FUMC Youth

Just A Little Bit of Jesus

2010-11-11T12:06:00.000-08:00

We are currently discussing the book of Ephesians in our Wednesday night meetings, which we call Pulse. Last night, our conversation got a little intense. It is always intense at Pulse. From the very beginning of its inception, our mid-week discussions have harbored a deep and passionate flavor. Yesterday we were discussing spiritual life versus spiritual death and spun (slighlty off-topic) to whether or not people who hold to religions other than Christinaity are spiritually dead. Our teens were passionate without being obstinate, they listened as well as they articulated. It was heated, but it was healthy, and it was good.

The reason I am writing about this today is because of how proud I am of our Wednesday night teens! It still amazes me (and some of my youth ministry peers) that all I need to do to prepare for Pulse is come up with three or four questions and then get out of the way and watch our youth toss around opinions, ask their own (and better) questions, and awe as a group of teenagers really and truly wrestle with their faith for over an hour. Sometimes it is a little like monkeys in a cage and I have to wrangle everyone back in and make sure only one monkey is talking at a time. But, in spite of most adult views on youth, that is because they have so much to say, not because they're just misbehaving and out of control. Not too long ago, the youth asked if we could eliminate our game so there was more time to talk. Did you read that sentence. Youth...asking to not play games, but talk about faith. Teenagers...requesting more controlled discussion and less chaotic scavenger hunts or dodgeball!

It is amazing what just a little bit of Jesus can do. Many of our teens have discovered Christ. And all it takes is just a glimpse of God, just a sliver of His Presence passing by, to turn our hearts forever.

Sometimes I drive home on Pulse nights and wonder how many chances our youth get to just honestly and openly talk through their faith. There is no doubt they want to!! My goodness, I have to chase some of them out the door on Wednesday nights. We have doubled our allotted time for discussion and we still go past 7:15 (sorry parents), and there are STILL teens that stick around and talk a little more faith after we've dismissed. They come in like confetti poppers, desperately waiting to spill their hearts.

I'm humbled to watch our teens experience Christ and explore His Presence in this world! And as wonderful a faith as our group currently exhibits, I cannot even fathom what just a little MORE of Jesus may do....

Farewell to NYC

2010-07-02T22:22:00.000-07:00

So, I forgot to mention this lasy night, but yesterday - during our group devotional share time, Joseph Felkins simply stood up and said "Let's just stay a couple days longer!" And we all roared with applause. Anyway, tonight, during our final devotional, the same Joseph Felkins stood up and said, "I have just one question to throw out there: Where are we going for our mission trip next year?!" It got the biggest applause of any statement all week!!

We are slightly sad to be leaving new York, but it seems to me that most everyone is ready to get home. We sponged every bit we could out of the city, and everyone enjoyed it, but are satisfied and ready to return to their loved ones (by loved ones, we of course mean their cell phones). We've had a great week full of stories, trials, and celebrations. And today (Friday) was no exception!

Last night, I asked our exhausted, hot, completely worn out team of teens to consider waking up at 5:30 a.m. to go help lead anotehr chapel service at St. Paul's House. There were about fifteen who said yes. No perks, no benefits, no bribes, I just simply asked who wanted a little extra ministry in their trip. And they were fantastic!! Daniel lead some worship music, and then Monique, Hannah R, Erin Maynard, and Paul Tribble each gave a brief testimony about an incident from the trip and how it impacted them. Christine and Weston Rountree read some Scripture. The Porths, Tanner, Toly, and Hayley were also there to help with the music and to cook/serve in the soup kitchen. They were unbelievably amazing, efficient, bold, and focused - and all that bright and early of their own volition. It is truly amazing to me that these youth leap at the chance to serve! Kayla and Janko would have been there too, if not for an alarm clock snafu. These teens really have a heart for God and a desire to serve, and boy, did it seep through at the chapel service this morning!! Their testimonies and singing were nothing short of extraordinary!

