Saturday, July 28, 2012

Norfolk Team Update - 7.28.12

The Norfolk team is now back home!

Our final day began with breakfast and clean-up at our housing site, Spring Branch Community Church.  The team had such a wonderful experience staying at Spring Branch that it was sad to leave.  However, the team was also very excited to go take kids from the Park Place Child Life Center in Norfolk to the beach, which was our final ministry site.  Park Place is a lower income part of Norfolk in which 40% of the population only has a high school education and the median salary for the area is 25% lower than the average for the rest of Norfolk.  Upon arrival at the Park Place Center we were introduced to all of the kids and the staff.  Then everyone loaded up on their respective buses and we traveled over to Oceanview Beach Park for an afternoon of playing in the water.  It was great to see our team pour love out to the kids of Park Place as we made new friends and bonds.  We brought burgers and hot dogs to grill out for lunch underneath a beautiful canopy of live oak trees (live oak is a type of oak tree that is a little more low hanging).  Our team prepared and served lunch to everyone and then continued to play and build relationships afterwards.

The Norfolk trip ended with our final porch time under a pavilion at the Mt. Trashmore Park.  We closed our time with some more worship songs and a final talk by Luke in which he finished the story of Gideon that the team had begun in their pre-trip training meetings.  He solidified the idea of "living weak" that had been our theme phrase all weekend.  Then our time ended with each leader giving each of the kids in their small group a card with a paragraph about where Jesus had shown up in their weakness during the weekend.  It was a powerful time of reflection and encouragement for everyone as they were about to head back to Williamsburg.  Bracelets with the phrase "liveWEAK" were also given as a reminder of all that God had done during the weekend.  The porch time ended with a final time in small groups to ensure that everyone had a chance to process everything that happened on the trip.

It truly has been a special weekend that will be remembered forever and we encourage everyone (including parents if you would like) to come out to the 11am service tomorrow at the Chapel for a short highlight video.  Also, don't forget we have our SM Missions Night on August 5th from 6:30-8pm at the Chapel where we will have a longer highlight video and more stories from the trip!

God Bless,

The SM Staff Team

Norfolk Team Update - 7.27.12

Day two began with breakfast at our housing site followed by our departure to our first ministry site, Union Mission Ministries.  The head of public relations at this homeless shelter, Linda Jones, began by giving the team an overview of all the ministries at the homeless shelter including: a men's shelter, a women's shelter, a family shelter, a thrift store, on site job training, budget counseling, chapel services and many other things that cared for each individual holistically.  She did a great job of interacting with the kids and allowing them to ask all of their questions.  It was amazing to watch your kids have a genuine interest in the work that goes on at the homeless shelter.  Also, Linda was overjoyed with all of the toy donations we brought because they had run out of toys last year during Christmas and so they really wanted to make sure that did not happen again this year.  After the overview, the team was given a tour through many of the buildings to see what the homeless shelter looked like and all the things that go into running a successful homeless ministry.

Following our time at the homeless shelter, the team went to a local park to eat lunch.  After lunch we went to a local nursing home called Consulate Health Care.  We got to play a bingo-like game with the residents and all of your kids sat with a resident and helped them play.  It was moving to watch everyone live out the Matthew 25 passage Luke spoke on the night before as they served the sick and needy.  We closed our time at Consulate by pushing the residents back to their rooms and saying our goodbyes with big smiles on both sides.

Next, the team changed into their swimsuits and headed to the beach for a little fun and relaxation.  It was a great shared experience as the team bonded with refreshing water on a hot day.  After the beach and dinner, the team headed back to Spring Branch for our evening porch time.  We took some time to share all the places where we saw Jesus throughout the day, sang praise songs, and listened to Luke give another talk.  Luke used Ephesians 6:10-18 to talk about why our faith always seems to make so much more sense on a mission trip.  He talked about the reality of a spiritual dimension to life and how we often give up the spiritual for the physical in our lives and miss out on the things God is trying to show us in our everyday lives.  He challenged us to not go back to Williamsburg without letting God change us and give us a fresh perspective on life and the world around us.  We closed our evening by splitting into small groups and discussing further our experiences on the trip and the things Luke spoke about during porch time.  It has been another wonderful day filled with God-inspired moments and we look forward to our final day here in Norfolk tomorrow.

God Bless,

The SM Staff Team

Friday, July 27, 2012

Norfolk Team Update - 7.26.12

Day one began with our departure from the Chapel.  Everyone was very excited and ready to head down to Norfolk for our mission trip.  It was beautiful to watch how God has prepared each kid to come on the trip as each of them could not wait to leave for Norfolk.  Our travels went very smooth down to our housing site at Spring Branch Community Church.  The time in the bus is not only necessary for travel, but it also provides a wonderful time for relationships between leaders and students to solidify.  Some of the greatest conversations and discussions happen while on the bus and our trip down to Norfolk was no exception.

