The Eye Roll

Let's have some Christmas spirit. This morning, I left early to officiate a funeral in West Virginia. It was a bit of a road trip so I thought I would fill up my new Sheetz mug (thanks Allan for the mug!) in Canonsburg and then jump on I-79 and make the rest of the way south. Sheetz was normally busy for that time of morning and I had on my suit, long coat and a donut in hand and my mug of coffee. The line was all the way back to the coffee table. I saw a man, with his coffee and I said, "Go ahead, you were before me." He looked me in the eye, looked me up and down and then rolled his eyes in disgust. 

Is there that much hatred and anger in the world we live? I smiled and just got behind him. We celebrate Christmas this week. We celebrate the Prince of Peace that came to us; Emmanuel, God with us. May our hearts be in tune to the peace that Christ offers us. Pray for the heart of the man who wanted to "hate" me this morning. I ask that the peace of Christ will penetrate his heart so that he can experience the joy that Jesus offers us. 

Afternoon in Bethlehem

Today, the people of Baldwin Community got a start on the Advent season with an Afternoon in Bethlehem! We had such a great day sharing our faith with each other and eventually the people of Overlook Green Assisted Living Center! After a wonderful lunch by our Parish Life team, we enjoyed crafts, dressing in costume and eventually a chance to sing to the people of the Living Center. Below are a few pictures of the memorable day! 

Way to Go Baldwin Community!

I walked into my office this afternoon to see a letter from the Western PA Annual Conference Camping Office. It was a list of all the churches in the Conference who sent campers to one of the three camps (Allegheny, Jumonville, Wesley Woods). I was ever so pleased to see that Baldwin Community sent 42 campers to camp this summer!!! We increased from 18 campers in 2007 to 42 in 2008! Way to go people of Baldwin Community! 

I have a deep and profound love for the camping ministries of the WPA Conference. It was at Jumonville that I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior. It is our hope that through camping, our children at Baldwin Community and the children all over can experience the love Christ has for us. 

I also want to thank everyone who gave to our Baldwin Community scholarship to assist our campers with a full scholarship this year!!! You are a blessing to many! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! 

OK This Should Not Be Happening to Me Right Now

This morning I was hit with something I did not expect. Abby and I were heading to class this morning. Abby's preschool room is the last class at the end of the hallway. I hung her little jacket on her hook and we carried her cookie cake into the classroom (It's Abby's fifth birthday tomorrow, November 7th). As we walked into the room, a little boy from our church, Jack, handed Abby something. I didn't think much of it. She then handed it to me. I looked at it and then just kept talking to Mrs. Riani and Mrs. Pavlick. Then about 10 seconds later, I looked at it again. It was a beautifully wrapped purple rose. This struck me hard! My four year old daughter just got her first rose from a boy! Abby was so tickled by this and Jack was so proud at that moment to give his "girl" a rose! I had to get a picture with my phone (I'm glad my phone has a camera for quick moments like this). Jack, thanks for giving me (and Abby) a great big smile today (and for giving me an increased heart rate)! Happy 5th Birthday Abby (Little Betty)!  

Way to Go Pastor Gretchen!

Pittsburgh Tribune Review
Voters feel tension of historic moment at North Side's New Hope church
By Asia M. HowellPOINT PARK NEWS SERVICETuesday, November 4, 2008

Gretchen Hulse, a first-time pastor at New Hope Methodist Church on the North Side, sipped her coffee in the far corner of her church lobby early this morning as she watched neighbors patiently wait, some in the bitter cold, determined to have their votes counted.
"People are very tense in this election," she said. "I mean we have the possibility of making history. They're worried about what this day will bring, but my prayer is that everyone that can vote will vote."
Voters at New Hope were lined up before the poll doors even opened at 7 a.m. Many people had turned out to vote in the presidential race between Republican John McCain and Democrat Barack Obama.

