Hello Again!
We have had the best day yet on our trip to the UK. Today we were in "The King's Academy". This is a charter school that was founded upon a Christian ethos 60 years ago, though they are quick to say that they are not a Christian school. We met up with Mike Taylor, the head of UK/USA Ministries, and went straight to work. The morning started with a large group assembly. I spoke to the "Year 8 and 9" group and Mike spoke to the "Year 7" group. The theme of the assembly was "Aim Higher". We were able to share explicitly from God's Word why students needed a relationship with Jesus Christ in order to "Aim Higher".
At The King's Academy we had been given permission to share anything about Christianity and God's Word that we wanted. The only thing we were asked not to do is give an altar call or evangelize (help students to make faith decisions). After the assemblies, we were off to classes. In England, Religious Education is mandatory in all schools. This is mainly to promote pluralism and inclusion, though it provides an awesome platform to talk about having faith in Jesus Christ.
Our team was split into three groups to go into classes. Teams led a brief quiz about Christianity in the 21st Century (this was our assigned topic). Afterward, our students were able to share their testimony about becoming a Christian. Then we broke into small groups and led discussions about the most difficult questions Christianity faces in couture today. Students were allowed to ask any questions they wanted about Christians. Here are some that they asked:
Why does God allow bad things to happen?
Is it ever right to take a life? Is capital punishment okay?
Does God approve of war?
How can you believe in a God you have never seen, touched, or actually heard?
How do you hear from God?
What do Christians think about gun control?
Is premarital sex okay for Christians? Why not?
How do you become a Christian?
And many, many, many more questions...
Many of these questions were covered in our pre-trip training and we were able to answer intelligibly from the scriptures. Even more important, most teams were able to turn the conversation toward the Gospel. As I wrote earlier, The King's Academy is not a Christian school. Most students were wide open in telling us they do not believe in Jesus. Many others shared that they are from another faith (Islam, etc.) This is a dark place spiritually, but the truth is getting through! Several teams were able to make Gospel presentations in each class period. While we cannot call for a decision, many of these students now have the knowledge they need to know how to begin a relationship with Jesus Christ. With UK/USA Ministries partnerships Youth for Christ and many local churches, we hope that these students will soon cross the line of faith and become followers of Jesus Christ!
We'll have one more day at The King's Academy tomorrow. Pray for the new groups of students that we will be with tomorrow. Pray that they would come with open hearts and curious minds. Pray that our team finishes this trip strong tomorrow. Pray that the Gospel would flourish here in Middlesbrough, UK!
Steve
ps - Sorry, no pictures today. We cannot take cameras into the school.
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Monday, July 9, 2012
UK Mission Update Four
Hello from the Tees Valley!
It has been a long, but fun day here in the UK. We started early this morning walking to Beech Grove Primary School. This school recently received a name change and some renovations in an attempt to beat the school's poor reputation here in Middlesbrough. As we walked toward the school our team passed dozens of homes that have been condemned by the local government in an attempt to rid the community from some of its worst citizens. Honestly, we didn't know what to expect.
Our goal in going to the school was to host a program called, "The Games". With the Olympics being in London this year, this program is designed to take students through a full day of activities and subtlety insert Christian themes. We had all the school's "Year 4" students for the day. They were divided into host countries like China, Brazil, and Canada to represent the countries that participate in the Olympics.
We were divided into three zones. There was a Discovery Zone in which students could had a series of different experiences including hearing the story of Zacchaeus. There was another zone dedicated to creativity in which students had to come up with the beat of a rap song using the lyrics of the Bible's creation account. In the sport zone, we interacted with the students a played a number of olymipic-style games. During the closing ceremony we taught the children, "He's Got The Whole World in His Hands" and "This Little Light of Mine". We recapped the story of Zacchaeus and reminded them that Jeus loves them whether they are big or small or wherever they find themselves in life.
