Good Neighbor CenterNovember results:

Families Served 700 (129 on Wednesday Nov. 20)New Families Served 112Individuals Served 1,948Professions of Faith 4 Bibles Distributed 50

CheCk us out!

www.olivetwichita.comSermons, Calendar, updates: It is all there!

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Ron Pracht Pastor Matthew Aston Students Keith Ferguson Outreach Kenny Underkofler Music & Arts Angie Hettenbach Preschool Director Sheila Warner Children’s Director Heather Neumann Communications Director Kathy Dakin Financial Secretary Cheryl Phipps Secretary Mike Phipps Building Engineer Gordon Dorian Pastor Emeritus Mike Edwards Custodial Engineer

AWANA 3rd-6th graders say hello to the boy and the girl for whom they packed Operation Christmas Child boxes.

December events

Saturday, December 7, 10-11:30 am - Kindred Hearts Annual Cookie ExchangeSunday, December 8, worship service - Olivet Annual Business MeetingThursday, December 12, 11:30 - Golden Age Luncheon Covered dish luncheon and Christmas CarolsTuesday, December 24 - Christmas Eve Worship Service

DECEMBER 2013 -- volume 34 -- issue 12

olivetterOlivet has provided members the opportunity to send Christmas cards to one another for the past several years at a cost lower than the postal service. We do this to bless Olivet members, as well as to bless a ministry that we support.

This year, the Olivet Post Office will be open beginning the Sunday after Thanksgiving through Christmas Eve. The recommended cost per card is $.25. The funds raised will be given to the Good Neighbor Center to help provide food for families in need in our community. There will be a box located next to the “Post Office” in the main concourse just outside the office doors. You can place your cards and donation in that box and we will have people sorting the cards by last name.

Because of the reduced cost, we will be unable to mail any cards that are not picked up here. Cards for any of our shut-ins will gathered and delivered by our deacons and Elders.

25 cents

Kindred Hearts Annual

Cookie Exchange

Saturday, December 710:00 - 11:30 am

Olivet Carol RoomTake Home as many cookies as you bring! Bring copies of your recipe, too.

OLIVET POST OFFICE

Who has influenced/impacted your life? Matthew: Holistically, my parents have had the greatest impact upon my life. They blended so many things together to give me a solid example of wise and godly living. They taught me how to be a good steward of my money, how to serve selflessly, how to treat my future wife, and how to cultivate my relationship with God. Second to my parents, Courtney has spurred me on to love and good works like no one else. She challenges and motivates me to be a better husband, father, and Christ-follower. She is the quintessential example of a godly helpmate. Courtney: Aside from my parents and husband, an elderly couple named Jim and Jeri White, who discipled us in college really impacted my life. It was not so much what they said, but how they lived that pointed me to Christ. They have a marriage like none I have ever seen, where respect, love, and grace abound.

What struggles are you facing? Matthew: 1) Learning how to appropriately juggle life, family, and ministry; 2) Guarding against finding my identity and self worth in the behavior and performance of my son; 3) Figuring out what life looks like in a new city and ministry context. Courtney: I tend to struggle with a sense of guilt that I will never be or do enough in relation to motherhood--AKA “mommy guilt”. Another struggle is finding our new normal in our home, ministry, and city.

How can we pray for you? Matthew: Pray for the above mentioned items. 1) That I would have an appropriate balance between family and ministry; 2) That I would not base my identity or self-worth in anyone or anything but Christ; 3) That God would give clarity and wisdom for the ministry days ahead. Courtney: Pray that I would place my identity solely in Christ and not in my ability to be a good mom. Pray that I would fully realize that Jesus payed for my “mom guilt” on the cross. Pray also for wisdom, peace, and contentment as we settle into life here in Wichita.

Who are you investing in with your life? Matthew: The obvious two would be my wife and son. A healthy ministry in the church will not happen unless I have a healthy home. They are my first priorities. Following my family, I am investing my life and energy in building the students of the church into faithful followers of Christ. Courtney: Right now, my investments would look a lot like Matthew’s. I’m seeking to be a wife and mother that honors God. I’m also seeking to make our home a place of hospitality so that it can be a place of ministry in the future. I’ve just started teaching the youth girls SMBS and I would also like to get involved with internationals when life slows down a bit!