"I usually come right around the corner every election and walk right in, vote and come out, but some of these people have been in line since 6:30 a.m.," said Michelle Clark, 38, a disabled veteran from the Central North Side. "This is new to me."
The lines were new, but the voters' concerns were familiar: Voters talked about potential problems and issues the day's events might unravel.
Stephanie Jones of Homewood, working the polls at the North Side church said, "I'm expecting a blackout, system failure, and numerous recounts -- something to change the results."
Some voters challenged the training of poll workers when they were asked for legal identification.
"A lady behind me was yelling and threatening to report poll workers because they asked her for ID," said Jackie Myers, 67, a psychologist. "Those same workers asked me, too, but I simply told them I've voted at (New Hope) every election and they were able to check me off that way."

Way to Go Gretchen! (Gretchen is in my Young Cohort Group through WPA Conference)

Knowing the Context

A Few Pictures

The vision at The Church of the Resurrection written in the gathering area.

The gathering area at Church of the Resurrection

Pastors John Shaver and Todd Thomas enjoying some coffee at the coffee house in the gathering area at Church of the Resurrection.

A Road Trip

Sharing in the Lewis Fellowship at Wesley Theological Seminary continues to enhance my pastoral life at Baldwin Community United Methodist Church. 

This trip consisted with many site visits to a variety of worship settings in the Kansas City area. Our first visit was to The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection. The Church of the Resurrection (www.cor.org) is the largest UM Church in The United States. Last year's Christmas Eve services at The Church of the Resurrection topped 22,500 in attendance! We met personally with Adam Hamilton, church founder for two hours. He spent time focusing on the birth of the church leading up to their current setting. Hamilton shared his thoughts on vision. As you can see in the picture, vision is a large part of the church's life. This vision statement is located in large print in their lobby area (the size of a mall!). 

When birthing the church and even today, Adam asked this of the people, "Why do people need Christ? Why do people need the church? Why do people need this church?" He stressed the importance of knowing the answers to these questions. Clergy and laity both need to know why we exist, what is our mission and what is the vision God has laid upon our hearts. We had an opportunity to spend one hour asking Adam questions relating to our personal ministries. 

Our second trip today took us to Jacob's Well (www.jacobswellchurch.org) Tim Keel met with us for approximately two hours. We asked questions and had an opportunity to listen to Tim explain the ten years of ministry there. Jacob's Well is an emergent church. An emergent church is meant to be a space that is honest and authentic to the context the church finds itself within the community. This church grew from a small handful to over 1100 attendees on Sunday.  

God is doing some great work among His people in the communities I witnessed on this trip. I also praise God that the Spirit is alive and moving through the community of faith at Baldwin Community UMC. We are blessed to be going through our purpose, mission and vision planning and I encourage each one of you to be faithfully praying for our church. We are in the midst of an exciting time. 

The Great Escape

Currently, I am between trips. Next week, I will be traveling to Kansas City with the Lewis Fellowship. This past week, I spent three days at the Great Escape, a pastor's retreat at Antiochian Village. This retreat was intended to be a time of renewal, reflection, and a time of learning from Gil Rendle. It was indeed that.

The three days away exhausted me! Constant conversations with my fellow peers, sharing, working, reading... it was intense. However, the most influential time of this retreat came from my time with Allan Brooks. Allan and I serve together in ministry at Baldwin Community. A long time ago, I said, "I'll never be an associate pastor." As the days and months pass by, I am ever thankful I serve in ministry with a staff of gifted individuals. I am grateful to be serving at Baldwin Community for a variety of reasons.

This retreat allowed Allan and myself to grow as a pastoral team in a variety of ways. He and I stuck close as one pastor approached Allan and said, "Are you brothers?" He laughed and said, "No, we just serve together." Today, I thank God for Allan and his leadership, wisdom and most importantly, his friendship.

A Great Witness

Today the kids and I decided to go to the mountains since Jennifer was working. We met my parents, my sisters and their families in Confluence for their annual Pumpkin Festival. We arrived in Confluence during the height of the festivities! We walked down into town and met people we knew from Belle Vernon and a few other spots! Small world indeed! As we walked through town we stopped to try out the food booths (it was a bad day for the waistline)! We had the best pizza in the world, $2.00 pepperoni rolls that were almost 10 inches long! We tried the pumpkin rolls, funnel cakes, pumpkin ice cream, and the chocolate chip cookies! I did say it was a bad day for the waistline.

