Category Archives: Students

Welcome to North Yorkshire

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Friday, May 30

Our team had a long but uneventful flight “cross the pond” to begin our journey in Teeside. We landed on Friday, were greeted by our British friends and taken to Guisborough Methodist Church for lunch where our kids got to meet their hosts for the week. After introductions everyone went to their homes to adjust to the new time, and rest for a youth group social later that evening.

For the Getwell guys, there was No rest to be found. That’s because Hunter Brooks (Née Glen Coco) was too excited to see everyone, and convinced us to walk up Highcliff. To us flatland Mississippians, Highcliff is a small mountain. To the Brits, it’s a hill. But, with little sleep, we managed to make it to the top. And once up there, the climb is so worth the effort. Spectacular beauty and scenery in every direction overwhelms you.

The parallels between our hike and life are startling. Life is filled with tough rough spots, only to level off when you think you can’t keep going. And as I kept repeating Philippians 4:13 over and over in my head, I thought of how difficult life’s climb is for all, but particularly for those who don’t have Christ along their journey. Some never grab onto Him to finish “the climb”, and in the end miss out on what I’m sure is the most overwhelming spectacular beauty of Heaven.

Saturday, May 31

Saturday morning our guys ventured to the Laurence Jackson School for a time of football (soccer) with the locals, while our girls participated in Coffee Morning at the Methodist church. This event was open to the public and raised money for cancer research.

Meanwhile On the soccer field our youth pastor, Nate Russell, forgot that he was playing British football when his head collided with a local guy’s nose while going for the ball. We forgot to remind Nate that the Revolutionary War ended years ago, and that we are now very close allies!  After much blood was spilled and apologies made, they were back out on the field, the British guys staying far away from Nate.

That afternoon our hosts drove us to York where we soaked in the local flavor. York is a very ancient city that was once ruled by the Roman Empire. It was where Constantine was headquartered when he learned he had become emperor. We ended with a beautiful Evensong service in the magnificent York Minster, and ventured back to Guisborough.

Around 10:30 pm, Nate R., Sarah P, Shelby, Cody and I joined a team called “Night Light”. You had to be 18 to participate, so the rest of our youth stayed with their hosts for the evening and enjoyed some much needed sleep!

Night Light is a local ministry whose sole purpose is to assist people on High Street in Guisborough. There are four local pubs in a one block radius, and weekends become extremely rowdy. At home we would call the atmosphere a scaled down “Beale Street”. Many people struggle with drinking here and bar hop until 3:00am. Fights break out on the street, and some simply pass out. Volunteers for Night Light assist in any way possible. They pass out water, bandages, flip flops (for those ladies who have broken heels or barefoot), take people to hospitals,help people get home, call taxi, and assist police when needed.

Volunteers are spotted easily by their yellow reflective vests. Many people came up and talked, thanking some of the team for their help in the past. We witnessed one fight, but it was broken up quickly. The danger is limited since no one has a gun here in Britain. I was very skeptical at first, asking myself what we had gotten into, but what I witnessed was people truly being the hands and feet of Christ.  People volunteer not to judge, but to serve.  It is a special ministry they have developed!

Sunday, June 1

Sunday was a full day. Our team split up, half working at Guisborough Christian Fellowship, and half at Guisborough Methodist Church. Our youth led the kids in their versions of Sunday School. I spoke at the GCF and Nate R. and Shelby were interviewed in the Methodist service.

After lunch we hosted Guiz Kids at the Methodist Church with our youth working with local kids on crafts, and performing a skit of the house built upon the sand. Will Bradford and Nate Gentry led the kids in discussion.

A quick turnaround and the youth night was led by Hunter and Nate Russell. Getwell’s youth night was literally brought to Guisborough with games, worship and a fantastic Gospel message delivered by Nate R.

The experience has been so rich so far. I pray that God will continue to work mightily through us as we share the Good News with the wonderful people of North Yorkshire!

Peace

 

 

Faith That Sticks

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Orange Conference 2014 week has arrived! Our Getwell Road family ministry team has been in the process of organizing, planning and strategizing our upcoming Orange Experience. ReThink pulls out all of the stops to make this conference an amazing experience for all church attendees. Our goal is to recharge, vision, rethink and fill up with all that is offered in the various ministry areas, so we can bring ideas back to further our partnership with parents and families.

I asked myself, “What would our children’s lives look like if that kind of strategizing, planning and attention was given to their spiritual development?” Would it make such an impact that as they grew and matured, they would be able to withstand the pressure of culture and the world? Would it help provide them with a faith that sticks?

From birth until high school graduation we have approximately 936 weeks with our children. For the parents with an infant, this might seem like a long time. From a parent of a sixth grader, it is not so long. In fact we have only 315 weeks until our daughter graduates and heads off to college. Sounds crazy to count doesn’t it? But as Reggie Joiner says, “When you see how much time you have left, you tend to do more with the time you have now.” So whether we are at week 935 or week 1, what are we as parents going to do to make sure our kids know Jesus, know the truth of Scripture, and develop a faith so strong that they can withstand everything the world throws at them when they leave for college? We need a sticky faith strategy!

You see, statistics show that only 50 percent of our kids who graduate high school and have attended church or youth group will have a faith that sticks with them through college. That’s one half people! And the only way we are going to reverse this trend is for parents to analyze, strategize and implement a plan to help their child(ren) have the kind of faith that sticks with them. It is a fight folks that will impact the future of the next generation of your family!

Deuteronomy 6:6-9 supports this idea of sticky faith. Because if we want our children to follow Jesus and have a faith that sticks, then we must make Jesus a part of our everyday experiences. We must teach them to see Him in all aspects of life. Not only do we do this by living out our faith with our kids, but we must give them the knowledge and place people in their lives that will assist us in carrying out our sticky faith plans. Your children will seek another voice to speak into their lives when they get older. What better plan than for you as parents to have influence as to the other voice that will speak into their lives! Seek out that older youth, young adult and senior adult to pour into your child. And when your kids start to doubt and question their faith (and they will), they have built a relationship with others who have spoken truth into them, guiding them through those doubting moments or difficult times.

Getwell Road our kids need a faith that sticks. They need to know that they are part of a bigger story, God’s story. They need truth. They need to know that they are loved not only by God, but by our church family as well. They need to know that no matter what life throws at them or what mistakes they make, they are forgiven. They need this sticky faith to pass on to their kids and grandkids so that future generations will share in the love of Christ. No matter what stage your child, children or grandchildren are in, develop a plan. Let’s reverse this 50 percent trend and be the church that develops sticky faith in our kids. See you after Orange!!