OAKHILL BAPTIST CHURCH

4615 OAK HILL ROAD

EVANSVILLE, IN 47711-2943

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PERMIT #1760

EVANSVILLE, IN

4615 Oak Hill Rd. Evansville, IN 47711 • 812-476-3450 • contact@oakhillbc.org

The Oakhill Baptist Church Newsletter

April 2019

Dear Church Family,

We are approaching one of the best times of the year to invite people to come to

church. Please be praying about those whom you can personally invite this year to one

of our Easter service. The research shows that people are just waiting for an invitation

from you to come to your church. A few years ago, LifeWay Research conducted a

survey of 15,000 adults for the North American Mission Board to try to determine which

of 13 approaches is the best-received when a church wants to be heard. The research

showed us that best-received means of seeing new people walk into one’s church is,

well, a personal invitation.

a. Sixty-seven percent of Americans say a personal invitation from a family member

would be very or somewhat effective in getting them to visit a church.

b. Sixty-three percent of Americans say a personal invitation from a friend or

neighbor would be very or somewhat effective in getting them to visit a church.

c. Sixty-three percent of Americans are very or somewhat willing to receive

information about a local congregation or faith community from a family member.

d. Fifty-six percent of Americans are very or somewhat willing to receive information

about a local congregation or faith community from a friend or neighbor.

So, people ARE open to an invite from church, particularly if it is from someone they

know. But one simple invitation isn’t necessarily going to result in subsequent

attendance. Neighbors may come because of an invitation, but they’ll stay for the

community.

Please get one of our prayer guides this month and use it to help you make this most important invitation. We want

you to be praying about who you know that may not know Christ but needs to. Who’s Your One? This is a very

important question. This prayer guide will help prepare the way for you to invite this person to come and be a part of

one of our Easter services this year.

With all the craziness that is going on in our world today, we have a golden opportunity to reach out to people with

the hope of the Gospel. People are looking for something to put their trust in, but all that this world offers leaves

people empty. We need to make sure that we offer to all who will hear the hope that is found in our Savior Jesus

Christ. Please make the effort to ask the question, “Who’s Your One?” And after you ask the question and God gives

you an answer, open your mouth and be faithful. You never know, a simple invite to a church service could have an

eternal impact!!

I love you and I love being your pastor,

PASTOR’S POINTS

Alan D. Scott

Lead Pastor

ascott@oakhillbc.org

8:00 AM Worship 70 70 90 86 92

9:30 AM Worship 183 211 237 234 235

11:00 AM Worship 241 276 294 259 297

Total Worship 494 557 621 579 624

Oakhill Budget Offering $24,886.76 $18,263.00 $17,071.92 $14,691.92 $19,051.34

Mission Club $550.00 $205.00 $230.00 $225.00 $310.00

Mar 3 Mar 24 Mar 17 Mar 31 Mar 10

In Need of Hope

Kevin Ezell, NAMB President

Every step our missionaries take across North America, they are faced with increasing secularism. Many cities have

become so irreligious they could reasonably be deemed pre-Christian. Even in the region once deemed the “Bible Belt,”

Christianity is being pushed to the margins.

North America is also rapidly becoming more diverse culturally and ethnically. Every day, the nations come here. Many

are from people groups whose home countries are extremely difficult to reach. We cannot let these gospel opportunities

pass us by, and missionaries desperately need the prayers of God’s people to succeed.

Pray for missionaries to make connections with people who can help build relationships in new neighborhoods. For

encouragement in the middle of social pressure and loneliness. For God to provide more Christian leaders who will help

share the missionaries’ loads.

Have you made a contribution to the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering? Our generosity and prayer is one way we can

support more than 5,000 missionaries. Every dollar goes directly to the mission field. Our goal is $9,000.

Pray for the pastors in Ecuador who have participated in training seminars led by Nick Scott and Bobby Pell, that these

sessions would have a lasting and strong effect on the Ecuadorian churches.

Continue to pray for Alexa Minor who is working in Australia with students at the University of Queensland. Pray for

Lynna Rollow who is in a mission program called World Race in which young adults (21-35) serve in 11 countries in 11

months. Beginning April 4th she will be moving from Peru to India. Continue to pray for Leonid Marsan, his wife Kenia and

their 3 daughters as they begin ministry locally with Hispanics.

Women on Mission will meet at the church Monday, April 15th at 6:00 pm.

(Note that this is a change in date)

All our ladies are invited to join us for prayer, study and fellowship.

