Camping Sunday

The sun is shining, the days are longer, the flowers are blooming...winter is over and that means it is time to start thinking about CAMP!


If you are looking for ideas for a Camping Sunday Service, the 2012 service is now available at http://unitedcamping.ning.com/forum/topics/camping-sunday-service

Dates for summer camp at Kenesserie are also up and available at www.kenesserie.com start planning for your awesome camp experience now!

40 Practices for Lent - Part 6

Day Twenty-six: Think of persons you haven't heard from you in a while.  Give them a call, or send them a card.  If there is something that needs mending in your relationship, take the first step.

Day Twenty-seven: Find ways to live more simply, shring God's good gifts with others by protecting the environment and supporting local farmers.  Read stickers and labels to see where your food is grown.  Make efforts to buy food grown within our community or province.

Day Twenty-eight: Learn the names of individuals contributing to the leadership of the local community.  Offer prayers for them.  Express your appreciation for their service.

Day Twenty-nine: Make a prayer wall at home.  Put up a large peice of paper and encourage famiy members to write or draw pictures of the prayers of joy and concern they have for that day.  Pray together for each person and for the prayer tey have expressed.

Day Thirty: Slow down and observe the Sabbath.  Whether Sabbath time is one hour in a day or a 24 hour period, take time to intentionally stop "working" and spend time in worship, prayer, and family time.

40 Practices for Lent - Part 5

Day Twenty-one: Find a psalm or hymn text that is meaningful to you.  Write the words out and study them.  Choose a different portion of the text for each week of Lent and memorize it.

Day Twenty-two: If you consider yourself a spiritual "dropout" reach out to someone you trust and talk about your feelings.

Day Twenty-three: Practice random acts of anonymous kindness.

Day Twenty-four: Pray the scriptures by using the ancient art of Lectio Divina.  For more information: http://www.valyermo.com/ld-art.html

Day Twenty-five: Find the oldest person you know and ask them to teach you something.

Practices for Lent - Part 2

Day Six: Start seedlings.  Plant seeds in small jars and place them in the light.  May they be physical reminders that we partner with God in creation.

Day Seven: Open your awareness to those things that are destructive in the world - sources of injustice and oppression that result in destructive behaviours that hurt individuals, communities, and creation.

Day Eight: Practice the Daily Examen.  One of the long-established spiritual practices in Christianity, championed by Ignatius of Loyola (a Spanish reformer and contemporary of John Calvin, who soudht to reform the Roman church from within), is a discipline of self-examination and repentance Ignatius called exmen.  For more information: http://norprov.org/spirituality/ignatianprayer.htm

Day Nine: Make a joyful noise to the Lord.  Make music by singing a song you have memorized or put on a CD and sing along.  Let your voice praise God.

Day Ten: Journey with Jesus.  Read Matthew, Mark, Luke or John from beginning to end during Lent and journey with him from the manger to the empty grave.

40 Practices for LENT - Part 1

Day One:  Ask for help.  Lent begins when we recognize that we can't do everything ourselves and we depend on God's grace for our lives.  Experience God's grace by asking for and receiving help for something we can't do on our own.

Day Two:  Follow "Journey to the Cross" www.d365.org an online special devotional for Lent/Easter.  Journey to the Cross features specially composed music, daily scripture reading and brief reflections.

Day Three:  "Be still and know that I am God."  (Psalm 46:10).  Turn off the TV, computer, phone and rest in the stillness.  Even if it is just for 5 minutes.

Day Four:  Prayer walk in the neighbourhood (where you live or work).  Simply walk around and pray for what you see, hear, touch and smell.

Day Five: Prepare and cook a "simple meal" of rice and beans for lunch or dinner.  Give the money you save in preparing this meal to an organization that feeds the hungry.  Pray before the meal and be reflective about those for whom this is their only meal.

The New Year - a youth group idea

The New Year is all about reflecting on the past year and deciding what changes you want to make in your life and what actions you are truly proud of. Why not do your reflections by making a time capsule. Do it with your youth group, your family, your church family, your friends - whoever you want!  Decorate a mason jar with a group photo and have each member of your group drop in an artifacts like a photograph, a movie stub, a note of their thoughts, and then on the following New Year's Eve, go through the time capsule to talk about the year you all shared together.

This might be a project you start at the beginning of the year, leaving the jar out and have have people add to it throughout the year.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!   GOD BLESS!