NO. 22
A Note From Pastor Eric
Standing Firm in a Shifting World
As we’ve journeyed together through our Standing Firm series this fall, I’ve been reminded how timely God’s Word really is. I love Peter’s encouragement in 2 Peter 1:2 (NIV) “Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.” Those words sound simple, and are easy to just skim over, but they’re packed with truth. Peter knew that believers would need a steady anchor when the world around them was uncertain and ever-changing. His message is clear: grace and peace aren’t found in the culture around us or even in our own strength, they’re found through knowing Jesus more deeply. In our world today, we’re constantly being pulled in different directions. Culture tells us that truth is relative, that we should “follow our hearts,” and that fulfillment can be found in success, pleasure, or self-expression. But the reality is, those foundations eventually crumble. If we’re not careful, we can slowly drift from God’s truth and start to build our lives on shifting sand instead of the solid rock of Christ. That’s why this series has been a great reminder to me that standing firm isn’t about digging in our heels in stubbornness, it’s about anchoring our hearts to Jesus. Our assurance, our confidence, and our identity must be rooted in Christ alone. When our lives are built on Him, the winds may blow and the storms may come, but our foundation will remain secure. Jesus said in Matthew 7:24-25 (NIV), “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.” That’s my prayer for me and you, to live wisely, to build our lives on the firm foundation of God’s Word, and to live with the confidence that comes from knowing Him. But here’s something I’ve learned: standing firm doesn’t happen in isolation. We need one another. That’s one reason I love our Violet Groups so much. These small groups are more than Bible studies, they’re places of belonging, growth, and accountability. When you share honestly about life’s challenges, when you pray together, when you encourage one another to keep pursuing Jesus, you’re standing firm together. We all need people who love us enough to remind us of the truth when we start to fade. We need friends who will pray for us when we’re overwhelmed, and who will call us back when we start to wander. Proverbs 27:17 reminds us, “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” None of us were meant to do life alone. As we move into this season of Thanksgiving, my heart is full of gratitude for this church family. I see all the ways you serve, encourage, and walk alongside one another. I see how God is using our time in His Word to grow us in faith, perseverance, and love. And I see a church that’s standing firm. My prayer is that we would continue to grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ, and that we would help one another hold to the truth of His Word. When culture tries to lure us away with its shifting definitions of truth and success, may we be people who stand confidently on the unchanging promises of God.
Keep standing firm, Church; our foundation is solid, and His name is Jesus! “To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.” — 2 Peter 3:18 (NIV)
Pastor Eric
What a privilege it is to share how God is working on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. Many of you know we live and serve at Čha ŋ kú Wašté Ranch, and Chad pastors the church down the road at Creator’s Fellowship. As we head into winter, we’re feeling both encouraged and energized by all The Lord is doing in and around us. Camp Ministry: This summer, under Sarah’s leadership as camp director, we saw record-breaking numbers. A total of 327 kids registered, with 284 attending camp at least one day—meaning 284 children in our community heard the Gospel of Jesus Christ! Our daily average was 110 kids. By the end of July, we were joyfully exhausted. Our theme was “Awesomely Made,” speaking God’s truth into the identity of each child: that they are created with purpose, and God doesn’t make mistakes. Through lessons, songs, and relationships, our prayer is that these kids will carry the truth of God’s love in their hearts, recalling scripture and worship even when camp is over. Wellness Ministry: This year, we’ve provided dental exams and cleanings for around 200 patients. We also completed vision pre-screenings at all 16 schools on the reservation, helping prioritize students for eye care when doctors are on site. As a result, we were able to distribute 719 pairs of free glasses to students and community members. Our prayer is that physical sight will open doors to conversations about spiritual sight—and the hope found in Jesus. Construction Ministry: This year we’ve had 24 teams serving alongside us. Countless projects were launched, completed, or are still in progress. One major milestone: expanding our main bunkhouse to better host volunteers. We increased capacity from 36 beds to 76, added six restrooms and four showers. The Violet Baptist men’s team played a foundational role in raising walls, running electric, and installing plumbing. We hope to open the expanded space for the 2026 season. In addition, we finished up a 3-bedroom home that was started last year, and two other smaller homes were built this year as well. FAMily Ministry: This is our newest lane of ministry, and it is designed to walk alongside families whose children have been removed from the home but are actively seeking restoration. Whether it’s helping with transportation, attending court hearings, or simply spending time with parents and children—our goal is to be a bright spot in their story. Our prayer is that the healing they seek will be rooted in a deeper desire for the Lord Jesus. Creator’s Fellowship Church: God continues to show us He’s still in the miracle business! Since June, we’ve celebrated 10 baptisms—let that sink in: 10 baptisms in just a few months. That’s close to the same number we’ve seen in the entire eight years we’ve been here.....how AWESOME is our God?!? With more people attending, we’ve had to purchase additional chairs and are now nearly at capacity. But we don’t just want to see people saved—we want to disciple them. So we launched our first-ever Sunday School class, diving deep into the basics of faith: Who is God? Who is Jesus? What is the Church? By God’s grace, this will be pivotal in our efforts to make disciples so that they would make disciples - who also make disciples, so that the revival the Lord has begun will spread throughout our Reservation until all of Pine Ridge knows personally the God who stood in their place on the cross!