One of the best moments of the day was watching Wesley Chapel UMC and Confluence UMC at work witnessing to the crowd. Abby went into the Wesley Chapel booth as they offered free face painting. As she walked in, I slowly positioned myself near the edge of the tent. I listened as the women asked Abby, "Do you go to church Abby?" Abby said, "yes." The woman asked Abby which face painting she wanted. Abby pointed to the heart cross with different colors. The woman then told Abby what each color represented and she explained who Jesus was. This woman just witnessed in such a loving and meaningful way to our 4 year old. So simple that Abby understood everything she told her. Abby was so proud of her heart cross on her cheek.

I found it wonderful to see the United Methodist churches in town witnessing to the community to which they are a part of. Thanks Wesley Chapel and Confluence UMC's for a witness well done!

Happy Birthday Aaron!

10 years ago, this day, our lives changed for the better. God blessed us with a son, Aaron Jeffrey on September 22, 1998. Our son is a blessing to our family. Aaron has such a sweet spirit. Aaron is very shy, but would be willing to do anything for you. Yesterday we went out to eat with Maw-Maw and Pappy. When Aaron saw his grandpap, Aaron hugged him as hard as he could and gave him a big kiss right on the lips! He is full of the love of God and through his faith and witness, this dad is a proud papa! Thank you God for the gift of life, the gift of life in our son, Aaron and the gift of Eternal Life through Jesus Christ our Lord! Amen.

The Day Off

Today's my day off. I have finally been able to be home for most of a day off! Tonight I do have a wedding rehearsal, but that's not bad. The last four weeks have been busy times. However, today I get to stay home. Even though I'm home, laundry seems to be a never ending saga. With five people in the house, it can pile up fast. Jennifer and I are clear about our expectations; I wash and fold, she puts all of them away. Even though we still share the responsibility, it's so much work!

I guess I should not complain! We are blessed to have the water to do it, we are blessed to have a washer and a dryer, and we are blessed to have clothes to put into the washer. I've been many places around the world where that's not the case. Millions do not have clean water to drink, let alone wash their clothes. I'm going to go and fold my clothes and thank God that I can.

Family Devotion Time

Family devotion time is a practice we have not consistently practiced...until recently. During a trip to Family Christian Stores, I came across a 365 Family Devotional book. I took a look at it and thought, this looks pretty simple, but yet, impacting at the same time. I bought the book and to our pleasure, the kids love it! (Last night Abby laughed during the entire devotion... why I'm not even sure! Maybe she thought the theme of forgiveness was too funny!) Jennifer and I did not have anywhere to go last night, which was awesome and a rarity. Both of us were present for the devotion.

Each devotion consists of 1) One Bible verse 2) Short meditation that the kids can read 3) A reflection question or a quote from someone that will make you think.

I encourage you to try it. It brings the family together and it gives us all something to focus on and pray for. If you do not have children in your family, I encourage you to read a devotion that may be age/gender specific for you/spouse/fiance', girlfriend/boyfriend. There were multiple devotionals for purchase when I went. I'm sure many will still be there when you go!

A New Perspective

I just got back from visiting my relatives in Ohio. My Aunt Evelyn lives in Hamilton, OH and my Uncle Paul lives in Georgetown, OH. Both live in care facilities. It was wonderful spending time with my loving relatives and I had the opportunity to share this with our three kids (Unfortunately, Jennifer had to work).

Uncle Paul, back in the day, owned his own printing business. Uncle Paul was very successful in what he did and he is one person I admire. He ran a very successful business. Uncle Paul lives now in a Veteran's Home. It's a beautiful place, newly constructed in a farming area on the outskirts of Cincinnati. Uncle Paul and I talked for a few hours before my cousins arrived and we all went to dinner. It was great to see Uncle Paul doing so well.

We also had the opportunity to visit my Aunt Evelyn. Aunt Evelyn is approaching 90 yrs of age. Aunt Evelyn's faith in Jesus Christ has always been a powerful influence in my life. Aunt Evelyn worked in a bank near Dayton for many years until her retirement. Aunt Evelyn is now in the skilled section of the nursing home, rooming with Alzheimer's patients. Our visit with Aunt Evelyn was not too long, as she could not handle much more. During our visit, she made many comments that showed her mind was beginning to fade. This saddened me greatly. I knew a woman, as a child, who was full of life. Now she sat in a wheelchair, watching the days pass by.

