This weekend we celebrate the joining in marriage. 
Friday, October 5, 2012
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Monday, September 10, 2012
Some notes for an upcoming sermon
Let me know what you think...Here are my notes for an upcoming sermon....
Play the song -Love is a verb-By John Mayer
Love is a verb
It ain't a thing
It's not something you own
It's not something you scream
When you show me love
I don't need your words
Yeah love ain't a thing
Love is a verb
Love ain't a thing
Love is a verb
Love ain't a crutch
It ain't an excuse
No you can't get through love
On just a pile of I-O-Us
Love ain't a drug
Despite what you've heard
Yeah love ain't a thing
Love is a verb
Love ain't a thing
Love is a verb
So you gotta show, show, show me
Show, show, show me
Show, show, show me
That love is a verb
You gotta show, show, show me
Show, show, show me
Show, show, show me
That love is a verb
Love ain't a thing
Love is a verb
This song is by John Mayer off his new album. "Born and Raised." This has become one of my favorite songs, for a large number of reasons.
Listen again to some of the lyrics as I read the to you;
Play the song -Love is a verb-By John Mayer
Love is a verb
It ain't a thing
It's not something you own
It's not something you scream
When you show me love
I don't need your words
Yeah love ain't a thing
Love is a verb
Love ain't a thing
Love is a verb
Love ain't a crutch
It ain't an excuse
No you can't get through love
On just a pile of I-O-Us
Love ain't a drug
Despite what you've heard
Yeah love ain't a thing
Love is a verb
Love ain't a thing
Love is a verb
So you gotta show, show, show me
Show, show, show me
Show, show, show me
That love is a verb
You gotta show, show, show me
Show, show, show me
Show, show, show me
That love is a verb
Love ain't a thing
Love is a verb
This song is by John Mayer off his new album. "Born and Raised." This has become one of my favorite songs, for a large number of reasons.
Listen again to some of the lyrics as I read the to you;
Love is a verb, it ain't a thing, It's not something you own, it's not something you scream. When you show me love, I' don't need your words. Yah, love ain't a thing, Love is a verb. Love ain't a thing.
A verb is a word of action. It means going beyond talking and into action. It does not mean talking about action. It means going beyond the talk and mondaineness (?) of everyday life.
I recently read a book called, At Left Brain Turn Right. The book by Anthony Meindl, is a guide to 15 weeks of personal reflection and meditation.
In the book Meindl talks of the concept of changing from a noun to a verb,
"Jane Fonda says she changed from a noun to a verb, when she became involved in helping other people, relating to them beyond being famous. A verb is active and less-ego-oriented. Being a verb means being defined by action, not by title."
What an idea, what a concept! What would it take to change our lives and our world from a noun to a verb.
How often do we let our lives become the opposite of a verb? How often have we told ourselves we are going to change the world? or how often have we told ourselves we are going to loose that extra 5 or 10 pounds?
Recently I read the book called "and" by
Hugh Halter and Matt Smay. The book serves as a followup book to their
earlier book "Tangible Kingdom."
In the book they talk briefly about Newton's three laws a motion, Here is there thoughts adopted to what we are talking about, changing from a noun to a verb.
Newton's first law states that particles with no force acting on them will continue to move without change in the same direction with a constant velocity.
Simplified the law states "a body persists in a state of rest or of uniform motion unless it is acted upon by an external, unbalanced force."
How does this lead to change? To put it simply, we currently exist on our current trajectory, for better or worse, until we begin to intentionally act upon it with new paradigms.
Newton's first law gives us a vital reminder that a change from a noun to a verb won't just happen.
Newton's second law can be simply stated by saying "force equals mass accelerated.
Applied to the process of changing from a noun to a verb, this points out a challenging issue that we all have experienced. The mass of pure existence is so large in our lives that it will take an enormous amount of force applied in order to initiate movement in a new direction. In a practical sense, this means that we all need to work together.
Finally, Newton's third law simplified states for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. Throughout the process of changing from a noun to a verb we can expect some push in the opposite direction. It's a law of nature, when you push in one direction, you'll feel a push back in the opposite direction."
Another good read is "Life of the Beloved" by Henri Nouwen, This book was the basis for parts of SPEC this summer.
