New Year's Eve Lock-in

Blaze gathered at Aldersgate for a New Year's Eve Lock-in. Events during the evening included Nerf darts, tailgate toss, board games, several movies, and indoor football. Thank you to all the parents who prepared snacks and came by in the morning to fix breakfast for us. And a special thanks to Dixie who volunteered to stay up all night with the kids.

Super Sunday

One December 13, Aldersgate's members and guests gathered for Super Sunday which combined the annual Christmas Cantata with Toys for Tots, our Birthday Party for Jesus, and the youth's barbeque lunch fund raiser. Donations for the youth fund will go toward sending our youth to the Blackstone Youth Retreat in January.

After School Outreach

Virginia Beach United Methodist Church has a wonderful after school program that provides about 30 homeless elementary school children a place to study and a nutritious meal in the afternoons. They are assisted by area churches that volunteer to prepare meals on sight and serve the meals to these beautiful kids. On November 30th, Blaze and many of Aldersgate's members took their Monday afternoon off to prepare lasagna, rolls, salad with ranch dressing (they love ranch dressing) and chocolate milk. Virginia Beach UMC is contemplating expanding this program and would welcome any help local churches could provide them. God is good, all the time.

Friday Night Live!

Courthouse Community UMC hosts Friday Night Live every third Friday of the month at 7PM. Activities at the event change every month and on November 20th it was a corn hole tournament. The folks at Courthouse are absolutely the best and made the Blaze members feel very welcomed to be there. We plan to go again in January.

Making a Difference for Children

Blaze volunteered to assist The Garden (the name for our very enthusiastic small group of young adults) in hosting a Chili & Cornbread dinner on Friday, November 13th to raise money for an orphanage in Zambia. The Garden collected over $400.00 for Global Orphan Relief. Blaze members helped serve meals to those who attended and stayed behind to clean up and take down the tables. [Pictured from top clockwise, Blaze and The Garden: Jake, Guy, Morgan, DeAnna, Jenna, Linds, and Mike; DeAnna at the podium; Matt; Pastor Reg and Susan; DeAnna, Jenna, and Anita in the kitchen; Taryn, Guy and Morgan serving; Our congregation and guests enjoying conversation and dinner]

Sunday at The Wave

On Sunday, September 27, 2009, Blaze gathered to attend worship service at The Wave Church in Virginia Beach. The Wave has a remarkable facility that includes large modern santuary (called the convention center) and a wonderful coffee shop where many gather to fellowship before and after worship. (sorry cell phone pics)

WOW!

On Saturday, Blaze and many of Aldersgate's members joined 1100 other volunteers on the campus of Virginia Wesleyan College to participate in the Stop Hunger Now project to prepare over 280,000 meals for shipment overseas. For several hours, teams kept 50 lbs. bags of food supplies heading out to the 70 stations throughout the Batton Hall gymnasium, where other teams worked together to mix soy, rice, dried vegetables, and vitamins into plastic pouches. Runners then took the filled pouches to teams that sealed them, while still others boxed them up and loaded them onto a 18-wheeler waiting outside. By early afternoon, most everyone had left the gymnasium either sore, tired, or both, but all seemed so very grateful to have been part of such a meaningful undertaking.

Redskins/Patriots Highlight 'End of Summer' Youth Trip

August 28-29, 2009. Blaze members and families headed north to FedEx Field this week and saw the visiting New England Patriots edge out the Washington Redskins, 27-24, in the final minute of the game. The threat of thunderstorms had loomed over the whole trip but never really materialized and game time conditions were cool and comfortable.

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Our former pastor, Celeste Health, graciously allowed us to stay at her church, Mt. Vernon UMC, in Alexandria and even joined us for the game. On Saturday morning we ate breakfast at McDonalds and took the Metrorail to visit the Smithsonian museums along the Washington Mall. Breaking into groups, some went to the National Archives and saw the Constitution and Declaration of Independence, another group saw the Hope Diamond and other exhibits at the Museum of Natural History and others went to the Air and Space Museum and tried out the flight simulators and later made it to the Washington Monument. Prior to leaving for home we had one last lunch together at a great Greek restaurant called Primo's which we had dined at on a previous youth trip.

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The Washington outing was a good way to closeout the summer and our young people seem to have really enjoyed the events and activities of the weekend. On a personal note, I have to say the parents and chaperons that drove and supervised our youth on this trip deserve most of the credit for our trips success and I sincerely appreciate all of their help and realize how tired they all must have been from the trip. I hope you guys will volunteer again next year and I promise no more seats at sporting events that require FAA clearances. God is good, all the time.

MANY HANDS MAKE LIGHT WORK - Blaze Helps with Reach Move to New Location

July 28, 2009. REACH (Reading Enriches All Children) is a energetic and generous group of people who work dilligently to ensure that books and literacy reach the many homeless children throughout our region. Over the last 11 years their team-based read aloud groups have grown to cover 12 shelters in Hampton Roads. REACH recently initiated a move to a new headquarters in another part of Ghent, but was faced with having to move a large number of boxes containing files and supplies from one location to another. So when Blaze heard that REACH might need a hand moving to their new location several of our youth (on really short notice) volunteered to pitch in and help with the move. The effort our young people put into helping was truly outstanding and requires me to observe once again that they never let me down. It did not go unnoticed by the folks at REACH that there was a perfect harmony associated with young people volunteering to help other young people. Afterwards, we went to Cogans for some really great pizza. BTW, Cogan's slogan is "For Spaceman Strenght and Endurance." I'm not really sure what that means, but next time maybe we'll eat the pizza before we do the heavy lifting. God is good all the time. Thanks guys.

