Word in Action, part two

Hey everyone! Yes, it's true- a day TWO update on Word in Action- but it was THAT GREAT of an event that you should be hearing about it twice in two days! Our friends at the Word FM posted some pictures on their website- so make sure you click on over to see what all we did in Allentown this past Saturday. Truely, I'm still reeling from what a fantastic day it was - if you weren't there, you definitely missed out. (But don't worry too much- we'll be sure to do it again).

In other CE news, if you haven't signed up yet for this fall's free workshop, "The Five Youth Ministry Trends that are Killing the Church," there's still three more nights that you can come and hear Dave Coryell speak: tonight at Indian Valley Mennonite Church in Harleysville, next Tuesday (9/30) @ Ephrata Methodist Church in Ephrata, and the following tuesday (10/7) @ New Life Fellowship Church in Glassboro, NJ. If you live near these churches, I highly encourage you to give less than two hours to hear this phenomenal presentation on what our youth ministries are doing that SEEM good, but are really just hurting the church. Come find out WHAT you, AND Christian Endeavor, can do to make these trends disappear. I haven't been to a workshop yet, but I did a lot of research for Dave, so TRUST me when I say that you shouldn't miss these nights! (Plus, I hear there have been giveaways, prizes, & packets of information about CE given out- sure, stuff you can get online- but have you ever really had the chance to meet & mingle with Dave &/or some of the rest of the staff? If the answer is no, then you should check one of these nights out.) But that's just my humble opinion- straight from the Intern's mouth, that is! Here's what one pleased individual had to say about last week's workshop:
I have always told my fellow counselors, don't worry, they are listening...but frankly I'm not sure I truly believed that until your workshop! I think I can be much more laid back now, and focus on what's truly important.

"I have always told my fellow counselors, don't worry, they are listening...but frankly I'm not sure I truly believed that until your workshop! I think I can be much more laid back now, and focus on what's truly important."


In other news, Sam has recently been working on the website, trying to bring us up to speed with all things Internet- and I've gotta say, the hard work has paid off! What do you think? We've begun to list upcoming events for other churches and organizations who are both independant and cohesively tied to CE- does your group have an upcoming event you think we should post? Leave a comment here or send me an email (lstauffer@pachristianendeavor.org) and we'll work on that. We really want to be a place where you can come for updated information & events YOU want to participate in- help us help you better by giving us the info we all will need.

Enjoy today!

Word in Action recap... part one!

Good morning! So my adventures in live-blogging didn't turn our as fruitful as I would have expected last week, but I attribute the lack in blogging on Saturday to the fact that we were all SO BUSY all day! By far, Saturday's Word in Action day was one of the most uplifting work camps I have been to- and I've been to my fair share of work camps. While it was a long day for many of us, being in Allentown with the generous people who came to participate really gave me some perspective on what I'm doing here at Christian Endeavor.

It has been really easy for me to get comfortable and almost lacksidasical, sitting in the office and doing work here. While I'm often logging 40-45 hours/ week of work, it's work that is in preparation for next year's events, or research for workshops, or even updating the blog. All REALLY good things for me to do (and things that I LOVE, because like I mentioned earlier, writing and talking are my THINGS!) but it is so easy to lose perspective on why Christian Endeavor is such a GREAT organization. Often, in the past week, I would find myself searching so much for something to say on this blog- not that there isn't tons of things coming up for CE that I could promote, but I had felt like I already had said everything that was needed. You can only promote something from one angle for so long; which is why EVEN when Colleen told me I'd have to be in Allentown by 7am on Saturday, I knew I had to be there. If not for my fellow co-workers, but so I could again understand what I was working so hard for in the office.

Today marks 6 weeks for me of being 'the intern,' and this past weekend was just the PUSH I needed to make me realize exactly why I need to continue working as hard as I do. It was such an encouragement to be able to see all three work sites on Saturday; I've never been in the position to see first-hand the work at more than one campsite go from start to finish, but what a unique and transforming experience. The three women whose houses we worked on--Rosa, Sharon, and Gina--were not only welcoming with such Christian love (and TONS of food!) but really upheld such gratitude for the teens and adults who were there to help them. God's love was so apparent in Allentown on Saturday- I'm so glad I didn't miss it.

I'll be updating this week with individual stories about what happened, but for now, check out some pictures I took with my phone throughout the day. I got to hang out and take video while my new friend Emily, from the Word FM's Morning Show took pictures- so for now these pictures will have to do until we get the rest! (PS: Can I tell you how awesome the people at the Word FM are? Seriously- so dedicated and genuine, and willing to help out anywhere when needed. We were so lucky to have them be co-sponsors, and I can't wait until the next time we do this! Check them out Emily & Dave's Morning Show, 6-9am on weekdays- I know I will!)

Assembling siding on the roof of Gina's porch.

More siding at Gina's.

Pulling weeds & painting @ Sharon's.

If I had a hammer...