Henri was once interviewed by a journalist and the two became friends as a result. To make a long story short, the two developed a spiritual relationship and Henri was encouraged by his new friend to write this book, that would bring the conversation of religion to a person level and to a younger generation.
"I hear at my center, words that say; I have called you by name, from the beginning. You are mine and I am yours. You are my Beloved, on you my favor rests, I have molded you in the depths of the earth and knitted you together in your mother's womb. I have carved you in the palms of my hands and hidden you in the shadow of my embrace. I look at you with infinite tenderness and care for you with a care more intimate than that of a mother for her child. I have counted every hair on your head and guided you at every step. Wherever you go, I go with you, and wherever you rest I keep watch.
I will give you food that will satisfy all your hunger and drink that will quench all your thirst. I will not hide my face from you. You know me as your own as I know you as my own. You belong to me. I am your father, your mother, your brother, your sister, your lover and your spouse...yes, even your child...wherever you are I will be. Nothing will separate us. We are one.
Every time you listen with great attentiveness to the voice that calls you the Beloved, you will discover within yourself a desire to hear that voice longer and more deeply. It is like discovering a well in the desert. Once you have touched wet ground, you want to dig deeper.
I have been doing a lot of digging lately and I know that I am just beginning to see a little stream bubbling up through the dry sand. I have to keep digging because that little stream comes from a huge reservoir beneath the desert of my life. The word "digging" might not be the best word, since it suggests hard and painful work that finally leads me to the place where I can quench my thirst. perhaps all we need to do is remove the dry sand that covers the well.
There may be quite a pile of dry sand in our lives, but the One who so desires to quench our thirst will help us to remove it. All we really need is a great desire to find the water and drink from it.
You have lived fewer years than I. You may still want to look around a little more and a little longer so as to become convinced that the spiritual life is worth all your energy. But I do feel a certain impatience toward you because I don't want you to waste to much of your time! I have fewer years ahead of me than behind me. For you I hope the opposite is true.
Therefore, I want to assure you already, now, that you do not have to get caught in searches that lead only to entanglement. Neither do you have to become the victim of manipulative world or get trapped in any kind of addiction. You can choose to reach out to true inner freedom and find it ever more fully.
So, if you are interested in starting on the journey of the Beloved, I have a lot more to say to you, because the journey of the spiritual life calls not only for determination but also for a certain knowledge of the terrain to be crossed. I don't want you to have to wander about in the desert for forty years as did our spiritual forebears. I don't even want you to dwell there as long as I did. You are very dear to me, a friend whom I truly love. Although it remains true that everyone has to learn for himself or herself, I still believe that we can prevent those we love from making the same mistakes we did. In the terrain of the spiritual life, we need guides.
In the pages that I now want to write for you, I would like to be your guide. I hope you are still interested I walking along."
To me this is a prime example of changing from a noun to a verb.
Let's turn to the scriptures that address this very concept,
First lets turn to a scripture we are all aware of; John 3:16, in the opening line of that scripture it states,
I will give you food that will satisfy all your hunger and drink that will quench all your thirst. I will not hide my face from you. You know me as your own as I know you as my own. You belong to me. I am your father, your mother, your brother, your sister, your lover and your spouse...yes, even your child...wherever you are I will be. Nothing will separate us. We are one.
Every time you listen with great attentiveness to the voice that calls you the Beloved, you will discover within yourself a desire to hear that voice longer and more deeply. It is like discovering a well in the desert. Once you have touched wet ground, you want to dig deeper.
I have been doing a lot of digging lately and I know that I am just beginning to see a little stream bubbling up through the dry sand. I have to keep digging because that little stream comes from a huge reservoir beneath the desert of my life. The word "digging" might not be the best word, since it suggests hard and painful work that finally leads me to the place where I can quench my thirst. perhaps all we need to do is remove the dry sand that covers the well.
There may be quite a pile of dry sand in our lives, but the One who so desires to quench our thirst will help us to remove it. All we really need is a great desire to find the water and drink from it.
You have lived fewer years than I. You may still want to look around a little more and a little longer so as to become convinced that the spiritual life is worth all your energy. But I do feel a certain impatience toward you because I don't want you to waste to much of your time! I have fewer years ahead of me than behind me. For you I hope the opposite is true.
