Parkway Student Ministry (a.k.a Kevin's thoughts and useful info)

College Community Group Fall 2008 UPDATE

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin) — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 20:11:00 +0000

A Note from Misty:

Welcome back, students!

For those who have not yet heard, our College-Age Community Group is moving to Monday nights starting on September 29, 2008. Our Tuesday night effort failed this semester when I learned that about half of those who would have liked to attend had classes on Tuesday nights! Also, you may have heard Pastor Don (or Big P) during his sermons in the past couple of weeks talking about small groups. He is recruiting leaders as I type this, and he wants a number of small groups to be offered beginning in October. Since our Tuesday night study died anyway, we decided to just cancel and start over again.

SO

On Monday night, September 29th, we will again begin our college-age small-group effort. This group will be a non-"couple", coed college-age community group. That basically covers anyone between 18 and 26ish who is in college, a graduate, or a career-oriented person within the same age range. Also, to clarify, it is okay if couples attend, but the study will not be based on coupley-type issues. Also, we are looking to offer some gender-specific community groups in the future. I believe those are still in the making, but when they become available, you will be notified, in case you are interested.

On September 29th, meet at my house at 7:00 PM.

This will be an "Introduction" session to our small group venture. I will feed you dinner. Notice that we will be meeting an hour earlier than usual, because I don't want you to have to wait until 8:00 PM to eat dinner. Please send an email to mistylynnfoster@gmail.com, if you plan to attend. Let me know if you'll be eating, so I'll have enough food. This meal will be free to anyone, but if you want to contribute a few bucks, you may do so. Also, if you want to bring a drink or a side item, let me know. This first meeting will just be an informal and fun time. We will not start the study until the following Monday. This will give us a chance to relax and have some down time with one another.

THEN

On Monday night, October 6th at 8:00 PM, we will begin the study "Where Faith and Culture Meet." This is an intriguing study on the Church's role and responsibility to get involved with our culture and how to offer a positive AND RELEVANT counter-culture, and NOT perpetuate the self-sustaining sub-culture we've created over the last 50 years that has rendered the Church almost completely irrelevant to the vast majority of those who live within our culture. (Notice, I said the Church, not the Gospel.) Culture. I just wanted to say it one more time. Hahaha!!

If you have no idea what I just said... you should come and check out the Bible study!! On the other hand, if you totally understand what I just said and would like to discuss more about it, then you come on out, too. :) The study is comprised of a short DVD presentation to get us started, followed by a series of intriguing discussion questions. This community group will be held weekly at my house at 8:00 PM.

If you have questions, need directions or whatever, give me a call at 850-273-2741.

~Misty Lynn Foster

P.S. This semester, we are trying something a little bit different. Instead of a week-to-week Bible study, I would like us to concern ourselves with building relationship and community almost as much as we concern ourselves with learning. For that reason, we will be staggering two back-to-back weeks of Bible study, followed by one week of something fun where we can just hang out and get to know each other. You can find the schedule for the first Bible study below.

09/29/2008 - Introduction to small group, FREE dinner provided - 7:00 PM @ Misty's

10/06/2008 - Faith and Culture: Session 1 - 8:00 PM @ Misty's
10/13/2008 - Faith and Culture: Session 2 - 8:00 PM @ Misty's

10/20/2008 - Fun Night: Bowling - 7:45 PM @ Capital Lanes

10/27/2008 - Faith and Culture: Session 3 - 8:00 PM @ Misty's
11/03/2008 - Faith and Culture: Session 4 - 8:00 PM @ Misty's

11/10/2008 - Fun Night: ROCK BAND!!! - 8:00 PM @ Misty's

11/17/2008 - Faith and Culture: Session 5 - 8:00 PM @ Misty's
11/24/2008 - Faith and Culture: Session 6 - 8:00 PM @ Misty's

12/01/2008 - Fun Night: Dinner @ Pitaria - 7:00 PM, Playing pool @ Halligan's - 8:00 PM

College Community Group Fall 2008

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin) — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 14:53:00 +0000

A Note from Misty:

Welcome back, students!!! I hope that you enjoyed your summer, wherever it was spent. Those who stayed back in Tallahassee enjoyed a break from our "hardcore" Bible study... ;) ... and we spent many a fun Tuesday night doing things such as playing Rock Band, putt-putt golfing, or just hanging out and watching movies. But now, it is time to get back down to business!!

Tonight, we begin part one of a 6-session study on the Church and its role and responsibility to get involved with our culture and how to offer a positive AND RELEVANT counter-culture, and NOT perpetuating the self-sustaining sub-culture we've created over the last 50 years that has rendered the Church almost completely irrelevant to the vast majority of those who live within our culture. (Notice, I said the Church, not the Gospel.) Culture. I just wanted to say it one more time. Hahaha!!

If you have no idea what I just said... you should come out tonight and check out the Bible study!! On the other hand, if you totally understand what I just said and would like to discuss more about it, then come on out. :)

We begin tonight, Tuesday, September 2, 2008 at 8:00 PM. Each week, we will go one hour. The study is comprised of a short DVD presentation to get us started, followed by a series of intriguing discussion questions. This community group will be held weekly at my house. My address is:

3363 Argonaut Drive
Tallahassee, FL 32312

Find me here:
Map to Misty's House

If you have questions, need directions or whatever, give me a call at 850-273-2741.

~Misty Lynn Foster

P.S. This semester, we are trying something a little bit different. Instead of a week-to-week Bible study, I would like us to concern ourselves with building relationship and community almost as much as we concern ourselves with learning. For that reason, we will be staggering two back-to-back weeks of Bible study, followed by one week of something fun where we can just hang out and get to know each other. You can find the schedule for the first Bible study below.