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Exodus 18:18-23: "You and these people who come to you will only wear yourselves out. The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone. Listen now to me and I will give you some advice, and may God be with you. You must be the people's representative before God and bring their disputes to him. Teach them the decrees and laws, and show them the way to live and the duties they are to perform. But select capable men from all the people--men who fear God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain--and appoint them as officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. Have them serve as judges for the people at all times, but have them bring every difficult case to you; the simple cases they can decide themselves. That will make your load lighter, because they will share it with you. If you do this and God so commands, you will be able to stand the strain, and all these people will go home satisfied."

Summer Outreach Concludes with G&E #7

July 24, 2009. Board games and free burgers and pizza were provided by our youth ministry this summer as a way of reaching out to our community's young people and families. Young and old alike attended our events over a 14 week period and gathered together to play such games as Risk, Clue, Settlers of Catan, Scrabble and Axis & Allies. Because of the interest these events have generated we are considering resuming them in the fall.

Annual Busch Gardens Outing Great Fun

On July 18th Blaze caravaned to Busch Gardens Williamsburg and enjoyed perfect weather and had the park mostly to ourselves until after lunch.

Friday Night Alternative Continues

Games and Eats returned on June 12th and neighborhood families and youth continued to enjoy playing the many board games offered. The group that gathered this evening appeared to have keyed on games like Monopoly, Catan, and Scrabble. Some of the youth are looking to play Basketball next time which will likely happen. Hot dogs, Hamburgers and freshly baked chocolate chip cookies were the main menu items for G&E#4. The next Games and Eats is scheduled for June 26th. (18)

Perfect Afternoon for a Ball Game

Our young people went to Harbor Park on June 7th. It was a comfortable afternoon with a cool breeze. We had wonderful weather for a baseball game. The Tides lost (4-1) but they provided the fans in attendance a great game.

Neighborhood Youth Gather for 4th Annual Golf Tournament

On Saturday, May 23rd, our youth participated in our Annual Youth Golf Tournament. We had our largest group of players yet and several last minute entries who joined us after attending the Games and Eats the night before. Many thanks to the parents and adults how helped with each team.

Great Turnout for Games and Eats #3

We had our best turnout yet for Games and Eats on May 22nd as the youth who attended previously invited more of their friends. It was just a great evening playing games, like Axis and Allies, Sequence, Clue, Apples to Apples, Janga, Backgammon and others, and we had lots of support from parents in helping to serve hamburgers, potato chips and freshly baked chocolate chip cookies. God is good all the time. (32)

Games & Eats Catching On

Blaze was out in force Friday night, May 8th, helping with the preparations and clean up of our 2nd Games and Eats. One of our parents introduced several of us to a cool card game called Sequence and everyone seemed to enjoy the pizza and oven baked chocolate chip cookies. It was great to see our young people return with enough of their friends to more than double the participation from a couple weeks ago. Thanks guys. May 22 is the date of our next Games & Eats. (27)

Remembering Our Environment on Global Youth Service Day

Blaze spent their Saturday morning picking up trash at Seashore State Park for Global Youth Service Day. GYSD is the largest youth service day in the world and this is the 2nd year we have participated in the event.

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While walking along the trails of the park we encountered a very serious looking snake. See picture above. I finally figured out what kind on snake it was. It was a Eastern Hognose snake that can actually flair its head (we saw him do that) to look more threatening (it was), but such snakes are not poisonous and do not bite.

Blaze Launches Summer Outreach Project

Last Friday, April 24th, our youth ministry, Blaze, held its first Games and Eats for the local community which we offered as a "Friday Night Alternative." Chilli Dogs, Coca Colas, Risk, Backgammon, Monopoly, and Mouse Trap were the order of the evening. We hope our event will grow into a well anticipated and attended event as we move into the warmer summer months. We intend to offer G&E every 2nd and 4th Fridays of every month. The event is absolutely free and in these tough economic times our hope is that it will offer families an opportunity to have an inexpensive night out with their kids. But you dont have to be young or have kids to come and have a good time. If you're feeling especially lucky you might even challenge the Big Kahuna to a game of Backgammon. (13)

Arena Racing 2009

The wet and cold didn't stop us from making our annual trip to Arena Racing. Once again it was a great time. Note to self: Next year bring earplugs (for the cars?)

