September 9, 2008
What an amazing six days this has been at the church. I say six days because so much transpired over the past week that I am ready for rest on the seventh day. I would like to share with you a few of the remarkable connecting events of this past week.
It all started with a lunch on Thursday. For most folks, lunch means little more than a couple of slices of bread, sandwich meat, chips and a drink. If you find yourself on the road during the lunch hour than I suspect you probably drive through a local store and get a quick meal to go. However, the preparation for this particular lunch was anything but quick, and a whole lot more than mere sandwiches.
Given the great foundation of our youth ministries’ idea to host a monthly lunch gathering for the high school students, several people thought it would be nice to start the school year off with grilled hamburgers and hotdogs. So, the items were gathered, the meat purchased, the grills delivered to the church and the day began.
By the end of the lunch hour, it is estimated that nearly 85 students enjoyed a hamburger, a hotdog, or both. Imagine 85 students hungry for physical nourishment and willing to come to the church where we can begin to feed them spiritually as well. This one gathering produces many opportunities for our youth group (and church) to begin ministering to the students and helping many of them to connect with a family that loves Jesus and loves them, too.
The next two days we (the church) had the chance to pray for particular needs of our members as they recovered from surgeries, made major life decisions, celebrated good news, as well as prepare for the next gathering at the parsonage.
Sunday afternoon brought people together again for some enjoyable fellowship, great food, and lots of laughter from children and adults. The annual Round-Up took place at the parsonage and conservative estimates have our attendance between 120 and 140 (it is hard to count all the children running around). From the looks of all the peanut shells and popcorn on the ground, the near empty ice troughs that once contained dozens and dozens of drinks, the few remaining burgers and chips but empty desserts plates, and worn spots in the grass around the inflatables, we had a great night. Let’s be sure to make follow up contacts with all the guests and visitors!
Early Monday morning our Men’s Group gathered for breakfast and a new devotional series. Tuesday morning our Women’s Bible Study started a new semester with a new series by Beth Moore and the United Methodist Women enjoyed a luncheon meeting. In addition, as I write this, I anticipate tomorrows Oasis Block Party gathering for the elementary students and our youth group. Plenty of games will highlight the evening as we kick-off the semester.
A big thanks to the many women and men—Crystal & Jesse George, Jerry Coast, Ken Beldin, Scott Ditner, Jeff Latimer, David Cooper, Kevin Manke, Kevin & Judy McKinley, Scott Vaughn, Taylor Vaughn, Scooter Scarbrough, Ginny Muse, Joe Greffin, and the many others—who helped make these events such a great success these past six days. I hope we continue to build upon this momentum by reaching out and connecting with others with our great big God.
I look forward to seeing you in the “connecting” place on Sunday.