After we finished there at St. Paul's, we met the rest of the group at Rockefeller Center, which we could walk to from the soup kitchen (rags to Rockefeller in just a few blocks). We enjoyed some incredible views from the Top of the GE building. A myriad of delays caused our first group to miss their NBC studio tour, but a group went on the second tour. A small cluster also went to Radio City Music Hall. After the tours, we met at the steps of the exquisitely beautiful St. Patrick's cathedral. The group took the afternoon to explore/shop/eat on 5th Avenue. All in all, a very good time.

While at our designated spot, we were waiting on the last group to arrive. When they did, we instantly noticed that Clayton barron was not with them. The group he was with quickly retraced to where they last saw him. We sent an immediate search party out, kept a few adults at the meeting spot, and sent the rest of the team out to our next destination. We prayed for a safe return and, after a few tense moments, we rec-connected. He had gotten seperated from his group at Times Square, but was able to find his way to the meeting spot. We called the search team (just as they were getting onto the Subway toward Times Square), as well as the big group. We all met up shortly to a standing ovation and lots of hugs for Clayton. By God's guidance, he was only seperated from us for about 25 minutes, but you can imagine how tense those minutes were.

After we tracked down our missing person, we headed to Grand Central Terminal for a brief visit.

We then returned to the church and had a cookout with the Hondo, TX team and the local community in Park Slope, Brooklyn. after the dinner, our teens hosted a worship concert. They led worship, we had a solo, duet, and four-person group sing as well, They all were great. We ended with a couple songs for everyone to sing and you could sense the Presence of God shifting Mightily in the room. It was a really great time of significant worship.

After a couple hours of free time for showering and packing, we had our last devotional. some from teh Hondo, TX group joined us for some celebratory worship. It was awesome to be able to sing with them! The worship was loud and palpably heartfelt. After sharing a few stories about the day and our final thoughts on the experience, we closed by circling up and started heading to bed.

Today was a day all about worship. Even though we temporarily lost a youth and missed a tour, it was probably my favorite day of the trip. Our teens served incredibly at the soup kitchen, fellowshipped gracefully throughout our time together, and shook the gates of Heaven with their praise at both the concert and devotional.

Please pray for our travel tomorrow. The first flight should get in around 11:30 a.m., the second around 4:00 p.m., and the third about 7:30 p.m. (all nashville times). We'll be up tomorrow, cleaning and getting ready to come back home. It has been a blessed week, but we are ready to be back home.

Thank you so much for all of your prayers and support. We look forward to seeing your faces again, showing our pictures, and telling each of our stories.

Thanks and God bless,

Joey

Thursday - whatever numbered day that is!!

2010-07-01T21:31:00.000-07:00

Good news! The temp in the church has dropped 10+ degrees in the last couple nights! We even woke up chilly today!!

Today was our last full day of service and it started with a bang!

The purple team, Daniel, and a few adults led a chapel service at St. Paul's home, which hosts a soup kitchen immediately after. We played some music, had a Scripture reading, and a short sermon. The group of about 25 mostly just listened, until our last song... Amazing Grace. The room filled with the sound of our teens leading this large group of homelsee in a song about grace. It was a truly touching moment.

The boys finished off work at Sinai church today and the pastor/congregation there could not be more pleased. We did more than what was asked, or even hoped for, out of us this week. They wish to send their thanks to our congregation, family, and frineds for making our service there this week possible.

The purple girls enjoyed a nap and some down time when they got home from helping at the soup kitchen

Our red girls went to Yorkville Food Pantry, an impressive soup kitchen and food pantry that serves upwards of 1800 a week!! It is the largest of its kind in NYC. The girls assembled to-go grocery bags, operated elevators, sorted toilitries and organized produce. It was a hectic, but wonderful day of work.

We had some bad news make its way through our ranks early this afternoon. Candy Dodson is not feeling well and is going to go home a day early. Please be in prayer for her as she plans to leave early tomorrow. It is not an emergency, just a precaution bringing her home. Obviously, we hate to see her go.

We spent another afternoon in Washington Square park, handing out lunches for the last time.

After a quick dinner in the NYU area, we headed downtown and took the Staten Island Ferry by the Statue of Liberty. We timed things out well enough to catch a glimpse of the sunset and I'm sure there were some great pictures taken.

