Woodside Bible News June 2009 : Page 1A
WOODSIDE GRADS page 14-15A WhITE lAkE ChIlD DEDICATION page 28A CAMP WOODSIDE page 1B VOL 4 ISSUE V JUNE 2009 A PUBLICATION OF WOODSIDE BIBLE CHURCH Annual Celebration applauds God’s faithfulness BY SUSAN FULCHER WOODSIDE NEWS WRITER I t was more than an annual meeting…it was a celebration of praise, provision and direction for the future. Woodside’s four campuses gathered last month to enjoy an evening of music, laugh- ter, testimonies, and to applaud God’s faith- fulness to His people. The evening opened with spoof video footage of Woodside’s rendition of the popular American Idol singing competition featuring six pastors auditioning before the American Idol judging panel. Laughter and applause filled the Troy Worship Center as each contestant per- formed and received a resounding ‘no’ for their attempt from the panel. The remainder of the evening program revealed a message of God’s grace and con- tinued fulfillment of Woodside’s Vision Statement during the past fiscal year – “Impacting our region and beyond with the life-changing message of Je- sus Christ.” Worship through music, led by campus worship leaders accompanied by adult, chil- dren and teen choirs, set the tone for praise and thanksgiv- ing throughout the evening. As the children’s choir WWW.WOODSIDEBIBLE.ORG Woodside News Summer Photo Contest to begin Summer 2009 is about to begin, and with that comes the Annual Woodside News Summer photo Contest. In fact, this is the fifth Summer photo Contest. Each year we encourage our readers to submit a few prize-winning photos of their family’s summertime activities. So, dust off the digital camera and keep it handy for snapping that perfect photo while on vacation or enjoying local activities. you may submit up to three of your favorite photos. All photo submissions must be in by Mon- day, August 24 for inclusion in our September summer photo spread. please make sure to include you name, phone number and a brief description of each photo activity. your photo entries should be e-mailed to summerphotocontest@woodsidenews.org. Worship Arts Director Cliff Lambert (center) leads band and choir at the Annual Celebration. “We only do what we do through the power of our filed to their places on the ris- ers, a video highlighting many of the accomplishments and activities of the past year rolled on the screen. Worship Arts Pastor Cliff Lambert expressed the testimo- nial of the evening. “We only do what we do through the power of our great God.” Troy Campus Pastor Vince Messina in- troduced Woodside’s second class of care- givers to be commissioned into the Stephen Ministry. Messina expressed appreciation for the dedication of the group and ex- plained the purpose of the Ministry. “Ste- phen Ministry equips lay people to provide confidential, one-on-one care to individuals experiencing difficult times.” Senior Pastor great God.” – ClIff lAMbERT Doug Schmidt gave the prayer of commissioning. As Woodside Trea- surer Sandy Vince took the stage to report the church’s financial status, he praised God for His gracious provision over the past year of economic turmoil. “We serve an awesome, powerful God. All bills are current and we have a safety valve of money set aside,” Vince said. “We are looking for exciting things this coming year. As God has allowed us to min- ister in ways we never dreamed, we continue to look forward to ways of helping our com- munity.” White Lake Elder Donn Thurmond pre- sented the slate of officers for the coming year. Both the proposed budget and officers were unanimously accepted. Through a video titled, ‘What has God done in your life this year?’ testimonies and stories from Woodside members, teens to ANNUAL CELEBRATION continued on page 4 CONTENTS PASTOR’S PEN. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2A FROM THE EDITOR. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2A HIS STORY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3A MISSIONARY OF THE MONTH . . . . .5A SMALL GROUPS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7A MOVIES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19A FIT AND HEALTHY. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21A FAMILY FUN GUIDE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22A CHRISTIAN CROSSWORD . . . . . . . . 25A THE BIBLE AND SCIENCE. . . . . . . . 26A TROY HAPPENINGS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2B WARREN HAPPENINGS. . . . . . . . . . . . 4B FROM DON PEDDE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4B WOODSIDE OF WARREN. . . . . . . . . . . 5B WHITE LAKE HAPPENNINGS . . . . . 6B FROM BRAD HULCY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6B WOODSIDE OF WHITE LAKE. . . . . . 7B TELEVISION SCHEDULE . . . . . . . . . . . 7B ROYAL OAK HAPPENNINGS. . . . . . . 8B FROM ANDREW FRITH. . . . . . . . . . . . . 8B CLASSIFIEDS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10B Plans approved to begin fifth campus development BY SHAWN CONLEY WOODSIDE NEWS WRITER I n just a few years, Woodside Bible Church has grown from one campus to four. Plans are now underway to increase that number by one more. The church is considering developing a fifth campus in the Oxford/Lake Ori- on area and, according to Woodside’s Director of New Campus Develop- ment Beth McKenna, “This is different from our other campuses because we’ll be starting it in-house, rather than coming alongside anoth- er church. We’ll be recruiting leadership for all areas, from children’s ministries to small group ministries to a welcome team.” Since Woodside has a significant concentration of members in the Oxford/Lake Orion area, McKenna recalls being asked several times about the possibility of a Woodside campus in that location. “Many people have come to me and said, ‘Oh, I’ve been waiting so long for a campus in that area,’ or asking, ‘When will we be doing this?’ so the interest is there.” “Right now, we are consider- ing a possible launch of the new campus in mid-September,” says Woodside’s Senior Pastor Doug Schmidt, adding that FIFTH CAMPUS continued on page 5 phOTO by TERRy SykES
ANNUAL CELEBRATION APPLAUDS GOD’S FAITHFULNESS
SUSAN FULCHER
It was more than an annual meeting…it was a celebration of praise, provision and direction for the future.
