SIGNIFICANT
“I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5, ESV)
Mini Devotional
A mini message to take with you this week to help you in your devotion to God.
“Significant But Not Too Big For Our Britches”
Devotional By: Robert Roach
It was early spring in 1982, and I was home from college and speaking to one of my dad’s history classes at Franklin County High School. After I finished my historical talk and I answered a few questions my father said, “a little knowledge is a dangerous thing”. He made no other comment except later when he pointed out that I did not need to play with the keys in my pocket while speaking. I was 19 and thought I knew more than just about anyone. With very few words my father tempered my enthusiasm and more importantly my arrogance.
A little over 15 years later at my grandmother’s funeral at First Christian Church I was supposed to speak about my grandmother. We had been unusually close. I rose to speak and said one word at most and could not continue. I went back to the row where my parents were sitting, and my father hugged me and said he loved me. In a household where he often was the embodiment of the Roman concept of paterfamilias this was very unusual and so critical for me.
Why do I bring up these two stories. I bring them up to remind all of us that as individuals in the kingdom and as members of the Holly Hill church of Christ that serves as broader instrument of the kingdom we must never be “too big for our britches”. As individuals and as a body we must exemplify the Beatitudes. Just to share one, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” We must allow the Potter to mold us more and more toward humility and a recognition that God is infinitely bigger and more important than each of us and our congregation. Yet as individuals we are wonderful and beautifully made. We are created in the image of God. Individuals as part of congregations are used by God to do more than they can think or imagine. It is my hope and prayer that God will use each of us through this congregation to strengthen and advance the kingdom.
News
This section is for any special announcements that are not upcoming events or prayer requests.
Parker did it all on his own and was so proud of it! Everything in black was added by Emmie 🥰
An Update On Emmie
Wednesday, September 4th
WE FINALLY GET TO COME BACK TO KENTUCKY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The Neruo team came yesterday to go on and take a fluid sample to send for culture. The past two times that we’ve done cultures, within the first 24 hours they have come back with “light growth”. Today, now over 24 hours since the culture was taken, it is showing NO GROWTH!! Typically the culture takes about 72 hours to be finalized, but since this time is already showing a difference from last, they are confident in their current plans with antibiotics, enough to SEND US OUT OF HERE!!!
Now the staff is working on all of the logistics of getting us discharged from here and accepted at Frazier to be transferred! This will take a couple of days for everything to get worked out, but it sounds like the plan is for us to get moved early next week!!
We don’t have anything set in stone as of yet. I of course will keep updated once we do!
All praise and glory be to God Almighty for such a great answer to all of our prayers!! My goodness I cannot thank you all enough for continuing to pray with us through this whole process. We couldn’t get through any of this without the support of our community!!
Monday, September 2nd
Tomorrow marks 2 months since the day our lives changed. Two months since the accident. Time flies, but it also feels like it never moves. But since we are hitting a “landmark” I thought it would be a great idea to give a more detailed update on how Emmie’s therapies are going so far! This will be a long one- I don’t think I’ve ever really given a lot of details about where she’s at and how far she’s come!
First things first: this week determines what our next couple of months will look like. They will be taking another sample of the fluid off her head this week to send for culture. Whatever the results of that say, determines if we get to come back to KY for rehab, or if we have to stay here in Knoxville for potentially another surgery. So I beg of all of you prayer warriors, PLEASE pray that the cultures come back with NO GROWTH this week!! Once we get the all clear from that then we can start planning our move to rehab!
As I have said many times, despite all of the medical challenges that Emmie has faced in the last few weeks, she is excelling with PT and OT! Her fine motor skills are basically where they were before the accident with her right hand- she can hold a marker/crayon/paint brush like normal, and she loves to paint and color! I even got her to write an E and M to try and write her name (as she was able to before)! Her left hand is a little weak, but she is using it more and more, and those skills will also come back with more time. She understands everything we tell her and follows all commands appropriately, although her sassy little 3-almost-4-year-old attitude likes to outshine most of the time 😜 Before we left PICU last week she got on a tricycle and rode it around the unit flawlessly! We thought she was trying to ride it back to KY she was going so fast!!
