How to be Missional in your own Town

If your not aware of it yet, we are launching a church-wide initiative focusing on our community. We want to turn our attention and our efforts toward having a huge impact on the communities we live in, the developments, schools and our workplaces. We want to share who we are and what Jesus has done for us. And we know you want to join us in this effort, but your probably not sure exactly what you can do! Especially as a family.
Well we've put together a list of ideas that we hope will help you find ways to impact others in your daily lives. A big Thank You to Tammy Burkhimer for sharing some great information about how we can have an impact in our own communities! We've compiled these simple ideas from a 3-part series from VERGE, a fantastic online resource for community centered missions. Lets all choose at least one of these and make it happen this week!

1. Start a Study Group at a local place that needs business.
2. Be a regular with your kids at the same playscape/restaurant during the day.
3. Ask your local college how you can help serve international students.
4. Get involved with your local lions or rotary club to learn about the community.
5. Find a local tweet-up group to meet with regularly.
6. Frequent a live music night at your local coffee shop or bar.
7. Make a routine of taking the family to a evening recreation spot (pool, jump zone, etc.).
8. Find a local philosophy/theology discussion group and become a regular participant.
9. Find a baking meet up group and be a part of their activities.
10. Go to the same hair stylist/barber and get to know them.
11. Stay outside in the front yard longer while watering the yard.
12. Walk your dog regularly around the same time in your neighborhood.
13. Sit on the front porch and letting kids (yours and the neighbors) play in the front yard.
14. Pass out baked goods (fresh bread, cookies, brownies, etc.)
15. Invite neighbors over for dinner.
16. Attend and participate in HOA functions.
17. Attend the parties invited you're to by neighbors.
18. Do a food drive or coat drive in winter and get neighbors involved.
19. Have a game night (yard games outside, or board games inside).
20. Art swap night – bring out what you’re tired of and trade with neighbors.
21. Grow a garden and give out extra produce to neighbors.
22. Have an Easter egg hunt on your block and invite neighbors use their front yards.
23. Start a weekly open meal night in your home.
24. Do a summer BBQ every Friday night and invite others to contribute.
25. Create a block/ street email and phone contact list for safety.
26. Host a sports game watching party.
27. Host a coffee and dessert night.
28. Organize and host a ladies artistic creation night.
29. Organize a tasting tour on your street (everyone sets up food and table on front porch).
30. Host a movie night and discussion afterwards.
31. Start a walking/running group in the neighborhood.
32. Start hosting a play date weekly for other stay at home parents.
33. Organize a carpool for your neighborhood to help save gas.
34. Volunteer to coach a local little league sports team.
35. Have a front yard ice cream party in the summer.
36. Cook an extra casserole and give it to a neighbor.
37. Buy an extra dozen donuts and give them to a neighbor.
38. Start a compost pile and allow neighbors to dump their compost.
39. Host a coffee and dessert night.
40. Organize and host a ladies craft night.
41. Organize an effort for neighbors to help take care of elderly in neighborhood.
42. Become a regular at your neighborhood pool/park.
43. If you have a skill, let neighbors know that you can use it to help them for free.
44. Collect Good Will store items and offer to take them to a Good Will store.
45. Have a front yard ice cream party in the summer.
46. Start a sewing group.
47. Go Christmas caroling in your neighborhood (invite neighbors in on it).
48. Throw a July 4th block party.
49. Start a neighborhood Facebook/Twitter/Google + group.
50. Ask longtime residents to help you learn about the neighborhood.
51. Offer to babysit neighbors kids so they can have a date night.
52. Find out your neighbors birthdays and take them a card and baked goods on it.
53. Setup a meet your neighbors night with drinks in your driveway/front yard.
54. Ask your HOA or apartment complex if they need help with anything.
55. Host a regular Saturday morning breakfast potluck.
56. Host a sports game watching party.(How hard is this one?? Come on guys, here's a great way to guarantee you get to see the big game!)
57. Have a bonfire and invite your neighbors to roast hotdogs and marshmallows.

All right! There's 57 ways to start relationships and be a "light shining before others"-(Mat 5-16). Let us know if you try any of these and please share any stories on our Facebook page!

Have a great week!

Faith + God = Courage

From invincible superheros to the kid in the lunchroom who stands up to a bully, courage is a powerful force in the world. It moves us to do things we would never think we would do...until we are faced with a decision. The Bible is full of ordinary people who chose to be Courageous in the face of heavy opposition or even certain death. David. Esther. Daniel. Shadrach and his crew. These are just a few of the many folks in scripture that stood their ground and showed the world how a little courage can change the course of history. This month we will be exploring these guys, and a few others, and learn how Courage comes from our deepest trust and faith in God. Because as we say "I can trust God no matter what!"

Sunday Mornin' Dance Party

Let me start this post by saying that we have some of the most incredible people in the world volunteering in our kids lives in UpStreet. Our small group leaders are hero's of the biggest sort and they never cease to amaze me, especially when the challenges of working with kids could give them them a reason to quit and just walk away...but they dont. It pays off in the lives of our kids every week and I cant thank them enough.

Last week in our 2nd-3rd grade girls group (led by Linda Helms) we had a young lady give her life to Jesus. This isn't an abnormal event, but the kids reaction to it was; and it had a big impact on me personally. I was standing with our small group director observing the groups when one of Linda's girls came running up excitedly saying "Carrie* wants to get saved, come on!" Since this is the ultimate reason we exist of course I was excited too. The girls in the group, about 7 total, were all gathered around Carrie encouraging her to move ahead with her decision. I asked Carrie if she was ready but it was clear Carrie felt more comfortable talking to Ms Linda than to me...which is exactly why we have small group leaders! Carrie and Ms Linda moved to a private spot to talk while the rest of the girls and I prayed for Carrie to take the steps and ask Jesus into her heart. And she did. When Carrie returned and told the group they immediately burst into screams and sounds only 7 and 8 year old girls can make! They were SO EXCITED! They wanted to have a dance party to celebrate, so we all went back into the UpStreet theatre to do the Cupid Shuffle and the ChaCha Slide...mainstays of all UpStreet dance parties. It was awesome!

It hit me that we should all dance like that when a kid, or anyone else, receives Christ as their Savior. We hold parades for championship teams, parties for turning a year older, and celebrations for completing school...but we don't celebrate salvation's quite as intensely. I learned from a small group of young girls that it should be. Great job Linda, you've got an awesome group of young ladies!

God Bless!!!

Mobility

This is a test. It is only a test. If this was an actual post there would be way less errors. But this is way cool if it works...Im posting from my HTC Desire (shameless plug for Alltel here).
Im sure there will be bugs to work out, as well as learning how to type on thid tiny little keyboard, but in the end I think itd gonna rock. We'll see I guess. -J

posted from Bloggeroid

Kindness

This months virtue in UpStreet is Kindness-Showing others they are valuable by how you treat them.

I think, in my house at least, kindness has the greatest impact on everyone. When my kids are kind to each other then their mother is happy. If I am kind to everyone then their mother is happy. If the kids are kind to their mother then their mother is happy. Are you seeing a pattern here? If momma's happy everyones happy. Okay I know I totally stole that but I couldn't resist.

Anyway, kindness is one virtue that can change an entire mood! A kind word or a random act of kindness could make someones day...even if you never know it. Jesus never said be nice when your happy, or when someones nice to you. He said treat others the way YOU want to be treated first. Being kind to one another is simply acknowledging that everyone is important to God, so they should be important to you also. Try it...be nice. You won't regret it!