09/02/2008 - Church and Culture: Session 1 - 8:00 PM
09/09/2008 - Church and Culture: Session 2 - 8:00 PM

09/16/2008 - Fun Night: Bowling - 7:45 PM

09/23/2008 - Church and Culture: Session 3 - 8:00 PM
09/30/2008 - Church and Culture: Session 4 - 8:00 PM

10/07/2008 - Fun Night: ROCK BAND!!! - 8:00 PM

10/14/2008 - Church and Culture: Session 5 - 8:00 PM
10/21/2008 - Church and Culture: Session 6 - 8:00 PM

10/28/2008 - Fun Night: Dinner @ Pitaria - 7:00 PM, Playing pool at Halligan's - 8:00 PM

Youth Wednesday Evening Community Group

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin) — Thu, 29 May 2008 15:54:00 +0000

This summer the youth ministry at Parkway will start meeting in homes around town. With the pending sell of our building and the desire to utilize a more missional approach to ministry, I fell this to be a positive step. Speaking very practically, when we sell the building we will have to meet in homes, there will simply be no alternative. Likewise, meeting in homes plants or ministerial efforts closer to the culture in which we minister. We have already seen success with home based community groups during the spring semester. Now is as good a time as any to begin a full-scale transition from meeting once at the church building to meeting multiple times in the community.

How will we do this, you likely ask? Here is the plan. Beginning Wednesday June 4 at 6:00 in the evening, we will be having a youth (grade 6 – grade 12) community group at my house. The next week there will be another youth community group at Misty’s house. Now, what you are about to read is quite important, read carefully. With this new plan the intention is that we get out into the community, be closer to the students of Tallahassee. While we are starting with just two houses I hope to see this grow. It begins with Misty’s and my house because our two houses are both easily available for use and just happen to be centrally located in the north and south of town. Now, I realize that if you live in the east and west of town you might be thinking, “great, this helps me none.” You are correct; it is equally difficult to get to my house, Misty’s house, and the church building for you. Do not forget, however, there is no reason that a community group cannot be established in your part of town, maybe even your house if there are enough people interested in coming. Again the goal is to get out in our community. We want to see new people and give them a place to discuss spiritual maters and at the same time make new friends.

Now, logistics; beginning Wednesday June 4 we meet at my house at 6:00 pm to study session 1 of our summer study. The next week, Wednesday June 11 we will meet at Misty’s house, again studying session 1 of the same study. The week following, June 18, we meet at my house to study session 2, June 25 is at Misty’s for session 2, July 2 is at My house with session 3, and on and so forth. It is not intended for the same students to meet every week for bible study. Though you are welcomed to come to both, it might be better to use the time in other ways which I shall discuss later.

The every other week cycle might be a little confusing. It is meant to aid with the transition to the new community group concept. When school begins next fall I hope that we can bring more community groups on line and ultimately fall in to a regular weekly schedule. For the summer I am thinking that a two-week schedule will be a bit easier to handle, helping us get the process down and make the necessary adjustments. Also, we might find that the off week is a nice time to get together to swim, watch a movie, play some form of sport at the park, maybe cook a meat, some how find ways to engage our culture.

Also, feel free to comment on this article or email me with questions or concerns.

Click for Map to my house (Remember I live in apartment 78).
Click for Map to Misty’s house.

July 12 Wakulla Family Day

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin) — Tue, 27 May 2008 19:26:00 +0000

The Parkway Student Ministry has a Wakulla springs family day planned. The date for this latest incarnation of the student ministry family day will be Saturday July 12, starting at 10:30 and wrapping up at 3:30. However, this latest family day extravaganza will be a bit different. While we will still cook food for you, this year you will have to pay for it. Not to worry, you can still come if you do not wish to eat the food we cook; it is perfectly permissible for you to bring your own food. The cost for the food I cook will be $4.00 per person, it will be better than McDonalds and that is the only place, besides our picnic at Wakulla Springs on Saturday July 12, you can eat for $4.00. If you plan to come please to put your name on the list. There are two ticket options: Would Like to Eat and Will Not Eat/Bring my own food. Make your choice, if you would like to eat the food we cook bring your money and pay at the picnic.

This event is open to all students (middle school, high school, and college), their parents and family, and student ministry volunteers. The idea is for everyone even remotely related to the student ministry at Parkway Baptist Church (student attendees of The Well, our various student bible study attendees, youth and college Sunday school attendees, and other students who attend or interact with our ministry in some way) to feel welcomed to come and if they wish bring their family for a big picnic and fellowship. Come to eat, meet friends, swim, take the boat tour, or otherwise get to know new people and hang out.

Please note: students and parents are welcomed and if parents come with their students then younger non-youth aged siblings are welcomed. But, non-youth aged siblings should not come without mom or dad.

Good Job Students

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin) — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 18:31:00 +0000

We normally run anywhere between 9 and 15 students on a typical Wednesday evening. On a recent Wednesday evening we ended up with 14 students in Bible study. That was good, but what really impressed me were the rolls we took that night for the other two Bible study classes we had that week. On Tuesday evening there are two Bible studies; one for middle school girls and one for college students. That week the college group had 10 students and the middle school girls had 8. By adding up the three classes there were 32 class members, comprised of 27 different individuals at three different bible studies on two different nights one week. I was impressed.
Being that we rarely ever see more that 15 students at any single bible study, my interest was peeked. I counted the total number of individuals we had in any small group Bible study that particular week, including Sunday school and our weeknight studies. Between three Sunday school classes, two Tuesday night classes and one Wednesday night classes we had 40 students made up of 35 individuals in our various youth and college classes.
While it looks like I might be bragging. More so, I am advertising. This is what goes on in the student ministry. But, keep this in mind; the classes that reach the most students outside of our immediate crowd are completely student lead. I help where I can, I provide guidance and help keep us all moving in the same direction, but the students do the legwork. The middle school girl’s class and the college class routinely interact with new people. So, if I am bragging, I am bragging on those students. They are on their respective campuses, rubbing elbows, striking conversations and inviting folks into community.
Each number is a life, a life that interacts with untold numbers of other lives. Students, you are doing a good job. Reach out, love, and obey Christ. Who knows who we will be counting in six months?

Halo 3 Tournament

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin) — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 18:43:00 +0000

Here you go Halo 3 fans. The long discussed Halo 3 tournament details:

Friday May 2 at 6:00 pm at Parkway.

There will be two ways to play, there will be a classic slayer bracket (no teams) and a multi-flag team bracket.
Both brackets will be double elimination, with best two players move up in slayer bracket.

Slayer rules:
Four opponents per game.
Top two move to next round.
Map defaults will be used.
Maps will be determined prior to event.
Game ends at 25 kills.
Final game will play to 50 kills with game place determining slayer tournament place.

Multi-Flag Team rules:
Map defaults will be used.
Maps will be determined prior to event.
Teams will consist of at least two but not more than four members.
You may field teams prior to the event or you will be placed at the tournament.
Three possessions wins.

