Thursday, January 3, 2013
I'm Taking Them Home
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
God Helps Those Who Trust in Him
Are you familiar with the quote, "God helps those who help themselves"? I've heard that over and over again for years and I've always accepted it as truth....until now. Do you know what part of the Bible that quote comes out of? Well, that was a trick question because contrary to popular belief, Benjamin Franklin said that at some point during his life. It is not found in the Scriptures. So, I feel compelled to write about it. I really get excited about learning new things about Scripture, so I'd like to share my excitement with you.
It kind of makes sense though, right? I mean, if we don't at least take a step in the right direction, then how can God help us do whatever it is that we're trying to accomplish? Well, my answer to that is this. God has made many promises to us, but what Ben Franklin said was not one of them. God promises us that He will be with us (Matthew 28:20) and also that He will give us what we need (Matthew 6:33). Note that the word is "need", not "want". But the thing is, there's something we have to do first. In Matthew 6:33 it says, "Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need (NLT)". But, our friend Ben said that we get help if we help ourselves. Did you catch the difference here? Ben is telling us that our own efforts will gain the attention of God. That couldn't be further from the truth. The truth is that we tend to help ourselves to sinful behavior. But, what God wants from us is that we seek Him first and live our lives according to the way He has commanded us because our lives are not about us, believe it or not. They're about Him. Now, when we do what He tells us and live how He wants us to, it's never a bad or dull thing because He blesses us immensley! I hear all the time about things people don't want to give up to be a Christian. I've been there too. But when we live according to His will, our lives change for the better! God really does want the very best for us because we are his children. Wouldn't you want only the best for your child? He is the same way! Though, as loving and compassionate as He is, He is also very jealous (Exodus 34:14). He wants our full devotion and attention. He doesn't want to share our affection with the temporary pleasures of this world. We've all been hearing about how the world is to end this year. Some believe it and some don't, which is fine. But Jesus says in Matthew 24:36 that no one knows when the end of time will happen. Not even He knows! Only the Father knows when, but the thing is, it WILL happen. And when it does, all that will be left will be us and Him. Our possessions, our hobbies, our jobs, and everything else will be left behind. So, what do you think will be worth it in the end? Living how you want temporarily and losing your soul? (Matthew 16:26) Or making sacrifices to live according to the will of God? Because only one will have eternal rewards and I think you know which one that is.
So, instead of relying on the words of Benjamin Franklin, let's place our trust in the Word of God, shall we? I'm about 1000% sure that God knows and loves us more than Mr. Franklen does. So, I think I'll dare to change his quote on him. "God helps those who trust in Him." Yes, that sounds much better.
It kind of makes sense though, right? I mean, if we don't at least take a step in the right direction, then how can God help us do whatever it is that we're trying to accomplish? Well, my answer to that is this. God has made many promises to us, but what Ben Franklin said was not one of them. God promises us that He will be with us (Matthew 28:20) and also that He will give us what we need (Matthew 6:33). Note that the word is "need", not "want". But the thing is, there's something we have to do first. In Matthew 6:33 it says, "Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need (NLT)". But, our friend Ben said that we get help if we help ourselves. Did you catch the difference here? Ben is telling us that our own efforts will gain the attention of God. That couldn't be further from the truth. The truth is that we tend to help ourselves to sinful behavior. But, what God wants from us is that we seek Him first and live our lives according to the way He has commanded us because our lives are not about us, believe it or not. They're about Him. Now, when we do what He tells us and live how He wants us to, it's never a bad or dull thing because He blesses us immensley! I hear all the time about things people don't want to give up to be a Christian. I've been there too. But when we live according to His will, our lives change for the better! God really does want the very best for us because we are his children. Wouldn't you want only the best for your child? He is the same way! Though, as loving and compassionate as He is, He is also very jealous (Exodus 34:14). He wants our full devotion and attention. He doesn't want to share our affection with the temporary pleasures of this world. We've all been hearing about how the world is to end this year. Some believe it and some don't, which is fine. But Jesus says in Matthew 24:36 that no one knows when the end of time will happen. Not even He knows! Only the Father knows when, but the thing is, it WILL happen. And when it does, all that will be left will be us and Him. Our possessions, our hobbies, our jobs, and everything else will be left behind. So, what do you think will be worth it in the end? Living how you want temporarily and losing your soul? (Matthew 16:26) Or making sacrifices to live according to the will of God? Because only one will have eternal rewards and I think you know which one that is.