What are you doing that is impacting his/her/their lives? Matthew: For Courtney and Anteneh, I seek to impact their lives by being an involved and intentional husband/father. If you were to visit our home it would not be uncommon to catch us in a spiritual conversion whether over breakfast, after church, during an instance of discipline, or driving in the car. As far as the students go, I am seeking to impact their lives through faithful teaching of the Word, life on life relationship, and personal discipleship. Courtney: In my relationship with Matthew, I’m seeking to be a good helpmate at home and in his ministry at Olivet. With Anteneh, we are intentional about making everyday moments spiritual ones. We often tell Bible stories in the car or over lunch. I also pray with him several times throughout the day. With the youth girls, I’m seeking to faithfully teach God’s Word every other Sunday morning and I’m working on getting to know them at a deeper level.

How do you see your ministry integrate into Olivet’s mission statement of “Developing devoted disciples of Jesus among all people”? Matthew: My desire for the student ministry falls right in line with Olivet’s mission statement. The mission of the student ministry is to assist parents in developing their children into devoted disciples of Jesus among all people. My hope for every student is that they would grow into a mature disciple that makes other mature disciples. Courtney: I pray that my ministry to my family and the youth is one that focuses on developing disciples that spread the Good News to all Nations.

Matthew:The Pursuit of Holiness by Jerry Bridges; Love & Respect by Emerson Eggerichs; Nine Marks of a Healthy Church by Mark Dever; The Deliberate Church by Mark Dever; The Reason for God by Tim Keller

Books, in addition to the Bible, that have had a major impact on their lives:Courtney:Give them Grace by Elyse Fitzpatrick and Jessica Thompson; The Pursuit of God by A.W. Tozer; Radical by David Platt

Courtney: It energizes me when I feel like my son understands a Biblical Truth for

the first time. It encourages me when I see the Holy Spirit working on his little heart. I’m also excited when I can tell the girls are really questioning and meditating on Truth when I teach. I love to see others

get excited about God’s Word!

Central Asia Recap

Cindy and I returned from our trip to Central Asia on Sunday, November 17 at 8:30 PM. Up and traveling for more than twenty-four hours, we arrived home and began the arduous process of unpacking, washing clothes and trying to get back on Central Daylight Savings Time. Writing this article (Wednesday, November 20), that process is still ongoing!

We visited seven cities, spent time with old friends and made new ones during our trip. We had the opportunity to share the Gospel with several people: for some, this was the very first time they had heard about God’s love for them. We also had the privilege of encouraging some of our partners and friends and blessing them with gifts.

Let me relate two stories for you. An “old” friend, a young woman we met several years ago when she was a university student in Eskisehir, has graduated and moved back to her hometown. She works in Antakya - Antioch of Syria in the New Testament. Sofya is a believer and comes from a believing family. She graduated, returned home, and found a job, but it cannot financially support her. She now is studying for a test that will allow her to work for the government. All day Saturday and Sunday she is in class and throughout the week is studying for the test. Because of this, her fellowship with the church is very limited; plus she has to ride a van two hours a day to get to and from her job. She was very discouraged because of a “spiritual drought” in her life since graduation. Cindy and I had the opportunity to encourage her, share Scripture with her and pray for her - while sitting in the Food Court of a large, new shopping mall in Antakya. Please pray for Sofya. Pray that the joy of her salvation would be restored and that she would continue to walk faithfully with God.

Another “old” friend introduced us to a new friend. Sumer - her name means “summer” - has traveled with members of Olivet on two different ministry trips. We had dinner with her one night in Istanbul and she brought a friend with her. This friend (name withheld for security reasons) was born in a Muslim family and had recently received a copy of the Injil - the New Testament. Talking during dinner, I had the opportunity to share with her what it meant to experience new life in Christ. Although she didn’t respond that night to the Gospel, she has promised to continue to read the New Testament and is willing to talk with other believers in more detail. As we talked about the story of Jesus she responded that she felt a “warmth” in her heart when she heard that Jesus loves her. Pray that the Holy Spirit would continue His work in her life and would draw her heart to Jesus.

Each of these - and other opportunities to share - were possible because you prayed and gave to provide scholarship help for the trip. Several of you gave specifically to help Cindy and me make the trip. Thank You! To all who prayed for us, Thank You! Olivet sends teams overseas, and some of the most important members of that team never leave Wichita. Your praying and you giving make you essential members of the team that goes on your behalf. Thank You!

Chad and Deanna asked us to tell you how much they appreciate and love you for the investment you made, and continue to make, in their lives.

Ron and Cindy

The Elders will hold our second Annual Church Meeting on Sunday, December 8. There you will hear what the Elders have been praying about and discussing for the past several months. You also will hear updates on the 4-G Church vision that we shared this past summer.