(Sorry there are not more pictures. Strict school rules prohibit us from photographing children.) It was a full day, but a great one. We were able to plant several seeds in these students hearts about God's love and hope that can be found in Jesus Christ. Tomorrow we head over to the The King's Academy. We are told that we can do everything short of actually presenting an altar call. Pray for open doors, open hearts, and God's favor as we go. We'll be doing assemblies and teaching in classrooms. Pray for the students that will be sharing their testimonies. Pray for lives to be changes through the power of the Gospel here in Middlesbrough! Steve
(Sorry there are not more pictures. Strict school rules prohibit us from photographing children.) It was a full day, but a great one. We were able to plant several seeds in these students hearts about God's love and hope that can be found in Jesus Christ. Tomorrow we head over to the The King's Academy. We are told that we can do everything short of actually presenting an altar call. Pray for open doors, open hearts, and God's favor as we go. We'll be doing assemblies and teaching in classrooms. Pray for the students that will be sharing their testimonies. Pray for lives to be changes through the power of the Gospel here in Middlesbrough! Steve
Sunday, July 8, 2012
UK Mission Update Four
Hello Again Everybody!
Today was a cultural experience as our team attended Sunday morning worship at St. Barnabas Anglican Church. You may have heard that most churches in England are nearly empty on Sunday mornings, but St. Barnabas had a packed house in two services today. We came for coffee between the first and the second services in the fellowship hall.
It was "Scout Sunday" in which the church recognizes the Explorer Scouts (like our Boy and Girl Scouts). In an earlier service the church commissioned a team made up of scouts and doctors on mission to Ghana later this month. The Fellowship Hall was buzzing with people talking about the trip and the scouts. We had some great opportunities to meet people and talk about church-life at St. Barnabas. Then we were off to the second service.
The second service of the morning was a monthly service dedicated to families. It was a lot like a Vacation Bible School in atmosphere. There were puppets, skits, flags, dancing, and hand actions (not to be mistaken for motions which refer to bowel movements here in England... another team made that mistake here in Teeside). At the beginning of the service the church called our team to the front and prayed over us. Later on, Bryson and I had the privilege (and embarrassment) of being called out to lead worship with the children doing hand actions with flags. We did get to sing a few Chris Tomlin songs and worship God in the same way many of us would have in back home.
(The man in black has been dubbed the British Duke Forster)
We have come to understand that one of our roles here is to encourage those ministering here. This is a tough field to win people to Christ. We've been told numerous times that our presence and partnership mean a lot to those serving in Middlesbrough.
After a great service and fellowship we met up with another team serving here from Southcrest Church in Newnan, GA and went to Whitby, UK. Among other things Whitby is known as the place Captain James Cook set sail from when he discovered Australia, the place where the official date for Easter was set by the church, and the place where some of the English claim Dracula is buried. We walked the streets of this historic town and got to experience some of the ancient ruins of a monastery. It was in the shadow of the town's Abbey, overlooking the coast that we participated in the Lord's Supper.
We finally got a chance to try one of the local delicacies... Fish and chips. Pretty impressive...
Finally, we wrapped up the day by loading back onto the buses and meeting in our teams on the drive back. We had a lot to game plan for. For the next three days we will be in schools!
Pray that as we head to the schools, students would be curious about God and open to the truth. Pray that students would ask questions about faith. Pray that God would allow us to plant seeds for the Gospel in students lives.
Steve
Saturday, July 7, 2012
UK Mission Update Three
Hello Again from Middlesbrough, England!
We have had an AMAZING day in the UK. Originally, we were supposed to host a "Fun Day" in one of the parks here in the city. The "City Government Council" cancelled the day when the heavy rains came yesterday throughout Northern England. So, instead we divided into ministry teams.
A few of us hosted American games in the park. We played Foursquare and Tips. These may be playground games in the States, but we were able to draw out some of the locals to play for a couple of hours. Another team was on the other in end of the park doing random acts of kindness and blowing bubbles while inviting people to a crafts center we established at a local cafe. The craft team had a small crowd throughout the day. They were able to distribute some of the "Queen's Jubilee" New Testament to the families that came for crafts.
