West Village Courier
Church Activities
7 Youth Christmas Caroling
12 Christmas Sing @ VOM
13 Albion Christmas Parade
21 Christmas Program & Party
24 Christmas Eve Service
@ 5:30 p.m.
Looking Ahead
Jan. 4-Removing the Greens
Jan. 11-Sunday Night Youth
Resumes
Jan. 11-Sunday Evening
Bible Study Resumes
December Anniversaries
9—Roger & Linda Stennett
10—Ryan & Megan Bunnage
15—Ed & Lila Fewkes
26—Roger & Tammy Wehmeyer
December Greeters
7—Marjorie & Joyce
14—Linda & Shirley
21—Roger & Charlotte Shelby
28—Mike & Lesa Dean
December Sound System
Kevin Berger
Children's Church
7-Shayla
14-Ashley
21-Kati
28-Tanea
Nursery
7-Whitney &Niki
14-Tonya & Debbie
21-Sandy & Rhonda
28-Joyce & Michelle
Call to Worship
December 7-Jason Biggs
December 14-Eric St. Ledger
December 21-Morgan Moore
December 28-John Spray
Servers
Roger Shelby
Ben Spray
John Spray
Christmas Eve Service
Join us Christmas Eve at 5:30 p.m. for our candlelight service and celebrate this
glorious season with us.
glorious season with us.
Angel Wish Tree
West Village is sponsoring the Christmas Wish tree program again this year. Displays are set up at the church, Citizens National Bank in Albion, and First National Bank in West Salem to pick up cards. Please return unwrapped gifts in a large trash bag with the card attached by December 4th. The high school class is also collecting monetary donations or spaghetti dinner items for the Christmas Wish Tree families on the table in the foyer. Thank you for helping make Christmas brighter for kids in
Edwards County.
Edwards County.
Christmas Sing
A Christmas Sing featuring Christ centered and classic Christmas music will be held on Friday, December 12th at the VOM. Music will begin at 6:00pm.
Christmas Caroling
The Elementary Youth Group will be going
Christmas caroling and to see the Christmas lights in Olney on December 7th. They will leave the church at 3:00pm.
Christmas caroling and to see the Christmas lights in Olney on December 7th. They will leave the church at 3:00pm.
Christmas Devotion
“An Extra-Ordinary Night: A Children’s Devotion”*
The night that Jesus was born was an ordinary night with ordinary sheep and ordinary shepherds. And if it were not for a God who loves to stick an extra on the front of ordinary, the night would have passed just like any other. The sheep would have been forgotten, and the shepherds would have slept the night away. But God loves to add His “extra” to the most ordinary of things. So on that night, the black sky exploded with brightness. One minute the shepherds were sound asleep; the next they were rubbing their eyes and staring into the face of an angel. The night was no longer ordinary. The angel came in the night because that is when the lights are best seen and most needed. God shows Himself to us in our darkest times and in the most ordinary of things for the same reason. Because that is when He is most needed and best seen. He’s easy to find-just look for the “extra” in the ordinary. *Taken from Grace for the Moment by Max Lucado
The night that Jesus was born was an ordinary night with ordinary sheep and ordinary shepherds. And if it were not for a God who loves to stick an extra on the front of ordinary, the night would have passed just like any other. The sheep would have been forgotten, and the shepherds would have slept the night away. But God loves to add His “extra” to the most ordinary of things. So on that night, the black sky exploded with brightness. One minute the shepherds were sound asleep; the next they were rubbing their eyes and staring into the face of an angel. The night was no longer ordinary. The angel came in the night because that is when the lights are best seen and most needed. God shows Himself to us in our darkest times and in the most ordinary of things for the same reason. Because that is when He is most needed and best seen. He’s easy to find-just look for the “extra” in the ordinary. *Taken from Grace for the Moment by Max Lucado
Activities at the Village on Main
Missions Moment
Missions Update
Dear Church Family,
The missions committee would like to thank each of you who have contributed this past year to the missions West Village supports:
-Shiloh Christian Children’s Ranch
-Oblong Children’s Christian Home
-Oil Belt Christian Service Camp
-Living Stones International
-Pinehaven Ranch
-Fellowship of Christian Athletes
-Pioneer Bible Translators
Your financial support is deeply appreciated by each of these missions. Our committee wishes our church family a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year
Nolan's Corner
I had a professor once tell our class that we always need to keep the main thing the main thing. I’m not sure that it was his idea originally, but the concept is a solid one. All too often we allow things of peripheral importance to move into positions that should be reserved for the ‘main thing.’ In our marriages this happens when we allow the pressures of children, or jobs to overshadow our God ordained marital relationships and rather than thriving we will find ourselves stagnating in our marriages. It has always been interesting to me that often our relationship with God is also described as a marriage. And in that same way we can allow the non-essential to overtake what is of greatest importance.
It is possible to do a lot of good things and still miss the mark. In Revelation 2 John writes to the church of Ephesus and complements them with the good that they have done. They have persevered in the face of persecution. They have turned from wickedness and wicked people. They have tested those who come to teach and made sure that the Gospel message has been maintained, and in none of it have they faltered. But in verse 4 John tells them they have failed in one fundamentally important area. They have lost sight of the love that they used to have for the bridegroom. And a marriage devoid of love is no marriage at all.
If you are going to church, reading your bible, helping the poor, calling on those that are sick, turning away from sin, and proclaiming Jesus to those around you, keep it up. But the question that you need to ask yourself, with brutal honesty, is this. Do you still love Jesus? Because that is the main thing.
It is possible to do a lot of good things and still miss the mark. In Revelation 2 John writes to the church of Ephesus and complements them with the good that they have done. They have persevered in the face of persecution. They have turned from wickedness and wicked people. They have tested those who come to teach and made sure that the Gospel message has been maintained, and in none of it have they faltered. But in verse 4 John tells them they have failed in one fundamentally important area. They have lost sight of the love that they used to have for the bridegroom. And a marriage devoid of love is no marriage at all.
If you are going to church, reading your bible, helping the poor, calling on those that are sick, turning away from sin, and proclaiming Jesus to those around you, keep it up. But the question that you need to ask yourself, with brutal honesty, is this. Do you still love Jesus? Because that is the main thing.