WINTER JAM 2009 A BIG CROWD PLEASER

The crowd for Winter Jam 2009 was really huge this year. Given the awesome lineup of music groups and no advanced ticket sales, it was not really a surprise that extremely long lines formed around the Scope. For a while it did not look good for getting into the event, but our group, and I think everyone else, managed to get in and even find seats. Next year we will need to get there at least an hour and half before the doors open.
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The artists and bands this year were great. Anyone of the main acts, Francesca Battistelli, New Song, Brandon Heath, Hawk Nelson, or Toby Mac would have been worth seeing by themselves, but all together made for a spectacular show. The crowd favorite, however, seemed to be Toby Mac and most in attendance left with a new appreciation for this very talented group.
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This year's WinterJam had a number of wonderful sponsors which included Holt International, which assists families with worldwide child adoptions, and Global Expeditions, which sends youth across the globe on missions.

2009 BLACKSTONE YOUTH RETREAT LIFTS SPIRITS HIGH

I will remember the 2009 Blackstone Youth Retreat for a very long time. This one really touched me and raised the bar for future youth retreats. Mark Price, this year's keynote speaker, was wonderfully entertaining and connected so well with our youth. I heard only superlative comments about him throughout the weekend. Stand Still once again rocked the house and provided exceptional musical entertainment for everyone in attendance. Both Mark and Stand Still shared with our young people the powerful influence Christ has had on their lives and were actively involved with the events throughout the weekend. The plannng and execution of the entire retreat was superb.
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The attention to detail that went into putting on this year's talent show was very apparent. The audio-visual support and the lighting effects were great and really helped showcase the performances. The 17 youth performances this year, from beginning to end, highlighted how amazingly creative and gifted our kids are and how blessed we are as youth leaders to be able to serve them. I could go on and on about the talent show.
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I loved the 'rules' video that was shown Friday evening. It was really clever and funny, and must have taking a lot of time to prepare.
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Sunday's worship service was really surprising. A lot of creative effort went into putting it all together. The stapling to the cross of pictures and everybody's name at the end of the service provided a moving way to end this year's retreat and everyone departed Blackstone with the feeling that they had witnessed something special.
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Well done to Courthouse Community's Doug and Debi Nichols and everyone involved with the Norfolk District Youth Council for orchestrating such a beautiful weekend.

Blaze Hosts National Day of Service Food Drop Off

On January 19th, Blaze hosted a Food Drop Off in conjunction with the National Day of Service. This year's event got a lot more attention than usual because of the active support given it by President-elect Obama and his wife, Michelle. As a result of people dropping food off for the event, and earlier food drives by Aldersgate UMC and the River Forest Shores Civil League we raised over 350 pounds of food. God is good, all the time.

Blaze Youth Hit the Lanes

On January 4th, Blaze started off the new year with a trip to Indian River Bowling Lanes. The pizza and snacks were great and we also got to watch one of the NFL wild card games. Many thanks to the adults who drove us there. The next event is the Blackstone Youth Retreat on 23-25 January.

NORFOLK SCOPE HOSTS WINTER JAM 2009 ON FEBRUARY 22, 2009

Winter Jam 2009 is coming back to Norfolk on Sunday, February 22, 2009. This time the event will be held downtown at Norfolk's Scope Arena. The event starts at 6 PM and doors open at 5PM. However, if you have been to this event before arriving about 4 PM (or earlier) is recommended. Like last year there are no advanced ticket sales and the cost is $10 cash at the door. This year's performers include: Toby Mac, Hawk Nelson, New Song, Francesca Battistelli, Brandon Heath, Stephanie Smith Pure NRG and guestspeaker Tony Nolan. More info is available at http://www.jamtour.com/.

Eagle Eyrie - A Wonderful Youth Retreat

I had heard only great things about Eagle Eyrie, the Baptist Conference Center, in Lynchburg, Virginia, since becoming the Blaze youth director, but I had never had the opportunity to take our youth until St. John's youth director invited us to go with her group. The middle school retreat started on Friday, a school day, which meant we had to leave after all the youth got out of school. Driving through the dark and fog presented a real challenge since Eagle Eyrie is located atop of one of the many hills surrounding Lynchburg, the home of Liberty University.

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Blaze joined 700 other United Methodist youth for a weekend of worship, fellowship and fun. We stayed at Clarendon Lodge which is one of a dozen or so houses which literally form a neighborhood above one side of the Eagle Eyrie complex. Sharing the house with us were a great group of youth from Amelon United Methodist Church and their leaders E-dee and John. E-dee and John made a great team and clearly loved being there with their youth group.

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The Baptist Conference Center is run by some really great people who are committed to making the retreat as comfortable and enjoyable as possible for the young people there. The Eagle Eyrie staff were always ready to help us when ever we had a question or problem. The food provided at the retreat was great (and all-you-can-eat). The Keith Elgin Band was a real crowd pleaser and were there for the whole weekend performing during worship and the Saturday evening concert. It was a busy weekend, but our youth also found time to visit the ice cream and gift shops on site. I highly recommend Eagle Eyrie for anyone considering a youth retreat, but bring comfortable walking shoes (the terrain is hilly) and a flash light (for walking through wooded paths at night).

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"I know you've heard the old cliche that 'things won't make you happy.' What I want you to realize is that unless you purposefully choose another direction for your life, you will spend it acquiring things and maintaining them. And in the process, you will become a slave to them. You won't be doing this because you truly believe that things will bring you happiness. You will be doing it because you didn't decide to do something else with your life." - John W. Whitehead, founder of the Rutherford Institute, A Well-Spent Life.

