WODINEWS April 2015
Woodstock Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
109 South Muhlenberg Street Woodstock, Virginia 22664
(540)459-3125 [email protected]
Editor(s)/Publisher(s): Pastor Bill Erbach & Donna Crabill
(Volume 4, Issue 4)
From the Pastor’s Pen………….
Some years ago when oil was first discovered in Oklahoma, a reporter was sent out to cover the story. In his investigations he visited the site of the most productive well. It appeared that the farm had been owned by an elderly couple who had years before moved out to the territory from Carolina. They had worked the land hard to scratch out a meager existence, raised their kids and sent them off. One day some men visited their property and asked the woman for a drink of water. Much to her surprise they put the water in bottles. A week or so later the men came back and offered the farmer a price fair in excess of what he thought the land was worth. He sold it and moved into town. A well was sunk just between the house and barn. It started pumping gallons of oil daily. At the time of the visit, the reporter found this elderly couple leaning on the fence to watch the operation of the pump. He overheard the woman say to her husband, “and to think that all that was at our doorstep and we never guessed it.” How about that! You know God in many ways is like that oil and we are like the elderly couple. He is never really very far from us and yet men and women die as orphans just because they never realized He was so close.
“The Women’s Fellowship” meets the first Sunday of each month at 3:00 p.m.
Well it looks like things have settled down to a
more normal routine in the basement. The “Good
Ole Boys” pulled it out again but not without a
struggle. The score was more normal than in the
past. This one wasn’t really decided until the “the
fat lady sang” which was at the end of the ninth
inning. The Christian Darters just could not push
the two runs across, leaving 5 men on base in the
last three innings. Rookie Bill from the Darters got
off another home run and lo and behold Donnie
did as well. Unfortunately they were offset by
Gerald of the Good Ole Boys and his two home
runs. He is making a very strong claim on the
home run king crown with eight for the season,
no one else has more than two. Dead-Eye Jim
didn’t hit the ceiling this time for which we are
very grateful but he did manage to miss that
whole target area again. He’s really skilled. Two
more games left to be played before the banquet
in June. That also means the ladies had better get
their arms and aims ready for the latest version of
the “Battle Of The Sex’s., 2015 style”.
SEWING CIRCLE Meets the 2nd & 4th Saturday each month
Basic and needed sewing supplies posted on the bulletin board.
Prayer meeting each Wednesday at 6:30 p.m.
The Erbachs are slipping away for a long weekend
in the oldest city in the country, St. Augustine
Florida. Leaving on Friday the 17th and coming
back Monday the 20th, they are doing a whirlwind
visit to the old city doing the classic tourist bit by
riding the on-off bus and seeing some of the old
features. Enough time to soak up the culture, get
a little sun and Florida hospitality but not long
enough to be missed. Jeff Delano from the Toms
Brook United Methodist Church and himself a
Gideon will bring the Gideon International
message during the Sunday worship.
We were represented wonderfully at the Tuesday Lenten luncheon by the ladies of the church (Olivia gets a boost up in age) and the food spread was outstanding. It really is great to see how well they all work together to accomplish a task. There was soup enough to feed an Army, but unfortunately there wasn’t an Army to be fed. Great job, Ladies.
Twas Easter-Sunday. The full-blossomed trees
Filled all the air with fragrance and with joy.
—Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Donald Clem 01 Kirby Ortts 03 Tamsyn Hoffman 04 Kermit L. Racey II 05 India Long 06 Aimee Renee George 12 C. Douglas Long 12 Amanda Marie Racey 12 April Dysart Golden 13 Robyn Racey Harrison 14 James Shepherd 20 Susan Lambert 23 Kitty Ortts 25 Genevieve Kirby 29
There will be a quarterly business meeting of the Church Board on the 12th of April right after church services. There are several things to be considered and Pastor Bill has a request on how to use the (now standing at $2242). Plus, a report on the status of the Directory and a question about whose names go in it. Those officers directly responsible please plan to attend. All others are invited to attend and watch.
