Tokyo Japan to share the Gospel with the Japanese people. Many of you know that my oldest son Nick and his wife Melissa serve there as full time vocational missionaries. The trip will be from November 15^th – 23^rd. Please pray for me as I have the opportunity to preach in a Japanese church while I am there. My son Nick will be translating it into Japanese. I never would have imagined that, but the wonderful thing is that it is not a dream. I am very excited about this opportunity. Our team needs your prayers as we shine the light of the Gospel in this country which is so marked by lostness. Please also pray for safe travel. Your prayers are most appreciated!

I love you and I love being your pastor!

Family Ministry Moments - November 2024

Kids Ministry Serving Opportunities

11 AM Worship Hour

• 1st - 2nd Grade Kids Life Group Leader and Assistant Leader
• 3rd - 5th Grade Kids Life Group Assistant Leader

Contact me if you are interested in learning more about these opportunities!

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A few years ago Lifeway Research published a huge study about discipling children who will have a strong faith into adulthood.  The study was published in a book by Jana Magruder called Nothing Less.  They identified 10 spiritual influencers that have an impact on your child's spiritual health.  I did a series of podcasts on these influencers a few years ago.  You can find the first episode at https://ohbcfamilies.podbean.com/e/episode-1-modern-parenting/  

The spiritual influences are things you would expect–parents who encourage prayer, serving, Christian music, and missions are important influencers; however, there was one influence that blew the others away.  The one that moved the needle the most in the area of spiritual health was Bible reading.

Parents who encouraged Bible reading in their homes were far more likely to have children who stuck to their faith into adulthood.  Barna Research indicated in 2019 that the church dropout rate among college students was 64% (https://www.barna.com/research/resilient-disciples/).  There is an epidemic among Christian families that must be addressed, but waiting until children are in college is too late!  We must address this problem early, preferably starting when children are toddlers. 

When children are little it is easy to introduce them to the Bible.  Many parents I know have a bedtime routine that includes reading.  Reading the Bible and praying naturally fits into this time.  As children grow, life gets very busy and times like this can become more difficult.  Parents must make Bible reading a priority. I have seen some families
incorporate a family devotion time at a time that is convenient for them, like dinner time, or in the morning before everyone heads out the door.  In our stage of life, we now have three teenagers, the routine that we like is to have a family prayer time before bed and then encourage everyone (even the adults) to go do a devotion or Bible reading and personal prayer time.

Do we do this every night? I wish, sometimes we forget or our schedule gets messed up.  The point is not to be legalistic about it, the studies indicate that regular (meaning most of the time) Bible reading has a great impact on children’s faith.  So the challenge is for parents to find what works for their family with the time they have.

While this study is very enlightening, we don’t need a study to tell us that God’s Word is important.  God’s Word testifies to its importance. Mediate on these familiar verses:

• Psalm 119:105  - Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.
• Matthew 4:4 - “It is written, “‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
• 2 Timothy 3:16-17 - All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work
  Do you want a strong faith? Do you want your children to have a strong faith? Read God’s Word!!!