Jul
17
Posted by Pastor Brown on
July 17, 2009
Our last “pray and praise” service had a great response and several have asked when we will do it again. Well, here it comes. Monday, August 31st at 6pm will be another opportunity to participate in this service which will lean heavier on certain aspects of worship that we normally don’t get as great of an opportunity to highlight. Since this weekend’s service on Sunday is a youth led service, some may want to come on both Sunday and Monday this week. The Pray and Praise service is an intimate style of worship and a unique experience that you’ll most certainly enjoy.
Jul
17
Posted by Pastor Brown on
July 17, 2009
As I write my submissions for the August Pulse newsletter, I am attending a National Lutheran Youth Workers Conference in New Orleans, Louisana. These few days are serving as a great opportunity in two different areas. First, I’m here to learn and assist in ways to make next year’s National Youth Gathering better for our High School students. This is a huge event involving tens of thousands of participants. The planning and preparation is enormous and we all have to do our part just right in order to help it all run smoothly. Second, this week is providing numerous ways in which I can learn and grow in my role as a pastor who works with our youth at Praise. I’m finding many great resources and gathering lots of new ideas for how to improve youth ministry at our church. I want to thank Praise for sending me to this conference and showing their dedication to youth ministry. Certainly this is a congregation that takes its youth seriously, dedicates resources to the program, and places a great deal of emphasis on our young people. I’m proud to be a pastor at Praise!
Jul
17
Posted by Pastor Brown on
July 17, 2009
God surprised us once again. Here we were, thirteen individuals from Praise – all packed up and ready to go serve others – yet God had something more in mind… we were the ones who would be served! We started out with the best intentions of going and working hard to show the love of God to others. Our plan was to concentrate our efforts on building a home through a charitable organization called, Habitat For Humanity. This home would provide for those with housing needs in an impoverished community in California. We were also to do outdoor trail work at the Lutheran camp where we were staying. And while those things did indeed take place (we have the calluses to prove it), I think I can speak for the entire group when I say that we were the ones who benefited the most from our 9 day adventure. The Holy Spirit was at work and changed us in a variety of ways.
Of course we had fun. That much was expected. After all, you can’t go on a youth trip without playing with one another and engaging in a little frivolity. We had a good time with our group and even enjoyed interacting with others who were at the camp that week. We saw some great sights (Pacific Ocean, San Francisco, and Redwood Forest) and the kids had an opportunity to experience much that they’ve never seen before. Indeed we had fun.
More than just the fun and the opportunity for sightseeing though, we valued the relationships that we built between the thirteen of us who traveled together and lived together 24/7 for nine days. This time together was a wonderful way for the youth to get to know one another better, share intimate parts of their lives together, and help one another through struggles that arose. Not only was I proud of our teenagers for the support and care they gave one another, but they grew so close in helping and serving each other that most used the term “family” to describe our small group. And in fact it did feel like a warm and loving family. Truly the community building was great and strong. By the end of the nine days together, all were hugging and tears were shed because it almost felt as if our time together was ending. And yet, we all knew that we would all be bringing this newfound bond back to Praise and a change in location didn’t necessarily mean a change in relationship. I look forward to seeing this close family of youth bring their strengthened friendships for one another back to our youth group and latching on to their fellow youth in ways that surpass anything we’ve seen in the past. And of course there is my own personal experience and love for the twelve youth that attended the mission trip. I certainly felt close to all of them before our nine days together, but I thank God for the concentrated opportunity to learn so much more about them and their unique personalities that I never knew before. And now, I love each of them more than ever, and have promised all twelve my commitment to them and my assurance that I am here for them as they walk through this and future stages of their lives. I rejoice in this family.
And finally, besides the servant events, fun activities, and close bonds we built, there was without a doubt the greatest reason to rejoice and the most important way that God worked in our lives to serve our needs… our faith was strengthened! The nine days included many opportunities for Bible Study, devotions, campfire worship, and we even concluded with a stirring worship service where 13 of us gathered in a single hotel room to celebrate our faith in the Lord and then talk about our upcoming youth led worship service at Praise. At the end, it was obvious that the youth’s relationship with our Lord had greatly increased and they were much closer to Jesus. Multiple youth group members, whose names will of course remain anonymous, even confided that before our mission trip they were struggling with their faith, but along the way the Lord had renewed and refreshed it. One of the teens even testified that in spite of their faith being at rock bottom before the trip, they now can’t wait to return to Praise and allow their witness to be spread to other youth who didn’t have the opportunity to accompany us to California. To me, this was an absolute joy. There is nothing better than to watch a dozen youth testify about how much they love Christ and want to now spread the Good News to others because now, their fires have been not just rekindled, but fed and fanned into blazing infernos. Read below some comments from the mission trip participants about how we were changed…
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“This trip has been amazing for me. Not only did I become closer with God but I also became closer with everyone in the youth group.” - Whitney Luley
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“This trip has been a wonderful experience for me. It has brought me and others closer to God, and to all the other people in the youth group. New friendships were formed and old ones were strengthened. I’m proud of all of you, and all that you did this past week! Thanks for filling my bucket, and praise be to God!” - Christine Damschroder
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“This trip has been a blast. It not only made me closer to God, but it made others closer to God. Also, it made everyone closer to each other.” - Jason Hufford
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“This trip has been phenomenal for everyone in the group. This has strengthened our bonds with God and each other – creating relationships like a close knit family. Also, this extraordinary trip has caused us to forge new friendships with the counselors at Mt. Cross and has taught us to understand the Bible and the Word of God better. It has helped us to look deeper into what God’s Holy Word means to us as a group and as individuals so that we can recognize our talents and help spread God’s Word to others. It also increased our everlasting love in our Lord Jesus.” - Jarrod Hufford