WOMEN ON MISSION

Ministry Update

The past three months have been pretty crazy. We wrapped up the Upward basketball

and cheerleading program the first part of March. I would have to say that this was one of

the most successful years in terms of outreach and connecting with families. We know for

sure that one child was saved. We have had several families visit our church. There have

been a few of the middle school students begin to engage with our student ministry. In one

sense I am happy the season is over, if for no other reason to get some rest, but I will miss it

and the opportunity for ministry. Thank you to all the volunteers and coaches that put in

countless hours to organize this league. We could not have done it without you!

From there we move on to planning for Easter and even VBS! Easter will be on us

before we know it. Our Easter weekend is a great way to connect people to our church.

They will be able to hear the gospel proclaimed and learn about the power of the

resurrection. One of the highlights of the weekend is our Community Easter Egg Hunt. We

fill over 6,000 eggs and invite the entire community to come out. This event is what we call a

bridge event. We simply try to connect with our community in a positive way. It is

something that you can invite friends and family to partake in that is casual and fun. We hope

to have a great turn out for the egg hunt.

Also, a lot of my time right now is focused on VBS. Yes, VBS! We actually start prepping

for VBS in February. We really ramp up in March and April. Mostly getting volunteers lined

out, supplies ordered, and having our leader training. This year the theme is “In the Wild”. We are going to look at

snapshots of the different ecosystems around the globe while looking at snapshots of the life of Jesus. I can’t wait to see

what God will do through our VBS this year. As I wrote last month, VBS is the largest evangelistic push that most

churches do all year. We are going to keep the focus on connecting with families and proclaiming the gospel.

I have enjoyed the last three months as the pastor of children and missions. It has been an adjustment, but it has

been a delight to get to know the kids and their families even more. We have a great group of kids and kids’ ministry

volunteers. Please pray for them, they don’t just provide childcare, they are pouring into your children the Word of God

each week.

We also have had another big change the past few weeks. Our Hispanic church planter, Leonid Marsan, came

onsite at the end of February. He and his family are currently living in our Charis House while they get set-up and adjust

to life in Evansville. Leonid is not sitting idle, he is getting out into the community and God is already beginning to work.

Leonid has been connected to several Hispanic individuals by God’s providence. Please pray for him and his family as

they begin this new work. Also pray for them as they learn the culture and English language. Our church family has

been so welcoming to them already, I know you will make Oakhill feel like home.

God has also been doing some things in my life; reminding me that people, not programs are most important when it

comes to ministry. We must keep our eyes on Jesus, proclaim the gospel, reach out to our community, and make

disciples. If we keep those ideals first, then the programs will fall into their proper place. Thank you for trusting me to

be the pastor of children and missions, it is quickly becoming one of the greatest joys of my life.

Bryan R. Gotcher

Pastor of Children &

Missions

bgotcher@oakhillbc.org

Blog: bryangotcher.

wordpress.com

2nd - Larry Logsdon, Roseanna Logsdon, Steve Luttrell, Mmekan

Ntewo, Jake Townsend, Chris Washburn

3rd - Christy Baumberger, Waylon McDonald

4th - Sarah Gibson, Wandel Hagan, Christy Sutherby, Noah

Vinson

6th - Pat Moss, Byron Vandiver

7th - Paul Davault, Stephanie Moore, Mike Young

8th - Tim Ruston

9th - Logan Butler, Carson Gotcher, Kinley Griepenstroh, Leah

Van Doren

10th - Brad Ditter, Kristi Gotcher, Elsie Koberstein, Heather

Ntewo, Mike Sutherby

12th - Madisyn Burchwell, Dana Goddard, Mollie Meadows,

Charles Monyhan

13th - Ralph Rode

14th - Aydon Cassada 15th - Tori Avis, Carri Schmitz

16th - Ana Harvey

17th - Sondra Bottoms, Blanche Cain, Mary Gamblin, Adam

Painter

18th - Dana Boyette, Mikey Weatherford

19th - Jessica Hernandez, Braylee Wild

20th - Charles Hernandez, Madelyn Koberstein

21st - Jenny Campbell

22nd - Zachary Laurence, Joyce Minton

23rd - Sloan Bailey, Aven Dickerson, Cathy Van Doren

24th - Debbie Barnett, Vicki Butler

26th - Ralph Cheaney, Rita Martin

27th - Randy Flowers, Samuel Potts

28th - Jim Burns, Lisa Gibson, Bethanne Long, Gracie Powell

29th - Shirlene Kilgore

April Birthdays

Dear Church Family,

We had a blast on our Student Retreat just a few weeks ago! We took a group of 68

people (that’s 54 students and 14 adults) to Highland Lakes Baptist Camp to get away and

focus on the Lord. The goal is to remove distractions and seek the Lord so He can do what He

wants to do in our lives. We even take the students’ phones away during the day! At first they

hate that, but just 48 hours later they are so happy we did it. It allows them to be focused on

what’s happening right in front of them. It allows God to speak to them with less distraction.