Spring Branch is a sister church to the Chapel as our associate pastor, Travis Simone, grew up in it and his father is the senior pastor.  The church has a fun youth room with foosball and pool tables that your kids immediately gravitated too.  It was great watching as the team bonded over games and competition.  After dinner, the team gathered in an adjoining room for our evening "porch time."  "Porch time" is a time to reflect about the day, sing worship songs, and listen to a talk that helps us process the trip.  The name comes from our high school Nicaragua trip where we actually gather on a porch, but we have kept the name for all of our mission trips.  Tonight, Luke helped answer the question of where to look for Jesus on this trip.  We know that we are going to encounter God down here in Norfolk, but it can oftentimes be a difficult thing to understand where to look for God working in the world.  Luke walked everyone through Matthew 25:31-45 and showed us that we will encounter Jesus in the people we serve.  Then he used Colossians 1:27 to talk about the idea that we will have the opportunity to be Jesus to the people we serve and to each other on the trip.  In short, he challenged everyone to serve Jesus and be Jesus down here in Norfolk.

The day ended with some small group time.  We split into groups based on gender and discussed all that had already happened on the trip as well as the ideas Luke discussed in his talk as we prepare to serve the homeless and elderly tomorrow in Norfolk.  God has already begun a great work in your kids as they asked questions and begin to wrestle with the things God is placing on their hearts.

God Bless,

The SM Staff Team

Sunday, July 22, 2012

Norfolk Mission Trip Final Details

Our trip is almost here and we are very excited for everything God is going to do in and through us down in Norfolk.  Please arrive at the Chapel at 4pm on Thursday so that we can get everyone checked in and the buses packed.  We are planning to be back to the Chapel by 6pm on Saturday.  We will be updating this blog every night and so check back here for details from each day.  Also, please sign up on our text list to receive daily texts and eta estimates.  To sign up text the word norfolkparent to the number 41411 and you should receive a text back letting you know you are on the list.

Below is a link to the packing list and remember to buy a toy to donate to the homeless shelter for a kid that is the same age and gender as your child.  You can bring it with you on Thursday and we will have bins to pack all of the toys in.

Packing List

Please email Luke Kincaid at lkincaid@wcchapel.org or call him at 941-1572 with any further questions.

Saturday, July 14, 2012

DC/NC Teams are Both Safely Back

Both the Washington DC and North Carolina mission teams are safely back in Williamsburg! Both teams had very different experiences but they both were able to experience God in exciting new ways because every member lived this week weak, letting God be their strength through every ministry opportunity. I hope you have a good picture of what happened on both trips through the blog.  If you would like a living picture of all of the trips through testimonies and highlight videos, please come out to Missions Experience on August   5th from 6:30-8pm. This is also a great opportunity to invite others to see the impact these trips had on all the participants.

God Bless!
The SM Staff

DC Team Update - 7/13/12

Good morning, friends and family! Today was an awesome final day of serving in Eastern Baltimore! We began the morning with our final debrief where Lex wrapped up with a talk on the idea of committing not just our hearts, but our lives and our actions to Christ. The students then broke into small groups and were challenged with questions such as 'what did you learn about God's character that surprised you?' and 'how can we continue to live weak in Williamsburg?'.

After our time of processing, the students began their different service projects in the community. Partnering with a local church and missions organization, the team spread out around the neighborhood to take on various projects. Two groups worked at a local park, clearing a tree line that is habitually used as a convient spot for drug deals. As a result of your children's hard work, criminals will no longer have a place to hide, and the community will be safer due to their efforts. Another group went to the police station to tidy up the grounds for an upcoming community event. The last group went to another part of town, venturing door-to-door passing out flyers for a children's camp and neighborhood block party. Both events are free, and will offer food, medical examinations, a job fair, and entertainment. Around 5 o'clock, all groups reconvened at the park to hear from Major Russell, sheriff of the local precinct. He vulnerably shared the struggles of the community, but shed light on the hope to come through the support of our mission team and, ultimately, through the love of Christ. All of these service opportunities were a great way to give back to the men and women putting their lives on the line for the betterment of the area.

To celebrate the end of such an awesome week, the team headed to Camden Yards to enjoy an Orioles' baseball game. The weather was perfect, the seats were excellent, and the fellowship could not have been beat. Despite the home team's loss, our kids had fun attempting to start 'the Wave' around the stadium, and they even made an appearance on the jumbotron!

While we hope this blog has kept you informed, we can't wait to return to Williamsburg where your kids can share their specific stories of special times and transformation. Our estimated return time for today (7/14) is approximately 2:30pm. We will be sending text updates throughout our travels to keep you up to date regarding our ETA. If you are not already on the texting list, please sign up by texting DCPARENT to 41411. Please pray for safe travels as we journey home. See you all very soon!

