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Our Blog
Join
us here each Tuesday as we update this page with Ponderings and
Unravelings by our Pastors, Youth News and Events and Fellowship
UNRAVELINGS by Pastor Young
John’s Gospel says
that God became flesh and lived among us (John 1:14). In
other words, God moved into our neighborhood. That is the
message of the Christmas message. The meaning of the
Incarnation. When certain people move into a neighborhood,
everything about the neighborhood changes. What would happen if
Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie moved onto your street? Or if
George and Laura Bush bought the house next to yours instead of
moving to Dallas? Or if a known sex offender moves into the
neighborhood, the changes are dramatic. Many neighborhoods would
not welcome persons of particular racial, ethnic, or even
religious backgrounds into their neighborhood. The arrival of
such persons would change the dynamic of the neighborhood.
The arrival of God in those ancient
neighborhoods certainly changed them. The sleepy little village
of Bethlehem didn’t even know he was there, but they still
experienced radical changes. According to Matthew (2:16)
when King Herod heard of the new arrival, he ordered the killing
of all the children in and around Bethlehem that were two years
old or younger. They would have been both an immediate and a
long-lasting impact on that neighborhood. When Jesus stepped
onto the public stage, he would radically alter that
neighborhood as well. When he arrived in Jerusalem for that
Passover celebration, he was seen as an unwelcome arrival in the
neighborhood who threatened both the authority of the religious
leaders and the political stability that Rome so cherished. In
fact, every where Jesus went he was the catalyst for all kinds
of political, religious, social, and cultural upheaval. Things
changed in his wake.
Early Christians, followers of The Way
– his way, had the same impact on their neighborhoods.
Indeed they changed an entire Empire. They were able to do that,
not because they set out with that as their goal. They were able
to do that because they believed that somehow the
neighborhood-changing Jesus was still alive in them. They lived
as his presence in their neighborhoods and they changed those
neighborhoods by their presence in them. Somewhere along the
line we seem to have lost this sense of the
neighborhood-changing Jesus, present in his followers. In us.
Our neighborhoods don’t look much different than any other
neighborhoods. Nobody gets upset if a Christ-follower moves into
their neighborhood – unless he or she wants to start a house
church and cause parking problems. What if we reclaimed this
idea of us being the presence of Christ dwelling in our
neighborhoods? Not to judge and condemn our neighbors, which is
how so many of them see us. But to be Christ to them, which is
to love them (as we love ourselves) and serve them and offer
them a look at what an abundant life looks like. If we did that,
do you suppose that we, too, might be neighborhood-changers? I
wonder.
YOUTH NEWS by Twyla
We will resume Youth Missions
on Tuesday, January 13, and Wednesday, January 14, at 6:15 p.m.
each night.
We will go on our next Paintball outing on
Saturday, Jan. 10, 2009. Make plans now to attend. The cost is
$25.00 per person and we will leave the church at 9 a.m. and
return home between 7 and 8 p.m. Bring a friend and get a $5.00
discount each. Remember permission slips are required for all
participants.
Mark it on your new calendar now—our Winter Meadows
Farm Retreat. It will take place on Jan. 18-20. Plan
your homework accordingly so you can enjoy this fun annual
event. The cost of the retreat is $15.00 per person.
Reservations and payment are due by January 11. Bring a
friend to this event and you will both receive a $5.00 discount.
We will once again help with food distribution and deliver
food to families in need on Saturday, January 24. Each
student who helps will carry in, sort and count the bulk food
that came into the SHARE project in Burke, Virginia on Saturday
morning. You will also help distributing food to people who come
in to pick up their donations and also to deliver the food to
people who are unable to pick up their food. We will work with
the same adult team that we worked with in December to help
distribute the additional food that is being provided as a
result of the wonderful response of the church family to our
December mission project. Disciple dollars will be earned by
those who help with this task.
Thanks to everyone who participated in our Christmas Card
delivery mission project. To those who sent cards, to those
who delivered cards, to those who sorted cards, to those who
donated to the dinners for needy families—you all were the
presence of Christ to the families who received food in
December. And this is the gift that continues to give as we will
be providing food for an additional 20 families (at least) with
the additional funds that we collected after the December meals
were ordered—remember, we tried to help additional families and
there was no food available. Some of you who were away during
the holidays may yet receive a Christmas card or two. They will
come through the U.S. Mail and should be received this week.
Thank you again, for being the presence of Christ, to those who
received food, through your generous support of this project.
Our youth trip to NYC was a lot of fun for all
who went. Some cards were handed out to the people who were in
NYC on December 30, with a scripture verse and a web site to
learn more about God. No one gave out all of their cards, but
some of us tried. We had a wonderful day in the city and special
thanks go to Gerry Sue Young for accompanying us to the
city on this extra long day. Also, special thanks go to Larry
Crowder 3 (grandson of Verle Turner) for hosting us in his
hometown. He was a great help in getting us around the city and
lots of fun to be around. He has offered to host us again, so be
watching for another trip to the "Big Apple" in the future.
If you have any questions about or need a ride to any
upcoming activities, please call Twyla at 703-606-6527 or email
at
ttbeachluver@gmail.com
Coming Attractions:
Jan. 10- Paintball
Jan. 13-Youth Missions resumes
Jan. 14-Youth Missions
Jan. 18-20 Meadows Farm Retreat
Jan. 24- SHARE food delivery mission project
EVENTS and FELLOWSHIP
MINISTRY OPPORTUNITIES WITH ACCA
Annandale Christian Community for Action (ACCA) has received a
challenge grant from The Washington Forrest Foundation which,
coupled with an additional $7,500 from anonymous donors, has
created Challenge Grant of $25,000. ACCA’s goal is to
raise an additional $100,000. If this goal is not met, many who
seek ACCA’s services may be denied essential food, shelter,
medical or dental care, child care, etc. You can help by sending
your gift to ACCA, Inc. at 7200 Columbia Pike, Annandale VA
22003 by January 31, 2009 and noting "Challenge Grant"
in the memo line on the check.
The ACCA Child Development Center
is also requesting ACCA churches to provide the children with
mittens, gloves, hats, socks, and underwear for boys and girls,
sizes 4-10. These can be brought to church for delivery, but
they should be clearly marked for ACCA CDC so they do not get
confused with donations for the Hypothermia Shelter.
UPDATE FROM WINTER HYPOTHERMIA PROGRAM
(from Mary Lee Di Spirito):
The sheltering program is averaging about twenty-five persons
per night. Current needs are for long johns, hats, gloves,
underclothes for both males and females, dinner and lunch sacks.
The collection of clothing has been very good for coats and
hats, but the need continues.
(You may continue to bring these
items and leave them in the Mission Nook for delivery to the
Hypothermia Shelter.)
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