And God was speaking for sure! At least 5 students prayed to receive Christ, and many others

had a deep work done in their hearts.

So maybe that is the key to having a vibrant relationship with Jesus? Maybe we should

take 2, even 3 retreats every year so that God can grow us? Well, there’s a problem with this…

that’s nowhere near enough retreating for God to do the work that He wants to do in our

hearts. We need to retreat to Him way more than just a handful of times throughout the year

for us to have a vibrant relationship with God. Think about it. What if you only spent about 5

weekends out of the year with your spouse or children? Those weekends would mean so

much, but you would not have a very meaningful relationship with your family. You’d barely

know them. You’d constantly be trying to catch up on all the time you missed. None of us would say that is an ideal

relationship. So why do we often think about our relationship with Jesus like that? As if we can know Him and love Him

well by giving Him a few weekends out of the year, or even just one day out of the week. Do you see that disconnect in

our thinking?

That is why I have recently been talking to the students about our need for a daily retreat to the Lord. We can retreat

to Him each and every day and encounter the same life-changing Spirit who we are so attentive to when we “get away.” I

call this time a quiet time. It is a time that I get away from distractions and focus on God through His word and prayer. We

all know we ought to do this. But what if we started thinking about this time as our daily retreat? It’s our time to focus on

God and be changed by Christ in us. Wouldn’t you love to have the life-changing experience we tend to have on retreats

more often than just once or twice a year? What if God isn’t making changes in your heart because you aren’t retreating to

Him enough? This isn’t a work that you must do to win God’s favor. This is you putting your faith into action! Do we

believe God can grow us and make us less angry, less anxious, less selfish, less depressed, less afraid, more motivated, more

loving, more joyful, more patient, more zealous for good works? Then let’s retreat to Him more often and watch Him go to

work in our lives!

Sincerely,

Brian Van Doren

Brian Van Doren Pastor of Students

bvandoren@oakhillbc.org

Church Family,

In a few weeks, we will gather together for a Night of Worship on Friday night, April

20th at 6:30pm. This night marks the date of Good Friday, which is the reason for our

gathering. We will come together on this evening to contemplate that Cross that Jesus

died on. We will look deeply at our sins which put Him on the cross. We will sing, pray,

respond together. This will be a powerful evening and I pray that you and your family will

make plans to attend!

But before we get to that night, have you ever asked the question, why do we call it

“Good Friday?” We are contemplating Jesus’ death on this night. Why don’t we call it

“Bad Friday?” The cross was a dark event, which lead to Jesus’ death and his suffering. So

it’s understandable if you’ve ever wondered, why is it so good? What makes it good?

Well I believe we find the answer in the person of Jesus, and his purpose on Earth. This

was no ordinary man who died on that cross. But who was Jesus? We know and believe

this to be true - That Jesus was God in the flesh, who knew no sin, and became sin in our

behalf. Through Jesus’ death, we find life. Good Friday begins the most momentous

weekend in the history of the world. On Friday, Jesus was put to death. And he would

have stayed there, if he would have remained in death, this would have been a very

bad Friday.

But we know that this Friday, led to Sunday, the greatest day in the history of the world. Jesus rose. He defeated

death. He defeated sin. Sin and death had power no longer. Praise be to God for his power through His son! This is

very good news for us. While we were dead in our sins, God made us alive through His son Jesus. But in order for that

to happen, Jesus had to go to the cross on Friday. He willingly suffered and died, for us.

So where does this leave us now? On Good Friday, we will contemplate the cross together. We will contemplate

our sin. We will look at our sins, which placed Him on the cross. And God willing, we will contemplate Jesus, who He is,

and we will respond and turn to Him through worship and repentance. And all of this leads to Sunday, April 21st, when

we will gather together on Easter morning, and celebrate what made Friday so good. Jesus is not dead. He is alive. And

we worship a risen savior. I pray you will join us! I love you all, and I will see you on Sunday!