Therefore, I want to assure you already, now, that you do not have to get caught in searches that lead only to entanglement. Neither do you have to become the victim of manipulative world or get trapped in any kind of addiction. You can choose to reach out to true inner freedom and find it ever more fully.
So, if you are interested in starting on the journey of the Beloved, I have a lot more to say to you, because the journey of the spiritual life calls not only for determination but also for a certain knowledge of the terrain to be crossed. I don't want you to have to wander about in the desert for forty years as did our spiritual forebears. I don't even want you to dwell there as long as I did. You are very dear to me, a friend whom I truly love. Although it remains true that everyone has to learn for himself or herself, I still believe that we can prevent those we love from making the same mistakes we did. In the terrain of the spiritual life, we need guides.
In the pages that I now want to write for you, I would like to be your guide. I hope you are still interested I walking along."
To me this is a prime example of changing from a noun to a verb.
Let's turn to the scriptures that address this very concept,
First lets turn to a scripture we are all aware of; John 3:16, in the opening line of that scripture it states,
"For God so loved the world."
Then there is the story of awoman, who had been caught in the act of adultery was brought to Jesus Christ by the scribes and Pharisees as a test to see if the Messiah was a liberal in matters of the Law of
God. In response he didn't condemn the woman,
not because He condoned her sin.
He was the only person there that day who was free of sin, the only one
who had the right to "cast the first stone." He didn't stone her (or
her accusers), but instead forgave her and told her to "sin no more."
Jesus turned a noun into a verb is this story as well. Without some kind of action this woman would have been stoned to death, because that was the common practice in that day. But, because of his love for her as an individual and a child of God he turned a noun into a verb.
In my mind the church is taking steps to change from a noun to a verb, with the mission initiatives.
The mission initiatives are calling the entire church to move beyond talking about changing the world in various ways, to actually doing it.
In closing my friends, It's certainly my hope and prayer that we can take the necessary steps to change from a noun to a verb in our lives. Because we all know the world could us more verbs.
Sunday, September 9, 2012
A commitment to myself
So a couple of months ago I joined a gym here in town and have not used it as much as I should and regret each day I can not make it there for at least an hour. At the time it dawned upon me that I eat a lot of fast food, it's a little counterproductive, Monday is also my birthday.
For me my birthday is always a time of thought and reflection on how old I am getting.
So, with this in mind, I am going to commit myself to going to the gym during my lunch hour.
If I am successful, this will cut my intake of fast food and I may loose a couple of pounds in the process.
For me my birthday is always a time of thought and reflection on how old I am getting.
So, with this in mind, I am going to commit myself to going to the gym during my lunch hour.
If I am successful, this will cut my intake of fast food and I may loose a couple of pounds in the process.
Friday, July 27, 2012
An Old Pair Of Shoes
I have an pair of shoes I can't find the motivation to discard. I've worn them to the point they are starting to breakdown.
I have a big foot, size 13 or 14 (depending on the brand). So, when I shop for shoes it's hard to find a pair that fit just right. The kind of shoe you would want to commit to.
I can't remember how long I've has this pair of shoes. To me, these are the type of shoes that after a week or two of wearing them, you foot has found a groove and every time you put them on, it's like your foot knows where its going.
How often is that the case in life.
You find a groove and stick with that until something happens, or you decide it's time to make a new groove.
How often is this also the case with the church or our ministry?
How often in our congregation and ministry do we find something that works and stick with it until it dies, or well beyond?
To me the mission initiatives is a call to the church to find a new groove, a new perspective on ministries that have served us well.
My favorite mission initiative is, Abolish Poverty, End Suffering. I have taken that initiative and put it to work through my local Habitat For Humanity.
I am currently ready the book, 'At Left Brain, Turn Right' by Anthony Meindl.
In the book he writes, "Jane Fonda says she changed from 'a noun to a verb,' when she became involved in helping other people, relating to them beyond being famous. 'A verb is active and less ego-oriented. Being a verb means being defined by action, not by title."
To me that is what the mission initiatives are calling us to do, change from being a noun to a verb.
Singer/Songwriter John Mayer sings of this logic with his song, Love Is a Verb. "Love is a verb, It ain't a thing, It's not something you own, It's not something you scream. When you show me love, I don't need your words, Yeah love ain't a thing, Love is a verb, Love ain't a thing."
