West Village Courier
January

 
Church Activities
     4     Removing the Greens
  11    Sunday Night Youth
           Resumes
  11    Sunday Evening Bible
            Study Resumes
  23-24-Marriage Enrichment@
                  New Harmony
     Looking Ahead
Feb. 5-Winter Jam
  Feb. 6-Men’s Night @  Oil Belt
  Feb. 15-16-High School Retreat
                           @ Oil Belt
  March 6-7-Big Overnighter
                        @ Oil Belt    
  March 14—Ladies Day @  
                       Oil Belt        
  April 5—Easter Sunday
  June 20-27-Pinehaven trip
  June 28-July 2-Shiloh trip
January  Anniversaries
3—Stephen & Kati Sawyer
   6—Billy & Cathy King
  18—Rick & Denise Moore
  20—Jarod & Carissa Weaver
  24—David & Kathy Lane
 
 January  Greeters
4—Morgan & Belinda Moore
  11—Prather Family
  18—Bill & Charlotte Tribe
  25—Chris & Audra Spray

January Sound System 
Randy Longbons
Children's Church
4-Sherry M.
11-Emily W.
18-Darla
25-Ashley
Nursery
4-Whitney & Niki
11-Tonya & Debbie
18-Sandy & Rhonda
25-Joyce & Michelle

Call to Worship
January 4-Carl Porter
January 11-Bill Tribe
January 18-Dan Aaron
January 25-TBA

 Servers
Steve Thomson
Kevin Berger
Billy Potts
Eli Koertge

Marriage Enrichment

A Marriage Enrichment event has been
tentatively planned for January 23-24 in New Harmony at the New Harmony Inn.  The cost will be $60 per couple.  If you are interested please sign up on the bulletin board or see one of the elders

Men's Night at Oil Belt

Men’s Night at Oil Belt will be held on Friday, February 6th.  The doors open at 5:00pm, supper begins at 5:30, and worship will follow at 7pm.  The theme for this year is “Messy Grace: Bridging the Tension of Truth and Grace,” with Caleb Kaltenbach as the featured speaker.  Caleb Kaltenbach is one of the pastors of Shepherd Church in Los Angeles.  He is the author of books like Messy Grace and leads The Messy Grace Group.   The cost for the night is $20 per person and registration is online.

Men's Bible Study

Men’s Bible Study will begin on January 21 and will last for six weeks ending on February 25th.  A sign up sheet is on the bulletin board.  More details to follow.

Winter Jam

Attention High School!!!  Winter Jam will be Thursday, February 5 a the Ford Center in Evansville.  Featured musicians are Chris Tomlin, Matthew West, Katy Nichole, Disciple, Hulvey, Emerson Day, Newsong, and others!  See Jason Biggs or Ryan Koertge for details.

Children's Devotion

God Listens* Psalm 142:2
       You can talk to God because God listens. Always. What you have to say matters in heaven.  He takes you very seriously.  When you speak to God, He turns to hear your voice.  No need to worry about being ignored.  God never says, “Not right now.”  Even if your words come out wrong...even if what you have to say doesn’t seem important to anyone else, it’s important to God and He listens.  He listens in the morning and in the night.. and even in math class.  He listens to the joy of the ballplayer who makes the game-winning play...and to the tears of the one who didn’t.  He listens to the sadness of someone who is sick...and to the fears of someone facing the first day in a new school.  When the lonely ask for a friend and the frightened ask for courage, God listens.  Very carefully.  (*Taken from Grace for the Moment by Max Lucado)
Activities at the Village on Main


Missions Moment

2026 Upcoming Events
Oil Belt
Men’s Night-Feb. 6th-Messy Grace
       -Caleb Kaltenbach is a speaker we have been trying to get for years.  He is also an author who has written several books, including Messy Grace.  Also, we are partnering with Kinmundy Christian Church for *NEW* Saturday sessions.  The Saturday sessions are FREE with purchase of a Men’s Night ticket.  The Saturday sessions are open to men and women.  Learn more about both Friday and Saturday sessions, and purchase your tickets at oilbelt.com.
-High School Retreat-Feb. 15-16
-The Big Overnighter-March 6-7-3rd-5th grades
Pine Haven trip—June 20-27
Shiloh trip—June 28-July 2
We also continue to support Living Stones International, Pioneer Bible Translators, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and Oblong Children’s Christian Home.

Nolan's Corner

 I don’t want sympathy. Not that sympathy is bad. To feel concern and compassion for someone that is struggling, to walk beside them in times of need is a beautiful act. But in my moments of greatest struggle I don’t want sympathy, I want empathy. Where sympathy says I am with you, my heart goes out to you, empathy is a deeper understanding. You can only be empathetic when you have walked through similar events. And when I am struggling, I want someone who has survived the storms that I am walking into.
In Hebrews 4 we are told “We have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.” By the time of the writing of Hebrews the role of high priest was one of prestige, wealth, privilege, and segregation from the common worshipers. On more than one occasion the position was passed to those with the most money and power rather than men who wanted to faithfully lead the people toward God. So, when the writer says we have a high priest who could empathize with us it was something completely new.
Jesus has weathered the same storms but came out unscathed. He understands because he was born, he lived, he experienced temptation, he cried, and he ultimately died having known what it was to be fully man. We have a high priest who knows what it means to be human, and who died so that we can draw close to a heavenly throne we would never be allowed near on our own.