Youth Ministry

Starting in August, we are going to completely restructure our youth ministry. This past year (our first), we had a Sunday night Bible study for our youth. We averaged almost 20 teenagers every Sunday night. However, starting in August we are going to take a totally different approach. It’s going to be great! Stay tuned for more details.

18 Years and Counting

Stephanie and I just celebrated our eighteenth wedding anniversary. To celebrate, we went to Medieval Times at Discover Mills Mall. That is an incredible setup. It was a blast.

It is hard to believe that we have been married 18 years. We met through the mail. Stephanie’s Momma and my Grandma set us up. Now, that can be scarry. However, 18 years and 4 kids later it looks like it turned out alright. This year we thought we would do something a little bit more than normal. That is why we spent the extra cash to got to medieval times. It was well worth it.

I now have two years to get ready for our 20th anniversary. I had some good plans in the works for our tenth, but we had our fourth child instead. He was totally unexpected, but what a blessing. However, I don’t think that is going to happen again.

Sunday Summary

• For a holiday weekend, attendance was not bad. We continue to have first time visitors almost every Sunday.
• The band sounded good today. We continue to work out a few kinks in the sound system. Gavin continues to do a great job.
• We are having growing pains in our childrens’ ministry. The number of kids continue to grow. What a terrific problem to have. We have awesome volunteers who work with our children every week.
• We are planning a new direction for our Youth Ministry beginning in August. I am excited about it!
• We had a strong offering. I am amazed at how people continue to give to the ministry at Summit.
• Once again, our volunteers did an outstanding job setting up and tearing down. They continue to amaze me with their attitude and diligence.

I’m so sore!

I can not describe how sore I have been this week. It all started on Sunday with the Youth/Parent kickball game. I don’t play kickball every day. I was extremely sore. Well, the next day (Monday), I had to go as a champerone for the Havester Eighth Grade end of the year retreat.

We went to Ridge Haven Camp somewhere in the sticks in North Carolina. On Monday, we did the low ropes course, the rock climb, threw the football, and played capture the flag in the dark with light sticks. I ran almost full speed into a tractor tire that was attached to a tractor. The next day I could hardly move. However, that did not matter. The next morning we played kickball and football. After lunch, it was volleyball and basketball. In the afternoon, we swam in a spring fed pond. Boy, was it cold. I tried to swing off a deck that was 15 feet above the water. I did not hold the rope right and so I did my back on the deck before falling into the water. Fortunately I had on a life jacket. We ended the day with a hugh water fight. I had both freezing cooler water and hot water poured on me. I went to bed before 11:00 pm. I was dead dog tired.

What is so crazy is that I did not have to do all these activities. I could have been an observer, but I just couldn’t. I had to play. Even though I could hardly move, I had to play. As the day progress, I did get more limber. I did increase my mobility. However, I must ask myself the question. When will the madness stop? When will I stop trying to play like I’m a teenager? I know the answer. When I physically just can’t do it!

Sunday Rewind

• Attendance was good. We were just under 150
• The band was awesome.
• Set up and tear down was great.
• The parents won the kickball game. It was not even close.
• It was great to see the four teenagers who are graduating from high school.

Kickball Grudge Match

Sunday, we are having a Youth/Parent Kickball game at Hunter Park. The game will kickoff around 4:00. Afterwards, we will console the teenagers and eat pizza.

Great Sound!

Sunday, our band was awesome. I am amazed at how much of a difference a lead guitar can make. Phillip has done a tremendous job putting all the pieces into place. Daniel continues to improve on the keyboard. David is a tremendous bass player. It’s only going to get better and better!

Sunday Rewind

• Attendance was amazingly good. We had over 140. I thought the storm would keep people home.
• We had two new additions to the band. It was perhaps the most worshipful service we have had at Summit.
• At the end of the service, we surprised all the mommas with a $10 mall gift card.
• Gavin, our sound guy, literally had to clear the roads to get to the theater. He lives down on Highway 5, and his neighborhood was hit pretty hard by the tornado.
• I talked about how hard it is to be a mom. I don’t know from personal experience, but I do live with a mom.
• We continue to have a lot of first time guests.

Stephanie’s Blog

My wife, Stephanie, has started a blog. Now that she is coming to the end of the school year, she will have more time to be creative. Our 7 year old son will no longer be home schooled next year. He will be attending Harvester Christian Academy in Douglasville.

Stephanie has taught all four of our children how to read. The three older kids were home schooled until Stephen was born. When we lived in Ludowici, they attended Long County Public School. During our four years in Cochran, they were students at Bleckley County Schools.

Stephanie has done a fantastic job as a home educator. She has a degree in Psychology from Florida State University. Before we married, she worked for DFACS. You can access her blog on the right column of this page. I don’t know how often she will update her blog. However, her blog will probably be more intelligent than mine and more grammatically correct.

 

Good Samaritan

For those who like Southern Gospel Music, there will be a Gospel Concert on May 17th at the Chattahoochee Tech Campus in Dallas, GA. The concert will begin at 7:00 pm. One of the groups will be Mercy Road.

When Louis Lovingood needed money for a kidney transplant, Mercy Road was very gracious to provide a benefit concert on his behalf. Louis has asked me to let everyone know about this concert. It’s not just because he enjoys southern gospel. It is because Mercy Road played the Good Samaritan when he was in great need. Now Louis has a new kidney, and an enduring appreciation for the ministry of this group.

By the way, Louis is not to be confused with the Louis in the videos. The Louis in the videos has thicker glasses.