Posts Tagged ‘Missions’

SULPHUR SPRINGS WORKCAMP 2011

Posted: May 30, 2011 in Faith, Life, Ministry, People, Spirituality
Tags: , , , , , , ,
0

Sunday is the official start of the 5th annual Sulphur Springs Workcamp. SSWC is an interdenominational mission experience where students and adults unite together to paint and restore homes for the needy in the Sulphur Springs, Texas area. Students from all different churches come together for one week to scrape, paint, serve, play, laugh, and worship together.

At SSWC2011, 400+ students and adults from 15 student ministries covering 3 states will come together to paint 25 houses for free at SSWC2011.

SSWC is about 3 things: (1) Loving God. (2) Serving Others. (3) Uniting Churches.

God really put the idea for my SSWC in my brain over six years ago. I was hesitant at first to put another big project on my plate (especially in the always busy summer season). However, God kept putting this idea of an interdenominational local mission experience before me. I procrastinated for one year before deciding to give it a shot in 2007. What ever small expectations I had for SSWC were blown away by God’s ability to do more than my tiny brain can even imagine. Anywhere from 90-100 people participated in SSWC as we painted and restored nine homes in the Sulphur Springs, Texas area.

Every year SSWC has gotten bigger and better.

Some people ask me why. Why do feel God wanted you to start SSWC? There are three main reasons why.

1. IT IS THE RIGHT THING TO DO. God is pretty specific about sharing your faith and helping other people. It is the right thing to take care of a widow who cannot take care of things like painting her house herself. Mission trips (in the student ministry world) are often only thought in the context of far away from home or in another culture. While I am all for global, short term missions, being able to spread the Gospel and the love of Jesus in our backyard is equally important.

2. TO BE A BLESSING TO OTHER STUDENT PASTORS. As a student pastor, I know how tough summer can be and how hard it can be to plan a bunch of stuff. The best trips seem to be the trips where I simply show up, all the details are already taken care, and I can spend time and love on my students. We try to make SSWC as student ministry-friendly as possible. My desire has always been for SSWC to be something that is a blessing to other student pastors, not a burden.

3. TO HELP SMALL STUDENT MINISTRIES. The majority of churches in this area do not have the resources, budget, and staff to participate in summer missions. SSWC was designed for the small church that maybe is being led by a volunteer. This is a local, cost-efficient (only $50 for students) mission experience that is legit. Now every student can have the opportunity to participate in missions.

4. TO UNITE THE LOCAL CHURCH. (WARNING: I will probably preach right here.) If we were honest, we (Christians) do not do a very good job of uniting. We tend to focus more on all the things that make us different – worship styles, songs we sing, vocabulary, etc. SSWC focuses on what we have in common – JESUS, which is by far the most important thing. Sure, the denominations represented think differently about certain aspects of the Christian faith. However, we all believe in the fundamental truth that Jesus is our savior. Maybe people seeing different Christians getting along and serving together in unity will get nonbelievers interested in having a relationship with Jesus.

Sulphur Springs Workcamp 2011 will be from Sunday, June 5 to Wednesday, June 8. Please be praying for this incredible mission experience.

REVOLUTION SUMMER TOUR 2011

Posted: January 27, 2011 in Faith, Life, Ministry, People, Spirituality, Travel
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,
1

Every summer REVOLUTION offers a variety of mission trip and camp experiences that we call the REVOLUTION SUMMER TOUR. I am pumped to announce that there will be six stops (four mission trips and two camps) this summer.

