A WORLD OF BLESSING

by Rev. Johnny Rhoad
29 September 2008

          1 Peter 3:9 proclaims, “Do not pay back evil with evil or cursing with cursing;  instead,  pay back with a blessing,  because a blessing is what God promised to give you when he called you. "

           How is it that we can possibly do this? 

          Sometimes nothing seems harder to me than this statement when I consider the rough aggressive world in which we live.  I believe that we all appreciate the difficulty in living up to this verse as our world, and nation, is so often overcome with unrest, violence, anger and hatred. But our world, and nation, really underneath it all is a thing of beauty and wonder.

           I am so grateful for the fullness of life that God has given us to enjoy.  It is true that we do not always enjoy it as much as we should perhaps; but we can try hard to work for peace and love, it is worth it. If we are to bless those who are around us and offer them our kindness how much more fulfilling will our life be?

           I am quite certain that our lives will be greatly enriched! 

          I really thank God for giving us the opportunity.  I take it as my personal challenge to bless others and turn away anger, you can do it too. It is a difficult task to enact on; but our lives will seem so much more fulfilling and complete the harder we try. 

          Give it your best effort, reverse the trends in society, be there for others and soon they will follow.  For people will remember your blessings, your kindness, in this our beautiful world.

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CHURCH SCHOOL SCHEDULE
	Adult Study Topic
September 14	Intro to The Disciple’s Joy
September 21	The Disciple’s Joy Chapter1 &2
September 28	The Disciple’s Joy Chapter 3&4
October 5	The Disciple’s Joy Chapter 5&6
October 12	No Classes
October 19	Intergenerational Music Study
October 26	Intergenerational Music Study
November 2	Intergenerational Music Study
November 9	Intergenerational Music Study
November 16	Intergenerational Music Study
November 23	Intergenerational Music Study
November 30	No Classes
December 7
December 14
December 21
December 28	No Classes
January 4		No Classes
January 11		No Classes
January 18		No Classes
January 25
February 1
February 8
February 15
February 22		No Classes
March 1		Lenten Study
March 8		Lenten Study
March 15		Lenten Study
March 22		Lenten Study
March 29		Lenten Study
April 5		No Classes - Palm Sunday
April 12		No Classes - Easter
April 19
April 26
May 3
May 10		Last Day of Classes

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Bicycles, Baby Caps, and Bed Sheets

Who does mission in our church?  One group with mission on its mind is PW.  This year the Presbyterian Women are contributing to buy a bicycle, of all things.  Why that?  It’s to provide transportation to a health worker in Africa who travels around helping families who are taking care of a loved one with HIV/AIDS. 

An ongoing health-related project is the crocheting and knitting of caps for newborn babies in Malawi.  PW members sent 565 last year, and have done 166 so far this year. 

PW also collects and sends sheets for overseas hospitals.  The rest of the congregation is encouraged to participate in this project.  Last year Oahe Church sent 52 sheets, and this year 40 have been sent, with more waiting to be shipped.  We can truly say that we are a church that cares about others.

--Peggy Meyer, PW Mission Chair

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~ Please click on photos to view enlargements ~

Oahe Presbyterian Women Hold 23rd Annual Retreat at Camp Rimrock
Back: Meleta DeJong, Glenda Woodburn, Ruth Smith, Mary Jenner, Peggy Meyer, Kate Divis Nelson Front: Mary Sherman, Margaret Ellefson, TaiLi Rhoad, Cindy Droppers		Bob and “Charlie” Savot.  Bob is our chef and the only male allowed on the property during the retreat.
Brian and Steph Jenner, Colby and Bricelyn…our Sunday dinner guests	Dinner Time	Practicing for singing at Big Bend Presbyterian Church the next morning.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Back To Top   Shared Memories of the Retreats   In the 23 years of the PW retreat there have been many very special moments.  I asked the question to our current PW members as to what some of their singular times were/are.  Meleta I always enjoy the morning worship service at the camp.  When it's just you and nature, somehow it seems even more meaningful.  This year, at the end of the service, I saw 5 (I think there were 5 anyway) turkeys walking along the ridge above us.  Everyone else had their backs to the turkeys but it's neat to be that close to nature when you're worshiping God.  The acoustics are just right in the basement of the lodge, so we sound great when we sing!   Kate Divis Nelson Our first year and the storm. (Mary sent a law enforcement officer to Hill City to tell her son, Roger, that it was snowing.  By the time he reached Roger it was actually blizzarding but he passed on the message anyway.   This year's fashion show.  Bob's cooking.  Mandatory snacks.  The wedding at Rimrock.  The joy, laughter, and tears.    Mary Sherman Meditation following worship.  “Tall Paul”. [ask Margaret about that one.] the marshmallow-mm’s game.  Spoons and Pit.  Jean and the pudding dessert and worms.  Lisa leaping over the couches in doing the “wave”.  The hugs…the laughter…the tears…the kinship of special women.  Meleta "This is my Father's World" - the words that greet you as you go into and leave Camp Rimrock.  Whenever I am able to go to retreat these words seem to be the focus of the weekend for me.  The beauty that surrounds the camp and the time we spend in worship, study and fellowship all seem blessed.  Laughter and tears; music and silence; spending time in God's word and spending time in his presence – I always discover that the time at "retreat" allows me to be refreshed and reminded of the very special family that we all belong too with God as our Father.  Hallelujah. Candy  Sowers.  A few other treasured memories include: *      Cindy falling off her chair while dining at Wall Drug *      Cindy, Candy and Meleta getting lost trying to find Murdo.  We did send a “wish you were here” postcard to the group as we dined in Kadoka while the rest were eating in Murdo. *      Glenda offering the group to sing for Charlie Hunt 22 years ago and we have been singing at Big Bend ever since. *      Marian walking through the screen door *      Glenda leaving her caboodle in the church parking lot and not missing it until she was at Camp Rimrock.  *      Also, Glenda and her mountaintop experience (ask her!) *      Lisa rollerblading, sleeping on the driveway and vaulting the couches in the lodge. *      Shirleen’s uncle “catching” Mary S, Peggy and Cindy picking bittersweet. What a blessed way to spend a weekend…with God, with friends, with our sisters.  ---Meleta