You must sign up before Wednesday April 30.
Please note, we cannot make any guarantees as to television quality or size, if you have one you would like to use and you do not mind sharing you are welcomed to bring it. Also, we must supply our own xbox 360s and Halo 3 discs. This is by no means a CPL or MLG caliber event. I mean, right now there are no prizes.
ALSO PLEASE NOTE: The intent of this tournament is competitive, but by no means professional. This tournament is intended for players of all skill levels. Competition is encouraged, but maturity and sportsmanship are required.

(If you need the password, please email me)

College Sunday School Adjustments

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin) — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 18:21:00 +0000

College Sunday school will undergo a few changes. Beginning Sunday April 6 we will introduce some new options for the college, young adult, young professional, single, newly wed, thinking about getting married, not in college but not old enough to go anywhere else crowd.

We sense a need to broaden the scope of the college aged Sunday school. So, we will begin a new style of class. Now, instead of there being only Amanda’s class, we will offer two other discussion groups following a large group introduction of the week’s topic of discussion. For the first month I will introduce the week’s discussion topic, and you will have the option to sit at a table with Amanda, Kathy McLaughlin, or myself to discuss the weeks topic in greater detail.

At the same time we are starting some new fellowships. The first fellowship is planned; lunch after church on Sunday April 20 at my apartment’s social room. Also, we will be having men and ladies only fellowships on a regular basis too. We have found there to be a desire for these single sex fellowships. Amanda and Kathy will be working on a women’s fellowship and I am currently working to schedule a men’s time.

We plan to address the needs of a broadening demographic of students and young professionals with this effort. We invite you to come Sunday April 6 to experience this new concept.

New Bible Study Info

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin) — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 19:23:00 +0000

The Parkway College Bible Study will meet this week at Ryan Scarborough's house. We meet Tuesday nights at 8:30 PM. For further information or directions, please contact me at 850-273-2741, mistylynnfoster@gmail.com, or via Facebook. If you'd like to be permanently added to the weekly mailing for the Bible study, contact me and let me know.
This week, we will be moving on to Hebrews 2, but don't worry... if you missed last week, you can still jump right in! It's never too late to join us! Also, don't worry about not being able to make it EVERY week. I know that we are all busy! Any chance you get to come, we'd love to have you.
I hope everyone has a super week. If you have any questions, just wanna chat, or have prayer requests, never hesitate to contact me! :)
~Misty Lynn Foster

Spring 2008 College Bible Study

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin) — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 17:05:00 +0000

Parkway Student Ministry is starting a new College Bible study for the Spring 2008 semester. We begin, Tuesday, January 8th at 8:30 PM at Parkway. In coming weeks, we will be rotating to the homes/apartments of different people. But this week, we'll meet at the church. (If you'd like to volunteer for your home to be in the rotation, please let me know!) Even though the location will change from week-to-week, the time will not. Every Tuesday at 8:30 PM, we will have Bible study for one hour. We will do our absolute best to start on time and end on time.

For two or three more weeks, you will be getting notices like this via Facebook on Mondays, detailing the location of that week's Bible study. But after the first few weeks, I will not bother you all anymore, and I will only email/message people who have been attending or who have asked to be kept included in the mailings. So don't worry - I won't bug you forever! HOWEVER, if by chance, you are interested in coming to the Bible study later on in the semester, you can always refer to our Blog at http://www.parkwaystudents.org/blog/, which is updated periodically. You may also call me anytime at 850-273-2741, or you can FB message me or email me at mistylynnfoster@gmail.com.

This semester, we will be studying the book of Hebrews. We will not have time to study the entire book, so we will be skipping a few chapters or so each week, trying to cover some of the major themes of the book. This will be a discussion-based Bible study. I have found that it's easier to learn something when you actually engage in conversation about it. It is perfectly acceptable to come with questions and comments prepared, or to just sit and soak up some stuff. Whatever your learning style is, it's cool with me. I would like to look at this as more that I will be facilitating a discussion, rather than teaching a lesson.

That's all I'll say for now. Hopefully, you all will be able to make it. If you can't make it this week, maybe we'll see you next Tuesday. Have a great week!! :)

~Misty Lynn Foster

Vision Weekend: Bigger, Badder, with a Big Ole Teddy Bear Heart

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin) — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 19:52:00 +0000

Vision Weekend is back for it’s third appearance. But, this year it’s been to the doctor to have some work done. Not just any doctor, a doctor in Malibu who has made it look different; it got tucks, lifts, peels and some sort of laser treatment. Vision Weekend is barely recognizable. But, on the inside, I assure you, that it is almost the same weekend that we have grown to love over the past years, kind of.

So, you probably ask, “What’s up with Vision Weekend, why the trip to Weekend Malibu?” Well, I shall explain. For starts, the weekend will not be at the church, it has moved to the woods. Yes, the woods. No more warm cozy tile floor, this year it’s a sleeping bag in a tent for you. No more Amanda and JoAnn cooking eggs in the fellowship hall, this year it is one of the older “yous” (with the proper adult safety patrol watching closely, from a distance) cooking eggs or something closely resembling eggs over a campfire. Think a mixture of survivor and boot camp, with a soft teddy bear heart, and you might come close to understanding the new Vision Weekend.

Now you probably ask yourself, “What, why?” I know that does not look proper when you see it written down, but I am going on my many years of experience here, that is exactly what you would say if I told you all that in person. The purpose of all this campfire eggs and tents and woods and outdoor latrines (yes, outdoor latrines, if you don’t know what that word means - google it, it’s a fun one) is to teach. In an admittedly and somewhat novel way, we wish to teach fundamental elements of leadership, teamwork, endurance, and sacrifice with the proper spiritual emphasis tying it all together.

Admittedly this exercise will be different than what you might expect. Outdoors, tents, working to get your campsite setup, carrying in your water and just plain roughing it is not for everyone. Oh, and so far I have failed to mention, no showers. As such, this event is for current members of the Parkway Baptist Student Ministry Youth, 6th grade to 12th grade. Not for college. Not for guests, while we love to see guest at Parkway this trip is not the ideal environment to be introduced to our ministry. Some folks may not wish to attempt this, which is fine. While I would love to have everyone present, if you are not up to the work and discomfort this experience will require it may be best for you to wait. If it works it is quite likely we will do it again. If it doesn’t work you are lucky, you did not have to be the guinea pig.

