Venture Church Network Midwest July Newsletter

THE CENTRAL CONNECTION

July 2022

"We are an organization of churches that is committed

to the mission of Christ to multiply disciple-making churches

through evangelism, leadership training, and connection with

other like-minded churches."

VISIT OUR WEBSITE

FROM THE DIRECTOR

VCN Mission - Helping Every Church Take Bold Next Steps

Every church that understands the nature of the gospel is always trying to keep up with the movement of the Lord. We all know in the back of our minds how quickly inertia can settle into any church and begin a process of decline. There is a constant need to keep thinking about how God is growing them for His glory. Anything that is alive is in a constant process of growth. Living things grow and change; they develop over time. If there is one thing that stands true of healthy growth, it’s that it never stays the same. Development, maturity, change, is an ongoing process of health in a living being. When this does not happen, we are usually talking about death. Read More

Pastor Brad Little, Regional Executive Director

Venture Church Network Midwest

The ENGAGE forum has been suspended

for the months of July and August,

but you will be invited to RE-ENGAGE in September.

How Much Do You Have To Hate Somebody...?

Penn Jillette, a well-known magician, author, and atheist says this in regards to evangelism: “I don’t respect people who don’t proselytize. I don’t respect that at all. If you believe that there’s a heaven and hell and people could be going to hell or not getting eternal life or whatever, and you think that it’s not really worth telling them this because it would make it socially awkward…How much do you have to hate somebody to not proselytize? How much do you have to hate somebody to believe that everlasting life is possible and not tell them that? I mean, if I believed beyond a shadow of a doubt that a truck was coming at you, and you didn’t believe it— but that truck was bearing down on you — there’s a certain point where I tackle you. And this is more important than that.” Read More

Chad Eastridge

Pastor of Student Ministries, Creekside Bible Church

What Should You Do With An Inheritance?

What would you do if you inherited $10,000 or $100,000 or $1,000,000? It’s a common group icebreaker and while the fantasy can turn to coveting and jealousy and the warnings of Scripture indicate that fixating on the possibility, whether real or imagined is spiritual self-harm. Nonetheless, in this generation there is a real transfer of wealth occurring.

What should you do if you inherit money? It is a question that many will eventually need to consider.

I can’t let it go without saying, if you and I were having a conversation, the amount of the inheritance, your personal financial situation, and your financial goals should all be considered – so this isn’t a full list, but this is a good place to begin. Read More

Pastor Rob Buhl

First Baptist Church, Whitehall, WI

CONGRATULATIONS!

WINNER of the 2022 Henry C. Spicer Scholarship

It is again the privilege of VCNMidwest to award the Henry C. Spicer Scholarship to one of our graduating high school seniors. All graduating high school seniors from our region's churches are eligible to apply for the one-time non-renewable scholarship. The scholarship aims to help with the costs of continuing education. Having made us a kingdom of priests, we rejoice that the Lord desires to place our young men and women as a faithful presence in different vocational fields.

Because of the stock market's poor performance (and the terms of the endowment), this year's scholarship committee could only select one graduating student, who excelled in many areas. Selection is made based on a number of criteria, including personal testimony (most importantly), future pursuits, academic excellence, and financial need. We would like to acknowledge that every candidate who applied this year was truly outstanding, and reading through each student's testimony and future plans greatly encouraged the committee.