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CONGREGATIONAL FALL CLEAN UP A SUCCESS

 Around 20 members of the congregation showed up over three different nights to help complete several different projects that needed to be done at the church. Because of the great turn out a lot of work was done. A big thanks goes to all those who helped in whatever way. Because of your efforts much was accomplished. Some of the projects completed were as follows…

• Trees were trimmed
• All windows were washed inside and out as well as the screens taken outside and hosed off. One screen was taken to be fixed.
• The blinds and curtains in the meeting room and pastors office were washed, ironed and hung back up.
• The fellowship hall was cleaned and the baseboard heaters and ledges above them were washed.
• The rock around the bushes by the crosses was pulled back and the old fabric was removed, new fabric was put in place and new rock was put down. (A big job but one made much easier by many hands working together)
• A new transformer and bulb was installed in one of the spotlights above the organ.
• Water was sucked up (once again) that had come in from the rain the night before.
• Fallen tree branches were picked up from the storm the night before.
• The lanterns that were hanging in the basement windows were taken down.
• The old furnace room was cleaned and organized.
• The burned out bulbs in the cross lights were replaced.
• Two new bookshelves were put together for the library.
• Several kick down doorstops were installed. This job involved drilling through metal doors and was not an easy job.
• Bushes were trimmed and other yard work done.

 --Cindy Droppers, Chair, Buildings and Grounds

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WHAT IF?

I wonder what would happen if we treated our Bible like we treat our cell phone?

What if we carried it around in our purses or pockets?
What if we carried it around in our purses or pockets?
What if we flipped through it several times a day?
What if we turned back to go get it if we forgot it?
What if we used it to receive messages from the text?
What if we treated it like we couldn’t live without it?
What if we gave it to kids as gifts?
What if we used it when we traveled?
What if we used it in case of an emergency?

This is something to make you go…..hmm, where is my Bible?
Oh, and one more thing.  Unlike our cell phone, we don’t have to worry about our Bible being disconnected because Jesus has already paid the bill.  And no dropped calls.

--Contributed by Kay Cee Hodson

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A Personal Look at Ike - The BEFORE and AFTER

Long time members and friends of OPC, Bob and Janet Leach, are now residents of Dickinson, Texas [a suburb of Houston and very close to Galveston Island}.   Larry and I are always concerned when we hear of a hurricane entering the gulf waters for fear that it might hit the communities in which Bob and Jan and their son, Steve, and his family reside.  Well, IKE did just that.   I requested permission from Bob to reprint a couple of his emails to us regarding the storm.  I did so because of all the phone calls we received from friends of theirs who have been concerned for them.  Here are three emails from Bob.  Our prayers for them were answered.

The BEFORE

Wednesday night   9-10 '08

Friends, we have "boarded up' and preparing to depart...somewhere.  Everyone from the Corpus Christi are seem to be going to San Antonio or Austin.  OK, we have been invited to stay with friends in north Houston Thursday through the storm period....they live about 50 mile inland from the coast.    We should be safe there.   

Still worried about the predicted Category 3.   Just hoping it doesn't take the roof off.    Packing clothes in large suitcases and leaving them in the car trunk. Other important papers.  so we are safe at this time and will email again Sunday after the weather "settles down."

As Ever,    Bob and Janet.

----

I had sent this to Y'all earlier...just a "refresher."     Well Friends,    IKE now has the Houston/Galveston's weather center's attention.  Although "He" may still turn a bit north and east as Rita did, the computer models are putting three of four tracks into our geographical / Houston-Galveston area.

SOOO....some official governmental decision will be made probably by Wed. or Thursday which will decide whether we "board up" and leave.   Which we will surely do.    So the situation is a bit more "tense"  and watchful.  We will let you know of our travel plans by  Wed. nite or Thurs. a.m.

As Ever,    Bob and Janet

The AFTER

Ike’s Gone and Now We are Recovering

Friends, well thanks to the Washington State Power People, we got "powered up", electrically speaking."  We have been out of "power" since the 12th 0r 13th.   We left for Arkansas and West Texas for a week.    But returning, we have been out for three days.   Which isn't really too bad.   A bit warm however.

Steve's house really "took a hit" and they are planning to be out of it for at least a month or two.  Lot's of putting the downstairs "rooms" back together then there is the electrical and water repair problems.   So they have moved in up here for "the duration."

Actually we faired "pretty well" compared to many others in town.   They had tree and power people from most parts of the U.S.    Phenomenal to see.

As Ever,   Bob  and Janet.

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Larry and Meleta, Well about the e-mails I guess it would be o.k. but compared to hundreds of IKE survivors, we are "sitting pretty" in spite of our tree and the corner of the roof. Many have lost everything.   While waiting for me Janet struck up a conversation with an evacuee from Galveston.  She heard her story.   She too, lost everything including a flat screen tv.    She is sleeping on the couch of a friend here in Dickinson.   We had a nearby neighbor whose home, when they turned on the power, exploded and burned to the ground.   Lot's of "misery" down here.

Go to www.bayouvista.com.  There are 150 photos of the community that Steve lives in.  Several of them are of his "empty garage."

As Ever,    Bob L.

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