Foothill Bible Church * The Lifeline

Summer 2016

Pastor’s Corner I can still remember playing hide and seek with my older siblings when very young. They thought it was great fun, and so did I. But they always found me so quickly! You see, they greatly encouraged my childish conviction that if I couldn’t see others, they couldn’t see me. They would literally walk around the living room, “Where is Nathanael? Has anyone seen Nathanael?” I, of course, had my eyes shut as tightly as possible and then had my hands covering my eyes just for insurance. The moment I peaked out between my fingers, they were on me. I could see, and thus, of course, I was seen. A necessary part of growing up is realizing that the world continues on regardless of whether or not you acknowledge it In the matter of decisions, in many ways, we get stuck there in the middle of a room with our eyes closed. Consider the following poem: “For want of a nail the shoe was lost. For want of a shoe the horse was lost. For want of a horse the rider was lost. For want of a rider the message was lost. For want of a message the battle was lost. For want of a battle the kingdom was lost. And all for the want of a horseshoe nail.” The proverbial poem is one part nursery rhyme and two parts scary presentation of a fatalistic world. I remember my mother repeating the first line of the poem with an ominous tone. The thought that what we do could be so significant is frightening.

Whether or not we believe that all actions have consequences, even simple ones like hammering a nail, have an incredible effect on the way we live. Most of the time, we take the ostrich’s approach to such thoughts. The thought that our actions could have drastic effects that reach beyond our own sphere can be so overwhelming we simply try to bury our head in the sand and ignore the thoughts (shut your eyes really tight and be sure not to peek!). Let me challenge you for a minute. According to the Bible, the decisions we make in this life have consequences now (extending “3-1000s of generations”), and also throughout eternity. So, yes, your decisions, small and big, have consequences. In fact, the poem really understates the matter. The Bible teaches that what we do here and now has effects that last throughout this life and into the next. Try to sit with the thought for a moment, that your decisions, day in and day out, will have

“Inspired by Faith & Love”

The Lifeline - Summer 2016

Foothill Bible Church, Pastor Nate Stevens

Foothill Bible Church * The Lifeline

Summer 2016

consequences that last throughout eternity. That thought should scare you. Most of the time we live as though today and tomorrow are all that really matter. An especially spiritual person might think of their deathbed or tombstone from time to time, but in the daily decisions of life we are mostly consumed with the next 48 hours. Because of this, we get irritated when consequences of poor decisions made a week or a month or a year ago linger in the present. Cultural critics accuse the younger generations of lusting after “instant gratification,” but they have misnamed it. Yes, when we diminish the connection between action and consequence, it often looks like instant gratification, but that is naming the symptom, not the cause. The root cause is simply that, just as he has always done, Satan is out to convince us that our decisions and even our lives are of little or no consequence. He is out to dismantle the common sense convictions of cause and effect: When you work hard and aren’t rewarded for it, when you’ve been a faithful spouse and it isn’t reciprocated, when you eat healthy and get sick anyway, when you study hard and fail regardless. There is a lot of pain in all of these situations, but one of the hidden themes is an attack on cause and effect. Satan is out to convince us what we do doesn’t really fundamentally matter. Evolution is perhaps the most successful attempt at corrupting the significance of our decisions, but atheism, agnosticism, and just about every other “-ism” out there breaks down the connection between The Creator (Cause/Action) and us (effect/consequence), His creation. When that breaks down, the connection between cause and effect, action and consequence is also lost. And slowly the significance of how we live and what we do slips from our convictions. But here is the other side of that coin. Because we get to live the life of Jesus, it should be a thrill to contemplate the vast eternal effect of our decisions. Rather than being fearful of the eternal consequences of our lives and decisions, we have the blessing of being thrilled with the possibilities of what we can accomplish.

If you live blind to this great eternal reality of your significance, open your eyes. Yes, it may be frightening at first, but walk with Jesus and you will be sure to leave a glorious wake in eternity. Maybe you think to yourself that you have matured far beyond such immaturity; challenge yourself. If the past week were to repeat throughout eternity how would you rate your decisions, good and bad? Just as the wake from a boat ever increases, so do the consequences of our decisions. What does that wake look like? Love? Gentleness? Loyalty? Courage? Maybe your eyes are open and you have been paralyzed by this reality for years. You do not have what it takes to leave a proper legacy that lasts through eternity, but Jesus does. In fact, don’t look at the wake at all, as the chorus goes, “Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace.” .

