Action Corps 2009 Highlights from Momentum Student Ministries on Vimeo.
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Trip Reflections...
Well, we're all back in Minnesota now, and doing our best to catch up on sleep and all that. I wanted to take the opportunity to look back on some of the highlights of this trip...
- I truly think we all were impacted by the willingness of the Wotherspoon family to step out into the adventure of planting a church. We got a very real view of what planting a church looks like, and some of the joys and challenges that come along with it. I really think it was a good thing for our students to see a church in its early state, as that can really help us appreciate the resources and stability of our home church. And yet, it also challenged us to think of new ways that we as a church can be reaching out and open ourselves to the community. Coldwater Church is young and under-resourced, yet they have a strong priority on ministering in their community...in a no strings attached kind of way.
- Small things can make a big difference. Several of our students really remarked about what a powerful thing it was to do something as simple as pass out free water bottles to people in a public parking lot. It was amazing how many people were utterly taken aback by the fact that something as small as a bottle of water would truly be "free". And yet, something this simple opened many doorways of conversation with people and gave us the opportunity to invite them to church. If it's really as easy as spending $3.99 for a case of water to initiate conversations with people, why don't we do it more often?
- It can be a challenge to engage a task spiritually. I challenged our team on the second day of trip to really involve themselves at a spiritual level, even when they were doing something a simple as putting a flier on a door or collating papers at the school. Sometimes in the midst of a task (especially a menial one), we can find our focus only on ourselves, i.e. I am hot, this is boring, I am uncomfortable, etc. But when we engage spiritually, even in small ways, the focus can turn off of ourselves and onto others. As a flier is placed on a door, you can offer up a simple prayer for the family that lives in that house. As a handbook is stapled, you can say a short prayer for the student that will receive it. As a water bottle is handed off, you can thank God for the life of the people who will be drinking it. But doing this is challenging, as it takes deliberate focus and resistance to distraction. Our students struggled at putting this into practice, but really seemed to connect with it more towards the end of the trip. Many of them spoke about how it was a really positive thing for them to do. I'd love to see our group continue to grow more focused spiritually as we realize that even the smallest things can have an impact in someone's life.
I feel proud about what we were able to accomplish on this trip. We leave AZ with something tangible to look back on and see as having been achieved. We were able to pass out hundreds of bottles of cold water in the name of Christ. We were able to give away free food and play games with children from the neighborhood, all as an expression of love. We were able to complete many jobs for the elementary school and bless them with our work.
Yet, we remain in prayer for many of the intangible things that were begun. Every water bottle represents a person that has a spiritual need for God. Our prayer is that they would seek out a connection with God and get involved in a local church. Every child that was at the park represents a family that needs the love of Christ. Our hope is that they would act on the invitation to join Coldwater Church and become a part of the church family there. We also continue to pray for God's provision and favor on the Wotherspoon family and on Coldwater Church. They have a huge heart and vision for the city, and we are excited to see what God continues to do in Avondale! What a great week this has been to be a part of it...we are blessed.
- I truly think we all were impacted by the willingness of the Wotherspoon family to step out into the adventure of planting a church. We got a very real view of what planting a church looks like, and some of the joys and challenges that come along with it. I really think it was a good thing for our students to see a church in its early state, as that can really help us appreciate the resources and stability of our home church. And yet, it also challenged us to think of new ways that we as a church can be reaching out and open ourselves to the community. Coldwater Church is young and under-resourced, yet they have a strong priority on ministering in their community...in a no strings attached kind of way.
- Small things can make a big difference. Several of our students really remarked about what a powerful thing it was to do something as simple as pass out free water bottles to people in a public parking lot. It was amazing how many people were utterly taken aback by the fact that something as small as a bottle of water would truly be "free". And yet, something this simple opened many doorways of conversation with people and gave us the opportunity to invite them to church. If it's really as easy as spending $3.99 for a case of water to initiate conversations with people, why don't we do it more often?
