The Baptist Bridge

By the grace of God, the Philippi Baptist Church shall embrace,

model, and share the love of God through Jesus Christ by the
power of the Holy Spirit.

Philippi Baptist Church, Philippi, WV 26416 June 2011

Inside this issue

From the Pastor…2

ABWM…3

Board of Christian
Ed...3

Announcements...3

Board of Missions
& Outreach...3

Camp Cowen... 4

One Great Hour… 5

Prayer list…6

Birthdays…6

Anniversaries...6

Getting to Know...7

CATCH US ON THE RADIO LIVE

EVERY SUNDAY MORNING!
10:30a.m.
WQAB 91.3 FM

107 Church Street Philippi, WV 26416 (304) 457-3206 philippibaptist@frontier.com

Jon Villers, Pastor
Lisa Dadisman, Secretary
Greetings in the name of the One whose Spirit Birthed the Church!

This month we get to celebrate the Birth of the Church! As we finish out the Easter season, I wanted us to
prepare for what is next. This month we get to experience Pentecost. Pentecost is the great festival that
marks the birth of the Christian church by the power of the Holy Spirit. Pentecost means "fiftieth day" and
is celebrated fifty days after Easter.

It was on the fiftieth day after Passover that Jews from around Palestine--indeed, from around the world--
thousands of Jews gathered in Jerusalem for one of the great pilgrimage festivals in the Jewish religious
year. In Hebrew, it’s called, “Shavuot,” or “Weeks.” The Feast of Weeks came seven weeks, seven sevens,
after the Passover. So that’s why all these Jews from around the world were gathered in Jerusalem at that
time. They were there for the Feast of Weeks--“Shavuot,” in the Hebrew, or in the Greek, “Pentecost,” the
“fiftieth day.”

Rev. Charles Henrickson gives us a word on Pentecost and it's significance:

Now what does all of this mean, for you and me? It means that it was God’s plan and purpose that
he sent his Son to be our Savior. Jesus willingly, knowingly went into death for our sakes. We had
sinned and rebelled against God, blindly, ignorantly, not knowing how much we were actually
enemies of God. Nevertheless, God had mercy upon us. The death of God’s Son paid for our
transgressions. Paid the whole debt of sin and death. And therefore death had the sting taken out
of it. Jesus being raised from the dead shows that this is so. Now, even though he has been taken
from our sight, Jesus is our risen Lord.
What does this mean? It means that our risen and ascended Lord Jesus gives us the gift of the Ho-
ly Spirit, so that we would know him and have faith in him and thus be saved. The Holy Spirit is
Christ’s gift to the church, empowering our witness to the ends of the earth and to the end of the
age. The Holy Spirit is our Comforter, our Counselor, our Helper, the one who goes with us along
the way to bear witness to Christ. The Spirit strengthens our faith in Christ through the church’s
ministry of Word and Sacrament.
So what does all of this mean? It means that Pentecost is continuing. It’s still happening today.
The gospel is going out to all peoples: Jews and Gentiles, Missourians and Chicagoans, Germans
and Swedes, South Africans, Kenyans, and Koreans--and if there are any Parthians and Medes
left, they’re getting the gospel, too. The Holy Spirit continues to work saving faith in the hearts of
people, through the ministry of the Word. Christ’s Spirit-filled disciples--people like us--will tell
forth the wonders of God with their tongues to the people they meet. Yes, Pentecost is happening
today, as God’s baptized children speak forth the faith and the Holy Spirit empowers our witness.
Finally, what does this mean? It means that you who call upon the name of the Lord shall be
saved! http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/1840615/posts

Rev. Henrickson reminds us that God's Spirit has come to enter into our lives! We are a pentecostal people!

Pentecost Sunday also holds a significant place in my personal call to Christian Service. It was on Pentecost
Sunday in 1997, May 18th, that I was ordained into the gospel ministry! These last thirteen years have been
an incredible journey of allowing God to guide as we endeavor to serve and lead.

May we all live our lives as "Christ's Spirit-filled disciples!" Use these summer months to reconnect with
God and those He has placed within your reach and beyond.

