Personal Invitation to Christmas Eve Celebration

You are invited to a Special Christmas Eve Celebration entitled,
Worship the Christ this Christmas ... “O Holy Night”

Presented by Southwest Church
meeting at Coffman Family YMCA (88 Remick Blvd; Springboro, OH)
on Friday, December 24 (5:30 pm & 7:00 pm)


A Personal Christmas Letter

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that
whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16 NIV

Christmas is rapidly approaching, and as believers we seek to comprehend the amazing gift of God’s Son, Jesus Christ. It is also a great time of year to reflect on the other gifts that God has generously poured into our lives.

One of the precious gifts in my life is the opportunity to work and worship with Southwest Church. It is truly a privilege to serve alongside so many dedicated followers of Christ in this church family. I also find great encouragement in observing individuals consistently growing in their faith and love for the LORD. It is with great anticipation that I look forward to what God has in store for us as a congregation in the future!

On a personal note, thank you for the encouragement and support that you have consistently given to me and my family. My hope and prayer is that you will have a meaningful Christmas Season and a Happy New Year!

The Invisible Becomes Visible

This past Sunday, December 12th, was an incredible day for the Southwest Church. In the cold and snow we celebrated the ceremonial ground breaking of our future Worship and Community Center. Since Sunday’s ground breaking ceremony, it has been encouraging to see the site surveying and preliminary construction work begin on the church property.

Sunday’s breakthrough was a long awaited moment, as we have been praying, planning, and saving for this faith project for years. I couldn’t help but recognize the fitting timing of the groundbreaking taking place during the Christmas Season. At Christmas, we celebrate the miracle of God’s Son coming to this earth and revealing a God that we cannot see. The meaning of this spiritual reality is described in the Bible as follows: “Christ is the visible image of the invisible God” (Colossians 1:15 NLT).

Our ceremonial ground breaking was in a real way a visible statement of a dream that we have held in our hearts for years. The dream to build a church building that not only will be a worship center during the weekend, but also a resource center throughout the week to the community (and surrounding communities) to meet real needs in people’s lives. As a church in some ways, we have been invisible to our community in the past since we don’t have a visible church building. In the future we are determined to have a more visible presence in the community, so that we can demonstrate God’s love in tangible ways throughout the week.

The Bible states that it is God’s plan for Christ to be revealed to every generation through the Church. Listen to this description of the church, “Christ is also the head of the church, which is his body” (Colossians 1:18 NLT). Please pray and dream with me as we seek to live out what it means to be Christ’s body in this world and to be the visible presence of Christ to a world that desperately needs to know his love, grace, and truth.

Let’s always remember that the church is not a structure, but it is a community of people who are following Christ. And let’s not wait until the church building is completed, to actively live out what it means to be the body of Christ in our world. Realizing the challenge for the church is to embody the teachings and love of Christ to our family members, friends, and neighbors who don’t yet have a personal relationship with God, so that we can be the visible representatives of an invisible God!

Special Moment in Ground Breaking

Individuals participating in Southwest Church Worship and Community Center Ground Breaking: Rod Poppe, Amy Phillips, Carol Hughes (Executive Director of Springboro Chamber of Commerce), William S________ (5 year old representative of Southwest Children’s Ministry); Lee Wagoner; Roger Hendricks; John Agenbroad (Springboro Mayor); Joe Garland; Scott LeBlanc, and Jordan Barnhart. All representatives listed above not designated serve on the church’s leadership team.

Enjoying the Moment

This was a special day as we celebrated a long awaited moment that we had been praying about for years!

Celebrating Historic Moment

Members of the Southwest Church family celebrate this historic milestone in the church's history!

Ground Breaking Celebration

Southwest Church in Springboro celebrated a special Ground Breaking Ceremony on Sunday, December 12th for the future Worship and Community Center to be located at 150 Remick Blvd (next door to the Coffman YMCA). The ceremonial ground breaking took place on the church property (next door to the Coffman YMCA) immediately following the weekly Sunday Worship Gatherings at the YMCA. In addition to the members of the church, representatives of the YMCA, local Chamber of Commerce, and City of Springboro Government attended this historic milestone in the life of the church.

