NO. 3
A Letter From The Pastor BY RICK WILLIAMS
Dear Church Family,
During this season of hope, I am really excited about our current sermon series, "Jesus Revolution." This series focuses on the timeless teachings of Jesus Christ and how He can revolutionize our lives today. I encourage you to join us on this journey of spiritual growth, reflection, and renewal. Through the sermons, engaging discussions, and meaningful fellowship, we are exploring the profound wisdom and love that Jesus shared with the world. At a time when the world needs hope, compassion, and unity, the message of Jesus is more relevant than ever. May we come together as a church to embrace His teachings, experience His love, and ignite a revolution of kindness, forgiveness, and grace in our lives and beyond. I invite you to join us throughout the series as we explore the transformative power of Jesus' message. Together, let us be inspired, uplifted, and empowered to make a positive difference in the world around us. May this be a time of renewal, growth, and blessings for all of us. I look forward to sharing this inspiring journey with you.
Blessings and peace, Pastor Rick
A Note From Pastor Eric
Hello Violet Family!
At Violet Baptist Church, we have five core values.
1. Grace - Express unconditional love to everyone. 2. Relationships - Connect people to God and others. 3. Authenticity - Be real to who God made me to be. 4. Serving - Help others in the name of Jesus. 5. Prayer - Cultivate a culture of prayer. This month, I would like to highlight Grace, a value that shapes our identity and guides our actions as a community of believers. Grace is the favor and love that God pours out on us, despite our flaws and imperfections. It is through Grace that we are forgiven, redeemed, and transformed into the image of Christ. We are called to be a church that welcomes everyone with open arms, showing compassion, kindness, and understanding. Through acts of Grace, we reflect the heart of God to a world longing for love and acceptance. I pray that we will be known as a community of Grace, where judgment is replaced by mercy, and division is replaced by unity. May our lives be a testimony to the power of Grace, transforming hearts wherever we go. Let us continue to live out our core value of Grace with joy, humility, and unwavering faith.
In Christ Alone, Pastor Eric
In the VioletCafé >>
A Note From Pastor Brian VioletGroups are vital in enhancing every aspect of life at Violet. If you haven't already joined one of our groups, we strongly encourage you to do so. Being part of a VioletGroup provides you with opportunities for discipleship, care, service, and personal growth. We are excited to announce that we will be delving into the Jesus Revolution sermon series this spring. Pastor Rick and I will lead a deeper exploration of this study in the VioletCafé every Sunday night. This will be a great chance for you to gather around a table with a smaller group of individuals and engage in meaningful discussions about what you are learning. Our first session will be on April 7th. We’d love for you to join us and be a part of this experience.
Click Here For More Information
Disaster Relief Update Our Disaster Relief teams have been working hard at serving our community. Recently, a group of individuals from our chain saw team volunteered their time to help clean up a home in need. Currently, two members from our feeding team are actively serving in the Indian Lake area. This is a fantastic opportunity for you to embody the hands and feet Jesus. If you're interested in joining one of these teams, please visit the Disaster Relief Website for more information.
Youth Worship Band
A small group of students from our youth group have been meeting weekly to rehearse some of the worship songs that we sing here at Violet. Last month at the Youth Retreat, our Youth Worship Team led worship for the first time. Also, Sunday March 17th, our youth band started leading worship for VioletKids during the 9:30am service. This team will continue to serve the church in worship assisting the Youth and Kids ministries moving forward.
Crossings Camp
Our Overflow Jr. High and High School groups are excited to head back to Crossings Camp in Kentucky from June 4-8, 2024. This will be our 5th year at Crossings Camp. We make the 3+ hour trip to central Kentucky because Crossings offers one of the best Christian camp experiences in the Midwest. The Crossings Camp staff serves nearly 20,000 students each summer at its various locations. Each day at camp features a wide variety of activities, small group Bible studies, worship featuring Heartsong (a student worship team from Cedarville University), and teachings from the camp speaker. The summer camp experience provides our students an opportunity to take the next steps in their relationship with Jesus as they deepen connections with their peers and adult mentors in the youth group. Please pray that our students encounter Jesus in a new and deeper way this summer at Crossings Camp. -Pastor Keith
Click Here For Registration >>
VioletKids VioletKids had a very eventful and exciting month! During Sunday mornings in the month of March, our preschool kids learned that no matter what we can or can’t do, what we have done, what we look like, or where we live, Jesus is alive, and He wants to be our friend...forever! Our elementary kids learned that throughout Scripture, we can see how peace is something near to God’s heart. Even though people chose to break their relationship with God, God made a way to fix that relationship through Jesus. We were fortunate enough to have two family events for the month of March! VioletKids took a trip to the Pickerington Community theater where we saw a 90s-kid's favorite: Junie B. Jones. 26 of us attended the show and boy was it a hit! I think more theater trips are definitely in our future. Did you know we have VioletKids groups that meet together on Sunday nights? We call these groups Olympians (1st-5th grade) and Gopher Buddies (ages 4-6). On our last night before Easter/Spring Break, we had a special Easter celebration. We love and appreciate our Violet leaders who give of their time each week to teach kids about Jesus!
