Shiloh News ... Pastor Tim. Pastor Tim s Ponderings. January 2016 Volume 7 Issue 1

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1 Shiloh News January 2016 Volume 7 Issue 1 Happy New Year! I know I know I m not even close to the first person who has wished you a Happy New Year. When I say it, I am sincere. I hope that this is the best year of your life excluding the year you got married, the years your kids (or your grandkids) were born, or the year that you got the best job you ve ever had. If you have not experienced any of those epic events, then I hope this is the BEST year of your life. I am hoping that it is Shiloh s best year as well. That s saying a lot because everyone reading this has an opinion about what Shiloh s best might have been. I m guessing that we won t have any votes for the years no doubt some of the folks who have helped to shape Shiloh into the Christ centered, praying body of believers would have selected some of those years we can t because we didn t experience those years. We who are part of the fellowship will certainly have great memories of the church being the light in the community and around the world. As 2016 unfolds before us, my prayer is that we will look outward into the fields white with harvest while not neglecting the faithful followers of Jesus who are already in the fold. As Pastor Mark and I have considered the ministry of Shiloh in 2016 we have tried to be faithful to the mission statement of the church do you remember the core values that are included in our mission statement? They are: worship; evangelism; teaching; making disciples; fellowship; serving; and striving for righteousness, justice, and peace. Everything that is on the calendar this year will fit into one of these core values. In every event planned, our hope is that the mission of the church will be fulfilled. Pastor Mark and I also evaluated the congregational participation of the events in Some of the events were not well attended so they may not initially appear on the calendar for the church. There are certain events (such as Lunch Bunch - see related article) that are undergoing changes in the event s structure while some events Pastor Tim s Ponderings have been left off the calendar (the Indians baseball game & caroling). These have been fun events but have been poorly attended. Maybe I wanted to make them happen so much that there was no ownership from the church I don t know. If you want to take leadership in these or other events that have disappeared, please see Pastor Mark or myself..... Other areas of the ministry of Shiloh that are being prayed over are the Committees that facilitate various areas of ministry in the church. The 2016 Committee List doesn t really look a lot like the committee list in 2002 when I arrived as the Pastor of Shiloh. Some of those committees are gone and several new committees have appeared. One of the committees that has disappeared for 2016 is the Decorating Committee. It s gone because no one signed up for it. So, does that mean that the church will have no decorations at Easter, during autumn, and for Christmas? Absolutely not! The Decorating Committee was a HUGE commitment. We altered the decorating process for Christmas this year and the church looked beautiful. What we want to try for 2016 is to have seasonal decorators. I am asking if there is someone who would be willing to take Easter or autumn or Christmas and surround yourself with a committee to do the season s decorating. (We already have a volunteer for autumn s decorations.) If you are willing to do decorations for one season of the year, please see Pastor Mark or myself. Nothing ever stays the same if it does it dies! The church is no different except for that which never changes: God s love for His people and the Bible. As much as everything around us is changing, you can rest assured that Shiloh s devotion to the mission of Jesus Christ never will. Happy New Year may you find the joy of loving and being loved by Jesus, and the peace that comes from His Word this year may they be your SOLID ROCK! Pastor Tim

2 One of the most important lessons that Christ followers can learn is that God wants to use Sermons in January them for His glory. The one response that I hear when I tell people that God wants to use them is: I m just an ordinary person. All of us are ordinary people, but when we are available to God He is able to do extraordinary works through us. As we open the door to 2016, I hope that you are already asking the question How can I be available to God in this new year? What can I do to bring Him glory and expand His kingdom? We will begin 2016 by looking at snapshots of six ordinary people that God used for His glory & purpose. As we progress through these six weeks, I hope that you will be constantly seeking out how you can be used by God even though you are an ordinary person. Jan. 3 Elizabeth Luke 1:5-25 Pastor Tim Jan 10 Asa 2 Chronicles 14:1-16:14 Pastor Tim Jan. 17 Tabitha Acts 9:36-42 Pastor Tim Jan. 24 Lydia Acts 16:14-15 Pastor Tim Jan. 31 Caleb Numbers 13:1-14:24 Pastor Tim Thank you, choir and kids, for the wonderful job you did Christmas Sunday. It was beautiful! Adult choir will meet in January on the 21st and 28th at 7:30 p.m. to prepare for February. Watch the bulletin for February/March schedule. If the weather is questionable, please watch Facebook for a cancelation notice or feel free to call/text Erin at to find out if there is practice. Nursery Schedule JANUARY 3 Ed & Patty Waters; Bobbie Rhodes 10 Steve & Chandra Felker; Carolyn Hines 17 Adrian & Flora Sanchez; Steve & Mandy West 24 Roger & Linda McKaig; Jerry & Darlene Roller 31 Mark & Lucy Marshall; Ed & Jonnie Bell FERUARY 7 Harry & Deb Bridge; Sharon Campbell 14 Christy & Haley Carlson; Mark Sell 21 Matt & Kate Holcomb; Becky Partin 28 Clayton & Aryn Freels; Carol Sue Hayworth Thank you for serving in the nursery. This is an important part of Shiloh's ministry. Young parents can worship comfortably while their children are lovingly cared for. If you are scheduled to serve on a day when you are unable, please make arrangements to switch with someone else on the list. Thursday Lunch Bunch Lunch Bunch is undergoing a facelift for We will be meeting on the 4 th Thursday of each month rather than the 3 rd Thursday. The lunch Bunch location will also change to Silver Lake Restaurant. We will continue to meet at 11:30 a.m. Please clip this notice and put it on your calendar as a reminder. Hope to see you at the new place on the new day! NEWSLETTER DEADLINE Thanks for submitting articles for this month s newsletter. Please have your articles for the February Shiloh News submitted by Tuesday, January 26. Please submit articles to the church office or them to Kathy Courtad at klcourtad@gmail.com