Here the official stops and details of the REVOLUTION SUMMER TOUR 2011:

SULPHUR SPRINGS WORKCAMP | SSWC2011

  • facebook.com/eat.sleep.serve
  • For ALL middle school & high school students (current 6th-12th graders)
  • June 5-9, 2011
  • Sulphur Springs, Texas
  • SSWC is a low-cost, close-to-home mission trip, founded and directed by me, where students from different denominations come together to paint and restore homes in the Sulphur Springs, TX area. There will also be nightly worship experiences where students will intimately connect with God. Our annual Six Flags trip will also be combined with this experience.
  • $150 (includes Six Flags)

LOS ANGELES DREAM CENTER MISSION TRIP

  • dreamcenter.org
  • REVOLUTION students ages 15 and up
  • June 20-27, 2011
  • Los Angeles, California
  • The LA Dream Center serves the city of Los Angeles with over 273 ministries and outreaches to reach thousands of people every week. Students will be given the opportunity to work alongside the ministries of the Dream Center and to attend services at one of the largest churches in the country.
  • $1000*

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC MISSION TRIP

  • missionofmercy.org
  • All NORTHchurch Mission Trip
  • July 16-22, 2011*
  • Moca, Dominican Republic
  • This will be a NORTHchurch Medical Mission Trip with a full medical & dental clinic.
  • $1500*

HAITI MISSION TRIP

  • mohhaiti.org
  • All NORTHchurch Mission Trip
  • July 16-22, 2011*
  • Port au Prince, Haiti
  • This will be a NORTHchurch construction mission trip with special ministry to orphans. We will be rebuilding homes and ministering in the area of the epicenter of the January 2010 earthquake.
  • $1500*

REVOLUTION SUMMER CAMP – HIGH SCHOOL

  • Current 9th-12th grade high school students
  • July 7-11, 2011
  • Glen Rose, Texas
  • Students will have a blast as they grow in their relationship with God and others through a camp experience with hundreds of other students. REVOLUTION attends camp experiences with Gateway Church in Southlake, TX.
  • $300*

REVOLUTION SUMMER CAMP – MIDDLE SCHOOL

  • Current 6th-8th grade middle school students
  • July 29-August 2, 2011
  • Waxahachie, Texas
  • Students will have a blast as they grow in their relationship with God and others through a camp experience with hundreds of other students. REVOLUTION attends camp experiences with Gateway Church in Southlake, TX.
  • $300*

* = Estimated. Subject to slight change.

**Limited spots available on all trips. All trips are on a first come, first serve basis.

***ALL SIGNUPS BEGIN SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2011.

DR Mission Trip 2010 – Day 6

Posted: July 20, 2010 in Faith, Life, Ministry, People, Spirituality, Travel
Tags: , , , , , , , ,
0

July 20, 2010

Day six of the NORTHchurch 2010 Dominican Republic mission trip was very similar to day five (except for the Dominican Republic cheeseburger stand and ice cream).

Instead of repeating a lot of stuff, I wanted to share a quick story of how I saw God today.

NORTHchurch has partnered with this local DR church and Mission of Mercy for many years. As a pastor, I love seeing growth over people and ministries over a long time. I am often reminded that ministry is marathon, not a sprint. The joy is seeing the small victories and growth throughout the journey. And today I saw just that…

I am on the sports camp team during the day. That means that I get to play basketball and volleyball with tons of Dominican Republic kids while they are waiting to go through our medical clinic. It is a chaotic site. Tons of kids running around and balls flying through the air with reckless abandonment.

The sports team always has to have one person guard our bottled water and backpacks while the other members of the team play with the kids.  This one person has to be tough and very attentive because these kids while try to sneak past you and are always jonesing for a bottled water.

The past two days I have noticed one particular girl seemingly rummaging through our stuff. Picking up our bags; grabbing basketballs that are not supposed to be touched; etc. Being the protective student pastor that I am, I ran over there to see what was going down.

This girl, who is in the Mission of Mercy project, was not doing anything malicious. In fact, she was organizing our stuff and helping us protect our stuff. In other words, she was serving us.

It is so amazing seeing growth in people. It is so amazing to watch a girl who for years has been served by Mission of Mercy, the local church, and so many others starting to serve others. She did not have anybody tell her to help. She simply saw a need and decided to meet that need. She served.

I share this story with you because organizations like Mission of Mercy and Compassion International are making a huge difference. People around the world are loving and serving kids who are learning how to love and serve others.

And that is beautiful.