When she started walking she had to wear a special-made brace because she had slight fractures to some of her mid-spine. The orders were for her to wear the brace anytime she was upright and moving around out of bed. So we put her brace on and PT/OT would hold her trunk, while I would hold a hand and she would take steps. She had been walking up on her toes (which they said is common for brain injury and having been in bed for so long). Then the therapists brought in a special walker for her to better stabilize herself with and she did SO well with that! Last week before we left PICU we got some repeat scans of her spine, which showed NO fractures! So that meant we got to ditch the brace! Now once we made it down here to the floor, we got her some tennis shoes, and after some good practice this week Emmie is walking basically unassisted and independently!!!!! (We do still hold on to a hand, mostly for our own sanity and nervousness 🙃).
She has a hard time bending down from standing to pick up something off the floor, and sometimes a hard time going from standing to sitting. She gets scared of falling, so movements like that will take her time to master again and overcome! She will also have to relearn how to dress herself and put things like her shoes and stuff on. But that all will come with time.
The biggest hurdle that we are facing with her therapy is speech. Yes, after her most recent surgery she did say a lot of words, very clearly! Every now and then, when she isn’t really thinking about it she will talk and say a couple of words such as “mommy or daddy”. But it only lasts a minute and then she stops. So her speech right now is very minimal, if really anything at all. The other thing that comes along with speech is the ability to eat by mouth. She is NOT interested in anything going to her mouth. We are allowed to offer her soft foods that melt in the mouth like cheerios, but she doesn’t want it. She can swallow but we haven’t had an official swallow study (to make sure she isn’t aspirating anything into her lungs), and we wont until she is more interested in food- we don’t want to make any aversion worse. Thankfully we have the g-tube where she is able to get proper nutrition in the meantime.
I apologize for such a long post, but I really felt like sharing about how far she has come in a short two months! She has exceeded all of our expectations for being this soon into recovery. Yes we do still have a ways to go, but I believe once we finally get to the inpatient rehab she will continue to improve and soar even higher! I also wanted to share all of this to give our prayer warriors specific things to help pray over for her recovery process as well.
Again, we pray this week will give us the best news regarding the culture results and will allow us to get to leave asap! Of course, regardless of my own wishes and wants, it is all in the Lord’s timing and healing over Emmie. I fully trust His plan and I know that He has Emmie’s best interests at heart! All praise and glory be to Him forever and ever ❤️
Men’s “Willingness To Serve” Survey (Submit NLT 9/8)
We would like to encourage the men of the congregation to take 5 minutes and complete the survey linked below, to let us know who’s willing to serve and in what areas of ministry.
We’ve emailed many of you individually earlier this week, sending out a link to the survey that could be completed electronically. We’ve received word back that some of the emails may have gone to your spam folders. If you check your inbox or spam folder, you can still complete the survey and submit it back electronically. If you’ve already completed the survey and submitted it back to me, you DO NOT have to submit it again.
The link copied below will need to be printed and then submitted back to the church email account (office@hollyhillcoc.org) or just given back to Matthew Woodyard. If you’re unable to print, please let us know and Matthew will make sure you receive a paper copy.
Thank you for taking the time to complete this survey and most importantly, thank you for your service to God’s church!
Women’s Ministry Introductory Meeting
The Women's Ministry Introductory Meeting will be Sunday, September 15th at 5:15 PM downstairs in the Fellowship Hall. For more information, contact Vickie Wise.
Praise Report: Baptism
Michael Mundt’s welder helper, Edwin, was added to the Lord’s church this morning in Baptism. Praise be to God for His faithfulness and giving us the gift of life through the death of His son.
Church Records: Sunday, September 1st
Bible Class Attendance - 63
Worship Attendance - 102
Contribution - $10,498.00
Prayers
Here are some individuals that especially need our prayers this week. Please keep them in mind every time you pray.
