Pastor Mike's Blog

Sunday Service Preview - November 8, 2009

On Sunday, we are going to continue the HOMEFRONT sermon series with what is really part 2 of the parenting message we started last Sunday.  I am going to share some additional general principles of parenting we learn in the Bible and at the end of the service, I will take a few minutes and speak to parents of teens and young adults.

One of the things I will be spending some time talking about on Sunday are those qualities which we need to develop in the lives of our kids.  As a parent, it is so easy to get caught up in simply surviving the day that we often don't give much thought to the "big picture" of parenting.  When I say "big picture" I am referring to the things we want to teach our kids throughout the course of their lives so they will be adequately prepared for adulthood.  On Sunday, I will talk about 10 things we don't want to miss in our parenting and need to give some special attention to in the lives of our kids.

Sunday's service will include a special musical presentation by our youth choir.  Dave Besecker and our music ministry team will lead us in a meaningful time of worship.  I believe it is going to be a great day and I look forward to worshipping our incredible God with you.  It will be a great week to invite a guest to join you.

Please pray that God will work in our hearts in a special way on Sunday.  Pray for our teachers, helpers, shepherds, and everyone else who will be giving some leadership at our church on Sunday.  Pray God will help you and everyone else who comes to have an open heart and mind to hear His voice.

Haiti Trip Update

Just a quick note to let everyone know that Pastor Dirk called last evening (Wednesday) and said he and John Horton are doing fine and have many great stories and insights to share when they return home.  They have had limited access to email/phone etc. and so we hadn't heard from them until last evening.  Please continue to pray for them as they travel home today (Thursday).

Don't Forget To Vote Today

Today is election day in Pennsylvania and I want to encourage everyone to get out and vote.  While I believe the greatest way to change our country and world is through sharing the message of Jesus Christ, I believe Christians have a responsibility to get out and vote and influence the political process through the people we elect into office.  Too many Christians sit around and complain about how bad things are and what they don't like and then fail to excercise their right to make a difference through voting.

I realize there are not a lot of choices in the local elections, but there are a few key races in Antrim Township, Waynesboro Borough Council, and Waynesboro School District.  There are also important elections to the judicial system in Harrisburg.  I voted on my way to the office this morning and I challenge you to get out today and cast your vote.  Remember, if you don't vote, you don't have much right to complain about things after the election is over.  Just a thought.

Otterbein Goes to Haiti

A couple of weeks ago, I shared with our church during our worship services that Pastor Dirk Small and John Horton (one of our Elders) was headed to Haiti to learn more about how we might be able to be involved in the country of Haiti as part of our Local2Global outreach.  They leave this afternoon to head up to New York where they will spend the night with Bill and Barb Schuit.  Tomorrow morning (Sunday) they fly out of JFK airport to Haiti to begin their five-day trip.

Please pray for their safety and health while on the trip.  Pray God would use them to be an encouragement and blessing to those they come in contact with during their trip.  I also want to specifically ask you to pray for God to grant them wisdom in regard to whether Otterbein Church should move forward with plans to minister to the people of Haiti and if so, that He would give us clear direction about the best way to do it.

Throughout the week, I will post additional information from Pastor Dirk and John on my blog (which also goes to our Facebook Fan Page) as I receive it.  Thanks for praying.

Sunday Service Preview - November 1, 2009

On Sunday, November 1, I will be continuing the HOMEFRONT sermon series with a message about parenting.  Few things are as challenging AND rewarding as being parent. For the next two weeks (November 1 and 8), we are going to look at some Biblical principles God offers to help us raise our kids. 

This week, we are going to look at five biblical principles for parenting that apply regardless of the age of the kids in our homes.  At the end of the message, I will take a few minutes to offer a few practical suggestions to parents of younger children.  Regardless of the age of your kids (or whether you even have kids), I hope you will be able to join us for a practical, encouraging, and helpful look at what God has to say to parents.

Sunday's service will include the Lord's Supper in all three services.  Dave Besecker and our music ministry team will lead us in worship.  It will be a great week to invite a guest to join you and I look forward to see you on Sunday.  By the way, don't forget to turn your clocks back tonight.

Sunday Service Preview - October 25, 2009

On Sunday, October 25, 2009, we are going to continue the HOMEFRONT sermon series.  Several years ago, I read the book "Good to Great" by Jim Collins.  It is a study of the characteristics of "great" companies and what made them different from those companies that were good and/or those who were struggling.  It is a great leadership and organizational management book and if you are interested in those things, I would highly encourage you to read it.

As I was thinking about families and marriages, it struck me that there are those families and marriages where things seem to be going great and there are those that are struggling or just doing okay.  As I reflected on that, I was thinking of some of the characteristics of the "great" marriages and families I know and what characterized them.  It seems to me that there are at least five key characteristics of great families and marriages and each of them are found in the Bible (this shouldn't surprise us since marriage and family is God's idea to begin with).  On Sunday, we are going to look at these five characteristics and my hope is that it will help us move our families and marriages from "good to great."

It will be a great week to invite a friend to join you.  Click here if you would like to use the online e-invite that we have put together for our Home Front series.

Make sure you pray for our worship services and for everything that will happen at Otterbein on Sunday.  Ask God to pour out His Spirit on us and that everyone who attends will sense God's presence and take a step ahead in their spiritual journey.

