The Baptist Bridge

By the grace of God, the Philippi Baptist Church shall embrace,

model, and share the love of God through Jesus Christ by the
power of the Holy Spirit.

Philippi Baptist Church, Philippi, WV 26416 October 2010

Inside this issue...

From the Pastor………………......2

ABW…………………...………...…4

Youth News………………..……...4

Calendar………………………….5

Cowen 2011………………………6

Sr. High Convention………….....7

Service and Missions...…………9

Getting to know…………………10

CE Board………... ……..……...10

Remembering in Prayer……….11

BCM……………………………..11

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EVERY SUNDAY MORNING
10:30a.m.
WQAB 91.3 FM

107 Church Street Philippi, WV 26416 (304) 457-3206 philippibaptist@frontier.com

Rev. Jon Villers, Pastor
Lisa Dadisman, Secretary
From the Pastor
Greetings in the name of the one who knows all and still loves
us!
I found the following article from a church in Columbus called
Xenos Fellowship. Since we have been talking about Why
Church?, this gives us another reason we are called to be to-
gether!
Christian Community - Confess to One Another
We are exploring what the New Testament has to say about
why it is important and what it looks like. We are using
Jn. 13:34 as our base text (read). Jesus says the most compel-
ling evidence that he is the Truth is not a slick marketing strate-
gy or mass rallies; it is a community of people who know how
to succeed in love relationships.
As we have seen, the apostles took this to heart. That's why in
their letters they unpacked what it means to "love one another
as I have loved you" through a number of more specific "one
another" imperatives. This week, we will explore "confess to
one another."
What is confession?
This word dredges up a lot of images to people (which we'll
address in a minute), but its meaning is very simple. The Greek
word is homologeo, which is a compound verb meaning literal-
ly "to say the same thing"--to agree with someone about some-
thing. It and its strengthened form (exhomologeo) are used
frequently in the New Testament with a meaning ranging from
agreeing with God that he is great ("praise"), to agreeing before
others that Jesus is Lord (Matt. 10:32), to agreeing with testi-
mony in a court case (Acts 24:14), to agreeing with God and/or
others about our sins (1 Jn. 1:9).
It is this latter sense that we want to explore to today. To con-
fess our sins mean that we "say the same thing" God says about
them instead of calling them something else (indiscretion; legit-
imate; etc.). And we are talking about verbalizing this to other
Christians. Biblical confession in this sense is acknowledging
wrong behaviors and/or attitudes to another Christian in order
to be reconciled or seek help. This definition presumes that
there is such a thing as sin, and that it is destructive both to the
individual involved in it and to relationships.
Common misconception about confession
The most prevalent misconception is that "since God alone
ultimately forgives sin, there is no need for confession to oth-
ers." Confession should always begin with God because all sin
is first and foremost cosmic treason--an act of rebellion against
God (Ps. 51:4). But the Bible teaches that we should often con-
fess our sins to other people (Jas. 5:16) for reasons we'll discuss
in a moment. To use God's forgiveness as an excuse for not
confessing to others betrays a serious misunderstanding of
God's grace.
2
This same passage corrects another widespread misconception:
"Only professional Christians should handle confes-
sions." With many people, this professional is the pastor or
priest--the old unbiblical clergy-laity distinction. With others,
this professional is the counselor--the new priests of our thera-
peutic culture.
You may need some special advice from vocational Christian
workers for special issues, but you need to get to the point that
you experience the liberating comfort and power of confessing
most of your sins to other Christian friends. Jas. 5:16 does not
say "to the professional"--but "to one another." All Christians
should be involved in reciprocal confession whenever it is
needed. Otherwise, you will lead a defeated Christian life.
This is one of the most practical ways to gauge whether your
involvement in Christian community is on a biblical level. Are
you involved enough with other Christians that you are sharing
your sins and defeats with them and asking them for help? Are
you involved enough that they do the same with you? Then
you aren't involved enough--and you're missing out on one of
the most wonderful provisions God makes for your spiritual
growth . . .
The benefits of confessing to others
Most people think God wants you to do this for his benefit--that
he derives some weird pleasure or meets some strange need
from your confession. But nothing could be further from the
truth! God doesn't need anything, including your confes-
sion. He already knows about your sins, and (if you have re-
ceived Christ) he has already forgiven them. When he calls on
us to confess our sins to one another, it is altogether for our
benefit. When based on an understanding of God's grace and
preceded by sincere confession to God, confessing your sins to
other Christians is a wonderful source of spiritual help.
Confession may enable you to experience God's for-
giveness. God wants us to experience what the author of He-
brews calls a "cleansed conscience"--a personal assurance of
God's forgiveness of specific sins so that we can move forward
with him without the pangs of unresolved guilt. For a variety of
reasons, it is possible to have God's forgiveness without experi-
encing it.
You may have received Christ, but be ignorant of the Bible's
teaching that you are now completely forgiven. You may know
this teaching, yet not experience God's forgiveness for certain
things because you won't personally confess it to him, or be-
cause you insist on doing penance instead of simply appropriat-
ing Christ's forgiveness ("dead works" in Heb. 9:27).
Or you may be unable to personally appropriate God's for-
giveness because you are unwilling to tell some other Christians
about it. Prov. 28:13 teaches this principle (read). David expe-
