OAKHILL BAPTIST CHURCH RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED...
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OAKHILL BAPTIST CHURCH
4615 OAK HILL ROAD
EVANSVILLE, IN 47711-2943
RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED NON-PROFIT ORG,
U.S. POSTAGE PAID
PERMIT #1760
EVANSVILLE, IN
4615 Oak Hill Rd. Evansville, IN 47711 • 812-476-3450 • [email protected]
The Oakhill Baptist Church Newsletter
April 2019
Dear Church Family,
We are approaching one of the best times of the year to invite people to come to
church. Please be praying about those whom you can personally invite this year to one
of our Easter service. The research shows that people are just waiting for an invitation
from you to come to your church. A few years ago, LifeWay Research conducted a
survey of 15,000 adults for the North American Mission Board to try to determine which
of 13 approaches is the best-received when a church wants to be heard. The research
showed us that best-received means of seeing new people walk into one’s church is,
well, a personal invitation.
a. Sixty-seven percent of Americans say a personal invitation from a family member
would be very or somewhat effective in getting them to visit a church.
b. Sixty-three percent of Americans say a personal invitation from a friend or
neighbor would be very or somewhat effective in getting them to visit a church.
c. Sixty-three percent of Americans are very or somewhat willing to receive
information about a local congregation or faith community from a family member.
d. Fifty-six percent of Americans are very or somewhat willing to receive information
about a local congregation or faith community from a friend or neighbor.
So, people ARE open to an invite from church, particularly if it is from someone they
know. But one simple invitation isn’t necessarily going to result in subsequent
attendance. Neighbors may come because of an invitation, but they’ll stay for the
community.
Please get one of our prayer guides this month and use it to help you make this most important invitation. We want
you to be praying about who you know that may not know Christ but needs to. Who’s Your One? This is a very
important question. This prayer guide will help prepare the way for you to invite this person to come and be a part of
one of our Easter services this year.
With all the craziness that is going on in our world today, we have a golden opportunity to reach out to people with
the hope of the Gospel. People are looking for something to put their trust in, but all that this world offers leaves
people empty. We need to make sure that we offer to all who will hear the hope that is found in our Savior Jesus
Christ. Please make the effort to ask the question, “Who’s Your One?” And after you ask the question and God gives
you an answer, open your mouth and be faithful. You never know, a simple invite to a church service could have an
eternal impact!!
I love you and I love being your pastor,
PASTOR’S POINTS
Alan D. Scott
Lead Pastor
8:00 AM Worship 70 70 90 86 92
9:30 AM Worship 183 211 237 234 235
11:00 AM Worship 241 276 294 259 297
Total Worship 494 557 621 579 624
Oakhill Budget Offering $24,886.76 $18,263.00 $17,071.92 $14,691.92 $19,051.34
Mission Club $550.00 $205.00 $230.00 $225.00 $310.00
Mar 3 Mar 24 Mar 17 Mar 31 Mar 10
In Need of Hope
Kevin Ezell, NAMB President
Every step our missionaries take across North America, they are faced with increasing secularism. Many cities have
become so irreligious they could reasonably be deemed pre-Christian. Even in the region once deemed the “Bible Belt,”
Christianity is being pushed to the margins.
North America is also rapidly becoming more diverse culturally and ethnically. Every day, the nations come here. Many
are from people groups whose home countries are extremely difficult to reach. We cannot let these gospel opportunities
pass us by, and missionaries desperately need the prayers of God’s people to succeed.
Pray for missionaries to make connections with people who can help build relationships in new neighborhoods. For
encouragement in the middle of social pressure and loneliness. For God to provide more Christian leaders who will help
share the missionaries’ loads.
Have you made a contribution to the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering? Our generosity and prayer is one way we can
support more than 5,000 missionaries. Every dollar goes directly to the mission field. Our goal is $9,000.
Pray for the pastors in Ecuador who have participated in training seminars led by Nick Scott and Bobby Pell, that these
sessions would have a lasting and strong effect on the Ecuadorian churches.
Continue to pray for Alexa Minor who is working in Australia with students at the University of Queensland. Pray for
Lynna Rollow who is in a mission program called World Race in which young adults (21-35) serve in 11 countries in 11
months. Beginning April 4th she will be moving from Peru to India. Continue to pray for Leonid Marsan, his wife Kenia and
their 3 daughters as they begin ministry locally with Hispanics.
Women on Mission will meet at the church Monday, April 15th at 6:00 pm.
