Our new youth minister, John Pape and family, have arrived from Indiana. A group from OCC helped unload their moving truck yesterday beginning around 5 p.m. The truck was completely unloaded by a little after 6 p.m. Then we had a nice time of fellowship with pizza and pop. Thanks to everyone that helped!

I’ll be concluding the message series “What’s the Difference?” this Sunday with Islam. If you’ve missed one or more of the messages, you can click here and download them. I’d especially suggest Isaac Leimeister’s message on August 15th if you haven’t heard it. It was terrific!

See you Sunday!

1. Am I so busy that I no longer enjoy life?

2. Life happens – are you living in the moment?

- Do less

- Be present

- Capture the moment

- Appreciate God’s creation

3. This life will end – what is your destination?

“This is what I have observed to be good: that it is appropriate for people to eat, to drink and to find satisfaction in their toil – some labor under the sun during the few days of life God has given them – for this is their lot. Moreover, when God gives people wealth and possessions, and the ability to enjoy them, to accept their lot and be happy in their toil – this is a gift of God.” Ecclesiastes 5:18, 19

Remember, our VBS closing program is during second service on July 25th. So if you want to hear the answers to the questions, you’ll need to attend first service. Life is hard!

What happens when the world comes to an end? With so many books and movies claiming to know what will happen, it can be difficult to have a secure understanding. Join us beginning June 27th as we set out to discover what the Bible says about the end of the world and how you can survive it all. Are you ready?

6/27 - Signs of the Times (Matthew 24:1-28)

7/4 – The Day of Christ’s Return (1 Thessalonians 4:13-5:11)

7/18 – Judgment Day (Matthew 25:31-46)

7/25 – End of the World Q & A (You can submit questions on Sunday morning or by leaving a comment here. Deadline for questions is 7/18.)

Note: I’ll be preaching first service only on 7/18 and 7/25 because of community worship service (7/18) and VBS closing program (7/25). Ralph Eichelberger, Camp Coordinator at Round Lake, will be preaching a stand alone message on 7/11. Thanks!

A new sign is being installed at the main entrance to OCC. The old sign is starting to come down. Above is a picture of what the new sign will look like (click on picture to enlarge). This project will take approximately four weeks. Money for this project came from a private donor. That means no funds for the sign will come out of our general operating budget. We’re very thankful for this generous gift. The sign will be a tremendous asset. Yea God!

We had a great kickoff to 40 Days of Love on Sunday. I hope you came forward and got a “heart” to symbolize your commitment to learning how to love.

I’m enjoying The Relationship Principles of Jesus book by Tom Holladay. Below are a few things I’ve highlighted over the past three days. (If you need a book, please call OCC at (330) 682-3686. It’s FREE to OCC members and regular attendees.)

- “Priorities become most important when we must make choices.” (24)

- “A life without relationships may well be a simpler life, but it is also an empty life.” (27)

- “The only way to change your priorities is to begin to make different choices in your relationships.” (30)

- “Jesus chose meeting a person’s need above following his schedule of tasks for that day.” (36)

- “It is your faith in God’s principles that changes your life!” (42)

If you’re already behind on the reading, set aside time to catch-up today before you get too far behind. You can do it with God’s help!

“Eagerly pursue and seek to acquire love…” (1 Corinthians 14:1, Amplified Bible)

OCC has hired Kevin Leimeister as part-time (15 hours per week) Interim Youth Director. Kevin will provide overall leadership for OCC’s youth ministry until we hire a full-time person. He will work with our existing adult volunteers to plan, organize, and supervise ALL youth activities. We’ve hired Kevin, at least initially, for 90 days. If we haven’t hired a full-time Youth Minister (birth through 12th grade) at the end of 90 days, we hope to keep Kevin in this role until someone is hired. Kevin’s long-term goal is to get a teaching job at a local school. He graduated from the University of Akron in December with a teaching degree.

We really appreciate Kevin’s willingness to “stand in the gap” for us during this transition period. Please welcome Kevin to our staff.

Feel free to email me with questions or leave a comment.

I’m starting a new message series tomorrow. It has a NASCAR flavor to it. We’ll be looking at five spiritual practices over the next five Sunday’s.

Here are the dates and titles:

1/3 – The Ragged Edge (Solitude)

1/10 – The Power Source (Prayer)

1/17 – The Pits (Bible study)

1/24 – The Groove (Service)

1/31 – The Winner’s Circle (Celebration)

Imagine if every Christ-follower made the SHIFT in 2010 to implement these practices!

Hope you’ll join us at OCC.

“The general non-church public is probably most open to attending church at Christmas because of the general cultural romance about the holiday. There is a general understanding of the nativity story and the Christmas story. There’s a kind of nostalgic romance for it, even if you’re not churched.”

What an opportunity Christmas provides every year! Who will you invite to church over the next couple weeks?

I’m starting a new two-part Christmas series this Sunday. See image below.

Also, we’re having two identical Christmas Eve services again this year. See image below for details.

Hope to see you with a non-churched friend or family member at OCC this Sunday.

Merry Christmas!