- It can be a challenge to engage a task spiritually. I challenged our team on the second day of trip to really involve themselves at a spiritual level, even when they were doing something a simple as putting a flier on a door or collating papers at the school. Sometimes in the midst of a task (especially a menial one), we can find our focus only on ourselves, i.e. I am hot, this is boring, I am uncomfortable, etc. But when we engage spiritually, even in small ways, the focus can turn off of ourselves and onto others. As a flier is placed on a door, you can offer up a simple prayer for the family that lives in that house. As a handbook is stapled, you can say a short prayer for the student that will receive it. As a water bottle is handed off, you can thank God for the life of the people who will be drinking it. But doing this is challenging, as it takes deliberate focus and resistance to distraction. Our students struggled at putting this into practice, but really seemed to connect with it more towards the end of the trip. Many of them spoke about how it was a really positive thing for them to do. I'd love to see our group continue to grow more focused spiritually as we realize that even the smallest things can have an impact in someone's life.
I feel proud about what we were able to accomplish on this trip. We leave AZ with something tangible to look back on and see as having been achieved. We were able to pass out hundreds of bottles of cold water in the name of Christ. We were able to give away free food and play games with children from the neighborhood, all as an expression of love. We were able to complete many jobs for the elementary school and bless them with our work.
Yet, we remain in prayer for many of the intangible things that were begun. Every water bottle represents a person that has a spiritual need for God. Our prayer is that they would seek out a connection with God and get involved in a local church. Every child that was at the park represents a family that needs the love of Christ. Our hope is that they would act on the invitation to join Coldwater Church and become a part of the church family there. We also continue to pray for God's provision and favor on the Wotherspoon family and on Coldwater Church. They have a huge heart and vision for the city, and we are excited to see what God continues to do in Avondale! What a great week this has been to be a part of it...we are blessed.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Day Seven
Monday gave us the opportunity to visit the Grand Canyon together as a group. We drove about 4 hours to see it...so you might call it a mini road trip. Even the small amount of driving we did today made me thankful that we were able to fly from Minnesota to Arizona.
As we drove north from Phoenix, I was struck by the beauty of the Arizona landscape. The region is very mountainous, and the beginning of our drive was filled with desert-type scenery, complete with cactus and swirling dirt.
As we drove north from Phoenix, I was struck by the beauty of the Arizona landscape. The region is very mountainous, and the beginning of our drive was filled with desert-type scenery, complete with cactus and swirling dirt.
But as we drove through the mountains, we climbed to high elevations, in some places well over 6,000 feet above sea level. As we came through the mountains, the landscape changed. We saw more trees and felt cooler air as we continued north. It truly was a beautiful drive!
Our group was able to spend several hours at the Canyon, and it was truly a spectacular sight! I had visited the Grand Canyon with my youth group back in 8th grade, but I think I held more appreciation for it this time around. We ate lunch together and just enjoyed the view of this incredible piece of God's creation. We also encouraged the students to spend some time along, reflecting on the trip and what God had been speaking to them. I can't think of a better place to sit and connect with God than on the edge of the Grand Canyon! Awesome...
We headed back to the hotel tonight and were able to hang out with the Wotherspoon's one final time. We have so appreciated and enjoyed our time with them. They have really challenged our group in their willingness to sacrifice and trust God through the adventure of planting a new church. And they truly are a joy to be around...it was our great pleasure to minister along with them this week. We will miss them! 
Tomorrow morning its up and at em' early to get to the airport for our 9am flight back to Minnesota.
its a small world after all...
In the course of our time here, we've had a couple encounters with people from our neck of the woods...
- This past Saturday at our outreach in the park, Angie Carlsness was able to stop by along with the kids. She and her husband Tim now live in Suprise, AZ, which is only about 30 minutes from where we have been working this week. It just so happened that Andy and Jessica Mattevi were visiting them this week, so we got to see them too.
- At the Grand Canyon, we were taking our team picture and Sam Furey looked up and saw a friend from one of his classes at Central High School. Out of all the overlooks at the Grand Canyon, what are the chances of two people from Duluth, MN bumping into each other? Go figure!
- This past Saturday at our outreach in the park, Angie Carlsness was able to stop by along with the kids. She and her husband Tim now live in Suprise, AZ, which is only about 30 minutes from where we have been working this week. It just so happened that Andy and Jessica Mattevi were visiting them this week, so we got to see them too.
