Communication

Last night I was blessed with challenging conversation with our teens about the role of communication in the church and in relationships. Teens are amazingly complex. In the midst of what many would consider to be a time of immaturity and goofiness they are also refreshingly deep in thought. The conversation centered around the notion that churched Christians wear a mask that says "I am ok, life is great, I have no problems, I have no needs." When in reality, we all have needs, life is a struggle most of the time, we don't understand everything about bad things in life. Their perception is that wearing a mask makes us fake. Being fake turns nonchristians off to the gospel message. We live in a world that is searching for answers to real problems and needs healing from deep wounds. Even Christians live in the same world and need to be seeking those same answers instead of us masking and hiding our sins & struggles. I have hope for the church because of the lesson the teens taught me last night. Let us be real in confessing our sins to one another and praying for one another without an atmosphere of judgement.

Carbondale Church of Christ- A tool for local outreach?

I had some response to Sundays sermon regarding the idea that our local congregation is a tool that God can use to expand His kingdom in Carbondale and surrounding areas. It seems that many congregations lose site of this life giving purpose for the local church. Yes exist to worship God. Yes we exist to take care of one another. And yes we exist to be reaching into our community with great excitement with the message of God's saving grace. I love the story of the woman at the well because she went to tell the town people without regard for what they might think of her. We to must become like her in sharing God's message with our surrounding neighbors. I say all of that to say this, a congregation can be a sharp tool or a dull, rusted tool. A sharp congregation has members that are excited about what is going on at their congregation. They are committed to their congregation. They are active in their congregation. They make a church a priority in the busyness of their lives. When I was growing up (lol as if I am old) the church played a more central role in a families life. Not so anymore. We put sports, school, musicals, other extra curricular activities before church or church activities. Then fewer members are at worship, class, youth group, etc. Numbers begin to lag. Excitement drops. Congregations become a dull, rusted tool for God to use. I would issue a call for our members and members at other congregations to examine their commitment to the purposes of their local church. God's purposes for the church are worship, fellowship, serving, discipleship, & outreach. What is your role in assisting your congregation in fulfilling these purposes?
A recent study on churches that are growing faster than the area in which they are located revealed that those church leaderships expressed high expectations of their members. They were expected to be in a small group, attend a class 80 % of the time and serve in some ministry of the congregation. Could you imagine what our congregation could accomplish with all hands on deck working. May the Lord bless all of our hearts with a zeal for seeing this congregation grow with new life like the churches in the book of Acts did. God bless.

Fall Retreat

The Southern Illinois Youth Retreat will be October 12-14 at Dixon Springs State Park. The cost is $15 per person. I greatly encourage all teens attend this weekend. The theme: YOU CHURCH will challenge you to realize that church is not a place or appointment. The church is you! As the church YOU are forever connected to your creator and each other. YOU are a singe piece to a larger puzzle (the church). Together we are a beautiful picture. Where do you fit in the church? What is your role? You are not just a little teenager. You are as much apart of the church as any person of any age. Will you join as we explore God's plan for you as apart of the church body?
The cost is $15. Scholarships are available. Registration cards are at the youth information board. Fill out the card & give to Ryan by Sept. 30th.
If you would like to bring your whole family then see Ryan for a special discount.

Back to School Lock-In

It has been an interesting summer here at the Carbondale Church of Christ. June was full of excitement and energy with the God's Katrina Kitchen mission trip and Uplift. Then July came and so did summer vacations. It seemed as if everyone just kinda disappeared there for a while. Well I am glad to see everyone back. I can sense the energy that is God is brewing up within us. With school, Give Away Day, the Lock In, the community Barbque, Friendspeak and Kings Kids all knocking on our door and asking for handouts of time, passion and energy, let us not forget that people are most important. Programs are great and fun and uplifting. But remember, God does not desire our programs and He really doesn't even need us to fulfill His mission. However, He desires us to join Him in reaching out to the very soul of people and lifting them up and pointing them to God and His moral ways. So in the midst of our congregational business, don'f forget to get involved, but, more importantly, don't forget that it is the drawing near of all people that God desires.

Crazy Games, Again!

We put a tennis ball in the end of a knee high and put it over our heads and started swinging. The last one left with a knee high on wins. This past time Shanice was our champion. Shanice

The Whole Gang!

Marcus and Madeline

Ryan and Nicole battling it out.

Nate and Kendal untangling thier Hose!

Oh, The Crazy Games We Play!

Lick and Stick: The object of this game was for the girls to lick Life Savers and get them to stick to the guys faces. The pair with the most on the guys face at the end of a minute wins. We gave a big congrats out to Ilish and Marcus. Sarah
John
Brad
Marcus and Ilish
Nicole

Thanks for Visiting!

We have created this blog so everyone can see picts of the recent activities we are having. We encourage you to keep visiting as our Ministry expands.