But God...

by Mike Eddinger

On January 8, 2008, I made the following statement in a sermon entitled A Significant Journey. “As we enter this transitional journey at Westwood, there are no guarantees about our destination. What I can guarantee is that the journey is more important than the destination. God loves us, he has a plan for us; and if we’ll love each other over the potholes, pay attention to what God wants to teach us, leave our personal baggage behind in favor of God’s plan, and expect transformation in our lives and in our church along the way, we’ll celebrate together – whatever our destination. God has proven himself faithful time and time again, and he isn’t going to stop being faithful now! We have to trust him.”

What can I say now…except “Praise be to our loving and faithful God!” Our nine month journey at Westwood has not only been a time of transition, but one of transformation in the lives of individuals and our church. In Genesis 45, following a time where God transformed him from a short sighted youth into a man with a divine perspective on life, we hear Joseph repeat the words, “But God…” And that confession echoes in my mind now as I reflect upon our journey.

In my own life, I knew the joy of service at Westwood, but God has transformed me during these past nine months to be your pastor. I’ll admit that on some level, I wanted to be the Senior Pastor at Westwood, but God removed all vestiges of ego and selfishness, replacing those with a desire to simply be in the center of his will; wherever that might be. At times I confess I was impatient, but God transformed my impatience into peace about his timing. Members of our pastor search committee testify there was temptation to make what appeared to be an easy decision, but God blessed them with a time of spiritual growth in their lives, individually and as a group, to help them submit their wills to his Lordship. Many in our congregation wanted to move quickly to name a pastor, but God knew we needed a time of healing and brought us the wonderful ministry of Dennis and Linda Bazemore to love us through the process. Time and again, we thought we knew best, but God always knew better!

And now, our journey continues. Marilyn and I are humbled and excited by your affirmation of God’s call to Westwood. But in our excitement and celebration, let’s not forget what we’ve learned in the process. We can’t go forward leaning on our own skills or abilities, we can’t cleverly dream up our own programs, we can’t cast the vision, we can’t set the agenda for ministry, but God…!

Weekly Activities

Minister on Call

 

If you have a ministerial need over the weekend please contact the minister on call:

4th & 5th Caroline Allen
Home: 872-0579
Cell: 522-3046

11th & 12th Mike Eddinger
Home: 846-2108
Cell: 805-1022

18th & 19th Michelle Anderson
Home: 481-6673
Cell: 368-6508

25th & 26th Caroline Allen
Home: 872-0579
Cell: 522-3046

*Look every month in the West Wind for the
schedule.

October Sermon Topics

5th - What Is This Meal?
Matthew 26:26-29

Theme: A Congregation of One:
Stories of Ministry from Luke 5

12th - A Congregation of One: The Hurting
Luke 5: 12-14

19th - A Congregation of One: The Forgotten
Luke 5:18-26

26th - A Congregation of One: The Outcast
Luke 5:29-32

 

Mission Statement

A community of believers
worshiping God, making
disciples and sharing
Christ’s love

Dr Dennis Bazemore, Interim Pastor
Mike Eddinger, Associate Pastor
Caroline Allen, Minister of Music
& Worship
Michelle Anderson, Minister of Youth
Becky Bullock, Administrative Assistant
Sandy Dennis, Secretary
Rob McLain, Deacon Chair
Diane Owens, Pianist
Kim Taylor, Organist

Oct. 4 ~ 9:00am-Noon, Community Service Day
Noon-1:30pm, 8th Graders ONLY, Pizza & Games

Oct. 5 ~ 11:30am, Belize Information Meeting (Youth Rm.)
4:00pm, Installation Service for Mike Eddinger

Oct. 12 ~ 6:15pm, Fellowship Meal
6:30pm, YAC
6:30pm, Youth Parent Meeting

Oct. 19 ~ Corn Maze, Cost $5 (immediately after church)

Oct. 24-26 ~ NC Missions Initiative –Family Mission Trip

Oct. 26 ~ 4:30-7:00pm, Trunk or Treat

Wednesday Schedule

On Wednesdays we have a missions study
from 6:00-7:00pm and Praise Band practice
from 7:00-7:30pm. Those youth not involved
with Praise Band may fellowship quietly or
work on homework in a side room.

A thank you note has been received from John & Anna Ferdinando and Talmage & Dolores Williams. Please stop by the bulletin board in Hall A to read their words of appreciation.

Mark Your Calendar for These
Upcoming Events at Westwood

Thanksgiving Service
Sunday, November 23, 6:00pm

Advent Service
Sunday, November 30, 6:00pm

Messiah
Sunday, December 7, 8:00pm

Music with the Children
Wednesday, December 10, 6:30pm

Christmas at Westwood
Sunday, December 14, 6:00pm

Christmss Eve Service
Wednesday, December 24, 6:00pm

Look forward to seeing you there.
Invite friends and family to join us.

 

Cookbooks! It’s Time to Order Your Westwood Cookbook

Now is the time to order your Westwood Cookbook. Order forms will be located at the Welcome Centers upstairs and downstairs. The Singles Ministry will be accepting orders in the church foyer on Sunday mornings after church service, and in the Fellowship Hall on Wednesday nights.
Order forms along with payment must be received by October 14, 2008.
Make check payable to ‘Westwood Baptist Church.’ The price is $20 per cookbook.
All profit will go toward the DROP Fund.

PS – If at this time you would like to submit a recipe, we will accept them and do our very best to have them included. However, depending on when we receive them, we can’t make any promises that they will be included.

