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July 2009
the shepherd’s watch
Summer Giving
Well Below Average
D
Coming Events
ear Church Family,
July 1—Wacky Wednesday
During the summer months when many are away on vacation, it is
not unusual for our weekly giving to fall below our
budget. By the end of the summer, we are
sometimes about a week and a half behind budget. This
presents challenges, but we are usually able to catch up
through the fall when everyone’s schedules are back to normal.
This fiscal year has begun with unusually low giving for the
month of June. Our weekly budget is $16,500.00, while our weekly average offering
for the month of June was $11,906.00. During the month of June we fell behind
budget by an average of $4,594 per week. That means that after only a month, we
are already behind a total of $18,377.00. Unless things change, by the end of the
summer, instead of being a week and a half behind budget, we could be three to
four weeks below budget.
I know that we are in the midst of difficult economic
times. However, during May, 2009, our weekly average was
$14,458.00. The state of the economy does not seem to
explain this sudden drop of approximately $2500.00 per
week in only one month. Neither does attendance, as our average attendance was
higher in June when compared to May.
My dear brothers and sisters, we need to search our hearts
and ask ourselves why our June weekly giving is down
$2,500.00 per week from May. Now is the time to take the
necessary steps so that we do not find ourselves in financial
stress in August and September. Let’s pray together that the
month of July—rather than causing us to fall further behind—
puts us back on track so that we as a church can accomplish
the ministries the Lord has set before us.
Your Pastor,
July 6—Church Offices Closed
July 7—Colossal Questions (Youth)
July 8—Wacky Wednesday
July 12-18—Youth Camp—Centrifuge,
Glorieta, NM
July 15—Wacky Wednesday
July 24—Heart to Heart Movie Night
July 21—Colossal Questions
July 22—Wacky Wednesday
July 27-31—Pre-Teen Camp—Sabine
Creek Ranch
July 28—Colossal Questions
Sunday Sermon
Schedule
July 5—Would You Please Repeat
That?— Luke 11:5-8ff
Pastor Van Minter
July 12—Good Samaritan—
Luke 10:25-37
Pastor John Trimble
July 19—Rich Fool—
Luke 12:16-21
Pastor John Trimble
July 26—Prodigal Son
Luke 15:11-24
Pastor Van Minter
Roger Raymer, Senior Pastor
We would like to welcome the following as new members of
Lake Ridge Bible Church. Congratulations!
Irene Bates, David & Becky Dafoe, Eric & Lisa Weaver
The Hilltopper is a monthly publication
for members and attenders of Lake Ridge
Bible Church, 1020 Northwest Drive,
Mesquite, Texas 75150. 972-613-2222.
Roger Raymer Senior Pastor
John Trimble
Associate Pastor
Van Minter
Youth Pastor
Ben Lowery
Youth Assistant
Martha Turner
Editor
—see you on our webpage—
www.lakeridgebiblechurch.org
VBS 2009
“Dingo Dan” Turner tells the Kiddaroos all about
Ayers Rock and….. Peter, the Rock.
What a joy it is to see the people
of Lake Ridge Bible Church pull together
and produce the greatest Vacation Bible
School to be found! Over 220 children
enjoyed a fun-filled week of superb
Bible lessons, exciting games, awesome
music, masterful crafts and delicious
and creative snacks! The campus was
turned into an amazing “Down Under” as
decorators outdid themselves on the
stage and in each location the children
visited every day.
The greatest blessing of all came
as five children trusted Jesus Christ as
their Lord and Savior. May they love and
serve Him all the days of their lives.
It was a job well-done by at least
150 wonderful volunteers. Thanks to
you all!
Tom Craig and Jonathan Shotts spend time with
the Kiddaroos at the Sydney Harbour. Note the
Opera House behind them.
All photos by Rebecca Anderson, Steven & Michael Burke
It’s snack time on the Boomerang Express!
Pearl Lightner guides the youngest Kiddaroos!
Spencer Nelson and Lynne Salser take the Kiddaroos on
an Outback adventure, left and above. At right, kids are on
the move!
More Summer Fun for Kids!