- At the Grand Canyon, we were taking our team picture and Sam Furey looked up and saw a friend from one of his classes at Central High School. Out of all the overlooks at the Grand Canyon, what are the chances of two people from Duluth, MN bumping into each other? Go figure!
Monday, June 22, 2009
Day Six
We awoke to another beautiful Arizona day and headed off to the elementary school for Coldwater Church's Sunday service. Today the students got an up-close look at a mobile church, and got to be involved in the set-up and tear down. It was nostalgic for me, as I spent several years working in a church plant in the Philadelphia area, and it was a fun reminder of what doing church in a school is like. It was fun to see our students playing an active role. We were able to sing a song together during the service, which went well.
After church, Pastor Chris and some of the people from the church took us to lunch at In-N-Out Burger. I had heard so much about this place...so the bar for my expectations was set pretty high, but I was not disappointed! It was great, and it was a very generous thing for the church to treat us to lunch. And anywhere you can order a burger "animal style" is cool with me.
We spent the evening back at the hotel. We ate dinner together and then worked on some small projects before spending a little bit of time at the pool. Tomorrow we get up early to head out to see the Grand Canyon. Exciting...
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Day Five
Well, today was the big day...we'd been advertising all week long that we were going to be having a party in the park across from the elementary school today, and boy did we ever! It all came together wonderfully...we had hot dogs, sno-cones, cotton candy, balloon animals, a bounce house, face-painting, and even pony rides...all for FREE. And the best part was that a lot of people from the neighborhood came to check it out! Pastor Chris and the church got to meet a lot of new people today, and we're hoping that many of them will visit the church and get plugged into the ministry there. But it was also just a great way to give back into the community and show God's love to the families here...no strings attached. Several people were truly shocked that a church would do all of this for free. It's sad how we have become so conditioned by our culture to suspect that something isn't really ever "free". Some things truly ARE, including God's love as it was shown for us and as it is shown by us to others. We had one such chance to show that love today, and we had a blast doing it! Check out some of the action below...
After the party came to end and we got everything cleaned up, we were able to come back to the hotel for a bit and take advantage of the pool on this hot Arizona day. Speaking of the hotel...it has really worked out well for us! We ended up saving a lot on food, as we have breakfast here each morning, and they served a free dinner on Wednesday and Thursday. Our rooms have kitchenettes, so we've also been able to make our own lunches and dinners.
Tonight we had dinner at the Wotherspoon's house. They have been so much fun to spend time with and work alongside this week. They truly are amazing and giving people, and we have been privileged to be here with them and with the church. They have taken GREAT care of us. Tonight Chris grilled out for us and after dinner we got to hear more of their story and sing a few songs together with their family.
We ended the night together back at the hotel with a time of worship and reflection. This is always one of my favorite times on our trips. I really sensed God's presence as we sang together in one of our hotel rooms, and it was very meaningful to share communion as a team. I have really felt a theme for this trip of tangible love . Our shirts say "Arizona is for Lovers" and reference 1 John 3:16-18. We are to be "lovers" of people in the same way that God demonstrated His love for us, by sending Christ as a sacrifice. The love that we have experienced should compel us to lay down our lives for one another. Communion is such an awesome reminder of the depth of God's love for us, and every time I take part, it moves me to think about my response to that love. I challenged our team tonight to evaluate their response to God's love in light of what 1 John 3 says. Our love and focus for others betrays our understanding of how God loves us.
I am really looking forward to tomorrow's worship service with Coldwater Church. Our team will get to experience what life is like in a church plant, and be a part of helping everything happen, from set-up to tear down, helping with kids ministry, and bringing snacks for people...they will get to be a real part of church tomorrow. I think it will be a great experience for them. Oh, and a happy father's day to everyone back home!
Please join us in prayer today for:
- The Church service. Pray that some of the people whom we met at the park will come to church. Pray that our students really take in the experience of being a part of a church plant.
- The connections we made in the park. Pray that God would use what they experienced today as a part of the process of bringing them closer to Him. Pray that they would seek out a relationship with God and get involved in a church.
- The Wotherspoons. They have continued to be so gracious to us and have really taken good care of us. We just pray for God's continued blessing and provision in their lives.
