December 2019

West Village Courier Weekly activities in the church building: Tuesdays (resumes next year) Ladies Bible Study 9:00 am Wednesdays (resumes next year) Ladies Bible Study 7:00 pm

December: 1 Hanging of the Greens @ 6

8 WVCC Kids @ Rest Haven At 9:30 15 Christmas Program @ 6pm 24 Christmas Eve Service @ 5:00 p.m. Looking Ahead:

Jan. 5-Removing the Greens Jan. 12-Sunday Night Activities Resume ————————————————

December Anniversaries 9—Roger & Linda Stennett 15—Ed & Lila Fewkes 26—Roger & Tammy Wehmeyer

December Greeters 1—Nyla McKinzie 8—Jayare & Tara Buerster 15—Dave & Bonnie Wright 22—Jarod & Carissa Weaver 29—Jason & Kelley Biggs

December Sound System Steve Greathouse

Christmas Eve Service

Join us Christmas Eve at 5:00 p.m. for our candlelight service and

celebrate this glorious season with us.

Christmas Program

The West Village Christmas program &

party will be December 15th at 6:00pm.

Join us for a display of West

Village’s musical

talent and stay afterwards for

refreshments and our traditional

giving of gifts.

WADI Christmas Baskets The High School class is again collecting food for a Christmas

dinner meal basket for WADI. There is a display in the foyer of the items we are collecting. We would appreciate any and all help with this project. Collection of items will last until Dec.

8th. If you wish to give a cash donation a box is located on the table with the display basket.

Page 2 West Village Christian Church

Missions Moment

December Birthdays 1—Mariah Moore

Meagan Moore

4—Sherrie Turpin

5—Linda Wade

6—Stacey Moore

Tyler Jamison

Matt Stennett

8—Kevin Kling

9—Steve Hnetkovsky

11—Allen Shilling

13—Alexa Prather

14—Tyler Longbons

Chris Lathrop

15—David Wright

Aiden Fryman

Katie Blankenbaker

Maria McCully

16—Shayna Walker

Wendy Coles

17—Carl Porter

Larry Caldwell

19—Chad Heindselman

Jonah Potts

Shane Pritchett

20—Natalie Gentz

22—Sarah Fehrenbacher

23—Haley Hurt

24—Whitney Owings

25—Nancy Gerlach

27—Steve Greathouse

29—Shirley Reid

Ridge Harl

31—Eleanor Mason

Roger Turpin

Shiloh Christian Children’s Ranch

It's sad there's a need for Shiloh Christian Children's Ranch- a

place for abused/ neglected/at-risk children. Every boy and girl

deserves to live in a good home led by a mom and dad willing

to sacrifice for them. Sadly this isn't always the case.

Childhood only comes around once and is foundational for

the rest of their lives. A child deprived of love and guidance

may never recover and end up harming themselves and others.

Shiloh is here and can place boys and girls in the care of

Christian homeparents. Now these

children can hear the gospel of Jesus

Christ, eat nutritious meals, and learn

responsible work. By our mission

offering we are able to help Shiloh

show children a better way to live.

Monthly Missions

Tim & Erin MacSaveny

w/ Pioneer Bible Translators

Oblong Children’s Home

Wabash Christian Village

Campus Outreach ——————————————————————————————————

Home Communion

If you would like to have Home

Communion brought to you, please

call Ben Spray at 445-7021.

For to us a child is born,

To us a son is given,

And the government will be on his

shoulders.

And he will be called

Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,

Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Isaiah 9:6

Youth News

Youth Groups

Page 3

Brotherhood Resumes!

Practice for the Brotherhood 2020 season will be starting soon. Brotherhood is open to all current 8th graders, high school, and college students. First practice will be Sunday, January

5th. If you have any questions, see Tara Buerster.

What do snowmen eat for

breakfast?

-Frosted Flakes

On Dec. 8th

, the West Village kids will be

delivering gifts to the residents at Rest Haven and will sing Christmas carols. If you

would like to help hand out the gifts you

made please meet there at 9:30 a.m.

Elementary K-5th grades meets at the church with

Grace, Nyla, and Rhonda at 6 p.m. on Sunday

evenings.

———————————————————-

Junior High

Junior High meets at Jason & Kelley Biggs’ house

from 5:45-7:15 p.m. on Sunday evenings.

High School High School meets at Jim & Jodi Peach’s.

Keep watch for a schedule of dates.

Children’s Church Nursery 1—Audra 1—Norma & Sandy

8—Nixie 8—Sharon & Tara

15—Ashley 15—Debbie & Joyce

22—Sherry 22—Rhonda & Michelle

29—No Children’s Church 29—Tonya & Sandy

West Village Christian Church

296 Co Rd 1300N

Albion, IL 62806

U.S. Postage

PAID

Non-Profit Org.

Albion, IL

Permit #26

West Village Christian Church

296 Co Rd 1300N

Albion, IL 62806

618-445-2692 www.westvillagechristianchurch.org

Church Staff:

Minister

Nolan Owings

(Phone: 641-895-8043)

Secretary

Erin Koertge

(Email: wvccsecretary@

westvillagechristianchurch.org)

Nolan’s Corner Page 4

Sunday Morning Worship:

Sunday School: 9:30am

Morning Worship: 10:30am

Sunday Evening Services

Life Groups: 6:00 pm

Bible Study: 6:00 pm

Youth Groups 6:00 pm

Detangling Christmas

As crazy as it seems to me, December, and the end of another year are upon us. But before we ring in the

New Year, we celebrate the holidays. By the time you get this article I hope you have recovered from the food

coma from Thanksgiving, and you are well on your way to planning your Christmas festivities. The most difficult

part of those preparations isn’t the travel itinerary, the food preparation, or the gift buying. The most difficult part

of the holiday season is staying focused on what is most important. In the midst of the chaos that is the holiday season it is far too easy to lose sight of what truly matters. We can

debate when you are allowed to put up your Christmas tree (sane people wait until after Thanksgiving) but lose

sight of Christ hanging on the tree (Galatians 3:13). We will spend hours detangling all of the Christmas lights but

forget that Christ is the Light (John 8:12). We will spend days shopping for the right Christmas presents and lose

sight of Christ’s presence. And the anticipation of Christmas morning can distract us from remembering Christ’s

returning. The preacher and writer John Piper loves to use the phrase “God is most glorified in us when we are most

satisfied in Him.” In essence Piper is reminding us that what God desires for us is to be content, and happy in God.

That doesn’t require the prettiest tree, or the best presents, or the fanciest lighting display. If you need the gifts on

Christmas morning to satisfy you then you have missed out on the only thing that ever will. Instead, I leave you with this challenge. Don’t lose sight of Christ. Not just this holiday season, but in every

season. The rest of the world is looking for something that will fill a void in their souls that can only be found in

God. But it is a tragedy when followers of Christ are still trying to fill the void when they already have everything

they will ever need. Don’t be distracted by the pretty lights and the sparkling gifts and forget about the one

person that supplied us with everything we would ever need.