Witness Express 8 (April 2010)
Known By The Scars
This title song of an album by Michael Card closes with these lines: “But they only recognized Him by the scars.
The marks of death that God chose never to erase, The wounds of love’s eternal mark.”
As a background to the song, in his book Immanuel, Reflections of the Life of Christ, Michael tells of Joseph, a Masai warrior of Africa, who on his face shows the scars that mark him as a warrior after killing his first lion with only a spear and shield.
One day Joseph met someone who told him about Jesus Whom he accepted there on that dusty African road. Immediately the joy of the Spirit began changing his life. He was so excited and happy. He began going door-to-door in his village telling of his conversion to Jesus Christ. But Joseph was shocked by the villagers’ reaction. Some men grabbed him and held him down while the women beat him with strands of barbed wire. When he became unconscious they dragged him out of the village to die. When he regained consciousness he dragged himself to a watering hole where after days of weakness he regained enough strength to get up. He rehearsed his gospel story and went back to tell it more clearly but the same thing happened. He was severely beaten and dragged out of the village. Again, miraculously, he didn’t die but revived and lived.
The third time he returned to the village to share his new-found faith. Before he could speak they attacked him. He tried telling them of the love of Jesus as they beat him. As he passed out he noticed the women beginning to weep. Days later he awoke in his own bed with the villagers now trying to save his life. Meanwhile the entire village had come to Christ.
But the rest of his life scars over his body marked the suffering he bore for Jesus.
After Jesus’ resurrection Mary did not recognize Him but thought that He was the gardener. But when she heard His voice she knew that it was Jesus. When Jesus broke bread the disciples of Emmaus knew Him. The miraculous catch revealed Him to His fishermen followers. Thomas doubted Jesus had risen from the dead until he recognized the wounds in His hands and side. When Jesus showed the marks of His suffering, the nail prints in His hands and feet and the spear wound in His side, all doubt was removed from His disciples’ minds. John in the ‘revelation’ recognizes Him as the Lamb slain (sacrificed, the original language term is normally used for sacrificial slaying) for our sins. (Revelation 5:6, 9, 12) So the Lamb in heaven still bears the scars of His sacrifice. (Rev. 13:8).
The missionary Paul wrote to the Galatians (6:17 ‘The WORD’) “Don’t make any trouble for me! After all I carry the scars of Jesus on my body.” Remember that He had been stoned at Lystra and left for dead. He was beaten and jailed at Philippi. “Five times the Jewish leaders had me beaten with 39 lashes; three times Roman officials had me beaten with clubs. Once people tried to stone me to death; three times I was shipwrecked, and I drifted on the sea for a night and a day.” (2 Corinthians 11:24-25 ‘The WORD’). Of himself and other believers Paul writes, “In every way we are troubled, but we aren’t crushed by our troubles. We’re frustrated, but we don’t give up. We’re persecuted but we’re not abandoned. We’re captured but we’re not killed. We always carry around the death of Jesus in our bodies so that the life of Jesus is also shown in our bodies.” (2 Corinthians 4:8-10 ‘The WORD’).
As Jesus’ resurrected body was recognized by its scars, so His body, the church, should be known by its scars and tears and the unspeakable joy it knows in spite of, and indeed because of, Jesus’ sacrifice for us. Joseph the Masai warrior might ask, “Have you any scars for Jesus?”
There’s been an EXPLOSION at Wilson Chapel!
Because of concern for our youth at Wilson Chapel and the surrounding area, in 2003 Leon and Terri Allman met with Pastor Doug and his wife, Joann. Out of that brainstorming session came Pioneer Club. This idea was taken to our Leadership Team, then to our congregation.
Under the direction of Joann, we had our first Pioneer Club meeting on Wednesday, September 15, 2004 with an enrollment of 34. The classes we have now are Skippers (ages 3 & 4), Scooters (Kindergarten), Voyagers (grades 1 & 2), Pathfinders (grades 3 & 4) and Trailblazers (grades 5 & 6). Our teens meet on the same night although they are not counted as part of Pioneer Club.
Pioneer Club theme verse is “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path” (Plasm 119:105), the aim is ‘That we may glorify the Lord Jesus’, the motto “Looking unto Jesus” (Hebrews 12:2a) and the slogan is ‘Christ in every aspect of life’. The goals are to enable children to enter into a personal relationship with Christ, to encourage them to form healthy relationships, to help them grow as whole persons and to disciple them in their walk with the Lord. Several have been saved!
Pioneer Club kids have an opportunity to earn several Bible and Activity Awards. Each unit is geared to the age level being taught. What a thrill to watch the kids’ faces when we have firemen visit with the fire trucks, policemen and nurses. We’ve had sign language taught. A marshal arts expert visited. With Donna Cottrell as our in-home Missionary, we have called upon her several times to share. It’s awesome when the kids see an active relationship with Christ in everyday living all the time in all aspects of life, not just on Sundays.
We soon outgrew our classrooms in the church building. On Sunday, Oct. 8, 2006 we had the ground breaking ceremony for the Family Life Center. The Children’s Christmas Cantata was held in the finished gym on Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2006 with 120 in attendance. Upon completion of the downstairs classrooms, on Sunday, May 6, 2007 Dedication Service was held with 180 present for the afternoon session. We began using both the church and the Family Life Center for classes in September of 2007. When the upstairs classrooms were completed in September of 2008, we began having all Pioneer Club classes in the Family Life Center. Several of our ladies prepare a light supper every Wednesday night for those who do not have time to eat at home.
We have seen a steady increase in attendance each year. In our sixth year, 2009, we EXPLODED with an enrollment of 83!
How can you not get excited when you see children coming to know Jesus and see how they change for the better as they grow in Him!
We have excellent, faithful teachers and helpers who are dedicated to teaching the children who Christ is and how to have a relationship with Him. What would we do without our prayer warriors? How about the parents, grandparents and anyone else who brings the kids every week. We’ve had parents tell us that their children are choosing Pioneer Club over other after school activities including sports. How cool is that?!
If God had not given us the vision to build the Family Life Center and provided the finances, we would not be able to minister to all these precious souls.
We praise and honor our Father God for the opportunity of serving the children at Wilson Chapel.
CUBC 2010 Spring Ministry Conference 
April 24, 2010 Focus: Evangelism and Outreach
The Christian Union Bible College will hold its Spring Ministry Conference on Saturday, April 24, 2010. The focus this year will be on the topic of Evangelism and Outreach.
The Ohio Examination and Ordination Board will once again give credit to those who are seeking ordination for their participation at the conference. Please plan to attend and bring someone with you. For registration information please contact the Bible College on line at cubiblecollege@yahoo.com or by phone at 937-981-2897.
