iRock Ministries

intentionally Reaching Our Community Kids

Wannahocka what?

There are children all across the United States that need a personal relationship with Jesus. You don’t have to look far to find them. The easiest place is in your own neighborhood. Partnering with a host of volunteers from Hilltop Christian Fellowship we spent months planning in preparation for a week long camp.

The camp name? Camp Wannahockalugie. Our theme? W.H.A.L.E. of an Adventure. The main characters? Lou Lou and The Big Kahuna. The focus of our week? Jesus. We were taking 48 children from the Clear Spring MD area on an adventure to discover their purpose as the learned to worship, honor, adore, love and evangelize the name of Jesus.

Each day The Big Kahuna went fishing for the WHALE but only caught letters. Taking a look at each letter, Lou Lou helped Big Kahuna realize that God is his provider and creator and is worthy of our praise and honor. Then and only then do we become true fishers of men and fulfill His purpose for our lives.

Living for Jesus is truly an adventure and each day we should discover more about ourselves and about Jesus. Daily adventures through music, crafts, play and Bible teaching brought each camper closer to knowing Jesus and forming a friendship that would last for eternity.  The camp staff was phenomenal and it was a privilege to serve alongside such an amazing team. They shared the love of Jesus with the kids each day as they played, prayed, served and cared for each and every one. By the end of the week there were numerous kids that had developed a relationship with Jesus and had made a decision to follow Him.

Camp has a wonderful way of helping both staff and campers discover their potential for serving Jesus. My prayer is that they will each find their place in the body of believers and strive to serve Jesus in their unique and special ways. I’m looking forward to seeing what God has planned for Hilltop Christian Fellowship and the Clear Spring community.

Day of HOPE

“It’s a little relief and a chance to get away,” said Jeannette Bollack, who came with her 5-year-old granddaughter to Convoy of Hope.

Bollack, who lives in Frederick, said her daughter, 21, has cancer, and her dialysis costs $25 every other day. Money is tight, and there are many things her granddaughter, Mckala Swope, can’t have, Bollack said. But Convoy of Hope offered Mckala the chance to run in the kids zone, jump in the moon bounce and get her face painted, all for free.

But the most valuable free gift she had the opportunity to receive was eternal life that only comes from the forgiveness Jesus offers.

Being part of the Kids Zone activities and sharing the message of Jesus’s love is one of the highlights of my year. Taken from the organizations name, our goal was to provide HOPE to those who came through the ministry tent.

Rotating with a team of kids from Damascus Road Community Church, together we presented the gospel in a kid friendly fashion giving all who entered an opportunity to ask for Jesus’ forgiveness and to invite Him into their lives.

We began our presentations of the gospel at 9:45 am and every 15 minutes gave HOPE to all who entered, adults and children alike. We continued until 1:45 pm at which point we realized that over 2000 had heard the gospel and over 200 had prayed a prayer of forgiveness.

It was a day of HOPE!

 

Let Your Light Shine!

“It’s gonna be a long day. I’ve got a ton to do today. I have to feed the chickens, slop the hogs, throw out hay and water the horses, pick the beans, wash the clothes and churn the butter. That’s not to mention my daily chores of cooking and cleaning

A cowboy’s wife’s job is never done. Living in the west is no picnic. Work is hard but I can’t imagine being anywhere else. The air is clean, there are wide-open spaces for the cattle to graze, the water is pure, the neighbors are mighty friendly and at night you can see millions of stars because the sky is so clear. Only complaint is there never seems to be enough time to get everything done.

Oh no, the hens are out again. They get out almost every day and I need to gather them up and put them back in the hen house.”

That’s how the evening started out at this year’s Stars Retreat as I portrayed the wife of a cowboy. As the evening progressed the girls participated and discovered how quickly tasks are completed when you have people that are kind enough to help. What can be a boring and not so enjoyable task can become fun. When we all take an active part, we can do amazing things. Through our kindness we show good deeds to others. We are like lights that shine, we become STARS of EXCELLENCE that give praise to our father in heaven.