This will be a different kind of experience. I believe that you will have a very good time. I also know that it will not be easy. But know this, you will come out of the woods with a better understanding of leading, following, working as a team, and claiming victory. You may also learn a little about failure, endurance, and sacrifice. Either way, my plan is that you will learn, grow, and be more than you were.

When: January 3 – 6, 2008
Where: Some woods in Jefferson county. *
Cost: $10.00
Sign up by and pay Wednesday, January 2, 2008
Everyone must complete and have this form notarized.

* Parents email or call me for details such location specifics and chaperone roster. Also, let me know if you have concerns not addressed in this article. There are some details, which have been intentionally left out.

Who Knows

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin) — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 20:54:00 +0000

On my recent trip to Mississippi for Thanksgiving, I drove past the interestingly large Meridian Regional Airport. I grew up within a mile of this airport, so I am quite familiar with its story. It, in fact, has quite an interesting story. The airfield owes its aforementioned unusually large size (in relation to Meridian) to the fact that it houses the Meridian Regional Airport, the Air National Guard 186th Air Refueling Wing (flying a number of rather large KC-135 Stratotankers), and 150th Engineer Battalion (with a number of general aviation flyers). With an average of only two outbound commercial flights a day, in a town of roughly 39,000, what happened to set this airfield apart?
In June 1935, brothers Al and Fred Key took to the air from the Meridian Airport, now known as Key Field, in an attempt to break the world record for sustained flight. Twenty-seven days later, they landed at the Meridian Airport having never left the county. They flew in a figure-eight pattern around Meridian for 653 hours and 34 minutes, equaling 52,320 miles. They stayed aloft the entire time! They had food and fuel lowered to them from another plane four times a day. In fact, with the help of local mechanic, A.D. Hunter, they pioneered air-to-air refueling; To this day, the military still uses a slightly modified version of their technique.
Why, during the great depression no less, would two men attempt such a novel undertaking? Well, the airport, which they co-managed, was slated to be shut down due to budget constraints. The brothers decided to fight for their airport. In fact, Meridian’s airport is one of the oldest surviving airports in the state of Mississippi. They saw an opportunity to make a difference for the threatened airfield and did not back down. After a couple weeks without landing, the nation and world started to take notice. National attention to the Key brothers and the Meridian Airport saved the small struggling operation. To this day, only astronauts aboard space stations have topped the Key brothers’ achievement.
Both brothers went on to become bomber pilots in World War II. Al later served as Mayor of Meridian. Today, you can go to the National Air and Space Museum in Washington and see their plane hanging from the ceiling: a Curtis Robin named The Ole Miss, which they had to borrow for their endurance flight.
This story is quite interesting in a number of respects. Incredible endurance and sacrifice, coupled with a plan and a motivated team, placed Fred and Al Key in the record books and established a foundation that the present-day Key Field is built upon. There was no certainty. They had faced previous failed attempts. No one had a proven safe method of transferring fuel between two planes in flight. There was bad weather, notorious summer thunderstorms, a fire onboard the plane, a near mid-air collision; a thousand ways that it could have gone terribly wrong. In fact, the plane has a catwalk built around the engine so they could go out for routine maintenance, on a running-engine in flight!
Is there a parallel? I wish not to belabor the point. Endurance, bravery, sacrifice, teamwork and planning can pay tremendous dividends. These can also result in tragedy. But the only way anyone will ever know, is if it is attempted. And sometimes, re-attempted. Then, who knows? But, in this case, sitting on the ground “hoping” would have resulted in absolutely nothing.
Vision Weekend: Leadership Challenge
For current members of Parkway Youth Ministry
January 4-6, 2008

Student Prayer Reminder

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin) — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 18:48:00 +0000

Tonight,
Thursday November 8.
Student prayer meeting at my house at 6:30 pm.
This is the first, we will meet the second Thursday of the month from this point on. All students, parents, and student ministry volunteers are welcomed.

Thanks Yo!

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin) — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 18:07:00 +0000

Not too much to report this month. So I will take this opportunity to do something that needs to be done. To all of you who have paid into our student ministry, I say thank you. There are numerous people working in numerous ways to help build this ministry. In fact, there are so many that I am not sure that I could safely list names for fear of leaving someone out. The many college-aged types, parents, and senior types that pull together to host, prepare, teach, tote, encourage, discipline, and manage to create a general environment of motivation and safety are greatly appreciated by me.
I cannot do this on my own. In fact, I should not do this on my own. I have one of the rare jobs where you constantly try to work yourself out of a job. To build a ministry you must develop ministers. If I am successful, I will encourage and equip people to come alongside me and ultimately be able to what I do. It sounds crazy, but for a ministry to grow this must happen. Granted, I do enjoy my job and do not wish to be cast aside, but it is a calculated risk. Ideally, we grow, causing me to constantly shift my focus to expand our ministry... which is also tricky, being that we want to keep our ministry as simple as possible while still remaining as effective as possible.
So to all those who cook, teach, host, tote, love and CARE, in general, about students, THANK YOU. You are greatly appreciated. There is so much more that we have yet to realize. But you, friends of the student ministry, are key to an improved future. Thanks, from Kevin.

Non Ministrari sed Ministrare

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin) — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 02:22:00 +0000

I don't know too much about Wellesley College. I have heard of it. Some quite famous and influential women are graduates of this highly regarded liberal arts school for women. The name I have heard, but the details I recently learned. (A nod to Louie Giglio and the Passion Podcast) Wellesley is a pretty small school, only 2,300 students. However, folks such as Hillary Clinton and Madeleine Albright are noted alumnae. So, not everyone knows that, but hey if it ever comes up in a game of Trivial Pursuit, you’re in good shape. Of course, while knowing Hillary Clinton's alma mater is nice, that is not why I am writing this blog. I am simply waxing eloquent to set the stage for this interesting bit of Wellesley lore.

Wellesley's motto is Non Ministrari sed Ministrare. I don't read that language, which I am pretty sure is Latin, so I am very glad that there is a translation on the Wellesley web site. The translation of that phrase is "Not to be ministered unto, but to minister." I like that. Like I said, I don't know much about Wellesley, but I know I like that motto. Can that be the way we think as a group of Christ following folks? Can that become the starting point for our efforts? That would be quite nice. Granted, we do think that way many times, but we can do better.