Wacky Wednesdays…..
Pre-Teen Camp…..
Wacky Wednesdays are underway! July 1st was an
exciting day for about 20 1st—5th graders as they enjoyed a
slip ’n slidin’ morning and a hot dog lunch. Be sure to sign up
your children for the rest of the fun events for July. Meet at
the church at 9:30 a.m. and we’ll finish the outings at about
1:00 p.m. Help is still needed with transportation. The
information for the remaining events is as follows:
July 8—“The Tale of Despereaux” @ AMC 30
The time is rapidly approaching for all children who have
completed grades 3-6 to head
to Pre-Teen camp at Sabine
Creek Ranch (July 27-31),
only minutes away from our
church near Royce City.
Sabine Creek will provide our
pre-teens with vibrant, energetic and heart-felt worship,
age-appropriate messages that clearly communicate the
Good News of Jesus to kids, plus all the fun they can have!
They’ll enjoy Bible study, swimming, horseback riding,
adventure activities, wild and crazy games, crafts and great
food. The cost is $192.00 per camper and is due by July 19.
For more information, please visit their website:
www.sabinecreekranch.com or contact pastor John Trimble at
Bet you can’t wait!!!
972-613-2222.
Mesquite & Picnic—$1.00 per person; Bring a sack
lunch.
July 15—“Wizard of Oz” - Slappy’s Puppet
Playhouse (Galleria) & McDonald’s—$5.50 per
person; money for lunch
July 22—Ft. Worth Zoo & Picnic—$4.00 per child;
$6.00 per adult; Bring a sack lunch
Yippee!!!
Six of the students
who participated in
the mission trip to
the Davis Mountains were, from
left, Sam Hahn,
Courtney Joiner,
Josh Wisdom,
Kevin Wright,
Amber MacInnis
and Kyle Wisdom.
I’m also excited about our “Colossal
Questions” we do on Tuesdays at noon.
This is a time where students ask
questions and dialogue about the
previous Sunday’s study in Colossians.
We’ve had some great
discussions together
during this time.
On Thursday we’re
doing “The Truth
Project” by Focus on
the Family and it has been a great
faith builder as we go through these
sessions together and are equipped
with a Biblical worldview.
The next big thing in front of us is
our Youth Camp in New Mexico. I
would ask you to pray for us as we
travel and that the time
spent at camp
Would be life-changing
for each of us as God
moves. We do have some
students that are in need
of financial assistance for camp. If
you would like to contribute and help in
this regard, please e-mail me and let
me know ASAP.
In Christ,
Van
Missions in Action—
Van and I, along with nine students from Lake Ridge, recently returned from a
mission trip to the Davis Mountains in West Texas. What an amazing time of
fellowship, service to the community, worship in song and in the Word, and spiritual
growth! The night before we left to return home, we all sat
around a table and spoke openly of what God had taught
each of us. Christ taught us to love his Body, the Church,
and to seek the lost. He taught us to deny ourselves and
focus on those hurting and in need. He showed us the
power of His Gospel at work within each of us as we yield
to share our story with others. May God be praised for such a powerful week in
service to Him! Please find someone who went on this trip and ask about what God
has done. The names of those who were a part of this trip are: Josh Wisdom, Kyle
Wisdom, Kevin Wright, Amber MacInnis, Rachel MacInnis, Sam Hahn, Shannon
Brown, Courtney Joiner, Sara Stilwell, Van Minter and Ben Lowery.
In Christ,
Ben Lowery
Some of the kids relax under the shade of
those West Texas trees!
Sam Hahn, Ben Lowery and Kyle
Wisdom rehearse their worship songs.
Heart to Heart News
their friendship with C.S. Lewis, their conversion to
Christianity and subsequent tragedy.