God Bless,

The SM Staff

Friday, July 13, 2012

NC Team Update - 7.13.12

Day 6 was our final day at the work site and so we got an early start by leaving immediately after breakfast.  The normal morning worship time is always moved to the evening on Friday, so that we can start earlier and finish the day with a time to praise God for all that He has done.  Upon arrival the work site everyone immediately began to work because we all knew what needed to be done at this point in the week.  At the end of our time working we had completely finished one house and finished everything but some of the trim in the other.  The ReCreation team will be finishing the trim tomorrow.  Everyone was blown away by the fact that 61 middle school students hand-painted the exterior of two entire houses in 4 days.  A local pastor drove by at the end of the day and told us that not only was he personally inspired by our team, but that we had really touched the entire community surrounding the two homes.  God has done great things through your kids!

The team enjoyed a burger and hotdogs dinner after returning back to our housing site followed immediately by a time of corporate worship together with all the other teams and ReCreation Staff.  It ended with a slideshow of pictures from the week showing all the work that had been done by everyone.  Following the corporate worship, our team split off for our final porch time out back around a fire.  The team sang some more worship songs and then Luke finished the story of Gideon that the team had studied in their pre-trip training meetings.   He re-visited the idea of living weak.  Gideon's story finishes with a warning to all of us because he ends up becoming ensnared to an idol instead of fully committing to God.  Luke challenged everyone to keep their attitude of service and not become ensnared by an idol in their own life.  The porch time ended with the leaders giving each kid a card on which they wrote an encouraging note about where they had seen God show up in each of them.  Also, everyone got a bracelet with the phrase "LiveWEAK" written on it as a reminder of all that God had done this week.  God really filled the circle with his presence as everyone was challenged to engage in the things that each of them knew they were going to have to face as they returned home.

Day 6 ended with everyone heading to small groups where they had a chance to verbalize and share all that God had been doing throughout the week.  We sincerely believe that a short-term mission trip that is unexamined is a short-term mission trip not worth taking and so these small group times are essential for everyone on this trip.  Your kids have had their faith strengthened in so many ways and we can't wait for them to share them with you.  We also wanted to let you know that a short highlight video will be shown on Sunday morning in the SM Worship room if you would like to come join us for the video and then on August 5th a longer highlight video as well as some testimonies will be shared at our SM Missions Experience.

Finally, there will be one more final blog update when we arrive at the Chapel tomorrow letting everyone know we arrived safely.

God Bless,

The SM Staff Team

D.C. Team Update - 7/12/12

As our trip comes to a close with the final full day of serving today in Baltimore, we are excited to finish strong and celebrate the week at the baseball game!

Serving Group 1 (Lex and Kyle) were the ones with the early wake up call to serve breakfast to the homeless at Charlie's Place. The students served breakfast, assisted in providing clothing donations, and interacted with the variety of people that come to the ministry, and some even practiced their Spanish by conversing with the Hispanic clients! After participating in the Prayer Walk around the community, the team charged on to Brighter Day Ministries Summer Camp in the Congress Heights section of Anacostia. There, the students got artsy and assisted the teachers with crafts, quickly bonding with the spunky kids there.  To cap off the night the group traveled to Pollo Granjero, an authentic Salvadorean  restaurant, and sampled pupusas, rice and beans, and fried plantains.

Serving Group 2 (Margaret and Aaron) started the day by serving a sweet, elderly woman through the ministry, Age-In-Place. At her house, they trimmed ivy, raked the yard, cleaned out the basement, and tidied up her living space. At lunch, the group celebrated the birthday of their CSM host Brad Turner with a cake and singing. The afternoon brought a challenging experience as the students participated in the Urban Plunge. Two different groups traveled to DuPont Circle and Chinatown, seeking the homeless and learning about their life stories. Both students were successful in meeting new people and then treating them to dinner at Subway and McDonald's. Their eyes were opened to the true needs of the people they encountered, but also gave them a sense of gratefulness for all their blessings. 

Serving Group 3 (Tarah and Andrew) went to Food & Friends to help with food packaging and food deliveries. The group packaged around 250 fresh meals to be distributed that day, in addition to making preparations for the patients with dietary needs. Later that day, the group returned to a ministry sight in Anacostia to help with a VBS lesson on patience. It was difficult to say goodbye to the kids they had met earlier in the week, but they were thankful for the relationships that were built. The team reconvened with Craig and KK's group for dinner and then caravanned to the final Porch Time.  

Serving Group 4 (Craig and KK) went back to Brighter Day Ministries to continue building friendships with the children. Once again, the team helped with schoolwork, especially with multiplying and dividing. After lunch, the team served at Children of Mine, a favorite location for the group as a whole. The boys students worked on yard work, while the girls prepared a healthy dinner of turkey sandwiches and fruit. For dinner, the group went to the popular Thai Orchid and had a family style meal of General Tso's chicken, pad thai, steamed broccoli and a delicious dessert of fried bananas and honey.