Summer 2016

Foothill Lifeline Team Randy Redfield, Elder Dion Dietz, Courtney Hengst, Becky Davis, Pat Justice, Levi Routh and Teddi Johnson

Foothill Bible Church * The Lifeline Summer 2016

Besides the normal work of the Elder Board, two other projects have been going on behind the scenes. One behind-the-scenes project is just being completed. It is a revision, with some additions, of FBCE’s standard operating procedures (SOPs). These documents address such things as facility use, statements of belief, job descriptions, etc. A long search finally produced the long-lost documents. These were studied, revised, and

expanded. At this time they are being assembled into one organized booklet. Each Elder will have a copy of these documents and can access them as needed. This project lasted most of one year, but it should help future Boards with organization and direction as the church moves forward. Special thanks to Pastor Nate and James Jordan for their sharp minds as

we met in advance of the Elder meetings to be sure the wording and content was appropriate. And, yes, this is general information for all to share. If interested, please let me know. A second project now in the works is a special task force to explore solutions for FBCE’s current and expanding needs on Wednesday nights and Sunday mornings. At the present time, Emmett Deitz, Doug Rydberg, Joe Hallmeyer, James Jordan, and Pastor Nate are working to generate a vision which, while accommodating our current needs, will also provide a blueprint for developing

our campus needs as we grow in the future. We are hoping that before long the task force will be expanded to include some key members of the Congregation. Eventually, as a plan begins to emerge, it will be shared and processed with the entire Congregation. Please pray for God’s wisdom and direction as this group moves forward. Most of what happens in this church goes beyond what is happening at the Elder Board. The Elders know the greatest service to our Lord is being done each and every day by countless individuals all around us at FBCE. The Board is grateful to, and extends its appreciation to, all of you who give so freely of your time and resources for God’s glory. Praise God for the FBCE family! Respectfully submitted, Randy Redfield

Monthly News - Summer 2016 From the Board

ELDER BOARD POSITIONS Youth – Doug Rydberg - 564-0472 Adult Ministries – James Jordan - 799-7240 Stewardship – Emmett Deitz - 804-0984 Worship – Joe Hallmeyer - 804-1896 Missions and Outreach – Monte Mello - 280-5224 Care and Fellowship – Frank Ainley - 740-8513 Board Chair – Randy Redfield - 733-8792 OFFICERS Chairman: Randy Redfield Vice Chairman: Joe Hallmeyer Secretary: Doug Rydberg Treasurer: Emmett Deitz May Giving Month: $10,865 Budgeted: $16,796 Year-to-date: $132,452 Budgeted year-to-date: $126,667

Foothill Bible Church * The Lifeline Summer 2016

“Announcements & More”

Audra Rose Shipley! Single Subject Social Science Credential, Fresno Pacific University Teaching 11th Grade US History and ASB (Activities) at Mt. Whitney High School beginning in August, 2016!

Paige Rebecca Ainley! Single Subject Social Science Credential, Fresno Pacific University Teaching 7th grade World History (and likely coaching volleyball) at the brand spankin' new Ridgeview Middle School (northwest Visalia) beginning in August, 2016!

CONGRATULATIONS 2016 GRADUATES (Cont.)!

Destiny Lee Doty! Visalia Adult School (High School diploma) Hopes to become a registered nurse in the future!

Nicole Leigh Bentley... AKA Nikki! BS in Athletic Training from Point Loma University Nikki is coming home and hoping to work as an athletic trainer for a few years before going to school for Physical Therapy!

Marissa Suzanne Fisher BS in Animal Science from Texas Tech University Marissa is now living in Bridgeport, Nebraska working for Schuler Red Angus!!

Foothill Bible Church * The Lifeline Summer 2016

“Announcements & More continued”

WOMEN’S COFFEE We had a super gathering of wonderful gals at Sandy Maskal's for our June meeting. Everyone enjoyed a tour of Sandy's new home and Courtney shared about the life-sized Noah's Ark exhibit opening July 7th in Kentucky! It will be the tallest wood framed structure in the world! We also planned out dates for the rest of the year:

• Tuesday, August 16th at 6 p.m. at Jen Anderson's. 333 N. Kaweah Avenue, Exeter, CA 93221 Cell: 805-709-2973

• October, 2016 at Lisa Lemus’s Home in Visalia, CA - Listen for announcements in church for date, time, and address.

Campers heading to Hartland Christian Camp this month!

Please keep them (and their COUNSELORS!) in your prayers.