It is my prayer is that each of us can move from a noun to a verb.
I have a big foot, size 13 or 14 (depending on the brand). So, when I shop for shoes it's hard to find a pair that fit just right. The kind of shoe you would want to commit to.
I can't remember how long I've has this pair of shoes. To me, these are the type of shoes that after a week or two of wearing them, you foot has found a groove and every time you put them on, it's like your foot knows where its going.
How often is that the case in life.
You find a groove and stick with that until something happens, or you decide it's time to make a new groove.
How often is this also the case with the church or our ministry?
How often in our congregation and ministry do we find something that works and stick with it until it dies, or well beyond?
To me the mission initiatives is a call to the church to find a new groove, a new perspective on ministries that have served us well.
My favorite mission initiative is, Abolish Poverty, End Suffering. I have taken that initiative and put it to work through my local Habitat For Humanity.
I am currently ready the book, 'At Left Brain, Turn Right' by Anthony Meindl.
In the book he writes, "Jane Fonda says she changed from 'a noun to a verb,' when she became involved in helping other people, relating to them beyond being famous. 'A verb is active and less ego-oriented. Being a verb means being defined by action, not by title."
To me that is what the mission initiatives are calling us to do, change from being a noun to a verb.
Singer/Songwriter John Mayer sings of this logic with his song, Love Is a Verb. "Love is a verb, It ain't a thing, It's not something you own, It's not something you scream. When you show me love, I don't need your words, Yeah love ain't a thing, Love is a verb, Love ain't a thing."
It is my prayer is that each of us can move from a noun to a verb.
Friday, June 1, 2012
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
About a friend
Our community has lost a great man this weekend. Longtime community member and a friend to all, Nick Gampp lost his life.
There is no doubt in my mind that Nick was loved by everyone he came in contact with over the years.
According to his obit, nick was an Art and History professor at Shawnee State University and a member of Sunshine Church of Christ in Minford. Nick was a florist, local artist and active in the Southern Ohio Museum and Cultural Center and area garden clubs.
SSU President Dr. Rita Rice Morris said in a released statement, "Nick loved his work and he loved his students. He touched many lives through teaching – and through his art. We will miss his influence on our Fine Arts Department and our campus. Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife, his family, and all who were fortunate enough to have known him.”
During my time at Shawnee State I majored in Fine Arts and I had the pleasure of taking numerous art classes with him. He became a treasured friend.
Nick was known for sharing his artwork, such as beautiful collages, made from things he found around the house or along his daily journey. He made one I fell in love with and had to have. After it was displayed in the Appleton Gallery
in the Vern Riffe Center of the Arts, I expressed my desire to purchase it. To make a long story short, I ended up with the collage and it has hung in my house ever since.
Even though I graduated college six years ago and have seen Nick once or twice in that time, I still called him a friend.
As an example of the impact he had on this community and the SSU community. When the news broke on Facebook of his passing it was within a matter of minutes people were expressing their sorrow and fond memories.
One of his former students wrote,"He was a one-of-a-kind for sure. He taught many people not just about art but how to embrace it with passion. He was the only professor that has taught several members of family and we never have felt so blessed to have had him in our lives."
The scripture 2 Timothy 4:7 comes to mind, “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:”
As this community says goodbye to a great man, it is my hope and prayer that we will be thankful for the people we have in our lives.
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Life is like a good game of words with friends...
For the past several years now, I have been playing Words With Friends.
For those of you who are not aware of the game, it's similar to Scrabble, but digital. Not to boast but at any given point I will have 20 or more games going at the same time with various friends.
In my mind, there are various degrees to which people play the game.
Among those 20 or so games I am playing there are a few things that ring true,
1. The minute you play the game, it will take up about a half hour of your time.
2. When you make a move against certain people, they will be there to make a move right back.
This is true with about 5 friends I play against. They have always been there to make a counter move for every move that I make, no matter the time of day.
3. There are some who can not stand for it to be their move. If I make a move, well into the night. A few minutes later they are there to make a move as well.
4. We could go on for hours making various moves without saying a word.
5. Then there are some, in which it takes them a while to make a move, for various reasons (like, they have a life or something).
