Christmas @ Wayman Manor

Once again I have been moved by the generosity of the Western Hills Church. On Sunday, December 17th we delivered 150 boxes full of presents to the Wayman Manor Apartments in Temple. As we pulled up, a large group had already gathered. We were warmly welcomed by smiles and excited laughter.

After a few minutes of "organization" we began to distribute the gifts as moms, dads, grandmas, grandpas and what seemed like hundreds of kids came through the line. The joy of seeing the smiles and hearing the small voices say "thank-you" was instant validation that we were doing God's work!

Thank you to all who bought and wrapped gifts, gave money and lifted this ministry up in prayer. Thank you for being His Hands & His Feet at Wayman Manor.

God bless.

-Scott Seela

Spange

Do you know what "spange"/"spanging" is?

Do you know how WHY participated in the "LOST" series?

Check out the Western Hills Youth Blog to read about how our teenagers have helped homeless teenagers in Denver, CO and learned why God gives us extra.

http://westernhillsyouth.blogspot.com

Mark Your Calendars!

The work is almost done! The worship center is almost ready! We have set our "return to the worship center" for the first Sunday of 2007 - January 7. This day will be a special day in the life and mission of this church. We will have a celebration for all that God has done. We will begin with a breakfast in the Family Life Center at 9am. This time will include prayers of thanksgiving and words of blessing from our shepherds. At 10 we will move into the worship center and at 10:15 we will have our first worship of the new year.

Make plans to be a part of this celebration. Invite anyone and everyone you wish, to be with us and join in our season of thanksgiving.

God Bless

Scott

Tree of Light Christmas Gifts

We began our Tree of Light Christmas Gifts this last Sunday. This year we are doing gifts for the kids at Wayman Manor. (We have an ongoing ministry at the Wayman Manor Apartments in which we share Jesus' love with the kids that live there.)

To participate in the Tree of Light, all you have to do is...

1. Select a tag (or tags) from the tree in the FLC & grab a box (or boxes).
2. Sign your name on the list by the corresponding name.
3. Fill the box with simple gifts (clothing items, toys, etc.).
4. Wrap the box, apply the label provided and return it by December 13.

It's that easy!

The response has been great so far, but we still have a few tags left. Come by and pick a name or two.

Thanks for sharing Jesus' love through this project.

-Scott Seela

Some Movie Recommendations this Season...

Two movies out this season are worth taking your family to see. These two movies support faith and family and would make for a great time together this holiday season. The movies are the Nativity Story and Charlotte's Web.

The Nativity Story (rated PG) is a telling of the biblical story of the birth of Jesus with the same attention to detail as in the Passion. Many of the same locations were used to film the movie to give it an authentic sense of time, place and people.

Charlotte's Web (rated G) is a live action remake of the animated classic that anyone over the age of 21 has seen. The story focuses on the power of believing in someone and seeing them through new eyes. The new version will include the talents of Julia Roberts, Dakota Fanning, and Oprah Winfrey.

Either or both of these movies would be a great event for the family this holiday season.

God Bless,
Scott

Stewardship

We, as a church, are actively practicing the value of stewardship. This core value reminds us of several things.

They are...

1. We are not owners, it ALL belongs to God.

2. We are MANAGERS of the resources God has given us to manage.

3. We have a little bit of time and a little bit of opportunity to leverage for the sake of the KINGDOM.

4. We cannot be fully devoted followers of Jesus and remain upside down in our personal finances.

5. We need to order the arena of our money so that we GIVE first, SAVE second, and the LIVE off of the rest.

6. When we have more than we need (extra), it is for someone in need.

The value of stewardship is just as important for the whole church as it is for the individual Christian. To set our operating budget for 2007 we are currently collecting the Stewardship Cards. If you have not yet filled yours out and turned it in to one of our elders please do so. It is important that you participate in this process. Remember, the sum total of all of the cards will become the budget for 2007. We will add or reduce ministries so that the church will practice what we preach, "Live within our means." We believe God will bless us as we learn to be good stewards of all that He has given us.

In Him

Scott

Thankful for...

Of course this time of year it only seems appropriate for everyone to make their lists of what they are thankful . I thought I would create a list of what we as a church have to be thankful for this year.

1. The grace of Jesus Christ.
2. The sustaining presence of God that has seen us through some rough times.
3. Godly leadership from our elders. (They are not perfect by they love God and love this church!)
4. A generous church that is willing to give sacrificially.
5. One of the best youth ministries and children's ministries I have ever seen.
6. Ministry/mission opportunities in our community. (Wayman Manor, Upward Basketball, Love of Christ Center)
7. The Elder's vision to be a church that connects the unconnected, cares for our people, and changes lives for God.
8. The numerous volunteers who serve in a variety of ways each and every week.
9. The beautiful new worship center that will be ready in 2007.
10. So many of our senior saints who love on my kids and make them think that church is the best place on Earth.

That's my list. What would you add?

Happy Thanksgiving

Scott

Rock-n-Roll

The stone is going up and the beams are being painted. In the picture masons are working on the section that is up front, below our baptistery. The work on our worship center is moving forward quickly.

It won't be long before we experience our first worship experience in the new worship center.

Thanks for Giving!

Thank you for your response to our food drive for the Love of Christ Center.

Doug Wheeler estimates that with your food and money donations combined, we will have over 1 TON of food!

This will make a big difference as the Love of Christ Center services the people of Bell County. As Matt Peacock shared a week ago, the Love of Christ will serve approximately 28,000 people in 2006. Your generous contributions make this all possible.

Thanks again for being the Hands and Feet of Jesus.

-Scott Seela

Auditorium Update

The worship center is really moving along now. Everyday we are one more step to being completed. The room is being prepared for the painters to come in and work their magic. We will be moving in before we know it. Of course the worship center is only one of several exciting things occurring right now. Remember to bring your CASES of food for the Love of Christ Food Drive. And our annual Stewardship Sunday is coming Nov. 19. Be praying for your financial commitment in 2007.

Food Drive for the Love of Christ Center

Our annual food drive for the Love of Christ Center is set for this coming Sunday, November 12th.

The Love of Christ Center is a ministry where the basic needs of food and clothing are met every week due to your generosity. As Matt Peacock shared during our contribution time, the Love of Christ Center is on track to serve 28,000 people in the Bell County area in 2006. Your giving and donations make that possible.

The challenge for this year's drive is to make a MAJOR STACK with cases of food items. (Of course, all food items will be gratefully accepted!) A section of the Family Life Center has been taped off so we can make our stack "Case High." If you weren't here last Sunday, this means that we are trying to fill the taped off area to the height of Case H. (a teen in our student ministry).

The area is approximately 4 feet by 13 feet. Case is 5 foot 7 inches. For you math people, that means our goal is basically 290 Cubic Feet.

So bring a case (or 2 or 3 or more) to the Southwest corner of the FLC on Sunday, November 12th. For a list of the needed food items, CLICK HERE or contact the church office (254-778-4246).

I'm looking forward to seeing what God does through His people.

-Scott Seela

Sound Sytem Being Installed

The new sound system is being installed. The new system will provide quality clear sound throughout the auditorium. This will be a great tool as we present the message of Jesus with creativity and passion.

Keep Checking In,

Scott

We Love Wayman Manor!

Wow! What an awesome experience! The Western Hills Church went to the Wayman Manor apartments and lived out the love of Jesus.

For those who don't know, the Wayman Manor apartments is a place where the teens and others regularly minister (Once a week in the summer and once a month during the school year). The teens come together with the Wayman Manor kids to play games, draw, apply fingernail polish, play with play-doh, sing songs, learn about Jesus and share a snack.
Yesterday, the 20/20 Groups (and a few other groups) put on an incredible Fall Carnival for the kids and families at Wayman Manor. Faces were painted, wet sponges were thrown, candle flames were squirted out, rides were taken on an antique fire truck, hot dogs were eaten, kids bounced on air, mass amounts of candy were passed out (I could go on & on) and FUN was had by all.

Western Hills wasn't just the Hands and Feet of Jesus yesterday, they were also His Arms. I saw the loving Arms of Jesus wrapped around the kids and families of Wayman Manor through everything you did!

This church continues to go above and beyond to live out the love of Jesus. The people aren't satisfied to be "the church in the pews." Our people continually seek out ways to be the church in the community and in the lives of others.

Thank you, thank you, thank you for making the Fall Carnival a blessing. Thanks for the mass amounts of donated candy, for sponsoring fun booths and for genuine smiles and love displayed.

- Scott Seela

Rock-n-Roll

The stone, that will decorate the front of our worship center, has arrived! The front/pulpit area is almost ready for the stone to be added. Soon the masons will go to work to fix the rock to the waiting wall. Things continue to move along smoothly and quickly. Keep praying for God to place a sense of mission on our hearts to utilize this beautiful worship center as a tool to proclaim the love of Jesus.

Keep Checking In,

Scott

It Keeps Going...

The work continues! This week the walls were sheetrocked and a MASSIVE amount of electrical work was done. As you can see in the pic the walls are no longer the dark paneling and the sockets for the wall sconces are in place. Everything is really starting to come together. My prayer for us is that as the worship center gets ready we get ourselves ready to worship. It is not the decoration of the room that makes it holy, it is the presence of God in the lives of the worshippers. May we be ready to worship God in this place.