So, instead of relying on the words of Benjamin Franklin, let's place our trust in the Word of God, shall we? I'm about 1000% sure that God knows and loves us more than Mr. Franklen does. So, I think I'll dare to change his quote on him. "God helps those who trust in Him." Yes, that sounds much better.
Thursday, April 5, 2012
Easter is a Pagan Holiday....What???
A year ago today, I was getting ready to move home from my college town. Before I made the official move, I came down to spend Easter with my family and home church that I missed so much. At the time, I was busy with my own life and wasn't involved in the church like I am now. I remember hearing the familiar things about Jesus rising from the dead and everything, but also things about "no Easter egg hunts" and whatnot. I was kind of confused because that seemed like a fun activity we could do to get the kids involved, but Northside had a rule I wasn't aware of; no Easter egg hunts. Ever. I supposed it made sense because, I mean, what do colored eggs have to do with the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ anyway? It's something I've always wondered, but I accepted it regardless. Well, this year, I got the answer. Now I know why we have that rule and I totally understand completely! It's so exciting to learn new things about things I thought I've always known! I'm itching to share it with you!
Before we get into Easter, we have to know a bit about Jewish history. When the Israelites (Decendents of Abraham and God's chosen people) were being brought out slavery in Egypt, there were the ten plagues on Egypt, right? The final one was the death of every first born child and livestock animal in Egypt. To protect the Israelites from this plague, God told them to sacrifice a lamb and spread its blood on the doorposts. That way, the angel of death would pass over their houses and spare their first borns. This was the first Passover. A year after this happened, God told the Israelites to celebrate the Passover every year during the month of Abib (which was in early spring. March or April, depending on the phases of the moon. That's why Easter isn't the same date each year. (Exodus 13:4). So, jump ahead to the time of Jesus during the month of Abib. The Jews at the time would be preparing for the Passover feast. But this Jesus fellow was causing a scene and riding into town on a donkey. The people of Jerusalem were happy because they thought they were getting a king to deliver them from the Romans. This was Palm Sunday. Also known as Lamb Selection Day to the Jews. They had to select a perfect lamb with no defects. (Notice a connection there? Not yet? Keep reading.) Now, the gentiles (non Jews) at this time were worshipping many pagan or false gods. Know of Appollo? Zeus? Aphrodite? Those are pagan gods. How about Eastre? Know about her? Eastre (one of the many different ways of spelling her name) was the goddess of fertility. Funny how it looks like Easter....Well, the pagans celebrated the Spring Equinox at the same time as the Jews were celebrating the Passover. So, for their goddess, Eastre, they would make sacrifices and they had many symbols for fertility; rabbits and eggs were symbols of life and fertility, and easter lillys were a phallic symbol for fertility. Dyed eggs were hung in Egyptian temples for their goddess. So, both of these celebrations were happening at the same time, and in an attempt to not offend anyone (over years of time), the celebrations were combined to create our familiar Easter holiday. Do you think that the word "Easter" is in the Bible? If you said, "yes", then you're right. If you said, "no", then you're also right. Easter is mentioned ONLY one time in ONLY the King James Version. In every other translation, the word is "Passover". Why would KJV be different? Because when it was written, they didn't want to offend people! Have I offended you? If I did, sorry, that's the way it is. But honestly, I don't believe that people today celebrate Easter with eggs and bunnies because they want to honor Eastre, the fertility goddess. It is enlightening to know where all of the nonsense comes from though, right? All of the uncertainty with colored eggs and Jesus can be subsided now that you know the truth. Speaking of the truth, remember what I said about Lamb Selection Day being the same day that Jesus rode into town? That was symbolic for Jesus being THE selected Lamb. Then, on Friday, when the Jews would sacrifice their lambs in rememberance of the Passover, Jesus was sacrificed as the pure and blameless Lamb for all of our sins. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 5:7, "Christ, our Passover Lamb, has been sacrificed for us." Now, the difference between the lambs sacrificed by the Jews and our perfect, blameless Lamb named Jesus is that on Sunday, Jesus did something that no other lamb had ever done: He rose from the dead! If that isn't an act of God, I don't know what is. The 20th chapter of the gospel of John tells exactly what happened here. I'll let you read that on your own, so you can make your own discoveries about a story you thought you've always known. This is the reason Christians exist. The miraculous event of Christ rising from the dead proves that He was and is the Son of God. That He died to take all of our sins away so that we can have everlasting life with Him when we die (John 3:16). That is the Good News of the Gospel. Happy Resurrection Sunday!