Woodside’s four campuses gathered last month to enjoy an evening of music, laughter, testimonies, and to applaud God’s faithfulness to His people.
The evening opened with spoof video footage of Woodside’s rendition of the popular American Idol singing competition featuring six pastors auditioning before the American Idol judging panel.
Laughter and applause filled the Troy Worship Center as each contestant performed and received a resounding ‘no’ for their attempt from the panel.
The remainder of the evening program revealed a message of God’s grace and continued fulfillment of Woodside’s Vision Statement during the past fiscal year – “Impacting our region and beyond with the life-changing message of Jesus Christ.”
Worship through music, led by campus worship leaders accompanied by adult, children and teen choirs, set the tone for praise and thanksgiving throughout the evening.
As the children’s choir filed to their places on the risers, a video highlighting many of the accomplishments and activities of the past year rolled on the screen. Worship Arts Pastor Cliff Lambert expressed the testimonial of the evening. “We only do what we do through the power of our great God.”
Troy Campus Pastor Vince Messina introduced Woodside’s second class of caregivers to be commissioned into the Stephen Ministry. Messina expressed appreciation for the dedication of the group and explained the purpose of the Ministry. “Stephen Ministry equips lay people to provide confidential, one-on-one care to individuals experiencing difficult times.” Senior Pastor Doug Schmidt gave the prayer of commissioning.
As Woodside Treasurer Sandy Vince took the stage to report the church’s financial status, he praised God for His gracious provision over the past year of economic turmoil.
“We serve an awesome, powerful God. All bills are current and we have a safety valve of money set aside,” Vince said. “We are looking for exciting things this coming year. As God has allowed us to minister in ways we never dreamed, we continue to look forward to ways of helping our community.”
White Lake Elder Donn Thurmond presented the slate of officers for the coming year. Both the proposed budget and officers were unanimously accepted.
Through a video titled, ‘What has God done in your life this year?’ testimonies and stories from Woodside members, teens to senior adults, praised God for being their rock and anchor this year as well as providing growth and peace in difficult situations.
Schmidt’s closing comments of the program included the possibility of a fifth campus, to be located in North Oakland County.
“God has given us a vision. We must handle it well and respond to God’s opportunity for this prospect,” shared Schmidt.
Schmidt further challenged the audience to become part of Woodside’s vision by accepting God’s stimulus package.
The stimulus package is fourfold: Rely on Godly protection from the wicked one; be a voice of articulating eternal truth to a changing culture; rely on His power in everything; and, count on and receive God’s blessings.
Schmidt’s closing remarks were words of encouragement. “Let’s together make this next year our best year yet – for His glory.”
PLANS APPROVED TO BEGIN FIFTH CAMPUS DEVELOPMENT
SHAWN CONLEY
In just a few years, Woodside Bible Church has grown from one campus to four. Plans are now underway to increase that number by one more.
The church is considering developing a fifth campus in the Oxford/Lake Orion area and, according to Woodside’s Director of New Campus Development Beth McKenna, “This is different from our other campuses because we’ll be starting it in-house, rather than coming alongside another church. We’ll be recruiting leadership for all areas, from children’s ministries to small group ministries to a welcome team.”
Since Woodside has a significant concentration of members in the Oxford/Lake Orion area, McKenna recalls being asked several times about the possibility of a Woodside campus in that location.
“Many people have come to me and said, ‘Oh, I’ve been waiting so long for a campus in that area,’ or asking, ‘When will we be doing this?’ so the interest is there.”
“Right now, we are considering a possible launch of the new campus in mid-September,” says Woodside’s Senior Pastor Doug Schmidt, adding that there is a possibility to develop a Woodside campus wherever there are people, though the church campuses cannot be within 20 miles of each other.
But, he says, there are certain criteria that have to be met. “The obvious one is that the economy must be supportive,” he says. “We also must have enough people committed from the other four Woodside campuses.”
