The Calvary. Volume 16 - Issue 5 May 2015

Transcription

1 Calvary Baptist Church 1140 Rush Ave. The Calvary Bellefontaine, Ohio Phone (937) Fax: (937) Volume 16 - Issue 5 May 2015 Call We are continuing a series of articles written by friends who attended Calvary, and moved away. This is a way to keep up with old friends. We have named this series Where are they now? Where is the Downing family now? BY SUSAN DOWNING t has been many years I since our family worshipped and served at Calvary Baptist Church. Our family said goodbye to Calvary Baptist Church in August The newest addition to our family, Thia, was six weeks old. The Lord had called us to serve at a small church outside of Bellefontaine, Stony Creek Church of the Brethren. We served with this beloved body of believers from September 2003-November We so enjoyed our time of service to the dear folks at Stony Creek. In the summer of 2013 we felt the Lord clearly telling us that our chapter at Stony Creek Church of the Brethren was ending. We weren t sure what the Lord had for us next but continued to seek His face. When the kids asked what was next for us Inside this issue: From the pastor s desk....2 Spiritually and physically fit New members...3 Calvary news Calendar..INSERT CCS news insert we would tell them that we were just like the Israelites in the desert keeping one eye on the guiding pillar of cloud while keeping busy doing the Lord s work. We wanted to be alert and aware to where the Lord was working. The next five or so months we were loved on by others that loved Jesus and prayed with us and for us about our future ministry. Wayne began feeling the tug more clearly to return to preaching and he was given an opportunity to fill the pulpit at two different churches. In June 2014, the day of Evan s high school graduation open house, we were voted in and called to serve at Goshen Friends Church. Goshen is neighbors with Marmon Valley Farms and Mad River Mountain. By accepting this new calling many changes were to take place. Pursuing this new ministry meant moving into the parsonage in Zanesfield, selling our DeGraff house (which brought a full price offer after one week on the market being sold by owner praise God!), enrolling the kids in a new much larger school district than we were used to, Wayne ending his employment at his employer The Downing family of sixteen years and beginning his fulltime Christian ministry. We dearly love our new church family at Goshen and are excited to see how the Lord will use us as we humbly desire to serve Him. Wayne spends his days serving the folks at Goshen. Susan works at Jackson Livestock in DeGraff a few days a month and also works as the Life Enrichment Planner at the Homestead at Logan Acres, which is an independent living with assistance facility. Evan is one month away from completing his freshman year at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia, majoring in Electrical Engineering. Morgan began her time at Ben Logan as a senior and will be graduating in May. She is looking at attending Word of Life Bible Institute in Hudson, Florida and possibly getting further education after their one year program Bible program. (continued on page 3)

2 page 2 The Calvary Call Spiritually & Physically Fit A bout a year ago, Gaile Gildow shared her interest in helping others become both spiritually and physically fit. She did not want to teach a weight loss class but a class that would look at the whole person. I was immediately excited to hear more about her vision. Over the next few months she continued to develop the idea and from it was born the Life Focus group. This group meets once a month for six months and learns helpful ideas to manage food, weight, time and to focus on what is truly important in life. I must admit I love food. I like Mexican food, Chinese food, Italian food, seafood, spicy food, fast food and slow food. I like food. The Life Focus Group has taught me how to look at food as Daniel looked at food. Using the prophet Daniel as a pattern, Gaile has allowed us to see the importance of knowing what we are eating and why we are eating it. Each month she takes us to the Word of God for encouragement and direction, then adds some of her expertise in the area of nutrition to help us be both spiritually and physically fit. In April she reminded us that the one another passages tell us that we don t live in isolation but in community. From that she helped us see how accountability will help us set and achieve our goals. One big goal she set for us is to walk to Israel. Not literally but figuratively. Not alone but cumulatively. She distributed pedometers and asked us to record our steps. As she adds them up we hope to reach Israel by the summer. Thank you, Gaile, for your leadership in this healthy and God-honoring way. In February, David Davis came to me and asked if I wanted to be part of a men s March Madness Challenge group. The group crowned a winner on April 13. I was a little taken aback knowing that David was looking for guys who needed to lose weight and he thought of me. After a day and a half of crying, I was glad he asked me. He assigned points for eating fruit and vegetables. There were points for avoiding some foods that are not helpful to your body. Another area that awarded points was for daily exercise as well as another category for drinking at least 64 oz. of water each day. One final category was for encouraging the rest of the group in one way or another. Scripture verses were exchanged on-line. One man decided to increase his spiritual exercise (daily Bible study) or he wouldn t give himself any points for physical exercise. There was also smack talk, but always in a way to encourage others to keep pressing toward their goals. Together the group lost over 200 pounds in four weeks. David, thank you for taking the lead and looking for guys like me who needed a push to add the physical exercise to my spiritual exercise. When I saw how the two of these things entered my life at the same time, I started to wonder what could happen if the entire church decided to take better care of God s temple, our bodies. Or better yet, what if several churches got together and led Logan County in healthy living. From personal experience I can tell you, in a relatively short amount of time my weight went down, my resting heart rate went down and my energy went up. With more energy I can serve God more effectively. With a proper diet and exercise I am healthier, which means I can be a better steward. Discipline and balance are the keys. I don t want to spend my life worrying about the food I eat or if I did enough exercise. I also don t want to spend my life trying to catch my breath because I ignore my health. I want to live my life for Christ and I want to do whatever it takes to be a more effective servant. Gaile is looking to see what she will do next. David is talking about the next group. I plan to encourage them all I can because I only have one body to offer to my Lord. Join me in giving Him your heart, your mind, and your entire body. - Jeff Willetts, senior pastor