Minister more, get closer, and love much!

I like that motto.

Student Ministry Home Prayer

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin) — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 17:59:00 +0000

We are starting an organized effort to get student ministry participants of all degrees together for regular times of prayer. Starting in November we will meet on the second Thursdays of the month at 6:30pm. We will be meeting in varying locations, but we will start at my house. All students, student ministry partners, and parents are invited. However, keep this in mind, there is no organized transportation. We need to make a focused effort to spend more time communicating with God. This effort will address that. We hope to carry the prayer focus started with the 40 days of prayer we just completed on. So, keep Thursday, November 9 in mind. I hope to see as many of you there as possible. Please RSVP in some manner so that I can plan appropriately.

Email Kevin by clicking this link.

Passion Regional 2008

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin) — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 17:43:00 +0000

The time has come to start thinking about Passion 2008. If you are younger than 26 as of April 2008 or you will be 18 by next April you can go. The date is Friday April 11 and Saturday April 12. The cost will be $95.00. Payment is due Sunday March 9, 2008, late payments are $125.00. Pay early and save $30.00, that way you can eat a nice meal in Atlanta. But keep in mind that the conference could sell out by then, so it would be in your best interest to pay as soon as you have decided that you wish to go. I will reserve your spot as soon as I have your payment. So, you give me $95.00 tomorrow and I reserve your spot with the Passion office tomorrow. The $95.00 includes your conference fee and hotel room. Currently we have four rooms reserved within walking distance of the arena. So 16 people have a place to stay. Transportation and meals are both on your own. Let me know as soon as you can.

Get more info from the Passion Website.
Or you may email Kevin.
Or call the office 850-877-4141

Consumer or Consumee

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin) — Mon, 08 Oct 2007 18:31:00 +0000

Some of you might find this blog somewhat familiar. It is a reedited repost of an articled that first appeared in my blog back on Thursday April 26, 2006. The orginal is still there, if you care to see how I changed it. However, I figure that many of the folks that read the blog now where not reading it last year.

The natural state and activity of a consumer is consuming. From a very early age we learn to consume. It is only natural. No consumption, no growth. If you do not consume you die, there is no alternative. You cannot require a baby to produce milk, will not happen. As we grow we refine our consumerist ways, as babies we do milk, we move on to puréed apples and ham (they sell it, babies will eat anything), then French fries and chicken fingers, Baby Einstein, on to Best Buy, Olive Garden, Ford, a mortgage, and any number of other things that are much to numerous to list. Simply stated we consume. There really is nothing wrong with consumption because it sustains life. We must eat, we must get to work, we must have a place to live, and a computer or maybe an iPod are nice luxuries. We are, from the get go, consumers by nature.

Our whole understanding of reality is based on our experience. As a result, a change in how we understand our experience is required.

Consumerism just don’t cut it in relationships, but we see it all the time. We see marriages lasting 2 or 3 years because the participants have mined the relationship for all its worth. We see parents lose their ability to parent because they are more interested in being their child’s friend than their child’s parent. We see children using their parents as an ATM. Now, don’t hear me wrong, there is some good to being your child’s friend, and parents usually have more money than their children. But, it is safe to say that it is possible to reduce relationships to a very basic consumer level.

It can happen with God too. We carry our innate consumer mentality into our relationship with God. We hear that God wants to bless us with this or that. God loves you, He wants what is best for you, and it looks like a new house, a new car, a job promotion, I feel you probably get the gist by now. Look in the bible; while we do see some people blessed with material wealth and physical comfort, we also see many more who are not. For example, the Apostle Paul went through countless hardships in his life. Towards the end he said, “For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time has come for my departure (1 Timothy 4:6 NIV). Paul was giving out like crazy. He spent time in jail, he was “flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. Five times [he] received …the forty lashes minus one. Three times [he] was beaten with rods, once [he] was stoned, three times [he] was shipwrecked, [he] spent a night and a day in the open sea (2 Corinthians 11:23 25 NIV).” He goes on to talk about how he was constantly on the move, in danger from rivers, bandits, his own countrymen, the gentiles, in cities, in the country, in the sea, and false brothers. He labored and toiled, went with out sleep, was hungry and thirsty, even cold and naked (2 Corinthians 11:26, 27). Brother had it bad. It is safe to say Paul was no consumer. That man was used up, poured out big time.

We also see the early follower of Christ named Stephen. He was out doing “great wonders and miraculous signs among the people (Acts 6:8 NIV).” Got the attention of a lot of people that did not like his wonders and miracles. Stephen ended up dead because of his life of surrender. He too was poured out, used up, consumed.

I urge you, be consumed. It is not easy. It does not come natural. When you get together with other followers, when you go out from that get together, when you are in school, when you talk to your boss and coworkers, when you eat at Crispers, be a consumee. It probably will not be easy; in fact it will very likely require pain and sacrifice. Future, it is quite likely no “but” will be any where in the story. We do not see the story go, “be consumed and make a sacrifice, but it will be ok because God will give you this or that.” No, there may possibly be no earthly reward, there could be a great reward, but there could just as easily be no reward. Of course, the good thing is, we have already won, (sounds like it may make a good song). Christ is glorified in the cross. His grace abounds and we are His. It is not merely our duty to serve; our consumption is not based on an obligation. Christ is glorified, He carries everything you could never be in grace and an ultimate God sized love that is worthy. He gives us a way out of our tangled little messes so that we can have a profound existence unequalled by our finite earthy imaginations. I mean come on, He created the universe, do you know how big that is?

Be consumed, get closer, and love much!

Get Closer 201 Part 3

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin) — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 18:40:00 +0000

Our Bible Study on the Book of James continues this week. Tonight, we will meet at the apartment of Meredyth Oliff, Heather McLaughlin and Hannah Routt. Email Misty for address. We will push back the starting time to 8:45 PM, since it's a little bit farther of a drive.

If you've missed the last two weeks, have no fear. You can jump in at any time. We are still on chapter one. Tonight, we'll finish up chapter 1 and possibly move on to chapter 2. We shall see how time goes. Hope to see y'all there.

If you have any questions, need directions, or just wanna talk... call me at 850-273-2741.

