FunFest 5

it's almost here! FunFest 5 we have 200 people + signed up to help out. Our Volunteer meeting is on Friday the 26th at 7pm this hour meeting will be helpful to all volunteers.

We'll be handing out site maps, and selecting our assignments, breaking up into teams, and basically communicating.

Tuesday is our set up time we are staging all the games, food, tables, flag, lights, fill gold fish bowls, set up signs, and to set up Tuesday night 6 pm...

On Wed we'll have Chanel 2 pop in at 5am to film a morning show. It is always a fun time with the film crew...Hopefully we'll have the ferris wheel up and going.

I have a sense this will be a big night and that a lot of people will be attending...

We've planned 3000 hotdogs and drinks to give away and have some other interesting events planned.

Interestingly I've only received on negative email from someone who didn't like what we are doing...

A verse: redeem the time for the days are evil...

We are attempting to redeem the time...present an evening that is safe, fun and has a sense of God's presence. Our prayer team has been praying, and we as a church are now in a season of praying mon, wed, and fri at 9 pm...

prayer is the power house that all we do hinges upon...

one crack pipe, two needles, 3 dead squirrels.

2nd Saturday Outreach 25 of us headed down to the new Campus to clean up, move fridges, clean windows and generally have a great time.

Donning Blue gloves and carrying black bags we cleaned up the surrounding area. The Family Dollar store's driveway was littered with various items so we clean it up and hauled away ten bags of trash.

In the mix: 1 broken crack pipe, 2 needles, and 3 dead squirrels. Just to be in the area cleaning things up made a difference. People sat on their porches, the brave came and asked what was going on. Light is a very bright in a dark area.

We also set up the shelves for the new food pantry which will begin next month. I felt very energized by the day...I usually don't have very many up days...but yesterday was up on my emotional, spiritual senses. Perhaps it had something to do with God's will and doing the stuff.

Lions, and tigers and bears Oh, My! Wizard of Oz

If you are going to stay home…be kind, be warm and be inviting.
A little bit of kindness goes a long way.

Halloween for many a Christian is a very scary night. Bar the doors, pull down the shades, keep the kids in and play it safe is a normal reaction. However, it’s important to note, lots of Americans do not have a Christian belief system. Their view of life is much different to many believers. For those who know not Christ see Halloween as a fun night for the kids.

One year I stayed home, on purpose. I wanted to check out the scene in my neighborhood where I’m known. To catch the vibe. See what parents were doing with their kids. To be in my community. My desire was to connect with my neighbors in some tangible meaningful way. I chose to sit on my front porch with my mini dachshund as protection and use an Izone mini camera to take the little monsters’ picture then give the kids the photo and ask them to hand it to their mom or dad.(it was interesting no scary costumes on my block)

It was a big hit. Comments like, ‘Wow, this is cool!’ to questions like, ‘Why are you doing this?’ were the norm. I’d reply, I’m just showing you God’s love in a practical way.’ And chat with the parents.

One my friends decided to have Veggie Tales playing on the big screen in their den. They’d invite the parents and kids in and offer free coffee, hot chocolate and have some personal gifts made for each family. Again a huge hit and many positive conversations with parents.

Here are some Halloween tips.

• Recognize you can positively invest in how you as a person are perceived in your neighborhood. Hopefully, people are saying something like...’Hey that’s Mr. Jones. He’s a nice guy always doing nice things for people. He’s goes to that pretty good church down the street.’ So, If you are going to stay home…be kind, be warm and be inviting. A little bit of kindness goes a long way.
  

• Recognize, ‘they out there,’ are not your enemies. They are your neighbors. They have names like Mary and Tom, etc. with kids named Joey, Samantha, etc.

• Recognize if a parent is walking with their child they are being responsible parents. Saint or Sinner, it’s true, it matters not.

Do something out of the ordinary like:

• Buy an izone or Polaroid camera… kids come to your door take a picture hand it to the kids for the parents.

• Have something for the adults. Offer a cold pop, or a cup of coffee, hot coco, or hot tea.

• In your driveway bring your TV and DVD outside and show Veggie Tales. Have lawn chairs set up, add bags of popcorn and you’re off to the movies. One friend in Tampa had a crowd by the end of the evening.

• Buy something different like giant candy bars or individually wrapped bags of popcorn etc. available at most stores. Be Big… Be Generous… Be Creative

• Be ready to share your faith, by answering questions...and by allowing your positive caring attitude show. A smile and an encouraging handshake mean much to most people in your neighborhood

A verse: redeem the time for the days are evil.

Love Louisville

many years ago while living in Scotland a man prayed for me and said, that 'I would go to B.C. in Canada and see the birth of a movement.' At the time I thought that's impossible. I live in the land of the frozen chosen, in Inverness the last place on earth. So put the idea in my God's words to Steve file box.

