The Scribe – November 2021

From Pastor Ken

“Look outside, the leaves are changing. The weather is getting colder. November is a month of change. We’ll change our clocks, fall back because of daylight savings time. That’s Saturday night, November 6.”

In this month, we’ll also see how the Lord changes us!

On Sunday, November 7, we’ll hear how he is changing our hearts. Like the poor widow who learns just how good God is and begins putting her trust in Him. She ends up using what she has for the sake of others. Her heart is changed by the sacrificial love of the Lord. He can be doing the same in us.

On Sunday, November 14, we’ll hear how God changes our whole lives through Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. He died once for all and by his forgiveness, he makes our lives new. So, we live it out, and meet
together, encouraging each other to make a difference in this world. We reflect Jesus in all we do.

Then on Sunday, November 21, we’ll celebrate Christ the King, the culmination of the church year. When all is said and done, we will see Jesus Christ, the one who is, who was, and who is to come. All we are, and all we have belongs to him. He is Lord.

All of this, finally, is Stewardship. We are managers of all that God has entrusted to us; ourselves, our time, and our possessions. This month, we plan how we will trust, and share, and reflect him.

Thanksgiving Eve

On Wednesday, November 24, we meet to give thanks to our gracious God who provides us with every good gift. Be thinking of what you are especially thankful for. Then bring some non-perishable food to share with those who are in need in our community. You may bring it forward during our processional offering.

From Pastor John

Love Your Neighbor

There was a girl, in high school, the kind who kept to herself and was usually found sitting on the floor alone by her locker reading. She was a socially awkward girl with a lot of family issues. More important for her was fitting in with the rest of her peers because she didn’t fit in at all.

There was a boy, in the same high school mentioned, who happened to be popular. He was athletic, had good grades, and fit in very well with his peers. Every day of school he would walk down the hall, see the girl mentioned above, and say hello to her with a smile. Their lockers were close by. Three years is a long time to go through high school. I remember those years too. What nobody realized is that the boy who greeted that girl with a smile every day meant the world to her. It was almost nothing for the boy, who simply saw the girl as a person loved by God (he was a Christian). To the girl this was the only affirmation of her value she would get every day. The fact that someone would notice her, smile at her, greet her, was only known by her for all of her high school days.

That is until one day she, through the school counselor, was given the opportunity to speak to the rest of her high school class. She had struggled with thoughts of suicide. She had struggled with a lot of things. She shared a lot of things with her classmates that day she spoke. What broke our hearts was when she spoke of Josh, the boy who would greet her every day. As it turns out his simple kindness to an unpopular girl helped keep her alive throughout her high school days.

Her name is Cheryl.

Love your neighbor as yourself my friends. A little bit of Christ’s love in you goes a long way when you share it, even if you never know the difference.
-Pastor John

From Jacob Oglesby, Youth and Family Ministries Director

Greetings all,
As we close out the month of October, I continue to marvel at the beauty of Black Forest. We have so many opportunities to see God at work not only in the lives of others but also in the quiet breezes and beautiful scenery. Our God really broke the mold when he made this area, and I am so grateful to be a part of a beautiful congregation both inside and outside the walls of the church.

Throughout this month we have continued to offer youth group sessions every Sunday evening from 6:00 – 7:30 PM. Invite your friends and classmates because it has been an absolute blast. These continue to be a great time for us in the life of the church and I am enjoying the time I have with the students. We play games, get to know each other better, have a quick snack, and we also get to share in a Bible study as well. I have been teaching the students the S.T.O.P method of Bible study. If you’re not sure what that is, come check us out Sunday evening and I’ll tell you ALL about it!

Along with these weekly set meetings with the youth I am still connecting with the students on a regular basis, including both youth and young adults. We are offering confirmation class to students every Wednesday from 6:30 – 8:00 PM, Sunday School from 9:30 – 10:15 AM, and one young adult meeting every month.

If your student would like to meet for a lunch, I am also glad to schedule those as well.

We typically hold at least two youth events every month. These have been a blast and have varied from volleyball to table tennis, from smores to late night movie events. During October we had two events – a youth and family paint night where we painted a Fall pumpkin picture together and our annual pumpkin carving event as well. During the month of October, we also had our First communion retreat as well as our confirmation Sunday. What a great time to see both the future of the church and the church of today come together and take steps forward in their faith journey. I am honored to have been a part of them.

We continue to offer both Sunday School and Wiggle Worship. We have had a great time in planning and running these classes in the past and are excited that we get to continue offering them this semester.

Sunday School is from 9:30-10:15 for ages Pre-K – 5th grade with Maureen Lang, and 6th – 12th grade with me, and all others are with Pastor Ken or Pastor John.

Wiggle Worship is after the children’s message in the second service and is for 3 to 7-year olds. The children will receive an age-appropriate lesson and be returned to their parents before communion.

We are looking forward to some amazing events and times in November be on the lookout for these events and we look forward to seeing you there.
For His glory,
Jacob Oglesby

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