Chapel Library Receives Book Donations
Posted February 16, 2012

Glenna Bodecker, WBC secretary, has announced that the Chapel's Lending Library collection has grown recently with some new contributions. She has provided a list of the titles available in our current collection and encourages people to consider reviewing titles in their personal collections to find appropriate works to donate to the Chapel's library.

An online catalog of all of the items has been added to the "Our Library" page of this website. For each item, the title, Bible book, author, category, publisher, and date are listed. Categories include such things as Bibles, Biography, Christian Fiction, Christian Living, Commentary, Reference, Devotional, Sermons, Videos, and Music CDs.

Interest Survey for Mission Trip to Guatemala
Posted February 16, 2012

The White Bluff Chapel Global Missions Committee is considering organizing a mission trip to Guatemala City in October if enough interest in participation can be generated among our membership. The trip would involve a three- to five-day stay plus two travel days. The cost estimate is set at $800, based on round-trip airfare of about $600 and housing in the dormitories at Casa Bernabé.

White Bluff Chapel supports a wonderful new mission in Guatemala – Casa Bernabé. At Casa Bernabé's campus near Guatemala City, 150 orphaned, abandoned, and abused children are housed, cared for, educated, and loved.

The children at Casa Bernabé benefit from a broad range of services, including counseling, education, special needs education, health care, and recreation. The Christian identity of the orphanage is explicit and purposeful. The main focus is to introduce the children to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

The committee members are seeking to ascertain the level of interest among Chapel members in making a missionary journey to Guatemala to meet the children and staff members at Casa Bernabé. If there is sufficient interest in the trip, the committee will schedule an informational potluck lunch on Sunday, March 25, at 11:30.

Please respond to Liz Umble, Sara Edwards, or the church office if you are interested.

Lenten Activities Announced
Posted February 16, 2012

John Upchurch, chairman of the WBC Worship Committee, has announced the special activities planned in observation of this year's Lenten/Easter season, beginning with our Ash Wednesday Service on February 22 and continuing through Easter Sunday on April 8.

Notable services include Ash Wednesday, the Stations of the Cross, Maundy Thursday Communion Service, Good Friday Tennebrae Service, the Sunrise Easter Service and breakfast, and our regular Easter service.

Additionally, a series of six Devotional readings, written by invitation by WBC members, will be published one per week during Lent. They will appear on the chapel website, starting on the Thursday following Ash Wednesday, as well as in the following Sunday's bulletin. 

The calendar of events with meeting times and locations (if different from the Sanctuary) includes:

• Wednesday, February 22, 7:00 pm - Ash Wednesday Service
• Friday, March 30, 3:00 pm – Stations of the Cross
• Thursday, April 5, 7:00 pm - Maundy Thursday Service (including Communion)
• Friday, April 6, 7:00 pm – Tennebrae Service
• Sunday, April 8 – Sunrise Service on the Bluff near the hotel (with breakfast following in Fellowship Hall)
• Sunday, April 8 – Regular 9:15 am Service

The Lenten Devotional readings will appear in the Sunday Bulletin each Sunday after appearing on the chapel website the previous Thursday. Contributing authors include Lyndol and Julia Brown, Caroline Upchurch, Wes Mitchell, Zelpha Thomason, Lanette Browder and Kay Lea Scott.

Another special feature of our spring events will be this year's annual retreat, occurring on the weekend of March 16 – 18 and featuring guest speaker, Dr. James Fleming, Director of Biblical Resources Study Center.  Dr. Fleming's lecture topic for the three-day event will be, "The Rest of the Story - The Lives of the Apostles." Sessions will be held at the chapel and will run Friday evening at 7:00, Saturday from about 10:00 – 3:00, and Sunday at 9:15, during the regular worship service. More details will follow.

Search the WBC Website
Posted February 16, 2012

A Search box has been added to the home page of the White Bluff Chapel website. Located in the upper left corner, it can be used to search for words or phrases found just on this website.

The search box uses Google technology. Google typically recognizes updates to the site after a few days. Searching for something posted more than a week ago should give you good results. Be aware that anything posted within the last week or so, though, may or may not show up.