~Misty

Goals

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin) — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 18:51:00 +0000

About a month ago, we set two goals for our ministry. I am happy to say that we have accomplished one! So we are half way there (assuming that we don’t set any new goals before we accomplish the one unfinished goal). So you are probably asking, “What, Kevin, are the two goals?” Well, read along and you will be informed.

Goal One:
Completed. Of course, it was not terribly difficult; we were to establish a college ministry Bible study, now known as Get Closer 201. It was established at 8:30 PM on the evening of Tuesday, September 11th. It was to be a weekly Bible study, and it was to be taught by someone other than myself. So far, all of these specifications have been met. Misty Foster stepped forward to facilitate a weekly discussion-based Bible study for college-aged students. This semester, the study is focusing on the book of James. If you, or someone you know, is interested in being a part of this study, contact the office or email me (click email me) and I will let you know where the study will be on any particular week.
Understanding that schedules are varied and often make meeting for a Bible study difficult, we know that 8:30 PM on Tuesday might not work for everyone. So we have been discussing starting another weekly college-aged Bible study to better facilitate schedule conflicts. However, at this point, we do not have a facilitation volunteer. If you are reading this and are thinking, “Hey, I can be that volunteer!” CALL 877-4141 OR EMAIL ME. It will be great!

Goal Two:
Our second goal is a bit more ambitious. In fact, its scale is almost enough to unnerve my progress. To explain, let me offer you a little history. This summer, our youth went to camp at Mississippi College. At camp, we felt that God was encouraging us to get out and somehow show Christ’s love in the community. We discussed it at length, we prayed about it at length. Then, we came home to discuss and pray some more. So now, having discussed and prayed, we have entered homework stage. We are at the point of figuring out what we will do to show love to our community. We decided that one way we could help would be to simply work.
We have learned that there are a number of people in Tallahassee who need help maintaining their homes. Various needs exist, whether it is a paint job, a new roof, or a wheelchair ramp. The people we have identified are people who, for one reason or another, cannot physically do the work themselves and/or cannot afford to pay someone to do the work. We, the young folks at camp, decided that we probably could, at the very least, paint a house… maybe even get as bold as to build a wheelchair ramp. But we realize that it can very easily be much bigger than the student ministry.
So we are now getting the word out to the church. Can we, as a church, get behind a ministry of helping? The goal we set in June was to do what we could to work on at least one house sometime before the end of the year. I figured we should start off small. We will invite the whole church to be involved – youth, college, and other various adults, even folks that we don’t know yet. Our students are studying this possibility. We are looking down the road to see if we can and how we can. Let us know what you think. Would you be interested in being a part of what our students are planning? We are thinking that this can be an ongoing ministry involving all kinds of people from all walks of life. Help us if you will. Pray about it, talk about it, and let me know.
EMAIL Kevin!

Get Closer 201

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin) — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 20:37:00 +0000

Parkway College Ministry is starting a Bible study for the Fall 2007 semester. We begin tonight, Tuesday, September 11th at 8:30 PM at Parkway. In coming weeks, we will be rotating to the homes/apartments of different people. But tonight, we'll meet at the church. (If you'd like to volunteer for your home to be in the rotation, let me know!)

We'll begin our study this semester with the book of James. This will very much be a discussion-based study. I have found that it's easier to learn something when you actually engage in conversation about it. It is perfectly acceptable to come with questions and comments prepared, or to just sit and soak up some stuff. Whatever your learning style, it's cool with me. I would like to look at this as more that I will be facilitating a discussion, rather than teaching a lesson.

That's all I'll say for now. I know this is short notice for this week, but hopefully many of y'all will still be able to make it. If not, maybe we'll see you next week! Have a great rest of the week!

We Can

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin) — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 19:39:00 +0000

Last week, I came into the office. This is not unlike many other weeks. I come to the office often. In fact, nearly every week. Of course, most weeks, nothing of note happens during the simple act of coming to the office. As such, it is not blog worthy. But last week was different. I came in and noticed something different. It seemed the church Administrative Assistant’s name had suddenly changed. In the past, we called her Joyce. But suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere, her name was Somebody Should’a. She made a nametag and everything. Even the name on her office door no longer read Joyce. It, too, read Somebody Should’a.

Who is this Somebody Should’a? It took me a minute. She is known for joking and carrying on, so I looked closely into her eyes, searching for a glimpse of confirmation that indeed there was an elaborate joke afoot. But, in Joyce’s manner, she had made an excellent and somewhat poignant statement. It seems as though Joyce had been hearing too many people say, “Somebody really should have done so and so.” She would also hear people say, “They should have ______.” They Should’a, by the way, was another nametag. She had a whole sheet! There were a number of names: They Should’a, Somebody Should’a, and Somebody Could’a. It was funny. I laughed. Then I asked her to make me some, and I wore one.

In one simple joke, she made an excellent statement. We are bad to carry on in such a way in the church. We are very bad to say, “They could have.” Point the finger over at “they,” where ever they are, and say they needed to step up. It usually goes on with an assertion that something bad would not have happened if they had done whatever Somebody Could’a done. Poor ole Somebody Could’a, always dropping the ball.

This might work in politics and corporate structures, but in the church, we must be careful. Christ did not seem to call His followers to sit and wait on someone else to step up. He DID seem to call His followers to wait, but the emphasis on waiting was more attuned towards His people waiting on Him. After that, there was more of a “you go, and you do.” Get together, make a plan, and GO and DO. There is no “they should.” It is simply, “we should.”

We must be careful in the church to not let ourselves start waiting on them. Yes, we should always wait on Him, but never them. WE could, and WE should. So, if Joyce is now Somebody Should’a, my new name is They Could’a. Because both of us put together are we, and we can.

We can, with a plan and some motivation and direction, do nearly anything we decide. However, there is a danger if we all do whatever comes to our minds. Six minds will go in six directions when there is no central plan to focus those six minds in a single direction. But when six people are moving in one direction, we develop a tremendous momentum. So, we… Do we get together and go, or wait?

I hope that we all want to go. I also hope that we can all get together and pointed in the correct direction. While that direction might not be entirely clear, I can safely say that whichever way it is, it will be where God either is or says go.

God or Watermelons?

