Momentum of Teams

In June of 1993, two student mission teams left for six week trips. One team was spending six weeks with six different mission experiences, ranging from service projects, backyard Bible clubs, and inner city camps. My team would eventually spend close to four weeks in the Dominican Republic. Both teams spent the first and last week together, working as a collective team. The first week was spent working on various work projects getting a summer camp ready for the season, while the last week was meant as a relaxing week at the beach doing open air evangelism. You know how open air evangelism can be so calming and relaxing.

The summer of 1993 was definitely a significant life event for me. I led a team for the second time. I had to integrate leading my team along with working with another team - and my then-girlfriend was a leader on that team [that's us 2nd and 3rd from the right]. Our teams did preparation together, as well as those first and last weeks together. I traveled to another country, really lived in another culture, saw real poverty first hand, got sick and was quite uncomfortable.

One of the rewarding things that summer was seeing two teams leave together for different localities. It ingrained on me the idea of momentum of teams during the mission preparation phase.

Technorati tags:: student+missions

Misc Thursday

** Introduction to Church Planting post from IMN blog. Notice the deep level of content and dialogue in the comments.


** Sam Metcalf writes about a contemporary rich young ruler experience, and again, has an interesting discussion in the comments.


** The 15 best skylines in the world. Via Jordon.


** Census data combined with Google maps. Via Parke.

Technorati Tags:: International Mentoring Network

Kt's favorites

Sport: jump rope
Movie: Yours Mine and Ours
Cartoon: Spongebob Squarepants
Toy: toy laptop
Book: Magic Treehouse
Song: I'll Fly Away
School subject: Math
Clothes: Jeans
Pajamas: Nightgowns
Color: Rainbow
Food: Grilled Cheese
Animal: Dolphin
Vacation: Connecticut
Hobbies: computer
Dessert: lots of them - choc chip cookies
Places to go: Savannah
Park: Animal Kingdom
Park Activity: Jungle Gym
Preacher: Pastor Tim
Bible characters: Mary, the mother of jesus
Holidays: birthday
Day: Saturday
Prayer request: friendships
People: Abby
Boyfriend: Alex (don't worry, she doesn't quite understand that she has to wait until she is 21.)

Here are Ems.

Cam 2006 - Leader Team

I think we've gotten the leader team straight now. It's good news. Good group of people.

- LB returns.
- NLind, who was a leader on the LC team last summer, joins this team. She will be great to have along since she went to Uganda last summer - so she knows when its time to run from the rhinos. She is also heading up the LC team this summer.
- the SPACEintern gets to take it to the next level.
- We bring on GMurak, a new leader.

I realize that its a really good idea to have another male leader to rely on. Not that this group of female leaders couldn't do a tremendous job by themselves - it's just a good idea. It's a safe bet that I spend about 1/10 of the time sick. What can I say, I'm fragile.

Speaking of the intern, the past few summers, I have invited special graduating Seniors (ones who have literally *just* finished high school) to be leaders with my team. In essence, these are SPACE poster children. They have invested a lot, understand what we are trying to do, and have stepped up to lead and serve. I know it is a risky thing since these students go from peers to leaders within the span of a few weeks. That separation can be tricky, on both the new leader's part as well as the rest of the students.

But I'm willing to take the risk for a few reasons. First, it is rather self-serving. We need more leaders and this provides a good opportunity to grow them from people we already admire and love. It also shows that we are serious about recognizing commitment, leadership and serving. The ones that make the investment and are serious about it are asked to take the next step. And finally, I would like to believe that traveling under my leadership is a fantastic experience. I mean, the 90% of the time when I'm not sick. The other 10%, well thats probably up to debate.

Technorati Tags::S.P.A.C.E, Cameroon, student+missions

1984

On March 28, 1984, I asked Jesus to be my best friend. It has been an absolute exhilarating ride since then. This picture is a picture of the first Bible I ever had. The summer after my decision that March, I went on summer staff at Hemlock Wilderness Brigade Camp, a foundational experience where I served and worked with a bunch of other Christian young men, in the wilds of West Virginia. That summer, I also took part in a week long wilderness canoeing trip to Ontario, Canada. Also foundational since I wasn't a very good swimmer. My first Bible spent a little bit of time in the Canadian water.

Jesus, you have been, and continue to be real.

Freedom and Hope

This post is mostly for me.... because I can't get the Palmer family out of my head.


1.
From a scene in V for Vendetta [spoiler alert]:

INTERROGATOR
We'd like you to sign that for us, Miss Hammond. Where we've put the little cross.

She blinks.

EVEY
No.

INTERROGATOR
As you wish.

Rossiter begins unbuckling Evey's restraints.

INTERROGATOR
Escort Miss Hammond back to her cell, Rossiter, where she will wait while you arrange a wet detail of six men.

He forces Evey to her feet.

INTERROGATOR
Then take her out behind the chemical sheds and shoot her.

INT. CELL

The door opens behind Evey as she rereads Valerie's letter for the last time.

ROSSITER
It's time, unless you want to change your mind.

She holds the tattered piece of toilet paper to her chest.

ROSSITER
Sign that statement. You could be
out inside three years. Perhaps
they'd find you a job with the
Finger.

Evey closes her eyes.

EVEY
Thank you but I'd rather die behind
the chemical sheds.

Her last words hang in the air.

ROSSITER
Then there's nothing left to
threaten you with, is there? You
are free.

2.

I guess what I really want to say is just this: be hopeul. Don't stop fighting. On some level this thing is bigger than all of us. It's not about having a wife die of cancer at 26, and then 2 years later getting the same terminal illness. It's not about me and how I fight this disease or how our little family walks through it. The bigger picture is the battle against sickness and death that we all face because we live in a broken world. But it's even more about the Kingdom that has broken in and offers us a chance at relief from that disease. It offers health and victory where before there was none. There is hope in the midst of hopelessness. Death is not where we lose; the onset of hopelessness is the great defeater. So allow hope to rise up within you. And when it seems that hopefulness is the least appropriate response in this situation, let it rise up even more. Whisper your hope when you lie down at night; scream your hope when you wake in the morning. Live your hope as if it is the one and only thing that sustains you in this ravaged world. You will not be disappointed. - Palmer

3.
Matt 16
24Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it.

How Do People Do This?

I've been skimming along with a pastor-type guy in Columbus, Ohio via his blog. Mark Palmer. It's absolutely tragic. In April of 2003, his wife Jennifer was diagnosed with stomach cancer. link

By August 2003, she had passed away, leaving him and their young son, Micah. link

His first night alone

What he read at her service

In Nov of 2004, he remarried.

