VBS 2009 and Wildwood Forest

We returned home from our mission trip to Baltimore on Friday evening … and on Monday morning we woke up to an early start with VBS at Yellow Creek Baptist Church.  Talk about insane – but what a great way to keep our focus on carrying out the Great Commission!

In a Christian culture where many things considered “traditional” are maligned, VBS holds its ground.  Vacation Bible School is still a pivotal ministry in the life of most churches – drawing children and families into the church building who might not enter it under other circumstances, and sharing the gospel and the love of Christ with them in a non-threatening way.

Our theme this year was “Wildwood Forest,” so the church was decked out in trees and greenery.  Our student minister built a huge tree for the sanctuary stage that was absolutely amazing.  I was the director for the preschool department this year, and we had a total enrollment of 54 4- and 5-year-olds!  We hovered just under 50 little people each day, and let me tell you – I took a nap a couple of those days after I got home!

Our total enrollment through sixth grade was 312 – just under our goal of 325.  But the best news – 25 boys and girls prayed to accept Christ on Thursday and Friday!

Vacation Bible School is a good time to remind ourselves that while the world does need us to take the gospel to the outer reaches, we must not do so at the neglect of those right in our own backyards who need to hear the good news of the gospel.  We need people to take the gospel to the far corners of the world.  We need people to take the gospel to places like Baltimore.  And we need people who will share the message of Jesus right here in Owensboro.

 

NAMB Sojourners

This past Sunday, we said farewell to one of our church youth for the summer.  During June and July, K. will be serving as a Sojourner missionary through the North American Mission Board in San Diego, CA.  While we and her friends miss her already, we are looking forward to hearing how God is going to use her this summer to share the gospel with people on the West Coast.

Sojourners are “high school students who work with missionaries and churches in evangelism and church planting projects in the United States and Canada.”  K. will be working with a church in San Diego doing Back Yard Bible Clubs and other tasks in order to reach people with the Good News of Christ.

We pray that the people she meets will be changed by the message, and we know that she will be changed by the experience!

 

Baltimore Bound!

Two weeks ago we traveled to Baltimore, Maryland with our student minister and another volunteer to scout out possibilities for a summer mission trip with our graduating seniors and college students.

FBC Brooklyn, Baltimore, MD

For a week in July, we will be working with First Baptist Church Brooklyn, located in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Baltimore.  The great fun of this trip has been the opportunity to reconnect and work with a couple with whom we went to church when we were newlyweds at First Baptist White House, TN.

Lou Paradiso, pastor of FBC Brooklyn, and his wife Sonya were good friends many years ago, and we had such a good time seeing them again!

FBC Brooklyn is experiencing an interesting time in the life of the church.  Many of the members no longer live in the neighborhood around the church, primarily due to the economic level and crime rate in the area.

Brooklyn neighborhood

In the blocks immediately around the church building, you find houses like these.  Many of these older homes are being remodeled, and are quite beautiful.  Often they are valued at more than $200,000.

However, a couple of blocks away from the church, you find large blocks of housing like this:

Low-income housing

While we didn’t see any signs indicating that this is government housing, the appearance of these apartments is drastically different from that of the homes immediately surrounding the church – and yet they are still in walking distance from the church building.

We plan to take on a wide-range of projects while we are in Baltimore – Back Yard Bible Clubs, leading in two worship services, meeting with the church’s ESL ministry, spending time with the teenagers in the church (many of whom come to church without any family members), and anything else that we see needs to be done.

We are so excited about this opportunity and all that God has in store for us.  Please pray for us as we begin to divide our group into work teams, and as we have our planning sessions on Sunday and Wednesday evenings.  Baltimore, here we come!

 

Prom 2009

Yes, those are tiaras in front of the punch bowl!

No, I didn’t go to prom this year – I think I’m just a little past the age limit!

However, I did stay up until 12:30 am, and I did have a date, and I did have a fun time with high school girls!

We love having our teenage friends to our house, and when we heard that a couple of them would not be attending their prom, I just had to do a little something.

A big cookie!

I’m sure that some folks might wonder why we try to give some of our time to these kids.  We don’t have kids in the youth group, and Chris isn’t a youth or student minister. 

We do it because we hope that, someday when these girls are grown and have homes of their own, they will remember that wacky minister of education and his wife who let them come over at all hours and play games and talk and eat and drink hot chocolate.

We also do it because that’s what was done for us by this lady.

Debi V.

She opened the parsonage door anytime we came knocking.  We were always welcome in her home, and we knew it.

I realize I keep coming back to this question, but I think it’s an important one:  Who have you been investing your time in lately?  What kind of memories are you making with others so that they will want to “pay it forward” some day?

 

Living Life

I realize that I have been quite sporadic with my blogging of late.  I’ve read a lot about how it’s a really good idea to have several posts written in advance so that you have things ready to go on days when you really don’t have the time or the energy to write anything new.  Unfortunately, I’ve not really bought into that idea yet…

My only excuse for not blogging lately is that, while I blog about life and our relationships and the communities that we are building, I have been too busy lately actually living those friendships to write about them.

We recently had a very tragic and traumatic death in our church family.  A family unexpectedly lost a young adult son and brother last Friday.  We have shared with them this week in their grief as they said goodbye.  We will continue to walk with them through the long, lonely days ahead.

Our investment in this family is long-term.  They will need all of us more in the coming days than they did this week.  We will not fill the void or erase the hurt, but as Sam said to Frodo, we may not be able to carry the load for them, but we can carry them.

