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Not Again!

I turned on the radio in my truck, listened a moment, and my heart sank. I thought: “Not again!”

I’d only listened for a moment before I realized that the announcer was describing yet another senseless, horrific shooting. Children in a Catholic school in Minneapolis had gathered in the connected church for a service, when someone fired indiscriminately though the stained-glass windows. Seventeen were wounded and two were killed. And first reports say that all the victims were children. The two who died were 8 and 10 years old.

That hits hard hit hard when you have children or grandchildren that same age. And it didn’t happen in a bar, late at night, in a rowdy crowd of grownups who were in a drunken rage. It happened at a church, in broad daylight, to a group of children who’d gathered in a church for a back-to-school service for their parochial school. This was unthinkable and unheard of not so very long ago. Now, when I hear news like this, my immediate reaction is: “Not again!”

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Weekly Update for Sunday, August 31, 2025

Bible Explorers (3’s-5th) Bible Explorers, our midweek discipleship program for kids 3 years old through 5th grade, kicks off on Wednesday. Come join us from 6:15-7:30 PM out at the ROC. 

Youth Group (6th-12th) There is no youth group tonight. We will begin our fall semester on September 7!

Move Up Sunday Our kids and teen classes will be “promoting” on Sunday, September 7. On that day, they will start in the appropriate class based on their grade or age for the school year:

  • 0-2 years old – Nursery
  • 3-4 years old – Little Sprouts
  • Kindergarten-5th Grade – Elementary Sunday School and Treehouse
  • 6th-12th – Teen Sunday School and Youth Group

Baby Shower Ladies, you are invited to the baby shower for Kassandra Wence! The shower will be Saturday, September 6 at 2:00 PM in the Fellowship Hall. If you would like to bring a gift, you can search for her registry on Amazon.

Operation Christmas Child OCC collection items for August are school supplies. Next Sunday, there will be a special 5th Sunday love offering for shoebox postage. You can give at the Welcome Center or by writing OCC Postage on your check or offering envelope.

OCC Event On Saturday, September 13, from 6:30-7:30 PM, our church will be hosting an OCC Shoebox Recipient. The whole church family is invited to come out and hear Schimea Nguessan’s story

Weekly Update for Sunday, August 24, 2025

Bible Explorers (3’s-5th) Bible Explorers, our midweek discipleship program for kids 3 years old through 5th grade, kicks off on Wednesday. Come join us from 6:15-7:30 PM out at the ROC. 

Youth Group (6th-12th) There is no youth group tonight. We will begin our fall semester on September 7!

Move Up Sunday Our kids and teen classes will be “promoting” on Sunday, September 7. On that day, they will start in the appropriate class based on their grade or age for the school year:

  • 0-2 years old – Nursery
  • 3-4 years old – Little Sprouts
  • Kindergarten-5th Grade – Elementary Sunday School and Treehouse
  • 6th-12th – Teen Sunday School and Youth Group

Baby Shower Ladies, you are invited to the baby shower for Kassandra Wence! The shower will be Saturday, September 6 at 2:00 PM in the Fellowship Hall. If you would like to bring a gift, you can search for her registry on Amazon.

Operation Christmas Child OCC collection items for August are school supplies. Next Sunday, there will be a special 5th Sunday love offering for shoebox postage. You can give at the Welcome Center or by writing OCC Postage on your check or offering envelope.

OCC Event On Saturday, September 13, from 6:30-7:30 PM, our church will be hosting an OCC Shoebox Recipient. The whole church family is invited to come out and hear Schimea Nguessan’s story

Weekly Update for Sunday, August 17, 2025

Bible Explorers (3’s-5th) Bible Explorers, our midweek discipleship program for kids 3 years old through 5th grade, kicks off on Wednesday, August 27. The whole church is invited to come join us from 6:15-7:30 PM out at the ROC. 

Youth Group (6th-12th) Join us tonight from 6:00-7:00! We are studying the book of Colossians.

Fall Semester As we prepare for the fall quarter, our kids and teen classes will be “promoting” on Sunday, September 7. On that day, they will start in the appropriate class based on their grade or age for the school year.

We are grateful to partner with parents in our 1BC Kids and 1BC Teens classes:

  • 0-2 years old – Nursery
  • 3-4 years old – Little Sprouts
  • Kindergarten-5th Grade – Elementary Sunday School and Treehouse
  • 6th-12th – Teen Sunday School and Youth Group

Operation Christmas Child OCC collection items for August are school supplies. You can drop off your items at one of the boxes in the Narthex.

