This weekend was spent with a group of youth from the church in Marvell, AR. and the surrounding Phillips County doing service projects. The Southern Baptist Convention entitled the weekend "Connect" signifying connecting with, God, Students, and the Community.
It was a really exciting weekend. During the weekend students are challenged to get outside of their comfort zones and go out within a community to complete construction type projects for area churches and residents. This year over 200 students and their adult chaperones worked on 14 projects across the Arkansas Valley Association.
The projects ranged from painting to hanging sheet rock, from cleaning to building gates. The diversity within the projects allows for people of different skill levels to offer their assistance.
The area that was worked in is very poor, and in need of a positive light to be shown. The students who participated from across the state provided that positive light.
This trip is very instrumental in showing students what it means to do missions, and it doesn't take a whole week to participate. That's what makes the weekend truly exceptional. This is a great trip for students to go on if they have never participated in missions before, in order for them to understand what it means to be mission minded.
For those of you who don't realize, the title is a quote from a Twix commercial.
I don't know why I thought about that but I did. So last Wednesday I had someone inform me that they had switched campus ministries because the other was more "real."
I just don't understand it though. There is a line in a recent movie To Save a Life (Link To Download There are two movies under click to download, both are applicable) where the youth pastor says "I know there are people who settle." Or something like that, and it's true, we all know that there are people who pretend, who settle in our ministries so that's kind of why it makes it hard for me to grasp. Sure someone may seem more "real" but are they really being real, or are they just being outgoing. There is a difference. I think this gets confused and easily so, because places of worship are known for being stand offish ect. The moment someone decides to actually greet guest and attempt to get to know them, we are quick to label them "real" or "exciting" or "vibrant" or any other number of things. Being real, which is something that I struggle with myself, is something more than that, it's being able to admit that we mess up, that being a Christian is not all black and white (when it comes to happiness n such) being a Christian doesn't move you into an alternate world, when a person chooses to actually act upon their faith, to live it out, they still live in this world, they still experience the pain that this world has, they just have a greater power to help them through. If we are not willing to be transparent in our faith, good or bad, people won't want it, cause they can be a hypocrite sitting on the couch saying that they spent the time exercising.
I don't think it's right though to leave a place where you have attempted to get established, and were somewhat established, to try something else. Then after one experience completely start talking about how much better it is...I don't know maybe that's what God wants in certain people, but personally I believe that unless Christ has revealed to you, that where you are is a sin and that there is somewhere else you should be, I don't think you should leave a place. That's not just for student ministry but for ministry as a whole, there is too much of this "hopping" as it's called that goes on, and it makes seekers (people who are interested in being disciples) nervous. We should be committed to one ministry and only there, now I'm not saying stop at the first choice that comes along, but I'm saying once you've picked a place stay there, cause you have established yourself.
This concludes my rant for the evening, I may create a part 2 to this one...