We have other friends who are bearing their own burdens right now, and we have some friends who are rejoicing.  I have a husband who is planning to graduate with his Ph.D. on May 15!

We are busy … living, loving, learning, and sharing with those around us.

So, I haven’t had time to blog lately.  Life has been busy lately.  What about you?  In whom have you been investing your time lately?

 

Memories from Living Cross 2009

Whew!  I feel like I haven’t been on here in weeks and weeks … and unfortunately that’s fairly close to the truth!  We have been completely consumed with “The Living Cross” Easter production at our church.

If anyone hears the gospel through our presentation, we consider our efforts a success.  If God was magnified and glorified, then we believe that we have fulfilled our task.

And yet, one of the great by-products of such an undertaking is the memories that are made among the members of our church – new friendships are formed, old relationships are cemented, and good times are had.  Here are some of my favorite moments.  What about you?

1. Hearing Kim sing “He is risen as He said!”  I think he has the best part of the entire cantata – this is the good news!
2. “Something Happens”
3. “Arise”
4. Judas – I love to hear Chris sing!
5. Getting to know one of our newer church members
6. Martha’s beard
7. The “stone-ers” – She should’ve been stoned!
8. Bronson as the leper – he brought me to tears during Sunday morning’s performance
9. Candy’s solo
10. The knowledge that we shared the gospel message with our friends, family, neighbors, and community

 

Getting Ready for The Living Cross

My church, Yellow Creek Baptist, is in the thick of preparations for our annual Easter musical, which we call “The Living Cross.”

Lots and lots of work goes into making this production a reality.  Many volunteers are needed both before, during, and after the production – all doing things like constructing the stage and set, gathering costumes, singing in the choir, serving as ushers, helping in the parking lot … and the list could go on!  A majority of our church must work together in order to prepare to share the gospel with the friends, family, neighbors, and strangers who will walk through the doors of our church April 9-12.

And while it is a lot of work, being a part of ”The Living Cross” is also a lot of fun.  All of the altos are crammed into this one little section of the giant cross, and we get to know one another really well!  We’re spending a lot of extra time together right now, and have the opportunity to get to know one another better.  We sit on the floor during our breaks, and we talk and laugh.

“The Living Cross” is just one more opportunity to build community with others in our church – some of whom we would not meet outside of this experience.  We are reminded how much God has given us through our church family.  May those who come to see the performances be blessed as much as we are through the preparation of it.

And, by the way, if you live in our near Owensboro, Kentucky we would love to have you as our guests.  Performances are April 9, 10, and 11 at 7:00 pm and April 12 at 10:00 am.  Tickets are free and can be reserved through the church office.

 

Raising Up a New Generation of Leaders

Several weeks ago, I decided that it would be fun for my kindergarten choir at church to meet some of our church musicians, learn a little about their instruments, and be able to ask questions about how different instruments work.  We have had demonstrations on an electric guitar, an acoustic guitar, and last night we learned about the drums.

While one of our regular drummers was demonstrating, one of the kids proclaimed, “Some day I’m going to play the drums in church!”  Our response: “We hope you all play instruments in church some day!”

That’s the point of course – making sure that these kids are the next great generation of drummers, trumpet players, pianists, vocalists, teachers, pastors, and leaders.

 

A Sunday Morning Post

I almost never blog on Sundays.  When your husband is in the ministry, as mine is, Sundays are often the busiest day of the week – thus, no time for things like blogging!

However, today I have a cold.  Another cold.  It’s been one of those winters for me, and this morning the cold won.  I am sitting in my pj’s, amusing myself with the Internet, while my friends and church family gather for worship.  Sunday School is starting right now.  Worship team rehearsal is wrapping up.  The people of Yellow Creek Baptist Church are doing what they do every Sunday morning.

God created us for community, and if you are a believer in Christ, the community for which you were designed is in your local body of fellow Christians.  When we are absent from that fellowship, we suffer and our fellow members suffer.

I’m not suggesting that I need to drag myself to church, box of Puffs and all, and infect everyone around me.  But I am saying that, when not providentially hindered by illness, it is the responsibility of all Christians to be present when their local church is meeting.  And, not just present, but participating in the  body by using whatever gifts God has given each of us.

I hope that you are able to gather with your local community of believers this morning.  Rejoice in the day God has given to us, use your gifts, participate in worship, and thank Him for the blessing of His Church.

 

Community, Topped Off with a Little Sweating

One of the things I missed during our recent ice storm was my aerobics class.  No, I’m not just trying to make myself look good in your eyes – I really did miss it!

We have an interesting little group in our 8:30 am, three-times-a-week class.  Some are young moms, some are moms of teenagers, some are grandmothers.  Some are coordinated, some of us are not-so-coordinated.  Some are short, some are tall, some are thin, some are … well,  you get the gist!

Regardless of our position in life, how we look, or how fit we are, we have a great time.  And since this is not chair aerobics, there’s a whole lot of sweatin’ goin’ on by the time we finish!  I have to come home and take a shower after class just so I can be presentable to myself, much less to anyone else.

Community can be found in lots of places, and with many different kinds of people.  Aerobics is the only time during the week that I see some of these women.  Our paths would not cross anywhere else.

The reason that I first joined this class was not so that I could add more opportunities for community to my schedule.  The simple truth is that I joined the class because I am friends with the instructor.  And yet, we can find a sense of fellowship anywhere, anytime we choose – even in aerobics.

What about you?  Where have you found unexpected occasions to build a sense of community?