The Press-Dispatch
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/1471357
The Press-Dispatch Wednesday, June 22, 2022 D-3 streamed and over one-mil- lion people have viewed this explosive confrontation. She took the microphone after the pastor's confession and lit up the room with her revelations. "If you love us, please let us talk," her now husband says. She then be- gins: "For 27 years I lived in a prison. It was not 20 years. I've lived in a prison of lies and shame. L ying to protect the [pastor's] family. For years, I thought I was a hor- rible person, having suicidal thoughts. Not realizing what had been truly done to me: That I was a victim." The backstor y to the pas- tor's confession and resig- nation is his secret sin was about to go public. Someone had blown the whistle to his church board. He tried to take the politically expedient way out and get ahead of the stor y and put his spin on it. Smoke and mirrors were used to obfuscate the seri- ousness of his sins. He was tr ying to get out of Dodge before the stor y blew up. He was not expecting his victim to show up and confront him and dispute his version of events. Her version begins years earlier. Her family were church members and close friends with the pastor and his family. She was an innocent 16-year-old girl ex- ploited by her pastor 20 years her senior. Are you "oh good grief" yet? King David found himself in a similar situation. He had an affair with Bathsheba while her husband was away at war. She became pregnant. David called her husband back from the front, hoping to cover it up. It didn't go as planned. So, his last act of desperation was to send her husband, a trusted loyal "val- iant man" back to the front with sealed orders to his commander to put him in the thick of battle and allow him to be killed. He died and Da- vid took Bathsheba to wife. No one was any wiser, right? God had other plans. Nathan the prophet knew what David had done. He con- fronted David with a stor y of a poor man who was treated unjustly by a rich man. David became enraged by the stor y and swore the man would pay for his sin. "Nathan said to David, You [are] the man! 2Sa 12:7". David's response was, "I have sinned against the LORD" 2Sa 12:13. There was no smoke and mirrors. No spin or political grand- standing. David confessed to his dastardly deeds. From his repentance came Psalms 51. It recounts the crushing guilt and shame that David felt af- ter he sinned. There was no escaping the emptiness he felt. Only God could restore him. This psalm is a blueprint for confession, repentance, and restoration. You may have heard it said you can be humble and re- pent or remain mute and let God publicize your sin and suffer humiliation. The choice is yours. "But if you don't do what you say, you will be sin- ning against GOD; you can be sure that your sin will track you down" Num. 32:23. Sin is an orphan, always looking for its father. God cleans house in his time. "For the time has come for judg- ment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God?" 1Pe 4:17. God knows what you are doing. Repent while there is still time. Don't allow your conduct to become some- one's "good grief!" PAWS WEEK PAWS WEEK Pet of the MISSY Think positively, act motivated, do sport, work creatively, make fun, com- municate freely, see target and enjoy life. This week, PAWS fea- tured a rambunctious young kitten named Mis- sy. The above quote could have been written about Missy as it seems to be her Philosophy on Life. She can be seen bound- ing around the cat room without a care in the world. Missy is a short-haired black and white tabby with a cute black spot on the tip of her nose that is quite a beauty mark. To adopt this adventur- ous feline, call 812-354- 9894. 