The Last Week...

The last week of September marked the end of an era in my life.

I have been a youth pastor for the last 20 years. I began as a college freshman in September of 1988, as I led the youth group at Grace Chapel Worship Center in Green Lane, PA, until December of 1992, when I accepted a full-time position at Full Gospel Worship Center in Philadelphia, PA. Our years after that made stops in Mount Holly, NJ, Monroeville, PA, Shelby Township, MI, and lastly in Hermitage, PA.

It has been a truly incredible ride, as I have had such great experiences in being welcomed into the lives of so many teenagers. I think it was my friend, Doug Sayers, who said that youth ministry is likened to that of a roller coaster ride. The life of a teenager is filled with so many ups & downs, twists & turns, etc... He went on to describe effective youth ministry as being one that enables teenagers to desire to invite us to ride the coaster with them, experiencing every turn and loop that life throws at them, and what a great privilege that it is to be invited for that ride.

I couldn't agree more.

I have been so blessed to have been a part of the lives of students for so many years. Today, many of these same students are some of my closest friends and confidants. It has been extremely rewarding to see students move from that "Hey, funny-man...entertain me..." posture, to the point when it seems like the "light bulb" goes on in the understanding of the Words of Jesus. There is nothing like watching a young person see the face of Christ in those he serves on a missions trip, or to recognize the great need for God that her friends at school have, seeing that they might be lost for eternity, should she choose to ignore God's call to reach them.

I am routinely amazed at the students God has allowed Jodi and I to minister to. It is so awesome to think of those who serve God with distinction in churches, the business world, the military, and their local Jr & Sr high schools even today. I am incredibly fulfilled and blessed in what God has allowed us to be a part of.

Sunday night, September 28th, our church family in Hermitage, PA honored us with a going-away party. I was overwhelmed by the number of people who took the time to bless us with their presence. Pastor Ken & Marlene Martin have been great friends and mentors, and surrogate parents to Jodi and I. The church family in Hermitage has been so supportive of us, and we are forever grateful for your unending friendship over these last few years. Lastly, the students of Re:volution. We will miss you all so much. We've shared so many great memories together, from Tacky Thursday, to El Salvador, to Willdom, to delivering takos together, to the "Thing-A-Thon...the list goes on and on. It's been fun...except for the fact that on the night of the party, Emily Woods and her band of thieves vandalized our car. (You'll pay, Woods! Watch your back!)

I know that some of the tone of this post seems down, but nothing could be further from the truth. In the time since our move, I have had much trouble finding my socks, much less the time to post the many introspective thoughts I have had. While I will miss being directly involved in youth ministry as in the past, I am so looking forward to the future ministry that God has for us. I walk daily with a sense of destiny, feeling that all of our past experiences, both good and bad, have been allowed in our lives to make us exactly who we need to be for this moment in Millvale. I can't wait to see what God does! Tomorrow I will begin to blog about the next chapter in our lives.

MILLVALE.

Re:volutionaries

Words cannot express the way I feel today. I am so incredibly proud of the 48 students who made their way at 7 AM to Hickory High School this morning! What's even more encouraging us the fact that only about 1/3 of them at best, we from our church.) Last year there were about 20 who showed up for the early prayer event.

The thing I love about this event is the fact that it connects so many students that may have never known that there were other believers in their school. For Hickory, who knows? This could be the start of something big on that campus, or perhaps even the entire valley!

Emily Woods did a great job opening today with a scripture and an illustrative reading about Eli and his call. There was another girl (I don't know her name) who then led off in prayer, and encouraged everyone to add their prayer to hers. All but about 2 students did exactly that!

I am really proud of the Re:volution students who made a great effort to be there, and I can't wait to see what God can do with this group. I am so hopeful for the greater things that will come, with Pastor Mark. Way to go, Rev, but don't stop here...let SYATP be a spring-board to greater things for God!

See you guys tonight for our LAST Re:volution service together. Don't miss it!

What A Week I Had Yesterday!