Before we get into Easter, we have to know a bit about Jewish history. When the Israelites (Decendents of Abraham and God's chosen people) were being brought out slavery in Egypt, there were the ten plagues on Egypt, right? The final one was the death of every first born child and livestock animal in Egypt. To protect the Israelites from this plague, God told them to sacrifice a lamb and spread its blood on the doorposts. That way, the angel of death would pass over their houses and spare their first borns. This was the first Passover. A year after this happened, God told the Israelites to celebrate the Passover every year during the month of Abib (which was in early spring. March or April, depending on the phases of the moon. That's why Easter isn't the same date each year. (Exodus 13:4). So, jump ahead to the time of Jesus during the month of Abib. The Jews at the time would be preparing for the Passover feast. But this Jesus fellow was causing a scene and riding into town on a donkey. The people of Jerusalem were happy because they thought they were getting a king to deliver them from the Romans. This was Palm Sunday. Also known as Lamb Selection Day to the Jews. They had to select a perfect lamb with no defects. (Notice a connection there? Not yet? Keep reading.) Now, the gentiles (non Jews) at this time were worshipping many pagan or false gods. Know of Appollo? Zeus? Aphrodite? Those are pagan gods. How about Eastre? Know about her? Eastre (one of the many different ways of spelling her name) was the goddess of fertility. Funny how it looks like Easter....Well, the pagans celebrated the Spring Equinox at the same time as the Jews were celebrating the Passover. So, for their goddess, Eastre, they would make sacrifices and they had many symbols for fertility; rabbits and eggs were symbols of life and fertility, and easter lillys were a phallic symbol for fertility. Dyed eggs were hung in Egyptian temples for their goddess. So, both of these celebrations were happening at the same time, and in an attempt to not offend anyone (over years of time), the celebrations were combined to create our familiar Easter holiday. Do you think that the word "Easter" is in the Bible? If you said, "yes", then you're right. If you said, "no", then you're also right. Easter is mentioned ONLY one time in ONLY the King James Version. In every other translation, the word is "Passover". Why would KJV be different? Because when it was written, they didn't want to offend people! Have I offended you? If I did, sorry, that's the way it is. But honestly, I don't believe that people today celebrate Easter with eggs and bunnies because they want to honor Eastre, the fertility goddess. It is enlightening to know where all of the nonsense comes from though, right? All of the uncertainty with colored eggs and Jesus can be subsided now that you know the truth. Speaking of the truth, remember what I said about Lamb Selection Day being the same day that Jesus rode into town? That was symbolic for Jesus being THE selected Lamb. Then, on Friday, when the Jews would sacrifice their lambs in rememberance of the Passover, Jesus was sacrificed as the pure and blameless Lamb for all of our sins. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 5:7, "Christ, our Passover Lamb, has been sacrificed for us." Now, the difference between the lambs sacrificed by the Jews and our perfect, blameless Lamb named Jesus is that on Sunday, Jesus did something that no other lamb had ever done: He rose from the dead! If that isn't an act of God, I don't know what is. The 20th chapter of the gospel of John tells exactly what happened here. I'll let you read that on your own, so you can make your own discoveries about a story you thought you've always known. This is the reason Christians exist. The miraculous event of Christ rising from the dead proves that He was and is the Son of God. That He died to take all of our sins away so that we can have everlasting life with Him when we die (John 3:16). That is the Good News of the Gospel. Happy Resurrection Sunday!
Monday, April 2, 2012
Silver Ring Thing
Since the weather has gotten nice, we've been taking advantage and having class outside. It's been great. Some of us have also been going to the YMCA on Monday evenings to workout on machines and do Zumba. The biggest news recently with the youth group though, is absolutely our trip to the Silver Ring Thing event. Silver Ring Thing is a high energy event put on by a group of people who travel around the country promoting sexual abstinence. The event was full of fun music and lights, great speakers, and an impacting message of God's expectations of our behavior when it comes to sex. It was presented in a way that really moved those there. Two students who went with other groups accepted Jesus that night and nearly all of my teenagers left with a ring and a new promise to God that they will wait until marriage for sexual intimacy. I also got a ring. Not only for my own sexual purity, but to remember to pray for my teenagers and their purity journey also. Our society is so filled with pressure to engage in sex as soon and as often as possible because "it feels good", "it makes us cool", and "it means that we're loved". So ultimately, many people (it's probably safe to say that most people) give into the pressure. Well, this event was for all of us who fit under that category too because our God is a God of second chances. The angels rejoice in Heaven when someone repents of their sins and turns to God. We all make mistakes in our lives and do the opposite of what God wants from us. I do too. But the good news is that Jesus took away all of those sins when He died on the cross. All we have to do is accept His grace and we are forgiven. Simple as that. I don't care what you've done; premarital sex, theft, perpetual lying, excessive drinking, adultry, or even murder. God is big enough to wash away ANY sin and make you new again. All He wants is you. All of you. Because He loves you and wants only the best for you. For real.