Shalom—Pastor Jon

2
 ABWM
June 7 @ 9:30am
“Election of Officers”
***
(BIBLE BOOK OF THE MONTH)
Numbers
Announcements
The Quarterly Business Meeting
will be on June 19th at 7:30 pm
Men’s Prayer Breakfast
Medallion Restaurant
Saturday, June 4 at 7:30 pm
Annual Church Outing
Idlewide Park will be
Saturday, June 18th.
Please contact Sarah Ferguson at
304-457-5606 for additional information.
Coming up June 2 — June 5
150th Anniversary of the
Blue & Gray Reunion
Saturday, June 4 at 3:00 pm
the Blue & Gray Choir will
perform at Crim Meth. Church
Heart & Hand needs our help!
They will be working on Monday, June 6th at
6:30 pm, and would really appreciate help.
3
BOARD OF CHRISTIAN ED.
The Barbour County Ministerial Association,
several county churches, and World Vision
will be co-sponsoring a city-wide Vacation
Bible School. It will be daily from June 20th-
June 24th. A different church will sponsor
the activities and lunch each day. The festivi-
ties will begin each day at 10AM and finish
with a lunch from 1:00-2:00. We will be
sponsoring the activities on Monday, June
20th. If you would like to volunteer or sin-up
child to attend, please contact Cheryl Wolfe
(457-2910)
Philippi Baptist Church VBS
We will be hosting a one-day Vacation Bible
School on Saturday, July 16th. If you would
like to help in any way, please contact Sarah
Ferguson (457-5606 or Cheryl Wolfe (457-
2910) The theme this year will be the “Power
Lab”.
Game Night
Great news! For all of you who enjoy Family
Game Night. You will have the opportunity
to participate on Saturday, June 25th from
6:00 pm to 8:00 pm. Bring snacks, games and
the beverages will be provided. What a great
opportunity for family and friends to have
fun.
4
 Dear PBCites,

Learning to share is tough for children, whose early understand-

ing can be summed up as “It’s mine!” We begin by taking turns
with things in limited supply like crayons or skateboards, experi-
ence the immediate satisfaction of playing with someone else,
and start to understand that sharing strengthens friendships.
Teenagers experience the fun of shared jokes and the healing
comfort of sharing broken hearts. As adults, we seek organiza-
tions that share our vision and perhaps a special someone to
share the rest of our lives with. We come to know that sharing
is bedrock to being fully human, and it brings incredible joy.
Soon, we will be invited to help people in aching need through
the One Great Hour of Sharing offering. By sharing our re-
sources, combined with offerings from thousands of congrega-
tions in eight other denominations across the United States, we
• build homes, schools, medical clinics, and clean water and
sewage facilities in villages devastated by earthquakes, floods, and poverty
• bring safety, shelter, and food to refugees after often violent circumstances have made their
hometowns uninhabitable
• nurture stronger futures and self sufficiency through health care, education, job training, and tools
for livelihoods.
We are blessed that God is able to provide when and where help is needed, through us. (2 Corinthians 9:8
-15) In what may seem an amazing twist, we ourselves benefit from the sharing. One Great Hour of Shar-
ing donors say:
• Giving just feeds my soul! This is what life is about—not collecting things, but helping people.
• Giving lifts me out of my own troubles. It helps me appreciate what I have.
• As I see needs met, I am reminded how God takes care of me.
• One Great Hour of Sharing lets me put my hands on problems that need attention throughout the
world.
Sharing because we have felt God’s love aligns our lives with God’s own life and work in our world. By
sharing we are renewed and transformed. “Those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in
them.” (I John 4:16) Sharing our love for God through One Great Hour of Sharing, we offer ourselves to
others as they need us, imitating Christ’s offering of his life for us. In turn, we receive him more deeply
into our own hearts, bringing indescribable joy.
Giving changes so many things—for the receiver and for the giver. Please give generously through One
Great Hour of Sharing. It’s all about sharing—sharing resources, changing lives!