6. In my case there are certain people you play where I am going to loose by 100 points.
Here are some of the things I've learned from Words with Friends,
There is always going to be that beat you at this game, and there are those who will put up a good game and you still loose about by 1 or 2 points.
Then there will be those who you beat by 100 points or those who put up a good game and you win by about 1 or 2 points.
So is the game of Life, there are days in which we feel like we could never win or get ahead because everyone else has made better moves than we have.
Then there are days/weeks/months in which the opposite rings true. When we we are just sailing along and are on top of the world.
My hope and prayer for you my friends, is that you have more days in which we feel on top of the world.
For those of you who are not aware of the game, it's similar to Scrabble, but digital. Not to boast but at any given point I will have 20 or more games going at the same time with various friends.
In my mind, there are various degrees to which people play the game.
Among those 20 or so games I am playing there are a few things that ring true,
1. The minute you play the game, it will take up about a half hour of your time.
2. When you make a move against certain people, they will be there to make a move right back.
This is true with about 5 friends I play against. They have always been there to make a counter move for every move that I make, no matter the time of day.
3. There are some who can not stand for it to be their move. If I make a move, well into the night. A few minutes later they are there to make a move as well.
4. We could go on for hours making various moves without saying a word.
5. Then there are some, in which it takes them a while to make a move, for various reasons (like, they have a life or something).
6. In my case there are certain people you play where I am going to loose by 100 points.
Here are some of the things I've learned from Words with Friends,
There is always going to be that beat you at this game, and there are those who will put up a good game and you still loose about by 1 or 2 points.
Then there will be those who you beat by 100 points or those who put up a good game and you win by about 1 or 2 points.
So is the game of Life, there are days in which we feel like we could never win or get ahead because everyone else has made better moves than we have.
Then there are days/weeks/months in which the opposite rings true. When we we are just sailing along and are on top of the world.
My hope and prayer for you my friends, is that you have more days in which we feel on top of the world.
Monday, May 7, 2012
A weekend for me
This weekend was supposed to be men's retreat at Camp Bountiful. The event was canceled due to lack of participation. So, this freed up my calendar a bit. This is not a bad thing, it allowed me some time to do what I wanted when I wanted.
On Saturday, I went to Shawnee State University's Graduation, there were a ton of people there. They graduated nearly 500 people. With double if not triple that number in the audience.
On Saturday, I went to Shawnee State University's Graduation, there were a ton of people there. They graduated nearly 500 people. With double if not triple that number in the audience.
After that I was invited to attend an Indian Burial. It was an interesting experience. It's always interesting to see how they conduct such a ceremony. A friend of mine was interested in the service so she came with me. It took about an hour and she said her life was changed as a result. It was easy to experience the spirit that was there in abundance. Most of the people that participated in the service was from northern Ohio. They made the trip to honor those who were being reburied.
Later Saturday afternoon I went and saw the Avengers in 3D. It was a sweet movie, filled full of action and laughter. I would recommend you see it. I got to the theater about a half hour early and was 50 people back in the line. Despite that I was still able to get decent seats.
On Sunday, I went to church and then decided to drive to Columbus to do some shopping. I ended up at Target and surprisingly able to find several things I could not live with out.
Later that afternoon I went to a friends celebration of life. This was a man that had a profound impact on this community, to an extent that is not yet known to a lot of people.
So, that was the extent of my weekend it was action packed and had a lot of experiences. This weekend I am working on Saturday so, who knows what that will have in store. I am presiding over Sunday services and will be celebrating Mothers day on Sunday.
The following weekend there will be a lock-in that will have a lot of people and fun.
And the planing for camp has started......
I hope your weekend was really productive as well.
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
The calendar is filling up...
So, I do not think I need to tell any of you but this is a busy time of year for everyone. In my case the calendar is starting to fill up. For example this week I am organizing a visit from the governor to our habitat house. This has been an adventure, all in its self. This weekend I will be at camp working and helping to get the camp together for the coming camping session.
Well, I will not bore you will all the details of my calendar, but I just wanted to take the time to say I hope you all are having fun during this busy time of year...
Well, I will not bore you will all the details of my calendar, but I just wanted to take the time to say I hope you all are having fun during this busy time of year...
