Hey everyone,
So, it has been a while since I posted a blog, but that doesn't mean things are slow. After Servanthood, this summer, our student ministry went back to meeting on a weekly basis. Attendance was low because of family vacations and summer activity in general. Those that were able to make it to our Student Ministry Night got a crash course in "How To Study Your Bible." It was a good time of really helping the students dig into questions they need to be asking the text as they read the Word.
In August my contract with Student Ministries Incorporated (SMI) ended. I really appreciated their assistance in raising support for SMI. Previously, I had only raised financial support for short term mission trips and this was a eye opener for me as far as trusting God with my finances was concerned. Since August, God has continued to prove faithful in that I recently got a job at the local airport where I've been working for a construction crew as a flagman, making sure that construction workers don't get in the way of aircraft. It's a pretty easy job and I have a good amount of free time on my hands to work on student ministry related things.
October 15th-17th we have a camping trip planned for our student ministry! I'm really excited because I love camping, but also because we get to hang out in the woods with our students. Retreats and trips of any sort really help bring a group together in ways that simply don't happen in the day to day. I'm thrilled because this will be the most attended off site student ministry event to date too!
Well folks, I think that's all for now. Please continue to pray for our student ministry, that God would guide us in leading, that our students would find meaning and depth in the teaching and ultimately there would be life change for the glory of Christ.
Friday, October 8, 2010
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Servanthood
June 13th-June 18th our jr. high students participated in a multi church retreat called Servanthood. The annual retreat focuses students on serving others particularly in the greater Columbia region. This year we had 106 students from 7 different churches. The students were challenged both in morning devotions and by our nightly speaker, Jeremy Kingsly, to find comfort in Christ in the midst of uncomfortable circumstances. Our students managed physical labor at Bethel Christian Camp taking care of some much needed landscaping and building maintenance. They also served with Habitat for Humanity, building a home for a woman who was blinded during a medical experiment. Many of our students had the opportunity to work with kids from broken families or low income neighborhoods through Vacation Bible Schools and sports camps. We even had a team of students at an assisted living home where they put puzzles together and played bingo. On Wednesday, Jeremy shared the gospel message with our students. It profoundly impacted not only our non-believing students, but also the students who had begun to take their relationship with Christ for granted. About 10 students gave their life to Christ that night. For many students there was a strange mixture of emotions, tears of sadness and overwhelming joy filled thankfulness all rolled into one. It was quite a powerful evening.
Now, some of this might not sound like what would be traditionally called serving, but I want to take a moment and challenge that thought. Service is, essentially, meeting the needs of others. So, while some of our students were in a comfortable air conditioned environment trying to find the next piece of the puzzle, they were really lighting up an elderly person's day. While our students were throwing around a football or letting a little girl braid her hair, they were really investing love in that child's life, a need that everyone needs met.
On Wednesday, a number of our students and I were put in a truly uncomfortable situation. I co-led the sports camp team and we arrived downtown at the ministry site, Lorick Park, after lunch and were preparing to get the afternoon's activities to a start. It took a while, but we finally corralled all the kids for our outside activity time. Once outside we began playing with kids, throwing footballs and frisbees around. The girls went straight for the playground so they could play with our female students' hair. It wasn't long before I saw a red car pull out of the cul-de-sac across the street and take a right turn. As the vehicle made the turn the passenger pointed and fired a POP, POP, POP, POP into the side of the first floor of the apartment building on the corner. Thankfully, all of the shots were fired away from where our students and the kids were. Additionally, no one inside the apartment building was injured (I think it was more about sending a message). My co-leader and I hurried to get the all of our students and the kids inside Lorick Park's gymnasium. Needless to say, this incident ended our ability to return to the ministry sight for the remainder of the week. After we piled in the car and left for the day our students talked about how scary the drive by was. After some dialogue I asked, "Do you guys want to go back?" They responded with a resounding "YES!" It was hard for me because I knew that for liability reasons we would not be able to return. The remainder of the car ride I painfully explained all the aspects that factor into the difficult decision process that would determine whether we would even be able to return to the ministry site. That evening it was announced that we wouldn't be returning to the ministry site... Our students were crushed... They had invested time and love into these kids and they wouldn't be able to see them again... It was painful...
The following day I had to call our contact at the Lorick Park to inform them we would not be returning. That's when light flicked on. What if we could bus the kids to another place and finish out our ministry site there? Due to short notice, we couldn't get it worked out for Thursday, but the plan was a go for Friday. We worked it out that we would shuttle the kids from Lorick Park to meet up with our students at our lunch site. During planning our students were kept in the dark to ensure they wouldn't get their hopes up in case the plans fell through. So, when they saw the kids from Lorick Park at our lunch site it was a sweet surprise. It was amazing to see their faces light up. Students hugged kids, high-fives flew, and there was a lot of laughter. The rest of the day was a great time of reunion, fun and games.