3 Bowl Sub Sale. Watch for details and order some for your freezer! Save these dates: With 2015 in the rear view mirror, it is incredible to look back and see what has happened with the Shiloh Youth. Movies, testimonies, memory verses, friends, guest speakers, discussions, supporting Dagne (our Compassion International child), sharing our faith, serving, 10 Commandments, storms of life, Fruit of the Spirit, corn maze, games, overnighters, and so much more. Thank you to everyone who has helped transport, feed, and support the youth financially and prayerfully. A very special thank you goes to the faithful adults, Mark Sell, Erin Campbell, Krystal Shaffer, and Lucy Marshall, who make this group and its many activities possible. As we look into 2016, there are more things on the horizon. Please continue to pray for all of our youth and leaders. My hopes and dreams and imagination are running wild. My prayer for our teens is that our activities and discussions will cause them to think about what they believe and why they believe it, that they would be inspired to share what they believe and feel confident defending it, and that they would ask questions and share thoughts to help us as leaders better understand what they are thinking. In January we have some traditions. One is a great trip to Bair Lake Bible Camp s Snow Fest. This year it is January 10 th. Consent forms are due immediately. This is always a great day of winter play, tubing, ice wall climbing, cross country skiing, and more. Bring a lunch and dress warm; we will eat and leave immediately after church; supper is provided on site. We will return to the church at approximately 8:30 pm. Also in January is the great Super Bowl Sub Sandwich Sale. Maybe your favorite team isn t in the Super Bowl, but that doesn t mean you have to miss the great Super Youth group retreat Pure Adventure/Pure Expedition at Bair Lake March 11-13, 2016 Senior High Fusion at Indiana Wesleyan April 1-2, 2016 Junior High Never 2 Young at Indiana Wesleyan May 6-7, 2016 Big Creek Mission trip June 12-18, 2016 SYG is open to all 6 th through 12 th graders and meets almost every Sunday at 6:00pm. Bring your Bible and a friend! Why I Love this Fundraiser Every year the Shiloh Youth group takes some trips and does some mission work, along with our regular activities. We like to be able to do these things without tremendous out-ofpocket expense for families, especially families with more than one teenager. There are days when I think the generosity of Shiloh people would be enough if we just said, We need money for this trip. It would be there. But it is also important to help the kids realize that life isn t a free ride. This is why we do fund raising. But why do I love this fundraiser? There are many fundraisers that require selling something small with a big price tag. People buy these things because they want to support the cause, not because they want or need the stuff being sold. But the Shop with Scrip gift cards allow everyone to make everyday purchases and support the cause at the same time. With a little planning you purchase gift cards from the youth group for the places you normally shop. Then you use the gift cards to make your regular purchases. Some gift cards are reloadable. So you could go directly to the website and reload the card you have already used. To see all the details about Shop with Scrip go to shopwithscrip.com and check it out. As we get started in this program we will order cards once a month. When we know what is popular we may keep some in stock or order more often. Thank you for the great Christmas start we got in December.

