Calling all women!  If you are wondering what the women of West Oaks will be doing this Fall, don’t miss the brunch this coming weekend - after the 9am service.  We are asking you bring a dish to share and we will provide the beverages.  My desire would be to see every woman from the West Oaks community participate in this brunch.  As all of us have heard and have been challenged to take on the character of Christ, I believe this is one of those opportunities to get involved in something greater than yourself.  So, mark your calendar now to spend an hour or so with other women who want to grow and mature into the woman God has created them to be.  For additional information please call Patti Novak at 352-989-7478.

[By Rob Ross]
Recently Pastor Hunter mentioned in a service that he was traveling to speak and stay at Windsor Castle in the English country side of Berkshire. This brought me back to the summer of 2006 when my wife and I had a chance to visit the castle as tourists.

After our commute from London, we paid to park our car in the public areas below the castle and walked up the long hill to stand in line to buy our tickets to see this magnificent structure. After spending time in line to purchase our tickets we then proceeded up the long walk past the formal entrance to stand in another long line at the back of the castle to actually go inside. Our time in the castle consisted of viewing things from afar and walking inside roped areas. We saw Windsor Castle.

How different Pastor and Mrs. Hunter’s visit must have been from ours. They were probably driven up to the formal entrance, met by the staff and shown around. I can picture them casually walking and viewing the art and architecture, not being shoved along by hundreds of others as we were. I imagine dinner in the formal dining room, with soft music playing, after which they retired to their room. Their Own Room IN The Castle! They experienced Windsor Castle.

What about you? Do you know and have you experienced God? John 14:23 says: Jesus replied, “If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.” He also says in John 10:10; “…..I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”

Once you experience Him, you will find true joy, hope and peace, impacting all areas of your life. Your relationship with family, friends and colleagues will be different. Your Bible will come alive when you read and study it. Worship will become deep and meaningful. You will find that He speaks to you throughout the day. You will delight in serving the Lord.

Finally, you will not just attend church, but as Pastor Vernon says, you will BE the church.

Help the West Oaks junior and senior high youth support the Faith Neighborhood Center in Clermont by donating household and non-perishable items.

Suggestions include

– Diapers of all sizes (especially 3, 4 & 5)

– Laundry detergent – Paper towels

– Women’s hygiene products

– Canned fruits & vegetables

– Canned tuna, ravioli, soups

– Boxes of cereal

– Spaghetti sauce, boxes of pasta

– Macaroni and cheese, rice, boxed potatoes

– Snack bars, pop tarts, crackers

– Peanut butter and jelly

Reminder lists are available in the West Oaks chapel foyer on the second Sunday of each month. Donations should be dropped off the third Sunday of each month Details: Rafael Benitez Jr. (407-299-9749) Thank you!

Good Morning,

Thank you again for all of your notes, thoughts and prayers while I have been traveling.  To my wife Sue, thank you for allowing me to do this.  Today I head home.  Yesterday the pace was much easier.  After breakfast we entered the traffic jams of Sofia on our way to visit with Pastor Evgeniy.  Pastor Evgeniy is the pastor of Northlands partner church here in Bulgaria.  We had a wonderful visit together as he shared his heart and ministry here in Sofia and all of Bulgaria.  God is leading him to challenge his people to join missions works around the world.  Can you imagine when Northland sends out a Distributed Journey (Missions Team) that we are joined by others from Bulgaria!  Very exciting when you think about it.  We are honored to have people like him as partners.

The rest of the day we visited a possible hotel for the future teams, ate and talked.  It is all about relationships, as it should be.  This has been a theme through out my visits.  God has knitted us together in Christ and now we need to get to know each other.  I am very impressed with the different ministries I have visited.  Gods work is in very capable hands.  We need to pray and to support them in their efforts.

I will keep this post short and will share more when I get home.  Today I leave Sofia about 3pm, travel to Frankfurt Germany where I will spend the night then back to the USA to arrive home about midnight Sunday.

THANK YOU  again!

Blessings,

Rob

Good Morning!

Another full day.  We visited and provided programs at a retirement home, another orphanage had dinner in the head pastors home and attended a small bible study in the evening.  During the day we visited the home of pastor, Alexander.  He and his wife are the proud parents of a new baby boy, Mark.  Baby and mother just arrived home from the hospital on Wednesday and I think Alexander just needed to get home and get his baby "fix".  Very proud parents.  Mark will grow up in a home of love and one that honors God.  I have no doubts he will be used greatly in God.

The time with this church group is intense.  Everything is done, said or built to glorify God and to further the Gospel.  The people chose to live in different areas of Sofia so they can be a witness and hopefully start a small group that will lead to planting a church.  The homes they live in are chosen or built because of the size of the living areas that can accommodate groups for bible studies, prayer meetings and possibly a church.   How they can serve the community by feeding the poor and elderly is to glorify God and be a witness.  I could go on and on but I’m sure you get the point.