In Jan of 2005, they found a tumor in his lower back. Turns out to be rectal cancer. link

He passed away this morning, two days after his son turned 4. It doesn't even seem right does it.

A poem he posted shortly after Jennifer passed away.

Extinguish my eyes, I'll go on seeing you,
Seal my ears, I'll go on hearing you,
And without feet, I can make my way to you,
Without a mouth, I can swear your name.

Break off my arms, and I will take hold of you with my heart
as with a hand.
Stop my heart, and my brain will start to beat.
And if you consume my brain with fire,
I will feel you burn in every drop of my blood.
- from the Book of Hours: Love Poems To God

Mission Trip Advice - #4

This is the fourth in a series of posts entitled "Mission Trip Advice." [Post #1, #2, and #3 in the series.] So you have signed up to go on a mission trip, and maybe you don't know exactly what to expect. And you are maybe looking for some advice. What is one piece of advice that experts could give you?

Andrew Jones is another blog that I love to read. Andrew is the Project Director for the Boaz Project. His team is developing a support structure for church in the emerging culture. His blog is about God, spirituality, new media and new expressions of church.

Andrew's advice:

travel light.
jesus advice in luke 10 is still applicable - dont take extra
dont take fancy shoes, brand name clothes. dont take church programs or systems that work in USA.
do take your bible
do take a small digital camera for telling the story later
your american phones by and large will not work in Europe
internet cafes will be your friend.
be a pilgrim. learn along the way. take stuff as well as giving stuff. pilgrimage is different than colonial style mission trips. learn the posture of a pilgrim.
enjoy. it may be one of the most adventurous times of your life and one in which the presence of God will feel nearest.
Jesus says he is with you always - and he said that to young people who were about to embark on a missionary adventure that would cost them everything

Many thanks to Andrew for sharing!

Technorati Tags:: Andrew+Jones, student+missions

Leader Application

This year, we are doing leader applications for the first time. It's definitely all for our benefit. Most of you probably know that an easy way to see who is serious about leading is to ask them to fill out an application.

I've had a lot of fun putting the application together, but even more fun reading through the ones that have been filled out. My favorite question is:

"Describe the riskiest - but not necessarily successful - endeavor you have ever attempted."

I was going to post some of the answers... but then I thought maybe that wasn't such a great idea - since these were from applications and all.

Anyway, good question huh?

SPACE 2006 team - Cameroon

"Without risk, there is no faith, and the greater the risk, the greater the faith" - Kierkegaard
If you want to live a life larger than yourself, you must be willing to take some risks. - Erwin McManus

Well, here is the deal with my summer team. My SPACE team is making plans to go to Cameroon this summer. You might be wondering why. One of the best reasons - to visit and help out a GCC family that lives there. Their job is to build indigenous youth ministries and we will help out with some of their efforts during the summer. We will be in or near the city of Yaounde. It's quite exciting but also very daunting. Africa, like whoa.

The plans for this trip have not come easy. A few candidate leaders could not go because of family concerns - and these were strong, solid, very capable leaders. These leaders are fantastic - smart, well spoken, servants, students of culture, love being around teenagers. And they pass probably the most important test - can I trust them with my own children? [By the way, all the other leaders are just as fantastic AND also pass that important test.] When these leaders had to bow out, my confidence was really shaken. Maybe Africa is not the right locale for student teams. Maybe no one is quite ready for Africa. Maybe it's too much, too far away, too much unknown. And on and on.

In the midst of waffling back and forth, I had a phone conversation with someone from the GCC MTF. This particular family falls on the opposite extreme side of the safety continuum - in other words, they are totally unsafe. They only go to the mall in the daylight. They only eat food that has been 100% cooked. When they go to church, the whole family rides in the back of a pick up truck. Standing up. [If you know them, I hope you are laughing.] On a more realistic and serious note though, when compared to God's call to reach the nations, this family knows that risk, adventure and mission is part of the deal. In other words, it was quite a pep talk.

I was reminded again of why we do this - maybe you readers already got it. If we decided to bag this specific trip because of these kinds of concerns, then this SPACE thing packs up and closes shop. If risk, adventure, and the 10/40 window is not worth it, SPACE is simply a big farce.

So there are our plans. 5 teams this summer. Oh, and I almost forgot. One more possibility of another team - a reverse mission thing. Tell you more about that later too.

Technorati Tags:: S.P.A.C.E, Cameroon, student+missions

Marcus Brody

HENRY
(to Indy)
Marcus?! You didn't drag poor
Marcus along, did you? He's not
up to the challenge.

DONOVAN
He sticks out like a sore thumb.
We'll find him.

INDY
The hell you will. He's got a
two-day head-start on you, which
is more than he needs.
(beat)
Brody's got friends in every town
and village from here to the Sudan.
He speaks a dozen languages, knows
every local custom. He'll blend
in. Disappear. You'll never see
him again. With any luck, he's
got the Grail already.

SXSW coverage

The SXSW festival was last week, and if you haven't heard of it before, and you are a blogger, time to do a little reading.

The SXSW INTERACTIVE FESTIVAL brings together uber-geeks, tech entrepreneurs, and digital innovators from around the world for four days of keynote speeches, Trade Show, panels, parties and assorted evening fun. Now in its thirteenth year, this is the event where the web's most creative minds share their ideas about how interactive technology will shape our future.

How ... interactive technology .. will shape .. our future. Sounds pretty weighty - and important. What I imagine is that it is a pretty significant event with some pretty significant people, all that are involved in this convergence of media, the web, and relationships. I think you would agree that changes in the Web in the past few years have made a pretty big impact on our culture.

Related links that I will be checking out too:
SXSW podcasts
SXSW video

At about the same time that I had been thinking it would be good to listen/watch some of this coverage, Mark over at Posting Threads posted that we should watch the video about Craig Newmark of craigslist and Jimmy Wales of wikipedia talking about the communities theyÂ?ve help build.

On Winning

"You lost today, kid. But that doesn't mean you have to like it." - from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

March Madness has 0 bearing on me. [You are surprised I even know huh?] The only real thing it means to me is that people enter their pools and some crazy men spend a lot more time in front of the TV. Even though I don't follow sports, I know that winning and losing is a fact of life. There is usually only one winner, one person at the top of the class, one that gets the biggest bonus or promotion. That is the way it is in school, that is the way it is at work. That is the way it is at Brownies and gymnastics, even when my little girls don't quite understand. Even though life is not a bell curve, there are winners and losers.