Note also that "What's Happening" articles remain on the website only as long as they are relevant, but all other articles are archived on the site "forever".

So next time you recall there was an article on something you want to review, but can't recall exactly where you saw it, try this out.

On the Road to Recovery
Posted February 9, 2012

Click photo to enlarge

Last October, a new column on our website made its debut. We called it "On the Road Again," and our original idea was for WBC members, as they travel and encounter evidence of God's presence in nature, in people or in experiences, to look for opportunities to jot down some musings in their journal or even on the back of a napkin.

But a new perspective has emerged in some of the contributions, dealing with the road to recovery from grief or health issues. So, with that in mind, each time we feature a new article for this column, it will be introduced by the title of either "On the Road Again" or "On the Road to Recovery," as is appropriate. Our first piece in this new category deals with the road to grief recovery.

Who Will Dethrone Monica Allen?
Posted February 2, 2012

Chili cooks, experienced or aspiring, are urged to put on their aprons and get out the chocolate, peppers, cinnamon, mustard or whatever and start mixing and cookin'.

The Third Annual Chili Cook-Off, sponsored by the WBC Men's Ministry, is scheduled for Sunday, March 4, 2012. The judging will start during fellowship, immediately after the Worship Service.

Who will dethrone Monica Allen? Monica has won the Grand Prize for the last two years with her amazing recipe. Both years there was a tie that had to be resolved with a taste-off.

There will be five categories:

• Chili HOT
• Chili Regular to Mild
• Chili with Beans
• Wild Game Chili
• Vegetarian Chili

Chili will be judged on five characteristics:

• Color (red preferred)
• Consistency
• Taste
• Aftertaste
• Aroma

First place awards will be given in all categories with an Over-All Champion selected from the five winners. The judges have been selected: One is a true-blood Texan who knows chili cooking inside and out; another knows just what's healthy to eat and what is not (would your chili pass?); and the third, well let's just say, is hardly a Texan and will be looking from the bottom of the pot up. Three great judges!

Registration forms should be completed and turned in no later than Thursday, March 1, 2012.

Immediately following the judging, a chili lunch will be served with corn bread. All attending will have the opportunity to taste every entry. For further information, email Harry Seurkamp or call him at 694-7206.

New Church Directory Planned
Posted January 19, 2012

Mark your calendars! Pictures for the new church pictorial directory will be taken April 18th – April 21st. Olan Mills will again publish the directory. Make your plans to be in White Bluff during that week. A sign-up table for appointment times will be available in Fellowship Hall beginning in March.

If you have questions or are interested in helping with the new directory, call Tonia Chapman at 694-3737.

Spring Retreat Speaker Announced
Posted November 10, 2011

Dr. James Fleming, Director of Biblical Resources Study Center, has accepted White Bluff Chapel's invitation to serve as our spring retreat guest speaker for the annual event scheduled for March 16 – 18, 2012. Dr. Fleming's lecture topic for the three-day event will be, "The Rest of the Story - The Lives of the Apostles."

The Biblical Resources Study Center (BRSC) is an ecumenical organization serving Christians around the world and also produces audio-visual aids for teaching Bible history, geography, archaeology and theology. Dr. Fleming has developed courses of study in historical geography and biblical history, uniquely tying the studies with the biblical text and emphasizing the wedding of theological/faith relationships.

Dr. Fleming lived and worked in Israel from 1974 to 2006, where he founded and directed the World of the Bible Archaeological Museum and Pilgrim Center in Jerusalem. Currently, he divides his time among four major activities—1) lecturing around the world, mainly in the United States, Great Britain, Australia, New Zealand, South America and South Africa; 2) leading study tours to the Holy Land and the Mediterranean World; 3) teaching guide courses in Israel and directing ministries of Biblical Resources in Israel and U.S., and 4) supervising the Explorations In Antiquity Center in LaGrange, GA.

Dr. Fleming holds an Ed.D. degree from Southwestern Theological Seminary in Fort Worth and has also taught classes in the School for Overseas Students at Hebrew University in Israel. He serves as an adjunct faculty member of a number of accredited graduate schools that have sent their students to study in Israel.