Fishnet Live Comes to Hampton

Fishnet Live came to Hampton on November 1st and Blaze members got the chance to see the David Crowder Band and American Idol runner up Mandisa perform. In the last few days before the event, its organizers made the decision to give the remaining tickets away for free, which was a Godsend for our youth budget.

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Our youth especially enjoyed the David Crowder Band which was clearly the crowd favorite. Their entire show from start to finish was completely awesome. After his performance, David Crowder took the time to sign autographs, meet with each of our young people, and pose for photographs. (See above).

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Earlier in the evening, during the worship portion of the festival, two of our young people made the decision to go forward with others attending in a profession of faith. You just never know when or how God's love will reach someone and change the course of their life. It's remarkable every single time you see it happen. God is good all the time.

Tabernacle UMC Hosts 2nd Annual Youth Rally

Tabernacle UMC in Sandbridge hosted a wonderful youth rally on October 4th and Blaze gathered with many other Norfolk district youth to enjoy the bands that performed and consume some of the many free hot dogs and sodas provided by its members. The folks at Tabernacle organized a great event and their generosity in giving back to the youth of their community and their district was truly appreciated.

Spring Branch Reachs Out to Seekers

Last Sunday, Blaze continued its program of visiting other churches which we hope will allow our young people to interact with others on the same faith journey and support the missions of our brothers and sisters in Christ. On September 20th we visited Spring Branch Community Church in Virginia Beach which offers a modern non-denominational service. Spring Branch views itself as a seeker church and its mission is reflected in its desire to "bring faith and life together". Their church seems to have been successful in its effort to make those who attend Spring Branch feel comfortable and not intimidated by the rigid structure sometimes seen in churches today.

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When we arrived for their second service of the day, an excellent contemporary worship band and a very talented piano player and vocalist were already performing. The worship music seemed to make it easier for first-timers like us because it gave us time at the beginning of the service to maneuver through the crowd and get in and find our seats. Our group found its seats in the balcony area of Spring Branch's sanctuary.

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I had been told ahead of time that because this is a seeker church it has a more secular appearance than people might be accustomed to seeing. There are no stain glass windows, no hymnals, and no choir in robes or otherwise, but there are lots of Bibles brought by those attending. The more I thought about it the more I realized that the lack of Christian adornments may effectively address the reservations many feel toward the church in general today, but no less passionately introduces non-believers to the life changing impact of the Good News. Spring Branch's appearance seems to be successful at putting those in attendance at ease.

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The beginning of Spring Branch's worship service displayed an emphasis on creativity and humor to convey its message. This included a very funny mock news story followed by what seemed to be their own locally produced video that was displayed on one of the sanctuary's extra-large video screens.

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The theme of Pastor Michael Simone's sermon series that Sunday was political correctness in religion. He observed that today too many churches, by not wanting to offend anyone, have made their highest authority the lowest common denominator. Pastor Simone concluded by reminding us that true followers of Christ seek faith that will transform the way they live. My youth seemed to have really enjoyed the worship experience, as well as interacting with some of the many young people who regularly attend service there.

Discovering The ROC

Blaze traveled to Richmond on September 13th to visit Short Pump Mall and attend worship service at the Richmond Outreach Center (The ROC). The ROC is well known for its wholehearted outreach to people cast off by the rest of society (you know, the same kind of people Jesus entrusted to Peter).
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When we arrived at the ROC it did not take us long to realize this was not going to be your typical contemporary worship service. We immediately came upon a gauntlet of about 25 leather clad bikers and others who all extended their hands in fellowship, and with sincere smiles proudly welcomed us to their church. Inside was a basketball court with bleachers and folding chairs and lots of different looking people who all seemed really happy to be there. The United Nations doesn't have the diversity the ROC has. And no jackets or ties. We quickly found our seats in the bleachers and I was soon greeted by Tim sitting next to me who told me he really loved coming to the ROC. The music that started things off was intense and loud and energizing. No one sleeps through worship service at the ROC. And did I say there were no jackets or ties.
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After the music, the church's founder, Geronimo Aguilar ("Pastor G") talked to the crowd of over a thousand about things that were important to him like the souls that were saved that week, the leadership of King David, the Book of Samuel, commitment to each other when things are going well and especially when things are going badly, and Christ. When Pastor G asked first time guests to raise their hands, there was no embarrassment because we knew by then that there was going to be a whole lot of love directed our way, and there was. At the end of the service, Pastor G called people to come forward in a profession of faith and one of our groups' young people surprized us and went forward. It doesn't get better than that; it really doesn't.
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And here was an important lesson I took away from the ROC: This church appears to spend most all its time working in its community assisting people who have no conceivable means of helping the church financially. They focus on the poor and inner-city youth (the church has its own skate board park), and they even offer the homeless bus rides to their worship service. Yet across the basketball court from where we sat was a sign showing the progress of their multi-million dollar building campaign. The amount raised to date was a very impressive and healthy number (in the millions of dollars). So I ask why do so many churches struggle financially? I think the answer is that no stewardship program can possibly succeed in the long run without understanding where the money comes from. The stewardship equation is this simply: Help those in need and God will help you a hundred fold in return. There are no short cuts.

