CHURCH REPORT FOR OCTOBER 10 2021: Hosea, can you see? (groan!)

Disclaimer (because someone will say something): although I am actively involved in my church, all opinions and observations are mine alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of the leadership, staff, or congregation.

CHURCH REPORT FOR October 10, 2021

Those who are familiar with the books of the Bible, or who did "Bible drills" in Sunday School, or even those who have access to the table of contents in their Bible know that after the book of Daniel comes the book of Hosea. And since our series on Daniel wrapped up last week (I know, I know, I didn't do a church report post!), it was time to start this brand new series.

Mike Bull was our speaker this Sunday. He handled the overview of Hosea, titled, appropriately enough, "Overview of Hosea."  For those who haven't read Hosea in a while, it is the account of a prophet of God who is told to marry a prostitute as a living object lesson of Israel's unfaithfulness to God. I won't give any spoilers, but the book develops a beautiful theme of God's love and redemption in spite of the wife's sin--indeed, in spite of OUR sin--indeed, in spite of MY sin. 

Practically speaking, the overview was concise and to the point and about half as long as last week's wrap up of Daniel, which was also to the point--seriously, Mike addressed some very timely and instructional things last week--but not quite as concise. 

Also launching this week was our annual foray into "Operation Christmas Child," a ministry of Samaritan's Purse, which seeks to fill shoe boxes with small gifts  and send it to children around the world. It's fun to be a part of this ministry each year, knowing how these boxes will be used. 

Adult Bible Study went well. Lately, we've been able to finish complete sections of our outline. While nobody minds having to stop in the middle of a verse, I really enjoy being able to finish the parts of whatever segment we are exploring. Hoping this trend continues.

So, how was your church service this weekend?

CHURCH REPORT FOR SEPTEMBER 26, 2021: History is happening

 Disclaimer (because someone will say something): although I am actively involved in my church, all opinions and observations are mine alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of the leadership, staff, or congregation.

CHURCH REPORT FOR September 26, 2021

In the hit musical Hamilton, one of the refrains says, "History is happening in Manhattan and we just happen to be in the greatest city in the world." 

After Sunday, I would like to suggest that the theme of Daniel 11 is that history will be happening in the world and we just happen to be in the greatest time of all. I know, it doesn't have the same rhythm, but it's certainly true.

Pastor Dick brought the message on Sunday (two Sundays in a row!) with a survey of Daniel 11 entitled "A Storm is Coming." It is always amazing to see the details of prophetic Scriptures and how those details play out in real history. From the rise of Alexander the Great's generals to the pre-figurement of the Antichrist, there are items for which we have the benefit of historical hindsight, but which would have been impossible for Daniel to have known when he wrote. That's what makes Daniel so amazing.

Being pre-millennial and pre-tribulational in my eschatology, I really appreciated Pastor's treatment of the chapter. It was solid without being sensationalistic. And in these troublesome times, it's good to have a reminder of the hope we have in Christ's return.

Before the service, of course, we had the Adult Bible Study. Romans 8:5-8, comparing being in the flesh with being in the Spirit. Good time of interaction. And then, after the service, was the annual Church picnic. We've had to cancel it the last couple of years for assorted reasons, but it happened this time. I did not stay, but the reports coming in have said it was a success. 

Yup, we just happen to be in the greatest time of all.

So, how was your church service this weekend?

CHURCH REPORT FOR SEPTEMBER 19, 2021: A rainy weekend

 Disclaimer (because someone will say something): although I am actively involved in my church, all opinions and observations are mine alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of the leadership, staff, or congregation.

CHURCH REPORT FOR September 19, 2021

It was a rainy weekend in the city of the eagle. A steady rain. A heavy rain. A rain that made me glad that I wasn't a lump of sugar left outside on the sidewalk. . 

With apologies for that little film noir introduction, we did have a rainy weekend. It helped wash out the smoke from the air and add some much needed moisture to our drought-stricken region. It also made for a refreshing atmosphere as we headed to church.

