October, 2015
Western Hills Church
In This Issue:
FIND DETAILS AND GIVE ONLINE AT: WWW.WESTERNHILLSCHURCH.COM
Pastor Jerry Wells - Dear Church Family
Paul Mac - Updates on things to come.
Brandon Werner - Start a Group
Britt Clay -
Jack Clay - Master Designer
Upcoming… 1.
Oct. 2, Friday - Ladies Fellowship at Janessa Dellinger’s home. Time 6:30 -9:30 pm.
2.
Oct. 5, Monday - Wedding Shower for Katie Redman & Nick Perkins. It will be in the Parlor 7-9 pm.
3.
Oct. 11, Sunday - Joyfull Ones will have Game Night In the F.C. 5:30 - 8 pm.
4.
Oct. 17, Saturday - Wedding of Nick Perkins & Katie Redman at WHC - 3 pm.
5.
Nov. 1, (Daylight savings-fallback) Sunday new time for Church 10:30 am service.
Pastor Jerry - Dear Church Family: During the month of October we will continue our sermon series called Spoken! We will examine the Word of God as it relates to some of the most popular and destructive deceptions that the world and even the church believes. We will confront the lie with the Truth of God’s Word. Jesus said, “You shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free!”( John 8:32). On Sunday, October 4th, we will be honoring Jack and Mala Clay for their 5 years of service to our church family as Pastor of our music ministry. Beginning this summer Jack and Mala also began serving as Pastor of our Family Ministries. Jack is an elder in our church who also a small group coach and a small group leader. I have known Jack and Mala for 30 years. They are one of those couples in our city who have been steadfast in their leadership and love for the body of Christ as they served on the staff of various churches. They are rock solid! Jack is the dean of bible at Christian Heritage Academy, teaches bible at CHA, and serves on their administrative team. He gives to our staff and our team of elders a level of maturity, experience, and scriptural knowledge that has proven to be so valuable to the leadership of our church. He is a servant of servants who lays down his life every day to serve the Lord’s church and God’s kingdom. He is a disciple maker who personally invests himself in his students and our church family. So many would say, “God used Jack Clay to change my life!” Mala is a faithful wife and mother who has helped Jack raise all of their children to follow the Lord. She is a trained counselor whose scriptural insights and direct approach are used by the Lord to reveal blind spots and hidden sins that need to be exposed. She also has a wealth of experience in ministry and with her own family. We are so blessed to have her serving alongside Jack. One way for you to bless Jack and Mala is with a love offering. You can give online, via text, or on Sunday mornings. Just make sure that you designate your gift to Honoring Jack and Mala Clay. It is such a great joy for me to serve with the Clays and with you.
Pastor Jerry
Current Sermon Series…
Spoken! The way to protect yourself from deception is to know the truth. For our protection, God has mercifully preserved the truth for us in written form. The Bible is a book full of stories about miracles, but the Bible itself is a miracle produced by God. The Bible is God’s Word and God’s final Word on truth. Every Word in the Bible is God’s spoken Word recorded for us. The Bible is our authority on what we should believe and how we should live. We hope you will join us each Sunday and join one of our groups as we use stories to learn from God’s Word. Sermon audio is available online at westernhillschurch.com.
Paul McKeithan From Stephen Ketola... The Board of Trustees meets monthly to discuss the business of the church. All members of the church are welcome to attend these meetings. The dates for the remainder of 2015 are below. Each meeting is currently scheduled to begin at 4:00pm in Pastor Jerry's office.
October 14 November 11 December 9
The elders and trustees in their last meeting approved the process for recognizing deacons. The deacons after interviewing two men and observing their service to Western Hills Church presented the two men to the elders for their approval. The deacons and elders are recommending that Phil Apple and Steve Manis be approved to serve as deacons. Hugh Sauer has called for a meeting on Sunday Morning, October 11, right after to service for Western Hills Church members to vote for approval or disapproval of the recommendation. Feel free to talk to these men and ask them any questions you might have. Mark Your Calendar. On October 24, 2015 we will have a church wide work day. There are multiple projects that we would like to finish before winter weather sets in. There are plenty of projects to be done, so I know we will find a place for you. The skill sets that you will need to bring is a pulse and be able to inhale and exhale. In the last letter I mentioned that there were areas that we need to improve our security. One is to install a speaker system so we can talk to those that are requesting entrance prior to unlocking the outside door. If you know of someone with the skill to work on this project, please advise one of the deacons. The A/C unit that serves the basement offices, parlor, workroom, etc. has quit and there are complicated issues that will need to be discussed to make a decision on what to do to get this or another unit in service. Pray for your deacons and elders as we try to determine what is best for Western Hills Church.