Jr. High: (Counselors still needed…) Andres Aguilar, Nicholas Graham, Wyatt Jordan, Noah Macareno, Michael Macias, Austin Maldonado, Walter Monroy, and Devein Ventura High School girls: (Counselors - Hayley Hengst, Carson Costa, and Paige Ainley) Shea Bartlett, Delaney Deitz, Marie Garcia, Alyssa Gonzalez, Sonni Hacobian, Hannah Jobe, Lauren Little, Logan Mann, Pia Martinez, Lilly Ramirez, Jacey Reisinger, and Crystal Sandoval High School boys: (Counselors still needed…) Carlos Aguilar, Reyes Aguilar, Ben Anderson, Christian Benavides, Nikko Bursiaga, Fabian Delgado, Adam Lupercio, Robert Martinez, Katlin McMains, Chris Ornelas, and Elijah Scott,

Foothill Bible Church * The Lifeline Summer 2016

“Foothill Family…”

Congratulations to our faithful Sunday school kids! At Promotion Sunday the church family got to hear music from the pre-kindergarten and kindergarten class and Bible verses from the others! Many children have memorized the books of the Bible each week as they also learned life lessons from God's word. It's so exciting for them! Sunday school is such a blessed experience for both kids and teachers alike. Thank you so much to the following faithful teachers: Mary Clark and Martha Erwin: pre-kindergarten and kindergarten Susan Mello and Dion Deitz: 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grades Kim Needham and Kaye Rydberg: 5th grade James and Cissy Jordan: high school and college Sunday School Coordinator: Karen Redfield Sunday School Elder: Doug Rydberg Parents... make a new commitment to get your children to Sunday school at 9:30 a.m. You will be blessed beyond belief! "Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it." Proverbs 22:6 NIV

On Saturday, June 11th, Bill Fox married a longtime family friend, Judy Muela in a lovely outdoor ceremony in Acampo,

CA (near Lodi). Bill and Judy are spending the next few months in Lockeford while Mary is staying at the former Fox

stomping grounds in Wasco near her Aunt Helen (Bill's sister) and Uncle Bruce.

Here are their new addresses:

Bill and Judy Fox PO Box 314 Lockeford, CA 95327

Bill: 559-567-6731

Mary Fox 16825 Scofield Avenue, Wasco, CA 93280

Mary: 559-567-6732

Congratulations Bill and Judy!!

“CONGRATULATIONS”

Foothill Bible Church * The Lifeline Summer 2016

“You’re in our Prayers”

BIRTHDAYS JULY

1st -Tom Redemer 3rd - Xander Tapp & Chuck Bartlett

4th - Gary Davis 5th - Christina Arnold

6th - Luke Stevens & Nate Tapp 7th – Mary Clark 9th - Tim Bentley

11th - Levi Routh & Olivia Zelada 12th – Kayla Lewis

16th – Lacey Needham 17th – Ronell Ainley & Nancy Bell

19th – Russ Fisher 20th - Kelsey Needham 24th - Donnie Stivers

26th - Terry Thompson 27th - Betsy Bentley, Samuel Stevens, &

Christopher Gomes 28th - Will Anderson

30th - Dion Deitz & Tyler Johnson 31st - Foster Hengst & Paul Jobe

AUGUST 1st – Heather Kingsbury & Atlas Needham

2nd – Trish Stivers 8th - Summer Stevens 11th – Maria Partin 12th - Paige Ainley 15th - Nathan Deitz

17th - Michael Swift & Anastacio Valdez 19th – Maggie Horton

22nd – Josh Horton 23rd – Marissa Fisher

25th - Gwen Tapp & Heidi Deitz 28th - Nancy VanDellen

30th - David Whaley 31st – Courtney Hengst

ANNIVERSARIES

JULY 6th - Wayne & Barbie VanDellen

10th - John & Linda Wood 28th - John & Minerva Zapalac

AUGUST

4th - Randy & Karen Redfield 5th - Shawn & Nancy Phillips 22nd - Chris & Amanda Bellah

Martha Erwin Family - Martha’s daughter-in- law recently gave birth to a little boy at 4 months. He lived for a few hours and passed away - prayers for the family for comfort and peace Cissy Jordan - prayers for relief for a severe ear infection Matt Andriese recently had surgery on a bad knee - prayers for a speedy recovery and patience as it heals Aimii Redemer - continued prayer for her ailments and guidance for the doctors as she continues to seek answers

ACTS 2 GROUPS

The ACTS 2 groups will be taking a break from their regular weekly meeting times this

summer. Stay tuned, however, for some special large-group ACTS 2 events.

Announcements will be made on Sunday mornings as the event details are decided.

FOOTHILL BIBLE CHURCH

PO Box 248 Elderwood, CA 93286

http://www.fbcelderwood.com Sunday School: 9:30 AM

Worship Service: 10:45 AM

Summer 2016 Issue

The LORD has done it this very day; let us rejoice today and be glad.

Psalm 118:24 NIV