SOME RANDOM THOUGHTS TO THINK ON‼️

One of my favorite prayer promises in the Bible is buried in the Old Testament book of Jeremiah 33:3 which says “Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.” What a wonderful promise from God that was good for Jeremiah to know and sure is good for me to know! I have access to the person who really does know everything and He is willing to share His knowledge with me. I just have to admit that I don’t know everything and that I need His knowledge and wisdom in every situation. Doing that saves me the embarrassment of being wrong. I liken this to my experiences with my personal trainer. Many of you know that I go to a gym three times a week and work out with a personal trainer called Chris. On several occasions he has told me what to do and how to do it and I have thought I know a better way or I can lift a heavier weight than he’s given me and I reach for the heavier one. And guess what? Chris is always right and I am always wrong. You see he knows me and what my limits are and what is best for me. I have learned to trust his advice even if at the moment I’m not sure. Why? Because in the area of physical fitness my experience shows me that Chris knows his stuff and he is always right! Now transfer this to your relationship with God: God created us so He knows us and He knows everything so we can ask Him anything and He will tell us what we need to know and do because God is always right! And He loves us so much that He sent His Son Jesus to die the world’s most painful death to pay the penalty for our sin. Now that is real love!

Part of the reason I wrote the above paragraph is to call you again to pray for our Pastoral Search Committee. I mentioned Sunday morning that we have three potential candidates that desire to be our next pastor. It would be easier if a couple of them just weren’t suited for the job and only one qualified, but God has sent us three very fine but different people. The Committee has voted that their choice to recommend to the church must have the unanimous support of the committee. Early in October they will meet to make that decision. Please call upon the Lord to give the committee His will. I believe we all want the person God desires to become our next pastor. These next couple of weeks give all of us time to pray and seek God’s will. Also I want to thank everyone who came and worked so hard to make Sunday night’s meeting with our Global Servant Kristy Engell such a wonderful event. It’s encouraging to know that she is going back to the Ukraine soon and spend a year there ministering to the tragic needs of that country. Most of us know very little of the immense pain these people are experiencing as many are suffering the loss of their homes and the death of family members. Again, please pray for Kristy as she prepares to go and continue to pray for her after she arrives. She is there to in a very tangible way share the love of Jesus.

Have I given you enough to think about and pray for? Just in case you need something else don’t forget to pray for each other and the ministry of our church in this interim period. I stand in need of your prayers as I seek daily wisdom to serve as your “fill in” pastor. We need each other as we worship and work together for the glory of Jesus! Jesus is coming again! This is our hope and assurance! Let’s keep busy sharing the Good News of Jesus until that day comes!!

Because of Jesus,

Bob

Interim Pastor

Missions in the Church

Dear Christian Friends,

As a young person I was brought up in a very strong missionary minded church. We often had missionary speakers and conferences as well as people who were members of the church who became missionaries. One married couple who had a very strong positive influence upon my life were missionaries to Africa. At one time in my life I gave serious consideration to becoming a missionary but later was led into pastoral ministry. Missions in all forms has always been important to me and to the churches I have served as pastor. I am grateful that OBC is a missionary minded fellowship! We take seriously Jesus words as recorded in the gospel of Matthew 28:18–20:

“Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in Heaven and on earth has been

given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.’”

As a church family we’re seeking to reach out in love and concern to the people of our

community. Also, we are looking for a pastor with a desire to help us accomplish this

ministry. We have a strong missionary budget that supports missionaries who are bringing the good news of the Gospel to people in other countries. One of those people is Kristy Engel who will be speaking at our church on Sunday, September 17 at 6:00 pm. This will be a wonderful opportunity to meet and talk with a real missionary. She will tell us about her recent visit to the Ukraine and her plans for future missionary work. Don’t miss out on this outstanding opportunity! It makes supporting missions more personal when you get to know the people who are serving in this way!

Please also continue in your prayer support for the members of our Pastoral Search

Committee. They are currently interviewing potential pastoral candidates and will be

deciding who they believe will be the best fit for our church. We are all seeking the will of

God so please ask for His wisdom in everything.

Pray for me that I might have God’s wisdom and strength as I seek to worship and work

with you in this interim period.

Because of Jesus,

Bob Hinckley

Interim Pastor

Who Are We in Jesus?

Dear Ones in Jesus,

Greetings in the name of our wonderful Lord Jesus Christ!

Happy summer time! How is your summer going? The weather sure has been interesting but I haven’t heard any weather person say, “We sure do need some rain!” The grass is lush and green and always seems to need mowing. But wait! In a few short months we will be looking back fondly on these hot, humid days as the cold and snow arrives to keep us company. Is it just me or is winter in Maine really longer than summer in Maine?

This morning I was deeply moved by the devotional article in Our Daily Bread. I hope you are using this book daily or some other similar devotional book along with reading the Bible passage. The article was, “What’s My Purpose?” As we get older and find we can’t do everything that we used to do we can get discouraged and think that our lives are useless. An older man once told me that he felt like he was just taking up space. lf you are still alive (and if you are reading this you are) God has a purpose for your life. Two quotes from the article-“As long as there are people who haven’t heard of Jesus, I must tell them about the Savior.” and, “No matter what our age, background, or circumstances, we have a purpose to tell others about Jesus.” If you’re like me then you have family members and friends who have never invited Jesus Christ into their lives and received Him as their Savior and Lord. They are still in their sin and know not the forgiveness of sin that only Jesus can give. Our responsibility is to pray for them and to seek opportunities to tell them about the love of Jesus for them. Hopefully our lives are showing the difference Jesus makes in our everyday living. May the love of Jesus shine through our lives and help guide them to a personal faith in Jesus Christ. That is really a challenge that makes life worth living! Share the joy of knowing Jesus!!

May we all continue to have a summer of warmth and gladness. The summer attendance at worship has been encouraging along with those who join us online. Keep praying for the members of our Pastoral Search Committee as they now begin to interview candidates for Pastor.

Seek always God’s wisdom and will!

Your friend in our wonderful Savior,

Bob Hinckley

Interim Pastor