3 page 3 The Calvary Call ~ New members ~ ~ Calvary news ~ Craig and Sarah Nichelson live in the Bellefontaine area. They have a seven-and-a-half. month old daughter, Jenna. They met at a small Christian school in Lima, and both graduated from Cedarville University. They celebrated their fourth wedding anniversary in December. Craig works at Honda R & D as a design engineer, and enjoys playing ping pong. Sarah is a stay-at-home mom, except during tax season, when she works part time as a tax preparer for Liberty Tax in Bellefontaine. She loves to read, especially adventure books. Madison Bowman lives in DeGraff; is thirteen years old, and is in the eighth grade at Riverside local school. She enjoys reading and having fun. She is involved in volleyball and basketball. She enjoys reading, baking cookies, and talking. Madison says she wants to help her community and church, to bring glory to God and let people know about His love. ~ Calvary events ~ Against the Grain - Men s retreat at Skyview Ranch April See details on bulletin board in the church foyer. Together - Marriage retreat, June 5-6 at Deer Creek State Lodge. Registration and payment of $189 per couple is due by May 3. Vacation Bible School - June Please see the bulletin board in the foyer for a list of items we need your help with. Where is the Downing family? (continued from page 1) Davis, a seventh grader, is doing well in school, and is particularly enjoying Middle School Band. Math is his favorite class. Thia, a sixth-grader, is enjoying the art program at Benjamin Logan and singing in the choir. We are so grateful and thankful for the great privilege to serve Him daily. God clearly confirms this calling on our lives and has provided the strength needed to perform what He has asked of us. Can we challenge you to chase after Jesus and seek His heart in every step you take and every decision you make?

4 Calvary Baptist Church 1140 Rush Ave. Bellefontaine, Ohio Calvary Baptist Church, 1140 Rush Ave., Bellefontaine, Ohio Ph. (937) FAX (937) Web site: [email protected] Schedule of services: Sunday: - Sunday school - Morning worship 6:00 p.m. - Evening worship Wednesday: - Bible studies and for youth from ages 3 through high school - Adult Bible study and prayer group Pastoral staff: Jeff Willetts, senior pastor Mark Warren, music and adult ministries pastor Donny Macaluso, youth and family pastor Home of Calvary Christian School K-4 through Grade 11 Phone (937) Paul Green, CCS administrator The Calvary Call Published monthly for the members and friends of Calvary Baptist Church Lee Detrick, Editor If you wish to have your name removed from our mailing list, please let us know

5 ~ May 2015 ~ Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1 2 INSERT 3 Missions B.U.I.L.D. Class* 4 Life Focus MOTHER S DAY 17 Fellowship groups B.U.I.L.D. Class* 24 No evening service B.U.I.L.D. Class* 7:00 p.m B.U.I.L.D. Class* 7:00 p.m No evening ervice B.U.I.L.D. Class* *The B.U.I.L.D class was designed for leadership development within the church. The acronym stands for Biblically Uplifting Intentional Leadership Development. The group meets together to dig deeper into the theology of God s Word. ** Study - We ll continue our study of the historical books of the Old Testament.

6 CalStuMi (Calvary Student Ministries) - ~ for May~ Regular student ministries: LIGHT Grades 9-12 Sunday morning Bible study at 9:00 SALT - Grades 6-8 Sunday morning worship at 10:15 CalStuMi Kids Wednesday evening group time at 6:30 Age 3 through 5th grade Children s church for ages 4 through grade 4 is GOPHER BUDDIES -Ages 3 through kindergarten available during the Sunday morning worship time at OLYMPIANS - Grades :15. ~ Calvary Christian School News ~ One of our grandparents will match up to $50,000 for our new complex. Pledge cards are also available in the school office for those who might want to join the campaign. Please pray that our journey for this new complex will continue to touch the hearts of those who would be willing to give a large or small gift. INSERT The Fellowship of Christian Athletes Club selected the following students based on their Christian attitude. Participation in athletics and their involvement in our FCA. Representing our high school FCA are ninth graders Chantel Smithers and Joanna Czillag, tenth grader Clayton Slemmons. Representing our middle school FCA will be Josh Kilgore. These students were honored in Columbus at the central Ohio FCA Legends Banquet April 18. Our high school and junior high track team is under the direction of Gaile Gildow, assisted by Trish Kratz, Courtney Reinhard, Maria Salmonowica, and Michael Kerns. They will be competing against our Logan County schools. Calvary Christian School's youth in government club recently participated in a statewide youth in government event. This was the 64th Ohio in Government to take place at the Ohio Statehouse. CCS sent 10 high school students including Nathalie Thompson, Peter Printz, Noah Taylor, Maddie McGillis, Makayla Hartley, Amanda Koons, Sam Jackson, Mia Printz, Katie Thompson, and Aleesha Watkins. These students had the opportunity to take over the statehouse for one weekend and perform the roles of our government leaders. CCS had students that were pages, lobbyists, press members, legislatures, and one member of the governors cabinet. This was a great opportunity for our students to interact with other students that possess very different worldviews from their own. It is an exercise that forces you to get out of your comfort zone and interact with others on current issues of the day. This experience has given our students a personal testimony of how important a biblical worldview is.