The three main “G” elements, which all center on the most important - “Glorifying,” are: Growing, Going and Gathering. You will hear from us what we believe God has led us to lead Olivet to do in these areas. You will hear about the vital responsibility of every believer to “Grow” - to make disciples and how we plan to challenge Olivet to make this a major priority in our individual, as well as corporate, lives. You will hear about the need to “Go” so that God is glorified through us. You will hear a challenge in the area of “Gather” about how God is leading us in this weekly corporate meeting.

Additionally, you will see the 2014 Ministry Budget prepared by the Finance Team in response to priorities given them by the Elders. It is a challenging budget that will require our members to be obedient to God in their giving.

Please make this meeting on Sunday, December 8, a priority. Each of us needs to hear what God has led the Elders to lead Olivet to do so we can join hands in helping fulfill God’s plan and purpose for us a church family.

Matthew - husband, father, Olivet Student Minister

Courtney - wife, mother, caretaker of their home

We are familyAn interview with

Matthew and Courtney AstonAnteneh

How long have you lived in Wichita? and What brought you here? Two months. We came for the opportunity to serve at Olivet.

What are your hobbies and interests? Our family loves being outdoors. Thus, we enjoy anything that gets us outside. We particularly enjoy exercising, going on walks, and visiting local parks. Our family also enjoys coffee--Anteneh included! Our idea of a good morning/evening is sitting on the back porch enjoying a cup of coffee. Individually, Matthew enjoys sports and reading. Courtney enjoys all things crafting and design related. Anteneh enjoys the trifecta of trucks, trains, and tractors.

What initially attracted you to Olivet? Obviously, we were drawn to Olivet because of the opportunity to invest in the lives of the students and families of Olivet. We were also drawn to Olivet because of its focus on personal discipleship and foreign missions.

What ministries are you involved in and why? Student ministry takes up the brunt of our time at this point. However, our desire is not to sequester ourselves down in The Cave. We look forward to getting involved in other areas of ministry within the church as time and energy permit.

Give a brief statement of your salvation experience. Matthew: I was raised in a solid Christian home and heard the gospel proclaimed faithfully throughout my childhood. However, I did not respond to the gospel message until I was in the fifth grade. It was at that point that I confessed my sins to the Lord, chose to repent of these sins, and placed my faith in Christ for the forgiveness of my sins. Courtney: My parents raised me to know and love the Lord from an early age. After my grandfather’s passing, I became increasingly aware of what the words “eternal life” meant. After speaking to my parents and pastor at length, I decided to place my faith in Christ for the forgiveness of sins.

What significant events helped shape your life and walk with God? Matthew: God used the college years of my life to open my eyes to the importance of so many things including: personal evangelism, personal discipleship, sufficiency of the Scripture, apologetics, etc. It was during college that I stopped piggy-backing off of my parents’ faith and made my faith my own. Courtney: Mission trips really shaped my understanding of God, His Word, and the main point of our lives. After an international mission trip my senior year in high school, I realized that God was not just “American” but that He was sovereign over the whole earth. I understood more deeply my need to grow in my walk so that I could disciple others.

What transitional experiences helped you become the person you are today? Matthew: Getting married and having children have been the two major sanctifying transitions in my life. You think you are a godly person, embodying the fruits of the Spirit until you get married. Then you find out pretty quickly that you still have a long way to go on the road to humility and love. Next, once you feel like you have solved many of those issues that you faced in getting married, you realize when you have children that you still have a long way to go in the patience and self-control department. Courtney: I would have to agree with Matthew on this one but I would throw in our adoption process. God used those three years of waiting for Anteneh to come home to really sanctify me. I had to deal with many sins like worry, fear, doubt, and distrust. I had to come to the realization that God was still faithful, whether He chose to bless us with a child or not.

Matthew: Teaching the Word energizes me in and of itself. Multiply that feeling by ten and that is

what I feel when I can tell that a certain biblical truth has resonated in the heart of a

student to the point of changing their thoughts, attitudes, aspirations, and actions.

DEADLINE FOR 2013 CONTRIBUTIONS

All donations that will be used as tax deductions for 2013 must be deposited by December 31 to comply with IRS requirements. This means the last day for the Olivet office to receive funds to qualify for tax deductions will be Sunday, December 29. Kathy then will have time to log them in and deposit them before December 31. Thank you for your help in meeting this requirement.

SNO (Saturday Night Out), December 7 , 6:301st Annual Gingerbread (Graham Cracker) House Competition at Olivet

Saturday, December 14, 1 pm - Wichita State vs. Tennessee basketballat Intrust Arena

SNO Saturday, December 21 , 6:30Christmas Party at the Aston home

Students, Grades 7-12