The Adult Bible Study went well. We started chapter 8 last week and got all the way through verse 4 this morning. I know that doesn't sound like much, but the way we all like to share insights and questions, that is an accomplishment. I was given a suggestion on how to arrange the class so we can have more Bible study time, so it's something to consider.

Pastor Dick spoke from Daniel 10 this morning about the spiritual warfare that we are in and the vital importance of prayer. It is a reminder that the battle we are in is a spiritual one. Closing the message, Pastor brought up a group of folks to lift us up corporately in prayer. 

I had a good time visiting shortly with a couple of folks after the service. One asked me a Bible question during the last song--my brain went blank, but I assured her I would find the answer.  I know a few folks in our congregation that are hurting or going through some issues. One gentleman shared a difficulty he was facing. And as I was leaving, I glanced out a door and saw a couple of our ladies comforting another woman. It made me happy, but it did not surprise me either--I've seen these ladies do this before. It's part of being in a family.

Prayer, support, encouragement, and time in the Word.  What a great place to be on a rainy weekend!

And how was your church service this weekend?

NOT QUITE A CHURCH REPORT

 The last time I posted a church report, our congregation was in a "pause" because of concern about the uptick in illness. Some followers thought that maybe we were still shut down.

I'm happy to say that our "pause" lasted for one Sunday and that we were "back in business" the following week. Of course, some of our other ministries--small groups, Bible studies, and so on--have chosen to postpone until things settle down. But the Sunday Morning activities (Worship Service, Adult Bible Study, and Children's Church) are actively meeting, as are the Middle School and High School youth groups throughout the week. 

We won't go into details about the services on which we did not report, but if anyone is keeping track, our speakers have finished Daniel 9 and Pastor Dick is working hard in preparation for the closing chapters of this great prophetic book. Oh, and I had the joy of speaking on the 12th. If anyone wants to see that service, or any of the services, just visit epcbc.org.

Okay, this was brief, but I wanted to clear up any concern about why we were not posting any updated church reports.  Have a great week, everyone.

Oh, just because there was no report, we still want to ask, "How was your service this week?"

CHURCH REPORT FOR AUGUST 1, 2021: Daniel continues

 Disclaimer (because someone will say something): although I am actively involved in my church, all opinions and observations are mine alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of the leadership, staff, or congregation.

CHURCH REPORT FOR AUGUST 1, 2021

Happy August! It's hot. Smoke is in the air from our annual regional fires. And did I mention it is hot?

What better place to be than an air-conditioned building for the Sunday Morning Worship Service! 

Ordinally, I would refer to the "Weekend Worship Service." For several months, we have had a duplicate service on Saturday evening. The Saturday service was started primarily in an attempt to address concerns about Covid spread. By offering a second service, it would spread out our crowd, thus reducing issues of distancing. The Saturday night service did not have a huge turnout, but there were positive comments from those who came.

But since our church has headed into youth activity season (camps, VBS, and so on), it has become difficult to staff a second service. And with camps winding up, many families are trying to squeeze in one last vacation or getaway. So the elder board decided to discontinue the Saturday night service until September, when they will reevaluate the program.

So that leaves us with Sunday morning. . .

We've been going through the book of Daniel and this week's message from Mike
Bull was from chapter 5. Mike usually does not have a title for his message, but the passage had to do with another famous account: the handwriting on the wall. King Belshazzar, at a drunken revel, sees a finger appear and write a cryptic phrase on the wall. Daniel announced that Belshazzar and the Babylonian's kingdom was at an end. And that night, Babylon fell to the Medes and Belshazzar was killed. 

Mike's style of preaching is to bring in a lot of background and then bring in a lot of application: personal, society, church, nation. One of the asides had to do with the fact that the Covid-19 pandemic has caused such division within the church at large. Vaxxers, anti-vaxxers, maskers, anti-maskers: we need to be more open and tolerant to one another. Personally speaking, I think he's right, but I can't help but feel there were a few on both sides of the debate who who took umbrage at his statements. But good preaching does that. Not that the speaker should seek to make someone mad, but sometimes, it happens. Been there, done that, bought the t-shirt.