After the party came to end and we got everything cleaned up, we were able to come back to the hotel for a bit and take advantage of the pool on this hot Arizona day. Speaking of the hotel...it has really worked out well for us! We ended up saving a lot on food, as we have breakfast here each morning, and they served a free dinner on Wednesday and Thursday. Our rooms have kitchenettes, so we've also been able to make our own lunches and dinners.
Tonight we had dinner at the Wotherspoon's house. They have been so much fun to spend time with and work alongside this week. They truly are amazing and giving people, and we have been privileged to be here with them and with the church. They have taken GREAT care of us. Tonight Chris grilled out for us and after dinner we got to hear more of their story and sing a few songs together with their family.
We ended the night together back at the hotel with a time of worship and reflection. This is always one of my favorite times on our trips. I really sensed God's presence as we sang together in one of our hotel rooms, and it was very meaningful to share communion as a team. I have really felt a theme for this trip of tangible love . Our shirts say "Arizona is for Lovers" and reference 1 John 3:16-18. We are to be "lovers" of people in the same way that God demonstrated His love for us, by sending Christ as a sacrifice. The love that we have experienced should compel us to lay down our lives for one another. Communion is such an awesome reminder of the depth of God's love for us, and every time I take part, it moves me to think about my response to that love. I challenged our team tonight to evaluate their response to God's love in light of what 1 John 3 says. Our love and focus for others betrays our understanding of how God loves us.
I am really looking forward to tomorrow's worship service with Coldwater Church. Our team will get to experience what life is like in a church plant, and be a part of helping everything happen, from set-up to tear down, helping with kids ministry, and bringing snacks for people...they will get to be a real part of church tomorrow. I think it will be a great experience for them. Oh, and a happy father's day to everyone back home!
Please join us in prayer today for:
- The Church service. Pray that some of the people whom we met at the park will come to church. Pray that our students really take in the experience of being a part of a church plant.
- The connections we made in the park. Pray that God would use what they experienced today as a part of the process of bringing them closer to Him. Pray that they would seek out a relationship with God and get involved in a church.
- The Wotherspoons. They have continued to be so gracious to us and have really taken good care of us. We just pray for God's continued blessing and provision in their lives.
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Day Four
We followed the same schedule for today as we have for the past two. We began our morning by distributing the remaining invite fliers in neighborhoods close to the park. Our team really covered a lot of ground in a very short amount of time. We really tried to make a point of praying for each home as we left a flier, trying to move the focus off our work and onto God's.
As I was spending some time reflecting this morning, I found myself asking God to be with us today, which is not an uncommon request. Yet, I felt something within remind me that we also need to think about being with God. Fact of the matter is, God is already moving and active in this community, and our goal should be to be used as a part of what He's already doing. We are exciting to be a part of that here in Avondale, and also reminded that we have that opportunity each day in Duluth as well.
Today was our last day working at the school, and it was a productive one! Our group finished compiling thousands more test packets for students, as well as moving books back into the newly redesigned library. I'm proud of our students for the way they really struck with some very tedious tasks and saw them through til the end.
Tonight, we changed things up a little bit and had our team babysit Pastor Chris and Leah's three children so that they could have a night out together. Our team had a ton of fun keeping the kids entertained, and I'm happy that we could be a small blessing to the Wotherspoons tonight. Their family has truly sacrificed for the vision of seeing Coldwater Church reach this community, and they have our greatest respect and support in that. It's been a privilege to work alongside them thus far, and we're looking forward to a great weekend together!
Tomorrow, we kick off the weekend with a party in a local park right near the school where Coldwater Church meets. We've been inviting people all week and handing out the fliers, so we're hoping to see some people come out and get to meet them. We're going to have all sorts of crazy fun happening...hot dogs, sno-cones, cotton candy, face-painting, balloon animals, inflatable games...this is going to be one rockin' party! There are even going to be PONIES for the kids to ride. What more could you ask for?! We got a head start tonight getting the balloons ready to go, and now we're gonna grab some sleep before the big day tomorrow. Please pray with us for:
- People to come to the park tomorrow and connect with the church. We're praying that they would even just sense God's presence and be drawn to the church and its people through the event tomorrow.