A significant way we view life is how we define winning and losing. Sometimes we win and sometimes we lose. And sometimes, we have a perspective that is a little bit different than what our culture tells us is 'winning' and 'losing.' This story of tennis star James Blake [who is a friend of a friend of some family, which is why the story originally caught my eye] is a great example.

Mission Trip Advice - #3

This is the third in a series of posts entitled "Mission Trip Advice." [Post #1 and #2 in the series.] So you have signed up to go on a mission trip, and maybe you don't know exactly what to expect. And you are maybe looking for some advice. What is one piece of advice that experts could give you?

Steve Addison is a life-long student of movements that renew and expand the Christian faith. Steve distills the characteristics of dynamic movements and makes them available to leaders committed to the multiplication of healthy churches. Steve began his research into Christian movements in the late 1980s while serving as a church planter in Melbourne, Australia. He carried that interest into his Doctor of Ministry with Fuller Seminary. Steve currently serves as Director of Church Resource Ministries (CRM) Australia, a member of the CRM global community. CRM empowers leaders for the church.

Steve's blog is a daily read for me. He writes about leadership, mission, culture and movements around the world and I have specifically appreciated his notes on movement characteristics.

Steve's advice is as follows:

Practice naive listening. Go with the posture of a learner and expect God to speak.
As you listen, keep a journal of your experiences. What do you hope God will achieve in you through this trip? What is going on around you and within you? What is God up to in the midst of the people you are visiting? What's he doing through the Christian workers and ministries there? Intentionally choose portions of Scripture to reflect on during the trip. Expect to gain fresh insights into how God works by stepping out of your own culture. Allow him to "unfreeze you". Stay open to how he is going to reshape your life through this experience. When you return home expect to see your familiar world through different eyes. Don't let yourself settle back into the same way of life. How has the trip enriched your understanding of God's mission in the world and the part you are to play in it? What will you do?

Much thanks to Steve for contributing to this series.

Technorati Tags:: Steve+Addison, student+missions

DaVinci Code - Reminder

On May 19th, you should go to the movies.

Just go to another movie.

Save the date now. May 19th, or May 20th. No later than Sunday, May 21st -- that's the day the ballot box closes. You'll get a vote, the only vote Hollywood recognizes: The power of cold hard cash laid down on a box office window on opening weekend.

Use your vote. Don't throw it away. Vote for a movie other than DVC. If enough people do it, the powers that be will notice. They won't have a choice.

The major studio movie scheduled for release against DVC is the DreamWorks animated feature Over the Hedge. The trailers look fun, and you can take your kids. And your friends. And their friends. In fact, let's all go see it.

Let's rock the box office in a way no one expects -- without protests, without boycotts, without arguments, without rancor. Let's show up at the box office ballot box and cast our votes. And buy some popcorn, too.

May 19th. Mark your calendars now: Over the Hedge's opening weekend. Buy a ticket.

Read more here.

Technorati Tags::Da+Vinci+Code

SPACEmySPACE

Ok... so I'm going to do a MySpace experiment. More details to come, but the gist is that I'm going to try do a learning experiment with some kids on cross cultural mission using MySpace is a medium. I know, sounds weird. Ha, what did you expect?

I've created a SPACEmySPACE group to start with. If you want to join, let me know.

Plant Watching - Ocoee, FL

More on what is happening in Ocoee, FL with Voxproductions.

Related posts:
SPACE and evangelism
35 hours in Orlando

UYWI - Reload - Philly

JBourq is one of our SPACE leaders. She has been around from the inception of SPACE, when a few of us met and talked about what a service/missions team would look like for students. She has been a first hand witness for most of my crazy ideas. The ones she hasn't witnessed have been luckily nixed by my wife. She's also seen how some of our plans have needed to be changed during the actual execution. Keys locked in vans, getting kicked out of nursing homes, way too many bags of leaves.

What she has also seen firsthand is how important it is that we are preparing these kids to do ministry on their own. How we must not quit when it comes to exposing them to the realities of the world and what the church is or is not doing to meet those needs. And how absolutely exhilarating it is to nurture an environment where students are unleashed to live on mission and when their friends come along.

JBourq heard about the Urban Youth Worker Institute and their one day training day called Reload, and decided that she wanted to go. Since the event was in her hometown of Philly, it made perfect sense. She took the SPACEintern, TMurray [another one of our summer team leaders] and they had a great time. [Remember that the future is urban - it is a reality of the world we live in.]

"The best leaders are not those who win the most followers, but those who create other leaders." - Neil Cole

Update: Here are the SPACEintern's notes and a picture of her with Bart Campolo.

Mission-esque blogs of note

I recently found these two blogs that some of you might also be interested in reading. They seem to be well written, have a pretty good flow of postings and have RSS feeds.

Enjoy.

InternationalTeams team blog

Missional Hands - a blog from Urbana staff

Mission Trip Advice - #2

This is the second in a series of posts entitled "Mission Trip Advice." [Post #1 in the series.] So you have signed up to go on a mission trip, and maybe you don't know exactly what to expect. And you are maybe looking for some advice. What is one piece of advice that experts could give you?

Justin Long manages strategicnetwork.org and is senior editor for Momentum, a magazine devoted to unreached peoples. He has linked at least once and commented here before. Here is some of Justin's advice:

1. Do not put anything before God. Do not push your organization, denomination or church as the greatest in the world. Do not make comparisons. In restricted-access nations, the scarcity of workers often leads to partnerships you would not often think possible. Do not automatically assume these partnerships are bad. Go as a servant to the local workers.
2. Do not introduce new concepts, ideas or doctrines that take away from the work of locals. You are only going to be there for a short time. Lift up the local work wherever possible. Realize you are not likely to achieve in a few days what locals have not achieved in years. You are part of a process; you are sowing seed. Ask how you can best serve those who are coming after you.
3. Live a pure life as a witness for Christ. Watch what you say and do. You are in a different culture and you may find temptations in unexpected places.
4. Honor times of rest and worship. Be sure to keep fellowship with the rest of your team. Do not let anything divide you. Remember stress and culture shock can bring out the worst in peopleÂ?including you. Be open, transparent, full of grace and forgiving.
5. Honor the local workers, so that you will stay long in the land where you are serving. Security is often a big concern in restricted-access countries. Obey any restrictions that they place upon you, realizing these are for their protection as well as for your own. Honor the local government, "rendering unto Caesar that which is Caesar's." The country's political system may be different from what you are used to. However, this "foreign" system may work well for the locals. Political debates are not likely to push local ministry forward.
6. Do not "murder" ministry options with idle talk. There are many complex situations on the field which you, with a few weeks' experience, are not equipped to solve.