Pastor Bill has been approached by two people who wish to be united with the church. Since it takes time to contact losing churches to get letters of transfer, he is putting out a call to any and all who would like to join in this process. He is planning to receive new members on Pentecost Sunday, which is the celebration of the founding of the Christian Church. There will be a class/group session prior for information about the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) for the prospective members. Pentecost this year is May 24th.
2015 General Assembly is coming!
The 2015 General Assembly of the Christian
Church (Disciples of Christ) is set for July 18-22 in
Columbus, Ohio and planning is well underway. If
you’ve been before, you’ll find a bounty of new
worship experiences and learning tracks. If you’ve
never been, there is a website with a wealth of
information, including a page just for you. Go to
ga.disciples.org to see the schedule, workshop
offerings and register online. See you in
Columbus!
Mission Statement Our mission is to represent God’s love by reaching out to people, by using our talents, praising God, proclaiming the good news through word and deed, working for growth as Christians in order to fulfill the spiritual longings and physical needs of others and ourselves.
Bible Quiz
Two places in the Bible, one in the Old Testament and one in the New, feature the
following words: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
The New Testament account is found in Matthew 27:46, when Jesus is hanging on the cross. Where
are the words found in the Old Testament?
A. 1 Kings 19:4 B. Jeremiah 38:9
C. Psalm 22:1 D. Lamentations 1:20
Answer: C
Trusting the unseen
A gardener planted two peony bulbs side by side. In a few weeks, as expected, the first one poked a single stem through the ground. The other would soon follow, the gardener thought. But it didn’t. Many more weeks went by with no sign of life.
Then one day, to his surprise, not one but five leaf points poked through the soil at once. When the peony bloomed, its flowers were more beautiful and numerous than those of the first bulb.
John Piper said, “In every situation God is doing a thousand things that we cannot see and do not know.” When God seems to have forgotten you and hope fails, don’t despair. God is at work, and someday you will see.
The symbols of Easter
Christianity has many symbols; the most recognizable is, of course, the cross. There are a
number of symbols linked with Easter or the Resurrection: the butterfly, the lily, the pomegranate, and the peacock. The butterfly represents the
Resurrection and eternal life. It emerges from its cocoon or chrysalis and gloriously rises into the sky in its splendid new body. Similarly, Jesus and his followers are born into a new life on Easter.
The lily is perhaps the most common Easter symbol because it’s displayed during Easter worship services and blooms around this time each year. The lily’s bulb decays in the earth, yet new life sprouts from it in the form of the flower — reminiscent of the new life that emerged from the tomb so many years ago.
The pomegranate is used as a symbol of the power of Christ and his Resurrection because of the many seeds that burst forth from the fruit. These seeds represent the many believers who follow Christ. They also represent the magnificence of divine grace and the
fertility of the Word. The peacock sheds his feathers annually. Each year the feathers grow back more beautiful and more brilliant in color. This renewal symbolizes eternal life or resurrection. There’s also a myth that the peacock’s flesh doesn’t decay after death — immortality. (The peacock is sometimes used to represent human vanity, because of the way he proudly struts and displays his plumage.)
There’s something better coming
This season of Easter is a special time for Christians to celebrate the ultimate reason for our hope: Christ is risen, and invites us to rise with him to new life.
Easter is an invitation to try again with God’s help to break that addiction we had given up all hope of ever breaking. There’s something better coming. ...
Easter is a chance to work at renewing the marriage we had given up all hope of ever saving. There’s something better coming. ...
Easter is an opportunity to reach out to our neighbors who, in our busyness, we neglect. There’s something better coming. ...
Easter is an invitation to look at our lack of love and seek God for compassion. There’s something better coming. ...
Easter is a chance for all no-hopers to regain their vision of what can be! There’s something better coming. ...
Easter is an opportunity to renew our faith. There’s something better coming. ...
Easter is a chance to “renew our strength and mount up with wings as eagles; to run and not faint.” There’s something better coming. ...
(Homiletics)
In a world filled with causes for worry and
anxiety — we need the peace of God
standing guard over our hearts and
minds.
—Jerry W. McCant