Cool Evening - Lots of Dolphins

A lot of our members had conflicts this evening, but for those who made the cruise it was a beautiful cool evening on the water with lots of dolphins around to admire.

Richard Kiser and Jimmy Davis Rock River Forest Shores

Last Saturday night was just one of those perfect evenings. The cool evening breeze offered a comfortable setting for all of our guests who gathered in lawn chairs around Country Gospel artists Richard Kiser and Jimmy Davis.

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Jimmy Davis' credits include being voted the New Male Artist of the Year in 2003 by the International Country Gospel Music Association, Songwriter of the Year in 2004, 2005, and 2006, and in 2007 he was awarded the Platinum Heart Award for songwriting. His playing style has led him to become known as the John Denver of Country Gospel.

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Richard Kiser was named the "Instrumentalist of the Decade" by the International Country Gospel Music Association and "Artist of the Year" three times by with the Country Gospel Music Association in Branson. Richard delighted the audience by performing songs with his trademark smoking Thunderbird muffler guitar.

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While Blaze Youth Ministries may have originated the idea for offering our neighbors free hot dogs and sodas, in the end we were overwhelmed by the support of our church in providing the dogs, buns, sodas and assistance needed to undertake this wonderful event. The final result was that Blaze ended up with more in its budget than it started with. We literally got back more than we gave, just as God promises. God is good all the time don't you know.

Theme Park Adventure is a Hit at VBS 2008

Blaze members, their friends, and families pitched in this year to make Vacation Bible School 2008 a very memorable event for the kids attending. Particularly praiseworthy was the wonderfully funny skit performed over two days by Blaze members: Taryn, Nick, Chris, Skylar, John and Guy. I was told by several people that our young people's participation made the difference this year. You guys always come through.

Maryland Youth Conference Asks Young People to Do Hard Things

We traveled north from Tidewater on July 26th to attend the "Rebelution" Conference held at Covenant Life Church in Gaithersburg, Maryland. The event was meant to challenge teenagers to do more than be mere consumers of electronics. To be more than just what society expects them to be (which isn't much). I heard the conference expected about 2100 youth for the event, but got more like 3800 so the auditorium was packed.

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After the conference we drove to Camden Yards to see the Baltimore Orioles take on the Los Angeles Angels (Os lost 11-6) and visit the B&O Warehouse.

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The next day we attended a wonderful worship service at Grace Fellowship Church which is a non-denominational mega-church in Timonium, Maryland. Then after pizza and subs at Maria's down the street and a quick visit to Barnes and Nobles, we returned home via the Eastern Shore with stops at Prime Outlets in Queenstown, Maryland, and the Bob Evans restaurant for dinner.

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However, in keeping with the theme of the weekend, i.e., doing hard things, my wife Diane called and warned us of a severe storm that was then over Cape Charles. We were about 15 minutes away. The storm eventually closed the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel for a short time. We pulled over and for a few exhilarating moments rode out the torrential downpour and lighting in our cars near the entrance to the bridge tunnel. God was certainly with us and protecting us. It was, in its entirety, one heck of a great weekend.

Trip to see New Batman Movie

Arcade games, shenanigans, and anticipation abounded on trip to see the new Batman movie:

The Dark Knight.

A Very Hot Day

Since almost everyone got fun passes on our previous visit to Busch Gardens - Williamsburg, we gathered on July 19th and did it again. It was a very hot day and your youth leader was grateful when everyone agreed to leave early.

Late Night Bowling Prevails Over Threat of Bad Weather

So we tried late night bowling and, not surprisingly, it was a hit with everyone. All made it to the lanes despite the threat of an impending storm which eventually rumbled through while we played inside. I particularly enjoyed watching the Redsox play the Yankees on one of the lane's many widescreen TVs. And my Redsox even waited until after I had left the bowling alley to lose to the Yankees in the 9th inning. (sigh).

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The world of the generous gets larger and larger; the world of the stingy gets smaller and smaller. The one who blesses others is abundantly blessed; those who help others are helped. Proverbs 11:24-25, The Message

Another Round of Fun at the 3rd Annual Blaze Golf Championship

Blaze members and their friends and family walked the links and competed together at the group's 3rd annual golf tournament. A number of trophies were awarded this year including Best Putt (Tyler), Best Drive, (Alex), Best Teammate (Guy), Best Approach Shot (John), Best Shot Out of Trouble (Chris), Best Sportsmanship (Skylar), and Best Overall (Jackson). Nick, while certainly deserving of several of these awards, received a special award from several of the groups members. To Nick's credit he took it very well, but may have to keep his trophy in his closet if he is going to continue to play "the game" (inside joke). Until next year guys.

God's Blessings Evident at Habitat for Humanity's Home Builders Blitz 2008

Walk through the building project site of Habitat for Humanity's Suffolk Blitz and you get the immediate impression that something more than just construction is going on. It is truly a remarkable sight to see so many volunteers, professionals through handymen alike, working along side one another in such a selfless act of generosity. When human beings collaborate remarkable things can be accomplished. For our contribution, the members of Aldersgate UMC and the Blaze Youth Ministry worked together to gather 636 bottles of water and over one thousand snacks for the 800 workers at the Huntersville project site each day, and our own Thomas Gabel worked at the site to put up the framing for some of the new homes.