Pray for our last full day tomorrow. Pray for Candy. Pray for another morning at St. Paul's to go well. Pray for the worship and fellowship of our day. Pray that we'll remeber that ministry is a 24/7 experience.

Thank you for your encoraging words. We read some of them to the team tonight and they very much enjoyed hearing from you!! And, brace yourself, I had a few of them tell me today that they missed their parents!!!! Quite a confession. Know that you are on our hearts and keep us on yours.

Thanks and God bless,

Joey

Day Four - A day late

2010-07-01T20:21:00.000-07:00

Fear not! We are very much alive and well. Sorry about no post last night! We had a late night with our Broadway show and a Subway delay, so decided not to post and just get some much needed rest!!!!

Day Four (Wednesday) was another great day. God continues to put people in our paths that need His Love and to be served in his name!

Today, the painting duties at Mount Sinai were passed on from the girls to the boys. The congregation there ordered pizza for the boys. They are so incredibly excited about us being there! They continue to refer to us as an "answer to prayer." Their hospitality reveals their extreme appreciation. The team is really starting to see what a big deal this is for Sinai church and how much it means to them. It is so neat for our teens to have a chance to laugh, fellowship, and serve with this upper west side congregation. With just one day left, their is a lot to be done.

The younger girls (red) helped out at Furnish a Future today. They helped move some furniture around and did some work eith their box of files, as well as unpacking some of the donated items onto the store shelves.

The purple team was at St. Stephens food pantry and soup kitchen. We formed an assembly line to put together the grocery bags for the visitors that came for lunch. some of the girls also got to serve the bags directly to the homeless. I had one of teh girls tell me that she thought NYC was all full of wealth and high rise buildings. We certainly disproved that myth. It is so crazy that this city is diverse enough to house hundreds of soup kitchens, thousands of homeless, Wall Street, and movie stars (my sister-in-law saw Daniel Day Lewis at the park today). The city is a melting pot that provides very unique oppurtinies to serve both suits and rags on teh same city block!!

Its clear to me that this city is reaching out for something. In the midst of all the chaos, noise, and non-stop action of the city, residents are desperate for peace. They want to be seen and connected with in ways that the flying by city does not adequately address. It has to be so strange for so many people to be so lonely with so many people around.

On the Subway today, a few of our teens found themselves sitting next to a woman who was trying to untie a string from her cart that was stuck. The girls helped her cut it off and started talking to her, explaining who they were and why we are in New York. The woman said that she had planned on getting on a different train but did not and wondered if their encounter was more than chance. She told them that there had been a rope around her heart, just like the one that had inhibited her cart. She asked the girls if they could sing a song for her. So our team of red youth sang a few verses of "Mighty to Save." She was moved to tears. Hannah Rountree prayed for the woman and her future plans. The woman was a Christian and was very encouraged by the ineraction with our young girls. And what a powerful image to the other people on the train who witnessed this uniting of the body of Christ!!

In the late afternoon, we handed out lunches to homelsee people at Washington Square Park. There was a man surrounded by birds and a fountain to play in, which our team enjoyed! Because of our late schedule we decided to have our devotional at the park. We discussed out stories from the day and sang a few accapella songs (including Happy Day). The park waqs extremely crowded and we indeed had a few visitors join in with us.

We left the park and went to Times Square for a group dinner at JOhn's Pizzeria, which was amazing!! After that, we sent 5 to Phantom of the Opera, 20 to The Lion King, and 25 to Wicked. Everyone was glowing after seeing the shows. It was really neat to see how much they enjoyed it. And after a great days work, it was the least they deserved!!

New York- Day Three!

2010-06-29T21:17:00.000-07:00

Hello friends and family!!!! For the past two days our youth group and parents have been actively involved in God's community here in NYC. Today was, just like yesterday, a day that exceeded expectations and goal-breaking standards. Our 62 missionaries all heavily contributed to the work that God has put before us and on our hearts. Here is a brief overview of all that was accomplished today.

