NO. 11
A Note From Pastor Rick
Dear Church Family,
The most wonderful time of the year is here, and we are excited to invite you to celebrate Christmas at Violet! This season offers a beautiful opportunity for us to gather as a church, reflect on the miracle of Christ’s birth, and share the joy and love that Christmas brings. This year, our sermon series is titled "Celebrating God’s Greatest Gift: Jesus!" We will focus on Isaiah 9:6, a powerful prophecy written by the prophet Isaiah 700 years before Christ's birth. This verse is often regarded as the cornerstone and centerpiece of all Christmas prophecies, as it reveals profound truths about who Jesus is. Together, we will explore the timeless significance of this prophecy and its relevance in our lives today. We encourage you to invite your friends, neighbors, and loved ones to join us this Christmas at Violet. Christmas is a perfect time for sharing the love of Christ, and what better way to do that than by welcoming our community to join us? As we prepare our hearts for this joyous season, let us remember the incredible gift of Jesus and the hope He brings to our lives. We look forward to celebrating Christmas at Violet with each of you!
Blessings,
Pastor Rick
A Note From Pastor Eric
Violet Baptist Church family,
As we approach the busy Christmas season filled with family gatherings, catching up with old friends, exchanging gifts, and all the great family traditions, let us not forget to keep Jesus at the center of our celebrations. Let us remember that the greatest gift of all is the love that God showed us by sending His Son into the world to save us. Psalm 46:10 says, "Be still and know that I am God." This verse serves as a powerful reminder to me this Christmas season. In our hectic schedules and endless to-do lists, we must make time to be still in the presence of God. It is in these moments that we can hear His voice, receive His peace, and find renewed strength. As you navigate the hustle and bustle of the Christmas season, I encourage you to prioritize building margin in your life. Schedule time for quiet reflection, quality time with loved ones, and activities that fill your cup. When we constantly fill our schedules to the brim, leaving no room for rest and reflection, we risk burnout and spiritual dryness. By intentionally creating space in our lives for God to speak to us, we can experience a greater sense of fulfillment. May this Christmas season be a time of spiritual renewal and deeper connection with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Merry Christmas, and God bless you all.
Pastor Eric
A Note From Pastor Brian
BETTER TOGETHER
Romans 12:4-5: "For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others." VioletGroups are the heartbeat of Violet Baptist Church. It is truly an understatement to say it is vital for each person to be part of one. In these groups, you grow in your walk with Christ, Serve, pray, and do life together. Did you see the thread that is in all of those things? Together. We are meant to be together doing life together. For me, the statement doing life together is not just another trite statement; it is a command from Scripture. Many of you who are reading this are in a group. There are some of you who are not. Let me encourage you to be in a group this coming January. We will be going through the Experiencing God Study together. Why don't you grab a couple of friends and do the study together? Reach out to me at briann@violetchurch.com, and I can help you get started.
Attached are some pictures of one of our VioletGroups living out the one another together.
On Saturday, November 16th, our church hosted a night of worship with the Liberty Worship Collective. The Liberty Worship Collective is a worship ministry from Liberty University in Lynchburg, VA, that exists to serve and assist local churches around the world. Our church was joined by five other churches and their youth ministries. The team also joined us in leading worship on Sunday, November 17th, during our 9:30 and 11 am worship services. Back in 2012, when I was in high school, our church brought in a worship team from Liberty called “Exodus.” During youth group, part of this team came to talk to me and my peers about the university. I am very thankful for this time in my life because, without them, I would have never heard about the school that would one day become my alma mater. I am very thankful for the training I received there from the School of Music, where I received my degree in Music and Worship with a concentration in biblical studies. Twelve years later, I am honored to be able to introduce others to this great school as another option for higher Christian education.