Then I moved to Pensacola, developed Serve Pensacola, then moved to Cincinnati to work with Steve Sjogren....that's another story...

While at the Cincy Vineyard I received a phone call from Abbotsford and was asked if I thought they could pull off a Love Abbotsford? I replied, if you become focused you could. Focused they became... Over the next few months, there were many phone calls, and emails. When time for the event neared I realized that this could be the birth of a movement that I would see. So, I traveled to B.C. and watch Love Abbotsford unfold. It was a great day many churches working together showered God's love all over the area mainly through various acts of Kindness. The gathering in the evening was off the chart. They even recorded the night. Love Abbotsford Live.



Love Your City! has now become an international movement.

This weekend I helped Robert Pitman with Love Louisville. Over 50 churches working together to Love Louisville in practical ways.






We gathered at the Highland Vineyard. Shared some tips, gathered into groups and headed out.

It was great to see so many people serving, caring, encouraging people all accross Louisville. Our team served 600 cold drinks in the Highland area in 95 degree October weather.

This past week several people have written to me with some humbling, yet encouraging words. I've been pondering the Love City event and how I've been involved with some amazing Kingdom events expressing God's love in action. My conclusion, 'Me Father is in heaven and He is very fond of me'. to quote an Irish priest.

here is the news article from the Louisville paper pre-event

Planting seeds of LOVE Angie Fenton afenton@courier-journal.com The Courier-Journal Acts of kindness affect givers as well as recipients

By Angie Fenton afenton@courier-journal.com The Courier-Journal Love Louisville Day is "about seeing a need and meeting it. It's sharing a hurt and healing it," said Robert Pittman, who helped start the event five years ago. Before that he admittedly had become more focused on growing his own church than reaching out to the community. What would happen if people all over the community combined their resources to commit acts of kindness with no strings attached? There'd be a potentially "colossal, gargantuan effect," said Mark Taylor, one of the organizers of Love Louisville Day, a one-day event in which churches across the city will unite on Saturday to share God's love — gratis — with area residents. Last year's "kindness explosion" connected 50 churches and their members who held free carwashes, garbage pick-ups, grocery drop-offs and neighborhood block parties. They washed windshields at gas stations and handed out $2 bills to patrons to help pay bills. They passed out food and water at stoplights and helped seniors and single-parent families with yardwork and household chores. This year's goal is to unify 100 churches and their members, along with anyone who has a heart for giving, on what Mayor Jerry Abramson has officially declared Love Louisville Day. "We're out to try to show people that God is love," said Elmer Ross, pastor of Fresh Anointing World Christian Center. "Love must be embraced." Churches have a responsibility to "go and show" God's love, rather than focusing solely on getting newcomers to "come and see" what the church has to offer, said Taylor, a member of Ninth and O Baptist Church. Taking acts of service to the streets "brings unity among the churches and helps change a mindset of competitiveness," Taylor said. Dave Kimura, who created LoveLouisville.org, said, "Words fall short of explaining the feeling, the reward" he gets from participating in the endeavor. "It's a huge boost to self-worth," he said. "We're showing love to people in the way that God loves us: unconditionally." "The world is not in our church services," said Pittman, head pastor of Highland Vineyard Church. "It's really very simple: The Bible talks about how it's in the small things that have the greatest impact." Over the years, performing acts of kindness has transformed Pittman emotionally and spiritually. "I was going to be the 'come-and-see church.' I wasn't going to be the go-out-and-show (God's love) church," he said. Pittman began performing kind acts for others on his own and, eventually, began organizing groups from his congregation and coordinating with other churches to do kindness projects. "It taught me to quit worrying about how you look. It's about what type of heart you're presenting," Pittman said. The lesson has paid off. "You know what I've got now? It's the kind of church anyone can go to. Come as you are and join us as we go 'n' show," Pittman said. "My hope is that Love Louisville Day helps plant a seed of what it means to follow Jesus," he said. "I know it did in me." Reporter Angie Fenton can be reached at (502) 582-7143. LOVE LOUISVILLE What: A one-day event where community members commit simple acts of kindness all over the city to show God's love with no strings attached. When: 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Oct. 6. There will be a post-event celebration at 1 p.m. at the Brown-Forman Amphitheater at Waterfront Park. Who's invited? Anyone can participate. Information: www.lovelouisville.org. Ideas: Take the neighbors' trash to the curb for them. Hand out bottles of water to people walking in the park. Do yardwork for senior adults or families. Hold a free block party. Give away potted plants. Go door-to-door and give away light bulbs, toilet paper or batteries for smoke detectors. Give away groceries. Give away clothing and shoes. Hold a free yard sale. Approach a small business and offer to clean the bathroom. Give someone $5 toward his or her gas purchase. Offer to wash windshields for free at a gas station. Give bags of goodies to employees at a local business.