In Christ,

Jared

Jared Mitchell

Pastor of Worship

jmitchell@oakhillbc.org

Kids Camp July 24th—27th

(completed grades 2nd-5th)

$260 Register online

“Steps to Strengthen Prayer” by Bonnie McKernan

1. Set prayer apart. The more we pray, the more we want to pray. To do this, you need to

build it into the rhythm of your day any way you can: set alarms, leave notes, put it in your day

planner. Prayer is a practice that requires discipline and perseverance, and we should own the

cost. Prayer is the greatest act of our day, and we must fight for it. And not just in times of need.

It matters how we train and prepare for the battle.

2. Learn to withdraw. Pull away from distractions — the phone, the computer, the TV, the

constant noise of modern life — and find a way to separate yourself so you can be and feel “shut

in with God.” Your car on lunch break, a quiet corner in the office, a closet in between meals or

feedings or naptimes, or simply the quiet of your heart if that’s all you can muster.

3. Have a posture of prayer. Do what you need to help you focus on what it is that you’re

doing. Kneel, stand, close your eyes, look to the heavens — when your body is focused, it’s often

easier for your soul to follow. If able, pray out loud. I’ve found that just softly whispering during

my private prayer time is quiet enough that it doesn’t inhibit the flow of my praying, but loud

enough that it keeps my mind from wandering.

4. Pray fervently. Praying should be active. We cannot truly come into contact with God and

not be a different person, at least in some small degree, by the time we say, “Amen.” Struggle in

prayer, wrestle with it, and let the Spirit move. Answers to prayer are a blessing, but prayer in and

of itself is meant to be a blessing.

5. Pray specifically. Vagueness can be the death of prayer. Not that we can never be general,

just not at the expense of praising God’s specific attributes, confessing specific sins, or thanking

him and asking him for specific things. We must learn to pray specifically and boldly due to the

status we have through Christ, while simultaneously being completely submissive to God’s will.

Bold and expectant faith coupled with humble submission is a powerful thing.

6. Pray for and with others. Prayer is meant to knit together the children of God, oftentimes,

people we have never even met. We share a Father, we are family, and we should bear each

other’s burdens in prayer. We become invested in each other’s struggles and triumphs. We start

to care more about the people we pray for and less about ourselves. What a beautiful thing to

come before our Father of one accord with the same appeals out of love and care for each other.

Prayer binds the church together.

Nick Scott

Pastor of Spiritual

Development

nscott@oakhillbc.org

Recommended Resource— The Disciple-Making Parent by Chap Bettis Parenting in today’s culture can be exhausting, scary, difficult, challenging and… well, pick your own

adjective. Moreover, your desire to raise children as a Christian parent in accordance with the Bible’s

truths amplifies those adjectives to an entirely different level. You bring home that beautiful little baby

made in the image of God from the hospital, and you look at your spouse and say, “Now what do we do?”

That question never goes away for the Christian parent. Your baby grows to become a toddler, a child, a

pre-teen and a teenager, and as your baby grows in each of those stages of life, you look at your husband

or your wife again to say, “Now what do we do?”

The Disciple-Making Parent: A Comprehensive Guidebook for Raising Your Children to Love and Follow

Jesus Christ seeks to help us answer that kind of question. This book ranks as a top contender for a book

that every parent should read as they seek to honor Christ by parenting their children faithfully. You will

read this book and be convicted that you need to do better at making a disciple of your child. That ’s a

good thing. We all need to be convicted that we should take our God-given task more seriously and faithfully. With The Disciple-

Making Parent, you will be better equipped to answer the question, “Now what do we do?”

Growth Initiative:

“Lord, Teach Us To

Pray”

Sat. April 6th

8:30-11:30 am

Sign up at the

Welcome Center!