5
 HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Born in June
2 - Blair Marks
5-Becky Kines
6-Larry Jett
A-B College faculty, staff and students, 9-Jordan Griffin
Albert Carman, 10-Judi Funk
Barbour County Schools, Daniel Prusa
Pat Cain, 11-Jennifer Findley
Albert Carman, 12-Logan Wright
Bertsel Cathell, 14-Pat Solomon Penrose
Billy Coontz, 15-Alice May Bookout
Blaine Corder, Amanda Kines
Audrey Cross, 16-Wanda Steele
Lisa Dadisman, 18-Millard Minor
Regina Edens, 21-Michele Lewis
The Family of Becky & Mike Elmore, Scott Springer
Otilia Franke, 22-Graham Klaus
Jim Friend, 24-Lisa Withers
Carl Gant, Terry Wilfong, Jr.
Jane Gibbons, 25-Micah Evans
Joe Gouer, 26-Gary Price
Chrissy Maddy, Joann Marsh
Rachel & Derek Marsh, Mary Wilkins
Donna Moore, 28-Barbara Springer
Randy Moore, Dan Unger
Violet Mouser, Marilyn Runion
Don Murray, 30-Chuck Scheick
Savannah Mae Nestor
Brenda & Gary Price,
Isaac Reed,
Jacob Scheick,
Vangie Shaffee,
Dr. Richard Shearer,
Andy & Camella Watson,
1-Jon & Toni Wright
Unspoken requests for family members, unsaved, 2-Bob & Mary Boyer
person and community concerns, those with job and 10-Caton & Joan Hill
home loss, financial difficulties. Our national, state, 14-Blair & Pearl Marks
and country leaders and officials. Victims, the fami- 15-Dennis & Nancy Stull
lies and friends of crime, war and violence through- 20-Millard & Valerie Minor
out our country. Military personnel and their fami- 23-Mike & Debbie Wolfe
lies throughout the world. Relatives and friends Neil & Berry Irvine
those serving our country: Tim Jenkins, Chris 26-David & Marilyn Runion
Mossburg, Taylor Smith, Major Kris Wood. 27-J.D. & Linda Long
29-James & Linda Kines

6
 The Man with Three Homes

His first and primary home is that yellow

house on the left side of Route 38, His se-
cond home is Philippi Baptist Church.
And his third? The sports complex at
WVU, where he attends competitions of all
sorts and has missed only three football
games in the last twenty years.

Randy Moore was born on a “mini-farm” in Taylor County, where he attended public schools and
graduated form Grafton High School. His father worked for the railroad for forty-four years, first
as a boilermaker and then as an electrician. “There were 945 men working the roundhouse when
he started there in 1944,” Randy reports, “but only six when he retired in 1990. That’s what auto-
mation did.”

His brother and sister both graduated from WVU and still live in Morgantown. Randy also com-
pleted his bachelor’s degree at WVU, majoring in civil engineering, and then went to work for the
U.S. Forest Service as a surveyor and road designer. In 1986 he took a position with the Depart-
ment of Natural Resources in Charleston as an engineer in water treatment. It was there—at the
North Hills Baptist Church—that he met Michele. Transferred to the Philippi office of the Depart-
ment of Environmental Protection in 1992, he worked in the Division on Mining and Reclamation,
analyzing the engineering designs included in applications. In 2006 he became Permit Supervisor
for thirty-seven West Virginia counties.

Even before he met Michele, he made contact with Craig Cobb and took a class from him in
Charleston. Within a few years, a happy coincidence brought them together as members of Philip-
pi Baptist Church.

Married in 1993, Randy and Michele travel widely—all over the United States and Canada and to
Scotland. “I play golf,” Randy notes, “and I just enjoy the outdoors in general.”

He goes on to say, “Philippi Baptist Church has meant everything to us. It really is our second
home. I’ve been Assistant Treasurer and Treasurer, and I’ve served on the Diaconate and the
Board of Trustees. I’ve been involved in the Adopt-a-Highway project and the Work Days at the
church. I’ve even helped cook and clean up for the annual women’s banquet.” He smiles and
sums it up. “The church has been and will always be a big part of our life. It’s definitely our se-
cond home.”

7
Philippi Baptist Church
107 Church Street Nonprofit Organization
Philippi, West Virginia 26416 U.S. POSTAGE
Permit NO. 36

Please remember Pastor Jon as he travels with 23 other West Virginia Baptists as they leave on
June 23rd from Charleston and will be returning June 28th.