(Note that this is a change in date)
All our ladies are invited to join us for prayer, study and fellowship.
WOMEN ON MISSION
Ministry Update
The past three months have been pretty crazy. We wrapped up the Upward basketball
and cheerleading program the first part of March. I would have to say that this was one of
the most successful years in terms of outreach and connecting with families. We know for
sure that one child was saved. We have had several families visit our church. There have
been a few of the middle school students begin to engage with our student ministry. In one
sense I am happy the season is over, if for no other reason to get some rest, but I will miss it
and the opportunity for ministry. Thank you to all the volunteers and coaches that put in
countless hours to organize this league. We could not have done it without you!
From there we move on to planning for Easter and even VBS! Easter will be on us
before we know it. Our Easter weekend is a great way to connect people to our church.
They will be able to hear the gospel proclaimed and learn about the power of the
resurrection. One of the highlights of the weekend is our Community Easter Egg Hunt. We
fill over 6,000 eggs and invite the entire community to come out. This event is what we call a
bridge event. We simply try to connect with our community in a positive way. It is
something that you can invite friends and family to partake in that is casual and fun. We hope
to have a great turn out for the egg hunt.
Also, a lot of my time right now is focused on VBS. Yes, VBS! We actually start prepping
for VBS in February. We really ramp up in March and April. Mostly getting volunteers lined
out, supplies ordered, and having our leader training. This year the theme is “In the Wild”. We are going to look at
snapshots of the different ecosystems around the globe while looking at snapshots of the life of Jesus. I can’t wait to see
what God will do through our VBS this year. As I wrote last month, VBS is the largest evangelistic push that most
churches do all year. We are going to keep the focus on connecting with families and proclaiming the gospel.
I have enjoyed the last three months as the pastor of children and missions. It has been an adjustment, but it has
been a delight to get to know the kids and their families even more. We have a great group of kids and kids’ ministry
volunteers. Please pray for them, they don’t just provide childcare, they are pouring into your children the Word of God
each week.
We also have had another big change the past few weeks. Our Hispanic church planter, Leonid Marsan, came
onsite at the end of February. He and his family are currently living in our Charis House while they get set-up and adjust
to life in Evansville. Leonid is not sitting idle, he is getting out into the community and God is already beginning to work.
Leonid has been connected to several Hispanic individuals by God’s providence. Please pray for him and his family as
they begin this new work. Also pray for them as they learn the culture and English language. Our church family has
been so welcoming to them already, I know you will make Oakhill feel like home.
God has also been doing some things in my life; reminding me that people, not programs are most important when it
comes to ministry. We must keep our eyes on Jesus, proclaim the gospel, reach out to our community, and make
disciples. If we keep those ideals first, then the programs will fall into their proper place. Thank you for trusting me to
be the pastor of children and missions, it is quickly becoming one of the greatest joys of my life.
Bryan R. Gotcher
Pastor of Children &
Missions
Blog: bryangotcher.
wordpress.com
2nd - Larry Logsdon, Roseanna Logsdon, Steve Luttrell, Mmekan
Ntewo, Jake Townsend, Chris Washburn
3rd - Christy Baumberger, Waylon McDonald
4th - Sarah Gibson, Wandel Hagan, Christy Sutherby, Noah
Vinson
6th - Pat Moss, Byron Vandiver
7th - Paul Davault, Stephanie Moore, Mike Young
8th - Tim Ruston
9th - Logan Butler, Carson Gotcher, Kinley Griepenstroh, Leah
Van Doren
10th - Brad Ditter, Kristi Gotcher, Elsie Koberstein, Heather
Ntewo, Mike Sutherby
12th - Madisyn Burchwell, Dana Goddard, Mollie Meadows,
Charles Monyhan
13th - Ralph Rode
14th - Aydon Cassada 15th - Tori Avis, Carri Schmitz
16th - Ana Harvey
17th - Sondra Bottoms, Blanche Cain, Mary Gamblin, Adam
Painter
18th - Dana Boyette, Mikey Weatherford
19th - Jessica Hernandez, Braylee Wild
20th - Charles Hernandez, Madelyn Koberstein
21st - Jenny Campbell
22nd - Zachary Laurence, Joyce Minton
23rd - Sloan Bailey, Aven Dickerson, Cathy Van Doren
24th - Debbie Barnett, Vicki Butler
26th - Ralph Cheaney, Rita Martin
27th - Randy Flowers, Samuel Potts
28th - Jim Burns, Lisa Gibson, Bethanne Long, Gracie Powell
29th - Shirlene Kilgore
April Birthdays
Dear Church Family,
We had a blast on our Student Retreat just a few weeks ago! We took a group of 68
people (that’s 54 students and 14 adults) to Highland Lakes Baptist Camp to get away and
focus on the Lord. The goal is to remove distractions and seek the Lord so He can do what He
wants to do in our lives. We even take the students’ phones away during the day! At first they
hate that, but just 48 hours later they are so happy we did it. It allows them to be focused on
what’s happening right in front of them. It allows God to speak to them with less distraction.