 

You Are Cordially Invited to a
Service of Installation
for Mike Eddinger as
Senior Pastor of Westwood
on Sunday, October 5, 2008
at 4:00 p.m. in the sanctuary
followed by a Reception in the
Fellowship Hall.

Operation Christmas Child

Christmas will soon be here and Operation Christmas Child is a wonderful way to get excited about the holiday season. We will be collecting boxes Oct. 26—Nov. 23. Thank you for your commitment to this unique mission project.

North Carolina Missions Initiative

Poverty in Our Own Backyard

In Partnership with the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of North Carolina
A Family-Friendly Missions Weekend
October 24-26, 2008
Vance, Halifax, and Warren Counties

Again this year, we plan to participate in the North Carolina Missions Initiative: Poverty in Our Own Backyard during the weekend of October 24-26. Opportunities will include light construction, painting, demolition, yard work, Kid’s Carnival*, ministry to women, cleaning up trash and debris, and feeding the hungry. The weekend is planned for Friday evening through early Sunday afternoon. Since we will be working in the Roanoke Rapids area (only about 1.5 hours away from Westwood), some folks will find it more convenient to travel to the site on Saturday morning and return home after our work on Saturday evening. However, we hope that many will consider spending the entire weekend, becoming immersed in this mission experience. On Friday evening, we’ll have time to spend in fellowship and devotional time with our Westwood team. On Saturday evening, we’ll attend a dinner celebrating the work done during the day where we’ll here reports from all the job sites. On Sunday, we’ll worship at one of the host churches and enjoy a lunch with them prior to returning to Westwood. See the Sample Itinerary below for more details.

The cost for the weekend is $25 per person not to exceed $65 per family. Last year, we stayed at the Hampton Inn in Roanoke Rapids The cost was $71 plus tax per night and included breakfast.

This weekend is a wonderful opportunity for individuals, families, Sunday School classes, missions circles, and other ministry groups who want to “get their hands dirty” sharing Christ’s love, presence, and compassion in areas of intense poverty in our state. Please indicate your intent to participate in this rich missions experience by placing your name on the sign up sheets in either Hall A, B, or in the Children’s area. Please sign up soon as we must register our group and secure hotel reservations by early September. If you have questions, see Mike, Michelle, or Caroline or call the church office.

*NOTE: Families with children in the 5th grade or younger should participate in the Kid’s Carnival.

SAMPLE ITINERARY

Friday – October 24
• 4:30 PM – Leave Church (for those staying overnight)
• 6:30 PM – Arrive Hampton Inn (Roanoke Rapids); Check in, unpack
• 7:00 PM – Dinner on our own (we’ll decide on restaurant)
• 9:00 PM – Devotional time
Saturday – October 25
• 8:30 - gather at sponsor church for fellowship, breakfast, and job assignments
• 9:00 - Welcome, prayer, and dismissal to job sites
• 12:00 - Lunch (delivered to the job sites)
• 4:00 (approximate) - Return to lodging to recharge
• 5:30 - Dinner and reports from all work groups
Sunday – October 26
• 10:00 - Breakfast, pack and check out of hotel
• 11:00 - Worship at one of the four partnering churches
• 12:00 - Lunch provided by partnering church
• Head home following lunch

Christmas Around The World

Children’s Mission Day
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Hayes Barton Baptist Church
Grades 1-6, 10:00am - 3:00pm
Lunch from Chick-fil-A

Cost: $15 per child AND adult (includes backpack, lunch and supplies)

Register by October 17th at www.cbfnc.org. Space is limited!

Games, Crafts, Worship, Drama, Cooking and Mission Projects

Missions Brunch
Saturday, December 6th
10:00am - 12:00pm
Ralph and Tammy Stocks
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Missions Ingathering
Sunday, December 7

Organ Concert
with Dan Miller

Sponsored by
Rodgers Organ Company
Sunday, October 19, 4:00pm
Reception to Follow

Community Service Day
Oct. 4, 9:00am-Noon

Please plan to be involved in our Community Service Day. Breakfast for volunteers will be at 8:00am and shots for volunteers will be available at 8:30am, then we will head out to our assigned tasks. Everyone is welcome. We will be doing yard work, visiting rest homes, shut-ins and assisting with those needing shots. Our GA’s will be making comfort dolls and the GA’s and Mission Friends will be visiting rest homes. Our RA’s will be busy doing yard work. There will also be a free medical clinic for those who do not have health insurance.
Please sign up to volunteer on the Missions bulletin board by the Media Center or in your Sunday School class.

GrifeShare Begins October 14

You don’t have to go through the grieving process alone. Westwood will begin a 13-week GriefShare program on Tuesday, October 14, 7:00-9:00pm in Room 209. GriefShare is a friendly, caring group of people who will walk alongside you through one of life’s most difficult experiences. GriefShare seminars and support groups are led by people who understand what you are going through and want to help. You’ll gain access to valuable GriefShare resources to help you recover from your loss and look forward to rebuilding your life.
For more information please contact the church 469-9393, Jackie Woodcock or the GriefShare website, www.griefshare.org. There is a $12 charge for your workbook only. Classes will not meet on Nov. 25, Dec. 23 and 30.

Thank You Note From The Bazemores

Words do not adequately express the heartfelt thanks for the most wonderful experience I have had serving as your interim pastor these past eight months! You welcomed us at the first service and have been so kind, supportive, and affirming during all this time and I am grateful for all of it. Linda and I have looked forward to every trip we have made to WBC and we have been truly blessed throughout this journey at every service. We will always remember this great time in our lives. We will remember you in our prayers during this new beginning and the years to come under Mike Eddinger’s leadership as Senior Pastor.

Blessings,
Dennis N. Bazemore