Focusing on the scripture, “In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven” Matthew 5:16,

I challenged the girls to let their light shine in such a way that people would see their lives and wonder what made them different and special. It is through their good deeds that people would see that they are different and discover that it is because of their relationship with Jesus.

Jesus changes our lives and gives us joy and hope. There were ~200 girls there that weekend, 10 made first time decisions to follow Jesus and 35 renewed their commitment to let their light shine for Him.

It is God’s desire that all come to know Him personally. We read in 2 Peter 3:9, “The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness. he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” It is my desire that each of the girls that attended this weekend will be a light that shines for Jesus so that others may come to know Jesus personally.

 

Eurasia Experience Kid Style

Meandering through the marketplace and into the Holy place, children from around Wyncote PA came to experience Eurasia.

The Eurasia Experience is a cross-cultural, multi-sensory journey that brings the sights, smells and sounds of Eurasian life to your church, university or district event.

Walk into a bustling city scene.  Hear and feel the commotion of a crowded bazaar.  Taste the different candies and talk with people that haven’t heard about Jesus.

With the many different cultures and religions that make up the United States and the world, this weekend was an opportunity to demonstrate to children the need to share their faith in Jesus with others. God created John the Baptist to point people to Jesus. That was his primary purpose for being born. We were created for the same purpose, so that all would hear about Jesus. But according to Romans 10:14, “How can they call on him unless they believe in him? How can they believe in him unless they hear about him? How can they hear about him unless someone preaches to them?”

It is our responsibility to bring about an awareness of the need to tell others about Jesus and to educate our children in ways they can share their faith. Our children need to be aware of different cultures and religions so that they can be a light in a spiritually dark world. Our children can make a difference in the lives of others when equipped with the tools they need to share the gospel with others.

Jer. 24:7 “I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the LORD. They will be my people, and I will be their God, for they will return to me with all their heart.”

I so enjoyed ministering alongside Pastor Josh and his team at Calvary AG in Wyncote PA this past weekend. They served with a level of excellence that gave honor to God as they committed their time and energy in making this an experience for the kids like they have never had before. Thanks to the Experience Eurasia team for providing the tools, sights, sounds and smells that made the experience real and thanks to all who spent time in prayer that people groups around the world would come to know Jesus as their friend and savior.

Now it’s our turn to take the message into the world and reach as many people as we can with the message of Jesus’ love and forgiveness.

To see more photos of the service visit our iRock Ministries Facebook photo album entitled “Eurasia Experience for Kids”.

 

 

Operation INASMUCH

Clad in the uniform of the day—a bright blue shirt with the Operation Inasmuch logo emblazoned across the front—groups of Christians serving as the “hands and feet of Jesus” perform community service projects from delivering cookies to the ER and the Sheriff’s Office to yard clean-up.

Made up of an interdenominational team of volunteers from area Tappahannock VA churches, Operation Inasmuch mobilizes believers in a hands-on local church mission blitz in their community.  It offers a proven model of local ministry for any size congregation in any location.

So what’s with the name? Inasmuch is taken from Mathew 25:40 which says “Inasmuch as you have done such things for the least of my brothers and sisters, you have done the same for me.”

Being invited to be part of such an event was an honor and privilege. I was asked to be part of Project 9, the Youth Project. Children that wanted to participate in the days projects were organized into two groups, each at a different location. Gleta and Steve Jones from Radiant Life AG coordinated one of the locations. The kids were instructed to make cards, place mats and favors for those in nursing homes, and on a star, handwritten words of encouragement for someone special in their lives. I was asked to address the children at both locations and to encourage them with a biblical perspective on the responsibility we have to help others in need.

You couldn’t help but notice the blue-shirted brigade of volunteers all over the streets of Tappahannock if you were anywhere in town on that day. More than one eyebrow was raised as people encountered them. The initial reaction from a lot of folks was “what’s the catch?” They couldn’t believe that the help, the paint, the cookies were free—no strings attached. The community spirit and goodwill radiated among the givers and, eventually, the recipients alike. Volunteers of all ages felt the priceless satisfaction of doing good for goodness sake.

Helping others is a conscious decision, one that pleases the heart of God. I am glad that I was able to be part of reaching the hearts of people in Tappahannock Virginia, Essex County.