And God was speaking for sure! At least 5 students prayed to receive Christ, and many others
had a deep work done in their hearts.
So maybe that is the key to having a vibrant relationship with Jesus? Maybe we should
take 2, even 3 retreats every year so that God can grow us? Well, there’s a problem with this…
that’s nowhere near enough retreating for God to do the work that He wants to do in our
hearts. We need to retreat to Him way more than just a handful of times throughout the year
for us to have a vibrant relationship with God. Think about it. What if you only spent about 5
weekends out of the year with your spouse or children? Those weekends would mean so
much, but you would not have a very meaningful relationship with your family. You’d barely
know them. You’d constantly be trying to catch up on all the time you missed. None of us would say that is an ideal
relationship. So why do we often think about our relationship with Jesus like that? As if we can know Him and love Him
well by giving Him a few weekends out of the year, or even just one day out of the week. Do you see that disconnect in
our thinking?
That is why I have recently been talking to the students about our need for a daily retreat to the Lord. We can retreat
to Him each and every day and encounter the same life-changing Spirit who we are so attentive to when we “get away.” I
call this time a quiet time. It is a time that I get away from distractions and focus on God through His word and prayer. We
all know we ought to do this. But what if we started thinking about this time as our daily retreat? It’s our time to focus on
God and be changed by Christ in us. Wouldn’t you love to have the life-changing experience we tend to have on retreats
more often than just once or twice a year? What if God isn’t making changes in your heart because you aren’t retreating to
Him enough? This isn’t a work that you must do to win God’s favor. This is you putting your faith into action! Do we
believe God can grow us and make us less angry, less anxious, less selfish, less depressed, less afraid, more motivated, more
loving, more joyful, more patient, more zealous for good works? Then let’s retreat to Him more often and watch Him go to
work in our lives!
Sincerely,
Brian Van Doren
Brian Van Doren Pastor of Students
Church Family,
In a few weeks, we will gather together for a Night of Worship on Friday night, April
20th at 6:30pm. This night marks the date of Good Friday, which is the reason for our
gathering. We will come together on this evening to contemplate that Cross that Jesus
died on. We will look deeply at our sins which put Him on the cross. We will sing, pray,
respond together. This will be a powerful evening and I pray that you and your family will
make plans to attend!
But before we get to that night, have you ever asked the question, why do we call it
“Good Friday?” We are contemplating Jesus’ death on this night. Why don’t we call it
“Bad Friday?” The cross was a dark event, which lead to Jesus’ death and his suffering. So
it’s understandable if you’ve ever wondered, why is it so good? What makes it good?
Well I believe we find the answer in the person of Jesus, and his purpose on Earth. This
was no ordinary man who died on that cross. But who was Jesus? We know and believe
this to be true - That Jesus was God in the flesh, who knew no sin, and became sin in our
behalf. Through Jesus’ death, we find life. Good Friday begins the most momentous
weekend in the history of the world. On Friday, Jesus was put to death. And he would
have stayed there, if he would have remained in death, this would have been a very
bad Friday.
But we know that this Friday, led to Sunday, the greatest day in the history of the world. Jesus rose. He defeated
death. He defeated sin. Sin and death had power no longer. Praise be to God for his power through His son! This is
very good news for us. While we were dead in our sins, God made us alive through His son Jesus. But in order for that
to happen, Jesus had to go to the cross on Friday. He willingly suffered and died, for us.
So where does this leave us now? On Good Friday, we will contemplate the cross together. We will contemplate
our sin. We will look at our sins, which placed Him on the cross. And God willing, we will contemplate Jesus, who He is,
and we will respond and turn to Him through worship and repentance. And all of this leads to Sunday, April 21st, when
we will gather together on Easter morning, and celebrate what made Friday so good. Jesus is not dead. He is alive. And
we worship a risen savior. I pray you will join us! I love you all, and I will see you on Sunday!
