Braggin' on God: Our D'Now ROCKED.

DiscipleNow weekend is one of our most intensive events we do. We pour a great deal of effort, planning, and most of all, prayer into the event. For us, the main thrust of our D'Now's is almost always discipleship (more so than worship, evangelism, etc.--though those things do happen).

Our theme this year: "Lionhearted--Fearlessly serving the King."

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This past weekend, a hundred plus of our gang...

• Engaged in small-group Bible studies (we do all our stuff in-house). Among our topics:
  • The World's least talented man: (parable of the talents...main focus--the guy who did nothing with that entrusted to him).
  • Benaiah: The man Chuck Norris wishes he was.
  • Hezekiah: "What makes you so confident?"
  • Stephen: Fearless up to--and beyond--the end.
• Our worship sessions focused on the fall of Man, Jacob's wrestling with God, and the call of Abraham.
• Our speaker and worship leaders were excellent! I'd be glad to give you info if you'd like.
• The absolute best small group leaders I've had in 15 or so D'now's. Several are going into ministry or missions. I was able to use all thirteen small-group leaders out of our church. Ditto for great host homes.
• On Saturday afternoon, we do ministry work (it's a better cause than recreation, our guys are ready for it, it's cheaper as well...and we're making a difference!). It may have been the best part of the weekend. We were able to:
  • Prepare a campground for an incoming group of Haitian orphans (a legit entity).
  • Do a games day and parties for a local nursing home--for both elderly residents, and developmentally challenged young adults.
  • Conduct a one-day, Backyard Bible club at a local public housing project.
  • Do extensive repairs at our local food bank.
  • Do a neighborhood food drive for that food bank.
• End result: several concrete, specific commitments; two professions of faith, and a kid who is feeling called into missions (I've got some visiting to do!)

I love it when God rocks our world!

If anyone wants to know any more (needs help in setting something like this up) please PM me...I'd be glad to share with you anything you might like to know.

 

Tom, if you're the pastor, let me encourage you to encourage your crew (if they're doing a fairly standard D'Now schedule) to replace "recreation time" with ministry/mission work. It's the best thing you can do.

 

Glad you guys are doing this, FoS.

We tend to do a rotation with our missions:

Local efforts: constantly, with special emphases 3-4 times per year:

• Nursing homes
• Backyard Bible clubs (local apartments)
• "Blitzing" the area to rake the yards (1st preference: elderly and those with physical problems...absolute 1st place goes to those who also would not be able to afford it). Of course, they cannot pay us; we won't take it.
• Work at our local food closet/benevolence center (painting, deep cleaning, minor repairs).
• Canned food drives.
• Sponsoring families @ Christmas.

Regional efforts: A part of our yearly Sr. High camp: We've done ministry work in Charleston, SC; St. Louis, MO; Jacksonville & West Palm, FL;

International efforts: Every 3-4 years; must complete application, interview, Bible study series, and ministry projects as assigned by yours truly. 2011's possibilities (in order of likelihood; there will only be one location):

• Brno or Prague, Czech Republic
• Kiev, Ukraine
• Sao Paulo, Brazil
• Johannesburg, South Africa
• Kobe, Japan

I get so fired up watching our kids serve (sometimes they even let me help). As of now, we have four Junior high through college students who are answering the call to missions.

Our long-term goal: Having at least two missionaries on every (inhabited) continent on the globe. I'm saving the Antarctica spot for a couple of very special seventh-grade boys...

 

I've always been a fan of M-fuge: It's put on by Southern Baptists for 7th-12th grade students (entering 7th can go, as well as graduated 12th graders). It combines the best of two worlds: A camp, and a mission trip in one week! Heckuva lot easier to afford these days. Besides...the ministry work is often no slouch. Our kids have worked on Indian reservations, inner-city missions, and pretty much anything in between. It's outstanding. Ya'll ask me, if you want more.

Having said that, we only send our high-school students to M-fuge.

Our experience has been that especially as our group got larger, the junior high didn't get as much out of it. It's a big challenge for them...especially the less mature ones (they are often called "boys," BTW ).

So, we send our Jr. High to Centrifuge...they get the excellent camp experience (along with the worship, Bible study, and group accountability time). By the time they finish 9th grade, they're more than ready to step it up.

But, seamlessly tying back in to the OP...we don't wait for the "big events" to serve. And missions (as well as evangelism, IMO) is an appetite sort of thing. The more you serve God doing it, the more you desire to do more.

It's kind of like boiled peanuts, except that instead of a food product, you have God.

OK, that's the worst analogy ever... :laugh: