Friday Free-for-All

Here are just a few of the numerous things banging around in my head as we charge into the weekend.

1. I am continually amazed at the talent that God has placed here in this church. Anyone who was present last weekend and laid eyes on the "empty tomb" on the pulpit knows what I am talking about. Our own artist-in-residence Patty Thomas created for us a visual effect that left most of us speechless. (Click on the picture to see large version.) Patty is just one of the hundreds of gifted and talented people God uses to bless this church. I am grateful to be a part of a body that is actively exploring ways for people to put their gifts to work to glorify God. You may never notice, but each Sunday morning worship is the net result of tons of volunteers giving their best for God.

2. This Sunday is Home Group Sunday. Home Groups are our way of making a big church small again. It is our strategy to create an environment of authentic community in the lives of our people. Each time Home Groups meet I hear great stories of how our Home Groups are ministering to people and changing lives. If you are not yet in a group just grab a copy of the discussion questions off the website and invite some folks to your home or to meet you at your favorite restaurant. It's that simple.

3. This Sunday morning is also the Sunday that we have invited all of the students enrolled in Western Hills Christian Preschool to worship with us. This ministry has seen some incredible growth over the last couple of years. More than 40 students are enrolled (many without a church home). So this Sunday we will do what we do best and welcome people into our time of worship. It is our prayer each Sunday for God to use our worship service as an avenue to connect with some one's life and introduce them to Jesus.

4. I am more convinced now than ever before that God's greatest dreams for this church lie in the future and not in the past. If we have the courage to hold tightly to His hand there is no telling where this adventure will lead.

Love Ya Much!

Scott

Average Parents

Today we have invited a guest blogger to share some thoughts with us. The essay is by Dave Boivie, one of our members at Western Hills. Dave is a great guy with an amazing story. Dave has a heart for people and a passion for God. May you be blessed today.

Average Parents

Most of you know that I was involved with drugs as a teenager. There always seemed to be some kind of trouble I could get myself or someone else into. As you can expect, I was a difficult person to be around because I was always angry about some trouble I had gotten into.

It is hard to imagine a home occupied by two teenagers being peaceful. Especially when the teenagers are brother and sister who fight about everything. This is not an easy home to bring peace to, and not a nice place for our parents to live either. Somehow our family survived all this confusion. Looking back, I am only now starting to realize why.

My Mother and Father were not perfect. I can remember mistakes they made, but there is one thing I remember even better. In spite of all the trouble I was to them, and the confusion that occurred, my parents loved me and made our home a warm and safe place. I remember my parents, not so much because they fed me and gave me a room to sleep, but because they loved me when I did not return that love. They may be average to some, but they saved my life, and almost certainly my soul as well.

We invite other submissions to be posted on this blog. If you would like to contribute an original article for consideration to be posted simply email it to us in Word Doc form.

Tragedy & Worship

Tucked away in the thousands of stories concerning the tragedy at Virginia Tech I found this blog post on MSNBC.com. I am reposting it here. May it be a blessing to you.

As the thousands drifted away from the candlelight vigil on the Virginia Tech drillfield Tuesday evening, a song rose from a circle of two dozen lights.

"O mothers, let’s go down. Come on down, don't you wanna go down? O mothers, let’s go down. Down in the river to pray..."

A woman in the circle, a generation older than the young men and women, said she had come up from western North Carolina to be with her son, a resident adviser in a dorm, an R.A. just like the first young man killed on Monday. She reached over to give him a hug as they sang on.

"Amazing grace, how sweet the sound..."

The group grew to 30, singing from the heart, tears on many cheeks. They all knew
the same songs, the same harmonies.

"This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine..."

Was this an organized group, a church choir? No, she said, "just Christians."

"Lean on me, when you're not strong, and I'll be your friend, I'll help you carry on..."

We wanted to know, what was her son's story? Her name? And how had a son's mother gotten through these days? "I don't want to be interviewed," she said gently. "This is worship. This is giving thanks."

Easter Egg Hunt

It never ceases to amaze me the way God uses this church.

This past Sunday afternoon, we went out and had a joint Easter egg hunt with our friends at Wayman Manor. Due to all the snow we got on Easter day, we had to postpone the hunt, but that did not stop God from using us as His hands and feet. Due to the generosity of this church, we had more eggs than we had hiding places. It looked like a sea of Easter eggs. Thank you for your generosity.


We continue to do things with/for Wayman Manor because we believe it is a place Jesus would spend a lot of his time if he were on earth today. The people who live there have been marginalized, are struggling with just getting by, and do not seem to have a strong relationship with Jesus. We go there to love on them and share the good news of Christ. And I think the message is getting across. Praise God!

The Video from Sunday

We showed this video on Easter Sunday. It is an introduction to our current message series that examines the impact of the resurrection on our lives. If you wish to listen to the audio of Sunday's sermon click here.
We will be in this series for the next 4 weeks. This coming Sunday we will explore what the resurrection has to say about our past failures. So if you have any time or event in your life you regret then this message is for you. Hope to see you on Sunday.

Love Ya Much

Scott

Snow Day

This past Sunday was amazing in so many ways. Obviously the snow was both a beautiful blessing and a curse (for those without power for 24 hours). What was more amazing than the weather was the enthusiasm and excitement that everyone had for worship. Considering the outside conditions we had an awesome crowd participating. I met many people that you had invited and many more who were coming back for the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th times. God continues to bring people to us, giving us an opportunity to connect with them and connect them to Jesus. Thanks for being so passionate about reaching this community for Christ.

End of the Week Mind-Dump

It's the end of the week and as always there is lots of activity going on at Western Hills. So as we look forward to Sunday, here is my "end-of-the-week-random-mind-dump." Enjoy!

1 - On Sunday We will wrap-up our series on 1 Peter, "Live Different." I hope and pray you have been blessed by the ancient, but extremely relevant words of a man walked with Jesus. I have told many that I was planning on being in 1 Peter for only 4 weeks, but the more I studied the more I had to preach.

2 - This Sunday we will end how Peter ends with a look at our elders. We have an amazing group of men who serve as our elders. Please be in prayer for them as they serve God and serve this church. If you do not know all of our elders they are - Rex Baugh, Neil Haney, Lurry Leavelle, Larry Matthews, Ron Scott, Steve Stern, Jim Thigpen.

3 - Next Sunday (April 8) is our Easter Service. I am excited about Easter not because it is the only day we celebrate the Resurrection (we do that EVERY Sunday) but because it is the day that the rest of the world gets in on it. So we are praying hard for all of the people who will be on our campus that day. We have an opportunity to connect each of them to Jesus.

4 - Who will you invite on that Sunday? Who are you building a friendship with that you can now bring them to church with you? I want to encourage you to step out on faith and extend the invitation to someone. You just might be surprised what God will do with your step of faith.

5 - Our Youth Minister search process is moving forward. The Search Team is interviewing candidates. PLEASE CONTINUE TO PRAY for this effort. It is critical that the right man be invited to lead our teens and families. Please pray.

Well that is all for today. See you on Sunday.
Love Ya Much
Scott

Does an Empty Tomb really matter?

This seemingly simple question is the pivotal question to Christian faith. It is a question that can not be avoided. A recent indication to the importance of this question is the recent documentary by film-maker James Cameron, The Lost Tomb of Jesus. The film (which aired March 4, 2007 on the Discovery Channel) makes the claim that the tomb of Jesus has been found. The documentary is quick to point out that this discovery need not challenge any of the Christian doctrines. The suggestion is made that the resurrection of Jesus was a spiritual one if not physical. So again the question has been asked, "Does it really matter whether or not the tomb is empty?"

I believe that EVERYTHING hinges on that question. If the tomb is not empty, and Jesus did not return from the dead then everything else he claimed was either nonsense or a lie. Throughout history many have suggested that Jesus was a kind man and a good teacher, but not divine. The problem with this idea is that you believe the man that tells you how you should live, how much you should love, and how to prioritize your life, but your not going to listen to him when he says I will return from the dead! If Jesus did not rise from the dead then we should dismiss everything else he said, but if he did return from the dead then we can not ignore anything he said.

On Easter Sunday we will wrestle with this issue. We will discover what it means to us if the tomb of Jesus was empty. Make plans to join us as we begin the new message series, "God's Empty Promise.

God Bless

Scott

To read a good article that refutes the claims of the documentary click here.

Who will you invite?

Every Sunday we have an opportunity to do something miraculous. We have an opportunity to invite people who we know and care about to join us and participate in our worship. Why would we do this? Because we are driven to lead as many as possible into a growing relationship with Jesus. Every week God is bringing people onto our campus and into our service to hear how much God loves them. How is he doing this? He is using you to do it. I am meeting lots of people who tell me that they are here because one of you invited them. You are somebody they work with, carpool with, live next door to, or go to school with and because you asked they decided they would come. So as we look toward Easter with high expectations about what God will do...whose face do you see joining us and hearing about the good news of Jesus?

God Bless

Scott

PS - One tool you can use to invite someone is the e-vite on the website. Click here to learn more.

Get Ready for Easter

Easter Sunday is coming April 8 and we need to get ready! Both research and experience shows that more people will give "church a chance" on Easter than any other Sunday of the year. This fact has big implications for us as a church that is on mission to "connect the unconnected." We will have an opportunity to impact someone who may not have stepped inside of a church building for a year. What will we do with our opportunity?

One thing I know will happen is that you will invite people who are in your circle of influence (friends, co-workers, family, etc) to our worship service. I am confident of this because it is already happening. Every week I am meeting more and more people who tell me they are here because one of you invited them. We call this our BUILD and BRING strategy. Simply stated it means you intentionally build an authentic relationship with someone and then bring them to church.

To capitalize on this dynamic I am trying something new. I will be launching a new series on Easter Sunday (instead of concluding one). The series is titled GOD'S EMPTY PROMISE. We will explore the everyday and eternal impact of the empty tomb on our lives. I hope to make this series practical and relevant, with a hope that who you invite just may come back to hear more.

I will be praying for you as you get ready for Easter.
God Bless
Scott

Summer Youth Intern

Western Hills has a long history of training up Godly men and women to serve the church. To continue that tradition, we are bringing in one of our own to help us out this summer: Cole Smith. We are very excited about Cole coming on board and all the leadership he brings.

Click Here to read an exclusive interview with Cole.

Youth Minister Search Team

As I announced Sunday morning, the elders have commissioned a team of people to lead out in our search for a new Youth Minister.

The team is made up of the following people:

• A.C. Blunt
• Sharla Bundy
• Les Maloney
• Jack Mankin
• Erica Meyer
• Randy Pittenger
• Sharon Phillips
• Melissa Prather
• Scott Seela
  

We ask the entire church to lift up this team in prayer. Please pray for them to have wisdom & discernment. Please pray for the next youth minister that God has prepared for Western Hills. And please continue to pray for Matt & Megan as they select a law school and prepare to move.

Western Hills has seen the faithfulness and power of God as we humble ourselves and pray. I am confident that we will see God "do amazing things among us" as we add a new person to the Western Hills staff.

Keep praying!

-Scott Seela

Upward Sunday

What a wonderful day! First of all, I want to say THANK YOU to the Western Hills Church for the warm and loving welcome given to our Upward Basketball players & families. I saw so many of you greeting and talking with our guests. Western Hills truly is a welcoming church!

I had serveral Upward families tell me how much they enjoyed and were blessed by the worship at Western Hills. Of course, the overwhelming comments were about how much they appreciate the way our coaches love their kids. The "backbone" of our Upward Basketball is the willingness of so many volunteers to give of themselves. From the concessions stand to the half-time devotionals to the referees and the coaches, the kids and families are shown the love of Jesus in every touch and word.

The Upward families who were able to attend on Sunday were once again shown that Western Hills is on a mission to connect them with the love and power of Jesus Christ and His Church. Please be in prayer for the many kids and families involved in Upward Basketball. For many, this is their first positive experience with church and our prayer is that they will want to continue that experience beyond Upward.

Thank you again for being Jesus to our guests. Continue to be on the lookout for newcomers at Western Hills because your attentiveness to them makes all the difference!

Have a great week.

-Scott Seela

Camp Koinonia Staff

Adults:

Are you looking for a way to impact others lives for Jesus?

Does the idea of working with teenagers excite you?

Do you have a week or two open in the summer?

Then we have a deal for you!

Every summer our teenagers spend two weeks at Camp Koinonia. The first week of camp (June 24-29) is Senior Week (for students 9-Grads) and the second week (July 1-6) is Junior Week (for students 5-8 grade). Camp K helps train our students to be disciples of Christ.
This year, we would love to have some more adult sponsors. We are looking for counselors, Dining Hall, Kitchen Staff, and Medical trained adults. If you are interested in serving and training up students you can get the 2007 Camp Koinonia First Time Staff Application HERE or if you have questions please talk to Matt Peacock or Randy Pittenger.
See you this summer!

Announcement From Matt

I would like to announce to you that after lots of prayer, Megan and I have decided that this August I will be going to law school to pursue a law degree. We have considered all the choices before us and feel God is calling us not only to a new vocation but to new ministry opportunities. The unfortunate part is that we will be leaving this great church. I want you all to know that Megan and I love you and these teenagers very much. This career choice is not due to a bad situation here. This is a decision based upon the future of our family as I get the higher education I desire.
I will always be proud to be associated with Western Hills. This family has loved on Megan and me and helped train me up, and for that I will always be grateful. I have been a part of this church through different ministry positions for almost five years now, and leaving this place is by far the most difficult part of this transition. After talking with the elders, they have decided that it is both beneficial for the church and Megan and me if I stay on as the full time youth minister until the end of May. That means we are not gone yet and today is not good-bye. We will continue to train, teach, and provide opportunities for our students to learn what it means to live as the hands and feet of Jesus.
My petition is that you please pray for Megan and me as we make several tough decisions about schools and the future of our family. As excited as Megan and I are about the prospect of going to law school, it still saddens us to be leaving such a great church. Again, we love you and have no doubt that God will continue to work in this place. He always does. Thank you.
Matt Peacock

I Love My Home Group

Last night was our Home Group/Small meeting. I love my group! I'm in the Neighbors/Leavelle group. We have quite a diverse group. There are young and old. Singles and marrieds. Parents and grandparents. Well... you get the idea.

Even though we are a diverse group, we love being together. It was great to see all the connections and coversations taking place last night. We always eat well when we're together, but more importantly, we always connect and care well. Prayer needs are shared. God's blessings are shared. In general, life is shared.

I am always thankful after a group meeting. I'm thankful for reconnecting with valued relationships and I am thankful for the new and growing relationships. I'm thankful that my kids have friends in our group and I'm especially thankful that my kids have adults that love them in our group.

I could go on for a long time about my group. As I said before, "I love my Home Group!"

I hope you love your group too. And if you aren't in a group, I hope you decide to start the process of getting into one. If you would like assistance in finding a group, go to the Western Hills website (www.westernhillsonline.org) and click the link- Home Group Assistance.

Have a great week!

-Scott Seela

A Word from our Elders

I am extremely excited to make the following announcement.

During the month of September, all budgeted ministries were contacted regarding budget requests for 2007. On October 2 the Stewardship Committee began preparing the 2007 Budget by compiling those requests and individually reviewing them. Several meetings were held in the months of October and November to complete this process.

During that time it was decided that we, as a congregation, needed to exercise sound financial management by constructing a Budget that reflected our giving level.

On November 19 Scott Meyer announced that the Elders were calling each member to a time of prayer to consider their individual contribution to the corporate Budget. Then on December 17 you completed purpose cards and submitted them to the Elders. They were totaled. It was found that amount purposed totaled $517,876.

Please allow me to digress one moment. The reason we asked for the stewardship cards was to budget so we would live within our means. The use of those cards has been accomplished and they have been shredded. You will never receive a bill even if you are not able to fulfill your purpose. Your giving is not to man but to God and He is the sole one to whom you must give an account.

The Stewardship Committee was given the purposed amount and charged with the task of reconciling it to the amount requested by the budgeted committees. The total of the “Dream List” submitted by the individual ministries was $19,665 over the amount that was purposed.

The Stewardship Committee met this past Monday night to reconcile the difference. That task was accomplished with the cooperation of all. This meant that part or all of the funds for Guest Speakers this summer, Leadership Training for Christ, Children’s Ministry, Youth ministry, Van Rental, Vehicle Expense, Church Expense, Equipment Repair and maintenance, Advertising, Financial Peace University, Tuesday- Thursday School, A Mexico Expenditure, Missions Travel, Love of Christ Center, and Children’s Homes had to be reduced. Very few of the listed programs were actually cut but all the listed programs had to remove certain items from their desired program of work for 2007.

This Budget was presented and approved by the Elders this past Wednesday night. A Copy of the approved 2007 Budget is available on the Table in the Foyer as you leave if you would like a copy.

I would like to convey on behalf of the Eldership their gratitude for your prayerful consideration of your financial support of the 2007 program of work at this place. We have observed and given thanks to God for your generosity in supporting the 2006 Budget as well as the Auditorium Remodeling project. God has blessed you richly and we believe that you have shown yourselves to be faithful stewards.

It is the desire of the Eldership and the Stewardship Committee to reinstate all of the reductions that were made. The way we will know when that time comes is by the level of giving each week. The Stewardship Committee will review the status of the Budget each quarter during 2007 and make recommendations to the Eldership as to amendments to the Budget.

Here is your part in the process. Would you ask God in your daily prayers to provide additional financial resources to this congregation? If he selects to bless this body through you, will you again prove to be a faithful steward?

When the leadership sees a surplus building in the 2007 contribution, an announcement will be made calling you to a season of prayer on behalf of the Elders to know what ministries to add to the 2007 effort.

We bless God for what He has done at Western Hills and what He is going to do before our very eyes. So consecrate yourselves and be prepared for the generous hand of God to lead us to greater ministries in 2007.

Thank you

The Eldership

More Pictures From Last Sunday

Here are some more pictures from this past Sunday. I hope you enjoy them and we will see you on Sunday.

How Great Is Our God!?!

After a ten month process, this past Sunday, we entered our newly remodeled worship center. Not only did we get to move in but we also got to witness the baptism of Jake Dragoo. God is doing amazing things among us. He is great and He is faithful. What a Sunday!

The best part: God is not done with this place. God is ready to use all these things He has blessed us with to impact and spiritually lead Bell County. This week, as we let the excitement of this past Sunday fill our sails, be praying that God will use these blessings to connect the unconnected, care for our people, and institute Godly life change in our church and in Bell County.

Tell Us: What amazing things do you see God doing here at Western Hills?

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