I believe our visit will strengthen my ministry to the elderly. So often, I see the elderly in nursing homes as people who have "always been there." After this visit, it struck me that the people who have "always been there" are in fact, people that have not "always been there." People like Uncle Paul and Aunt Evelyn held incredibly prominent jobs, supported families and cared for the community just as people my age do now. One day, I will be their age and I will long for relationships with my family and others around me. This new perspective will allow me to better understand those whom I visit and listen to the stories they share or even just to sit there and hold their hand. May I be attentive to the ever increasing needs that I see around me.

It was great to visit and to love our extended family.

A Very Special Person Turns Eight

This weekend, we are celebrating a birthday! Alayna turns eight on Monday. Tomorrow, we are going to have a party! Alayna has been counting the days for her birthday for two months! With Alayna, parties are a must! I'm looking forward to the day too! She's got a heart of gold and always is willing to share Christ's love to everyone, including all her friends at school! Thank God for Alayna!

Practical Stuff

Jennifer found something this week on the web that has made our life so much easier! If you have multiple people in your house and you can never figure out each other's schedules, this website is for you! Go to http://www.cozi.com/ This online tool is free and can organize your entire family's life! I now get text messages straight from http://www.cozi.com/ that tell me what to pick up at the store on my way home! Check it out! You'll be glad you used it when you're coming back from soccer practice and there is that one thing you need to pick up and you just can't remember what it was!!! Good find Jennifer!

Open Seating...A First for Me

Yesterday, I flew Southwest Airlines for the first time. Usually, I fly other airlines, but this was the first time I have ever used the open seating option.

Lining up was an experience in itself! I was one of the last people on the plane. I like window seats, so I found a window seat near the rear of the plane. Sitting down next to me was a business man. I said hello and he said hi. I opened up the book I was reading and I heard a mother and son talking in the aisle. It was the first time this young boy flew since he was very young. He was nervous and his mom was hoping to have two seats where they could sit together. The man next to me got up and said, "You can sit here." The little boy sat next to me and the mom sat on the aisle seat. Upon take-off, I asked him if this was his first time flying. He said yes. I asked him if he was from Pittsburgh and he said yes again. I then said, "Oh, so am I. What town do you live in?" He did not know. His mom said, "Whitehall." I smiled and said, "Wow, so am I!" I few more minutes passed in conversation and I said, "I'm a pastor, at Baldwin Community United Methodist Church, across from Caste Village." The mom smiled and said, "That's where my son went to preschool!" Again we smiled at just how small of a world this really is. The mom began to ask me if I knew some of the teachers. When she came to one teacher, I said, "The teacher you are talking about is at my house right now, babysitting our kids!" The mom then laughed because her daughter is dating our babysitter's son! Way too small of a world! Following about a 45 minutes conversation with the mom and her son from PSP's, Steeler Training Camp and even Alternative Worship, she said she might just come to church and check us out! I gave her the times of worship and said we would love to have them come.

I am thankful that the Spirit of God was at work with the "open seating" on Southwest! Thank God the business man got up and the mother and son sat down with me and we were able to talk church! God is good! All the time!

New Opportunity

Monday morning I leave for Baltimore-D.C. area for a new opportunity: I have been accepted as a Lewis Fellow at Wesley Theological Seminary. The Lewis Fellowship http://www.churchleadership.com/programs/lewis_fellows08.htm will be a year in length with opportunities to travel to different parts of the country to meet with various church leaders. This first gathering will be focused on vision and leadership, two areas Allan Brooks and I are focusing on currently at Baldwin Community. I am truly excited but nervous at the same time for this awesome opportunity I have to grow in my ministry so that others may benefit. Please keep me, my family and our church family in prayer throughout this journey together.

Back to it!

Blessings Friends,

I'm back in blogland. It was a great couple of weeks away; refreshing ourselves after a very busy spring season. The Outer Banks was hot; a great place for a few dips in the pool. 16 members of my family went to the beach this year. We truly enjoyed every moment together.