What matters most to me is to finish what God started...letting everyone I meet know all about this incredibly extravagant generosity of God. Acts 20:24 The Message

2008 Blaze Trip to Busch Gardens

Many thanks to everyone who made our May 17th trip to Busch Gardens a success. I hope the young people who went with us for the first time know how much we appreciated having them join us.

BLAZE IS THERE FOR GLOBAL YOUTH SERVICE DAY

Blaze members volunteered their Saturday morning to lend a hand at Norfolk Botanical Gardens as part of Global Youth Service Day. Wonderfully coordinated by Volunteer Hampton Roads, our youth helped plant over 2000 daffodil bulbs and hauled and spread mulch for a garden walkway. Global Youth Service Day is a national event meant to instill in young people the spirit of volunteerism. I was very proud of our youth because they really worked hard and represented our church well. As it turned out, the youth received two t-shirts that day: one for Blaze Youth Ministries and the other for Global Youth Service Day (see photos above). Even though we did not get a chance to see the nest of the two bald eagles, I was told the park folks were expecting their egg to hatch the day we were there (and it did I now know). Many thanks to Marisa Stratton and Kristen Nelson of Volunteer Hampton Roads and the great staff at Norfolk Botanical Gardens.

Aldersgate Youth Enjoy Great Evening of Baseball and Fellowship

Harbor Park. We got together Saturday night to see the Norfolk Tides take on the Durham Bulls. As with many things in life, we had to persevere a lot of obstacles, like traffic and waiting for tickets, but when we finally got into the ball park it turned out to be a great evening of baseball with a wonderful cool breeze. We even ran into our dear friends Mary Beth and Gene and their kids, Ce Ce and Drew.

A Skit About Stewardship and Community

Some of the Blaze members volunteered to perform a skit on stewardship. Below is a small bit of the dialogue in case you missed it:

Narrator: [Setting 20 years in the future]. Let’s now see what happens when God’s people choose not to complain to God about the size of their storm, but choose to show the storm the size of their God.

Guy: The district superintendent, came by a few days ago and was asking me if I remembered what turned the church around. Apparently, there are several churches in our district that are about to close their doors. I told him turning our church around had not been easy, but we accomplished it because the church leadership had been successful in convincing our members of the importance of being directly involved in our community.

Nick: That’s the secret isn’t it.

Guy: No one cares who your god is or where you go to church, unless they first can see that you care about them and that your God’s love is manifested in your actions. I personally have found few people who were receptive to hearing my faith story unless I first had developed a relationship with them. I told the Superintendent that if his churches were successful at getting their people out into the community to help others, even if it was just in small ways, attendance on Sunday and support for the church would take care of themselves.

Nick: Your recollection is better than mine. I had just remembered the capital project and had forgotten why so many people in our community began to come to our church.

Guy: For years we waited for younger people to come through the doors and save the church but year after year it never happened. The young people were always described as being no longer interested in the message of the Gospel. But remember at the same time we started the capital project some of the older members of the church got us involved in Habitat for Humanity.

Nick: Of course I had forgotten that.

Guy: About 2 years into that project, we started renovation work on an elderly Puerto Rican lady's house. The following week her grandchildren came to church to thank us. Before they left we invited them to join us on our next Habitat project. After that project, her grandchildren were so excited they went and told all their friends about us, who then told all their friends.

Nick: Sunday worship began to look like the United Nations. We eventually had to go to a third service. I still hear people complaining they can’t get out of the neighborhood on Sunday mornings because of the traffic the church creates.

Guy: (chuckling). I was never more proud of our church. We gave a little back to our community and received 20-fold blessings in return. There’s a saying that ‘when a defining moment comes along you must either define it or it defines you.’ I’m glad our church recognized its defining moment and decided to reach out to our community and become an active part of so many people's lives. Everyone we help or share our faith with today is the harvest of their legacy.

Acquire the Fire Comes to Norfolk

Blaze youth attended Acquire the Fire 2008 at the Ted Constant Center on March 28 & 29. Stellar Kart (Eternal Life is Better) and the Michael Gungor Band (Battlecry) among others performed. Ron Luce spoke on the second day. This year's ATF continued its focus on encouraging kids in the name of Christ to think less about 'me' and look outward to the world.

Childrens Ministry Hosts Annual Bunny Breakfast

The annual Bunny Breakfast continues to delight the children of our community. The dedicated efforts of our childrens ministry staff made the 2008 event great fun for all involved. About 25 children and their parents enjoyed a sausage and pancakes breakfast, games, prizes and afterwards got to play on our church's new playground. Blaze youth volunteered to help the BB coordinators, Miss Lisa and Miss Barbara, serve breakfast and our own Nick A. donned the bunny costume for the second year.