To process the trip and training, the entire group met at the National Basilica for our final official Porch Time. A breezy 75 degree temperature and streak-filled blue sky set an appropriate mood for the climactic experience on the steps of the cathedral. After an extended period of worship and a message from Craig on fighting temptation and living weak (completing our study on Gideon), small groups split up to debrief and process what they experienced in inner-city DC. The groups exhausted every spare minute of the time given to them, sad to leave the steps of the cathedral because they were so eager to share what was on their hearts with their peers and leaders.

God Bless,

The SM Staff Team

Thursday, July 12, 2012

NC Team Update 7/12/12


Day 5 began with some warm southern hospitality in a breakfast of biscuits and gravy. After getting their fill to start the day, the kids participated in the daily worship experience where they listened to the pastor from ReCreation give another morning devotion that really spoke to the organizations summer theme of, “Our Hearts Cannot Stay Silent”. He challenged the whole team to break out of their comfort zone and “wash the feet” of those around us throughout our day. After the sermon, the team loaded onto the buses and headed to our work sites.

Today was a little different from the other days due to the fact that we split into two different serving groups. One group went to the houses we have been painting all week and continued to work on the completion of our task. The other half of the team went to The Manna FoodBank.  Their mission statement is to involve, educate, and unite people in the work of ending hunger in Western North Carolina. We aided in this process by packing about 2 tons of pasta into boxes.  These boxes are then sent all across Western North Carolina to those who are in need. This was an incredible opportunity for out team to have a different type of service outlet and to realize that there are hungry people even in America. God worked through your kids as they ran one of the most efficient assembly lines we had ever seen.

Midway through the day both halves of the team met up at the painting site to eat lunch.  After lunch the different halves of the team switched worksites, one painted and one packed pasta. By the end of the day, we were able to finish painting Lawrence’s house yellow with only the trim to finish on our final day of working. When it came time for our team to clean up and head back to our housing site, it was an inspiring moment to look up and see the work we had completed.

We then returned for dinner and our nightly “porch time”. We shared our memories, worshiped God through song, and listened attentively to Nick Mercer as he gave a talk on Matthew 6:1-4.  As he walked us through this passage, he challenged the team to contrast two potential values: compassion versus competition. This helped the team to see that compassion towards others and putting God first is more important than the competitive nature in which we tend to focus on ourselves. We then broke up into small groups where our team was able to share what they have been learning throughout the trip as well as where they struggle to be compassionate in their lives. It has been another incredible day filled with laughter, joy, love, and hard work. As we have grown closer as a team, we have also grown even closer to God.

God Bless,

The SM Staff Team

DC Team Update - 7/11/12

Praise God for the beautiful weather, which has provided us with not only beautiful scenery/sunsets, but excellent opportunities to serve Him, as well.  We've just passed the mid-way point of our trip, and Day 4 was a huge success on so many levels!

Serving Group 1 (Lex and Kyle) spent their morning serving with Food and Friends, an organization that delivers meals to people with severe illnesses and diseases.  A few other serving groups have already helped at this site earlier in the week and, after a lot of positive feedback, this group was excited to experience the program for themselves.  Most of the team helped in the kitchen with Kyle, while a few others went on the delivery route with Lex. Both groups added their rave reviews to the experience of helping feed dozens of people in need throughout the city.  After serving at Food and Friends all morning, the team stopped at the Frederick Douglas historic house to eat their lunches.  The students loved being in such a memorable spot, especially with the beautiful view of the city.  With the afternoon came the opportunity to help with the renovation of a rundown church.  Pastor Mike and his wife, Terry, were so grateful for the assistance. Their congregation had recently purchased the facility, and all 50,000 square feet of the church, school, gym, and other side buildings were in desperate need of cleaning, renovating, and general TLC. After working hard all afternoon, Mike and Terry prayed with the team, calling your children their "angels sent from heaven." This church hopes to someday host groups like CSM so that more students like our team can come to serve Washington, DC.

Serving Group 2 (Margaret and Aaron) started their day at Charlie's Place, a ministry that serves breakfast to those living on the streets.  Facilitated by former homeless men themselves, the volunteers do an amazing job feeding, clothing, and spiritually investing in those in need.  When the team finished at 10 AM, they ventured on a prayer walk around the community of the team housing site.  The students enjoyed this unique opportunity to both learn about the local businesses as well as pray for community development.   It's amazing to see group members really come out of their shells and grow in the spiritual discipline of prayer. Some kids who were hesitant to pray towards the beginning of the week are now voluntarily offering to pray out loud for the entire group - a true sign of God at work on this trip. In the afternoon, they visited St. Thomas More, an elderly home and rehab facility in Maryland.  Your kids did an awesome job continuing to step out of their comfort zones by visiting and praying for the patients there.