Michael Weimar Worship Pastor
A Note from Pastor Keith Student-led Bible Study Take a Deep Dive Into the Book of John In the summer of 2024, a group of Overflow High School students decided to start a student-led Bible study to meet on Wednesday nights. They wanted to do an in-depth study through the book of John. Mike and Jana Rubadue agreed to host the study and to serve as adult coaches in the group along with David Brown. The students read a chapter of John each week and come to group ready to discuss its meaning and application. The student leaders (Elizabeth White, Hope Witte, Emma McElroy, and Johan Naess) take turns leading the study each week. It is evident that these students have done extensive research into the chapter that they are presenting. “I am encouraged by how well the student leaders know the Scriptures. They each put a lot of thought into the questions that they ask about the content of the chapter that they are studying” mentioned David Brown. Hope Witte said “Leading a night of Bible study takes hours prior of prayer, reading, research, and asking yourself questions. In the end, I have a deeper understanding of the chapter we’ve read. This opportunity has also helped me overcome the anxiety of being in a leadership role and allowed me to exercise many spiritual gifts.” Johan Naess added “I have most enjoyed the openness in our small group, if anyone has something on their hearts or minds that they are struggling with they let us know and we all pray with them.” Jana Rubadue added “Prayer requests are taken at the end and several people pray as they want. It is sweet to listen to their prayers and their desires for friends to come to know Jesus.”
Please be praying that all of our students would grow in their desire to know Jesus in a deeper way and to make Him known.
-Pastor Keith
During the month of November, VioletKids learned that God made us for community! Throughout the month, we have studied stories in the Bible that model how to be a good friend through prayer, encouragement, and service. Our November scripture memory verse can be found in the book of Philippians, which says, “Consider others as more important than yourselves” (2:3b). Olympians and Gopher Buddies spent a Sunday night making Christmas cards and packing boxes for Operation Christmas Child. Our groups were able to complete 52 boxes that will be sent out with the rest of the boxes from Violet! We love it when our kids can be involved in the missions of our church.
Events & Volunteers
It’s Your Serve… What will you do with it?
During our Rooted series, Pastor Rick reminded us that we are made to serve. “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Ephesians 2:10 NIV
Here at Violet, there are so many ways to serve. I would love to connect with you to help you get involved.
On Tuesday evenings, we host Pickerington Parks and Recreation basketball classes and, on Thursday evenings, we host a self-defense & cardio kickboxing class as well as a Zumba exercise class. If you have ever driven by on these evenings, you will see many cars in the parking lot! We would love to have a few friendly faces to greet the community and welcome them into Violet. On Saturday, November 16th, we hosted Liberty Worship Collective from Liberty University and had an amazing time of worship with youth from Violet as well as several surrounding churches. Several youth served at this event, reminding me that you are never too young to serve your church. Christmas at Violet: On Sunday mornings in December, we will be celebrating with different activities in the VioletCafé. If you are available to serve, please reach out to me. Our next big community outreach is Breakfast with Santa and we need lots of volunteers to welcome and serve our neighbors on December 7th from 9- 11AM!
At Violet, we know we are better together! I am looking forward to welcoming this busy Christmas season and hope to hear from many you.
Thank you, Jamie McCleese
Event & Volunteer Director jamiem@violetchurch.com
Looking to Serve Together as a Family?
In May of 2012 a group of Overflow High School students attended an event called the “Day of Hunger.” In addition to serving food at a local food pantry, we visited several homeless communities on the east side of Columbus. While visiting some homeless families in the Brice Rd area, we asked them “Where do you get your food?” They mentioned that they went to the food pantry at New Faith Ministries on Brice Road. They told us how kind and genuine the people were at New Faith. I reached out to the pastor of New Faith (near Lowe’s on Brice Road) and we began what has been a 13-year partnership with the wonderful people there. This “Kingdom” partnership has been an incredible encouragement to members from both churches. Although New Faith hosts a food pantry every other Saturday, the largest pantries are just before Thanksgiving and Christmas. We bring a group from Violet to help with these larger food distributions. Several Violet families came together to help provide Thanksgiving food for over 300 families in need at New Faith Ministries! The Hendershot, Smith, Reed, Jones, and Barsch families worked for over 3 hours to load food into the vehicles of families in need. There will be another opportunity for families to serve together on Saturday, December 14th at New Faith Ministries at 2879 Brice Rd. (near Lowe’s). You will be the one who is blessed when you serve others!
Any questions? Please contact Pastor Keith at keithh@violetchurch.com.
Marketing & Communications The Resource Hub a.k.a. The Big Purple Room You may have noticed a new addition to the concourse. THE RESOURCE HUB!! (But The Big Purple Room works, too.) Yes! It’s every bit as exciting as it sounds. In one room, you can now locate all the information you might need for the ministries of Violet Baptist Church. You should stop by and take a look!!
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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