rienced the cleansing power of God's forgiveness when he con-
fessed both to God and to Nathan. I know it's been this way for
me many times. In a group this size, there are probably many
people who need this (SKELETONS IN THE CLOSET).
Closely associated with this benefit is a second one: Confes-
sion can unleash God's empowering for moral change. Sin
thrives in darkness. When we keep it hidden, its power over
us grows, even though we may struggle to free ourselves
from it. But when we bring it out into the light, this often
breaks its power.
This is why James connects confession and prayer with oth-
er Christians with healing (Jas. 5:16). The preceding con-
text is specifically about physical sickness, but I think this
verse is a more general maxim that includes healing from
the power and damage of sin. John teaches the same princi-
ple in 1 Jn. 1:7 (read). When we walk in the light (which
involves being open and honest about our sins with God and
other Christians), the power of Christ over sin is unleashed.
Internet porn is epidemic in our society. I have talked to
dozens of guys who are enslaved and defeated in this ar-
ea. They know they're forgiven, they try to break free--but
they go back to this destructive habit. For many, the first
step toward real freedom in this area has been to bring it out
into the light with other Christian friends. This step, cou-
pled with ongoing accountability, prayer, encouragement
and other practical steps (both resist and replace) unleashes
God's power for moral change! I've seen similar results for
people with other sin-habits (OVER-EATING;LYING).
Confession can be a crucial step in restoring an alienated
relationship. The parable of the prodigal son (Lk. 15) is a
beautiful story of God's willingness to forgive repentant
sinners. But it is also a picture of the power of confession
to restore broken human relationships. If you have violated
a key relationship through betrayal, bitterness, neglect, etc.,
God may be calling on you to go back to them like this son
did. It is scary--but it's worth it! You may experience rec-
onciliation. Even if you don't, you will experience God's
cleansing and encouragement and righteous closure.
This is important not just concerning big, past issues. It is
also important for smaller offenses that inevitably arise in
close relationships. This past week, I needed to apologize
to my wife and daughter for the harsh way I spoke to
them. It would have been easy to rationalize this--but this is
what allows alienation to build up. It's so much better to
humble yourself, admit and apologize, be forgiven--and
have the closeness restored.
This brings us to a question many of you may be asking
yourselves right now: "When should I confess to someone,
and when should I keep it to myself?"
When to confess
As we saw with admonition last week, there is no formula
answer to this question. Because we are dealing with per-
sonal relationships, there are many variables. If you are
being honest with God and willing to do what he wants in
this area, he will show you. Many times, he will say "The
issue is settled now. Go on." Sometimes, however, he will
say "You need to share this with . . ." As you ask God for
wisdom on this, consider the following questions:
3
Are you unable to get peace by confessing this to
God? If so, why not get it out in the light with another Chris-
tian who can pray with you and assure you of God's for-
giveness?
Do you lack insight or ability to gain increasing freedom from
this sin? If this is the case, there may be a connection between
the help you need and disclosing it to some mature Christian
friends.
Is it causing alienation in your relationship? If so, you
should seriously consider confessing to them what you have
done. If you need advice on whether, when, or how to do this,
why not ask another mature Christian friend for this?
Do you tend to over-confess or under-confess? Some people
over-confess, turning confession into neurosis or dead
works. While there are cases where this is true, is that really
the problem with most of us? Aren't we much more likely to
confess too little? Aren't we usually more concerned with sav-
ing our own pride, not risking rejection, or avoiding conse-
quences? If we're going to have a "default," shouldn't our de-
fault be that we will confess to someone rather than that we
won't? Wouldn't it be nice to be in relationships that had this
kind of openness?
This kind of openness is a key ingredient for healthy communi-
ty.
Read Eph. 4:25. Paul is telling us to lay aside the fakiness
and be honest and open with one another. I've been around a
lot of Christian groups (including groups in this church) where
you sense that no one is being real, that everyone is posturing,
putting on a front. When you try to engage people about
what's really going on in their lives, you get a lot of bobbing
and weaving. When they ask you how your walk is going, you
sense they don't really want to know. When you share about
your own current defeats and struggles with sin, you get an
awkward response--like you just farted or have body
odor. What is this? This is hypocrisy--and Jesus said,
"Beware the leaven of hypocrisy" (Lk. 12:1). Like leaven, this
falseness can quietly and gradually infect the atmosphere of a
group and destroy the life of Christ.
How different it is to be around a group of Christians who live
under God's grace and practice real openness with one anoth-
er! How encouraging it is to know you're not the only one who
struggles! How much easier it is to be honest about your de-
feats! How many doors it opens up for help! How much more
real God's forgiveness and healing power is! What a refresh-
ing and attracting alternative for people who don't yet know
Christ! Recently, a young Christian told me the thing he ap-
preciated most about our home group is that "people are re-
al." I hope we never lose this!
Excerpts taken from
http://www.xenos.org/ct_outln/confess1another.htm
Shalom,
Pastor Jon
 YOUTH NEWS...
Thanks to all the volunteers who came
to our kickoff youth fellowship. They
Women of Faith all had a great time and here are some
Columbus, Ohio pictures to prove it.
April 29-30, 2011