4 His Praise to perform at Gentle Shepherd Church of God this Sunday 4 His Praise will be guests for the Praise and Worship ser vice at Gentle Shepherd Church of God, located at 8350 East 350 North (just west of Oatsville on the Oats- ville/Wheeling Road) in Gib- son County on Sunday, June 26 at 6 p.m. (CDT). There will be food and fellowship following the ser vice. Ever y- one is welcome. be prepared to share His love, mercy and grace through our words and actions to a needy world. We extend an invitation to the public to come and wor- ship with us. The Good Shepherd takes care of His sheep. Neal Scifres, Pastor OTWELL UNITED METHODIST CHURCH P.O. Box 146, 10041E. Washington Ave. Otwell 812-766-3344 Facebook: Otwell United Methodist Church and Jeff Pinney. Otwell United Methodist in- vites you to join us this Sunday at 10:30 a.m. as we worship our Lord Jesus Christ; Sunday school, 9:30 a.m. "So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of ser vice, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowl- edge of the Son of God and be- come mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ" (Ephesians 4:11-13, NIV). Jeff Pinney, Pastor PETERSBURG FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH 801 East Walnut Petersburg 812-354-6658 47567fumc@gmail.com Making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world Worship ser vice 9:30 a.m.; Sunday school 10:45 a.m. and Wednesday evening Bible study at 6:30 p.m. We are also broadcasting our Sunday worship ser vice live on Facebook at Peters- burg First United Methodist Church. "O God, you are my God I shall seek You earnestly. My soul thirsts for you, my flesh yearns for you in a dr y and wear y land where there is no water. Thus, I have seen you in the sanctuar y. To see Your power and Glor y. Be- cause your loving kindness is better than life my lips will praise you. So, I will Bless you as long as I live, I will lift up my hands in your name. My Soul is satisfied with marrow and fatness and my mouth offers praises with joyful lips" (Psalm 63:1-5). God Bless. Michael (Mike) Punke, Pastor PETERSBURG FREE METHODIST CHURCH 202 Walnut Street www.petersburgfmc.org petersburgfmc@ yahoo.com Sunday school at 9:30 a.m. with morning worship at 10:30 a.m. We are excited to announce our new pastor, Don Faus- naugh. We welcome him as he steps into this role of shep- herd to our flock, along with his wife Carla, and their chil- dren. His first message at our church will be in three weeks. This Sunday we will be blessed to have musicians and singers Jim and L ynna Wool- sey minister to us. We would love to have you join us in person, but for those who are unable we do provide a live stream of the entire Ser- vice. You can find the stream on our Facebook page or through a link on our website. Teens meet on Sunday evenings at 5 p.m. with Blake Henson for devotions and ac- tivities. Each Monday evening the Sanctuar y is opened up at 6 p.m. or an hour of prayer. This is an unstructured prayer time: pray with others or by yourself and feel free to come and go as you need. The Hospitality Committee meets this Thursday at 5 p.m. Next Sunday is Father's Day. Thank you to the fathers of our church family - both those with children in our con- gregation and those who lead us by their example. We appreciated ever yone who allowed their children to come to worship and learn with us last week for VBS. It was an amazing week of God's blessings. If you do not have a church family of your own, we would love for you to continue to learn and fellowship with ours. Family Fellowship is return- ing on June 26 at 6 p.m. Come for a casual evening of games, food, and fellowship as we gather as a church family and enjoy each other's presence. Have a blessed week. Don Fausnaugh, Pastor David Blaize, Reporter RUMBLETOWN FREE METHODIST CHURCH 1485 N. St. Rd. 57 Petersburg Morning worship at 10:30 a.m. The church is located south of Petersburg on State Road 57. David Mullis, Pastor Hope Barnett, Reporter SPURGEON UNITED METHODIST CHURCH 11505 N. Hwy. 61 Spurgeon Pastor Cell 812-202- 8903 or church office 812-922-8215 Church ser vice 9 a.m.; Fri- day Bible study at 1 p.m. On July 3, invite a friend to church. Happy 4th of July. "It is the Passover sacrifice to the Lord, who passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt and spared our homes" (Exodus 12:27). Centuries later, believers in Jesus regularly take com- munion as we remember His sacrifice on the cross—pro- viding what we needed to be delivered from sin and death (I Corinthians 11:23-26). Remembering God's loving acts in the past, gives us hope for today. Josh Sanders, Pastor Sherry Julian, Reporter WHITE RIVER CHAPEL UMC 3555 W. SR 56 Bowman 812-582-8896 Sunday worship 9 a.m.; Sunday school 10 :15 a.m. We are exploring the words in Philippians 4:4-9 and how they can help us thrive in cha- os. So many trials come into our lives and along with the business of life. These things can easily choke out the Life of God in