There will be burgers and hot dogs, chips, and bottled water served for $5 per person/max of $20 per family.  We also ask that you bring a favorite dessert to share.  

There will be time to just relax and meet new people, play on the playground (for the young), play kickball (for the young at heart), play ultimate frisbee (for the wild at heart), or just enjoy a spring night out!  Make plans to join us on April 21!  

P.S.  Eskimo Sno will also be present for those wanting their first sno cone of the season- cost $1 per sno cone.

Experiencing Life While Dying with ALS

On Easter Sunday 2013, you probably heard this great story of how God has been at work in Ricky Wyatt’s life since his diagnosis of ALS.  In case you missed it, or in case you want to share this story with others, we have posted the video here.  Join us in praying for Ricky and his family . . . and PRAISING GOD for the hope He gives in our darkness.

Join us on Sunday night, April 7 from 5:30 – 7:30 PM (come and go) in the Fellowship Center at Wildwood Community Church for a fundraising pancake dinner for Julie Russell.  Julie, one of Wildwood’s missionaries to Nicaragua, is in need of a kidney transplant.  Transplants (and the medications required post transplant) can be quite expensive, and we want to help bear this load with the Russells.

Therefore, we have scheduled this pancake dinner.  There is no set cost for the meal.  Generous (tax deductible) donations are encouraged, but certainly not required.  We want to show the Russells that we are in this with them for the long haul.

Join us Sunday night April 7 in the Fellowship Center!  Live music, testimonies, good food, a great cause, and good friends.  Have a short stack for a tall cause with us!

If you cannot make it and/or would like to make a donation for Julie’s transplant online, you can do so by clicking here to take you to her fundraising page on the NFT site.  OR, if you prefer to not make your donation online, you can help by making a tax-deductible donation to NFT in honor of Julie. If you’d prefer to send your gift by mail, please send it to the NFT Oklahoma Transplant Fund, 5350 Poplar Avenue, Suite 430, Memphis, TN 38119. Please be sure to write “in honor of Julie Russell” on the memo line.  

Wildwood will not be taking special donations on the Russells behalf.  For various tax reasons, we are encouraging all tax deductible donations on their behalf be made through the NFT.

For more information, contact Kimberly Robinson at kimberly116@gmail.com

March 29: 6:30 PM  - Good Friday Service.  This special time of worship is designed to help us remember and reflect upon our sin AND Jesus’ death on the cross that paid the FULL penalty our sins deserved so that we might have a relationship with God.  No childcare is provided, but people are encouraged to attend this service with their entire family.  There will be interactive elements, communion, singing, and a short reflection from God’s Word led by Pastor Mark Robinson.

March 31: 9:30 AM or 10:50 AM – Resurrection Sunday Celebrations.  These two identical worship services will allow us to celebrate and reflect upon the significance that Jesus rose from the grave!  There will be a great time of praise and worship, testimonies, and an Easter themed sermon from Teaching Pastor Bruce Hess.  Full children’s ministry will be running during both worship services.

Nicaragua Mission Trip – June 3-9.  Working with ministry partner “One by One,” we will be conducting children’s ministry outreaches, doing light construction work, and learning about life and ministry in this Central American Country.  For more information, contact Wildwood Missionary in Residence Kevin Bradford at kevin@wildwoodchurch.org.

Latvia Mission Trip – June 12-23.  Working with ministry partner Talsi Christian School in the town of Talsi, Latvia, we will be hosting a Christian summer camp for orphans.  For more information, contact Senior Pastor Bruce Hess at brucehess@wildwoodchurch.org.

Brazil Mission Trip – July 12-22.  Working with a local church near the city of Sao Paulo, we will be hosting English clubs and Vacation Bible Schools.  For more information about this trip contact Wildwood’s Missionary in Residence Kevin Bradford at kevin@wildwoodchurch.org.

Next Steps for all 3 Trips include:

• Filling out an application form and returning it to the church office by March 6.
• You will find out if you are selected to be a part of one of these teams by Friday, March 8.
• If you are selected, you will need to give a $100 deposit by Friday, March 15 to accept your spot.

As you are aware, we have been prayerfully searching for our new Student Ministry Pastor (6th-12th Grade) for the past several months.  We are excited to announce that the Elders have extended the job (pending congregational affirmation) to Jonathan Holmes and he has accepted!  