I am happy to say that I did win the "Biggest Loser-St. Clair Edition!" I ended up losing 55 lbs or 19.7 % of my body weight. My brother-in-law, Eric was right behind me at 51 lbs or 17% body weight. My sisters lost 30 lbs and Jenn lost nearly 20lbs! My dad even lost .8% or 2 lbs!

What a great incentive this was to get me on track and eating right once again. Thanks Casey for the great suggestion!

Vacation Fun

I'll be out of blogland for a few weeks as we are packed and ready to leave for the beach! See you in two weeks!

Wish me well. Tomorrow is the final weigh in for the "biggest loser- St.Clair edition!" I'm going down 53 lbs lighter! I'll let you know who wins! Hopefully I'll be on the other end of Brett's 6/10 of a percent!

Words Really Cannot Describe

Words really cannot describe the joy felt at this year's Mommy, Daddy & Me Camp at Jumonville. The entire week became for me a blessing from God.

I deaned this camp for the second year (yes, I will be back for a third!). At the beginning of the week a child told me he didn't believe in Jesus. This seven year old and I had a long talk about what Jesus meant to me. By the end of his camp, he hugged me and said, "I believe in Jesus." Praise God!

Last night, during our camp fire, a four year old came up to me and said, "I like you, Pastor Jeff." Talk about a melting heart! I love working with children and parents. Thank God for the opportunity to minister at camp and to serve Him by sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ to the campers.

Making Mountain Pies!

A Sunset From Jumonville on Wednesday

Great Day @ South Park

Today concluded Asbury Alternative's Worship Series, "Back to Basics," a five week series focusing on Acts 2:42-47. It was a great day for worship, picnicking and fellowship at South Park! It was such a hot day, 94, I believe my thermometer read when I got into the van! We concluded with a message on house churches. When I got home this evening, I was thrilled to see the interest generated from our sign up forms to be a part of a house church movement at Baldwin Community!


Enjoy a few pictures from today's excitement. I will continue to pray for the leading of the Holy Spirit as we begin our groups in the homes of the church family.

Servant Ministry

I have been overwhelmed by the recent response for the Blitz Build in Mercer County during Annual Conference. Our Annual Conference has put together a plan to build a habitat house in Mercer, PA. I truly do not think the Annual Conference had an idea as to how many would come out to serve in ministry.

If you go to the Conference website http://www.wpaumc.org/, you will see Breaking News at the top of the page. When I clicked on this tonight, I could not believe that we have a cut-off! I am so glad to see the people of this Conference joining together in mission! We have had so many servants, willing to serve in this endeavor, that work is being found throughout Mercer County. Baldwin Community is blessed to be sending many volunteers to serve in the multiple ministry opportunities available. I look forward to hearing the stories!

It is my prayer that the house that's being built, the multiple projects available and the hundreds of servants in ministry will bring the Lord glory and honor in the week ahead. I can't wait to hear of the lives transformed and touched throughout this journey. I give Dianne Miller kudos for trying to arrange hundreds of volunteers for such a task!

Enjoy Memorial Day

Blessings!

I am truly thankful for this upcoming weekend. I will be glad to see this week go. The cold damp weather brought along a cold that I still can't kick. When I heard the weather forecast for the weekend and into Monday, I was filled with gladness. Sun and temperatures into the low 80's by Monday is a welcome relief to all the rain and cool temps that have crossed our area in recent weeks.

On Monday, the family has the joy of going to support my niece, McKenzie at a parade. McKenzie was crowned Little Miss Dunbar last year and this year she gets to be in the parade, waving to all the people of this wonderful little community. I am proud of McKenzie and the rest of my nieces and nephews. They're all such good kids. I am truly looking forward to the fellowship with my family and some very good friends. (McKenzie is pictured with my nephew, Braden and niece, Katie Sue.)

As we concentrate on fellowship in worship this weekend, I pray you will have an opportunity to enjoy some great Christian fellowship with your family and friends on Memorial Day and throughout the weekend.

Enjoy one another and build each other up, in the name of Christ Jesus. Amen.