Red/Purple- Today was the last day that the girls were at the Sinai Church. Today they got almost all of the Sanctuary done, started to paint the trim in the staircase, painted the window sills in the classroom which is basically finished, and finished painting the first set of stairs. The pastor was there today and gave the girls a little devotional before they started.

Green- We visited Furnish a Future warehouse today and had an amazing time. Once on our arrival in Queens, we organized and separated thousands of hats and gloves. We moved furniture for the organizers and helped locals pick out furniture for their new homes.

Blue- St. Stephen's Outreach Ministry was our stop for today. We peeled hundreds of potatoes for the local people who are in need of food. Along with the potatoes, we passed out box lunches to the hungry and separated clothes from large boxes. A long day of great work for the Lord!

After our missionary work in the suburbs, we all headed to the same park that we worked at yesterday in Manhattan. 25 sack lunches were given out to numerous homeless people around the park with all teams contributing to the effort. Like yesterday, one of the most spiritual moments came from the park today. Hayley Collinsworth said this about the event:

"There were a few girls walking around with me when we all looked over and saw a woman leaning over on one of the benches like she was in pain. We weren't sure if we should have walked over there with such a small group so luckily we caught up with a larger group. Once we told Daniel Tribble about the woman he and the rest of his group walked over along with us to minister to her. Daniel asked her what her name was and she quietly replied with "Diane". We offered to give her food and water but she wouldn't take it. After rejecting the food we all gathered tightly around and prayed for her. Although there were other people who were around saying " She's fine, leave her alone, you are wasting your time" we just continued. It was a very heart felt moment."

We never said that this trip would come without persecution.

After the park, we all visited Chinatown and were invited to the Eastern side of life. With full stomachs and rested legs, we set off for Central Park. More group pictures followed a long walk to the entrance to the park. Mrs. Dana sure is getting a lot of pictures these days! The park itself was a magnificent display of the Lord's power. In the middle of a hustling, bustling city, a calm and peaceful public park provides an oasis for New Yorkers and other people to exercise, enjoy the beautiful day, and relax. We walked around and had an amazing group devotional in the park.

The man who prayed for us yesterday in front of Macy's sent us an e-mail telling us how much of a blessing we are to this city and how we have set a great example for people all across the city. Just like he prayed for us, be praying for us tomorrow as our teams set out again doing the work of the Lord!

Day Two Pictures

2010-06-29T20:34:00.000-07:00

Sorry it took so long for us to get these up and going. Here are somethings we saw yesterday.

New York - Day Two!!

2010-06-28T20:51:00.000-07:00

Hey family and friends,

So today was our first full day in the Big Apple of New York City. After our crazy fun-filled day yesterday, we were all eager to do God's work in the city. After a brief breakfast and morning showers, the adults and youth council met with Joey as he filled us in on the day's plans. The 3 different groups went out through the subway system (which we are in the process of mastering now) and were off doing God's will. The three groups accomplish numerous goals, shattered expectations, and represented our church, our youth group, and our God in amazing ways. Here's what we did:

Green- We worked at the Yorkville Food Pantry today. We helped unload and install a large refrigerator and a large freezer, stocked drinks and food, cleaned sidewalks, washed tables and chairs, ate in beautiful Central Park, and ministered to numerous people looking for help at the pantry.

Blue- Today we visited Furnish a Future. Furnish a Future helps people get back on their feet with a place to stay and free furniture. There we moved and stocked furniture in the warehouse and had amazing conversations with the more "open" people of the streets of NYC. We grew as a team greatly today.

Red/Purple- We went to the Sinai Church today to help them paint. We have almost completely finished the classroom and the sanctuary. We completely finished a stairwell. Tomorrow we are headed back to finish. It's amazing how just simply painting a few rooms can make someones day!