In the afternoon, a few of us went over to the The Avenue Methodist Church. Originally we thought we were going to play games with children. To our surprise, when we walked in the doors there were several middle-aged men playing pool and ping-pong. For an awkward moment, we weren't sure what to do. However, it wasn't long until we understood why we were there. These were men and their families seeking political asylum. They were from Iraq and Iran. We heard some incredible stories of challenges and changes in their lives. We were able to share Jesus with some of them!
We have come to the close of another day. Tomorrow we'll be worshipping at St. Barnabas Anglican Church.
Continue to pray for God's favor on our interactions. Pray that the Gospel will take root in the hearts of those who hear it!
Steve
We have had an AMAZING day in the UK. Originally, we were supposed to host a "Fun Day" in one of the parks here in the city. The "City Government Council" cancelled the day when the heavy rains came yesterday throughout Northern England. So, instead we divided into ministry teams.
A few of us hosted American games in the park. We played Foursquare and Tips. These may be playground games in the States, but we were able to draw out some of the locals to play for a couple of hours. Another team was on the other in end of the park doing random acts of kindness and blowing bubbles while inviting people to a crafts center we established at a local cafe. The craft team had a small crowd throughout the day. They were able to distribute some of the "Queen's Jubilee" New Testament to the families that came for crafts.
In the afternoon, a few of us went over to the The Avenue Methodist Church. Originally we thought we were going to play games with children. To our surprise, when we walked in the doors there were several middle-aged men playing pool and ping-pong. For an awkward moment, we weren't sure what to do. However, it wasn't long until we understood why we were there. These were men and their families seeking political asylum. They were from Iraq and Iran. We heard some incredible stories of challenges and changes in their lives. We were able to share Jesus with some of them!
We have come to the close of another day. Tomorrow we'll be worshipping at St. Barnabas Anglican Church.
Continue to pray for God's favor on our interactions. Pray that the Gospel will take root in the hearts of those who hear it!
Steve
Friday, July 6, 2012
UK Mission Update Two
Hey Everybody!
What an incredible time we have had here in England. Yesterday afternoon our team conquered a mountain called Rosbury Topping... I know it doesn't that intimidating, but believe me when I say Stone Mountain has nothing on Rosbury. Once we reached the top we could see the entire Teeside Valley where UK/USA Ministries is based. We were joined by a team from Memphis, TN that departed this morning. We shared a time of prayer over the valley and the city of Middlesbrough where we will be serving while here.
Afterward, we headed out to our host homes and had some tea (dinner time). The host homes are incredibly hospitable. The food has been surprisingly good. Last night everyone slept long and hard to try to beat jet lag.
We awoke bright and early this morning to the rain. The morning forecast said that we could expect a month's worth of rain today... they were right. Even so, we hit the pavement and walked to meet some ministry leaders here in Middlesbrough. While in the meeting we learned that our Park Outreach scheduled for Saturday was cancelled by the "Town Government Council" due to rain. We regrouped and spent some time praying to ask God to give us new direction. God united our hearts around a series of ideas. Within 30 minutes our team and the ministry leaders put together a game plan for a different kind of outreach involving American sports, an open cafe, crafts, and random acts of kindness. We'll see how it goes tomorrow.
We headed out to a local primary school and spent some time playing with some local kids at primary school. They had a good time trying to imitate our American accents. A few girls left with a slight crush on newly crowned English heart throbs Aaron Killian and Taylor Russell. We grabbed lunch with our guide Andy and he helped us understand some more about the English mindset and culture.
After lunch, we walked the streets of Middlebrough to get a better grasp of the area we are serving. Mile after mile we heard about the needs, hopes, and frustrations of the people here. One thing is certain, this is a region of spiritual darkness in deep need of Jesus Christ.
Gotta go, we are back at the host homes now and it is Tea Time!