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
The Story and Other News
Since the beginning of January, the whole church has been excited about our new Bible study on The Story. (Perhaps I'm more excited than anyone.) The Story is a 31 week study of the Bible that is unbelieveably organized and is put in plain English. I can't compliment it enough. Everybody gets a Story book that they read on their own and what's great about it is that it's not in "Bible format". What I mean by that is that it doesn't have all the chapters and verses, and it is written to sound and feel more like a novel, so it is easier to read and understand. Then, add that with the sermons and follow up Sunday school lessons and the picture is painted crystal clear. I am learning so much by this process of starting at the very beginning and working our way through the Bible. Another great thing about it is that even with the chapter, the sermon, and the sunday school lesson, there still isn't time for everything, so it leaves you hanging. It leaves you hungry for more. This way, we are all the more encouraged to crack open that Bible we carry around, but often neglect. This comming Sunday will only be week three, but I am all kinds of impressed with it already and I'm itching to learn about stories I don't even know exist yet and dive deeper into the stories I've heard my whole life.
The kids seem to enjoy the program as well. Of course, they aren't quite excited about it as I am since it may feel more like school, but they have lessons on the same things the adults are studying. They are just presented differently to accommodate the different age groups. Now, I usually talk about all the fun events we have coming up, but there has not been much planned for January with the starting of The Story and everything. We do plan to go to Winter Jam in St. Charles, MO on Saturday, but I am having a difficult time finding another adult to drive and chapperone, so unfortunately, the trip may be cancelled. It breaks my heart to do that, but sadly, I don't have a bus in my back yard. Hopefully, someone will be available between now and then. I'd like to ask you to keep our group in your prayers as we are in desperate need of youth sponsors at Northside. Thanks and God bless.
The kids seem to enjoy the program as well. Of course, they aren't quite excited about it as I am since it may feel more like school, but they have lessons on the same things the adults are studying. They are just presented differently to accommodate the different age groups. Now, I usually talk about all the fun events we have coming up, but there has not been much planned for January with the starting of The Story and everything. We do plan to go to Winter Jam in St. Charles, MO on Saturday, but I am having a difficult time finding another adult to drive and chapperone, so unfortunately, the trip may be cancelled. It breaks my heart to do that, but sadly, I don't have a bus in my back yard. Hopefully, someone will be available between now and then. I'd like to ask you to keep our group in your prayers as we are in desperate need of youth sponsors at Northside. Thanks and God bless.
Thursday, January 5, 2012
New Year, New Opportunities to Spread God's Word
Hello there. It has definitely been a while since I've posted. My apologies. Since September, the kids and I have had tons of fun with different events and stuff. In October, we had the Halloween Lock-in where we all dressed up (I was a pirate) and "trick-or-treated" for canned goods for the Food Pantry. We had a football player, a hippie, two hobos, and other fun costumes, I'm sure...I just don't remember them. I'll make it a resolution to keep up with this blog so I don't forget things. We only went around to a few of our church members' houses; but, with extra donations after the fact, we collected a lot of stuff! The Pantry was grateful for our donation. So, thank you to everyone who gave! Well, we stayed up all night long playing games, eating junk food, and rehearsing for Youth Sunday in the morning. It was a bigger project this time. We had almost all of the music planned and we came up with an entire dance to tobyMac's Diverse City. If I can get the video of it on YouTube, I'll post a link here. It turned out really great considering that the kids were exhausted and rather grumpy. Ha! Just kidding...but really...
In November, I took two of the jr. high kiddos to Bond Christian Service Camp for a weekend for the Jr. High Retreat. We had a great time making new friends, worshipping to awesome music, and learning how to live with "reckless abandon" for Jesus. One of the stories of the weekend was Joseph and how he went from being sold into slavery by his brothers to being an incredibly important person in all of Egypt. Unbelievably, a few days later, I found out that the Hoogland Center of the Arts in Springfield was playing Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat a few weeks later. So, I gathered up a handful of interested youth and the six of us took a road trip to Springfield to see the show and it was AWESOME! With the extra time we had, we walked a few blocks down 6th Street to Cold Stone, which none of them had experienced before. Though the show was fantastic and the ice cream was delicious, they were most interested in the expired parking meters. Ha! That's an exaggeration of course, but the whole trip was just super fun.