Through the whole process of losing the sports camp ministry site I really felt challenged to lean on God's sovereignty. It was difficult to leave a ministry site without closure. That same evening I felt that God spoke to me bringing a couple of passages to my mind, Zephaniah 3:17-18 and 1 Timothy 2:3-4. These passages drew me into worship that night. God is great, He is in control and if the drive by happened then God must have had a different plan in mind. It makes me glad that we have a God who cares enough about us that we happened to see those kids again and, Lord willing, we'll see them again before too long.
Now, some of this might not sound like what would be traditionally called serving, but I want to take a moment and challenge that thought. Service is, essentially, meeting the needs of others. So, while some of our students were in a comfortable air conditioned environment trying to find the next piece of the puzzle, they were really lighting up an elderly person's day. While our students were throwing around a football or letting a little girl braid her hair, they were really investing love in that child's life, a need that everyone needs met.
On Wednesday, a number of our students and I were put in a truly uncomfortable situation. I co-led the sports camp team and we arrived downtown at the ministry site, Lorick Park, after lunch and were preparing to get the afternoon's activities to a start. It took a while, but we finally corralled all the kids for our outside activity time. Once outside we began playing with kids, throwing footballs and frisbees around. The girls went straight for the playground so they could play with our female students' hair. It wasn't long before I saw a red car pull out of the cul-de-sac across the street and take a right turn. As the vehicle made the turn the passenger pointed and fired a POP, POP, POP, POP into the side of the first floor of the apartment building on the corner. Thankfully, all of the shots were fired away from where our students and the kids were. Additionally, no one inside the apartment building was injured (I think it was more about sending a message). My co-leader and I hurried to get the all of our students and the kids inside Lorick Park's gymnasium. Needless to say, this incident ended our ability to return to the ministry sight for the remainder of the week. After we piled in the car and left for the day our students talked about how scary the drive by was. After some dialogue I asked, "Do you guys want to go back?" They responded with a resounding "YES!" It was hard for me because I knew that for liability reasons we would not be able to return. The remainder of the car ride I painfully explained all the aspects that factor into the difficult decision process that would determine whether we would even be able to return to the ministry site. That evening it was announced that we wouldn't be returning to the ministry site... Our students were crushed... They had invested time and love into these kids and they wouldn't be able to see them again... It was painful...
The following day I had to call our contact at the Lorick Park to inform them we would not be returning. That's when light flicked on. What if we could bus the kids to another place and finish out our ministry site there? Due to short notice, we couldn't get it worked out for Thursday, but the plan was a go for Friday. We worked it out that we would shuttle the kids from Lorick Park to meet up with our students at our lunch site. During planning our students were kept in the dark to ensure they wouldn't get their hopes up in case the plans fell through. So, when they saw the kids from Lorick Park at our lunch site it was a sweet surprise. It was amazing to see their faces light up. Students hugged kids, high-fives flew, and there was a lot of laughter. The rest of the day was a great time of reunion, fun and games.
Through the whole process of losing the sports camp ministry site I really felt challenged to lean on God's sovereignty. It was difficult to leave a ministry site without closure. That same evening I felt that God spoke to me bringing a couple of passages to my mind, Zephaniah 3:17-18 and 1 Timothy 2:3-4. These passages drew me into worship that night. God is great, He is in control and if the drive by happened then God must have had a different plan in mind. It makes me glad that we have a God who cares enough about us that we happened to see those kids again and, Lord willing, we'll see them again before too long.
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Some recent events
Hey Everyone, sorry it has taken me so long to update the blog site. The last 2 months have been pretty busy.
Event #1
At the beginning of April we had our first annual Night at the Oscars. Our student ministry joined with our parent church for the event. Our students were split up into 4 groups and were charged with the task of creating their own motion pictures on any subject in any genre as long as it was clean. They came back with some funny and interesting videos. If you'd like you can click over to www.youtube.com/krummyvidz to check them out. I've posted a couple pictures here from the event too.
Event #2
Not long after the Oscars I flew home to CA to pick up a new car from my wife's GENEROUS parents. Thanks to them we now have two cars which is a huge blessing. I was extremely fortunate to have some good friends take the 5 day long road trip back with me from CA to SC.
Event #3
Just a little over a week and a half ago both Kat and my parents flew out to visit us here in SC and also to watch me walk across the stage at CIU's Shortess Chapel to see me receive my Master of Arts in General Studies. I AM FINALLY DONE WITH SCHOOL!
Event #4
On Sunday May 23rd I had the honor and privilege of baptizing one of our students at church. It was a cool experience. Our student, Tia, shared her testimony before the church body and proclaimed her faith in Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior. It was especially honoring for me because it was my first time performing a baptism. I've posted the video below.
Event #1
At the beginning of April we had our first annual Night at the Oscars. Our student ministry joined with our parent church for the event. Our students were split up into 4 groups and were charged with the task of creating their own motion pictures on any subject in any genre as long as it was clean. They came back with some funny and interesting videos. If you'd like you can click over to www.youtube.com/krummyvidz to check them out. I've posted a couple pictures here from the event too.