As is required in our church constitution, this Elder decision must be affirmed by the congregation.  We will begin this affirmation process on Sunday, February 17.  This will begin a two-week period where the congregation can submit an affirmation ballot to either affirm or not affirm the Elder’s recommendation to hire Jonathan.  You can record your affirmation vote electronically (and securely) via the form at the bottom of this page.

Some of you may be wondering if we are hiring one or two people in our Student Ministry area (one for High School, the other for Middle School).  The answer is one . . . for now.  We still believe this is a two staff area, but want Jonathan to get established before we add a second staff member to the Student Ministry team.

While this is most likely new “news” to many of you, it is the product of a many month search and interview process.  We received well over 100 applications for this job, and had serious conversations with 8 or so candidates.  After prayerfully working through this process, the Elders are excited and confident that Jonathan is the man for the job.  We can’t wait for you to meet the Holmes!

Over the past two months Jonathan and Amber have been able to meet with the Elders, our staff team, youth volunteers, and a focus group of parents of Youth WAV students.  All feedback has been very positive.

In short, we are very excited for you to meet Jonathan and Amber!

Here are some specifics:

• Jonathan is in his last semester at Dallas Theological Seminary earning his Masters in Theology degree.  
• He has 7 years experience as either an intern or a Pastor in local church youth ministry.  
• He has his undergraduate degree from Missouri State University in Springfield, MO, and grew up in Springfield.
• Amber currently works in the Media department at DTS.  Jonathan currently works as the Junior High Pastor at The Heights Baptist Church in RIchardson, TX.
• Previously, Jonathan has worked as a youth intern at a baptist church in Springfield and as a Junior High Staff team member of the Youth Ministry at Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, TX.
• Jonathan and Amber have a huge passion for youth ministry.  They want to pour out their lives into students in a local church setting like Wildwood.  They have a great spiritual depth, but also are both fun people.  
• They are both 24 years old and have been married 3 years.  They have no children.Though they are young in age, they are deep in maturity.  
• When we talked to Jonathan’s references they told me things like “He is one of the top 5 people I have ever known working with youth.”  “He and Amber are loved by kids, volunteers, and parents alike.” “We will do whatever we can to keep them on our staff team.”
• They currently lead a Junior High ministry (7th and 8th graders) that is roughly the size of Youth WAV (6th – 12th) so they are familiar with the needs of leading a large group . . . this includes the need to work through a great volunteer team and in partnership with parents.
• They are quality people who love the Lord, are very skilled in ministry, and have a passion for youth.  We also think they are a great fit for Wildwood.
• Due to Jonathan finishing seminary this spring, he will not be available to start here at Wildwood until the end of May.

Sunday, December 16:  9:30AM & 10:50AM — Sunday morning worship services.  Worship Services include children singing in the services (preschool at 9:30, elementary school at 10:50).  Pastor Bruce Hess will be preaching.

Sunday, December 23: 9:30AM & 10:50AM — Sunday morning worship services.  Worship service includes our worship team’s now famous version of “Carol of the Bells.”  Pastor Bruce Hess will be preaching.

Monday, December 24: 7:00 PM — Candlelight Christmas Eve Service for the entire family.  Pastor Mark Robinson is preaching.

Sunday, December 30: 9:30AM & 10:50AM — Sunday morning worship services.  We will be having a special time of “open mic” sharing where people can share how they have seen God work in the past year.  This service is a Wildwood tradition!

FPU classes meet for around an hour and a half each week for nine weeks.  Wildwood’s Financial Peace class begins on Wednesday night, January 9 at 6:15 PM in Room 1 at Wildwood.  The class will run 9 weeks and be facilitated by Jeff Russell.  In order to sign-up for the course and purchase the required $89 participant kit, please complete the registration process on Dave Ramsey’s website by clicking here.  We look forward to seeing you there! 

• Give financially to the Ready for Takeoff initiative.  You can do this by either making a one time gift or by making a commitment for what you could give over the next 12 months (from December 2012 – December 2013).  
• Remember, due to the generosity of a few, every dollar you give up to $750,000 will be matched, doubling your gift!  (Even a $40 gift per month for the next 12 months would end up being a $1,000 gift after the match.  Every gift is important.)  
• The initial offering for Ready for Takeoff will be on December 2, 2012 in our Sunday services, but you can give online right now by clicking here and marking your gift for Ready for Takeoff.
• Commitment cards can be turned in during the worship services on December 2, or submitted confidentially online below.