After our first day on the job, the boys and most of the adults headed to the park loaded with sandwiches and other food items. The job was simple to pass out sack lunches and spread the gospel to the homeless and needy that reside in the park. Both teams of guys immediately went off for the Lord delivering a total of 20 bags and came back with a boatload of new stories and endless memories. One of the most intriguing and spiritual-grasping stories was described by Daniel Tribble:

"We were just about done with the giving out of our bags when suddenly my eyes caught a man walking beside me. I said hi not thinking anything about it, but the man stopped and looked quite shocked by a mere word that was spoken to him. I continued on with a basic conversation with him and before you knew it, he was telling me that he was about to go beg for money so he could go eat. Our group met back up with met at almost this exact time and I checked to see if we still had a bag left, and we did; one bag left exactly. We delivered the lunch to the man and said goodbye. Not 30 feet later, Joey said 'hey guys, I think that man is crying over there. Sure enough as we all looked back, the same 58 year-old mand who was going to beg for food but didn't have to anymore, was weeping his heart out. That man was so astonished of the love that we shared to him that he broke down in praise and grattitiude to us and the Lord. He even tried to bow at us he was so surprised. That picture of the old man with his lunch in his hands and crying at the same time will last a very long time in my mind."

That amazing story, along with dozens of others, were what our youth experienced today on the streets of New York City.

After our time in the park, we went to the area aroung Macy's. We split into groups to grab a bite to eat and explore. Some of us made it to all 10 1/2 stories. Yes, Macy's has a floor labeled 1 1/2. We all had gathered in front of the Macy's Store for a group picture and a man named Chris randomly joined in! Chris was a member of a church called CMA in Tennessee! After we took just a few shots he asked us to gather around and he prayed for us right in the middle of all the confusion and fuss of New York. Just seeing another man, out of the blue, join our group and end up praying over us shows the power that God has in a place that is unfamiliar to most of the group.

Our last highlight of the day, was visiting the Empire State Building. It was a beautiful site as the sun set on New York.

We are sorry this blog is late. We had some technical dificulties last night.

Day One (NYC) - Travel, Ground Zero, Times Square...

2010-06-27T22:11:00.000-07:00

Well, it has been a hectic, busy, challenging, and thrilling day one. We made Andrew webb famous at the Nashville airport, saw a man painted head to toe in gold, got emotional at the WTC site and realized the sauna that is Park Slope Community church!

The day started with a frenzy as we tried to get all 42 of the people on the first flight checked in and onto the plane. We got Andrew in as the last one just a few minutes before take off (thus the notoriety). When the group got to me in newark at 9 or so, they looked wiped. We waited around until the second plane (19 of us) arrived.

We took a Charter Bus and a rental van from Newark to Brooklyn. Our teens witnessed the insanity of NY traffic as Howard (our driver from Hong Kong) navigated the busy streets. We crossed over the beautiful Verrazano bridge and everyone was excited to see the Statue of Liberty greeting us in the distance. We were introduced to New York with a vision of Lady Liberty, like so many travelers have before. Our ace team of adult grocery shoppers met and greeted us at park slope, having spent half our days allotment on fans!!

We quickly dropped off our stuff, oriented ourselves a bit and headed into the city...

The World Trade Center site was a very emotional scene. It is nine years later and you can still tell the damage that was done. We visited a memorial and a fire station nearby, as well as St. Paul's - a church across the street that suffered barely a scrape during 9/11, which seems unfathomable. They are in the process of rebuilding. These plans include two fountain memorials at the base of the original towers, and new towers that are planned to be even taller than the originals! It was neat to see those plans, yet still see the destruction caused. I'm certain that in 20 years, we'll all brag that we were there to see those massive towers being rebuilt!! It was an emotional reminder of that day. There were some tears. And we took the time to sit and talk about what that day meant and what it symbolizes. We talked about how changing NY changes the world. And we have the chance to do that for the sake of the gospel! What a blessing!

After the heart wrenching couple hours at Ground Zero, we went uptown to Times Square. We got a group photo and then everyone split into smaller groups for dinner and exploration. Our teens enjoyed the M&M store, Forever 21, and definitely Toys R Us (which has a ferris wheek inside, a lifesize Barbie House, a huge T-Rex, some massive Lego structures and much more.