Back to Basics

Over the last two weeks, we have begun the "Back to Basics" worship series at the Asbury Alternative.

Our focus is to spend the month on Acts 2:42-47.

The Fellowship of the Believers

42 They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

Over the next four weeks, we will spend time focusing on the benefits of 1. Studying the Word 2. Fellowship 3. Prayer 4. Breaking Bread 5. Meeting in homes. A simplistic formula, but one that has worked over centuries and continues to work in other parts of the world, such as China and Africa.

Our desire is to take our new Alternative service to the next level, in faithful practice and in physical presence. Praise God, we have been reaching the community through this newly developed service, recently having slightly over 200 in worship! The vision that God has laid upon our hearts is to see our church family attending this service develop strong cell groups that can split and multiply. This will be a commitment, but one that will reap benefits for you and those you invite.

This past weekend, we worshipped focusing on the Word. Towards the end of the sermon, I gave practical insight as to how we can deepen our faith through the reading of the Word. After worship, some of my personal Bible studies were being carried out of the worship center! Some couldn't leave worship without grabbing a study! God is good!

This Sunday, we will focus on fellowship. What is fellowship? What constitutes healthy, Christian fellowship among sisters and brothers?

May the Lord bless us as we spend the next month focusing on Acts 2 and being attentive to the leading of God's Holy Spirit.

God loves a cheerful giver

Wow, this morning brought me a moment that I just want to hold dear to my heart for a long time and I am glad I have the opportunity to blog about it. That way, I can reflect upon this day and how I felt.

Typically, mornings are crazy times for me. I get up now and go to the gym at 6:15 (I've lost 35 lbs here in the last two months!) I get home at 7:30 and jump in the shower. Get out of the shower and get the three kids ready for school. Jen's getting ready to work or has left already. It is normally crazy!

This morning was no different. After the kids were fed, I ran downstairs to iron my clothes for the day. While I was ironing my shirt, Alayna walked in and said, "Daddy, I have a quarter here and I am going to put it in my Minnie Mouse bank. I am saving my money to help you and mommy buy the new van." (We are in search of a new van.) My first thought was, "Alayna, you're so sweet. You don't have to do that." I gave her a kiss and said to her, "Alayna, you are so thoughtful." She just smiled and went upstairs and put the quarter in the bank. I got up stairs and she said, "Daddy I have 30 monies (30 cents) in the bank for you!" I could have cried tears of joy and gratitude. Here is our seven year old, striving to help us out the best way she knows how. I thought about how much this means to her; giving unselfishly to this "van fund." I was not going to accept it, but the more I am thinking about it, Alayna wants to give because she loves us. I am going to accept the "30 monies" she has collected and use it for the "van fund." I know Alayna loves to use quarters to buy cross necklaces out of the quarter machine at Giant Eagle. But this quarter is special. She is giving her gift in love. I need to accept this love offering. She gave it fully in love.

Pastor Allan and I have witnessed recently some in the church who desire to share their gifts with the church. When I say "gifts" here, I mean their talents and spiritual gifts. Some of these people have been told by others, "Oh, don't worry, I'll take care of it. You don't have to help now." This has turned away the "cheerful givers." Those who say this don't mean any thing wrong, they are so used to helping, that others are sometimes overlooked when it comes to service. Allan and I are trying to expand the number of the church's "cheerful givers" and include all of those who want to give in love. Just as I almost said to Alayna, "Don't worry Alayna, Daddy doesn't need your money," may we, as the church, be open to accepting the "cheerful giver" as they share their love of Jesus with us and the community of faith.

Thanks Alayna for teaching me a great lesson today. Yes, I will use the "30 monies" of yours with gladness and appreciation! Love, Daddy.

8th Avenue Ministries

I had the opportunity to go to Homestead yesterday afternoon with my family and members of Baldwin Community's Mission Team. We visited 8th Avenue Ministries, a new church start in the heart of Homestead. The new ministry is being led by Keith Kaufold. I told my children going into Homestead that this church is not like the church they are used to attending. I told them this would be like a coffeehouse, a gathering place to eat and talk to others. When my children walked in, they were pleasantly surprised to see spaghetti and meatballs and on top of that, chocolate chip cookies! During our dinner, I sat across a 5th grader who told me every detail about her life! It was great to listen to this girl's life and how she loves Jesus.