us. But praise God, "But seek ye first the King- dom of God, and His righ- teousness; and all these things will be added unto you" (Mat- thew 6:33). What things will be added? God's order back into our lives—a peace that passes all understanding—He is in con- trol. Facebook: White River Chapel UMC, Jeff Pinney. Questions regarding church events, call 812-766- 3344 or mail to: 3555 West State Road 56, Petersburg, IN 47567. Jeff Pinney, Pastor PONDER Continued from page 1 Nazarene PETERSBURG CHURCH OF THE NAZARENE 118 West Pike Ave. Church 812-354-8851 Ser vice times: Sunday at 10:30 a.m. Praise and Worship ser vice; 6 p.m. Bible study; Teen activities; Wednesday at 6 p.m. Bible study. Sunday morning ser vice is available via transmitter. Pull in to the church parking lot and tune your radio to 90.1 FM and hear the ser vice from the comfort of your car. Sunday morning ser vices are available on our Facebook page—Petersburg Church of the Nazarene or look for us on YouTube. Visit our website www.petersburgnaz.com for additional information. We want to be a church meeting the needs of our com- munity. If the church can be of assistance to you, contact us at pastor@petersburgnaz.com. Steve Hamilton, Pastor WINSLOW NAZARENE CHURCH 106 W. Washington St. Winslow 989-941-7190 Love, Care, Serve, Share Sunday morning ser vice at 10:30 a.m. Greetings to you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. You are welcome to connect with our church either in per- son or online. Facebook: Winslow Church of the Nazarene. YouTube: Winslow Naza- rene. Website: bit.ly/winslownaz. Irene's Food Pantr y: Ever y third Saturday from 10-11:30 a.m. Hope to see you soon. Corinna Williams, Reporter Pentecostal OAKLAND CITY FIRST PENTECOST Hwy. 64 East New number 812- 582-9877 Sunday morning ser vice begins at 9:30 a.m. with chil- dren's Sunday school during the ministr y of the Word. Sunday and Wednesday evening ser vices are at 6 p.m. All times CDT (Gibson Co.) Gen.32:31,32; You remem- ber the stor y of Jacob strug- gling with the angel of the Lord. When the struggle end- ed, Jacob had a limp but he was also blessed. We struggle with sin. It doesn't mean we aren't saved, but that we still have a limp. The limp is only a sign that you have gone through some- thing. Stop struggling and let the angel of the Lord bless you. Surrender to God's will and you'll forget all about the limp. Ron Vickers, Pastor Elaine Young, Reporter Presbyterian MAIN STREET PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH 10th and Main Streets, Petersburg 812-354-6844 Sunday worship 10:30 a.m. Come visit us, our doors are always open to you. Stay anchored Hold fast to the Bible as the [main] anchor of your liber- ties; write its precepts on your hearts and practice them in your lives. To the influence of this book we are indebted for all the progress made in true civilization, and to this we must look as our guide in the future. Office hours: 9 a.m.-noon, Monday-Friday. Amy Melhiser, Secretary Wesleyan OTWELL WESLEYAN CHURCH 2277 N. Mechanics Street Otwell Pastor 812-354-3028 Sunday school at 9:30 a.m.; morning worship at 10:30 a.m.; 6:30 p.m. Sunday eve- ning worship ser vice. We will be dismissing after Sunday school in order to at- tend the Otwell Community Center worship ser vice at 11 a.m. There will be a free will offering meal after the ser- vice. Mrs. Smartt was fumbling in her purse for her offering when a large television re- mote fell out and clattered into the aisle. The curious usher bent over to retrieve it for her and whispered, "Do you always carr y your TV remote to church?" "No," she replied, "but my husband refused to come with me this morning, so I took it and I figured this would keep him busy, while I was gone. Why is it Important to go to Church? The Bible tells us we need to attend church so we can worship God with other believers and be taught His Word for our spiritual growth. Reason to go to church even when you don't feel like it 1. To hear the preaching of the word. 2. To participate with other believers. 3. To encouragement and strength your faith. 4. To exercise your gift. 5. To encourage your Pas- tor. These are only a few of the reason to attend church. What is your reason? Roy Stilwell, Pastor Pam Lemond, Reporter Life Milestones made free CALL: 812-354-8500 Put a free photo with write up on your Family and Class Reunions.