Please pray for open doors tomorrow as we try to have spiritual conversation with locals. Pray that God would give our team members courage to talk with others about why we have come to Teeside, UK. Pray for God to use us to make an impact in the darkness here!
Steve
What an incredible time we have had here in England. Yesterday afternoon our team conquered a mountain called Rosbury Topping... I know it doesn't that intimidating, but believe me when I say Stone Mountain has nothing on Rosbury. Once we reached the top we could see the entire Teeside Valley where UK/USA Ministries is based. We were joined by a team from Memphis, TN that departed this morning. We shared a time of prayer over the valley and the city of Middlesbrough where we will be serving while here.
Afterward, we headed out to our host homes and had some tea (dinner time). The host homes are incredibly hospitable. The food has been surprisingly good. Last night everyone slept long and hard to try to beat jet lag.
We awoke bright and early this morning to the rain. The morning forecast said that we could expect a month's worth of rain today... they were right. Even so, we hit the pavement and walked to meet some ministry leaders here in Middlesbrough. While in the meeting we learned that our Park Outreach scheduled for Saturday was cancelled by the "Town Government Council" due to rain. We regrouped and spent some time praying to ask God to give us new direction. God united our hearts around a series of ideas. Within 30 minutes our team and the ministry leaders put together a game plan for a different kind of outreach involving American sports, an open cafe, crafts, and random acts of kindness. We'll see how it goes tomorrow.
We headed out to a local primary school and spent some time playing with some local kids at primary school. They had a good time trying to imitate our American accents. A few girls left with a slight crush on newly crowned English heart throbs Aaron Killian and Taylor Russell. We grabbed lunch with our guide Andy and he helped us understand some more about the English mindset and culture.
After lunch, we walked the streets of Middlebrough to get a better grasp of the area we are serving. Mile after mile we heard about the needs, hopes, and frustrations of the people here. One thing is certain, this is a region of spiritual darkness in deep need of Jesus Christ.
Gotta go, we are back at the host homes now and it is Tea Time!
Please pray for open doors tomorrow as we try to have spiritual conversation with locals. Pray that God would give our team members courage to talk with others about why we have come to Teeside, UK. Pray for God to use us to make an impact in the darkness here!
Steve
Thursday, July 5, 2012
2012 MS SUMMER CAMP REC TEAMS!!!
| Red | Purple | ||
| FLIP JOHNSON | BRIAN METZDORF | ||
| Ahern | Katelyn | Seagraves | Valerie |
| Bridger | Sara | Tidwell | Kayla |
| Brown | Abby | Whitwell | Riley |
| Cooksey | Mary Katherine | Moye | Jonathan |
| Bennett | Sophie | Sammons | Nick |
| Bradberry | Maci | Spain | Andy |
| Coffield | Noah | Norton | Marshall |
| Edwards | Mark | Oluwadare | Tope |
| Bailey | Jesse | Pritchett | Tyler |
| Brumbelow | Brady | Rodriguez | Jordan |
| Bullock | Nash | Rogers | Jamie |
| Beasley | Alex | Stokes | Graham |
| Davlin | Lauren | ||
| Najjar | Sarah | Wesley Smith | |
Pink | White | ||
| JAKE GLOVER | MIKE DICKINSON | ||
| Donatucci | Ashley | Turner | Hallie |
| Evers | Amy | Vande | Rachael |
| Dickinson | Lilly | Strickland | Allen |
| Dills | Jodi | Strickland | Luke |
| Brisby | Morgan | Thompson | David |
| Coffield | Sarah | Valenzuela | Fabio |
| Fabricant | Wyatt | Vance | Christian |
| Gedgoudas | John | White | Joel |
| Charron | Caleb | Walker | Nicholas |