VioletKids
Our church family enjoyed another great community event: Easter Egg-Stravaganza! Our holiday events are always a great turnout because our church pulls together to serve our community so well. Thank you to all those who volunteered to help make Easter Egg- Stravaganza a great event for the families in our community! Please enjoy some pictures from that event. The most exciting news of all is that on Easter Sunday, two of Violet’s very own kids took a step of faith and were baptized! I can’t think of a better way to celebrate the news of Jesus’ death and resurrection. He is alive, and because
of that, we have a hope and a future! Congratulations to Harper and Hitomi!
Our VioletKids event for April will be Mother- Son Dodgeball! What better way for moms to bond with their sons than through some friendly competition.
Easter Egg-Stravaganza
Thank You, VioletKids Leaders!
I want to take a minute to send special thanks to our VioletKids leaders who faithfully serve on Sunday mornings and Sunday nights. There is so much we would not be able to do well if it weren’t for you all! I have both experienced and witnessed so many in our church who were so giving of their time, love, patience, and wisdom to the next generation. I often wonder where I would be if I didn’t have other adults who helped to mentor me as a young believer. It is often through small and seemingly insignificant moments that the illustrations of Scripture are brought to life to a child. Why? Because when they see authentic faith lived out, then words begin to make more sense. 1 John 3:18 says, “Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue, but with actions and in truth.” Chelsea Poole, Children’s Director
Thank you, leaders, for being an example of this to our kids!
Events & Volunteers
Hello!
I am excited for the arrival of Spring with its warmer weather and sunshine. March was a month filled with meaningful opportunities for our church community to come together and serve. VioletGroups and Overflow Youth played a significant role in these efforts, such as filling hundreds of Easter eggs for the Easter Egg- Stravaganza. Jenna Riekert's VioletGroup filled eggs a few weeks in a row. Jenna said, “Our ladies’ group had fun filling eggs for the Easter Egg-Stravaganza. It gave us time to catch up with each other and chat.” Additionally, on March 8th, 18 individuals volunteered at Stowe Mission, a community resource center in Columbus, OH. Our ongoing service at Stowe has many dedicated individuals like Barb Moyer who has been serving with the Stowe Ministry for the last couple of years. She encourages you to “Come serve with us; everyone there appreciates the meal. Thanks to all that have served and will serve in the future!” Looking ahead to April, we have more outreach events and service opportunities planned at Violet. If you are interested in learning more or getting involved, please don't hesitate to reach out to me at jamiem@violetchurch. Your participation is valued and will make a positive difference in the lives of others.
Jamie McCleese Event & Volunteer Director
J.O.Y. Group at Violet (Just Older Youth)
Hi everyone! We wanted to share some photos of the J.O.Y. Spring event (and some other fun times we’ve shared this year). Everyone enjoyed the night of food, games, and building connections with fellow Christians. Our next event will be on July 13th of this year. We will be at Buckeye Lake at the home of Kent and Cheryl Holaday. The Summer BBQ and the Christmas event have traditionally been our most attended events. The atmosphere is fun, the food is delicious, and you also get ice cream. We have 4 or 5 events a year and they are for anyone over 50 who likes to have fun. This group has been meeting for over 25 years and the members are very welcoming. If you have any questions about the J.O.Y. Group at Violet, please contact one of us. Also, please check the church website for these and all events that are offered at Violet.
JOY Together in Christ, Christopher and Sonya Bennett
Hello Violet!
I am thrilled to share some exciting news with all of you!
Violet has recently partnered with Cornerstone Family Services, a faith-based counseling and coaching organization, to provide additional on-site support and resources to our church members and community. Over the past year and a half, we have had many conversations with Cornerstone about the potential of utilizing an office space at Violet during the week to provide Christian-based professional counseling. One of the goals of this was to ensure that our church family had local, on-site access to the best resources in central Ohio to foster spiritual growth, emotional well-being, healing, and personal development. This partnership with Cornerstone aligns perfectly with our desire to care for, support, and love our church family and community. I encourage you to take advantage of this valuable resource and reach out to Cornerstone Family Services directly for support and guidance if you feel that any of their services could be beneficial for you or a loved one. Please contact Cornerstone Family Services directly for all appointment or billing-related questions. Website: https://cornerstonefamilyservices.org/ Phone: 614-459-3003 email: intake@cstoneohio.org I look forward to seeing the positive impact that this partnership will have on our congregation and community.
Pastor Eric
Marketing & Communications In today's fast-paced world, staying connected with your church community is more important than ever. Thanks to the Church Center app by Planning Center, you can have all the tools you need to explore, engage, and get involved with Violet right at your fingertips. With the Church Center app, you can access a variety of features that help you stay connected throughout the week. You can view a calendar of events happening at Violet, access sermons to listen or watch at your convenience, give donations, pre-check your family for services, browse the church directory to connect with other members, join groups to grow in your faith, and register for upcoming events or activities. By using the Church Center app, you can truly stay informed and engaged with what's happening in the Violet community. Whether it's checking the schedule for the week, catching up on a sermon you missed, or signing up for a volunteer opportunity, the app serves as a convenient hub to keep you in the know. If you haven't already, please download the Church Center app today to start reaping the benefits of staying connected with Violet. Once you've downloaded the app, don't forget to update your profile to ensure you receive important notifications, emails, and updates from your church. Download the Church Center app now and stay connected with your church family like never before!
We’d love to hear from you. Has your VioletGroup recently come together to serve the Lord? Tell us about it. What’s happening in the ministry where you serve? We’d love to hear about it. You can email rachels@violetchurch.com with your stories and photos.
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