In Christ,
Jared
Jared Mitchell
Pastor of Worship
Kids Camp July 24th—27th
(completed grades 2nd-5th)
$260 Register online
“Steps to Strengthen Prayer” by Bonnie McKernan
1. Set prayer apart. The more we pray, the more we want to pray. To do this, you need to
build it into the rhythm of your day any way you can: set alarms, leave notes, put it in your day
planner. Prayer is a practice that requires discipline and perseverance, and we should own the
cost. Prayer is the greatest act of our day, and we must fight for it. And not just in times of need.
It matters how we train and prepare for the battle.
2. Learn to withdraw. Pull away from distractions — the phone, the computer, the TV, the
constant noise of modern life — and find a way to separate yourself so you can be and feel “shut
in with God.” Your car on lunch break, a quiet corner in the office, a closet in between meals or
feedings or naptimes, or simply the quiet of your heart if that’s all you can muster.
3. Have a posture of prayer. Do what you need to help you focus on what it is that you’re
doing. Kneel, stand, close your eyes, look to the heavens — when your body is focused, it’s often
easier for your soul to follow. If able, pray out loud. I’ve found that just softly whispering during
my private prayer time is quiet enough that it doesn’t inhibit the flow of my praying, but loud
enough that it keeps my mind from wandering.
4. Pray fervently. Praying should be active. We cannot truly come into contact with God and
not be a different person, at least in some small degree, by the time we say, “Amen.” Struggle in
prayer, wrestle with it, and let the Spirit move. Answers to prayer are a blessing, but prayer in and
of itself is meant to be a blessing.
5. Pray specifically. Vagueness can be the death of prayer. Not that we can never be general,
just not at the expense of praising God’s specific attributes, confessing specific sins, or thanking
him and asking him for specific things. We must learn to pray specifically and boldly due to the
status we have through Christ, while simultaneously being completely submissive to God’s will.
Bold and expectant faith coupled with humble submission is a powerful thing.
6. Pray for and with others. Prayer is meant to knit together the children of God, oftentimes,
people we have never even met. We share a Father, we are family, and we should bear each
other’s burdens in prayer. We become invested in each other’s struggles and triumphs. We start
to care more about the people we pray for and less about ourselves. What a beautiful thing to
come before our Father of one accord with the same appeals out of love and care for each other.
Prayer binds the church together.
Nick Scott
Pastor of Spiritual
Development
Recommended Resource— The Disciple-Making Parent by Chap Bettis Parenting in today’s culture can be exhausting, scary, difficult, challenging and… well, pick your own
adjective. Moreover, your desire to raise children as a Christian parent in accordance with the Bible’s
truths amplifies those adjectives to an entirely different level. You bring home that beautiful little baby
made in the image of God from the hospital, and you look at your spouse and say, “Now what do we do?”
That question never goes away for the Christian parent. Your baby grows to become a toddler, a child, a
pre-teen and a teenager, and as your baby grows in each of those stages of life, you look at your husband
or your wife again to say, “Now what do we do?”
The Disciple-Making Parent: A Comprehensive Guidebook for Raising Your Children to Love and Follow
Jesus Christ seeks to help us answer that kind of question. This book ranks as a top contender for a book
that every parent should read as they seek to honor Christ by parenting their children faithfully. You will
read this book and be convicted that you need to do better at making a disciple of your child. That ’s a
good thing. We all need to be convicted that we should take our God-given task more seriously and faithfully. With The Disciple-
Making Parent, you will be better equipped to answer the question, “Now what do we do?”
Growth Initiative:
“Lord, Teach Us To
Pray”
Sat. April 6th
8:30-11:30 am
Sign up at the
Welcome Center!