Quick shout out to our music director Chris Alden. Week after week, the music is consistently good. Sometimes, his challenge is to find enough musicians and singers to bring it over the weekend (particularly Saturdays!). But bring it they do...and I would put our praise team against the "big boys" any day.

Being as it was the first Sunday of the month, we also observed the Lord's Supper, remembering the death of Christ on the cross to pay the price for our sins. Folks came forward to take the elements during the second worship set. Doing it in remembrance of Him!

So how was your church service this weekend?

CHURCH REPORT: JULY 25, 2021: Special VBS Edition!

 Disclaimer (because someone will say something): although I am actively involved in my church, all opinions and observations are mine alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of the leadership, staff, or congregation.

CHURCH REPORT FOR JULY 25, 2021

I'm back with a double-header! Not only a report on our Sunday services (said report sadly absent for the last few weeks, due to the proverbial circumstances beyond my control), but also a brief summation of what happened the week before at the annual Vacation Bible School.

Sunday Morning:

I'm always thankful for the Sunday Morning Adult Bible Study. About a dozen folks gathering together to plunge into the book of Romans chapter by chapter, section by section, (verse by verse, word by word, etc.). We've been unraveling chapter 7 and made it all the way to verse 10. We had some folks traveling and others back. Such is the nature of summer.

Pastor Dick was preaching today from Daniel 4 with a message entitled "God Rules." He emphasized the fact that God's sovereignty is the theme of David. King Nebuchadnezzar certainly found that out, as he was transformed into a wild beast. In the end, God's dominion is an everlasting dominion. God is in control.

Following the service as a prayer meeting in order to lift up the search process for a new pastor. I was unable to stay, but I understand it was a blessing. My own prayer is not only for wisdom for the search, but also for how the process is carried out, that there be no misunderstandings or procedural arguments.

Vacation Bible School:

August 19-23 was incredible. Our theme was Treasured (a Group Publishing curriculum). My friend Kim directed the program. As per usual, she unleashed the kids to sing some great, uplifting songs during the opening and closing. I admire her obvious love for the children and her ability to pull together all the elements. She helped me on several VBSs when I was doing children's ministries so I appreciate what she brings to the VBS table.

My primary "job" was doing the Bible story. I did some adapting each night as what was written in the curriculum book would not have worked in our situation. Brenda helped me primarily with picture taking a moral support. A few discipline problems here and there, but overall some good groups. Some of the major and minor highlights of the week:

• When describing the qualities of a king, one 7 or 8 year old said the king should be "devastatingly handsome." A kid with a vocabulary like that will go far!
• I used a puppet to play "David." His headband fell off, so I had to ad-lib a line. It worked so well that when the headband fell off in the other sessions, I just used the same line (puppets are so temperamental!)
• One of the kids gave me and some other leaders a beautiful blue polished stone.
• Another girl approached me during transition times and asked some very insightful Biblical questions. 
• There was a medical emergency on one night. There also just so happened to be a nurse and a paramedic in the building that night. What a "coincidence," huh? (sorry, being a touch sarcastic).
• Pastor Dick sat in one of our sessions. It's always great to see him at these things.
• Thursday night is gospel night. The salvation message is emphasized in a special way. 34 kids raised their hands to profess faith in Christ! (notice that I use the phrase "profession of faith." That's because kids don't always raise their hands because of trusting Christ. But God knows their hearts, even if all we can see is their profession. One of these days, I'll write more about this).
• Ice cream social for volunteers after Friday's final session. Yum.

As I write this, Kim is starting preparation for Kids Camp, which is coming up this weekend. I'm not involved in that, but to shift from VBS to Kids Camp in less than a week is a Solomonic/Samsonitic feat (I'm pretty sure I made up those words), so I'm praying for Kim and her team.

