Summer Time

I am coming to believe that any youth minister who blogs more than a couple times a month during the summer either spends way too much time on the computer, or just doesn't do his job well . . . surely there are exceptions, but I find it terribly difficult to find time to pop a post on here.

We spent last week in Chalmette, Louisiana (south of New Orleans) gutting houses that had been damaged by Hurricane Katrina. It was quite the experience. We stayed with Hilltop Rescue Mission in Chalmette and were extremely blessed to be there. It was amazing listening to the stories from the homeowners whose houses we were cleaning up. If any youth minister wanders onto this blog - this is a worthy mission opportunity for your teens. It is cheap ($10 a day) and it is extremely rewarding. We met people from all over the country who had come to work there and continue in the clean up. It is absolutely amazing how much still needs to be done there. Words cannot express the images that continue running through my mind.

Yesterday marked the final Sunday of our preacher and his family. David and Suzie Estes have worked at the Alum Creek Church for the past six years. They have taken jobs in Nashville, TN (where they are both from) and will be involved in an important mission in the innercity West Side of Nashville.

That leaves a whole in our ministry here in Columbus, and I will no doubt be running on all cylinders in the coming months. The elders here are unsure of what our future here will look like. They will be meeting with members in the coming weeks to explore different options. In the meantime I will be preaching on average every other week, and we will have the opportunity to hear from other area ministers and members of our congregation.

I have never preached on a regular basis (I don't think I am particularly gifted in that area), and am looking forward to sharpening that bit of my craft in the near future. I will be assuming my youth ministry responsibilities and upholding that ministry as best I can while filling in the other work that will need to be tended to in the office and in people's lives.

I hope to in the next few days post a few posts reflecting back on our trip to New Orleans. Come back and be looking for those!