McKenna echoes his thought and says, “This is a great opportunity for people who live in that area to get involved in the pioneering phase of developing a new campus, because we really need volunteers to make this work.”
While the outlook for the Michigan economy is bleak, Schmidt believes that some low-budget solutions will help make the development of a new campus a reality. “We’re looking at different cost-saving possibilities, such as maybe meeting at a local middle school, having part-time staff and using volunteers,” he says. “We are moving forward with due diligence and lots of prayer.”
He also emphasizes that it is important Woodside’s vision doesn’t become limited by the current economic situation. “Our church’s vision is to impact the region and beyond with the lifechanging message of Jesus Christ,” he says. “People are more receptive to that message in tough times so we need to capitalize on this opportunity, so we must continue to proactively and strategically strive to minister to people.”
For those interested in volunteering with development of the new campus, contact Beth McKenna at Woodside’s Troy campus.
WOODSIDE HAPPENINGS
SHAWN CONLEY
Woodside to Host “Bridging the Gap” event with Josh McDowell
When you live in a place as culturally diverse as the metro Detroit area, sharing your religious views with others of different faiths can be a difficult and often intimidating task.
A lack of understanding can lead to miscommunication and even hostility.
For years, many Christians have been uncertain of how to share their faith with Muslims. On June 18, at 7p.m., Woodside Bible Church will host an event at the Troy campus that will help Christians accomplish that goal by drawing on the expertise of several former Muslims.
“We want to challenge people to overcome their fears of Muslims so they can share Christianity with them,” says Pastor George Saieg, founder and director of Arabic Christian Perspective, the Anaheim, CA, organization sponsoring the event. “They are people who need the love of Christ like anyone else.”
Saieg says that the event was scheduled to coincide with the Dearborn Arab International Festival, which is predicted to draw a crowd upwards of 300,000 people, many of whom are Muslims.
Entitled “Bridging the Gap of Understanding with Muslims,” the evening at Woodside will feature several speakers, including Christian apologist and author Josh McDowell.
Along with McDowell, speakers will include Christian apologist David Wood, former Pakistani Muslim Nabeel Qureshi and Pastor Wally Magdangal, a former pastor of an underground Christian church in Saudi Arabia.
Ali El-Shariff, a former sultan in Sudan who has developed a Middle Eastern television ministry, is also scheduled to appear.
“All of these Christian speakers are very well respected in the Muslim community,” says Saieg, adding that although each of the speakers disagrees with the Muslim religion, they debate the topic respectfully from a biblical perspective. He says their manner of debate has only served to strengthen their message of Christianity.
There will be a panel discussion featuring the speakers, but most of the time spent during the evening will be dedicated to answering questions from the audience.
“The interaction with the audience is very important,” Saieg says. “We’re hoping to help Christians develop a better understanding of Muslims so that they talk more openly with them about faith.”
Saieg hopes the “Bridging the Gap” event will also address some common misconceptions about Muslims. “The first thing many people think of when they hear someone is Muslim is that the person is a terrorist, and we plan to address that fear as well as many other misunderstandings.”
Doors will open at 6:30 p.m. and admission is free. For more information, please contact Arabic Christian Perspective at 866- 533-6659 or visit www.ministrytomuslims. com.
CAMP WOODSIDE IS READY FOR A WEEK OF FUN
JIM AVERY
Thanks to the efforts of more than 70 volunteers on Family Missions Weekend, Camp Woodside is ready and waiting for kids to “Catch the Wave and Move on with Jesus” this summer.
Held the week of August 2-7, Camp Woodside is open to all children entering third through sixth grades. It is during this week, that Woodside rents the entire Center Lake Bible Camp (near Cadillac) for the ultimate summertime experience.
Woodside’s camp staff is committed to creating a week of unending fun, while also filling each child’s heart with a desire to follow Jesus.
According to Camp Director Roberta Bigalk, all campers will enjoy swimming, boating, wild and crazy games, hiking, archery, and of course eating. For the second year, campers going into 5th and 6th grades can also enjoy horseback riding for an additional $10 fee. Camp T-shirts will be distributed throughout the week.
Each day includes great chapel, worship and small group quiet times.
The camp fee is $300 per child, plus canteen money payable at the time of registration. Registration forms are available in all campus lobbies, with a separate registration form required for each child. You may also register your child online at www.woodsidebible.org.
Parents are encouraged to register their children early, as the camp fills up quickly. Bigalk cautions that registration can close any time before the July 13 deadline if the camp reaches capacity.
The first 150 campers registered will receive transportation to and from the camp. After the first 150 campers, transportation to and from the camp becomes the responsibility of the camper’s family.
Scholarships are available on an individual need basis.
For more information, please contact Roberta Bigalk or Rene’ Hawarny at 248-879-8533.
Publication List
