Antioch Mills Christian Church

I had not been at Antioch but for a few weeks when the telephone rang at the office.  I looked at the Caller I.D. & saw that it read "Winkle, Roger A."  I answered with my most frequent greeting: "Antioch Mills, this is Evan."

The voice on the other end--Roger's in the best Spanish he could muster--said this, "My name is Jose.  I need some money.  If I come to your church, can you give me some money?"

For whatever reason I was quick on the draw that day, so I responded, "I don't have any money, but we have an Elder down the road named Roger Winkle.  He has some deep pockets, so I'm sure he'll be able to help you."

Roger immediately laughed, unaware that we had Caller I.D. here at the church.  We laughed for quite a while & I heard him retell that story many times after; but from that point on I referred to Roger as "Jose" & he referred to me as "Pablo."

In fact, this past Sunday I spoke but one word to Roger just before the first service began.  We greeted each other in passing, as we often did, by my saying, "Jose" and by his response of, "Pablo."

Little did I know it would be the last time the two of us would speak.

This past Sunday, in the late afternoon/early evening, Roger heard his Lord & Savior speak the following words: "Well done, good and faithful servant!  Come and share your master's happiness." (see Matthew 25:21)

Roger's passing comes as a shock to all of us, especially his wonderful wife Darlene, their three children, & the grandchildren who adored him.  That's not to mention his siblings, other relatives & countless friends.  The AMCC church family has lost a giant of faith, a man who has served this church in just about every capacity you could imagine.  In fact, Roger was in his 25th year of serving as an Elder when he left us.

I mentioned on our church Facebook page that our loss is undoubtedly heaven's gain, but for those of us still on this side of eternity, we mourn & grieve the death of our good friend.  Roger was a rock in so many ways, whether it be in his leadership, his teaching, his knowledge of Scripture, or thousands of other ways in which he was as consistent as they come.  His sweet, gentle spirit will be missed by us all.

We will mourn together this Wednesday & Thursday during the visitation & funeral arrangements for Roger.  We will remember him as a church family this Sunday & for quite some time into the future.  But perhaps the best way we can remember him is by continuing to carry the torch of faith he has passed down to each of us.  To live our lives in such a way that Jesus Christ is honored above all.

Arrangements for Roger Winkle are as follows:

Visitation- 5:00-8:00 pm at AMCC
Funeral- 11:00 am at AMCC (burial at Battle Grove Cemetery immediately after)

You're looking at some of my favorite pictures involving my daughter & myself.  These are taken from the last four Halloweens.  Basically, my job during Trick-or-Treating is to carry Addi on my shoulders when she gets tired.  The gig isn't too bad.  Sure, by night's end, my neck is crying out for relief, but for all my laboring I also get to raid her candy when the night is over.  So it's a pretty sweet deal.

I love this picture because it reminds me of my favorite time of year: Fall.  There are too many reasons to explain in this single blog post, but allow me to offer a few reasons as to why September/October comprise my two favorite months of the year.

* The Kentucky Wool Festival...I'm told they've considered changing the name of this annual Pendleton County tradition to "Evan Breaks His Budget: Both In Food & In Money" but the powers-that-be decided to keep it as is.  I'm sure I'll see many of you this year, so I'll go ahead & apologize for not speaking to you.  I have food on the mind.

* Football...It's not my favorite sport.  My favorite college team (UK) is awful.  I don't even really have a favorite NFL team.  But I do like making fun of the Bengals & falling asleep watching Tom Brady chuck it up and down the field on some poor, opposing defense.

* Trick-Or-Treating...I think I like this more now than I ever did as a kid--even that year when I doubled up on my candy by wearing two masks and visiting each house twice.  True story.  See, I was a genius even as a youngster.  I love seeing all the kids dressed up, going door-to-door, and just having a blast.  (Note: If you call attention to the progression of my fatness in the collage above...well, I'm working on it)

* Scary movies...AMC's Fear Fest (or whatever it's called) where they show scary movies nonstop makes for great television viewing in the Meyer household.

But there is more than just the personal stuff that excites me about Fall.  There are some church events that always take place during these two months of Setpember & October that I thoroughly enjoy. 

* The Well resumes...Our Wednesday night service.  Come grab a nice meal at 6:00 & then a great time of study & discussion (for all ages) at 7:00.  The Well is a great mid-week refresher for me & I hope for many of you.

* Friend Day/Church Picnic...Since I've been at AMCC, this has always taken place on the last Sunday of September, and this year is no different.  On September 30th you are encouraged to invite as many friends as you can for either of our two morning services & enjoy great worship!  I'll be ending the Revelation series (preaching on Heaven) & Matt is working up some nice song selections that will be particularly relevant for the topic we'll be studying.  Shortly after the 2nd service, we'll head down to our Snake Lick Road property for our annual church picnic, where there will be plenty of food and fun for all ages.  It's one of the best Sundays we have all year at AMCC.  Don't miss out.  There might even be a haircut or two this year.