Then, in December, we had a Christmas party and secret santa gift exchange where the gifts had to be made. Not everyone abided by that rule, but it was fun anyway. We played Christmas Trivia where, on our turn we either answered a question about the Nativity Story, Christmas movies, or had to sing a Christmas song. Guess which category nobody liked? Yes, every time someone had to sing, they forgot every word to every Christmas song ever played...ever. Teenagers are so funny! I plan a lot of fun events and things to do, but we also are learning a lot too. And now that Northside has begun our study on The Story, we will learn even more. I am all kinds of excited about The Story because it's so organized! I'm not the most organized person in the world (it's on my list of resolutions), so having such a great tool that's being used by EVERYBODY in the church is a dream come true for me. Now...to get the kids to do their homework. That will be a challenge, I'm sure.
Just recently, to bring in the new year, we travelled to Shiloh for a New Years Eve Eve Lock-in. (What is it with me and lock-ins anyway?) Well, I've been corresponding with other youth ministers about this particular event for months and it was big! Another youth sponsor and I took six kids to this event and we all had a ball. There were tons of different things to do, so the kids were never bored. We adults were in charge of the big, inflatable bungee run from 12:15am - 3:00am and there were tons of kids wanting to do that the whole time. Did I mention that there were 250+ kids at this thing?? It was crazy! But, again, there were plenty of things to occupy them. Like, lazer tag, makeovers for the girls, basketball, dodgeball, ping pong, an inflatable velcro wall, Rock Band, other video games, worship time, a talent show, food, and tons of people to hang with. It was nuts, but super fun! I'm sure we'll do it again next year...or really this year.
Speaking of this year, I think it will be even better than last year! I'm still very new at this, but my hopes are that I'll get the hang of things, get more organized, and get a handle of what I'm teaching so that we, as a youth group and as a church can grow in numbers and in our individual walks with Christ so that we can go out into the world and do what we all have been told to do: spread the Word of God. Please keep us all in your prayers that we will have the courage and the tools we'll need as God's plan for us unfolds. Let's go on an adventure, shall we?
God bless!
In November, I took two of the jr. high kiddos to Bond Christian Service Camp for a weekend for the Jr. High Retreat. We had a great time making new friends, worshipping to awesome music, and learning how to live with "reckless abandon" for Jesus. One of the stories of the weekend was Joseph and how he went from being sold into slavery by his brothers to being an incredibly important person in all of Egypt. Unbelievably, a few days later, I found out that the Hoogland Center of the Arts in Springfield was playing Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat a few weeks later. So, I gathered up a handful of interested youth and the six of us took a road trip to Springfield to see the show and it was AWESOME! With the extra time we had, we walked a few blocks down 6th Street to Cold Stone, which none of them had experienced before. Though the show was fantastic and the ice cream was delicious, they were most interested in the expired parking meters. Ha! That's an exaggeration of course, but the whole trip was just super fun.
Then, in December, we had a Christmas party and secret santa gift exchange where the gifts had to be made. Not everyone abided by that rule, but it was fun anyway. We played Christmas Trivia where, on our turn we either answered a question about the Nativity Story, Christmas movies, or had to sing a Christmas song. Guess which category nobody liked? Yes, every time someone had to sing, they forgot every word to every Christmas song ever played...ever. Teenagers are so funny! I plan a lot of fun events and things to do, but we also are learning a lot too. And now that Northside has begun our study on The Story, we will learn even more. I am all kinds of excited about The Story because it's so organized! I'm not the most organized person in the world (it's on my list of resolutions), so having such a great tool that's being used by EVERYBODY in the church is a dream come true for me. Now...to get the kids to do their homework. That will be a challenge, I'm sure.
Just recently, to bring in the new year, we travelled to Shiloh for a New Years Eve Eve Lock-in. (What is it with me and lock-ins anyway?) Well, I've been corresponding with other youth ministers about this particular event for months and it was big! Another youth sponsor and I took six kids to this event and we all had a ball. There were tons of different things to do, so the kids were never bored. We adults were in charge of the big, inflatable bungee run from 12:15am - 3:00am and there were tons of kids wanting to do that the whole time. Did I mention that there were 250+ kids at this thing?? It was crazy! But, again, there were plenty of things to occupy them. Like, lazer tag, makeovers for the girls, basketball, dodgeball, ping pong, an inflatable velcro wall, Rock Band, other video games, worship time, a talent show, food, and tons of people to hang with. It was nuts, but super fun! I'm sure we'll do it again next year...or really this year.