Event #2
Not long after the Oscars I flew home to CA to pick up a new car from my wife's GENEROUS parents. Thanks to them we now have two cars which is a huge blessing. I was extremely fortunate to have some good friends take the 5 day long road trip back with me from CA to SC.
Event #3
Just a little over a week and a half ago both Kat and my parents flew out to visit us here in SC and also to watch me walk across the stage at CIU's Shortess Chapel to see me receive my Master of Arts in General Studies. I AM FINALLY DONE WITH SCHOOL!
Event #4
On Sunday May 23rd I had the honor and privilege of baptizing one of our students at church. It was a cool experience. Our student, Tia, shared her testimony before the church body and proclaimed her faith in Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior. It was especially honoring for me because it was my first time performing a baptism. I've posted the video below.
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Wow, It's Been A While
Hey Everybody, Just wanted to fill you in on what's been happening lately at CCNE Student Ministries. This last weekend, Saturday March 27th, we were fortunate enough to truly help out the Ronald McDonald House of Charities with some stuff around the house. They were in desperate need of organization in one of their storage sheds, they needed some landscaping maintenance, some decorations for easter placed and some cookies baked for the residents currently living at the house. It was fun to watch the House's weekend manager light up when she saw how clean their shed was and how impressed she was at the landscaping. We truly loved working there and are planning to go back this summer. You can see the some of our work in the pictures below.
As for other things on our plate... this Friday and Saturday we're filming our own movies for CCNE's first ever Night At The Oscars. (A shout out to Dewbe Wright who helped with some good ideas. Thanks!) Our students will be able to put together their own films of any genre then in two weeks we'll reveal their hard work at the Night At The Oscars award event and present the students with Oscar awards for their hard work.
Also, coming up in June our Jr. High Students will be joining several other churches in the greater Columbia area for a service oriented retreat called Servanthood. During this retreat students will be challenged to live lives in service to others. This year's theme is Finding Comfort in the Uncomfortable. We're really excited about the opportunities they will have to grow in Christlikeness.
As for other things on our plate... this Friday and Saturday we're filming our own movies for CCNE's first ever Night At The Oscars. (A shout out to Dewbe Wright who helped with some good ideas. Thanks!) Our students will be able to put together their own films of any genre then in two weeks we'll reveal their hard work at the Night At The Oscars award event and present the students with Oscar awards for their hard work.
Also, coming up in June our Jr. High Students will be joining several other churches in the greater Columbia area for a service oriented retreat called Servanthood. During this retreat students will be challenged to live lives in service to others. This year's theme is Finding Comfort in the Uncomfortable. We're really excited about the opportunities they will have to grow in Christlikeness.
Monday, February 22, 2010
Winter Jam Pictures
Here's some pictures from Winter Jam concert we went to. Good Times! It was loud though.
Monday, February 15, 2010
Valentines Banquet
Hey Everybody, just wanted to let you know about the Valentines Banquet we enjoyed with our students last night. We had a grand ol' time complete with games and a delicious spaghetti dinner prepared by the Di Stefano family. But more importantly we wanted the night to be focused on healthy relationships. So, we had guest speaker Abby Horn who works with the Palmetto Family Council and specializes in abstinence workshops for schools in the greater Columbia, SC region. She shared with our students the the difference between Lust and Love and illustrated it on a spectrum. Abby stated that at the beginning of most relationships there is a period of infatuation during which we make a emotional connection with a person of the opposite gender. From then on it is up to us whether we take that infatuation and move on the spectrum in the selfish direction of lust or the selfless direction of love. It turns out that as we move towards lustful selfishness we create issues in our relationships because we are using the person as a means to our own end. The catch is that as we move further and further towards lust it takes longer to get back to square one because we have to go back and work through each issue we've created and right the wrong. Our natural tendency is to seek selfish gain from everything, but love, on the other hand, love is based on selflessness. That's what makes love powerful. When we love someone we do things for their benefit. That is how we express love. I thought this was a powerful thought and wanted to share it all with you all. The following are scriptures about love that you can look up that tell us about God's love. I hope you take the time to dwell on each of these throughout the week.
Romans 5:8
Ephesians 2:4-5
1 Corinthians 13:4-8
John 15:12-13
John 3:16
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Hot Chocolate Handout
A couple of weeks ago our student ministry did an outreach project where we handed out hot chocolate to passerbys. The outreach portion came into play when we handed them a card on which to simply write their names and a prayer request. Mostly due to our location we only had 6-7 people drop by for the event. That would seem a little disappointing, but God was at work. The prayer requests that we received were desperate needs for these people and it meant a lot for someone to be praying for them. Additionally, we had one man who was looking for a church and had driven by ours many times. He asked about our ministry, the church and a few other things and ended up coming to our Sunday service the following Sunday! Though we weren't able to attract more people, we were able to share our church family with people from our community and that is a WIN!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)