Upcoming Events

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

Student Summer Camp

Dates: June 12-16

August 30th

April 7 April 14 April 21

April 28

Deacon of the Week

Steve Comer (812) 437-2922

Deacon of the Week

Jeff Thornton (812) 746-8739

Ty Nixon (812) 518-8759

Deacon of the Week

Alan Simpson (812) 477-7204

Chris Fischer (812) 630-9443

Deacon of the Week

Chad Mehne (812) 774-6212

Robert Jackson (812) 491-6803

Chair Set-Up Team

Mosaic/Schloss/A.Scott Life Groups

Chair Set-Up Team

BASIC Life Group

Chair Set-Up Team

Gotcher/Calverley Life Groups

Chair Set-Up Team

Mitchell/N.Scott Life Groups

8:00 AM Service

Nursery

Mary Gamblin, Daniel Bannister

Nursery

Doris & Maci Rutledge

Nursery

Jane Jett, Alice Moseley

Nursery

Shaun & Robin Hudson

Greeters

Ron & Shirley Wiggins

Greeters

Randy & Penny Wilhite

Greeters

Jerry & Shirley Guinn

Greeters

David Harmes, Sharon Harmes

Welcome Center

Mary Gamblin

Welcome Center

Dawn Ommart

Welcome Center

April Helm

Welcome Center

Shirlene Kilgore

9:30 AM Service

Nursery

Dave & Kristie Swenson

Nursery

Steve & Deanna Comer

Nursery

Heather Ntewo, Lauren Phelps

Nursery

Melissa & Megan Laurence

Greeters

Jon & Heidi Hart, Ryan & Wynter

Deckman

Greeters

Jeff & Janice Hostetler, Tom Stofleth

Greeters

April Helm, Cheri Koberstein, Ron

Wiandt

Greeters

Ryan & Wynter Deckman, Sandy

Dierlam, April Helm

Welcome Center

Sondra Schloss

Welcome Center

Robert Jackson

Welcome Center

Deann Moss

Welcome Center

John & Pam Schultz

11:00 AM Service

Nursery

Jennifer Mummert, Valerie Luttrell

Nursery

Kathy Masterson, Toni Stokes

Nursery

Jon & Heidi Hart

Nursery

Matt & Libby Schloss

Toddlers & 3yrs

Lucy Thornton, Melissa Owen, Jeff

& Lindsay Beck

Toddlers & 3yrs

Blake & Kelsie Palmer, Bryan & Sara

Calverley

Toddlers & 3yrs

Ryan & Wynter Deckman, John &

Michelle Luttrell

Toddlers & 3yrs

Christy & Faith Baumberger, Lucus

& Leigha Pettigrew

Greeters

Jim & Barb Burns

Greeters

Dawna Fischer, Ralph Rode

Greeters

Nancy Andrews, Curtis Cronch, Shirley

Williams

Greeters

Sara Calverley, Brett Creamer

Welcome Center

Kathleen Qualkenbush

Welcome Center

Jacob & Gina Townsend

Welcome Center

Darrell Ommart

Welcome Center

Becky Cosby

Van Driver

Stan Fory

Van Driver

Duke Dockery

Van Driver

Robert Jackson

Van Driver

Ron Wiandt

Serving Others at Oakhill April 2019 Ministry Calendar

1

Open Gym

Basketball

6:30 - 8:30 pm

2

Thrive Women’s

Bible Study

6:30 pm

3

Regular

Wednesday

Schedule

Deacon’s Meeting

6:00 pm

4

Thrive Women’s

Bible Study

10:00 am

5 6

Growth Initiative

8:30 am

7

Regular Sunday

Schedule

8

Open Gym

Basketball

6:30 - 8:30 pm

9

Thrive Women’s

Bible Study

6:30 pm

10

Regular

Wednesday

Schedule

Easter Egg Filling

9:00 - 11:00 am &

6:00 - 7:30 pm

11

Thrive Women’s

Bible Study

10:00 am

12 13

Men’s Breakfast

7:30 am

Food Pantry

9:00 am

State Hospital

Ministry

9:45 am

14

Regular Sunday

Schedule

15

Women on

Mission Meeting

6:00 pm

Open Gym

Basketball

6:30 - 8:30 pm

16

Thrive Women’s

Bible Study

6:30 pm

17

Regular

Wednesday

Schedule

18

Thrive Women’s

Bible Study

10:00 am

19

Weekday

Childcare & Office

Closed

Good Friday

Night of Worship

6:30 pm

20

Food Pantry

9:00 am

Community Easter

Egg Hunt

1:00 pm

21

EASTER SUNDAY

No Morning or

Evening Life

Groups

22

Open Gym

Basketball

6:30 - 8:30 pm

23

Thrive Women’s

Bible Study

6:30 pm

24

Regular

Wednesday

Activities

25

VBS Volunteer

Training 6:00 pm

26

27

Weekday

Childcare

Spaghetti Dinner

and Auction

5:00 pm

28

Regular Sunday

Schedule

29

Open Gym

Basketball

6:30 - 8:30 pm

30

Thrive Women’s

Bible Study

6:30 pm

Sunday Schedule

8:00 am Traditional Worship

9:30 am Contemporary Worship

11:00 am Contemporary Worship

5:00 pm Student Life Groups

Wednesday Schedule

12:00 pm Prayer & Bible Study

Luncheon

6:00 pm Student Gathering & AWANA