We left before anyone wanted to and survived Joey deciding to jump the group off a Subway last minute :)

Back at the church, Rick Comacho spoke to our group about how MissionNYC got started and what they do. They were just normal, everyday congregants who were asked to help out in the immediate aftermath of 9/11. Groups just kept on coming and nine years later they have served hundreds of thousands in the name of Christ in various ministries around the city. We had a quick devotional with some worship music, which was brief, but also had a real palpable sense of significance. We talked next day logistics, got our beds set up, showered, and were ready for lights out by 11:45 - not too bad for day one.

Pray for us as we begin service projects tomorrow. People are already tired. It was so great to hear some encouragement from Rick. I feel that our group is ready and that God is going to move tomorrow. We'd love to know you are there thinking of us. It is quite a sacrifice these teens and adults are making to serve God this week, but the fellowship alone has been worth it. We focus on service tomorrow. There is no doubt in my mind we will have some great stories for you tomorrow night.

For now, goodnight from the city that never sleeps...

(pictures by Hayley Collinsworth and Dana Holtgraewe)

Thanks and God bless,

Joey

Youth Prayer Chapel

2010-06-17T14:07:00.000-07:00

There is nothing within the Christian faith (or without it, really) quite as powerful as prayer. God knows our hearts, but the process of intentionally sharing it with Him is a profound and important experience to anyone daring to call themself Christian.

As we get ready to go on our summer mission trip to New York City, the youth ministry is going to convert our youth lounge into a prayer chapel. It will be open during normal church hours starting Thursday, June 24th thru Wednesday, July 7th. We covet your prayers. For our trip, for our teens, for our congregation, for our community, and for our world. We will have the room set up with stations including music, a prayer wall, creative tables, a 'be still' section, and a few other arrangements to help people pray in different and creative ways.

Please consider stopping by the youth lounge and praying. What you pray doesn't matter - that you pray is all that counts!!

Light in the Darkness - Pulse 6/9/10

2010-06-10T10:18:00.000-07:00

Last night, we met for our Wednesday night discussion group called "Pulse." It seems like we always end up having a meaningful conversation at Pulse, and yesterday was no different. Our topic was the Biblical concept of light versus darkness. The following is a short glimpse into our conversation...

Light is real. Although we are lost within the darkness, though we stumble and wonder aimlessly, it also provides some cover. We can hide, avoid the deep questions, not face the truth. But when the light gets turned on, everything changes. We can see obstacles more clearly, colors and depth bring life to our vision, and reality becomes bigger than the space an inch in front of us. But that means the dark corners are revealed. Our imperfections and failings, our struggles and embarassing longings are manifested. When that light first comes on, we squint in struggle to adjust to the reality of real perception.

Jesus is the light. Light is true and revealing. It allows us to see things in their fullness. We each have rooms in our lives in which we prefer the darkness. We don't want that reality bothering our dating relationships, how we spend our money, how we are with our friends, etc. But facing the truth is always better than spiraling into the darkness. You pay a steep price for darkness. Let God shine in your life. Stumbling around in the darkness, though a familiar and popular place to be, will get us nowhere. We are wasting time, wasting life, squandering oppurtunity to be who God created us to be, doing what He calls us to do.

"This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Every one who does evil hates the light, and will not come to the light for fear his deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly what he has done and has been dopne through God."
- John 3:19-21

Fumc Youth Blog

2010-06-02T13:17:00.000-07:00

In 2010, the youth ministry at First United Methodist Church in Lebanon, TN decided that we wanted to be more. More than a social gathering. More than surface-level dialogue. More than games, bells, and whistles. These teens are a generation hungry for God. They are dissastisfied with the world as it has been presented to them. They dare to dream. They long to be challenged. They shudder at mediocrity. They want to be relevant and to make a difference.

Join us as we post (weekly-ish) our adventures on this journey. We hope that you often laugh, are occassionally challenged, and always encouraged by the stories we have to share. There is nothing special or flattering about our group, just a bunch of teens (and a few adult volunteers) stumbling thorugh life - trying to discover truth, celebrate God, and find a purpose. We are imperfect, messy, naive, and unheralded. But that is the kind of people God most often uses. When you throw Perfection into the blender, the result is never ordinary.

"When we are wholly His we will be more ourselves than ever."

- C.S. Lewis