02 Nov 7 Projects Comes to Jackson, Mich.

Brent Liechty, youth pastor, Pathway Community Church (Jackson, Mich.)

On Wednesday, November 7 at 7 pm, Pathway Community Church (Jackson, Mich.) will bring in the 7 Project to Northwest High School, Kidder Middle School, and East Jackson Junior/Senior High.

The 7 Project is an assembly for the school that will tackle issues such as bullying, alcohol, dreams, character, and scholastic achievement.

Kurt Cullison and former NFL player Brian Pruitt will speak, teaching students how to deal with the dangers in life in a positive way. There will be an evening gathering where the 7th, most important part will be shared–Jesus.

Please be in prayer for an openness to the message, that a connection with youth groups will be formed, and that we’ll have enough adult volunteers to pull this off well.

We really need more counselors and adult leaders. If you are in the area and would like a free chance to lead some teens to Christ, email Brent Liechty or Kendal Sheen. For more information, check out the website.

01 Nov UBs in Yonkers, NY: Report from the Ground

Dalton Jenkins, pastor, Bethel Temple of Praise (Yonkers, New York)

We want to thank everyone for their prayers and thoughts throughout this hurricane.

In the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, we give God thanks for his protection. For the most part, there was no significant loss of property or any personal injury. Our family was not directly affected. Schools were canceled for the rest of the week, and most jobs were closed the day after the hurricane. On Wednesday, we began to see some signs of normality.

Traveling to New York City under normal conditions was always an adventure. Hurricane Sandy made it extremely difficult. It was less difficult for those traveling north of New York City than for those traveling south. Mass-transit service is partially restored. The city is working hard to clear the downed trees, which are the greatest hindrance to travel, and to restore power.

In the city of Yonkers, 21,000 customers are still experiencing power outage. You can read more about the impact on Yonkers and the recovery efforts at Yonkers Daily Voice.

For the most part, the people in our church did not experience any significant damages. Some are still experiencing power outage and difficulty traveling to their jobs.

UPDATE THURSDAY NIGHT: I just came home and I saw only two gas stations that were opened. The lines were long and police guarded the entrances and exits. Now we are limited to 10 gallons per vehicle. How did this happen so quickly?

01 Nov Over 300 Kids Attend Findlay Halloween Event

Click to enlarge

The photo above shows some scenes from the 2012 “Trunk or Treat” Halloween event at Findlay First UB church (Findlay, Ohio) on Thursday, October 25. Over 300 kids came. The church gave out 300 Bibles and Bible tracks.

Charity LaRue, a member, reports that more candy was donated than in any previous year, but they still ran out. “But just like how Jesus fed the 5,000 with 2 little fish and 5 loaves of bread, we didn’t run out until 8:00 when it was officially over!

“This event has just exploded in the amount of people we’re reaching. Only about five kids came from our church. All the rest of them were neighborhood people! God has definitely blessed this ministry. Plus, it was so warm that kids didn’t have to wear coats over their costumes. Tons of kids stayed to play on the playground, and tons were eating the donuts and hot chocolate. It was amazing!”

01 Nov Halloween Event at Anchor Church

Lined up in the Anchor fellowship hall.

Serving up food to zombies and other visitors.

Hanging out with the kids.

Anchor Community Church (Fort Wayne, Ind.) held its annual Halloween event on October 31. After kids finished trick-or-treating in the church’s downtown neighborhood, they (and plenty of parents) came to Anchor. There, they found:

• A dark and scary maze in the downstairs children’s sanctuary.
• Lots of food in the fellowship hall–hotdogs, soups, nachos, and more.
• Games to play in the fellowship hall.

Several hundred people came through the church, many of them sitting down at tables in the fellowship hall to eat and watch the creative costumes.