Leadership

Wednesday Nights at SUMC

Check out what is to come at Schweitzer on Wednesday nights!

Back To School Bash Promo

Getting in Shape

Angela and I have decided to get into shape; both physically and spiritually.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20

This morning, we decided to start running every morning @ 6am together. We ran a mile for starters this morning, and would like to be able to Run to the Lights, which is a 5K at Silver Dollar City in Branson, MO.

Colossians 3:5-10

Although being physically fit is important, it can not take premise over being spiritually alive. Angela and I have recently found a devotional for couples, The One Year Devotions for Couples by David & Teresa Ferguson. We will run in the morning, and when we're done cooling off, we will do a devotional every morning together in order to grow in our faith together.

We all want to be spiritually healthy. It would be nice if there was a pill you could take or a book you could read that would produce spiritual vitality and health. It would be nice if you could do that for your physical health as well. But there isn't any such things. We become healthy physically and spiritually the same way: you have to eliminate what is harmful and cultivate what is helpful. It's not easy... but it is the only way.

Lord of the Flies

I sat in a small community church a last week back here in Estes Park. CO. It was an architecturally beautiful & aesthetically pleasing structure, with wood beams, sterling silver, and large windows. Honestly, it felt more like a loft than a church. I wanted to live in it, not practice my faith there.

As the service went on I noticed something peculiar. Basically everyone that went to church there looked like they were from California or NYC... basically 'hipsters'. Not that I have anything against that at all, but after I looked around I saw that there was not one old person in the building, then I realized that there was not even one older person there, then I realized that there was not one person over 40 years old!

In the book 'Lord of the Flies' a group of boys get stranded on an island and end up having to fend for themselves, Before long one by one a group of the boys began to kill the other. It is a great read, and short, and is one of my favorite books because it shows the barbaric state we digress to when not held accountable.

In this country, because this is not a global phenomenon, we value youth or the appearance of such. I am not sure why or how we 'digressed' to this state but I feel we are doing ourselves and our communities a disservice by alienating those who have more wisdom, knowledge, and years to share.

Have we so segregated ourselves from those who have time on their side, therefore limiting our knowledge of things to come? In essence, if there is 'nothing new under the sun', then aren't people older than us basically time travelers, how much can we learn from those who can see into our future?

We may all go through different experiences, travel to different locations, have different friends; but in this life there are much more that we share in common than we have different. In the same way I feel that our grandparents, people we may work with that are older, our elders, etc. may have an insight into our lives that the people closest to us our age may not have.

What happen to the word 'mentor'? I feel that it is a lost art and life left to the past. I admit that besides one friend a little older than myself that I do not have one. Its not that I am not open to it, I just feel that this current culture does not extend its hand to such. My challenge is to somehow come up with ideas on how to incorporate people 20 years older than you, or more, into your life.

Now I digress... are we not slowly creating an island of age in our little world? Are we not simply the shipwrecked boys on an island slowly eliminating each other due to our lack of wisdom, knowledge, foresight, and accountability?

To progress we must incorporate all to learn, we must learn so that one day we might teach.

K.C. Missions: Final Video

2009 SUMC M.S. Mission Trip from Tim Smith on Vimeo.

K.C. Missions: Day 3

Today was a day full of learning experiences.  We started off the day at Grand Avenue Temple in downtown K.C.  The staff there at the church wanted our group to realize that they were inclusive of all people, languages, and cultures.  The pastor took us on a walk around downtown, which he has dubbed, "The Trail of Tears."  This took us on a loop where most of the homeless around K.C. walk.  We were also told about the different ministries this church has to offer, which they dub, "The Lazarus Ministries."  

          - The Sojourner's Health Clinic

          - The Lazarus Table (free meals

          - The Lazarus Boutique

          - The Women's Shelter

          - The Lazarus Library

After we ate lunch at Grand Avenue Temple, we drove across town to Harvester's.  This is Kansas City's food bank.  We took a tour of their entire 200,000 square foot facility.  They deliver food to 20+ counties in K.C., as well as church's and other food banks around the area.  Our students worked for about an hour here, and managed to bag 900+ pounds of granola for the less fortunate.  Once we arrived back at the church after our work day, we had a good meal, a talent show, and a youth group devotional.  All in all, today was yet another success.  

Tomorrow we're off to World's of Fun for the day, and we'll be back sometime tomorrow night!

Goodnight!

K.C. Missions: Day 2

Day 2 was hot, but full of eager students wanting to help others in the Kansas City community.  We worked at Fox Hill Elementary school at an outdoor classroom.  The students spent their day weed eating, spreading mulch, picking weeds, and clearing brush from the outdoor classroom.  The day felt like 100 degrees, so there were plenty of breaks, and no one had to visit the hospital due to heat exhaustion.  So the day must have been a success right?

We then headed to a water park in Lee's Summit, MO.  The students rode on water slides, played in the pool, and relaxed in the lazy river for a couple hours after our work day.  From there, we went back to the church, ate some dinner, and went into youth group devotions.  Tonight, our devotion was over Romans 12, and how we each have a different role in the body of Christ.  Please be praying that each of our students find their role within the group, and within their every day lives after this trip is over!

Goodnight!

K.C. Missions: Day 1

Today was a success!  A group of middle school youth from Schweitzer UMC left Springfield today at 11am to head up to Kansas City, MO to help the community.  We stopped by an incredibly busy McDonald's for some lunch in Clinton, MO, and then on to Red Ridge United Methodist Church, where we will be staying for the next couple of days.

The boys are staying in a sunday school room with another group of youth from Ozark, MO.  The girls are staying in the fellowship center of the church on a tile floor.  I hope everyone brought their sleeping pads or blow up mattresses!

Tonight, in our youth group devotion, we discussed why the student's came on the mission trip. Why are they here?  What's the purpose of them on this trip?  We read Ephesians 2:8-10, where it says, "For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."  So we asked our students, what is holding you back this week from letting God work in your life?  We got some good answers!  We prayed over these things and now I can only wait to see what God has in store for us in Kansas City!

Goodnight!