New Prayer Requests:
Odis & Shauna Satterley & Family (Matthew Woodyard’s friends; Shauna had a heart attack)
Brenda Perkins (Covid)
Brian Stapleton (The Clark’s friend; Cancer)
Charlie Caldwell (Fractured Shoulder)
Bruce Blanton ( Had routine tests run this week)
Katie Bell (Back)
Polly Deaton & Family (Moved into Senior Living Facility)
Ongoing Prayers For: Emmie Forrest, The Nora McCarty Family (Friend of Robin Mayes), Rita Tackett (Alyson Woodyard’s aunt), David Bird, Phil & Suzanne Wilkins, Mike Lay, Casey Maddox & Family (Friend of Susan Kennon), Sharon Smither (Adam Owens’ mother-in-law), Brenda Perkins (Multiple Sclerosis), Larry & Renita Clarke, Libby Smith, Lori Armstrong (friend of April Deaton, battling cancer), Cecelia Bryant (Jim Clark’s sister, recovering from surgery due to an aneurism), The Best & Drury Family, Jerry Roberts (member of the Clark family, who’s suffered a brain bleed), Thelma Spears (member of the Clark family, who’s recovering from a heart attack), Iris Griffin (Inez Chatham’s niece), Jessie Tropoulos, Kyle Cordial (Val Clark’s friend), The Stone & Sanders Family, Karen Durham (Val Clark’s friend), Britney Bartley (Val Clark’s friend), Jim & Val Clark, Amber Collins, Janice Gregory, Missy Farmer (friend of Dorothy Trent), Tim Lilly, Tanya Phipps (Brenda Stone’s niece), Robin Ibershoff, Roger Caudill, Judy Casey, Inez Chatham, John Widener Jr., Cynthia Whitehead (friend of the Blanton’s), Ann Pittman, Mark McPherson, Janis Friend, Betty Blanton, Helen Hall, Penny Harland (Katie Bell’s mother), & Alyssa Deaton.
Please submit your prayer requests for inclusion at office@hollyhillcoc.org
Upcoming Events
Here are some events that are coming up that you need to make space on your calendar for.
Sunday Morning Service - Sunday, September 8th (10 AM - 12 PM)
Bible classes for all ages begin at 10 AM. Our adult class will meet in the auditorium and the children’s classes meet downstairs. Bible Classes end at 10:45 AM and our worship service begins at 11 AM, upstairs in the auditorium.
Men’s Business Meeting - Sunday, September 8th (4:30 PM)
There will be a Men’s Business Meeting on Sunday, September 8th at 4:30 PM. We’ll meet at the church building, downstairs in the Fellowship Hall. All male members of the church are encouraged to attend.
Sunday Evening Worship - Sunday, September 8th (6 PM)
A traditional worship service each Sunday night at 6 PM. Our Sunday evening services continue until the start of Life Groups.
Mid-Week Service - Wednesday, September 11th (6:30 PM)
Bible classes for all ages. Adults meet in the auditorium and kids meet downstairs. The adult class for the summer quarter is “Bee in The Word,” taught by Elijah Bell.
Sunday Morning Service - Sunday, September 15th (10 AM - 12 PM)
Bible classes for all ages begin at 10 AM. Our adult class will meet in the auditorium and the children’s classes meet downstairs. Bible Classes end at 10:45 AM and our worship service begins at 11 AM, upstairs in the auditorium.
Women’s Ministry Meeting - Sunday, September 15th (5:15 PM)
The Women's Ministry Introductory Meeting will be Sunday, September 15th at 5:15 PM downstairs in the Fellowship Hall. For more information, contact Vickie Wise.
Sunday Evening Worship - Sunday, September 15th (6 PM)
A traditional worship service each Sunday night at 6 PM. Our Sunday evening services continue until the start of Life Groups.
Mid-Week Service - Wednesday, September 18th (6:30 PM)
Bible classes for all ages. Adults meet in the auditorium and kids meet downstairs. The adult class for the summer quarter is “Bee in The Word,” taught by Elijah Bell.
Sunday Morning Service - Sunday, September 22nd (10 AM - 12 PM)
Bible classes for all ages begin at 10 AM. Our adult class will meet in the auditorium and the children’s classes meet downstairs. Bible Classes end at 10:45 AM and our worship service begins at 11 AM, upstairs in the auditorium.
Sunday Evening Worship - Sunday, September 22nd (6 PM)
A traditional worship service each Sunday night at 6 PM. Our Sunday evening services continue until the start of Life Groups.
Women In The Word - Tuesday, September 24th (6 PM)
A Bible study group for ladies who want to learn Bible study tools for a deeper relationship with God, hosted and taught by Katie Bell. This class will meet on the 4th Tuesday (6 PM) of each month downstairs in the Fellowship Hall.
Mid-Week Service - Wednesday, September 25th (6:30 PM)
Bible classes for all ages. Adults meet in the auditorium and kids meet downstairs. The adult class for the summer quarter is “Bee in The Word,” taught by Elijah Bell.
Sunday Morning Service - Sunday, September 29th (10 AM - 12 PM)
Bible classes for all ages begin at 10 AM. Our adult class will meet in the auditorium and the children’s classes meet downstairs. Bible Classes end at 10:45 AM and our worship service begins at 11 AM, upstairs in the auditorium.