Kindness Knows No Denomination

On March 8th, Blaze members pitched in to provide lunch for the many volunteers helping with Saturday's Habitat for Humanity project in Norfolk. Several churches in the region including Coastal Community, Kings Grant Baptist, Salem UMC, Hickory Baptist, St. Gregory's Catholic, our own Aldersgate UMC, and a few other churches everyone there knew but me (sorry), worked for two days to bring several homes up to code. This was our first time assisting the other local churches with a Habitat project and boy did it feel great to help. Our youth (who never let me down) managed to get up early Saturday morning and had all the sandwiches made by about 8:40 a.m. We finished quick enough to have time to drive over to one of our favorite spots, Starbucks, by 9 a.m. Thanks everyone. The next project is early June.

WINTER JAM 2008 WORTH WAIT!

Winter Jam had some great acts this year and proved itself worth the two hour wait to get in. 'So long Self' by Mercy Me and 'Rebirthing' by Skillet alone would have been worth the price of admission. I think one of the neatest differences between a Christian rock concert and a secular rock concert is that Christian bands will actually come out and talk to you in the crowd when they are not performing. Mercy Me did that to the delight of many. That was cool.

“…the Christian must not act in exactly the same way as everyone else. He has a part to play in this world which no one else can possibly fulfill. He is not asked to look at the various movements which men have started, choose those which seem ‘good,’ and then support them. He is not asked to give his blessing to any particular human enterprise, nor to support the decisions of man.” - Jacques Ellul, theologian "The Presence of the Kingdom"

Blackstone 2008 Better Than Ever

Blackstone, Va. Blaze traveled to the Virginia United Methodist Assembly Center (VUMAC) in Blackstone, Virginia this weekend for the annual Norfolk district youth retreat. The band Stand Still was the centerpiece of the weekend's musical entertainment and delivered a series of inspired performances for the Norfolk district youth in attendance. The keynote speaker, whose name no one could seem to remember all weekend, made this year's event one of the most memorable for our youth. Great job Jeff. Also, now would be a good time to check out Ephesians 5 like Jeff asked.

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Watch what God does, and then you do it, like children who learn proper behavior from their parents. Mostly what God does is love you. Keep company with him and learn a life of love. Observe how Christ loved us. His love was not cautious but extravegent. He didn't love in order to get something from us but to give everything of himself to us. Love like that.
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"Don't allow love to turn into lust, setting off a downhill slide into sexual promiscuity, filthy practice, or bullying greed. Though some tougues just love the taste of gossip, Christians have better uses for language than that. Don't talk dirty or silly. That kind of talk doesn't fit your style. Thankgiving is our dialect." Ephesians 5: 1-4 (The Message Bible) -Continue with your own Bible from here.

Blaze Families Gather for Bowling Outing

Norfolk, Va. Blaze and their familes gathered last Saturday morning for what turned out to be a wonderful time at the AMF bowling lanes on Military Highway. It is through these shared experiences and fellowship that we hope to bring our young people closer together with each other and with Christ.

Winter Jam Coming February 17, 2008

Coming Soon to the Ted Constance Center at ODU will be Winter Jam 2008 with Mercy Me, Skillet, and others performing. This event is scheduled for Sunday, February 17, 2008 at 6 p.m. and the cost is $10.00 at the door. There will be no advance ticket sales and doors will open at 5 p.m. (but we will get there around 3 p.m.)

2007 Food Drive

Aldersgate’s members responded generously to the 2007 Blaze Food Drive. This year’s drive served to provide our youth valuable experience in giving back to their community and reminds all of us that our neighbors frequently may need basic things like food. Most of the food collected will be donated to The Dwelling Place, a Norfolk shelter, Star of the Sea, which serves hot meals to the hungry at the beach, and the Food Bank of Southeastern, Va.

Arena Racing Anyone?

Hampton, Va. For the 2nd year in a row, Blaze went to Arena Racing USA at the Hampton Coliseum. This sporting event was filled with NASCAR like drama as the drivers pushed their cars' limits, traded paint, and crashed and rolled their way to the finish line. The Army and Navy cars were fan favorites for their aggressive driving. Our own Morgan was picked out of the crowd to win a remote control motorcycle (Turns out Santa's helper thought his Va. Tech jersey was a Redskins jersey from a distance.)

The Lord is the everlasting God,

the Creator of the ends of the earth.

He will not grow tired or weary,

and his understanding no one can fathom.

He gives strength to the weary

and increases the power of the weak.

Even youths grow tired and weary,

and young men stumble and fall;

but those who hope in the Lord

will renew their strength.

They will soar on wings like eagles;

they will run and not grow weary,

they will walk and not be faint.

Isaiah 40:28-31

Strange Sightings at Aldersgate!

Aldersgate UMC - Norfolk. Members of Blaze and certain other young people showed up at church for our 3rd Annual Trunk or Treat. As the pictures show many of our youth demonstrated what might be called unbridled creativity in preparing for this year's event. We were also glad to have Foundry UMC's youth group joined us as our guests this year. Their kids showed an equally creative streak in costume selection.

Circle of Friends & Blaze Refurbish Nursery

In October, the Blaze youth took time to help the Circle of Friends with their project to refurbish and lay a new floor in the children's nursery.

Lunch on the Water at the OV Fishing Pier

On September 23, 2008, Blaze went with some parents for a group lunch at the Oceanview Fishing Pier.