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin) — Thu, 23 Aug 2007 20:16:00 +0000

Simply speaking, we must grow. Now, that simple statement is by no means easy, but it IS the point. We are a group of Christ-following people who can be more than what we are. We must not allow ourselves to just sit and to wait for someone else to step forward and make a space for us to grow into. See, I am convinced that simply stepping into a new place that someone else made for you is not growth. It is merely movement. Moving is easy, growth takes effort.

In church… actually, not just in church, as this seems to be a human condition… So I guess I should say it this way: In life, it seems that people tend towards consumption. It makes sense. We must consume to live. If you don’t eat, you starve. Get hungry enough, and some pretty weird things start looking like food. So we must consume to live. It is not a bad thing – it is nature. But I fear that we have lost perspective. In the past, it seems that our consumption was much more tied to our effort. In the not-too-distant past, if you ate, you worked. You did not just put forth some effort, you worked – dirty, hard, sweaty work.

As a child, I remember my grandfather keeping a garden. He did not need a garden. He lived in the time of grocery stores and had enough money to buy whatever food he and my grandmother would need. But, you see, my grandfather grew up poor, in the poor part of Mississippi, during the Great Depression. There was a significant period of his life when the amount of his consumption was directly tied to the amount of his effort. As an example, if I may... Let’s say that my grandfather desired to eat watermelon as a young man living during the Depression. Well, to have such a delight as a watermelon, they (Note: I said “they.” It was a family effort!) had to plant a watermelon. To do this, his family had to have, or at least have access to, an ample piece of land that could support a garden. This land could not be too wet or too dry. It had to be in the sun, without too many trees around. They then had to work the land, turn it with a hoe or some sort of plow - probably behind a mule (a particularly hot and dirty job). If they owned a mule, they had to feed and take care of it all year.

Once the earth was plowed and prepared for planting, they would plant. Then, they would have to tend the watermelon patch. They had to see that there was enough moisture; No rain or too much rain could both create problems. They had to keep weeds out. They had to watch for pests and for thieves. They had to work almost daily for that watermelon patch to be a success. All this for a watermelon, a luxury food. Now, also consider that they had to do all this during the summer, without an air-conditioned house to retreat to. Then, and only then, they would have a watermelon. In fact, they would have a number of watermelons, for about a month. But once the vine died, there would be no new watermelons. How do you keep a watermelon if you want to eat one in November? You don’t. You get no new watermelons for another year.

Well, you see what I am getting at. An awful lot of work went into eating watermelon for maybe two months out of the year. There were no California or Latin American watermelons coming out of trucks and boats. There was a very limited season for watermelon. Oh, and before I forget, this was just watermelons. We have not even begun to talk about bacon and pork chops, or even beans and peas!

As illustrated above, there was a time, not too long ago, when we humans were very intimately connected to our consumption. In fact, it was really nearly all of time – all of human history, with the exception of the last 80 or so years, depending on where you lived.

Now, I do understand that, even though we can get just about anything we need if we can just get to Wal-Mart, Wal-Mart will ask for money right before we leave. It is true that we have to work for our money. We do a thing for a person who will then give us a check. Yes, we are very intimately connected to the what of how we get our money. Presently, however, there seems to be just enough separation between our consumption and our effort, that it has become too easy to forget what all goes into the watermelon. (Note that the watermelon has slowly become a metaphor!) A watermelon is no longer three months of effort in 100-degree heat. Now, a watermelon is $4.50 and a trip to Wal-Mart. What is $4.50? Thirty minutes at work?

You see, I am concerned that we have lost a vital connection between consumption and effort. In this sense, I speak in a general societal term, at least for the developed world. But my motivation for writing this is specifically to speak to church leaders. Consumerism is alive and well in the Church. I see it often, and to my chagrin, catch myself displaying it. Often, phrases such as, “We need a _____ for that group of people to stay in the church.” Or it might show up as, “We need something for my _____ to do at the church, or they will not want to go.” Even, probably more often than not, “We just can’t handle the _____ at this church, so we are going to go to that church that has better _____.” Every time I hear any one of these statements, there is a miniature Kevin in the recesses of my mind screaming and kicking and running around like a madman. While the vision might seem funny, it does not make me laugh.

When I hear this stuff, I see consumerism. Granted, we are consumers by nature, and that by itself is not bad. But consumerism in the Church is not a good thing. It seems that the consumer mentality tends to make things about the consumer. In church this is not good, because church is not about the consumer. It is about God. I mean, why do we need a better _____ to get people to stay at a church? Really, we have the God that we believe created everything in the universe right here, offering us hope and a personal relationship. Still, we get upset because the _____ is not as good as we would like?

Do we want Christ or watermelons? Watermelons are a metaphor, remember? Really, is it God we want, or some well-intentioned form of Christ-centric entertainment? We need to be about Christ. That means introducing folks to Christ, being examples of Christ in our community, showing love and making sacrifices in the process of following God. That takes organization and focused effort, a plan that will eventually look exactly like any typical church program. BUT there must be a difference! The typical program tends to be consumer-driven, whereas the organization (known as the Church) that seeks to get Christ-followers focused on Christ and people is just an effort to get a group moving in a common direction. It just looks like a program by default.

Many people like watermelons, and there is nothing at all wrong with that. Still, we cannot let the watermelon become the point. Our efforts cannot be about securing a safe supply of watermelons. There must be more. Church cannot just be about supplying good Christian things and good Christian friends. It has to be about following Christ and worshipping Christ, and making the sacrifice that this will require. I suppose you can sum it up simply with this statement: Giving up ours, for His. IT IS NOT ABOUT US. Don’t just consume.

New Semester, Oh Boy: Cars are EVERYWHERE!

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin) — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 19:43:00 +0000

The months of August and September are big in college ministry. No doubt you have noticed a marked change in your morning, midday, afternoon, evening, midnight, and even early morning commute. Students are everywhere. In fact, I did a little research, there are somewhere in the neighborhood of 40,000 students at FSU, 19,000 at TCC, and 12,000 at FAMU. Quick math says that there are close to 71,000 college students running around out there crowding up the Wal-marts and the various mall parking lots of Tallahassee. But hey, I cannot complain, I am a student minister I welcome September. It is a great time of year. New faces, old faces return from summer trips, and there is an almost universal sense of excitement, at least until syllabus shock sets in.

