iRock Ministries

intentionally Reaching Our Community Kids

KidzFest brings in the Harvest!

“Well, howdy folks. It’s so nice of you to come to help bring in the harvest. We have allot to do before the cold weather sets in. I suppose we should start with the corn, then we can move to the potatoes and last but not least the pumpkins. There’s a harvest that needs to be brought in as the impending cold weather approaches. It’s a good thing I have Fearless Fran to help,” says Harvestor Harriet.

Although Fearless Fran made out to be tough and that she wasn’t afraid of any situation we soon found out that she needed more help than she let on and that’s where all the kids came in. They helped teach Fran about courage and in the process they learned that the greatest courage they could show was when they made a commitment to follow Jesus and to ask for forgiveness that only Jesus can give.

For three evenings the kids learned that courage comes from knowing God and asking Him to help in difficult situations. They learned that true courage is being able to stand up for what they believe is right even when other people don’t agree and that courage gives them hope and a future through knowing and relying on Jesus.

50 people, children and adults, had the courage during those three evenings to ask Jesus into their lives and to show them the way to true joy and happiness through a relationship with Him. Ohio Valley Christian Center’s fellowship in Wheeling WV had brought in a harvest that yielded new members into the family of God.

The three evenings ended with a time of celebration as the kids enjoyed, food, inflatables, games and candy. What an evening of rejoicing it was but nothing compared to the rejoicing in heaven over the people that made decisions to follow Jesus.

Job 33:28 “He redeemed my soul from going down to the pit, and I will live to enjoy the light.”

One Week to change a Nation!

White Mountain Apache reservation will never be the same! Why? Because 26 people from 4 different churches and 3 states converged in Phoenix to serve the people in and around Whiteriver. The goal was simple; reach the people with the love of Jesus. This goal was three-fold; Mega Sports Camp for the children, a work project to benefit a resident of the reservation and community outreach events to reach children in the outlying areas.

This team consisted of 13 adults and 13 children between the ages of 8 and 16. After spending 8 days with this group of people, I’m convinced that not only was it God led but the team was also hand picked by God. Everyone was focused and driven to complete whatever task was before them. From sunrise to sunset the team gave all they had to impact this community.

Children built relationships with the team as they played together and shared their lives with each other through sports camp and huddle groups. Friendships were forged and at the end of the week many children gave their lives to Jesus.

In the afternoon the team personalized the work project as they took the vision of the children’s minister and applied it to the children’s building. From one end of the building to the other they organized, labeled, constructed a puppet stage and puppet rack, painted ceilings, floors and murals on the wall, scrubbed floors, replaced a toilet, tore out the rotting kitchen sink and counter, replacing it with a utility sink, hung new window treatments and by the end of the 3 days of renovation the building had been transformed.

Evenings took us to the street where we were able to share the message of Jesus in fun and relevant ways and then distributed the Book of Hope to each and every one there.

Lives were changed that week. Children like Tatiyana who received hope as she prayed with the team on Sunday evening. Or Titus that stood on the side lines and wouldn’t join the fun until different people on the team became friends with him. He was accepted and loved unconditionally. There were at least 35 children that made decisions to follow Jesus that week.

An organized and refreshed children’s building provided the encouragement needed for an overwhelmed and tired children’s ministry leader to regain her passion for teaching the children.

And the team members themselves were changed as their flames were turned up a notch and they found a renewed desire to push forward in their own ministries at home.

I stand amazed at how much God can do in the lives of people in such a short period of time. Removed from cell phone signal, Facebook, twitter, and emails the team was able to connect with God and with other people in very special ways.

If you would like to be part of a team in the future, send me a message and I’ll inform you of upcoming trips. But, only send me a message if you are ready for a life changing experience!!

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!

 

We are Privileged

I was sifting through some old documents and came across this letter that my friend and fellow Pastor Oning Diayon wrote about a year ago. I thought it was worth resurfacing to remind us of all the great privileges we have as a child of God.

Dear Friends,
As we accept Jesus in our heart we receive the privileges that are promised by Our Heavenly Father.  Sometimes we don’t use  these privileges because we are intimidated by other people. But yesterday and today I better understood why find it difficult to stand up for the privileges given to us by God. It goes like this.

I live in Davao city, our transportation is primarily by jeepney. Jeepney is similar to a bus but smaller and seats up to 20 people. Wherever we go, we are going to use this kind of transportation. Many people call this a public utility jeepney.  Our government gives us discounts on our transportation if we are more than 60 years of age or are a student. Therefore the elderly and students don’t need to pay full price. They are only required to pay 80% of the full fare. I am a student and go to college so I can benefit from this discount.

On one of my many trips in a jeepney, I start paying the discount amount. The driver stared at me and gave me a bad look because I only paid the discount fare. I told him I was a student but still he gave me a bad look. I was not intimidated into paying the full fare because in my mind, “I had the right to do this.”  To further prove that I was entitled to the discount  I showed my Identification card to the driver and he finally believed me. I was not afraid of the driver because I knew my rights.  The driver did not believe me because I am a big man and maybe he was thinking that it was impossible for me to become a student. The only thing that convinced him was when I showed my identification card.

As a christian, we feel awkward if people know that we are followers of Jesus Christ. We don’t take advantage of our privileges because we don’t want to be seen as different. We are afraid that people might stare at us and call us wierd.

As we accept Jesus in our heart we are become the first-born and the first have privileges that can’t be imagined.
We have the privilege to teach other people about Christ.
We have the privilege to pray, reachout and many other things that God gives us.

You may not know your privileges or you’re just too shy to use them.
Don’t waste your chances! Use it or lose it
In His Kingdom, Oning

Khamani Meets Jesus today!

Khamani is one of those lives that was impacted for eternity. As I sat and talked with him in the prayer tent and got to know a little bit about he and his family we had opportunity to talk about Jesus. After sharing what we both knew about Jesus, Khamani, 6 years old, prayed and asked Jesus into his life. That is a life that will be changed for eternity. Many more made that same decision today. In comparison, what God accomplished that day in the lives of people all over Hagerstown made all of the work and efforts of the volunteers seem miniscule.

“I have come so that people may live and that they may enjoy life to the full” John 10:10

Among the many tents, the mounds of groceries, the variety of inflatables, the thousands of hotdogs and the numerous carnival games you find God’s most amazing creation…people! Today Convoy of Hope partnered with local churches and volunteers from the Greater Hagerstown area to bring hope to those who may be struggling financially and spiritually. Convoy of Hope is a faith-based organization with a driving passion to feed the world through children’s feeding initiatives, community outreaches, disaster response and partner resources.

Families received assistance in the way of food, haircuts, access to various community agencies, clothing and shoes. Today people were given hope and help as our honored guests. From medical and dental care to family portraits, people were shown the love of Jesus. It was a time to invest in the lives of others and Rusty and I were privileged to be part of what God was doing today in Hagerstown.

The Kids Zone is perhaps my most favorite area. There is no greater joy than to see the smiles on the faces of parents and children alike as they race from one fun activity to the other. In a world where pressures of life effect even the youngest of children, today they were allowed to just be kids. Whether they were jumping, running, fighting wanna-be pirates or waiting patiently for a balloon animal, kids brought excitement and energy to the festivities.

Many lives will be impacted today, some for a few hours, other for a few weeks and some for eternity.

Galatians 6:10 “Whenever we have opportunity we should do good to everyone.”