It all began normally enough with going to work. I spent the morning working on some networking issues in the office with the church management software. After getting that finally figured out, I rode my motorcycle to Pittsburgh to look at a house. When I arrived, I didn't have much hope for the place, because there wasn't much parking out front, but after stepping inside, I was pretty certain we'd found a home. It's beautiful! I really think that it was worth the wait, and that God has helped us to find the perfect place until we can buy our own home. (Check out the video of the house below this post!) - P.S. Thanks to Nick Poole & Rachael Schaeffer for doing your best to help us!

Next, I headed to Jodi's parent's house to take some pictures to post on Craig's List for a refrigerator they are trying to sell. Rachael had told us about a house that I was going to look at nearby, but before I could get to the house, antifreeze fluid started leaking out of my bike, onto the pipes. SMOKE!!! I thought the bike was on fire or something, but after letting the motorcycle cool a little, and getting in touch with a friend who knew what I needed to do, I finally was ready to get back on the road. Problem was, I had already called my mother-in-law and she was somewhere on the way to rescue me! I tried to call her and tell her all was OK, but her cell phone battery died and I couldn't reach her. Also, I would have to skip looking at the second house and ride home as quickly as possible, because we had a youth event in Cleveland!

I arrived home, picked up my kids (Jodi is at the Pastor's Wives Retreat), and went quickly to the church, arriving 1/2 hour late. We loaded the bus, and drove to the Cleveland area to play Whirlyball. Whirlyball is honestly one of the coolest games I've ever played: It's best described as jai-alai with a whiffle ball in a sort-of basketball court, while in go-carts. We arrived at 9 PM for our court time, and played for an hour. It was great and everyone had a great time.

After getting everyone loaded back into the bus, I started it up. There was a really loud screech coming from the engine, and then a lot of smoke. You guessed it...WE BROKE DOWN AGAIN! (I don't know a lot mechanically about what happened, but we broke the serpentine belt somehow.) Twice in one day with break-downs, for me! After some phone calls, we ended up going back inside where the Whirlyball people had invited our students to stay there while we waited for Bill & Adrienne to come get us in the church van. Bob from Whirlyball even invited our kids to play Laser Tag for free and fed everyone left-over pizza while we waited! Honestly, it turned out to a really cool thing to get stranded there, because at least we had something to do while we waited. Thanks to everyone at Whirlyball Cleveland for your kindness & hospitality! Bill & Adrienne arrived some time around 12:30 AM, and we finally were able to go home, arriving at about 3 AM.

All I can say is, "What a week I had yesterday!"

Re:volutionaries

Tonight we hung out with some Re:volution students at Sheetz. Good times with some great kids (and Jacki, too!)

Saturday In Mayberry...

Saturday morning brought the task of loading up, and heading home. On the way home, we decided to stop for lunch in Mount Airy, NC...otherwise known as "Mayberry, NC." It is the home of Andy Griffith and the basis for the "Andy Griffith Show."

We planned on eating at the "Snappy Lunch" restaurant, but the line to get in was out the door and went down the street! So, we just hung out, took some pictures, and did some shopping before getting lunch elsewhere in town. After lunch, we began the rest of the trip home.

I must also point out this photo I took of Brittany "filling up" when we stopped for gas for the vehicles!

Brittany's Callback - Songwriting Entry

Check out Brittany's callback performance at the 2008 National Fine Arts Festival in Charlotte, NC. Congrats on 4th place, Britt!

Fine Arts Awards

Well, like it's been said, "It ain't over until the fat lady sings," and tonight she bellowed out the final number as the 2008 Fine Arts Festival drew to a close.

Our students all did a great job with their entries, and tonight we were able to see if any of them would be crowned world champion....er...a...Award of Merit winner. Stacy Sheppard, Brittany Findley, and the Garbonics team were all up for the award in their respective categories. Stacy placed anywhere from 11th to 38th and Garbonics came in at 11th place. Brittany, however, took 4th in the nation with her songwriting!

That's all for now, Congrats to everyone who participated, and please remember to pray for us as we travel home tomorrow.