4 Fellowship Time Every Sunday at 9 a.m. we enjoy visiting with each other before Sunday school. Please join us for a cup of coffee or juice and a donut in the Fellowship Hall. These people are in charge of setting up the fellowship time in January: January 3 Jeff & Angela Brooke & Family January 10 Bob & Lynne Lesher January 17 George & Kathy Courtad January 24 Mike & Teresa Rose January 31 Bob & Cathy Cree Note: Please be ready to start coffee at 8:40 a.m. If you are willing to be added to the list of volunteers, please contact Phyllis Hood. Just 4 Men Hey! Men of Shiloh this is Pastor Tim reminding you that Saturday, January 9 th, is the first Just 4 Men of I hope that you will mark your calendars & join in the fellowship with other men who follow Jesus. At 7:30 a.m. there is a BIG breakfast followed by a teaching/discussion time that is always interesting and enlightening. Don t just take my word for it come and see for yourself. Set your watches 7:30 a.m. on January 9 th at Shiloh! See you then! Operation Christmas Child Shoebox Wonder what to do with your greeting cards after the occasion? Instead of throwing them away, why not put them in the OCC shoeboxes? There is a red box in the Narthex to collect greeting cards. Just cut off the front from any greeting card (Christmas, birthday, Easter, etc.) and place it in the box. And while you are at it, why don't you write a little note to a child? This would save us writing letters in October. Thank you for all your donations! There were 22 women of Shiloh who attended the annual Women s Fellowship Christmas party in December at the home of Annetta McKaig. President Sandra Shaffer read a story about the origin of the popular Christmas carol, Silent Night. The ladies then sang the carol together, accompanied by Annetta. Refreshments were enjoyed throughout the evening, and the group took part in the infamous Christmas Ornament Exchange. Committee members for the event were Sandra Shaffer, Krystal Shaffer, Deb Musall and Kathy Courtad. Watch the bulletin for news regarding the January meeting.

5 Shiloh Church Officers 2016 Church President Church Vice President Church Secretary Church Assistant Secretary Church Treasurer Church Assistant Treasurer Steward Elder Elder Deacon Deacon Deacon Deacon Trustee Trustee Trustee Greeters Assistant Greeters Worship Leader Assistant Worship Leader Sunday School Superintendent Assistant SS Superintendent Sunday School Song Leader Assistant SS Song Leader Sunday School Secretary Assistant SS Secretary Mike Rose* Ed Bell* Nalu Shewalter* Carol Sue Hayworth* Mark Sell* Christy Carlson* Mike Bramblett* Roger McKaig* Bob Carlson* Jim Campbell* Jerry Roller* Bob Pifer* Dennis Ide* Tim Morris* Tony Franklin* Lee Franklin* John & Deb Spencer George & Kathy Courtad Greg VanSoest Jeff Brooke Steve Felker Jim Musselman Greg VanSoest Lucy Marshall Erin Campbell Mandy West *Denotes Board Member CREATIVE CARD CLUB If you are a regular attendee of the Creative Card Club, remember your challenge from Sue Roller, our Card Club instructor: Create at least one new card per month while she s in Florida. This will be a great activity to do inside your warm house while the snow flies outside! If you d like to share your creations with Sue, make a duplicate card and send it to her at: Sue Roller Vereo Circle Estero FL ( roller3151@comcast.net)