Monday, April 16, 2012
Monday, April 2, 2012
Change
Sometimes there are things that just slap you in the face. Sometimes the reality of change that's looking you in the face, is hard to deal with. It's my prayer that I can stand strong ready to embrace this change for all it's worth, and all it has in store. That is my prayer...
Monday, March 26, 2012
Continually Amazed
Hello All,
I hope this finds you doing well with your self and your family. Life continues to amaze me. This weekend was action packed and filled with a lot of things. This morning when I woke up there was an unexpected facebook message from a former camper at Camp Bountiful expressing some concerns they had about a surgery someone is having. She reached out to about 50 people that were a part of her camping experience. That took me for a loop (in a good way.) In recent years I have been reading about the concept of community.
To me one of the greatest examples of community is Camp Bountiful. At this place a group of strangers can come together for a week of fun and fellowship and leave as family. That has and will continue to amaze me.
In most cases once the camp experience is over that connectedness does not stop. In this example some have been removed for years and yet feel the need to turn to a family of friends that has shown nothing but love and support.
The spirit works in mysterious ways.
Have a blessed day....
-W
I hope this finds you doing well with your self and your family. Life continues to amaze me. This weekend was action packed and filled with a lot of things. This morning when I woke up there was an unexpected facebook message from a former camper at Camp Bountiful expressing some concerns they had about a surgery someone is having. She reached out to about 50 people that were a part of her camping experience. That took me for a loop (in a good way.) In recent years I have been reading about the concept of community.
To me one of the greatest examples of community is Camp Bountiful. At this place a group of strangers can come together for a week of fun and fellowship and leave as family. That has and will continue to amaze me.
In most cases once the camp experience is over that connectedness does not stop. In this example some have been removed for years and yet feel the need to turn to a family of friends that has shown nothing but love and support.
The spirit works in mysterious ways.
Have a blessed day....
-W
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
a community of great potential
This is a column that will run in one of the newspapers I work for...
In my mind there is no doubt that we live in a community of great potential. We all know this community has seen it's fair share of ups and downs over the years.
What some of you may not be aware of is the people working everyday to make this community even better.
Last Friday I had the opportunity to witness one of the great things going in this community. The Steven Hunter Hope Fund launched it's power pack program to Northwest Elementary.
You could here the excitement in Mark Hunter's voice minutes before the program got started.
The purpose of the power pack club is to provide food for school aged children that might not have enough to eat over the weekend.
It's a sad to realize that even one child is forced to go without food for any reason, regardless of the circumstance.
On Friday there were 55 kids that received a weekends worth of food, because of this program. These kids will receive a weekends worth of food every Friday through the school year.
When the time came to give out the food Mark and Virgie Hunter watched with tears in their eyes as the children joyfully receive the food. I am confident to say I even shed a tear or two.
There was no denying what was started that day will change the lives of some needy students.
According to Freestore Foodbank of Cincinnati, "The Freestore Foodbank ended the 2010 fiscal year distributing 84,081 Power Packs to 55 sites. 2,320 children received Power Packs each week. The Freestore Foodbank is working to add new sites, with the goal of providing 130,000 Power packs to 3,500 children in 2011."
The Freestore Foodbank provides the food for the power pack program at a reduced cost.
Steven's Power Pack is established in the Portsmouth and New Boston School Districts.
"Through this program we are helping 216 kids a week, we have very blessed though this process. It's amazing how God has a plan and if you listen to him and follow it, things happen. We feel very blessed to be here with the mini mohawks, I feel like out family has gotten a little bigger, today," Mark Hunter said.
According to www.stevenshopefund.org, "our review of statistics from the Ohio Department of Education reveal that students of the Portsmouth City School District, New Boston Local Schools, & Northwest Local Schools are among the most vulnerable in Scioto County to suffer from the problems associated with hunger in the home. The sad reality is that many of these children are going without proper nutrition or, in some cases, with no food at all over the weekend, their only meals being provided at breakfast or lunch through the school system."
This is one of a countless number of examples of the good things going on in this community. Because of these efforts and the efforts of other organizations that will make this community great again.
Wayne Allen may be reached at 740-353-3101, ext. 208, or wallen@heartlandpublications.com.