- the logistics of the event...power, weather, supplies, etc. Pray that everything runs smoothly and that we are well received.
- for our team to be refreshed and enthusiastic tomorrow and really bring excitement and life to the park. Pray that we remain focused and represent Coldwater Church well.
We'll let you know how it all goes...for now, good night!
Friday, June 19, 2009
Day Three
We picked up where we left off yesterday by continuing to hand out fliers in the neighborhoods. We ran out of fliers and had to make a quick copy run to print more! When we operate as a team, we really can cover a lot of ground and accomplish tasks quickly. Afterwards, we headed back to the elementary school for the afternoon and worked on various projects they had for us. We assisted in rearranging their library, which meant moving books and shelves, as well as some more compiling of booklets for the students. Some of the work has been tedious, but it's awesome to know that we are being a blessing to many of the people who work at the school and otherwise would have to do these things by themselves.
After dinner, we headed out to give away more water bottles. Everyone was really looking forward to doing this again, and the team really dove into it right away. We had a great time blessing people with cold water, and we're hopeful that some of them might choose the visit the church sometime in the near future. I asked some of the students to give me a quick description of what they thought of handing out the water...here's what they came up with:
Tomorrow we will be finishing up handing out invites in the neighborhood, as well as wrapping up our work with the school. In the evening, the plan is to bless Pastor Chris and his wife with some free babysitting and a night out so they can relax together. You can join with us in prayer for...
- God to move on the hearts of people who receive invites or water bottles
- Continued favor with the school for Pastor Chris and Coldwater Church
- For our students to rely on God's strength and direction as we minister
- For Pastor Chris and his family, that God would continue to honor and bless them for their sacrifice and commitment
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Day Two
We began today by heading out as a team and going door to door with fliers inviting people to come to the park on Saturday for the event we will be putting on. We were able to cover a lot of ground in a very short amount of time by dividing up, and we probably distributed around 700 fliers this morning! Even in the morning hours, the temps were very warm by our standards, and it didn't take long to work up a sweat.
After lunch, we spent the next part of our day working at Quentin Elementary School. This is the school that Coldwater Church meets in every Sunday, so we truly hope that our work there this week helps the church maintain a great relationship with the school. We had a very productive shift today...several of the girls re-did 10 of their large hallway bulletin boards and the rest of the group worked on compiling the student handbooks for the next school year. What began as many huge piles of paper was transformed into thousands of handbooks, printed both in English and Spanish for the many students who attend school here.
After lunch, we spent the next part of our day working at Quentin Elementary School. This is the school that Coldwater Church meets in every Sunday, so we truly hope that our work there this week helps the church maintain a great relationship with the school. We had a very productive shift today...several of the girls re-did 10 of their large hallway bulletin boards and the rest of the group worked on compiling the student handbooks for the next school year. What began as many huge piles of paper was transformed into thousands of handbooks, printed both in English and Spanish for the many students who attend school here.
(this was the end result...lots and lots of handbooks. there are 25 in each stack)After a short break for dinner, we all donned our team t-shirts and headed out to a local shopping center to hand out bottles of water with the church name and info printed on the labels. It's quite an experience to try and give someone something that is truly a free gift. People are so skeptical of "free" that it is very hard to convince them that there really are no strings attached to this gift...it's just simply cold water on a hot Arizona day. I love Pastor Chris' heart in this, which is simply to be a blessing to people and become known as a church that gives and contributes to their community. We had some great conversations with people, and we're hopeful that some of them will choose to come to church on Sunday. We also had our share of people getting upset at us, getting asked to leave by store employees, etc. One gentleman even felt it necessary to classify our efforts as a "pestilence". (what a nice old testament word!) Not sure why or how free water can generate so many emotions in people, but we had a great time passing it out tonight!
To wrap it all up, we had a nice debrief/hangout time at Sonic tonight. A great way to end a great first day! We will follow a similar schedule tomorrow, and we will continue to invite people to come and hang out with us on Saturday in the park. You can join us in praying for...
- Favor with people in our invitations, interactions and attempts to show the love of Christ
- Continued focus and energy for our team
I'm excited for tomorrow!
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