Italian Potluck Meal - Sunday, September 29th (Immediately Following Worship)
Our 5th Sunday Potluck meal is Sunday, September 29th immediately following worship downstairs in the Fellowship Hall. Our theme for this month’s potluck is Italian. For further information, contact Robin Mayes.
How You Can Serve
There are a lot of ways you can get involved and do the work of God in our community!
Limited-Time Opportunities:
Life Group Sign-Ups
Schools started back, summer’s winding down, and we’re entering into one of our favorite seasons here at Holly Hill. No, I’m not talking about Fall. It’s Life Group season and we need volunteers!
If you’re interested in hosting, facilitating, or both, please make sure you sign up on the sign-up sheet posted to the bulletin board in the foyer.
Pack The Pulpit For Westridge Elementary's Backpack Program
It is that time of year again! Our service project for the year at Westridge Elementary School Backpack Program. We are going to pack the pulpit in: October, December, February and April. We need individual servings of food that can be microwaved and easy to open pull top tabs.
If you have any questions, please see Jenny Jones or Sonia Roach.
Items Needed:
Ramen Noodles (Beef, Chicken & Shrimp)
Oatmeal Packets
Nutri-Grain Bars
Easy Mac
Chef Boyardee Cups
Vienna Sausages
Granola Bars
Fruit Cups
Fruit Gummy Snacks
Applesauce Cups
Cheez-its
Hot Chocolate
Protein Bars
Slim Jims
Raisins
Corn
Green Beans
Peas & Carrots
Cheese Dippers
Individual Cookie Packs
Beanie Weenies
Tuna Kits
Soup Cups
Cheese & Crackers
Pudding Cups
Cereal Cups
Pop Tarts
Fruit Rollups
Rice Krispies Treats
Pork-N-Beans
Pretzels
Operation Re-Stock The Food Pantry
The Food Pantry needs to be re-stocked. During the upcoming months we will be asking for specific food donations. There will be a box in the foyer for you to place your food donations. Thank you so much and let’s make Operation Re-Stock a success!! For the month of September, we need:
Kool-Aid (Individual Packs)
5 lbs. Bag of Sugar
Long-Term Opportunities:
Meal Train & Potlucks
If you would like to sign-up for either the Meal Train or the Potluck and haven’t received an email from Robin Mayes, please contact her by phone (502-330-3361) or email (rdmbears@yahoo.com).
Youth Activities Planning Commitee
Are you looking for a ministry to get involved with at Holly Hill & still consider yourself to be young at heart? Look no further! For further information, contact Bruce Blanton.
Women’s Ministry
Are you interested in learning more about Holly Hill’s Women’s Ministry? Want to get involved? Contact Vickie Wise today and find out everything you’ll need to know to get started!
Tech Team Support
The Holly Hill Tech Team needs help. We would love to have a few more people trained and available to set up the livestreams and audio equipment. It’s a fairly simple task and you’ll be well trained before being thrown into the seat alone. If you’re interested, see David Jones, Brad Gregory, or Brad Proctor.
Card Ministry
Every Sunday there are cards spread out on a table in the lobby that will be sent out to various church members and guests who need encouragement. You can help serve and encourage by making sure to sign these cards each week. If you know of someone the church should send a card, please give the name(s) and address to Joyce Best. We have “get-well” cards, “thinking of you” cards, “praying for you” cards, and sympathy cards. You can also text the information to (502) 593-5865.
Casey Blessing Box
The Casey’s are collecting items to give away to those in need in their Blessing Box. Currently, they are accepting donations of:
Can Goods (Fruit & Vegetables)
Crackers
Cereal
Shriners Children’s Hospital
Donna White is collecting soda can tabs to donate to the children’s hospital. Please leave your donations in the lobby.
Children’s Bible Class Teachers & Helpers
If you’d be willing to teach, sub, or help, please see a member of church leadership. We have a wonderful opportunity to teach God’s Word to our children. Let’s make sure they get our very best! Thank you!
For more information or for help signing up for any of these ministries, please call the church office at: (502) 227-7796
Holly Hill Church of Christ
1020 Holly Hill Drive, Frankfort, KY 40601
Web - www.hollyhillcoc.org
Phone - (502) 227-7796
Email - office@hollyhillcoc.org
Service Times
Sun AM Bible Study - 10am
Sun AM Worship - 11am
Sun PM Worship - 6pm
Wed PM Bible Study - 6:30pm