Serving Group 3 (Tarah and Andrew) began rather early, but your kids awoke with a positive attitude and eagerness to serve.  They began at S.O.M.E., "So Others Might Eat," a kitchen open to the public for breakfast and lunch.  A few members of the group chatted with one particular gentleman who was very musically talented and entertained us with his piano skills.  It was eye opening to hear a first hand account of homelessness. The team was filled with compassion when hearing about his struggles, but was encouraged by his hope and positivity about the possibilities for his future.  After eating lunch at S.O.M.E., the group went to an after care program for low income families.  We took advantage of the beautiful weather and spent the afternoon outside playing with the children.  Despite a long morning on their feet, your kids rallied to meet the needs of others and selflessly invested into the ministry and the children there.

Serving Group 4 (Craig and KK) served in the morning at a Christian day care program in inner city D.C. In order to keep the kids engaged in their education, our students assisted by tutoring in Math and Reading.  Although some of the younger children were easily distracted, this team displayed incredible patience and perseverance, the kind that can only come from being connected to Christ. After the tutoring sessions, the group channeled their musical talents and prepared the kids for an upcoming musical performance and play, which was a lot of fun.  In the afternoon, the team went to the National Mall with the mission of gathering public opinion about homelessness in D.C.  They asked tourists, Washingtonians, and public officials to gain a wide perspective on the topic.  Surveying others helped them gain insight into an issue that's not often encountered or talked about in Williamsburg, and the group was challenged to rethink some pre-conceived notions about homelessness and what our responsibility as believers might be when it comes to this tough issue.

All four teams went to the famous Ben's Chili Bowl for dinner tonight.  It was fun and interesting learning about the history of the restaurant and the plethora of renowned visitors they have hosted.  For porch time, we walked through the FDR memorial and settled on a grassy spot near the Potomac River.  Craig talked about "Incarnational Ministry" and painted a vivid picture of how we can not only show or carry Christ to others, but how we must also see God in the face of those we are serving.  Your kids are seeing Jesus in others, as well as displaying that Jesus is alive and well in them.  After porch time, the teams split up into small groups to again spend some great discussion time with their leaders.   

As we've said before, we are so grateful for your continued prayers, and we would love to invite everyone to a corporate prayer meeting tonight (Thursday, 7/12) at 7pm in Moog Hall to pray for both the DC mission team and the NC mission team. Wrenn Holland, Deacon of Student Ministries, will be leading that time of prayer. As you pray, the DC team will be just starting our major porch time for the week, and we are hoping that it will have a big impact on your children as they reflect on their time in our nation's capital. Please pray that our time tomorrow night is encouraging, challenging, and transformational. We hope you will all be able to join Wrenn at 7pm in Moog Hall, and we look forward to updating you on how God answers your prayers for this team!


Wednesday, July 11, 2012

NC Team Update 7/11/12

Day 4 was our day off from painting the houses and so it was filled with some new opportunities to serve as well as take time to have some fun as a team.  The day began with breakfast and our morning worship with the ReCreation staff.  It has been great to watch your kids embrace the schedule of getting up in the morning and starting our day with singing songs and a morning devotional.  They have become huge participants and really use it as a time to prepare for the day.

After worship, the team headed out for a local nursing home called the Brian Center.  Your kids had the opportunity to spend time visiting with many of the residents as well as serve the staff by cleaning certain parts of the building.  It was inspiring to watch everyone break out of their comfort zone and begin conversations with the residents that were itching to have people come and spend time with them.  At the end of our time at the Brian Center the activities director, Gail, was overwhelmed to the point of tears with gratitude for all that your kids did to serve their center.  She could not stop thanking us for giving up our time to love and serve a group of people that is often forgotten and unloved.  God used the team to touch many lives through conversations, hard work, playing piano, playing checkers, and singing songs.

After eating lunch at the Brian Center, the team headed into downtown Asheville to go to a pizza and movie restaurant.  It was really fun for the team to get some down time to just relax, watch some claymation Pirates (the movie was title "The Pirates! Band of Misfits"), and eat some delicious pizza.  It  was an important time of re-charging as we gear up to finish our painting projects at our work sites on Thursday and Friday.

The day ended with our normal porch time gathering back at our housing site.  Each night the time of sharing where we saw Jesus has progressively gotten longer as your kids have learned to put on spiritual lenses and really see God working in the world.  Luke spoke tonight about why our faith always makes more sense when we are on a mission trip in North Carolina.  He used the Ephesians 6:10-18 passage to describe the tension we all have between the physical and spiritual dimensions that are present together in this world.  He spoke about the need to have a balanced perspective between a focus on the physical world around us and the spiritual dimensions that are present as well.  Day 4 was filled with many memorably moments in which your kids really experienced the Spirit working through them and in them!

Also, don't forget that our deacon of student ministries, Wrenn holland, is leading atone of prayer for our trip tonight (7/12) at 7pm up in Moog Hall. God Bless,

The SM Staff Team

DC Team Update - 7/10/12

Day two of the DC Mission Trip provided many more opportunities for us to grow closer to God and each other through service in our nation's capital.