This semester is an exciting time for the Parkway Student Ministry. We have a few things in the works that we plan to implement and see develop between now and December. We are currently in the process of getting our college leadership identified and organized. We feel that it is of utmost importance to get organized and focused on our vision. It would be silly to miss our opportunity. This summer we have seen a number of new faces, which is odd in that it has been the summer, a time not traditionally considered ideal for student ministry growth when it comes to the college crowd. If this trend continues, the fall semester will be a natural time to expand.

With the current state of momentum and influx we will expand our ministry base by plugging students into ministry positions. One goal we have for this semester is to develop and implement at least one weekly student led Bible study. In fact, two would be great and remains a distinct possibility.

We also plan to develop a local ministry with a focus on community. We have a vision, and a developing plan; currently we are in the process of getting our efforts organized for action. We hope to see our efforts becoming increasingly focused on community. We wish to challenge ourselves to think out side of the church walls. To implement a plan that will require us to go out and make a positive impact in Tallahassee.

We have two goals for this semester, which I admit seems like a very small step. I maintain that small is good. If we make this step and do it well, it will help us develop a foundation for greater boldness in the future. The key is our leadership, and we have it in our college ranks. Bold folks with great passion and big hearts for Christ and His kingdom. It is exciting, who knows what could come about if we focus on Christ and organize our strengths and God given talents to see Christ glorified here in our small part of the world?

Annual Wakulla Springs Family Day Back to School Freeze Yourself to Death Thing At Wakulla Springs

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin) — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 18:22:00 +0000

This year makes two, the second time we will go to Wakulla Springs for the annual Back to School, Freeze Your Tail Off, and Eat Grilled Meats With Your Brothers and Sisters Who Are Not Youth If Your Parents Come Cold Water and August Heat Extravaganza. Yes, that is the title, long and annoying but still fun at the same time. This event is open to all Parkway Student Ministry folks, meaning that if you are in any grade between 6th grade and graduate school you can come. Plus, if you are a ministry volunteer you can come. Also, if you are the parent of one of these folks you can come, in addition if you are a sibling of one of these folks listed you can come if your parents come. So, potentially there come be thousands upon thousands of people there, maybe millions. But, you need to RSVP to me, Kevin Wiggins. Use email (click this off color text), comment on the blog, or use the Facebook event profile, you may even look at me in the face and say I will come, but you run the risk of me forgetting and then eating your lunch. Keep in mind that you do not have to RSVP if you do not wish to eat, but I must buy groceries and cook, so you must let me know if I am to buy you a grocery.

Here are the condensed details:
When: Saturday August 18 (School starts August 20 FSU & TCC begin the 27th)
Where: Wakulla Springs
Time: 11:00 am to 3:30 pm (or however long your family wants to stay)
Lunch will be ready at 12:00
We eat, hamburgers, hotdogs, and various picnic type sides, you are welcomed to bring something if you wish, just let me know.)
For: All students involved in The Parkway Student Ministry, their parents, and if their parents come their siblings can come too, and various ministry volunteers.
PLEASE RSVP in some manner.

Where we at, YO?

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin) — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 19:59:00 +0000

Where we at? That, over there to the left, has been the question on our mind lately. As is typically the case the question of “at” is usually followed by the question of “going”. This too has been on our mind lately. Where we at and where we going? It has been quite challenging over the last few weeks in our college ministry brain trust known as Get Closer. We have collectively wrestled with who we are, what we wish to be, and how we are going accomplish the task of both discovery and accomplishment. So far we have learned this is no easy task. But, we have come to some conclusions.
At Parkway, our student ministry is in a good place. But, it is very important to say that we have not arrived. We are moving, we are headed there; the only problem is that we don’t know exactly where there is. We feel pretty sure that we know the direction, but where we stop is completely up to God. While this may be disconcerting to some, we feel that God leads us and we trust God. So, we just go and listen, and turn when God says turn and stop where God says stop. It is fun.
So, what does all this mean? I feel that it is time to make some changes. In fact, we (core college student leadership types) have discussed it so technically I should say we feel that some changes are coming. Exactly how these changes will appear is still up to God, but I feel that we can certainly state some broad areas of change that we feel are important.
1. Get Closer, while still to be known as Get Closer, will change its focus a bit. Currently Get Closer is a bible study. A simple, sit around a table reading the bible, bible study. While studying the bible is definitely important, we already do that pretty well in other Parkway Student Ministry activities. So, no more just sitting around a table reading the bible. A refocus is coming.
2. How do we refocus Get Closer. Well we go out and make disciples, to quote a feller named Jesus. While this seems like a simple action, in some ways it is, but we find that the “going” part of that statement is the hard part. Granted you cannot make someone a disciple unless they are willing to become a disciple. You definitely cannot gauge their willingness to become a disciple if you don’t even know them. Seems when you know someone, you know as friends; you tend to talk about things. Even spiritual things. They can then either say, yes I am interested in Jesus or no Jesus is not for me. Either way you have gotten to know a new person, you may even get yourself a new BFF, or at very least a BFFN (BFFN- best friend for now, is an intentionally ironic joke gauging a Christian tendency to befriend non-Christian types in order to win them for Jesus without really caring for the person, if you should happen to be looking for a point to argue).
3. We must intentionally critic our efforts to insure that we allow an identifiable process. By this we mean that if someone is interested in Christ in a life altering way, we need to insure that they have an identifiable process by which they can check their growth. Not that Christianity, the act of following and being changed by Christ, is academic or procedural. Rather, a personal relationship with Christ is, well, personal. Though, ask anyone who seeks to follow and be transformed by Christ if the process is easy, honest people will very likely say no. So, a group of like-minded friends and acquaintances would seem a natural benefit. At this point, organization structure and group purpose become paramount. Thus we have government, because however many thousands of years of human existence we currently have under our collective belts we have learned that groups don’t always naturally behave in positive ways. So, group structure is important. A process that allows people to move as they develop is crucial, we must continually develop this process.

So, now you have three points, like a good sermon just no dead dog story to get you teary eyed. However, you do get a recap. Change is important to the development of our ministry. Get Closer will no longer be a sit around a table bible study. We will develop Get Closer into a missional endeavor. We will develop ways to interact with our community, live our lives getting to know people who may or may not wish to know more about Christ, and hopefully in the process be more like Christ. You know, do things like love folks. Not to forget that we shall purposefully develop our organizational structure to insure movement towards Christ.