| Dubose | Jake | Birkbeck | Cole |
| Dickinson | Jacob | Stewart | David |
| Forrester | Caleb | Golden | John |
| Brandon Pedraza Raphael Latimore | Dajuste Rebecca | ||
| Blue | Teal | ||
| CHRIS HOLLAND | JIM PEEVY | ||
| Foskey | Avery | Woodward | Grace |
| Fanczi | Sarah | McDaniel | J. Connor |
| Goodman | Rebecca | Reid | Gabrielle |
| Grove | Brooklyn | Saunders | Jordan |
| Crabtree | Brooklyn | Taylor | Miranda |
| Foskey | Lauren | Terry | Jessica |
| Glover | Joe | Provence | John |
| Gutierrez | Miguel | Riddett | Jackson |
| Etheridge | Elijah | McGee | Chase |
| Evans | Eli | Mikle | Chase |
| Glover | Ben | White | Jacob (Jake) |
| Henderson | Nash | Wiggs | Taylor |
| Maxwell | Lawson | Rank | Andrew |
| Pedro Monterosa | |||
| Green | Yellow | ||
| DEREK SPAIN | KARL RIDDETT | ||
| Gedgoudas | Maddy | Sammons | Madison |
| Henderson | Lauren | Williams | Virginia |
| Howard | Lauren | Moye | Rebecca |
| Korbien | Jasmin | Palmer | Jillian |
| Gibson | Alyssa | Mezzles | Hannah |
| Haverty | Kaitlyn | Provence | Mary Rose |
| Hutchison | Christopher | Palmer | Bryant |
| Hymes | Joe | Peevy | Carter |
| Fabricant | Marshall | Johnson | Sutton |
| Franklin | Joseph | Lawson | Daniel |
| Hubbard | Joseph | Penn | Leo |
| Kellum | Will | Taffar | Silas |
| Vargas | Mateo | Bailey | Anderson |
| Cassidy Irizarry | Jennifer Lopez | ||
| Black | Orange | ||
| JOHN MCGEE | JIM GLOVER | ||
| Holland | Olivia | Oluwadare | Yetunde |
| King | Emily | Rodriguez | Jackie |
| Martinez | Aylin | Miller | Becca |
| Merrill | Brittany | Mills | Samantha |
| Headley | Meredith | Killian | Jena |
| Holland | Carson | Manus | Jordan |
| Kennedy | Logan | Moyers | Michael |
| Metzdorf | Trevor | Oliver | Daniel |
| Goodman | Daniel | Holliday | Ryan |
| Hedgepeth | Andrew | Johnson | Slone |
| McDaniel | Austin | McMann | Nick |
| McMann | J.C. | Oliver | Drew |
| Dajuste | Ketsia | Clayton Hopkins |
UK Mission Update One
Hello from Tees Valley England!
After a long day of travels through Boston and Amsterdam we landed a short time ago at the Durham/Tees Airport. The temperature is a wonderful 68 degrees. It is raining hard, but our team spirits are high. I am writing this from missionary Mike Taylor's living room. They are welcoming us in true American style with Hamburgers and Hotdogs fresh from the grill for lunch. Afterward we'll head out to pray over the Tees Valley from a nearby highpoint. A little later on we'll head to our host homes and get to know our host families. We'll hit the ground running tomorrow with a full day of ministry.
Please pray that he weather will allow us to do the planned ministry projects. Pray that God would continue to keep our team safe as we travel throughout Tees Valley. Pray for lives to be changed as we begin interacting with people.
We love you all!!! #prayforengland
Steve
After a long day of travels through Boston and Amsterdam we landed a short time ago at the Durham/Tees Airport. The temperature is a wonderful 68 degrees. It is raining hard, but our team spirits are high. I am writing this from missionary Mike Taylor's living room. They are welcoming us in true American style with Hamburgers and Hotdogs fresh from the grill for lunch. Afterward we'll head out to pray over the Tees Valley from a nearby highpoint. A little later on we'll head to our host homes and get to know our host families. We'll hit the ground running tomorrow with a full day of ministry.
Please pray that he weather will allow us to do the planned ministry projects. Pray that God would continue to keep our team safe as we travel throughout Tees Valley. Pray for lives to be changed as we begin interacting with people.
We love you all!!! #prayforengland
Steve
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)