Sunday Service Preview - October 18, 2009

On Sunday, we are beginning a new six-week sermon series at the church called HOME FRONT.  During the series, we are going to talk about some issues that I believe can help strengthen our marriages and families.

Sunday's message is MEN VS. WOMEN. One of the things that I am convinced about as I study the Bible is that God's perspective about the roles and responsibilities of men and women are very different from those in our culture today.  The result of our "progressive and modern" views about men and women and how they should relate to and treat one another has not been positive.  In fact, I believe the confusion and/or rejection of what the Bible teaches about this is one of the major sources of conflict in the home.  My goal on Sunday is to remind us of God's plan for how men and women are to relate to one another and function within the marriage and home environment. I hope you will be able to join us.

Dave Besecker and our music ministry team will lead us in a meaningful time or worship through singing and I have some exciting news I want to share with the congregation about a trip to Haiti Pastor Dirk and one of our elders are planning to take in a few weeks.  It will be a great week to invite a guest to join you for our worship services.

For this sermon series, we have created an online e-invite card.  If you would like to invite someone to join you, click here and it will take you to a webpage where you can send an e-invite card.

I would like to encourage you to pray for our services this weekend.  Pray God will speak to each of us in a powerful way and that lives will be changed as a result of what happens at Otterbein this Sunday.  Pray that our guests on Sunday will have a great first experience at Otterbein.  Pray that God will help each of our staff who are finalizing their lessons and preparing for their service on Sunday. 

Enjoy your weekend.

Pastor Mike

Elder Selection Process

Otterbein has six elders who provide spiritual oversight for our church.  The elders meet with me (Pastor Mike) twice each month and provide accountability for me, the staff, and other leaders in the church.  They also lay hands and pray over the sick (see James 5), appoint and/or affirm ministry leaders in the church, provide oversight to make sure our teachings and beliefs are consistant with Biblical Teaching, and oversee any church discipline that may need to take place in the church.  Elders serve for two-year terms and each year half of the current Elders terms expire. While it is possible that those elders whose terms expire this year may be reappointed, each of them, along with others who are recommended by the congregation, must go through the Elder selection process.

Here is the way the process works. For several weeks in late September and early October, the congregation has the opportunity to nominate persons for consideration to the position of Elder.  The application and requirements are available on the church website.  The deadline for the nominations is October 21, 2009.  Once all the nominations are received, the Management Oversight Team will appoint an Elder Selection Committee consisting of three persons from the congregation and two serving Elders who are not being considered to serve another term.  Pastor Mike also serves as a non-voting member of the Elder Selection Committee.  Those nominated who meet the requirements are then asked to fill out a lengthy application and submit it to the Elder Selection Committee.  Once those applications are returned, an interview is done by the Elder Selection Committee with each person being considered for the position of Elder.  After all the interviews take place, the Elder Selection Committee chooses the new Elders by secret ballot.

As you can see, the process in fairly intense, but we believe God has used it through the years to provide godly men to provide spiritual oversight for the congregation.  If you know someone who meets the requrements (you can find them on the church website or on the Recommendation Form available in the church lobby), we encourage you to nominate them for the position of Elder by using the Recommendation Form.  Before you nominate them, make sure you ask them if they will go through the process and serve if selected.  Please note.  It is also okay for you to nominate yourself if you would like to be considered for the position of Elder and if you meet the requirements for the position.

If you have any questions about the role of the Elders and/or the selection process, speak with or email Pastor Mike or contact one of the existing Elders (Mike Saterbak, Larry Alexander, Todd Sheldon, John Horton, Jeff Mullen, Lonnie Gulledge).  At least one of the Elders are always available in the church lobby by the world map/prayer room following each of the worship services on Sunday.

Sunday's Service Preview - October 11, 2009

On Sunday, October 11, 2009, we are going to wrap up the STORIES sermon series with a message entitled "It's Our Turn."  This week's "story" is found in John 20:19-23 and takes place on the evening of the day Jesus resurrected from the dead.  In Jesus' encounter with the disciples that evening, Jesus said these words:  "As the Father sent me, so I am sending you."  I believe those words have huge application to our lives and on Sunday, we will explore what Jesus' words mean for us.

Sunday's service is going to be a really special time for our church.  We have two of our Global Ministry partners with us on Sunday - Bill Schuit and Matt Smith - and as part of the message, I will have an opportunity to interview them about what Jesus' words have meant to them and how they are putting them into practice.  Dave Besecker and our music ministry team will lead us in a meaningful time of worship and we will end the service with a special song that will reinforce the theme of the morning. I am looking forward to the service and I hope you will be able to join us.  It will be a great week to invite someone to join you at Otterbein for one of our worship services.

Each week in my Sunday service preview I ask you to pray for everything that is going to happen on Sunday on our church campus. This week is no exception.  Pray for an outpouring of God's Spirit and that everyone who attends will "hear God's voice" this Sunday as we worship Him and open up His word. 

Sermon Videos Now Online

This past week, we started including videos of Sunday's sermon on our website along with the audio, notes, and powerpoint slides.  The player looks like the picture on the left.  If you click on the MAIN CHANNEL you will be taken to the list of sermons.  Once you get to the list (see the other picture), you will see a vido camara icon.  Click on it and it will open up the message in a video format.

You can also view the Weekly Video Announcements.  They are on the Announcements Channel when you first go to the media player.

Click here to get to the media player if you would like to check it out.