Following dinner, we set up the room into a worship center. It was an awesome opportunity to be fed physically and spiritually. The music was moving, the preaching touching and the fellowship of believers engaging. I left this worship filled with a sense of renewal and joy. I ask that you keep Keith and this new ministry on 8th Avenue in your daily prayers. I thank God for Keith and the vision God has laid upon his heart.

Camping Weekend

Yes, it is almost here! Camping season 2008! I am extremely pumped to dean a camp this year (Mommy, Daddy & Me.) http://www.jumonville.org/ My two girls will get to go to my camp and Aaron will be able to go to an adventure camp the same week at Jumonville.

This weekend at Baldwin Community, we are celebrating camping ministries. Friday evening will be a "campout" at church, where our Parenting class and Date Night families will set up tents in Asbury Hall and have smores, camp songs, movies and just enjoy the night with each other. This weekend, we will get to have testimony from parents and kids regarding their camping experiences from last year and we will have an opportunity to give towards Baldwin Community's Camp Aid Program. Last year, in our first year of this special offering, we were able to cover 67% of our camper's costs to go to camp!

Let's see if we can do even more this year! Camping brochures will be throughout the church as well as passed out during the Children's time at the Asbury Alternative and at 11 a.m. Sanctuary worship.

Officiating a Wedding

I have never been asked to perform a beach wedding before. Last week, Jennifer, the kids, my parents and in-laws accompanied one of my dearest friends, Brian Carr and his now wife, Karen to the beautiful island of St. Thomas for the beach wedding at Magen's Bay.

On the island we had the opportunity to join together for one of the most memorable days of my life.

Brian is a dear friend, dating back to the days of middle school in Belle Vernon. Brian and I worked, played baseball and hung out on the weekends together. I was honored to have been asked by Brian and Karen to officiate this wedding.

One of the greatest joys is knowing that these two individuals, Brian and Karen have a saving relationship in Jesus Christ. This couple has put Christ first and foremost in their relationship. As a friend and as the pastor officiating this wedding, to know they love the Lord with all their heart, with all their mind and with all their strength brings me great joy.

As a family, we were able to share some of our greatest memories. Weeks prior to going, Aaron, our son experienced some great difficulty breathing, thinking and told by the pediatrician, asthma (It turned out not!). We were questioning if this would be a good trip. It turned out that the warm tropical air did him the greatest good! He came back with a tan, sandy blond hair and no cough or breathing trouble. Praise God for the time away!

Here's Aaron "living it up" on the beach. No signs of sickness there!

Thank God for the time away. A time to celebrate, refresh and gain our health back!

I "Misremembered" my Brother Roger

Ok... I have had the distinct pleasure (ha!ha!) of being told by a few from church that I look like the baseball player who "misremembered" taking some "things" at the hearings, Roger Clemens.

Ok, I admit. I take "things." I do take vitamins.

What NOT To Do On A Snow Day

What am I to do when all the education world shuts down around me for a snow storm? I guess I change my day off! Jennifer is working 12 1/2 hours and I was the one to stay home. Today was the great snow of 08. Yes, we got walloped with a huge 4 inch snow storm. (Remember the days of three feet snows?) This four incher shut everything down pretty much today.

We couldn't go sledding today. (There are not many places in Whitehall that have sledding areas, as well as the kids growing out of their sledding gear.) Snowzone www.snozone.net (1/2 mile from us) opens tomorrow Besides Aaron, our son, had a orthodontics consult with Dr. Sepic www.smilesbysepic.com Dr. Sepic's office called this morning and asked if we could move up the appointment. We did. We arrived at our appointment, left a short while later and went to the movie theater.

Our goal was to watch Hannah Montana, Best of Both Worlds movie. We pulled up to Southland 9. We had the only vehicle in the lot, besides the one employee vehicle. The kids were jumping, excited to watch Hannah Montana in the movie!