* Silent Auction...This annual fund-raiser, sponsored by the Ladies Aid, is an informal event where you can eat, chat with friends, & purchase some things that interest you...and it all goes to a good cause.  The money raised by the Ladies Aid goes toward their ministry throughout the year.  This year, the Silent Auction takes place on Friday, September 28th at 6:00 pm. (Note: While I am losing weight, I still plan on purchasing Violet's pecan tarts.  It's inevitable.)

As you can see, there is much going on in these next several weeks.  So as you Spring & Summer lovers say goodbye to your precious warm weather, please understand you can wipe away your tears by participating in any of the aforementioned events.  We'd love to have you take part!

The early portion of Summer 2012 has afforded me the opportunity to become reacquainted with a couple of personal pleasures.  One of those pleasures is the Banana Milkshake.  Truth be told, I don't know why it's been such a long time that the two of us have been apart.  Sure, there's been the occasional failed diet or two in the last couple of years, but prior to this past Wednesday night I hadn't savored the flavor of a good Banana Milkshake in a long, long time.  Evidently my body was fed up with this, so in the middle of a tee-ball game in Falmouth, while I should have been instructing & coaching my daughter's team, I was instead daydreaming of a cold Banana Milkshake.  And not just any Banana Milkshake, but the kind that has a lot of little bits & pieces of bananas in it.  Thankfully, the tee-ball game was taking place within a stone's throw of Howard's Place.  Thankfully also, Howard's provides these desired shakes. 

So after the game was over & after a brief supper at Edwardo's (also very tasty, I might add), Stacey, Addi & I walked over to Howard's.  Unfortunately, my pleasure was briefly delayed because of my daughter.  She too wanted some ice cream & as we stood there at the counter to place our order, she asked what kind of flavors they had.  After reading off about 142 different flavors, Addi thought for a moment and eventually said, "I want vanilla."  Vanilla?  My late Mammaw Howard, notorious for doing the same thing at a Baskin Robbins many years ago, would be very proud of her.  But anyway, my time came to order & the medium Banana shake was prepared, delivered & consumed.  And yes, it was delicious.

Score one for the sweet tooth.

The other personal pleasure I've become reacquainted with this summer is the book of Revelation.  The last of the Bible's 66 books, Revelation (notice there's no "s" at the end of "Revelation") is one of the most debated & discussed books in Scripture.  Its use of bizarre imagery, numbers & Science Fiction-esque creatures have left many a Bible student scratching their head in confusion.

My junior year in college, I took a course that covered Revelation in its entirety.  I might also add that I was the class's most prized & intelligent student, often leaving Dr. Rob Ford dumbfounded at my vast knowledge & impressive insight.  I've read numerous books, articles & writings about it.  In one of my dumber moments, I led a verse-by-verse study on a Wednesday night through the book (hat-tip to the fine folks at Fairview Christian Church who endured that five month catastrophe).  But through the years, Revelation has become one of my five favorite books of the Bible.  And while I occasionally read through portions of it, it's been a few years since I was able to dig deep into it.  Summer 2012 has brought that to an end.  You ask, "Why?"

Well, as I hinted at several weeks ago in a message, I'm going to be preaching a series of messages on Revelation at the end of summer/early Fall.  Normally, I'm pretty precise & detailed when it comes to sermon preparation (I plan sermons a year in advance).  Revelation has been on the docket since last November, but what has been uncertain is how long we'll study the book.  Right now, it's either going to be 4 weeks or 7 weeks in length.  If it's 4 weeks, we'll start the series on September 9th.  If it's 7 weeks, we'll start on August 19th.  Either way, we'll end on Friend Day by studying Revelation's final two chapters, which provide the most detailed account of what Heaven is going to be like (more on that in later weeks).

So anyway, in preparation for this series, I've been spending a lot of time in Revelation.  As we'll discover in our study, a lot of people have a lot of different opinions about Revelation's content.  But from my vantage point, the overall themes of the book are easily understood.  For the most part we'll spend our time on those themes, ultimately learning that victory in the end will be attained by Jesus Christ & those whose allegiance is with him.   

You see, the Jesus who arrives in Revelation is quite different from the Jesus who arrives in Matthew, Mark, Luke & John.  Revelation's Jesus is not humble, meek & lying in a manger.  Just the opposite...he is powerful, strong & rides atop a white horse of justice.  As a result, every eye sees him & every knee bows, acknowledging that he is King of Kings & Lord of Lords.

So I'm excited.  Excited about more Banana Milkshakes & even more excited about studying Revelation together as a church family.  You're more than welcome to take part in the former, but I very highly recommend you consume yourself in the latter.  You won't be disappointed.

Speaking on behalf of my family, I'm proud to announce that dear ole Dad is being put before the AMCC church family for a membership vote to determine if he will serve as the next Deacon over the Sports Ministry.  While I acknolwedge I have a bias for Daddo Danny-o, I can tell you from my life experience that this man knows his sports.  Every since I was a little fella (in years, not height...be quiet, Keith), Dad was always showing me the ropes.  Whether it was the two of us on the bank of a pond fishing, or getting ready to tee off for a round of 18, or learning how to shoot a free throw, Dad was always there giving patient instruction.  When my fastball wasn't necessarily fast, Dad didn't give up on his son.  He stayed with it, like good Dads do.  From a sports vantage point, the old man knows his stuff.