Keep Checking In,

Scott

How can you tell? Part 2

It seems to me in the theological/religious world we are more interested in being right than being like Jesus. Most of our discussions spiral downward into debate then simply into arguing. Often we (me included) are more caught up in our "position" on certain theological issues than we are consumed with the nature and character of Christ. So often have I been so wrapped up in the debate that when an example of Christ comes into my view, it hits me like a bucket of cold water, shocking back to clear vision, even if only for a brief while.

Consider the nature of Jesus that is being exemplified in the tragic Amish school shooting. Following the shooting donations from all over the country have poured into the community. They now exceed more than $1million. When asked how the money will be spent the leaders stated that a portion of the money will go to the KILLER'S family! The Amish consider the family of the killer to also be victims of this horrendous crime.

If an Amish religious leader and I were to sit down together, we would probably have numerous disagreements on how to interpret certain scripture. We would most likely disagree on numerous doctrines. But what I could not deny, is that the nature and character of Jesus is being reflected in a community when it is willing to not only forgive the family, that brought so much grief, it also blesses them. Sounds a lot like what Jesus did for me on the cross.

May the character and nature of Jesus be also alive among those of us who worship with the Western Hills family!

In HIS Grip,

Scott

How can you tell?

"They will know you are my disciples by your _________." This statement found in the Gospel of John is,at the same time, one of the simplest and difficult statements by Jesus. It seems that so often we have tried to fill in the blank with many things Jesus never intended. In my life and experience some of the things we have tried to fill in the blank with are...

• doctrine
• clothes
• church buildings
• sign
• college
• tracts
• political party

Unfortunately none of these are what Jesus said. He said the world will know we are disciples of his by our LOVE. This is the way that Jesus himself tells us we will be recognized, because it is LOVE that most clearly reflects the nature of Jesus. In the end it is more than our belief system but our behavior to others that sets us a part from the world. This is why I am so excited about our Carnival in Wayman Manor. We will go into the community and show the love of Jesus. And if we take Jesus at his word they will recognize who we belong to!

See Ya Sunday,
Scott

Wearing our Hearts on Our Sleeves

Our Fall Carnival is just a little more than 2 weeks away (Sunday, Oct. 29). This event is for our us to go into our community and be a blessing. As a church we not only believe in Jesus, but we go and BE Jesus to our community. We will go to Wayman Manor to show them the love of Jesus. To help us be clear about our message we have designed some T-shirts that say "WE LOVE WAYMAN MANOR." We will wear our hearts on our sleeves. The shirts will be available for pre-sale this Sunday at the Coffee Spot for $5 apiece. Supplies will be limited so if you would like one then bring your money and reserve your shirt asap.

Remember we still need candy and your ideas for a booth. Just contact Scott Seela to let him know how you want to be involved.

I am proud to be a part of church that is willing to go where Jesus would go!

Scott

New Message Series Coming Soon...

Starting on a Sunday, Oct. 29 we will begin a new message series that will explore all that Jesus has to say about our MONEY! It is hard to believe, but Jesus actually said more about money than he did grace, baptism, and salvation combined. You can not be a devoted follower of Jesus and ignore all that he had to say about your finances. Our spiritual lives are not seperate from our financial lives. Jesus teaches that they are intimately interwined.

I want to challenge you to think about someone who you can invite to hear this series. This will be a group of messages that will be relevant and practical for all of us.

See you on Sunday!

Scott

New Bible Seminar Rotation

I've heard many positive comments about our new Bible Seminar format. Neil Haney & Larry Matthews have done a great job kicking off the new format with their two series!

I wanted to let you know about the next two series that begin on Sunday, October 15.

In the Fellowship Room Venue, a series titled Chasing After the Heart of God: A Study of the Life of David will be brought by Jason Bullock. Scripture paints a picture of David as a man who struggled to be a faithful follower of God in a chaotic world. Although clearly a servant of God, David made some very public mistakes. This series will focus on David’s relationship with God through the peaks and valleys of his life. Of all of the heroes of faith, it is David who is referred to in Acts as a man after God’s own heart. What lessons could we learn from the life of David that might one day allow the same thing to be said of us?

In the Family Life Center Venue, a series titled A Legacy of Spiritual Discipline: Guess Who's Watching will be brought by Mike Stirman. When it comes to spiritual disciplines, what we hear and what we see often don’t match up. This series will address the importance of practicing spiritual disciplines as well as some “how-to’s”.

So don't miss out on what's coming. Join us at 9:00 am, grab a cup of coffee at the Coffee Spot and pick a series to join.

Hope to see you there!

-Scott Seela