Read the rest of his recommendations in the article entitled Ten Suggestions for Short Term Workers.

Technorati Tags:: Justin+Long, student+missions

Overloaded

Gallery - Overloaded via BoingBoing

IJM Prayer Gathering 2006

Bethany left me a comment on a post about IJM's 2005 Prayer Gathering. She also emailed me the link for the 2006 gathering this coming April. Looks like a very cool thing.

For those of you not familiar with the International Justice Mission:

Founded in 1997, IJM began operations after a group of human rights professionals, lawyers and public officials launched an extensive study of the injustices witnessed by overseas missionaries and relief and development workers. This study, surveying more than 65 organizations and representing 40,000 overseas workers, uncovered a nearly unanimous awareness of abuses of power by police and other authorities in the communities where they served. Without the resources or expertise to confront the abuse and to bring rescue to the victims, these overseas workers required the assistance of trained public justice professionals.
When the poor are hungry, homeless or alienated, the Church has come to their aid by providing food, shelter and missionaries to meet the pressing needs. But when the poor have been oppressed, treated unjustly and suffered under the hand of someone more powerful, little was done on their behalf.
Accordingly, IJM was established to help fill this void, acting as an organization that stands in the gap for victims when they are left without an advocate. IJM staff members (human rights experts, attorneys and law enforcement professionals) receive case referrals from, and work in conjunction with, other non-governmental organizations and casework alliances abroad.

IJM President Gary Haugen wrote a book titled Good News About Injustice, which I highly recommend.

Technorati Tags:: IJM

St Patricks Day 2006

To celebrate St. Patrick, learn the real story.

Notice that:
- he was English.
- he was kidnapped and taken to Ireland, and that is when his faith became real.
- he had a burning desire and passion for the Irish.
- consecrated no fewer than 350 bishops.
- legend has it that he personally baptized about 10,000 people.

Photo: St. Patricks Cathedral in NYC, Nov. 2004

SPACE 2006 summer mission teams

**note - sorry to you all the read this via newsreaders - since the post keeps getting updated...

** Middle School **
Introduction
Come and join other students from LC and impact more than yourself. LC will be going on a service oriented weekend to work and serve Christian Missionary Technical Services, a GCC supported missions support organization located in Bernsville, PA. (www.cmtsministries.org)
CMTS serves missionaries around the world in three unique ways:
- A furlough loaner car program that provides transportation for missionaries for short term.
- A car purchase program that provides a buying service for used vehicles and procurement.
- By purchase or donation, of hospital, kitchen, office and shop equipment, and other specially needed items and assistance in the shipment of these goods overseas.

While at CMTS, you will be serving them in a variety of tangible ways, which may include:
- washing and detailing cars and trucks
- landscaping and general yard work
- painting and cleaning
This is not a retreat, but a significant opportunity to bless one of our own missionaries on our way as we impact the world.

Specific Dates
Departure Friday July 14 – 8.30am
Return Sunday July 16 - 3pm
Transportation via cars and church van.

Lead Team
more info to come

Lodging
Dorm style rooms on the property of CMTS.

Packing List
Bible and notebook
modest clothing
modest swimsuit
bathroom stuff
beach towel
closed toe shoes
work gloves
hat
water bottle
sleeping bag
pillow


What Next?
1. Fill out and turn in your SPACE 2006 summer missions application by April 16th.
2. Include a $30 fee payable to Grace Community Church.
3. Attend SPACE Mission Advance from June 23rd to June 25th. More details will be forthcoming, attendance is mandatory.

Questions?
N Lindner
T Sheng


** 9th grade **
Sonlife's Merge conference
On the campus of JHU, Baltimore - July 16-21, 2006
More details about applications, raising support, leader team and other info to be posted here soon.
Attend SPACE Mission Advance from June 23rd to June 25th. More details will be forthcoming, attendance is mandatory.


** 10th grade **
There is a team going to CSM-DC from the 10th grade from July 16- 22. (This team is closed.)
Attend SPACE Mission Advance from June 23rd to June 25th. More details will be forthcoming, attendance is mandatory.


** 11th grade **
Intro
The junior SPACE summer missions team will be traveling to Los Angeles, California for a week to work with Harambee Ministries. Enclosed are all the pertinent details and timeline for the trip.

Host Ministry
Harambee Ministries based in Pasadena, California, outside of Los Angeles. The mission of Harambee Ministries is to promote indigenous leadership development in northwest Pasadena and beyond. Their ministries include Harambee Preparatory School, an after school program, Junior Staff, Summer Day Camp and Harambee Pre-School. Summer teams that help there have the opportunity to be involved in activities such as: serving the local homeless, kids and park ministry, light work projects on the property and generally loving our neighbors in Northwest Pasadena. The team will also interact with Harambee staff and learn about Harambee’s history and philosophy while being challenged about the Christian’s responsibility in the city, among the poor, and toward reconciliation. Los Angeles also forms the environment and context for serving in a true melting pot of world cultures. Much more info can be found at Harambee's website. The executive director of Harambee is a friend of Tony Sheng, the SPACE coordinator.

Dates:
Departure on Sunday July 23, early or mid day.
Return on Saturday July 29, late.
More specific departure and return info will be distributed once the team is assembled.

Leader Team:
MC Cortez, J Schad, Joyce B, E Grabau will serve the team as the leaders. These four individuals have over 15 years of aggregate youth ministry experience as well as substantial cross-cultural ministry experience.

Cost and Team Size:
Approximately $500 per person. More details about the cost will be available once the team is assembled. You will be required to raise both prayer and financial support and your leaders will be assisting you in doing this. This team is limited to sixteen students and four leaders.

Important Dates:
3/26 11:59pm – Your SPACE mission trip application due. If you don’t have one, see one of the leaders. You must apply for a spot on the team.
4/2 – Final team decided upon. You will be notified via email or phone about your team status.
Mid April – More details about support raising, team preparation and team meetings will be forthcoming in mid April.
Attend SPACE Mission Advance from June 23rd to June 25th. More details will be forthcoming, attendance is mandatory.
Questions:
Get in touch with one of the team leaders.

This post will be updated as more information becomes available.
Questions? Get in touch via email or comments.

Technorati Tags:: S.P.A.C.E, student+missions

AOL #1 with Teens

* Teens (age 12 to 17) spent an average of 1,233 minutes online during February 2006, up 19 percent from a year ago.