The future Worship and Community Center will be a multiple use facility that will not only provide a great location for the church’s weekend worship gatherings, but it will also be able to serve as a resource center for the community throughout the week. In addition to the auditorium that will seat almost 400 people, the church is designed to have age appropriate rooms for the church’s active children and student ministries. The church’s construction partner (general contractor) is Sunrush Construction Company from Chillicothe, OH.

Southwest Church will continue to offer two weekly Sunday morning worship gatherings at 9:00 am and 10:35 am in the Coffman Family YMCA until the future church building is completed. In addition to the weekend worship opportunities, the church also provides additional discussion groups, support groups, and special gatherings like the upcoming Christmas Eve Celebrations at the YMCA on December 24th at 5:30 pm and 7:00 pm. The construction of this 12,000+ square feet structure will enable the church to offer more opportunities to serve the people of Springboro and surrounding communities in the future.

For more information regarding the Southwest Church visit the church’s web site at www.southwestchurch.org or call the church office at 937.885.0720.

Upcoming Ground Breaking

Southwest Church in Springboro is excited to announce a special Ground Breaking Ceremony on Sunday, December 12th at 11:45 am for the future Worship and Community Center to be located at 150 Remick Blvd (next door to the Coffman YMCA). The ceremonial ground breaking will take place outdoors on the church property (next door to the Coffman YMCA) immediately following the 10:35 am Sunday Worship Gathering. The public is invited!

Site work on the church property is actually scheduled to begin the week of December 5-11, but the church will formally celebrate this historic milestone on Sunday, December 12. The future worship and community center will be a multiple use facility that will not only provide a great location for the church’s weekend worship gatherings, but it will also be able to serve as a resource center for the community throughout the week. In addition to the auditorium that will seat almost 400 people, the church is designed to have age appropriate rooms for the church’s active children and student ministries.

Southwest Church presently offers two weekly Sunday morning worship gatherings at 9:00 and 10:35 am in the Coffman Family YMCA. The construction of this 12,000+ square feet structure will enable the church to offer more opportunities to serve the people of Springboro and surrounding communities in the future. For more information regarding the Southwest Church visit the church’s web site at www.southwestchurch.org or call the church office at 937.885.0720.

Telling The Story … Telling My Story!

I love December! It is the month of the year that we celebrate and tell once again the story of the Son of God entering our world and living for awhile among us. I love to tell the story of the birth of Jesus Christ and the meaning behind his miraculous entrance into our world! And yet as much as I love to tell the story of Christ’s birth, I also find it challenging at times to tell this amazing true story at the end of every year in a fresh and authentic manner.

The same challenge is present when it comes to telling my personal story of faith. In a small group fellowship that I participate, we have been discussing the importance of writing, practicing, and sharing a personal testimony. So earlier this week, I set aside some time to type a written account describing my personal faith journey. Although I have told my story for years, I actually found it a challenging (and yet a refreshing) experience to write a brief “2 minute version” of my faith story.

Here are some questions that have guided me in the writing of my story (and possibly they will guide you in writing your faith story):
• What was my life like before I met Christ?
• How I realized I needed Christ?
• How I committed my life to Christ?
• What difference has Christ made in my life?

As I reflect on the huge difference that Christ has made in my life (and continues to make in my life), I recognize the importance of continuing to look for opportunities to tell my personal story! God has commissioned every believer to be his representative in this world and to share with others the hope that he brings into our lives. The following Bible verse describes the importance of being intentional regarding this important mission: “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have” (1 Peter 3:15 NIV).

Just as I never grow tired of telling my personal story as I reflect on the hope that I now have in my life as result of being in a relationship with Christ. The same is true regarding telling “The Story” of the birth of the baby named Jesus … “and his name will be the hope of all the world” (Matthew 12:21 NLT).

Have you discovered personally the hope that Jesus offers? If so, then you too have a story to tell!!