But really, the position of Sports Deacon is about more than just having a sports acumen.  So let me tell you some other things about Daniel Keith Fardo.  (Note: If you're totally lost on why I'm calling Danny "Dad" then you probably weren't with us for worship on March 18th.  To catch up, click on the SERMONS tab at the top of this page & listen to the first few minutes of the "Fear Of Speaking Up" message.  You won't be disappointed unless your name is Renee Fardo.  If your name is Renee Fardo...well...hahahahaha)

So back to Danny.

The Fardo family has been attending AMCC for about four years now, and in that time I've had the privilege of getting to know them well.  And I count it a blessing to know them as very good friends, even if they conned me into going to The Smoky Mountains last summer.  But that's okay.  I got them back by making them go through about a half dozen of those time share tours, where they give you $100 to sit through some boring sales pitch.  But anyway...

First and foremost, Danny Fardo is a man of God.  Having spent time with him in a small group setting, and having had a variety of discussions with him, and knowing the heart he has for people, Danny greatly impresses me.  For quite a while he has been on the radar for a leadership position of some kind, and after extensive prayer and discussion, the Elders are placing him before the congregation as a prospective Deacon.  I personally feel the Sports Ministry will be in tremendous hands with Danny's oversight, but I mostly feel that our church family would be privileged to have him in a position of servant leadership.

In the last few years Danny has taken the ball (no pun intended) and run with it on a variety of sports-related issues.  He has organized flag football games in Falmouth.  He has coached & volunteered with the Upward Basketball & Cheerleading program.  This past winter, he organized a Men's Basketball league that involved several area churches.  Having participated in several of these over the years, I can tell you that church basketball leagues aren't the easiest things to run.  But Danny did it well.  Really well.

There is a teaching of Scripture that comes to mind when I think of Danny Fardo.  The New Testament speaks of how we, as followers of Christ, are actually "priests."  The somewhat fancy phrase for this is "priesthood of all believers."  Basically the New Testament teaches that each of us, as followers of Christ, are to serve one another & meet each others' needs.  A lot of times we lay this responsibility at the feet of ministers, but actually all of us are to be ministers of sorts.  Danny Fardo exemplifies this.  When people are sick, Danny knows about it.  When someone hasn't been to a church service in a few weeks, Danny knows about it & often times makes contact with the person.  I can't tell you how many times Danny has telephoned me to see if I was aware that such-and-such was having surgery, or to inform me that he has been reaching out to folks who aren't coming to church or have not been in a while.  He cares about people.  He loves people.  He serves them.  He's a leader, even though he doesn't necessarily carry an official leadership title.

Danny is, in my opinion, more than qualified for this task.  So the leaders of AMCC are asking you to prayerfully consider this matter, as we will be having an official confirmation vote for Danny on Sunday, April 1st.  He has earned our trust and stamp of approval & we pray that you will come to the same conclusion.

A number of people have expressed desire to help those in the northern Pendleton County community who were impacted by last weekend's ferocious storms.  After speaking with a few trusted individiauls, here are some tangible ways you can provide assistance:

* For financial donations, we will be taking those to the Second Twelve Mile Baptist Church.  Located in the heart of the storm's damage, Second Twelve Mile has become somewhat of a focal point for disaster relief.  Because of their location, we feel they know who needs help the most and how best to distribute the resources.  If you are making a donation by check, you can write your check out to AMCC (earmarked "Disaster Relief") and we will see to it that those funds are taken to Second Twelve Mile.

* Second Twelve Mile's kitchen, being spearheaded by Pam Mains (Bridget Yelton's mother), will be open for at least the rest of the week, where they are serving hot food as well as sandwiches from 8:00 am to 8:00 pm.  You could come work in the kitchen or bring food for them to share.

* As far as supplies of canned food and other household items for the victims, those donations are being collected at the Flour Creek Christian Church (off Hwy. 177 in Butler...next to BB's gas station) & the Plum Creek Christian Church (located off Hwy. 27 in southern Campbell County).  Donations of any kind for the victims are being collected there.  If you have donations you would like to make and cannot take them to either place, please drop those off at the church & we will take care of that for you.

* For those wanting to help with the clean-up, I've received a couple of suggestions.  One is that you simply gather a group of 3 or 4 people and drive down Route 10 in northern Pendleton County and simply stop where you see people working and offer to help.  A second option is to stop at the Northern Pendleton County Fire Department (located at 5900 Hwy. 154) & offer to volunteer your services.  Ask for Dennis Parker & you will be given instructions as to what you can do.

If you have any other questions, feel free to contact us at the office (859) 234.1686.  In spite of this tragedy, it has been great to see the community come together in such a crisis.  Any help you can provide is greatly appreciated.
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Update from Plum Creek Christian Church
Specific needs: Large canned items, broths for soup, coffee grounds, large basic seasonings, pasta, canned or bottled drinks, fast snacks, paper products for serving food. We are cooking meals for displaced families, National Guard and volunteers at other locations. Keep posted about laundry needs...coming very soon. Laundry soap would be great! Thanks everyone.