* Communication-related activities account for the lion’s share of time spent online by teens in February 2006. Time spent using instant messengers ranks highest, with teens spending 489 minutes per month using IM, up 41 percent from last year. Email ranked second at 176 minutes per visitor (up 33 percent) and discussion/chat ranked third at 159 minutes per visitor (up 46 percent).

* Online gaming also accounts for much of teens’ time online. They spent an average of 87 minutes on Online Gaming sites, and 51 minutes on Gaming Information sites. Time spent at Online Gaming sites, however, declined 42 percent from last year. EA Online still ranks among the top 10 properties in terms of engagement, though it has experienced a 67 percent decline in average minutes per visitor to 72 in February.

* In February, teens spent the most time on Time-Warner (AOL) sites, averaging 368 minutes per visitor, up 22 percent from last year. MySpace.com ranked second at 263 minutes per visitor, a nine-percent increase over last year, and Yahoo! Sites ranked third with 189 minutes per visitor, which represents an 11-percent increase.

via YPulse

Mission Trip Advice - #1

This is the first in a series of posts entitled "Mission Trip Advice." So you have signed up to go on a mission trip, and maybe you don't know exactly what to expect. And you are maybe looking for some advice. What is one piece of advice that experts could give you?

My friend PrayingMantis is a youth pastor from Gilbert, AZ. He has taken teams to Northern Ireland [where he has established a long term partnership,] traveled to India, and implemented some very cool community outreach ideas. Every summer, he sends out multiple student teams all over the world. This summer, he has teams going to Northern Ireland again, a camp for disabled kids and adults, Mexico and some leaders going to Africa. In the summer of 2005, I got a chance to hang out with him for a few days in the midst of a skatepark outreach/VBS ministry week.

PM's bit of advice:

Be Flexible:

Understand this trip is not about you - yet you will be blessed
Understand God's plan may not be yours or even the person who planned the trip - but it will be better than your own expectations
Understand the person you may not want to be paired with will probably be your best friend by the end of this trip.
Understand that if your situation is difficult than God will have more opportunities to be praised when he carries you through

Be ready for change - the beauty is in the emerging opportunity and faith for the moment
Be ready to give a word whenever - the spirit does not lead based on scheduled ministry opportunities
Be ready to mingle with whoever comes your way - your opportunities might not be your target audience

Take Risks:

Do what Jesus did:
1. Talk to people who others think are weird or rejects
2. Invite people to conversation
3. Learn about people's needs and ask to pray for them
4. Pray with authority for healing: even when some aren't healed
5. Preach with authority: even when some don't receive it
6. Just go and do it, wherever, whenever

Photo: PM hanging at a local skatepark [he is in the hat with the orange shirt,] summer 2005.

Technorati Tags::Praying+Mantis, student+missions

Commitment to a Cause

We all seek to avoid the tension created by the gap between our ideals and our reality. Effective movements exploit that gap and raise the tension. They make life uncomfortable for us all. Movements are uncompromising. They heighten tension inside the Church and with the surrounding culture. Movements are born in conflict, because they stand for something.
Passionate people make history. That'?s true for both social and religious movements. They take their cause seriously. They have a clear message that is communicated unambiguously and lived out consistently. The result is often dramatic growth.

via Steve Addision

We've done a SPACE invite only trip the past few summers and some details for that should be forthcoming very very soon. In 2004, the SPACE team went to NYC. Last year, it was Brasil. Hopefully, I can tell you early next week what this summer will bring. In step with some of the core values of SPACE, this is a trip that builds upon the concepts of long term partnership and synergy with GCC's mission around the world. Additionally, the trip is also about the growth and empowerment of a group of people that have a high level of commitment to SPACE. These people are passionate, unambiguous about their mission and it's my joy to watch them as we grow, invest and then unleash them.

The Best Way to Get SPACE Info - Bribery

If you have been around SPACE for a while, you probably know that everything we do is a secret until we think all the details are covered. You might think this is related to some weird ego trip I have... but it's not. It simply is a way that we can try some new and different things without catching a whole lot of flack for saying something and then not doing it. It's much easier to turn the boat around when there are not a whole group of adolescents planning on something that may not work. In some respects, its just wise marketing and PR. In other respects, it gives freedom to the leadership to make what may seem like spur of the moment decisions, based upon, hopefully, what God is saying to us. Finally, it gives us a bit more credibility when parents are not hearing about Plan A, B, C and D. Although with our junior summer trip, it certainly did seem like that.

This past weekend, I was talking with one of our high schoolers, BB, who was on my Brasil team last year. K was with me and as we were talking, she accidentally spilled some vital info - on one of the trips that we are working on. Luckily for her, BB wasn't paying any attention. Of course, after he realized she knew, he tried to bribe her. With a quarter.

Let me give some more advice. If you are going to bribe me or members of my family for SPACE information, the amount needs to be in whole denominations above $5, you know - $10, $20, etc. ;-)

eBay Atheist

Some of you may have been following this too... I've only been skimming some of the blog postings. Short summary - an atheist auctions himself on eBay, saying he will go to religious things for a price. A Christian organization called OffTheMap, which does research in the ideas of evangelism and culture, wins the bid. And they send this guy into a bunch of different churches.

Link to the whole story.

Video of OffTheMap's Jim and Hemant on FoxNews.

Movements Math

From both Backyard Missionary and OnMovements - the idea of movements math, the multiplication of leaders. You might be like me and wondering about the practical, tangible ways of this kind of multiplication.

As Eugene Peterson humorously put it for us in the States, "Jesus, it must be remembered, restricted nine-tenths of his ministry to twelve Jews because it was the only way to redeem all Americans."

Jesus’ concern was not with programs to reach the multitudes, but with men the multitudes would follow. — Robert Coleman, MasterPlan of Evangelism

Movement math tells us that we cannot build movements without the multiplication of leaders, without reproducing disciple-makers. Christian ministries and programs typically depend upon a single leader or group of leaders. Once those leaders pass on, the ministry or program dies.

BR - Sunday

Psalm 41
1Dignify those who are down on their luck; you'll feel good--that's what GOD does.

Mark 9
21He asked the boy's father, "How long has this been going on?" "Ever since he was a little boy. 22Many times it pitches him into fire or the river to do away with him. If you can do anything, do it. Have a heart and help us!" 23Jesus said, "If? There are no "ifs' among believers. Anything can happen."

Prov 11
11 Through the blessing of the upright a city is exalted, but by the mouth of the wicked it is destroyed.

Plant Watching - East Gilbert/Mesa AZ

"Church planting is the best method of evangelism"

http://amadeochurchplantnetwork.blogspot.com/

SPACE and evangelism

SPACE is not against evangelism. But we don't ever pass out tracts. That's all I'm going to say about that.