In my mind there is no doubt that we live in a community of great potential. We all know this community has seen it's fair share of ups and downs over the years.
What some of you may not be aware of is the people working everyday to make this community even better.
Last Friday I had the opportunity to witness one of the great things going in this community. The Steven Hunter Hope Fund launched it's power pack program to Northwest Elementary.
You could here the excitement in Mark Hunter's voice minutes before the program got started.
The purpose of the power pack club is to provide food for school aged children that might not have enough to eat over the weekend.
It's a sad to realize that even one child is forced to go without food for any reason, regardless of the circumstance.
On Friday there were 55 kids that received a weekends worth of food, because of this program. These kids will receive a weekends worth of food every Friday through the school year.
When the time came to give out the food Mark and Virgie Hunter watched with tears in their eyes as the children joyfully receive the food. I am confident to say I even shed a tear or two.
There was no denying what was started that day will change the lives of some needy students.
According to Freestore Foodbank of Cincinnati, "The Freestore Foodbank ended the 2010 fiscal year distributing 84,081 Power Packs to 55 sites. 2,320 children received Power Packs each week. The Freestore Foodbank is working to add new sites, with the goal of providing 130,000 Power packs to 3,500 children in 2011."
The Freestore Foodbank provides the food for the power pack program at a reduced cost.
Steven's Power Pack is established in the Portsmouth and New Boston School Districts.
"Through this program we are helping 216 kids a week, we have very blessed though this process. It's amazing how God has a plan and if you listen to him and follow it, things happen. We feel very blessed to be here with the mini mohawks, I feel like out family has gotten a little bigger, today," Mark Hunter said.
According to www.stevenshopefund.org, "our review of statistics from the Ohio Department of Education reveal that students of the Portsmouth City School District, New Boston Local Schools, & Northwest Local Schools are among the most vulnerable in Scioto County to suffer from the problems associated with hunger in the home. The sad reality is that many of these children are going without proper nutrition or, in some cases, with no food at all over the weekend, their only meals being provided at breakfast or lunch through the school system."
This is one of a countless number of examples of the good things going on in this community. Because of these efforts and the efforts of other organizations that will make this community great again.
Wayne Allen may be reached at 740-353-3101, ext. 208, or wallen@heartlandpublications.com.
Thursday, March 15, 2012
It's been a year...
I hope this finds you doing well with yourself and you family and friends. With all the busyness of this week an important date passed me by.
Tuesday marked the one year anniversary of my ordination. It really seems hard to believe that it's been a year. This past year has opened up a lot of ministerial opportunities.
A few highlights include, at the spring young adult retreat last year, I was asked to serve communion for the first time. I was beyond honored to get the opportunity and will continue to treasure the experience. Last summer I was able to perform my sisters marriage. That two will continue to be an experience that I will treasure for a lifetime.
Also, last summer I was given the opportunity to say the blessing over the communion at SPEC. I also count that as an experience that will last a lifetime.
What a year it has been...I truly look forward to the opportunities that await in the future.
Tuesday marked the one year anniversary of my ordination. It really seems hard to believe that it's been a year. This past year has opened up a lot of ministerial opportunities.
A few highlights include, at the spring young adult retreat last year, I was asked to serve communion for the first time. I was beyond honored to get the opportunity and will continue to treasure the experience. Last summer I was able to perform my sisters marriage. That two will continue to be an experience that I will treasure for a lifetime.
Also, last summer I was given the opportunity to say the blessing over the communion at SPEC. I also count that as an experience that will last a lifetime.
What a year it has been...I truly look forward to the opportunities that await in the future.
Monday, March 12, 2012
What a week...
Hello Friends,
This past week has been one for the record books. There was so much packed into the week that I am not sure I could explain it to you but, I will give it a shot. This past week I played camp director to 12 students from Boston College. They came and spent the week in Scioto county. While here they helped to build a Habitat house.
Before embarking on the trip none of the students knew each other. They were simply riding a bus 19 hours to Portsmouth.
On the first day they were here, we had a groundbreaking/Raising the walls/ get construction started on the house service. At that point the only thing that was at the site was the foundation and the floor. Because of their efforts the house is well under roof.