All area women are invited to join a group

going to Women of Faith in April. It is a
non-denominational event with wonderful
music and motivational speakers.
If you get your tickets with us you will
receive the group rate of $89.00 which
includes tickets for Friday and Saturday,
and lunch both days. You can come and
go as you please, but the whole event
is worth experiencing!
Come join us for
a great time at Women of Faith! For more
information ask Linda Long for paperwork.
Last year’s Women of Faith that was held
in Columbus included singers Sandi
Patty, Stephen Curtis Chapman, Mandisa
and the Women of Faith Praise and Worship
singers. Speakers included Andy Andrews,
Patsy Clairmont, Anita Renfroe, Lisa
Whelchel, Marilyn Meberg, and Nicole
Johnson. Women of Faith has a web site:
www.womenoffaith.com
Columbus, Ohio will be hosting “Imagine”

ABW meeting
Tuesday Oct. 5th
9:30am

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 Along the Highway

Metal grabber in hand-

Bless the soul who invented it--,
He leans to retrieve a label less bottle
That once held Heineken Ultra.
For six seconds it hovers over the ditch,
Then clatters into the black trash bag
Already half filled with Hardee’s wrappers,
Marlboro cartons soggy from yesterday’s rain,
Coke Zero cans and Gatorade jugs.
His old Nikes heavy with mud,
Clipped brown hair dripping with sweat,
He works his way down the road
Tucking himself into the berm
When a careless car approaches
No bird songs, no deer tracks,
Not even a scurrying squirrel,
For this habitat is no longer theirs
Except on an occasional clear night
When it is their turn to dodge pick-ups,
Leap over napkins from a brown paper lunch,
Wrinkle their noses at a late-night kegger.
"Thanks to our Adopt-A-Highway
volunteers for coming out on short
notice on Saturday morning, Sept. 25,
2010 to help make West Virginia
shine! Those helping this time were
Barbara Smith, Randy Moore,
Clarence Wright, Scott Springer and
Craig Cobb. Together we picked up 12
bags of roadside litter from our
designated 2.2 mile section of Rt. 119,
between the Covered Bridge and the
Rt. 57 intersection. We'll do it again
next spring!

So he leans again, this time loosening

A Bud Lite can wedged beneath a rock,
And he feels his pulse quicken,
His lips form a smile,
His lungs fill with air not yet fully polluted.

There, wriggling as if its life depends upon escape,

Which it does, a muck-fattened earthworm
Squirms away through a hole in the bank,
No one except God ever knowing
That this four-inch thread of pure life
Has dubbed his trash patrol a holy act.