"Church planting is the best method of evangelism"

Just for fun - Google links "church planting best method evangelism"

The Strategic Value of Saturation Church Planting
Bi-vocational Church Planting
A Revolution in 21 st Century Church Planting

A bigger picture here about what was really happening in Orlando last weekend.

Influences

Perspectives - a 16 week class that will help you understand God's plan for our world and for your life as you explore the following topics:
- Biblical - God's unchanging purpose for the nations
- Historical - Expansion and pioneers of the Christian Movement
- Strategic - What are "unreached people groups" and why are they so important to complete God's eternal purpose?
- Cultural - The Gospel and cross-cultural communication

The Origins Conference -
Origins is a leadership development experience designed to equip church and para-church leaders for mission in our diverse, pluralistic, urban, and multicultural 21st century context. The Origins experience is designed to immerse your thinking in a cultural architecture for the 21st century. Read more about how it influenced me here.

An Unstoppable Force - Erwin McManus
Waking the Dead - John Eldredge
The Shaping of Things to Come - Hirsch and Frost
Short Term Missions Workbook - Tim Dearborn
Out of the Saltshaker - Rebecca Manley Pippert

Jeffrey D. Sachs

Crash
Braveheart
Remember the Titans
The Shawshank Redemption

Two Weeks Back

Follow the journey of a 33 year old youth worker who goes back to High School as a Sophomore. Link via Marko

About Tony Sheng

#end
A small idea of what SPACE is about:

SPACE (Students Prepared to Act For Christ's Empire):
- is a component of the student ministry at Grace Community Church. SPACE exists as one facet of the ministry, including Sunday morning worship, D-teams (small groups), middle and high school outreaches, and worship and skit teams.
- prepares students for action both now and in the future.
- acts because mission is why the church exists.
- emphasizes culture and context - relevance to culture is not optional.

SPACE creates and shapes environments and experiences:
- where students can be involved in serving the community where we live.
- where students can learn about the realities of our world, realities such as global cultures, the unreached, the poor and different expressions of 'church.'
- to intentionally grow students and leaders in the area of progressive mission experiences, where students can progress through experiences as they get older.
- in synergy with Grace Community Church's mission for the world vision, when possible.

SPACE loves:
- growing students and leaders with a vision for the nations.
- having debriefing and reentry discussions for every experience.
- having fun.

Although SPACE is a component of a local church's student ministry, we are willing to help you with the following in your context:
- mission team preparation and leadership.
- small group/one-on-one coaching and mentoring.
- various other student mission consultation.

Current Good Web Links

The 9 Lives of Leadership

Best Practices - High Yield Church Planting via Steve Addison

Senior Weekend 2006

Last Spring, we decided to try a new experiment - taking our seniors on a weekend experience. We aptly named it the Black Hole Experience - taking on the idea of a secret weekend with no details and applying the SPACE motif to it. [Their parents had all the details, however.]

There were three distinct concepts that were built into the experience [it was a God thing so I don't take credit for it.]
1 - Culture - a much bigger culture than what you live in.
2 - Urban - the city is strategic.
3 - Creating the future - go and create it.

We ended up taking them to New York City for the weekend. Overall, it was a fun experiment with some great results. A few kids were really exposed to some new realities of the world. For them, I think it might still be making an impact.

A few nights ago, the SPACEintern and I sat down and started doing some thinking about doing this again in May. This is mostly her big deal - kind of a Senior project for her internship. In many other ways, it's a tremendous opportunity that she is providing for her peers. The potential and promise of life change in this kind of weekend is huge.

As we talked and brainstormed, we [mostly her] came up with some unifying themes or concepts for the transformation we are seeking with these students. Like I tell her almost constantly, these experiences are not an end to themselves. We are in the business of transforming these kids - so they love Jesus more, see the world with more clarity, and love and serve the nations more.

The two unifying themes were: [I think its okay to reveal these, the rest of the weekend is cloaked in secret handshakes and passwords]
- Your Lifestory
- Different Expression of Church

Very fun - an very cool opportunity for these students and a great project for the intern to exercise a lot of what she is learning.

BR - From Demons to Talk of the Town

Mark 5:18-20

Demon delivered man
Turned instantly into a missionary to his own culture and context
And is the talk of the town...

As Jesus was getting into the boat, the demon-delivered man begged to go along, 19but he wouldn't let him. Jesus said, "Go home to your own people. Tell them your story--what the Master did, how he had mercy on you." 20The man went back and began to preach in the Ten Towns area about what Jesus had done for him. He was the talk of the town.

SPACE DJ alert

Listen to Jason Sharp - Reflections

Fast Company - March 2006

I have read Fast Company on and off for a few years - a few of those years I even had a subscription. Good magazine with very compelling articles about vision, leadership, creativity and innovation. On the way to Orlando, I picked up the most recent issue, which was their 10th anniversary issue. The title is "The Fast 50 - The People Who Will Change How We Work and Live Over the Next 10 Years." Basically, it is a look into the future. A look.... into the future....

You

must

read

this

issue.

The issue isn't online right now, they publish the content about a month after it hits newsstands I think. [As they come on line, I will update this post with links.] But here are some snippets.

Demographics

It's the futurist's first rule: You can't understand the future without demographics. The composition of a society - whether its citizens are old or young, prosperous or declining, rural or urban - shapes every aspect of civic life, from politics, economics and culture to the kinds of products, services, and business that are likely to succeed or fail. Demographics isn't destiny, but it's close.

- Leaders miss demographics and how it informs their organizations. Executives aren't trained in demographics (no courses at B schools)
- In the next decade, distribution of age will look like an hourglass, with baby-boomers on top, the millennials at the bottom and generation-Xers will form the middle - this will redefine entertainment, culture, film, television, books and web markets to older class.
- By 2011, the 65 and over population will be growing faster than the population as a whole in each of the 50 states.
- 46% of US population growth in the next decade will come from three states: California, Texas and Florida.
- MTV Desi - South Asian
- MTV Chi - Chinese
- MTV K - Korean
- Expect a proliferation of culture not only pitched to Asians but by them.

China
- By 2014, expected to be the second largest media market in the world.
- China's middle class will rise to 40% of its population by 2020.
- Expected to spend $306.5B on travel and tourism by 2016.
- 400 million rural Chinese expected to migrate to cities in the next decade.

Superculture
- More than 50% of 15 years olds in LA are Hispanic, by 2020, nearly one in five Americans will be.
- The Hispanic niche market will be turned into a mass market, no longer a subculture but a superculture.