Baby Shower Ladies, you are invited to the baby shower for Kassandra Wence! The shower will be Saturday, September 6 at 2:00 PM in the Fellowship Hall. If you would like to bring a gift, you can search for her registry on Amazon. Please RSVP by texting (248) 361-0736 by this Friday.

Official Board There will be an Official Board meeting this afternoon at 4:30 pm in the library.

Weekly Update for Sunday, August 10, 2025

Bible Explorers (3’s-5th) Mark your calendars for the start of a new year! Bible Explorers, our midweek discipleship program for kids 3 years old through 5th grade, will have a kickoff night on Wednesday, August 27.

Youth Group (6th-12th) There is no youth group tonight. We will be back together next week!

Fall Semester As we prepare for the fall quarter, our kids and teen classes will be “promoting” on Sunday, September 7. On that day, they will start in the appropriate class based on their grade or age for the school year.

We are grateful to partner with parents in our 1BC Kids and 1BC Teens classes:

  • 0-2 years old – Nursery
  • 3-4 years old – Little Sprouts
  • Kindergarten-5th Grade – Elementary Sunday School and Treehouse
  • 6th-12th – Teen Sunday School and Youth Group

Operation Christmas Child OCC collection items for August are school supplies. You can drop off your items at one of the boxes in the Narthex.

Official Board There will be an Official Board meeting next Sunday at 4:30 pm in the library.

Weekly Update for Sunday, August 3, 2025

Bible Explorers Mark your calendars for the start of a new year! Bible Explorers, our midweek discipleship program for kids 3 years old through 5th grade, will have a kickoff night on Wednesday, August 27.

Youth Group Join us tonight from 6:00-7:00! We are doing a study of Colossians.

Fall Semester A new school year is right around the corner! As we prepare for the fall semester, our kids and teen classes will be “promoting” to their new classes on Sunday, September 7. 

Operation Christmas Child OCC collection items for August are school supplies. You can drop off your items at one of the boxes in the Narthex.

Church Softball It’s tournament time! Come out on Tuesday to the FOP field to support our church softball team as they play their first tournament game at 7:40.

First Sunday Offerings We are thankful for those who partner with us financially through their offerings. As a reminder, any loose cash given on the first Sunday of each month is designated for the church’s benevolence fund.

Changes

When our son Josh was just a tyke, one day he announced to us with great conviction: “Oh, I can’t stand change!” My wife and I both laughed and told him he was going to have to get over that.

Turns out, sometimes that’s easier said than done.

Over the last nearly two decades our family has gone through major changes. These changes began with the birth of our first grandchild in 2008. (Grandkids are more fun; I recommend having them first.) Our first grandson’s birth was followed less than three months later by my mother’s death. My mother-in-law died in 2014. In 2016 my father-in-law remarried, and later that year our second grandson was born. Then came the whole COVID shutdown in 2020. In 2021, my father-in-law passed. There are some other things: a heart attack, a couple of hip surgeries, and so on. But the ones I mentioned are the most powerfully personal ones.

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Weekly Update for Sunday, July 27, 2025

Church Fellowship Tonight is our church-wide fellowship! We are having a taco pitch-in with a dessert bake-off. There is still time to sign up to bring a topping or make a dessert. We’ll be together from 5:30-7:30.

Youth Group There is no youth group tonight. We’ll meet next Sunday evening!

Church Softball Come out on Monday to the FOP field to support our church softball team as they play a double header at 6:30 and 7:40.

Playdates At The ROC This Tuesday is the last playdate at the ROC for the summer! Join us Tuesday from 11:00 am – 1:00 pm. 

Bible Explorers Mark your calendars for the start of a new year! Bible Explorers, our midweek discipleship program for kids 3 years old through 5th grade, will have a kickoff night on Wednesday, August 27.

Fall Semester A new school year is right around the corner! As we prepare for the fall semester, our kids and teen classes will be “promoting” to their new classes on Sunday, September 7.

Operation Christmas Child OCC collection items for July are miscellaneous items. You can check out the list of items by one of the boxes in the Narthex.

Flood Relief We had over $1,700 given to help the flood victims in Texas. Thank you for your generosity!