Speaking of this year, I think it will be even better than last year! I'm still very new at this, but my hopes are that I'll get the hang of things, get more organized, and get a handle of what I'm teaching so that we, as a youth group and as a church can grow in numbers and in our individual walks with Christ so that we can go out into the world and do what we all have been told to do: spread the Word of God. Please keep us all in your prayers that we will have the courage and the tools we'll need as God's plan for us unfolds. Let's go on an adventure, shall we?
God bless!
Monday, September 26, 2011
Fun Stuff!
Hi there!
The youth and I have been up to no good lately! Just kidding. Last night, we had our very first Youth Kickoff and it was a BLAST! We had lots of different games where you could win tickets, face painting, popcorn, and lemon shake-ups. At the end, the tickets were put into drawings for prizes and everybody wanted the two tobymac CDs! We all got wrist bands, key chains, silly bands, dog tags, and t-shirts, but only a lucky 10 got Christian CDs and I tell you what, they were coveted by all! We had all kinds of fun thanks to the many helpers! Then, we enjoyed a potluck/BBQ dinner with the rest of the congregation.
The next event we have coming up is a Halloween Lock-in on the weekend of Halloween. We will have a costume contest (appropriate costumes only), games, junk food, and all kinds of fun. Then, when the sun comes up, we will put on Youth Sunday for the morning service. I can only imagine how much coffee and sugar we'll need to stay awake for church in the morning after staying up all night going crazy! I've put on one other lock-in in the past and it went well, so I'm sure this one will be just as fun! While we're dressed up, we will "trick-or-treat" for canned and unperishable foods for either the Inner City Mission of Springfield or for the local food pantry. Both places are always in need of food. As a congregation, we collected a large bundle of unperishable foods for the ICM just recently. I know they will be thrilled to recieve our donation. I want to continue to do services such as this with the kids to show them how important and how gratifying it is to help others. I'm looking forward to the Christmas season because WIBI always does a "Random Acts of Christmas" program and I want for us to do a kindness for someone who needs it as a group. We will also do a "secret santa" kind of thing among each other where we'll make gifts for each other for Christmas. Additionally, we will do Operation Christmas Child boxes again this year. Those are always fun!
We have a lot we want to do, so please continue to pray that we are doing the will of God in all that we do! Thanks for reading!
The youth and I have been up to no good lately! Just kidding. Last night, we had our very first Youth Kickoff and it was a BLAST! We had lots of different games where you could win tickets, face painting, popcorn, and lemon shake-ups. At the end, the tickets were put into drawings for prizes and everybody wanted the two tobymac CDs! We all got wrist bands, key chains, silly bands, dog tags, and t-shirts, but only a lucky 10 got Christian CDs and I tell you what, they were coveted by all! We had all kinds of fun thanks to the many helpers! Then, we enjoyed a potluck/BBQ dinner with the rest of the congregation.
The next event we have coming up is a Halloween Lock-in on the weekend of Halloween. We will have a costume contest (appropriate costumes only), games, junk food, and all kinds of fun. Then, when the sun comes up, we will put on Youth Sunday for the morning service. I can only imagine how much coffee and sugar we'll need to stay awake for church in the morning after staying up all night going crazy! I've put on one other lock-in in the past and it went well, so I'm sure this one will be just as fun! While we're dressed up, we will "trick-or-treat" for canned and unperishable foods for either the Inner City Mission of Springfield or for the local food pantry. Both places are always in need of food. As a congregation, we collected a large bundle of unperishable foods for the ICM just recently. I know they will be thrilled to recieve our donation. I want to continue to do services such as this with the kids to show them how important and how gratifying it is to help others. I'm looking forward to the Christmas season because WIBI always does a "Random Acts of Christmas" program and I want for us to do a kindness for someone who needs it as a group. We will also do a "secret santa" kind of thing among each other where we'll make gifts for each other for Christmas. Additionally, we will do Operation Christmas Child boxes again this year. Those are always fun!
We have a lot we want to do, so please continue to pray that we are doing the will of God in all that we do! Thanks for reading!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)