The Precepts Bible Study continues their study
in Isaiah, Part 1, at 7:00 p.m.
on Thursdays. During the
ou would think that the
months of July and August,
ladies of Lake Ridge would
they will meet on July 2, 23
take some time off in the summer,
and 30 and August 13,20, and
but you would be wrong! Our Heart
27. The Wednesday night Connections group is also
to Heart activities continue, our wonderful Ladies
doing a 4-week study by Max Lucado, Discovering
Book Club continues and we have not one, but two
the Power of Prayer, beginning Wednesday, July 8,
Bible studies this summer!
at 7:00 p.m. in Room B111. This study will be part
DVD and part discussion led by Irene Bates. Join
The Book Club will meet on Tuesday, July 7, at
7:00 p.m. in Room B111. The selection for the month us, won’t you?
of July is A Severe Mercy by
Lastly, mark your calendars for Friday, July 24,
Sheldon Vanauken. This is an
as we enjoy a fun summer “Movie Night” together!
autobiographical book relating the Watch the bulletin for more information on time,
author’s relationship with his wife, location and, of course, the special feature!
Y
Photos by Sara Stillwell
We had a great kick-off to our
summer with VBS
week. I want to say
thanks to all of our
youth workers who
did a great job with
the kids. Our
students have always been a huge help
during VBS.
Photo courtesy of Amber MacInnis
Dear Yootz and Parents,
Lake Ridge Bible Church
NON-PROFIT ORG.
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
MESQUITE, TX
PERMIT NO. 231
1020 Northwest Drive
Mesquite, Texas 75150
July 2009
Wednesdays in July
News and Views...from the hilltop
All in the family
The church family of
Lake Ridge Bible
Church extends our
deepest sympathy
and prayers to:
College and Career Group in
Action for Summer
All Lake Ridge young adults, post-high
school and older, are invited to join us this
summer as we plan lots of fun and edifying
events. We
are meeting
Karla Olds and her extended family on on Sunday
the homegoing of her mother, Margaret mornings in
Steely, on June 19.
Room 105 of
the admin
We rejoice with the following Lake Ridge
building at 9:00 a.m.
families who were blessed with new
as we seek to understand what God’s Word has
grandchildren during the past month:
to teach us about “FAITH”. We join the youth
Larry and Becky Bair, on the
group at 7:00 p.m. in the auditorium on
birth of Henry Jones Bair on
Wednesdays for worship and then “break out”
May 29, to son Ryan and his
to various locations to further our discussions of
wife, Andrea.
“Miracle Busters—Seven Signs in the Gospel of
Ken and Robin Roose on the
John.” Many of the locations are chosen to
birth of Rylie Jo Cottongame,
facilitate the discussion of the “sign”. Some
on June 29 to their daughter,
require money and some do not. Please
Melanie Cottongame and her husband,
contact us for a schedule of events if you
Brian.
haven’t received a calendar.
We also have service projects and trips
planned for fellowship and mission work. These
will be discussed in class and are subject to
change based on participation and back to
school schedules. If you have any questions or
would like a schedule of events, please contact
Craig or Pam Fletcher at 972-771-3403 or
[email protected] or
[email protected].
“G’Day to Read” Summer
Reading Program In Progress
Through Aug. 2
Don’t forget to sign up for our
summer reading program. Prizes are
awarded each week for books you
read and you will be eligible for a big
drawing on August 2 for gift cards.
Stop by the Library on Sunday
mornings before, between and after
services and look for a great book!
Time to Update
T
he Lake Ridge Care Ministry
recently received the following
notes of thanks and appreciation.
Dear Lake Ridge Family,
Thank you all for your prayers on
my knee surgery. And thank you for
the beautiful garden basket that really
lifted my spirits.
Diane and I are so thankful to have
such a wonderful and caring church
family.
Don Seltzer
Dear Congregation of the Church,
Thank you so very much for the
balloons. They were very useful in our
birthday party we had one week ago.
The candy was absolutely great even
though I only ate some of it. I still
thank you very much for the balloons
and candy that you gave me after my
surgery.
You were a big part of my life.
Abby Trimble
Thank You!
If you have had any changes in
your address or phone numbers in
the past year, or if you see some
incorrect information in our church
directory, please fill out a Directory
Update Card found on the credenza
right outside the sanctuary. We want
to make sure that all of our information is correct.
Church directories are updated
and printed very
frequently, so be
sure to grab a
new copy to have
at home. They
can also be found
on the credenza.