DR Mission Trip 2010 – Day 5

Posted: July 19, 2010 in Faith, Life, Ministry, People, Spirituality, Travel
Tags: , , , , , , , ,
0

July 19, 2010

Day five of the NORTHchurch 2010 Dominican Republic mission trip. The day were months and months of preparation collided with reality. Meetings that I had when I visited the DR in December and a lot of our preparation time in our mission meetings were for days 5, 6, and 7 of this trip. This was the day that we started our medical clinic, sports camp, and Vacation Bible School (VBS).

Simply put, our day was amazing. God’s fingerprints were every where.

During the VBS and sports camp, we experienced immeasurable joy and countless smiles in the faces of the Mission of Mercy children. We had a lot of fun. We sang silly songs in Spanish. We played hard. We used a lot of energy. We sweat a lot. We hugged children and gave high fives. All of this for God’s glory!

As for the medical clinic, I was blown away with what I saw. God promises us that He will give us more than we could possibly ask or imagine, and He did just that with the medical clinic. The medical team saw hundreds of children and their families. Their efficiency, time management, attention to detail, and compassion for the children was so evident. So much prayer, preparation, and hard work went into making the medical clinic happen. HUGE props goes out to Mary Morris, Jamie Gary, Jay Peck, and the rest of the medical team.

Also, HUGE props goes out to all the NORTHchurch family who donated money, supplies, medicines, and sporting equipment that helped today happen.

God did BIG things today. Can’t wait to see what He has in store for us tomorrow.

Here are some pictures from the medical clinic:

DR Mission Trip 2010 – Day 4

Posted: July 19, 2010 in Faith, Life, Ministry, People, Spirituality, Travel
Tags: , , , , , , , ,
0

July 18, 2010

Day four of the NORTHchurch 2010 Dominican Republic mission trip was all about recharging our spiritual and physical batteries so that we could be at our best for the rest of our mission.

Our schedule was simple…

Rest.

Eat.

Church.

Eat.

Rest.

Church.

Eat.

Rest.

Oh yeah…and…this dancing little girl…

DR Mission Trip 2010 – Day 3

Posted: July 18, 2010 in Faith, Life, Ministry, People, Spirituality, Travel
Tags: , , , , , , ,
1

July 17, 2010

Day three of the NORTHchurch 2010 Dominican Republic mission trip was a day full of firsts.

Our day started early as we made our way to the local Dominican church to get a tour of Sal Si Puedes, which is the community where many of the Mission of Mercy sponsor children live. This was a first for many of on our team. Many on our team had the opportunity to personally give a gift to their sponsor child.

Sal Si Puedes is literally translated “get out if you can”, so you can imagine the living conditions. What I love is that through the local church and Mission of Mercy, an area known as “get out if you can” now has hope. It is beautiful.

We followed that experience with street evangelism. We walked in groups around a community starting conversations, inviting them to church, and handing out tracks that shared the Gospel.

We ended our day with a powerful youth service. The entire service was filled with Dominican and American young people leading the service. REVOLUTION students performed two skits in Spanish. We also had three girls, who regularly lead worship at REVOLUTION, lead a song at the service. Finally, I had the privilege to share a message at that service. It was my first time to ever preach in a foreign country. It was also my first time to preach with a translator. It was definitely a challenge, but I know that God was magnified. After 15 people shared their cardboard testimonies (in Spanish), I invited people to leave the bondage and messiness of sin for a free life that can only be found in Jesus. Many people accepted Jesus for the first time.

Day three was very long, but very rewarding. Needless to say, we all slept well that night.

Here are some pics from our Sal Si Puedes tour:

DR Mission Trip 2010 – Day 2

Posted: July 17, 2010 in Faith, Life, Ministry, People, Spirituality, Travel
Tags: , , , , , , ,
0

July 16, 2010

Day two of the NORTHchurch 2010 Dominican Republic mission trip was all about preparation.

Today was not one of those days that get promoted when you start signups for a mission trip. Pastors do not put days like today on the fliers for the trip.

We did not get to treat any children in our medical clinic. We did not get to teach any children how to dribble a basketball without looking at the ball. We did not help any children make an adorable craft to take back home to their mom. However, we did do some serious preparation to make all those aforementioned things possible later on this trip.