Serving Group 1 (Led by Lex Kincaid and Kyle Lung) started out their morning by returning to Brighter Day Ministries to build relationships with their new friends. Your students continued to serve by tutoring the children and rehearsing Bible songs and skits for an upcoming performance! They met up with Serving Group 2 for lunch at Anacostia Park along the Anacostia River. In addition to the walking trails and playgrounds, the park also has a free skating rink, which the students took full advantage of. After lunch, the team headed to ROJA summer camp to play games and build relationships with more inner city children. While this program was not quite as structured as some of the other sites our teams visit, the Chapel team responded extremely well by initiating games and connections themselves. The group leaders were very impressed with the way your kids dove right in to jump rope, play football, and even act out scenes under the direction of a spunky 8 year old girl. By stepping out of their comfort zones, this group was able to be "Jesus with skin on" to the kids in Anacostia throughout the day.

Serving Group 2 (Led by Margaret Anderson and Aaron Sprung) had a fun morning working at Food and Friends! The group divided and conquered by splitting into one packaging group and one delivery group. After lunch and an adventurous time roller skating with Serving Group 1, the group went back to see their friends at Children of Mine. They spent the afternoon cleaning the playground and preparing dinner, as well as coloring, playing card games, watching a classic movie ("The Sandlot"), and enjoying a fun game of pick-up basketball with the kids there. For dinner, the students supported Food for Life, a local training program for culinary students, and had a delicious picnic meal of pork chops and lemon meringue pie by the Nationals baseball park. These shared experience continue to unite the group in ways that can be explained only by our unity in Christ and our common desire to serve Him.

Serving Group 3 (Led by Tarah Romano and Andrew Sedlacek) began their work at DC Central Kitchen, a food preparation and distribution ministry.  The kitchen prepares over 5,000 meals a day and runs a great volunteer program.  Your kids rose to the challenge of preparing and packing over 250 meals, slicing and dicing hundreds of tomatoes in the process.  Following lunch on site, the group had the opportunity to drive by a few memorials and then stop and walk around the MLK memorial.  It was a nice treat to experience some of the monuments that D.C. has to offer and to reflect on our country's rich heritage.  The Urban Plunge took place this evening for this team, and by splitting into two groups, each one with a leader, the group was able to interact with the homeless people of both Chinatown and Dupont Circle.  Your kids were astonished by the kind hearts of the people dwelling in the city.  Instead of a meal, one of the gentlemen asked the group to buy him a Bible instead, reminding us that Jesus really is the "bread of life."  This has been a wonderful day of serving and a great bonding experience for the whole team.              

Serving Group 4 (Led by Craig Blocher and KK Anderson) started out their day by waking up before the sun rose! They headed to Charlie's Place, a food service ministry, by 6 in the morning. The students helped serve food, clean in the kitchen, and pass out clothes to homeless/low-income men. Despite the early wake-up call, the group served with great energy and love. The team then went to H street, the street our housing site is located on, to do a prayer tour and explore the community. Everyone was impressed with the diversity that can exist within such a small area. After the prayer walk, your kids got to experience Middle Eastern cuisine at Old City Cafe before returning to the church to rest for a couple hours after the early morning. From 4pm-8pm, students got to serve at DC Central Kitchen, another food preparation and distribution site. The time was spent cutting up food, making sandwiches, and preparing for the rest of the week. After completing their assignments, the team returned to our housing site to reunite with the other serving groups.

In order to really begin processing our experiences in Washington, DC, the entire team took time this evening for small group discussion. The small group leaders were excited to hear your kids share about where Christ is calling them to grow and step out in faith, and we all look forward to applying these insights throughout the rest of the trip.

The ministry opportunities this week have been fulfilling thus far, and it's only the end of day two!  We have an exciting day tomorrow and we can't wait to continue fellowshipping and serving.  Please pray that God continues opening our hearts to His word and His will.  

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

NC Team Update - 7/10/12


Day 3 began with a delicious breakfast of Belgian waffles and an energized worship experience consisting of singing, prayer, and a morning devotional.  The ReCreation pastor gave an encouraging sermon on making choices to grow closer to Jesus. After the sermon, we packed up the buses and headed back to our work site.  The team jumped right into the work and continued the painting they began yesterday. The group really came together today as we nearly finished priming both houses in the morning and then after lunch we finished the few remaining spots that needed priming and started applying the paint to the houses. We are painting Jerome’s house gray and Lawrence’s house yellow.  It was really exciting for your kids to begin putting color on the house and instantly see the transformation that was happening. 