Make certain to be at churhc this Sunday AM as Garbonics will be giving a much updated encore presentation of their program. See you Sunday! Peace!

Friday Update!

FYI...Stacy Sheppard's photo advanced! She is in the final running for the Award of Merit in the Digital Photography category. Check out this video of her photo, & congrats Stacy!

More Thursday & Some Friday @ Fine Arts

While we were hanging at the convention center yesterday, we captured this photo of our students next to a Convoy of Hope truck in the exhibit area. Convoy of Hope is the disaster relief agency of the Assemblies of God. COH has been among the first responders at all of our world's major catastrophies. Additionally, they provide several outreaches to our nation's major cities each year to feed the "working poor" of our own land. Anyway, COH is an amazing ministry, and it's trucks are all provided by Speed The Light! Every time you give to Speed The Light, you are helping to provide the necessary equipment needed to make a great ministry like this possible.

After hanging at the hotel last night, we went to the service at the Bobcat Arena. It was AWESOME!!! The Planetshakers led worship & Rick Lorimer was the speaker. Josh Kalp & Sheri Urey both received the baptism in the Holy Spirit! What a great night!

This morning (Friday), we're back to the convention center because Brittany Findley advanced and was called back to perform again! She's one of only 19 (out of about 3 pages) entrants who were asked to perform again.

So...tonight should be interesting! Brittany & Garbonics are in the running for the Award of Merit, as well Stacy Sheppard's photography entry, since we have not heard differently. Everyone has done such an awesome job at preparing and performing, so now all we can do is wait and hope!

Thursday @ Fine Arts

Today began with another early morning. We started with breakfast & morning devotions in the lobby at 7:30 AM, and then headed off to the convention center around 8:00 AM. Brittany needed to rehearse and then she performed at 9:49 AM. She did great, as you can observe in the video!

Afterward, we all went different ways in the convention center for lunch, some looking at the art, some viewing other presentations, while others took in the exhibits. While we were waiting, we found out that Brittany's songwriting event received a Superior with Honors rating! Now, we wait to see if she gets called back to perform again tomorrow. If she does, it means she's a finalist for the Award of Merit!

Overall, a great day! After time at the convention center, we met again at 1:00 PM to go back to the hotel & chill until dinner & the service tonight.

Wednesday @ Fine Arts

Wednesday for us was a sleep-in, go to Bojangles, look for JoLyn's wallet at the convention center & Bobcat Arena, go to Carowinds, and finish with dinner at Shoney's marathon.

Tomorrow we meet at 7:30 AM for breakfast, and then off to see Brittany perform her songwriting entry, Pray for her @ 9:50 AM!

Tuesday @ Fine Arts

Today began at 7:30 AM with breakfast and prayer as a team. Today's events are why we're in Charlotte, and the team took their participation very seriously. No one was late, and although nervous, everyone seemed ready to go.


Garbonics was to begin today at 10:06 AM, so we needed to arrive early enough to get all of the equipment to the room, as well as hopefully get some rehearsal time. We were able to accomplish both. The students did an amazing job! Actually, today's performance had to be the best one I've seen them do yet. Of course, I captured it on video, so check it out!


Immediately after Garbonics, I helped JoLyn get over to another location so she could perform her drama solo at 11:06 AM. (That may not seem like such a big deal, but we had to walk about 7 blocks to find the other location, and it had to be 90+ degrees outside. Then we had to get her mentally focused and ready to go!) Pastor Doug & Susan Sayers even came to see her and pray with her before she went up to perform. She was thrilled! JoLyn did such an incredible job, and I was so proud of her!

After that, we all broke for lunch and enjoyed all that was going on at the convention center. So much to do! There's always the opportunity to watch other people perform their talents, and to dream up new ideas for next year. There's also an exhibit area where students can find out all about our Assembly of God colleges and Master's Commission programs. Also, there's the Art Gallery, where you can check out the MANY EXCELLENT artistic entries. (That's also where Stacy's photography entry is on display, and being evaluated!)