The 39 students and adults on this DR mission trip worked extremely hard today and put forth a ton of effort to make the rest of this week a huge success. I cannot wait to see how God moves through us.

We finished the day by seeking God together. We spent time crying out to God in worship. We poured out our hearts through prayer. People shared about how they had seen God already on this mission. It was a powerful time of getting our spiritual batteries recharged.

I am excited to see what God is going to do tomorrow.

Keep praying.

DR Mission Trip 2010 – Day 1

Posted: July 17, 2010 in Faith, Life, Ministry, People, Spirituality, Travel
Tags: , , , , , , ,
0

July 15, 2010

Day one of the NORTHchurch 2010 Dominican Republic mission trip is in the books. And let me tell you, it was a good one.

What was originally thought to be a simple travel day, turned into a day of seeing the goodness of God.

The first part of our day started very early. The 39 students and adults on this DR mission trip met at the Oklahoma City airport at 3:45am. Our first flight took us to Atlanta, Georgia (Heather’s home town). After a little while of reminiscing about the good ole’ days in Hotlanta, we flew to Santa Domingo, Dominican Republic. In nothing short than a miracle from God, we found all 65+ of our checked bags waiting for us at baggage claim. After pounding down some Dominos Pizza, we had a 3-hour bus drive to Santiago, Dominican Republic.

We pulled directly up to the Dominican church that we support for their mid-week service.  After a time of worship, NORTHchurch senior pastor Rodney Fouts shared an amazing message about conquering the giants in your life. He hit a homerun. Many people responded to the invitation to receive prayer. We had a chance to pray over many in that church and many from our mission team. It was a powerful time of prayer. Tears were shed. People shared about the giants they were facing. God responded to their openness. People were set free.

Day 1 is in the books and already lives have been changed.

God is good.

The countdown is on…10 days!

Posted: May 27, 2010 in Faith, Life, Ministry, People, Spirituality
Tags: , , , , , ,
0

The countdown is officially on…

10 days and counting until Sulphur Springs Workcamp 2010. This year at the 4th annual SSWC, 12 churches from Texas and Oklahoma are coming together to paint and restore 18-20 houses in the Sulphur Springs, Texas community.

Over the past 3 years, Sulphur Springs Workcamp has painted and restored 32 houses. This year our goal is to paint and restore 20, but we cannot do this without you.

If you are a teenager (current 6th-12th grader) or adult and you would like to be involved with SSWC 2010, please contact me as soon as possible. Time is running out for you to be involved in such an incredible, God-sized event. You will have a blast serving, laughing, being crazy, painting, scraping, singing, worshiping, growing, and being the hands and feet of Jesus.

Not to mention, check out our amazing lineup that will be at SSWC 2010…

Don’t miss out.

New Sulphur Springs Workcamp Logo

Posted: March 24, 2010 in Faith, Life, Ministry, People, Spirituality
Tags: , , , , , ,
2

Sulphur Springs Workcamp 2010 will be June 6-9.

This will be the 4th year for SSWC. Over the previous 3 years, hundreds of teenagers from different youth groups have united to paint and restore 36 houses in the Sulphur Springs area.

Even though I have moved to Oklahoma City this year, I will still be heavily involved with SSWC. Instead of being the lone director of SSWC, I will be a co-director this year with Ben Vos (youth pastor at Shannon Oaks Church). Ben will be organizing the service projects and day-to-day operations of SSWC. I will be organizing all worship experiences and media. I am in charge of booking our speakers, worship leaders, and entertainment, as well as all audio, visual, and media of SSWC.

I am so excited to continue being a part of this incredible event that God has blessed so much.

With that being said…SSWC is going to a hole-nutha-level this year! It is going to be incredible. I will post the official SSWC 2010 flyer in the next few days that has the full line-up of incredibly talented people that will be joining us.

As for today, check out the original Sulphur Springs Workcamp logo…

Now, check out the new, remixed Sulphur Springs Workcamp logo…

___________________

Thoughts? Like it? Hate it?

Older Entries