You can view a video I made of children in one of the orphanages last time I was here in Bulgaria

www.youtube.com/watch?v=eyPcdyosNnI

When I see how this group serves their communities by feeding the poor and elderly by doing programs of love for orphans and those in "retirement" homes and the many other types of outreach I am humbled.  God has used their witness to give them favor in the eyes of the government and others.  Can you imagine going to a government office and asking for the names and address of people you want to serve and getting them.  Can you imagine in some cases the government providing you space so you can serve the community?   

GCM has been provided with many opportunities to come to Bulgaria and to serve the church by serving and preaching the gospel.  Our plans are to bring a small group in September.  Part of the group will be painting and doing small carpentry work in an orphanage and a retirement home.  The other part of this group will be working with the church in evangelism.  There are many opportunities to share the gospel to the groups they serve and to the church.  Now the work of logistics begin.

THANK YOU for your prayers, thoughts and notes!  I love reading the notes on my Blackberry during the day and sharing them with those around me.  Sometimes when I get a chance to answer them it is while being a passenger in the back of a car or van.  While I am trying to type replies I feel like I am being tossed around like a fighter pilot because of the bad roads and the aggressive driving.

Until later,

In Christ,

Rob

March 10, 2008
Greetings! I have arrived in Sofia Bulgaria after spending a few days with our ministry friends in Turkey. For those of you who don’t know I am part of a missions group called Global Church Ministries. I serve on the board as a director. GCM has ministry that it supports in Turkey and God seams to be inviting us to serve in Bulgaria.
Bulgaria is home to over 1-million Turk’s. This time in Bulgaria we are continuing to build a relationship with a group of churches and discovering where we can serve them in their work. You can visit GCM’s website but at this time it has a few problems in that it was “hacked” again by a Muslim group. www.globalchurchminitries.us
Today (Wednesday) we are going to visit an orphanage, an old-folks home, a soup kitchen and attend a prayer meeting tonight. It is all very exciting. Last night over dinner the leaders shared their vision for their ministry and their work. We are praying and discussing the possibility of GCM taking two small teams here in September. One team will focus on evangelism and the other will work to fix-up an orphanage or some other work project. I hope after this week I can share more.
Thank you for your prayers and notes. They mean so much to me.
In Christ,
Rob Ross

It’s Not To Late To Join A Group!

Orlando Group 4
Mondays
7pm
No child care
Ross Home 6152 Masters Blvd Orlando FL 32819
Led by Rob and Sue Ross 321-948-2512

Apopka Group 1
Wednesdays
7-9 pm
No child care
Krepcho Home 1932 Madison Ivy Circle Apopka FL 32712
Led by Dave Krepcho and Steve Arnold 407-718-6936

West Oaks Group 1
CLASSROOM EXPERIENCE
Sundays
10:45am - 12pm
Child care available
West Oaks Campus
Led by Tommy Novak and Steve Arnold 407.949.7191

West Oaks Group 2
Wednesday
6:30 – 8pm
No child care
Weldon home 13808 Amelia Pond Dr. Windermere FL 34746
Led by Tommy Novak 407.949.7191
Winter Garden Group 1
Saturdays
6-8 pm
No child care
Hall Home 1330 Brandy Lake View Circle Winter Garden FL 34787
Led by Deb Hall 321-662-9586

Serving at the Second Harvest Food Bank was an amazing afternoon of fellowship! (click on picture to view larger size)

You’re Invited All Christians who believe and acknowledge the power of prayer and the biblical mandate to pray for other believers (II Chronicles 7:14, I Timothy 2:1-3) are invited to participate in a special time of devotion and prayer time led by local Christian Leaders and Promise Keepers Co-Founder, Bill McCartney.
Join us on Tuesday, January 22, 6:30 – 7:30am at First Baptist Orlando - Faith Hall (3000 S John Young Pkwy, Orlando Fl 32805)
There is no greater work we can do as believers than to pray! And, there is no higher task we can perform as citizens of the United States than to pray for the people who are running to be our next President, as well as for a mighty move of revival across our country. Our prayers do move the hands of God!
If you are unable to join us, you can still participate by praying on the following:

• Father, Give us a President who hears and obeys Your voice. John 10:27
• One who is led by Your spirit & trained by Your word. Hebrews 4:12
• One who denies himself daily and takes up his cross and follows You. Luke 9:23
• And Father, give our nation a leader who serves from the heart and is filled with Your truths.

Come and join others from West Oaks to sort donated foods into Emergency Food Boxes for families in need. This is a family friendly, fun activity and you can clearly see the fruits of your labor once those boxes add up.
Saturday, January 26, 9AM – Noon
Second Harvest Food Bank
1918 Princeton, Orlando, Fl
Please come and put your faith in action.
Details: Dave Krepcho (407-718-6936)