And that was the double-header of our Sunday...and our week. So how was your church service this weekend? And if you've had a Vacation Bible School program, how did it go? Let me know in the comments.

 

CHURCH REPORT FOR JUNE 27, 2021: Hot Day, Cool Service!

 Disclaimer (because someone will say something): although I am actively involved in my church, all opinions and observations are mine alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of the leadership, staff, or congregation.

CHURCH REPORT FOR JUNE 27, 2021

Another hot day in southern Oregon. So thankful for an air-conditioned building in
which the church can gather. And we were blessed to have our senior Pastor, Dr. Richard Bull speaking today. 

I like it when Pastor Dick is in the pulpit. And the fact that he is kicking us off in chapter 1 of the book of Daniel is even better!

We had a decent turnout in our Adult Bible Study, as we explored Romans 6. One of our newest group attendees made an excellent observation about the good works that unbelievers do--stating that they are "horizontal" good works, they often will benefit friends, family, our fellow man, but they cannot do "vertical" good works, those works done to please the Lord. One of the greatest blessings of our Sunday Morning study is that I learn and am enriched from the others in the group. Great way to start the morning.

And then came the service, with Pastor Dick speaking on "A Test of Character." It was a breakdown of chapter 1, with Daniel's deportation, his education in the Babylonian system, and his commitment to live for the Lord in spite of his surroundings. 

A little "behind the scenes" info: when talking about the food and diet set before the Hebrew youths, Pastor Dick had thought about showing the famous "Dinner of Doom" banquet scene from the movie Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (you know, the one where they're eating snakes, and bugs, and monkey brains, and so on!). But after consultation with wise counsel, he decided against it (it probably would have been fun for a a middle school group, though!).

The theme of focus of the message was this: "How can we live in Babylon without being a part of Babylon?  By living our inner convictions." Great lesson, great reminder.

So how was your church service this weekend?

CHURCH REPORT FOR JUNE 20, 2021: We Got Cookies!

Disclaimer (because someone will say something): although I am actively involved in my church, all opinions and observations are mine alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of the leadership, staff, or congregation.

CHURCH REPORT FOR JUNE 20, 2021

How does a nice guy like me end up with a special, hand-selected bag of cookies AND a belt-clippable tape measure that ensured me that I am loved beyond measure?

Well, I went to church on Father's Day! And there, waiting in the foyer, was a container with the aforementioned cookies and another container with a full supply of tape measures! The note on the tape measure said "You are loved beyond measure," while the other side was a quote from 1 Timothy 6:11: "But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, and gentleness." What a great way to start the morning!

After a good Adult Bible Study (in which we finished off the first half of Romans 6), my wife and I decided to enjoy the service in the comfort of the Fireside Room. Usually, there are a few other folks in there with us, but this time, we were all by ourselves. Not counting the people in the foyer. And the auditorium full of people just outside the door.

We started a brand new series in the book of Daniel. I've always enjoyed Daniel--it is a rich and exciting book. Mike Bull gave the overview of the book (in a message entitled--you guessed it--"Overview of Daniel"). He gave us a rundown of the historical background of the book and its main themes and characters. He pointed out that Daniel is often blasted by critics, but there are answers to those attacks.

Overall, Daniel considers the question of how we live faithful lives to God while living in Babylon. And of course, the bottom line of the book is that it isn't about us, it's about God. 

There was a little sadness this day as well, as one of our longstanding church members passed away after a long fight with cancer. He passed on Saturday, making the Sunday Father's Day observance a little bittersweet. The father of a friend of ours from church also passed a couple of weeks ago. I'm reminded of the Scripture which encourages us not to, "sorrow, but as those who have no hope" (1 Thessalonians 4:13).

While Mike's message wasn't directly about this, it did contain hope---hope in the great God who brought Daniel into Babylon and works daily in my life.

So how was your church service this weekend?