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We’ve also continued our dialysis ministry, providing sack lunches to 27 patients daily at the dialysis center across the street from the church. We pray God will continue to provide financially for this outreach. It’s impossible to ignore what God is doing here in South Dakota. We want to thank Violet Baptist Church for your ongoing support—financially and through prayer. We truly couldn’t do this without partners like you, and none of this would be possible without an amazing team. Would you please pray for Matt & Amanda, Joanna, Maddie, Camille, and Matt? Please pray for encouragement, wisdom, and endurance. When we moved here in 2017, only 3–5% of the Lakota people professed faith in Jesus. That number was—and is—unacceptable to us. We’re praying that the next study done on the Reservation will show a dramatic increase. Why? Because we serve an awesome God! He’s raising up volunteers, stirring hearts, and building an army of Lakota believers who will one day storm the gates of heaven to join us in the marriage feast with the Lamb.
That’s our prayer. Will you join us?
For His glory, Chad & Sarah Deible
Links
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Community Impact
Trunk or Treat 2025 was a great evening!
Thank you to those who greeted people in the parking lot and at the doors to help our community feel welcome.
Special shout out to Kelly Wood for keeping the parking lot safe all evening!
We had a huge line all night long with people spinning the prize wheel to win some cool Violet prizes! DJ & Raina Young and their team grilled around 700 hot dogs, while Tammy Beard and Lisa Bates went through a lot of popcorn!
Cathy Mast and the team in crafts and games were busy from start to finish passing out and decorating pumpkins 🎃
And how cute was the maze?!
The winner of Best Trunk went to the Women of Faith Squad: God is the Great Physician. The winner of Best Costumes went to the Caulkins/Hines crew- they were just adorable!
We had around 30 trunks signed up and went through LOTS and LOTS of Candy!!!! - and then we found more Candy and went through more!
Thank you to all that served and donated candy, we could not have done it without you.
I love it when the church serves together!
This month we have several serving opportunities; Election Day Hospitality Table, Stowe Mission, Serving at New Faith Ministries, and serving on Thursday nights for Pickerington Parks and Rec classes.
If you’re looking to get involved and serve, I would love to connect with you and answer any questions you may have.
Thank you, Jamie McCleese
Community Impact Director jamiem@violetchurch.com
God Is Moving in Youth
God has been moving in incredible ways among our youth over the past few months! Our youth band is back and thriving, with several new faces joining the team. On Saturday, October 26, they led our students in a powerful night of worship and prayer. The band has been diligently preparing new songs and can’t wait to share them with the youth group. Beyond the band, our student leaders, Grace Lieb and Emma McElroy, have been faithfully leading a youth small group in the home of Mike and Jana Rubadue. Together, they’ve been diving into the book of Romans—tackling challenging topics and discovering the rich truth of God’s Word. Our students have also had the privilege of hearing from a variety of guest speakers. Pastor Darryl Baker from Change City Church spoke to the high school guys; I encouraged students to walk in the Spirit; Michael Wheeler shared about being the salt and light of the earth; and Pastor Keith led an interactive lesson with our junior highers on the parables of the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the lost son. We’re so thankful for our dedicated youth leaders who pour their time, energy, and hearts into investing in our students—and for our student leaders who model a 1 Timothy 4:12 mindset: “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, and in purity.”
Emily Hendershot Youth Discipleship Director emilyh@violetchurch.com
As we said goodbye to summer, we’ve been blessed to say hello to several new families in VioletKids. It has been amazing to see new faces, learn about Jesus together, and begin forming new friendships! VioletKids ministry is made up of adults and youth who desire to share Jesus with the kids in their classes. Every week, I see volunteers coming in ready to use that opportunity to teach. They know that this isn’t childcare — this is ministry! Pastor Keith recently pointed out to me that I often claim the truth of Isaiah 55:11: “The Word of the Lord shall not return void.” I hold to this promise when I talk about the impact we get to have in the lives of the kids we encounter. As we speak Scripture through our memory verses, pray, and sing songs together, the children hear it—and it will impact their lives. No matter how young they are, we have the opportunity to share Jesus with them! I went to check on the Babies/1s class the other Sunday, and my heart was filled with joy to see Elizabeth White and Hope Witte engaging a sweet little baby and singing Bible songs to him. They could have sat and talked, but instead, they ministered to him. They were living out the truth of Isaiah 55:11! What a blessing to see. VioletKids is filled with volunteers who are living that truth and showing it as they minister to the children. Have you been asking Jesus how you can serve Him? Do you want to be bold in sharing the Gospel but don’t know where to start? There are opportunities for both in VioletKids! Come serve the Lord with us—you won’t regret it!
In Christ alone, Jen Hunt Children’s Director 📧 jenh@violetchurch.com 📱 614-260-2670
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