Let’s start off with my work in Children’s Ministry.
Since the start of November we have been focusing on the
advent series. Each week we would read scripture relating to a particular
candle from the Advent wreath (Hope, Peace, Joy, Love, and the Christ candle). Then
we would do some home baking with the children, from biscuits (American biscuits
are like a scone with no sugar), to peppermint bark. I would then lead a story
time, and a craft activity.
Recently the team has started onto planning the curriculum for
children’s ministry Wednesday evening programing, between the start of January,
and Lent. For this I’m helping via
finding videos relating to the elements of worship, to the Apostle’s Creed.
Also On Christmas eve, we had the Child participation Nativity
pageant. This is where family bring their young children, dressed as Mary’s and
Joseph’s (A roommate and I think the plural of Joseph should be Josephie), as
well as other nativity roles, and some non-nativity characters (like dinosaurs).
The children then participate by coming up to the Manger scene, as directed by
pastor Bill, when their part of the Christmas story was read from the Gospel of
Mathew and Luke. I had the honour of reading said story.
Let’s move on now, to my time with Youth Ministry
Over the past month I have started to introduce my sports
small group to tag rugby, they seem to vaguely enjoy it…. I have been starting
to get a bit more involved in writing bible studies and curriculum for the
Sunday school. Just before December we wrote our curriculum on the Advent
series (what can I say we are adventurous), and currently are writing the
curriculum for up till lent.
The adult Youth praise band have also had a number of
performances including one where we did a cover of amazing grace, to the tune
sweet home Alabama.
Of course from my time with the Youth, comes Forty-four games that I
thought would end up with a child in hospital, but somehow didn’t….
#8 Escape
the Fire
We got
every youth in a group and surrounded them by a rope, which was raised up,
representing fire, the group then had to get everyone out of the fire without
them touching the rope, this is particularly tricky for the last couple of
people. If someone touches the fire, then they and three others return into the
fire!
#9 Blind
dot race…
Get teams
of three together and blindfold one of each team, and then place ten numbered
dots (1-10) on the ground, at random. The
teammates must guide the blindfolded member, without entering the course, to
hit every dot, in order. They do this by yelling left, right, forward, back etc…
if they hit a number out of order, they have to start from the beginning.
#10
Elves Vs Reindeer
We also had our large Christmas game, Elves Vs Reindeer,
which was a capture the flag game, where my team, the mighty mighty elves,
destroyed those devilish reindeer. Of course we used marshmallow guns, to
defend ourselves. We set out a field the size of a football (soccer) pitch,
along with plywood Christmas trees to hide behind.
Along with our Elves Vs Reindeer we also had a bonfire (not
like the ones on the twelfth… by a long shot) with smores, and hotdogs, along
with a campfire sing-along which didn’t work out at all, because everyone was
too involved in their own wee conversations.
Now we will move on to my time in Missions.
Through the month we spent time doing housing survey in the
East Winter Garden area. This is what we will use to measure development over
the years. We also had a massive Christmas shop, where we took donations of
gifts we asked for, and sold them to families for $1-$5 depending on the RRP of
the gift. At the actual shop I spent all afternoon in the kitchen cooking, and
then the evening I did craft with the children as their parents went to the Christmas
shop!
I have also been doing a number of research projects for the
global missions department, in regards our Jamaican and Guatemalan missions. As
always I have been doing a lot of database entry for them to help keep a
register of all our volunteers, and to help keep people connected.
Now for something completely different, my time spent with Worship Team.
I did to worship related tasks this month; one was to take
part in the lighting of the advent candle of Joy, along with the other four St.
Luke’s interns. In this I had to write a small passage on how we bring joys to
others, and I was told I could do it with a sense of humour, so I took this to
the next level and rewrote the lyrics to “We Three Kings…”, this is what I wrote:
We four interns of
pure joy are,
Bearing little we
traverse a far,
One from Ireland,
three from Florida,
Spreading Joy near
and far…
OHHHHHH…….
We make people
smile each day,
Smile from pranks that
we do play,
Be it in missions or
in ministry
We bring God Joy
hear this day.
I also took part in the live nativity tour, where I was the tour
guide, narrator, and the Angle Gabriel. The tour went through the whole St.
Luke’s campus, talking on our different departments, arriving at different
scenes from the nativity. What can I say, play the Arc Angle Gabriel, was the
role of a lifetime.
Now, onto some of how I’ve spent my Free Time.
I spent thanksgiving with Andrew my boss, and had one meal
at his family, and family friends, as well as one at his wife, Sarah’s, Family.
The food was brilliant at both, and in all honesty the only two dishes I recognised,
were turkey, and roast beef. My favourite new dish, was the sweet potato mash,
served and cooked in a half orange, topped with marshmallow, (marshmallow I hear
you cry, all I can say is welcome to ‘Merica).
The evening ended with Andrew and
I, meeting up with Pedro, and then going shopping, from 8PM, till 10AM, this
was the infamous Black Friday shopping trip. I must say the deals were impressive,
for instance there were $600 suits for $100-$200, or xbox 360’s for $99.
We also produced a wee reflection on what we are joyful for, to go to our leading lady Heidi (the Yamm-commander)
Reflection
After a powerful experience praising God with middle
schoolers at a program we were helping run (Wildlife) where we also played
Elves Vs Reindeer, I really took a hard look at how I worship and praise, which
ended with me writing a bible study for Wednesday night youth on my personal
and scripture findings. I ended on with this video, which I actually saw at my
first St. Luke’s staff meeting, way back in October, and to be honest it says
much more than I could possibly write down here…
Prayer Requests
Please continue prayers for my pastor, and in my eyes a
friend, Jenn Stiles-Williams, who is still battling with what she now calls
Stupid (Cancer), and is currently going through Ridiculous (her term for chemotherapy)
Please pray for the health of Jayne Andrews, my Children’s
ministry boss, as she recovers from surgery, and continues her battle with
Cancer.
Please keep my roommate, co-worker, and best mate Pedro in
mind, as he now needs more medical treatment on his heart, as it is continuing
to enlarge. He will be at the doctors again on Monday.
Please pray for my other roommate and best friend Shakeria,
as she deals with certain issues in her life.
Please pray for my father, that his health may be restored,
and possessions stolen from him returned.
Please keep my in your prayers as well, that I may continue
to see the guiding hand of God, through my work, and that I stay motivated.
Peace
Owain
Peace
Owain
