Don’t Back up. Don’t Back Down.

Posted on June 18, 2015 by Kenna

We know that all of you poured your blood, sweat and tears into 36 W. 11^th Avenue. It simply blows me away to see all that you accomplished as a team. We know that you contributed your nights and your weekends and your valuable assets to open the doors of our building on schedule. You worked for it. You earned it. You have the right to be proud of the miraculous transformation.

BUT – now. Now we get to show York County what actionchurch is really made of. It’s time to take everything we have and pour it back into the community. That’s the only way we know.

“Don’t back up. Don’t back down.

Full throttle, wide open. You get tired and you don’t show it.

Dig a little deeper when you think you can’t dig no more.

That’s the only way I know.”

Jason Aldean – The Only Way I Know

THIS. This is how we approach every event, every project, every mission at actionchurch. It IS the only way we know. (And – just as a side note – It is really, REALLY time for a country song to be the background music for our Relay for Life video. Just sayin’.)

THIS – was how ac4northyork became a reality. And THIS – is how we are going to make Relay for Life 2015 a life changing event for cancer survivors in our community. Full throttle. Wide open. We are asking you to dig deeper; to serve longer; to love harder than you ever imagined you could. It is our greatest wish that every single one of you would choose to experience RFL2015.

So – buy a t-shirt (or two or three)…..give up your entire weekend……come out and lift some heavy stuff, walk all night, get tired, drink some coffee….dig deeper…….and be a part of something greater than yourself.

“…..through love serve one another.” Gal 5:13

This little light of mine

Posted on June 17, 2015 by Kenna

This morning as I was trolling for my daily news I clicked on the MSN banner that said TV Jingles You Never Forget – and then I wanted to poke my own ears out……
Gimme a break, gimme a break –
Oh I wish I were an Oscar Meyer Weiner that is what I truly want to beeeee –
Rice a Roni the San Francisco treat-
What would you doooo for a Klondike Bar

And – you’re welcome! Now that you can’t get those out of your head – remember this one?

This little light of mine
I’m gonna let it shine
This little light of mine
I’m gonna let it shine, let it shine, let it shine, let it shine

Of course – sung off key and really, REALLY loud! I hope the leaders in our children’s rooms are teaching that little ditty to our younger generation. Sincerely. Not only is it classic and timeless….it’s true.

One of my favorite things about Relay for Life is when it starts to become dusk and small tiny lights begin to shine. The luminaria ceremony. If you’ve never experienced it – I encourage you to plan to be on the field around 9:00 p.m. this Friday to witness something truly life changing. Families begin to light small candles, one by one, in memory (or in honor) of those people in their lives who are dealing with cancer. Across the field on the bleachers other small lights pierce the darkness – spelling out the word HOPE. Those lights burn throughout the night as a reminder of exactly why we do what we do each year at RFL.
H-O-P-E

One of the most important things we can do this Friday and Saturday as we tackle all the work that goes into making Relay For Life a success is to remember to be a light. Remember to give someone encouragement and hope. Remember to reflect God’s love and the promise of eternal life.

“The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it.”
John 1:5

Home Base

Posted on June 15, 2015 by Kenna

“preach the word; be ready in season and out of season…..” 2 Timothy 4:2

Josiah shies away from sports analogies like people avoid the plague. Don only tries them when it involves four wheels and a motor. So normally, references to sports around actionchurch come from my brood.

Spring is the season when my guys play baseball. The boys play numerous positions, but their strength is at the position of catcher – behind home base. It’s a great place to be for kids like mine. They are literally involved in every play.

Home base is a crowded place with lots of stuff going on. The catcher signals the pitcher which type of pitch to throw. He interacts with all the basemen on every play – signaling if someone is stealing and attempting a throw down. Sometimes the pitcher even has to run in to home plate to back up the catcher. The referee is behind the catcher watching over his shoulder on every pitch. And of course there is an opponent with a big bat – swinging it within inches of your face. In general – it’s a crazy, busy, happenin’ position to play.

And my guys love the action. But – the exceptional plays – the ESPN play of the week – those slow motion incredible leaps and dives in attempts to catch spheres hurtling in the atmosphere – the plays that bring the crowd to their feet – those plays happen in the outfield.

Now that we have a home base in North York it would be great to hang around where all the action is taking place. It’s fun to be a part of a team and I’m sure marvelous things are going to happen in our new building. There will be exciting new action groups meeting there. New crew positions are in the works. All kinds of neat things every day – coming soon to 36 W. 11^th Ave…..

BUT – the really amazing stuff – the play of the week, slow motion, can’t believe your eyes things – the God is so in this miracle things – are going to happen in the outfield…..in the community.

I love seeing actionchurch friends reaching out into areas that aren’t “normal” church things….like Bridge of Hope, the roller derby dames, Relay for Life and even our very own softball team. I love when actionchurch friends actively seek ways to reach out to the community – to minister, to love, to be a light in the dark.

THAT’S where the plays of the week are going to happen. In the outfield. Be a part of it.

“Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.” Mark 16:15

Let’s Eat

Posted on June 8, 2015 by Kenna

“There is nothing better for a person than that he should eat and drink and find enjoyment in his toil…..” Ecclesiastes 2:24

Friday the 5^th of June was National Donut Day! Most of us in York County have it marked on our calendars. I think the bargaining unit at work might have gotten it in their contract as a holiday. And there is a rumor that a committee is forming to organize a parade…..but THAT is just speculation.

Here is a fact. At actionchurch – we do love donuts. (And coffee) Since the very beginning, when people began gathering for “church” there have been donuts. In the early days of actionchurch we weren’t sure how we were going to afford the rent each week – let alone a dozen donuts. But each week we managed to somehow find a way to purchase the donuts. There has never been a week at actionchurch when we didn’t GIVE someone food.

The donut theme carried over to Relay for Life. I remember the first Relay my family attended. We were pretty “green behind the ears” – clueless really. We didn’t bring jackets, or chairs or a tent. My kids ended up sound asleep under the deflated bounce house trying to stay warm. Michelle Record (a.k.a The Preacher’s Wife) was the lone walker on the track. As the sun peaked above the horizon on Saturday morning Don began taking orders for a donut run. I thought (and still do think) we had the coolest preacher in the world. Donut delivery!

So, when Michelle approached me with the idea to provide breakfast for the attendees who had walked throughout the night – I thought it was a great idea. I figured she meant we would buy donuts in mass quantities, throw them on some pretty plates and pour some coffee. Clueless – really.

What Michelle meant – was a full out, multicourse, hot breakfast for ALL the RFL participants……at 7:00 in the morning……in the middle of a football field…….after walking for 18+ hours…….And I can tell you for another fact that I dropped the ball that year. Clueless doesn’t begin to define my attempts at giving people food (not donuts). The gravy was lumpy, the omelet bar was a bigger flop than the soggy green peppers, there was mass confusion and mayhem. I tried to string miles of electric cords for 20 bazillion hot plates, blew breakers left and right – Don was ready to kill me and I was ready to quit.

BUT – here is the good news! We DIDN’T give up. We DIDN’T throw in the towel. (Obviously we didn’t kill each other) And each year that we serve others breakfast at Relay for Life we find ways to improve and enjoy what we do. Even last year the torrential rain didn’t daunt our efforts. We just found a way to make it better and more funner-er…..

And that is what we intend to do as a church. We aren’t going to give up or quit. We are going to examine what we do and find ways to improve. We are going to continue to serve others in REALLY big ways. We are going to actively search for opportunities.

And knowing actionchurch – it will probably involve food.

“And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.” Acts 2:42

Be Kind, Rewind.

Posted on June 4, 2015 by Kenna

Back in the day – before Hulu and Netflix……back before there were Red Boxes at every convenience store……waaaaay back before DVD players – there was a phenomenon called BLOCKBUSTER. You could walk into a store with aisles and aisles of rectangular black boxes – about 7” X 4” X 1” – with colorful pictures and descriptions on the front. When you opened the box there was another black rectangle inside with two round circles and a crinkled up wad of movie reel.

Somewhere in a time capsule there is a VHS tape with a little label that says “Please be kind. Rewind.”

I like to look at the history of actionchurch in rewind. It’s an AMAZING story and I hope Don shares more of it in the weeks to come.

Back in the day – before volunteers spent countless hours to refurbish and repurpose a building in North York……back before the cushy (rocking) red seats at Frank Theater…….waaaaaay back before Club 19 and – get this! – even BEFORE Fat Daddy’s – there was actionchurch.

There was a black (of course) EZ-up and there was a (very) small group of like-minded people. Actively meeting together. Actively praising God. Actively serving others. They set the tent up at the York Fair and served coffee to carnival vendors from the back of a kid’s wagon (in the rain). They installed the EZ-up at Relay for Life and served cancer survivors year in and year out (in the rain, blazing heat and tornados).

And, just like we have morphed and grown and changed as a church over the years – our participation in Relay has changed and grown each year as well. From the days of one black EZ-up we actively strove to serve others better each year. I remember the year we added a teeny tiny bounce house to our site – and we thought that was great. As the number of believers grew we began serving dinner. Then as a group we collected $5.00 at a time and ended up contributing the entire cost of the dinner. That was an amazing feat. Then we brought an even bigger bounce house. After that we added a hot breakfast to the menu.

Our goal as a church has always been to do better, stretch farther, give more……..and actively give the praise to God.

Fast forward to 2015 and envision – about 100 volunteers with two bounce houses, multiple tarps and canopies and tents, a shaved ice stand, a full course sit down dinner for almost 500 cancer survivors, complimentary coffee bar AND a hot breakfast for 400 or so more people………all because – as a group of like-minded people – we continued to actively meet together – and eat together – and actively praise God together.

PRAISE GOD

46 They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity— 47 all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved. Acts 2:46-47