--Anonymous

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 When Oregon
Meets West
Virginia
Sara and Eddie
Poling, recent-
ly having be-
come members
of Philippi
Baptist Church, tell a love story that few
others can match. They met in Branson,
Missouri, where Eddie was working as a
comedian and Sara was a trick rider—on
horses, that is.
Married in Branson in 2002 and adding
Gauge (now 9) and Chandler (now 7) to the
mix, they came back to Eddie’s hometown
just last January.
Sara, originally from Seaside, Oregon, went
to local schools there and then headed to the
College of the Ozarks, where she majored
in Sociology. Eddie, in the meantime, grew
up in Philippi—Tacy, actually—and attend-
ed public schools here. He attended Alder-
son-Broaddus for two years, majoring in
Music Education, then transferred to WVU,
where he majored in Applied Music. Then
he was off to Missouri and the Dixie Stam-
pede, where he fell in love with a trick rid-
er. He went on to be a lead singer and a
production manager.
“Branson was o.k.,” Sara says. “They had
family-oriented programs, and it was a
clean town, but I really like West Virginia.
It’s quiet here, more relaxed and much,
much less commercialized. And there’s a
lot less traffic.Eddy agrees. “Life here is
simpler, I think. For me it’s a matter of
safety of community. Everything is falling
into place for us.” It doesn’t hurt, he adds,
to be back near Mary and Bucky Poling, his
parents and the boys’ grandparents, plus a .
10
number of cousins and other members of
their extended family.
For the next three years Eddie will be back at
A-B, finishing his degree in Music Educa-
tion. “I decided,” he says, “that I wanted to
work with kids rather than with twenty-year-
olds who were just out for the money. That
gets pretty old.”
Sara smiles.”You know, it doesn’t go well if
you argue with God, and that’s sort of what
we were doing. This is definitely where
we’re supposed to be.”
Philippi Baptist Church has become im-
portant in the Poling scheme of things, for
with his excellent voice and musical training,
Eddie is heading up the Praise Team and is
singing in the chancel choir, and Sara is help-
ing with the nursery class. Everyone who has
gotten to know them and see them in action
agrees—they are a blessing to this church and
to the community. This is definitely where
they belong.
The Board of Christian Education
Invites everyone to Fall Game Night, Saturday,
October 16th from 6-8p.m.. Bring a game, if you
like, and a favorite snack (drinks will be provided).
There will be an assortment of games for all ages.
The Board of Christian Education
Would like to present a children/youth Christmas
program on December 19th. We are looking at pro-
grams that would not involve lots of rehearsals. Be-
fore we choose a program, we need to get an idea of
how many would be interested in participating.
Please let Sarah Ferguson, Cheryl Wolfe or Kelly
Bracey know if you would like to be involved.
Remember
In
Happy Birthday
Prayer...
Happy Birthday
A-B College faculty, staff and students, Happy Birthday
Frank Bolyard, Russell Bolyard, Connie Happy Birthday Happy
Boylen Booth and husband Gary,Fred Birthday To all of you…
Brookover, Dorris Byrer, Blaine Corder, Jordan Price, Eric Wolfe, Tom Kines, Michelle Prusa,
Bob Byrne, Pete Ferguson, Austin Whitman,
Jim Friend, Jonnie Friend, Otilia Franke, Sharon Hebb, Mike Ravis, Betty Irvine, Stephen Lewis,
Carl Gant, Jane Gibbons, Paul Goodman, Joan Hill, Carla Campbell, Brent Wolfe, Eli Campbell,
Harmony Grogan, Janet Hotsinpiller, Megan Stull Reil, Becky Phillips Miller,
Pastor Jon Villers, Jim Kines, Mary Tamulitis,
Betty McDaniel, Amanda Means, Georgeann Davis.
Greg Mouser, Kasey Mouser,
VioletMouser, Brenda & Gary Price,
Jean Propst, Mary Reynolds, Don Happy Anniversary
Schierling, Loueda Shaffer,
Vangie Shaffer, Steve Shaw, Danny & Melissa
Dr. Richard Shearer,Gerry Sutton, Franke.
Mary Tamulitis, Gary Tetreault, ,
Ross & Molly
Cindy Wannamaker, Steve Lessor, Campbell.
Don Stemple, Joshua Morgan and family,
Alexa Jennings and Jeremy Hunt.
————————————————
Unspoken requests for family members, unsaved,
person and community concerns, those with job
and home loss, financial difficulties. Our nation-
al, state, and country leaders and officials. Vic-
tims, the families and friends of crime, war and
Fall Retreat
violence throughout our country. Military per- Oct.8-10
sonnel and their families throughout the world. $45
Relatives and friends of those serving our coun-
try: Amanda Howard, Tim Jenkins, Chris Camp Cowen
Mossburg and Taylor Smith. Only $35 if it’s
your first retreat!!!
Please make check
payable to BCM and
We offer our deepest mail to: BCM
condolences to the families who Campus Christian Cen-
ter 5th Ave. & 17th
have lost loved ones.
St. Huntington, WV
The Family of Granvil George, 25755 Check out
The Family of Anita Simmons, www.wvbcm
The Family of Rev. Dr. Tim “upcoming events” for
Maddox. driving directions

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Philippi Baptist Church
107 Church Street Nonprofit Organization
Philippi, West Virginia 26416 U.S. POSTAGE
Permit NO. 36
Philippi, WV 26416

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