Upcoming Events
Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday
Student Summer Camp
Dates: June 12-16
August 30th
April 7 April 14 April 21
April 28
Deacon of the Week
Steve Comer (812) 437-2922
Deacon of the Week
Jeff Thornton (812) 746-8739
Ty Nixon (812) 518-8759
Deacon of the Week
Alan Simpson (812) 477-7204
Chris Fischer (812) 630-9443
Deacon of the Week
Chad Mehne (812) 774-6212
Robert Jackson (812) 491-6803
Chair Set-Up Team
Mosaic/Schloss/A.Scott Life Groups
Chair Set-Up Team
BASIC Life Group
Chair Set-Up Team
Gotcher/Calverley Life Groups
Chair Set-Up Team
Mitchell/N.Scott Life Groups
8:00 AM Service
Nursery
Mary Gamblin, Daniel Bannister
Nursery
Doris & Maci Rutledge
Nursery
Jane Jett, Alice Moseley
Nursery
Shaun & Robin Hudson
Greeters
Ron & Shirley Wiggins
Greeters
Randy & Penny Wilhite
Greeters
Jerry & Shirley Guinn
Greeters
David Harmes, Sharon Harmes
Welcome Center
Mary Gamblin
Welcome Center
Dawn Ommart
Welcome Center
April Helm
Welcome Center
Shirlene Kilgore
9:30 AM Service
Nursery
Dave & Kristie Swenson
Nursery
Steve & Deanna Comer
Nursery
Heather Ntewo, Lauren Phelps
Nursery
Melissa & Megan Laurence
Greeters
Jon & Heidi Hart, Ryan & Wynter
Deckman
Greeters
Jeff & Janice Hostetler, Tom Stofleth
Greeters
April Helm, Cheri Koberstein, Ron
Wiandt
Greeters
Ryan & Wynter Deckman, Sandy
Dierlam, April Helm
Welcome Center
Sondra Schloss
Welcome Center
Robert Jackson
Welcome Center
Deann Moss
Welcome Center
John & Pam Schultz
11:00 AM Service
Nursery
Jennifer Mummert, Valerie Luttrell
Nursery
Kathy Masterson, Toni Stokes
Nursery
Jon & Heidi Hart
Nursery
Matt & Libby Schloss
Toddlers & 3yrs
Lucy Thornton, Melissa Owen, Jeff
& Lindsay Beck
Toddlers & 3yrs
Blake & Kelsie Palmer, Bryan & Sara
Calverley
Toddlers & 3yrs
Ryan & Wynter Deckman, John &
Michelle Luttrell
Toddlers & 3yrs
Christy & Faith Baumberger, Lucus
& Leigha Pettigrew
Greeters
Jim & Barb Burns
Greeters
Dawna Fischer, Ralph Rode
Greeters
Nancy Andrews, Curtis Cronch, Shirley
Williams
Greeters
Sara Calverley, Brett Creamer
Welcome Center
Kathleen Qualkenbush
Welcome Center
Jacob & Gina Townsend
Welcome Center
Darrell Ommart
Welcome Center
Becky Cosby
Van Driver
Stan Fory
Van Driver
Duke Dockery
Van Driver
Robert Jackson
Van Driver
Ron Wiandt
Serving Others at Oakhill April 2019 Ministry Calendar
1
Open Gym
Basketball
6:30 - 8:30 pm
2
Thrive Women’s
Bible Study
6:30 pm
3
Regular
Wednesday
Schedule
Deacon’s Meeting
6:00 pm
4
Thrive Women’s
Bible Study
10:00 am
5 6
Growth Initiative
8:30 am
7
Regular Sunday
Schedule
8
Open Gym
Basketball
6:30 - 8:30 pm
9
Thrive Women’s
Bible Study
6:30 pm
10
Regular
Wednesday
Schedule
Easter Egg Filling
9:00 - 11:00 am &
6:00 - 7:30 pm
11
Thrive Women’s
Bible Study
10:00 am
12 13
Men’s Breakfast
7:30 am
Food Pantry
9:00 am
State Hospital
Ministry
9:45 am
14
Regular Sunday
Schedule
15
Women on
Mission Meeting
6:00 pm
Open Gym
Basketball
6:30 - 8:30 pm
16
Thrive Women’s
Bible Study
6:30 pm
17
Regular
Wednesday
Schedule
18
Thrive Women’s
Bible Study
10:00 am
19
Weekday
Childcare & Office
Closed
Good Friday
Night of Worship
6:30 pm
20
Food Pantry
9:00 am
Community Easter
Egg Hunt
1:00 pm
21
EASTER SUNDAY
No Morning or
Evening Life
Groups
22
Open Gym
Basketball
6:30 - 8:30 pm
23
Thrive Women’s
Bible Study
6:30 pm
24
Regular
Wednesday
Activities
25
VBS Volunteer
Training 6:00 pm
26
27
Weekday
Childcare
Spaghetti Dinner
and Auction
5:00 pm
28
Regular Sunday
Schedule
29
Open Gym
Basketball
6:30 - 8:30 pm
30
Thrive Women’s
Bible Study
6:30 pm
Sunday Schedule
8:00 am Traditional Worship
9:30 am Contemporary Worship
11:00 am Contemporary Worship
5:00 pm Student Life Groups
Wednesday Schedule
12:00 pm Prayer & Bible Study
Luncheon
6:00 pm Student Gathering & AWANA