Everyday area churches and people treated the students and work crew to lunch. On Tuesday, the president of the local university came out to treat them. on Friday the local branch of Community of Christ stepped up and treated the students to lunch.
On Monday night we traveled to a camp fire and sing along. It was out in the middle of no where so it was nice for them to see what the natural sky looks like at night.
On Tuesday night the director of a local addiction recovery center came and talked with them about the area and the leaps and bounds we have come in overcoming. I was not able to join them for this because of the election but I heard nothing but good things.
On Wednesday evening we stuck around the church and played games.....It was a good time....
I did a survey with them before they left trying to get some feedback on how the week went from their point of view. When asked to see if they would do it again, all of them said yes and one person asked to see if they could do it again next week...
And now for some random pictures...
I have to admit that when they left on Friday I shed a tear. During their stay here they made such a difference in the life of the home owner, in the life of Scioto County Habitat for Humanity and in the life of the community.
This past week has been one for the record books. There was so much packed into the week that I am not sure I could explain it to you but, I will give it a shot. This past week I played camp director to 12 students from Boston College. They came and spent the week in Scioto county. While here they helped to build a Habitat house.
Before embarking on the trip none of the students knew each other. They were simply riding a bus 19 hours to Portsmouth.
On the first day they were here, we had a groundbreaking/Raising the walls/ get construction started on the house service. At that point the only thing that was at the site was the foundation and the floor. Because of their efforts the house is well under roof.
Everyday area churches and people treated the students and work crew to lunch. On Tuesday, the president of the local university came out to treat them. on Friday the local branch of Community of Christ stepped up and treated the students to lunch.
On Monday night we traveled to a camp fire and sing along. It was out in the middle of no where so it was nice for them to see what the natural sky looks like at night.
On Wednesday evening we stuck around the church and played games.....It was a good time....
I did a survey with them before they left trying to get some feedback on how the week went from their point of view. When asked to see if they would do it again, all of them said yes and one person asked to see if they could do it again next week...
And now for some random pictures...
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
So Far So Good...
This week and been uber productive so far. For starting this week with little details about next next week and to be half way through the week with almost everything figured out is sweet. Se will see how things work out. I even finished a book that I've been reading since the first of the year. So it was good to get that behind me.
This Friday I will be spending the day at Camp Bountiful working on another project that should be wrapping up in the near future. On Saturday I am helping my sister move her family and might be going to Columbus to visit with someone in the hospital.
On Sunday the students from BC arrive in town for the week....It's going to be fun...
This Friday I will be spending the day at Camp Bountiful working on another project that should be wrapping up in the near future. On Saturday I am helping my sister move her family and might be going to Columbus to visit with someone in the hospital.
On Sunday the students from BC arrive in town for the week....It's going to be fun...
Monday, February 27, 2012
This is the week
I do not know if I have told you all but this is going to be a week of preparation. This weekend there will be 16 students coming to Portsmouth for a week to help build a habitat house. This is the fourth year we have hosted this group. This will be second year I will be coordinating their trip. So, this is going to be the week to get things done with the motive to get a number of things done in preparation for next week and all of the fun that it has in store....So, here is to a week that can not be long enough.
Thursday, February 23, 2012
What I've Given Up
This year for Lent I decided to give up stress....All of us could say there is a ton of stress in our lives. So I am going to do my best to give up stress during this time...As they say life to short...Wish me luck...
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
I did it...
As a spur of the moment decision I decided to commit to guest teaching a Sunday School Class at the West Portsmouth Branch twice a month starting in April until June. Anything beyond that I felt I would have to transfer my membership there.
I will also be addressing the branch on Sunday morning concerning the Habitat house we are building in that community.
We are preparing everyday for the students from Boston C. to come and be with us for a week. This is the fourth year they will have given up their spring break to come help us build a home for someone that would otherwise not be able to realize this dream.
Oh, and Pleasant Valley flooded on Sunday. I have some photos I will have to share with you later.
I will also be addressing the branch on Sunday morning concerning the Habitat house we are building in that community.
We are preparing everyday for the students from Boston C. to come and be with us for a week. This is the fourth year they will have given up their spring break to come help us build a home for someone that would otherwise not be able to realize this dream.
Oh, and Pleasant Valley flooded on Sunday. I have some photos I will have to share with you later.
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