6 January 13 th to the 19 th I, Pastor Mark, will be participating in a mission trip. I will be serving as the Spiritual Director for a Great Banquet weekend in Highgate, Jamaica. Many of you are familiar with the Great Banquet and Walk to Emmaus type three day Spiritual retreats. I don t know anyone who was ever sorry they participated in one of these weekends. The Great Banquet weekend is structured and designed to strengthen and renew the faith of Christians. Through a combined effort of laity and clergy, and in this case Americans and Jamaicans, the Great Banquet focuses on the renewal of the church. Weekends begin on Thursday evenings and last three days to Sunday evening. During those three days guests live and study together in a worshipful time of singing, prayer and discussion. During the Great Banquet, guests hear fifteen talks from lay speakers and pastors, in which the theme of God s grace is presented. They personally experience His grace through the prayers and acts of a loving, Christian support community. The weekend will challenge the guests to strengthen their personal spiritual lives through study and active congregational participation, and become active disciples of Jesus Christ in the world through their church. One of the goals of this mission trip is to help train by experience leaders in the local church so they will be able to continue to have more Great Banquets. After participating in a Great Banquet weekend they will be invited to volunteer to serve through prayer, support and team involvement. Great Banquet weekends are for anyone who wants to strengthen their spiritual life; wants a better understanding of prayer, the sacraments, study, and Christian action; strives to live a Christian life that bears fruit for God; seeks to know Jesus as Lord and Savior and to make Him known. Why Jamaica? Why not here in Indiana? The group who asked me to participate is Christian Service International or CSI Ministries, Inc. CSI has full-time missions in Belize, the United States, Jamaica, and Kenya. They also send short term missionaries to several other countries. CSI Ministries mission is to bring people close to Christ through short-term Missionary Spotlight missions. We are a short-term mission agency delivering experiences for people to share Christ s love with those they encounter. We encourage discipleship through opportunities for team members as they prepare, engage and debrief the mission experience. We serve to help local churches grow, increasing their impact in their home communities and beyond. In the communities where we serve, we strive to share the redeeming Gospel of Jesus Christ and help meet basic needs for our brothers and sisters in Christ. Through our nearly 50-year history, we have ministered to more than 20,000 people in churches throughout the United States. Faithful volunteers and dedicated staff engaged Kingdom building by serving as leaders, coaches and organizers. This is accomplished through sharing God s word and providing medical assistance, housing and other ministry opportunities with thousands more in at least fifteen countries throughout the world. - CSIministries.org They put together a team from our area so that we would be able to get together to plan and bond before arriving in in Jamaica. There are eleven men going who will team up with the Jamaican team on Wednesday, January 13 th. We will have most of the day Thursday to get to know each other before the guests arrive Thursday evening. After the guests depart on Sunday evening, we will do a small work project on Monday. Then we travel home on Tuesday. Please keep the group in your prayers. Pray for our pre-trip preparations; safe travel to and from; wisdom as we get to know the people and the culture; for the guests that they will be able to be away from home for three days and not worry about providing for their families so they can focus on Jesus for the weekend. As it is with most mission trips, we will be traveling to a very poor part of the world. The cost of this trip is about $1300. If you are interested in supporting financially, it will be greatly appreciated.

7 Daily Bible Reading 2015 In 2016, we are going to follow a little different plan than we have in the several years. We will begin by reading the Gospel accounts of Jesus life, death, and resurrection. Following these accounts from our Gospel writers, we will follow the Apostles as they try to establish the church and specifically look at the church through the eyes of Paul. Happy reading! January 1 Matthew 1 January 2 Matthew 2 January 3 Matthew 3 January 4 Matthew 4 January 5 Matthew 5 January 6 Matthew 6 January 7 Matthew 7 January 8 Matthew 8 January 9 Matthew 9 January 10 Matthew 10 January 11 Matthew 11 January 12 Matthew 12 January 13 Matthew 13 January 14 Matthew 14 January 15 Matthew 15 January 16 Matthew 16 January 17 Matthew 17 January 18 Matthew 18 January 19 Matthew 19 January 20 Matthew 20 January 21 Matthew 21 January 22 Matthew 22 January 23 Matthew 23 January 24 Matthew 24 January 25 Matthew 25 January 26 Matthew 26 January 27 Matthew 27 January 28 Matthew 28 January 29 Mark 1 January 30 Mark 2 January 31 Mark 3 January 1 Bob & Grace Carlson 1966 January 2 Lizzy West January 3 Krystal Shaffer Charity Musselman January 5 Dawn Sell Wayne Harness January 11 Susan Aldridge January 12 Jaden McFarland Marie Kohlhagen Kara Sell Chase Farrer January 14 Hallie Lebo January 15 Carol Sue Hayworth January 17 Lucy Marshall January 18 Darren McKaig January 19 Craig Sell January 20 Carol Gaumer January 21 Rosa Roller January 23 Bobbie Rhodes January 25 Maci Morris Merle Nice January 26 Alicia Pifer Katie Henry January 27 George Courtad January 31 Jacob Sell

8 Shiloh Christian Church 1047 N Co. Rd. 350 W, Logansport IN Ph Sunday Mornings: Coffee & Donuts - 9 a.m. Sunday School - 9:30 a.m. Worship - 10:30 a.m Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Dec pm - SYG 3 6 pm - SYG Dec Dec Dec Dec. 31 SYG Overnight 1 Office closed :30 am Just4Men 9:30 am Benevolence Committee 10 SYG-Snow Fest pm Women s Fellowship Pastor 14 Mark in 15 Jamaica No SYG 18 7 pm - Church Board :30 pm - Choir Pastor Mark in Jamaica 24 6 pm SYG Newsletter Deadline :30 am Lunch Bunch at Silver Lake 7:30 pm - Choir pm - SYG Feb. 1 Feb. 2 Feb. 3 Feb. 4 Feb. 5 Feb. 6