Now for the information you've been waiting for so patiently...DID WE ADVANCE???

We do not as of yet have all of the information returned. What we do know is that our Garbonics team did receive the rating of "SUPERIOR WITH HONORS." That means that they have received the highest rating possible to achieve, short of claiming the "National Award of Merit" which only the top entery in each category will receive. Out of the 35 teams that competed with Garbonics, we are one of 12 that will be considered for the Award of Merit. Additionally, they may need to perform one more time in a call-back round on Thursday.

JoLyn's drama solo received a "Superior." Matt Sabella's poetry also was awarded a "Superior" rating.

Stacy's photography (digital) entry has not been posted as of yet. Also, Brittany will perform her songwriting event on Thursday.

I guess that's it for now. Check back and we'll give you more updates. Also, you can check the Fine Arts Festival website for results, as well.

Outreach Idea

A couple of weeks ago, our student ministry held an outreach week in Hermitage & Sharon called, "SHOUT Week." SHOUT stands for Showing Hermitage (Sharon, etc.) Of God's Unchanging Truth (that God loves them!)

The days were spent doing creative outreach/servant evangelism projects, and the evenings were reserved for spiritual growth (we brought in a speaker.)

Anyway, our students loved being challenged to get out and do something for God. It was a great week. One of the outreaches we did was to give away cans of (mostly) cold pop and cd's with a brief message on them. The message was entitled, "LOST..." and I thought it might spark an idea for someone doing ministry in their community.

Interested in hearing the "LOST..." cd? Click on the video interface below!

Great Job, Nate!

Wednesday night was a great night for our students. Our summer intern, Nate Rancatore, ran the Re:volution service from start to finish, and he did an excellent job. I was very proud of him for stepping way outside his "comfort zone" all summer and doing a great job. Nate's leadership ability has grown a lot this summer, and it was clearly evident this week.

Next Wednesday Nate will again lead Re:volution, but I will be away at the National Fine arts Festival. I know he'll do a great job again!

P.S. You can read Nate's thoughts about this past week's adventure on his blog: http://nathanrancatore.blogspot.com/

My Guitar Hero

Last night I was hanging out with some of our youth staff...doing some planning, and that type of thing. Good times of refocusing on future directions, as well as reflecting on recent ministry. What I love about these meetings is that it's awesome to be with people who love teenagers and are committed to the task of helping them navigate these strange years.

I love the team we have. We have several leaders who are just so committed to doing all they can to help students. Grandma Sarah is the one "rockin' out" on the Guitar Hero guitar with Bill Kalp. It's extremely rewarding to see her just love kids. She's been doing youth ministry so long, I think she said Abraham was in her Sunday school class. I don't know...I might be exaggerating. What I'm not exaggerating about is the fact that she love helping kids. I love seeing her when kids show up back at church after being away at school, or whatever. Guess who they look for first when they enter the doors? Yep, Grandma Sarah. She's a special leader, and an inspiration to us all. You think this picture is great? You ought to see the one of her talking on her "celly."

Dunkin' but NOT Donuts!

Today was a GREAT day at First Assembly! We baptised 12 people after the 10:45 AM service, with 5 of them being guys from the youth group.

I'm so proud of the guys from the youth group who went through with baptism this morning. They are all students from George Jr. Republic (GJR) who attend Grove City High School. Here's the thing about each of these guys: at some point in their past, they did something that brought them to GJR. I never know what paths some of these kids have taken to get them there, but I absolutely love it when they show up at our youth ministry and on Sunday mornings.

Over the past couple of weeks at Re:volution, it's been awesome to see they way they have responded to some of the altar call / invitations we've made. I've watched these guys grow steadily in their faith, and a couple of weeks ago when we opened up the opportunity to get baptized, these guys took it.

That's what I love about water baptism. At some point each of us become aware of our need for God, and baptism is the way Jesus gave us to show everyone we know what a difference knowing God has made in our lives.

So, to Anthony, Chris, Chuck, Zach, and Nolan I say not only congrats, but keep growing in God. You guys are awesome!