Water
In Bangkok, Manila, and New Delhi, water theft is common.
Half a trillion gallons of water are wasted each year during oil extraction.
1.1B people live without clean drinking water.

Various
Average time for a flu pandemic to circle the globe:
- 20th century - 6 to 9 months
- today - 3 months

McDonalds to open first green-building certification for a restaurant in Savannah.

Estimated time required to do "The Wave" in a line around the globe - 1.5 months.

After the introduction of electricity, the US population grew by 15% between 1910 and 1920, but the number of personal servants fell 25%, replaced, in large part, by appliances.

"First came the aristocracy, an elite based on bloodline. Then came the meritocracy, an elite based on academic achievement. Next will be what I'd call an 'artocracy,' an elite based on the mastery of visual arts, music, and drama" - Daniel Pink [author of A Whole New Mind and Free Agent Nation]

Save your lunch money tomorrow, pack a lunch and go buy and read this issue from cover to cover.

35 hours in Orlando

I had a phenomenal time in Orlando this weekend. It was a little nuts to fly down for just what seemed like a few hours, but it was really a quality time of meeting people and hearing about God's stories in the area. The first goal was to hang out with friend MM and his wife, who have recently entered into a new phase of life and ministry. Secondly, the weekend coincided with the opening of the very first Voxtroplis hotspot cafe, which was totally fun to be a part of.

One of the huge highlights was for MM and I to have dinner with Alex McManus (and his son Lucas), who has so impacted both of our lives with his speaking, teaching, writing and thinking. Our dinner conversation was fascinating, touching on leadership, life balance, culture, innovation and change and a whole list of other topics. Thank you Alex for spending some time with us, being open to answering our questions and for being a leader that focuses on investing into others.

Another huge (but seemingly very incidental) highlight for me personally was to watch a conversation between two people and immediately noticing how impactful it was. I know that's kind of obscure, but trust me, it was cool.

Here was the fully packed 35 hours:
Sat 13.00 - left my house
Sat 16.45 - landed in packed Orlando airport, got rental car, etc.
Sat 18.00 - got a snack, met up with MM at St Pauls
Sat 20.00 - hang out House Blend Cafe
Sat 22.00 - Waffle House with a whole mess of people
Sun 05.15 - airport run (wow was it early)
Sun 07.00 - back to bed
Sun 10.30 - church at Westpoint (I was soooo late)
Sun 12.00 - growth group leader lunch at St Pauls
Sun 14.00 - downtown Disney (you know I had to stop in some part of Disney)
Sun 17.00 - dinner with MM, and Alex McManus and Lucas
Sun 19.30 - airport
Sun 23.45 - back home

Some places and people from the weekend that you might be interested in too:
the do Sul band
Jason Sharp
House Blend Cafe
Westpoint Fellowship Church and their pastor Jason Dukes
St Pauls church
Voxtropolis
the Spring church, Dean, Christina, and Staci
Brian Russell

See MM's post about it here.

Three random wisdoms from this weekend:
1
Q: What do you call a person that speaks three languages? A: Tri-lingual
Q: What do you call a person that speaks two languages? A: Bi-lingual
Q: What do you call a person that speaks one language? A: An American
2
If you want to learn about a culture or people, you don't study Psychology. You study linguistics.
3
What our kids learn in school is not enough. They must read more, travel more, experience more, rub against people in your community more.

And of course, thanks to my wife D for encouraging me to take full advantage of a free weekend to connect, refuel and encourage.

Photo: me, Alex and MM

More soon

Got in from Orlando very late last night. Getting kids ready for school and then off to work right now. Very, very fun time. More post very soon.

SPACE March 2005 Prayer Update

Dear Friends of SPACE,

Thanks you for your ongoing thoughts and prayers for our students and the efforts to move them to live and love on God's mission both here in their community as well as to the nations.

Here are a few current items that we would love for you to be praying about:
- We have four leader teams ready to run summer mission teams this coming summer (middle school, 9th, 10th, and 11th grade.) Be praying for this talented and devoted group of youth shepherds and leaders - for their walks with Jesus, for their ability to lead students and for the students that will follow their lead of service and mission.
- Pray for a slight change in plans for our 11th grade team. Our original plans were for this team to serve within the KatrinaGrace partnership in New Orleans. Pray for a clear path to plan B (or plan C or plan D...)
- Pray for our good friends in Londrina, Brasil from last summer, that they would still consider the deep questions of life.
- Pray for a potential opportunity for one more team, with another GCC family overseas, that a decision would be made in the next two weeks.
- Pray for our next two Spring SPACE events - one hopefully serving in Laurel and a senior class missions weekend.

Thanks for your partnership and connection with these students - it is a joy to share stories about kids living huge lives!
- tony
tonytsheng.blogspot.com

Captivating, Eldredge - A Special Hatred

The story of the treatment of women down through the ages is not a noble history. It has noble moments in it, to be sure, but taken as a whole, women have endured what seems to be a special hatred ever since we left Eden.

girls versus boys in China
treatment of women in Hinduism and Islam
global sex trade of girls

Dear God - what is the account for the systemic, often brutal, nearly universal assault on femininity? Where does this come from? Do not make the mistake of believing that "men are the enemy." Certainly men have had a hand in this and will have a day of reckoning before their Maker. But you will not understand this story - or your story - until you begin to see the actual Forces behind this and get a grip on their motives. Where does this hatred for women, seen all over the world, come from? Why is it so diabolical?

Ezekial 28

Perfect in beauty. That is the key. Lucifer was gorgeous. He was breathtaking. And it was his ruin. Pride entered Lucifer's heart. The angel came to believe he was being cheated somehow. He craved the worship that was being given to God for himself. He didn't merely want to play a noble role in the Story; he wanted the Story to be about him. He wanted to be the star.

Satan fell because of his beauty. Now his heart for revenge is to assault beauty. He destroys it in the natural world wherever he can. Strip mines, oil spills, fires, Chernobyl. He wreaks destruction on the glory of God in the earth like a psychopath committed to destroying great works of art. But most especially, he hates Eve.
Because she is captivating, uniquely glorious and he cannot be. She is the incarnation of the Beauty of God. More than anything else in all creation, she embodies the glory of God. She allures the world to God. He hates it with a jealousy we can only imagine. And there is more. The Evil One also hates Eve because she gives life. Women give birth, not men. Women nourish life. And they also bring life into the world soulfully, relationally, spiritually - in everything they touch. Satan was a murderer from the beginning. He brings death. His is a kingdom of death. Ritual sacrifices, genocide, the Holocaust, abortion - those are his ideas. And thus Eve is his greatest human threat, for she brings life. She is a lifesaver and a life giver. Eve means "life" or "life producer." Put those two things together - that Eve incarnates the Beauty of God and she gives life to the world. Satan's bitter heart cannot bear it. He assaults her with a special hatred. History removes any doubt about this. Do you begin to see it?