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“The trip was absolutely fantastic!!!!!! It allowed me to be much closer to God then I ever had been before. It also allowed me to get closer to many other brothers and sisters in Christ. I hope to soon go on future trips and that God will be with everyone as we all go through our lives and that we will meet each other in the kingdom of heaven.” - Chris Hufford
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“This week has been the best trip of my life. It has helped me to get to know the youth group more, to meet new friends, and to learn more about God.” - Josh Firestine
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“This trip has been amazing. God has really opened my eyes to the world around me.” - Josh Gumbert
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“This trip was highly successful – especially for the first year of Praise’s youth group to be together. We all grew closer as a family and towards God. I would definitely suggest that all would attend our next trip and to get involved more with the youth group.” - Robbie Roberts
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This trip was indescribable… absolutely amazing. We all grew closer to each other without a doubt. We really had no choice at times, but in the midst of all that, I strongly believe that we all heard or felt God reach out to us. For me, He really showed me what I could do for him. He showed me more of the path he wanted me to take. This trip was a once in a life time chance, and I am so happy I was in the (very small, cramped, sometimes smelly) van that took us on that adventure. Best week of summer without a doubt. Thanks be to God.” - Sydney Cawvey
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“This trip was a great thing for me. I have grown closer to God and my friends. At first, I thought a week would not do much. Then at the end, it did. I realized that I have grown so close to god and I feel so much better about my faith. This experience will stay with me so long and I wish that our group could do more things like this because it helped the youth group out so much. Thank you so much for allowing us to go on this.” - Stephanie Degitz
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“Praise be to God! The trip meant to me – family and the wonder of God. He has brought us together in a way we never would before and now we are ready to serve Him fully. Praise Jesus! - Sarah Boston
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“This week has shown me how much servant work can bring people together and that now the youth group is much closer and resembles more of a family than a casual group.” - Ethan Damschroder
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“I feel as if our Senior High youth group has received a super boost from the Holy Spirit. This concentrated time together and the opportunity to be immersed in a situation where our Lord could chisel away at the hardness of our hearts has helped tremendously. Through our shared experience of being drawn closer by God, these 12 youth and I are now closer to one another than ever before. I do love them!” - Pastor Brown
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And so, yes we all worked hard on the trip. Some painted, some dug ditches, some carried rocks, and others tiled floors. And yet we weren’t the only ones from Praise that served. Many members of our church supported this mission trip and went to great lengths to serve the youth and ensure that the 13 could go. To all of Praise, we say THANK YOU!! However, no matter what the type of service that we or the congregation performed, none was greater than the service that was given by God. Praise be to our Lord that He has us firmly in His grip and not only has shed sweat and blood for our sake in the past, but that we can be assured that He will evermore continue to work tirelessly for all our needs.
Jul
17
Posted by Pastor Brown on
July 17, 2009
Praise has a special treat in store for her and it’s arriving very soon. Missionary (currently serving in Riga, Latvia) and seminarian, Heath Trampe, has written a fantastic book and both he and his inspiring paperback will be arriving shortly at our doorstep.
I originally met Heath while at school at the seminary in fort Wayne a few years back and have been blessed to be able to call him a friend. Furthermore, his work in the mission field, zeal for spreading the Good News, and talent for writing have given me a deep respect for the way God is using him to advance the Kingdom. Therefore, it was an extra special honor when Heath asked me to assist him with the editing process for his book and to write the Foreword for “Extraordinary News for Ordinary People.”
“Extraordinary News for Ordinary People” shines a spotlight on a dozen average characters in the Bible who led ordinary lives. Yet, Heath wonderfully illustrates how God used even these ordinary individuals to accomplish extraordinary things. Trampe then builds a bridge between the lives of those persons of Holy Scripture and our lives today. It’s a book that I highly recommend for every person at Praise. More so, I’m suggesting that all our Bible Study groups at Praise consider working through the book, which has study guide questions as part of its format, and use this amazing tool as one more way to grow closer to God and discover a greater way that God can use us in service for His holy purposes.
And although the quality and benefits of the book can certainly stand on their own, there is an added incentive for Praisers to stand behind this work and support the book. Both the author and the publisher, Tri-Pillar Publishing (www.TriPillarPublishing.com), have graciously offered to donate 100% of the book profits to Praise Lutheran Church. That’s right, minus the actual cost of printing and expenses incurred (such as shipping), Praise Lutheran Church will be receiving the proceeds from every book sold – not just books sold at our church and to our members, but also the complete sales from every book sold in the world. Praise God that he has blessed the author, Heath Trampe, and Josephine Dibble, owner of Tri-Pillar Publishing with such a kind and generous heart… and especially a heart for the work and ministry that is taking place at Praise! So tell all your friends to buy a copy today – and even to get extra copies for birthday and Christmas presents too. ? This book not only benefits the work at Praise, but will surely make a difference in the lives of all who read it by its bold proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus our Lord. Look for books to go on sale ($14.95) at Praise on August 23rd and then again on the 30th.
Copies of the book will also be available at Praise on September 6th, when Heath, his wife Aunnee, and Josephine Dibble will be at our church in person. Heath will be sharing the message that day during the worship service and autographing copies of “Extraordinary News for Ordinary People.” I’m sure you won’t want to miss hearing about his adventures in Riga, Latvia. However, if the Labor Day weekend precludes you from being in attendance that day, you can leave your pre-purchased copies of the book with me, Pastor Brown, and I’ll return them to you after Heath autographs them on the 6th of September.
For more information about the Trampe’s missionary work and also to learn more about his terrific book, go to www.TrampesInLatvia.com
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