Brandon Werner - Start a Group God is leading more and more people in our church body to be disciples who make disciples. Has God been stirring the fire in your heart to be a disciple maker? Are you already looking for ways to lead others to follow Jesus? It may be time for you to start a group. At Western Hills, leading a group is one of the primary ways we work together to make disciples. Anyone can learn to lead a group, because anyone can learn to tell a Bible story and ask simple questions. As a group leader, you will have the opportunity to engage others more effectively in making disciples and reaching the world for Jesus. To start your journey towards becoming a group leader, tell your current group leader that you would like to work towards starting a new group – let them know what is in your heart. Your leader will provide opportunities for you to tell the Bible story and facilitate the group meeting in your current group. You can also attend group leadership meetings with your group leader. As you progress in your training, your group leader and coach will help you work out the details and start a new group at Western Hills. The process is relational and at your pace. Don’t let fear keep you from stepping out and learning to make disciples! Talk to your group leader and start working towards making disciples who can make disciples. In Christ, Brandon Werner
Britt Clay - Heart Attitude #2: Live an Open and Honest Life Before Others Last month I shared the first of seven heart attitudes which was to put the goals and interests of others before our own. This month I want to share about the second heart attitude which is to live an open honest life before others. Living an open and honest life is one of the most difficult habits for people to practice. A lot of times it is scary to share what God is doing in our lives or what our most difficult struggles are. This is usually rooted in a fear of what others will think of us. So, we put on a mask and act as if everything is okay, even when it isn’t. Something I appreciate about our small groups is that we desire them to be a safe place for people to come and share what God is doing in their lives. This allows people to take off those masks and live an open and honest life. This heart attitude really encapsulates the heart of many of the guidelines we have for small group. It also supports the concept that has been taught to us that we must do our part, knowing that God will do His part and trusting that others will do their part. Practicing this heart attitude can free us from the idea that we are alone in our struggles and sin. Some ways we can practice this are: confessing sin to those in small group, sharing what God is teaching us through the story or message that was shared, and sharing needs with each other among many other things. How is your heart? Are you living an open and honest life before others? Or do you believe that you are better off holding things to yourself for your protection? God wants to use His body of believers to strengthen and encourage you in every area of your life. I encourage you to practice this heart attitude on a weekly basis. I believe that God will do great things in your life if you allow Him to! “Therefore each of you should put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body.” Ephesians 4:25 “But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus, His Son, purifies us from all sin.” I John 1:7
Jack Clay - Master Designer Our Lord is the Master Designer of all things. An awesome God, He is the Maker and Controller of all things, the Lord of the heavens and King of all the earth. His design of creation is far beyond the realm of our human understanding. Just to realize from the text of scripture and from thousands of years of observation, that the expanse of the universe is something we have not even begun to exhaust. Then, to think of His design of us physically is amazing. The Bible says we are “fearfully and wonderfully made”. Just examine the eye, or the brain, or the circulatory system, or the respiratory system, or many of the other nuances of the human anatomy and you will soon be overwhelmed with the greatness of just the physical design of God for man. And yet, God’s design goes far beyond those things. As we study God’s Word we discover that God has a design for the family, for civil government, for relationships, for finances, for the church, for salvation, for daily living, for advancing His kingdom. Something else we also begin to discover; as we follow God’s design in the various areas of life, He reveals Himself to us in ways that are too numerous for us to list. May I invite you to study God’s Word and discover with me the great design of our awesome God. Where? Join a small group and don’t forget our Sunday morning worship times. Get involved in the lives of God’s people and you will begin to understand God’s grand design for your life. It is a joy to serve the Lord with you — Bro. Jack
Contact Us Western Hills Church 401 SW 44th Street Oklahoma City, OK 73109 P: 405.634.1454 F: 405.634.1477 E: receptionist@westernhillschurch.com Visit us on the web at www.westernhillschurch.com
“Go into the world and make disciples…”
Western Hills Church 401 SW 44th St. Oklahoma City, OK 73109