Impact of women in missions.
SPACE draws more girls than guys.
I live with three females.
Hmm.

11th grade plan B

"The most successful people are those who are good at Plan B." - James Yorke

Well.... our best laid plans for the 11th grade team are .... how should I put it... stuck? Plan B, make thyself appear...

SPACE support materials

One of the things that I do for the summer teams is try to make their support raising as easy as it can be. That includes giving our teams examples of support letters and providing some of the materials for them for when they actually send out their support letter.

We include:
- A response card for their supporters to return
This card includes information such as the supporters name and address, the students name, the amount, and a check box on whether they pray for the team.
This year, we also added a 'no junk mail phrase' and an option to support the whole team instead of just one student.
- A sheet of pre-addressed sticky labels addressed to the church, so students can put that onto their own small sized envelope (pre-stamped of course) to make it easy for their supporters to drop into the mail.

I'm lucky, the church office lets me make an infinite amount of copies. In fact, this morning, one of the office staff was doing it all for me. Lucky, except, when they were running the copies of the labels, I had printed the wrong address (our church recently moved.) Dang.

3-3

D's dad passed away three years ago today. He still makes an impact on us - the way he ate M&Ms with our girls, the way he taught us to be smart, the way he raised his kids and shaped the culture of his family.

Implementation

Implementation Is Not Complete Until The Client Has Experienced "Culture Change"

Implementation Is Not Complete Until Significant "Technology Transfer" Has Taken Place/Root ("Teach A Man To Fish...")

Tom Peters

Blogjacking!

I've often been tempted to do just this!! My wonderful husband, who you all love and admire, is always leaving me his computer, logged on and ready to go! The beauty of blogging is that he can delete this post if he so chooses!!!!

If you are getting a kick out of this, as I am, then you can also quickly fulfill a small prayer request of mine. That is that God will lead Tony in the direction He wants us to go this summer with our summer trips, that He will raise up student leaders to become more globally missions minded and that He will work a mighty peace in the hearts of the parents who will hopefully be allowing their beloved children the chance to leave their mark on the peoples of this world. OK, maybe it's not a small request, but I totally believe in the power of prayer.

Now, I'm quite certain I will be banned from blogjacking again. It was nice to meet all of Tony's faithful readers this way. I'm off to be virtually flogged - fortunately that's never very painful! That's what Tony gets for leaving me home while he runs off to Disney World! (I mean, Orlando!)

Orlando

Orlando, believe it or not, seems to have worked itself out to be a kind of remote base for our family. Somehow, we find ourselves there about once a year or so. I'm not sure why, except the obvious reason - Disney World. Seriously though, there is some very cool God stuff going on down there. I decided about a day ago, very spur-of-the-moment, to hop on a plane for the weekend to hang out with my friend MM.

Here is a rough idea of what I'm doing:
Sat 5.00pm - land in Orlando
Sat 6.00pm - Sat evening church/hang with a youth ministry
Sat 8.00pm - cafe event
Sun 9.30am - church at Westpoint Fellowship - cool speaker
Sun 12.00pm - lunch with MM and a leader development thing he is running
Sun aft - tanning session
Sun 5pm - dinner
Sun 9.00pm - fly home

Not a long time, but I didn't want to be away from home for the whole weekend if I could help it.

You might be thinking that I must have seriously drugged D in order to get away and go within a mere stone's throw of Disney World without her. Believe me, it wasn't easy.

[Update - That last statement was *very* facetious about D. She totally encouraged me to go and almost literally made me by the plane tickets. If you haven't noticed, she is much more daring than I am.]

CpR Friday March 3rd

For those of you in the area, CpR, our high school ministry, is hosting a dinner theatre this Friday at the Warehouse. They are performing a musical (written by our senior high youth pastor, I believe) called "Socks", which I've heard is a story about high school. And all the music in it is Coldplay. That's kind of cool huh?

Origins 2006

Origins 2006 is upon us. If you could only go to one training/leadership/investing in you conference or event, this should be it. Origins is the Mosaic Leadership Experience - Mosaic is the church in LA that Erwin McManus leads.

I went in 2004 and it was easily one of the most formative ministry/leadership experiences for me. A big part of it was my specific context. I had just been part of a new ministry starting up. I had gotten deeper involvement on a ministry team and most of that team travelled to LA together and we had the advantage of processing through much of the ideas together as well. And I was still processing (even a year later) through much of the Perspectives material and what it meant for our students.

Origins didn't give me many things to tangibly execute. Instead, it blew open a bigger framework and vision for ministry. I count myself lucky to have gone through Perspectives and an Origins conference at such close proximity, since many of the concepts in both are connected as well as grow on each other.

Some quick concept memories from Origins off the top of my head:
- relevance to the culture [something cross cultural missionaries are implored to do, but we can miss it here in our own culture]
- a cultural architecture/environment, versus ministry that is stricly thought of as task or program based
- recognizing how important ethos is - what your community does without being told to
- mission versus missions

One of these days I'm going to write a post about what has influenced me most. Origins is on the list. This post has some ideas I jotted down about a month after coming home and thinking through it.

World Cup Football - Kickoff2006.org

... German believers are sending out a Macedonian call for help during the World Cup Football, kicking off in just four months. Literally millions of guests are expected from all over the world to join in festivities hosted in twelve cities...
We European believers can also be infused with the faith and enthusiasm of the growing two-thirds world churches: on prayer walks together, in international services, street concerts, coaching clinics and festivals. Multinational football teams will also fan out to towns and villages within 50 kilometres of the World Cup cities, to play friendly games opening opportunities for friendship evangelism in the relaxed festive atmosphere.
A nation-wide spirit of cooperation has been fostered by a German network of youth ministries, churches and agencies called kickoff2006, including the sports ministries of the Lutheran and Catholic Churches. Kickoff2006 has produced an outstanding handbook of creative outreach ideas downloadable from www.kickoff2006.org/channel.php?channel=60. Many of these suggestions for street football tournaments, thematic services, ideas for the workplace, creating events around football broadcasts with big screens, children’s events and football camps, among others, can be used during the World Cup, but also anywhere at anytime.

via YWAM Europe's weekly word

Also related - Calling All Nations