Lawrence came out to say goodbye at the end of our time painting and told us that he had been praying for all of us throughout the week and even invited us to attend church with him on Sunday.  It is always powerful to watch God begin to not only use us to meet physical needs, but also meet spiritual needs as well. Along with our visit from Lawrence, we got a special surprise visit from the Mayor of Asheville.  She wanted to come see all the work that was being done and meet the team.  After introductions and a group picture we ended our time at the work site in a circle with the Mayor praying for our work site, the city of Asheville, and the Mayor herself.

Finally, we returned to our housing site where we ate dinner and then gathered for our nightly “porch time.” We reminisced about our amazing day, sang some songs, and listened to Philippe Warren give a great talk on the idea of incarnational ministry.  He walked us through Matthew 25:34-45 and helped the team understand that Jesus chooses to work in and through people.  He helped us realize that we have been seeing Jesus everyday in the people we serve and each other as we do the work God has called us to do.   It has been another wonderful day filled with joy as we served and grew closer together as a team.

God Bless,

The SM Staff Team

Monday, July 9, 2012

DC Team Update - 7/9/12

Hello, Chapel friends and family! All four serving groups had a fantastic first day serving inner city D.C. Even though we have only just begun our mission experience, God has already been showing up in amazing ways!

Serving Group 1 (Led by Lex Kincaid and Kyle Lung) began their morning at Brighter Day Ministries Summer Camp in Anacostia, a low-income area of the city. The group helped the organization's staff lead summer school classes for children between the ages of four and twelve years old. The team also got to be a part of the Vacation Bible School program, sharing their faith with their new friends and bonding over our shared relationship with Jesus Christ. After spending lunch in a local park near our housing site, the group embarked on the 'Urban Plunge'. This experience is designed to help students recognize the difficulties of living homeless/on a limited income. Groups of 5-7 students and a leader dispersed around the city with the goal of finding a homeless person, hearing about their current situation, and then treating them to a meal of the person's choice. Our students really embraced the homeless population of D.C. and their eyes were opened to the reality of a life of poverty.

Serving Group 2 (Led by Margaret Anderson and Aaron Sprung) went to World Missions Extension Center, an outreach facility for inner city kids, in the heart of D.C. While waiting for VBS to start, the team hung out with local teenagers during their career planning class. It was interesting to see that even though our group is from small-town Virginia and these teens live in the nation's capital, many of the students had similar life goals. From there, we went to church to help with the VBS, "Fishin' on a Mission for Jesus". Your kids did an awesome job of interacting with crafts, songs, and a lesson about being fishers of men! The team then met up with two other serving groups for a combined lunch at the National Basilica, followed by a trip to Anacostia and an afternoon at the Children of Mine after-school program. The team did a variety of activities, such as sweeping the sidewalks, cleaning bathrooms, organizing book shelfs, and then fellowshipping with the children and teens from the neighborhood. After another ethnic meal, this time a delicious Thai spread, all teams reassembled for Porch Time. 

Serving Group 3 (Led by Tarah Romano and Andrew Sedlacek) began their day at the Age-In-Place ministry site. This program is designed to support the elderly population, as they age, in the comfort of their own home. The group visited Mrs. Evans, an extremely sweet woman, and served her by throughly cleaning her house. When they were finished, the students enjoyed getting to know Mrs. Evans and greatly appreciated her wise words of 'pray every day' and 'always go to church'. After lunch, the team continued their work at Brighter Day Ministries, which combined both an academic camp and VBS to those in the community. The afternoon was spent by pouring love into the children through playing, singing, and fellowshipping. 

Serving Group 4 (Led by Craig Blocher and KK Anderson) started out their ministry at Food and Friends, a food delivery service for terminally ill people around the city. Half the group worked in the kitchen packing lunches, while the others delivered the meals around the area. As they drove, the delivery team spent time praying for the people they were serving, which allowed them to focus on not just their physical needs, but their spiritual needs as well. After participating in the combined lunch at the Basilica, Group 4 joined Group 1 in the Urban Plunge. This team also gained a greater appreciation of their many blessings as they got just a small taste of what it would be like to live on mere dollars a day.

The first 'Porch Time' was truly an amazing experience for all. Situated at sunset in a park by the Capital building, the whole team reconvened by sharing silly stories from the day, moments when they saw Jesus in each other and the people they served, and a worship set. Lex preached on our calling to love, illustrated by the parable of the Good Samaritan. She encouraged the students to live out God's calling to love Him and love our neighbors through four steps: see, act, sacrifice, and repeat.

We are excited for our second full day of ministry tomorrow! Please pray for our team as we are challenged spiritually, mentally, and physically in our acts of service for the kingdom. 

NC Team Update - 7/9/12

Day 2 began with breakfast followed by a worship service run by the ReCreation Staff Team to get our hearts and minds prepared for a full day of service out in the Asheville community.  After breakfast and worship, our team headed to our work site to begin our project.  Our task is to paint the exterior of two houses that are right across the street from each other.  