We got to the clerk and she looked up and said in a monotone voice, "The movie costs $18 per person." I said, "Did you say this movie is $18 per person?" She said, "Yes." I looked at the kids and said, "Kids, daddy didn't realize this movie was going to cost us close to $100 to watch. This movie is too much money for us to pay." So we all turned around and left. On the way out, I said, "I'm sorry kids, Daddy didn't realize this was going to cost us as much as it costs to go to a Pirate game!" Aaron, the 9 year old, great thinker he is, said, "Daddy, it's ok. You made the right choice."

How can a working family like us afford to take my little children to see someone they think so much of and say, "Sorry, we can't afford this movie." $18 per person, including my four year old? It's unconscionable! It's unfair that the public has to pay $18 for a movie, not to mention $1000's of dollars for a little child to see Hannah Montana in concert.

So this is NOT what to do on a snowy day... see a Hannah Montana movie. Tonight we made popcorn, put our PJ's on and watched a rental... for $1.07.

She passed!

Good News!

My dear wife Jennifer passed her National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN)! She took this exam for the first time on Tuesday. Today she found out that she passed! I am so proud of Jennifer. What a relief. She studied hours over the last couple of months for this exam. It paid off! We thank God for the wisdom she was given. It's now official, she is a RN!

Casinos Rake In Cash

"Casinos Rake In Cash" was the title of The Valley Independent's Newspaper on Monday, January 14th. http://www.pittsburghlive.com/ As I read this I couldn't help but think of the ever increasing debt that individuals are falling in to. As the casino's are "rakin' in the cash," the economy around us is becoming much more unstable.

Gambling affects everyone. It is not just a problem with those who spend their money at a casino. When the new casino comes to Pittsburgh, many are anticipating a surge of dependent people in the area of public assistance.

As the Lord's Pantry (our food pantry at Baldwin Community) takes cuts from funding, the demand for food increases. It is a serious concern. Gambling is going to have an effect on the communities of Pittsburgh and throughout the state.

In 1998 the National Gambling Impact Study Commission funded a study to determine the overall cost to society posed by problem and pathological gamblers in the United States. The results showed that approximately $5 billion was lost annually (In 1998!), with an additional $40 billion in lifetime costs for productivity reductions, social services and creditor losses.

Studies have concluded that two out of three pathological gamblers commit illegal acts in order to pay gambling-related debts. This places a hardship on our legal systems, prison systems and public assistance programs.

The following consequences of problem gambling all result in economic costs for states, communities and individuals:

Job loss, unemployment
Debt, bankruptcy
Embezzlement, fraud, check forgery
Eviction, forced home sales
Crime, arrest, incarceration
Poor physical and mental health, suicide
Excerpted from: Effects of Problem Gambling [Internet]. California Council on Problem Gambling (Anaheim, CA); 2006 [cited May 2006]. Available at: http://www.calproblemgambling.org/gambling_effects.html.

John Wesley, founder of Methodism, considered gambling a means of gain inconsistent with love of neighbor. He clearly expressed his personal position in saying that he never bought a lottery ticket.

Wesley had a great concern for the economic ramifications gambling brought to the people of England. It was widespread then as we see it is today.

The United Methodist Church’s Book of Resolutions condemns gambling as “a menace to society, deadly to the best interests of moral, social, economic, and spiritual life, and destructive of good government.”

I am concerned for our community of Pittsburgh. Last week, I served four families in one day with emergency bags of food. They did not request money, they needed food to survive. I am not sure what the relevance here is with gambling, but as I hear stories from Atlantic City and other gambling areas, the need for assistance is at an all time high and continues to rise.

I am thankful that Baldwin Community has a Gambler's Anonymous Program. It is a strong program here. I pray that it can continue to minister to the needs of those who do come and provide education to flee from this addictive behavior.

Please pray with me as we share this major concern together.

Proverbs 28:22 "A greedy person tries to get rich quick, but it only leads to poverty."

A New Nurse on the Scene

A proud husband I am! Jennifer started her new career as a RN at Children's Hospital here in Pittsburgh! On Monday she began something that she dreamed of for a long time.

She will do wonderful with pediatrics. This is the gift God has blessed her with. I am so thankful that she can share it in such a beautiful way.