So today I've been working on a cool new document for Christian Endeavor called a Case Statement. What this is, basically, is a packet of information about CE & its goals, mission, future plans, & needs. It is interesting to me to compile this information for many different reasons: one, I get to learn more about CE, which is an organization I've been involved with since I've been 12 but never really learned the history of, and two, I enjoy writing, so this is a joy to me. It has taken me a couple of weeks to find the time to actually prepare a rough draft of sorts, so today I found myself on kind of a roll when writing all these things down.

One of the most interesting parts of the Case Statement will be the part that lists our major needs. At our staff meeting last Tuesday, we spent some of the time 'brainstorming' the 'If I had a million dollars' question. Don't you just love that question? To me, there's a difference in being greedy and wishing you had a million dollars for yourself, and wishing you had a million dollars to spend on an organization you really believe in. We had some pretty cool items on the list by the end of the day (check back in a few weeks when this document is done & I'll post a link to the pdf format, okay?), and that list is now permanently in my notebook, as an encouragement to where we see Christian Endeavor going.

Sure, some of the things might be more valuable to our personal needs, but I feel in my heart that there is this great movement growing within this tiny office, and in the hearts of people like you & me who have ever been encouraged by CE. The vision that CE upholds is grounded in something that spreads across all denominations: turning youth into engaged leaders one church at a time- because Christ demands us to share our great news with others.

This morning as I was doing my devotions, I was reading in Ephesians and these verses just stuck out at me so distinctly:

"For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better."

It's really nice to be able to get the stuff we need to continue with our mission; sometimes, like equipment or volunteers, it's even necessary. But the most powerful way YOU can be of service to CE? Prayer. Pray and see where God is leading you; whether it be in the fall, winter, spring, or summer, it is a rarity when your experience, ability, talent, or volunteer hours are not needed. The only way for you to know what God is really telling you is to be in prayer, faithfully, and listen. (Yeah, I have a hard time with that last one, too.)

I encourage you to be in prayer with me as Christian Endeavor- Mid Atlantic begins to make some changes. And while you're at it... have you signed up for a Fall or Spring work camp yet? Today is the LAST DAY for Fall work camp participants... leave me a comment if you need more information, or check us out on the web.

Raining cats & dogs

Whew- anybody else know it was going to rain? I feel like I've been sequestered under a rock for the past week; like many of us do, I tend to 'overschedule,' which means sometimes important things--like national news--and unimportant things--like the weather--get lost to me. Thankfully, here in Pennsylvania it seems we are still in need of rain, as everyday I drive by at least two or three cornfields and see brown, dry, sad corn! Unfortunately for our friends down South in places like Texas and Louisiana, they are not just experiencing a wet day- it's a full-fledged rain out. In situations like this, I always think back to the summers I participated in Work Camp as a teen. While we never traveled as far as Texas or Louisiana, I remember my first Work Camp ever when we traveled to North Carolina.

Ever have an image, or smell, that just stays with you? Well, I can vividly remember my first Work Camp experience; the first time my group stepped on a work site, we were met with the most obtrusive smell. Coming from a background where the most disgusting smell I experienced was garbage, this was somewhat of a shock for me. As my group entered the house where we would be working out, we took a preliminary tour to see what we would be doing. As we walked over warped pieces of linoleum and what used to be the family's living room, I was shocked that something so natural could produce such devastating effects. Until that point, the most devastation I had seen was after a tornado hit the town next to mine; seeing the loss of personal possessions was a reality check for me.

Our job that week consisted of a lot of demolition and throwing away of old, molded 'things.' The smell we encountered was the effect of this family's stuff sitting in water for many months; they didn't have the ability, or money, to clean it up, so it just sat there in their old house while they lived in a trailer thirty feet away. I could only imagine how it felt to look upon the house you lived in for many years, unable to fix it or salvage personal possessions. We picked through teddy bears, photographs, rusted jewelry, clothes, even school supplies and bicycles. Their entire house was gutted, and at the end of the week we left knowing someone else would be coming to put the pieces back together, but still unsettled that we couldn't do more.

The most amazing thing I can remember from my first week of a Christian Endeavor work camp was the amazing spirit that this family had. The family consisted of a mother and her three sons--ranging in age from 17 to 3, and there was this incredible sense of purpose from within them. There was no pity parties--although who else is more worthy of sadness than a person without a home?--just matter-of-fact living. The fact that this family lived next to a perpetual stinking & rotting house was overshadowed by the fact that someone had come to help them. And that someone, that week, was part me.

It is often too easy for us to forget about these transforming moments in our lives. And it is so easy to get caught up in summertime activities that are so good for us to do--like Work Camp and Summer Assembly--and then go home and forget about it. We're all guilty of it--I'm raising my hand very high here, too!--but as Christians, its something we must strive to never forget.

That's why I'm so excited that Christian Endeavor has expanded their work camp efforts for young adults in the fall and during many school's spring breaks. Often, we break up our lives into segmented activites: school, summer, friends, church, family, etc. But why can't your summer life mesh into school time?

It might not be Texas, but there's plenty of poverty and devastation in other places in the United States, and where there's a will, Christian Endeavor will find a way.

So tell me... what is your most memorable Work Camp moment?