Our first client is named Jerome and he has lived in his house for twenty years and is fighting prostate cancer.  Along with battling cancer his wife passed away three years ago after they had been married for almost 50 years.  Half of our team spent the day priming the exterior of his house and he graciously opened his house up to your kids as they got to know him when they were taking breaks from painting.  They even had the opportunity to sing karaoke with him, which was quite the sight!  

Our second client is named Lawrence and he is 63 years old and mainly lives off the $800 social security check he gets every month.  He makes a little extra money by working at a local hospital, but it is very minimal.  The other half of our team spent the day at Lawrence's priming his house as well.  It was beautiful watching as your kids nearly finished priming Lawrence's entire house!  God has shown up in amazing ways as your kids made today all about serving these two gentleman by beautifying the exterior of their house.  

After finishing work for the day, the team returned to our housing site for dinner and some free time.  Then we all gathered together as a team for our nightly "porch time" gathering in which we share stories from the day about where we saw Jesus show up, sing worship songs, and listen to a talk by Luke.  Luke spoke from the passage in Luke 10 where Jesus sends out seventy two followers on their own mission trip.  Luke challenged the team to leave behind all the things that distract us from God in Williamsburg and let this trip be a time where they can experience the joy that comes from God working through them in service to others.  The day ended with everyone splitting up into small groups for some time to process the trip and discuss the ideas that Luke brought up in his talk.  It has been a day filled with God's power showing up in big ways through your kids as they served Jerome, Lawrence, and each other!

God Bless,

The SM Staff Team

Sunday, July 8, 2012

NC Team Update - 7/8/12

After departing the Chapel with your excited kids, we spent the day traveling down to our housing site in Weaverville, NC.  The bus ride is such a wonderful time of intentional relationship building in which your kids have the opportunity to spend time conversing with their leaders and fellow middle schoolers.  God works through these relationships the rest of the week and so the time spent on the bus is a very important foundation to set.  Once we arrived at our housing site it was time to get ready for bed and go to sleep so that we would be fully energized to serve tomorrow.  


ReCreation Experiences' property is a school building that they have turned into their headquarters for all of their work projects throughout the year.  It is a great site with plenty of space to house our group.  ReCreation Experiences' mission statement is to share their faith through home repair.  Tomorrow we will begin our work project in which we will be painting two neighboring houses.  Our "clients", as they call them here, are local residents that are categorized as the "working poor".  The "working poor" are a group of people that have jobs, but do not make enough money to cover all of their basic expenses.  Usually the expense that falls at the bottom of the list of priorities is home repair and so we have the opportunity to serve these people by offering our services free of charge.  It has been a great first day and make sure you check back tomorrow morning for our next blog update about all that God did on day 2.


God Bless,


The SM Staff Team


DC Team Update - 7/8/12


The DC Mission Team has officially arrived at the Nation’s Capitol!  While our travels took sightly longer than anticipated due to holiday traffic, we are settled in and excited to serve. 

Tonight, after arriving at the church we are calling “home base” for this week, the team divided for dinner to eat at two different ethnic restaurants.  Dinner at these types of locations will be a common theme throughout our stay in DC in order to enhance our experience of the multicultural feel of the city.  Two serving groups dined at a Middle Eastern restaurant called Old City CafĂ©.  Some team members had a great time talking to the owner, who was from Jerusalem, and the chicken and beef gyros were delicious.  The other two serving groups joined together at an El Salvadorian restaurant to enjoy pupusas and fried plantains.  Seeing your children readily step out of their comfort zones to embrace these new ethnic dishes was a fun way to start off the trip, and we pray it will help set the tone for us all to step out of our comfort zones as we serve throughout the week.

Following dinner, each of the four serving groups embarked on a prayer tour through the city.  The teams had a unique opportunity to travel to various mission sites where we will be serving throughout the week.  In addition to this, we visited more notable regions of the city to pray over our nation’s leaders as well as the extreme social issues that exist in D.C.  It was beautiful to witness the dedication of the kids to reflect in silence as well as their eagerness to pray out loud with their peers.  

We are looking forward to our first full serving day here in D.C.  We know the Lord will move in great ways, and we are praying that He will work in and through your children as they serve His kingdom. Please continue to pray for safety and for life transformation. 

Thursday, July 5, 2012

HS DC Mission Trip - Final Details

The day is almost here! We will be leaving immediately after the 11 o'clock SM service this Sunday. Below is a copy of the packing list if you need another copy. Make sure your child has a bagged lunch for the trip up to DC on Sunday. If there is anything that could use clarification please call (614.425.5142) or email (cblocher@wcchapel.org) Craig Blocher.

Packing List

MS NC Mission Trip

We are leaving at 1pm this Sunday, July 8th, for our mission trip down to North Carolina!  Below is the packing list if you do not already have one.  Make sure your child has a bagged lunch to eat right before we leave or on the bus.  Please call Luke at 941-1572 or email him at lkincaid@wcchapel.org with any final questions.

Packing List