Amtrak to RFK Stadium a Big Hit!

Washington, D.C. Blaze ended the summer by taking the Amtrak and Metro to RFK stadium to see the Washington Nationals defeat the San Francisco Giants 2-1. Barry Bonds, who broke Hank Aaron's career homerun record against the Nationals only 26 days earlier, pinch hit for pitcher Barry Zito in the 8th inning, but was thrown out at first in his only plate appearance. Alas no homerun. Nevertheless, the 15 youth and 11 adults who made the trip had a great time.

Vacation Bible School Challenges Kids to Take the Plunge!

Norfolk, VA. On August 10th and 11th, Blaze help support our church's annual Vacation Bible School. This year's theme was "Take a Plunge". Many thanks to all the junior and senior high school members who helped in so many different ways.

Blaze Gets Underway on Dolphin Cruise

Atlantic Ocean. Blaze and youth ministry guests got underway on the Rudee Flipper Saturday evening (July 21st) for an hour and half cruise in search of the dolphins that visit the waters off our coast. Our aquadic friends were eventually sighted off Ft. Story near the Cape Henry lighthouses.

Don't worry that children never listen to you; worry that they are always watching you. - Robert Fulghum

2nd Annual Blaze Golf Tournament

Portsmouth, VA. The 2nd Annual Blaze Golf Championship was held at the Portsmouth Links on July 7, 2007. Several Trophies were awarded including Best Putt (Chris), Best Drive (Nick), Best Teammate (Skylar), Most Awesome Shot (Guy), Best Overall (Chris), and Best Shot Out of Trouble (Pastor Reg). Afterwards the group had lunch together at East Side Pizza on Portsmouth Boulevard.

When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." - John 8:12

Busch Gardens Trip Summer 2007

Williamsburg, Va. Blaze took their annual trek to Busch Gardens on June 30th. Threatening weather seemed to keep much of the usual crowd away, but the day turned out to be beautiful and our youth took advantage of the small lines. God is good all the time.

Call to Me and I will answer you, and I will tell you great and mighty things, which you do not know. - Jeremiah 33:3

Baseball and Passing Time with Friends

June 2nd, after church, turned put to be a great (hot) day for passing time with friends at Harbor Park.

Franklin Graham Festival Delivers The Message!

Aldersgate UMC members were prominently involved throughout the three day event helping to make it the success it was. Our members acted as ushers, sang in the choir, counted the love offering, acted as co-labor and counselors, chaperoned the children at Kidzfest, accompanied Blaze on student night, drove members, friends, and guests to each of the four events and supervised various aspects of the festival. Our members should be proud of their participation in this historic weekend.

Blaze Braves Blizzard for Bunny Breakfast

A few unseasonable snow flurries didn't stop our youth from helping with this year's Bunny Breakfast and Easter Egg Hunt. Well done to Lisa and Barbara and the many others who made this a lot of fun.
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But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
- Romans 5:8

Jesus Did It Anyway - The Paradoxical Commandments - by Kent M. Keith

The Paradoxical Commandments are Dr. Keith's great gift to us all. The truth of his words resonate with us, not in spite of the paradox they suggest, but because of the paradox. Thank you Dr. Keith for your inspiration and your kindness to young people you have never met. (Dr. Keith's website has lots of interesting information and some great merchandise. It is linked on the side post to the right under "Cool Links" or can be visited at: www.paradoxicalchristians.com).

Reprinted with permission from Dr. Keith: (c) Copyright Kent M. Keith 1968, renewed 2001.

Awakening 2007

Ashland, Va. Awakening 2007 was held at Randolph Macon College on March 24, 2007 with hundreds of young people from around the state in attendance. This years event included well-known inspirational youth speaker, David Burke, and Christian bands, Charlie Hall, Grits, Jacob's Ladder ,and Woodlawn UMC's youth choir Voices of Praise. As a result of the event, Blaze undertook to contribute support to a 5 year old girl named Michelle who lives in Columbia, South America through Compassion International.

Arena Racing Big Hit - February 2007

Blaze went to the Hampton Coliseum on February 23rd to witness a relatively new local sport known as Arena Racing. From a layman's perspective the sport involves suped-up go-carts with NASCAR-like shells capable of reaching speeds of 75 mph on the track. Drivers can range from middle-schoolers (minimum age is 14) to crusty veterans. The races are very exciting with the driver's skill being the determinative factor. Particularly refreshing, was the Pledge of Allegiance and prayer to Jesus Christ that started off the event. Afterwards, Blaze went back to Aldersgate where they were locked-in for the night with the youth group from St. John's.
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“Men in a word, must necessarily be controlled either by a power within them or by a power without them, either by the Word of God or by the strong arm of man, either by the Bible or by the bayonet.” - Robert Winthrop (early Speaker of the House)
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Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 1 Corinthians 13:4-7

Hundreds Turnout for BGEA Course - February 2007

Blaze attended, with hundreds of other area teens, the opening of the Christian Life and Witness Course (also known as Gravity) on Monday night at Atlantic Shores Baptist Church (one of about 14 locations around Hampton Roads). It truly was a wonderful hour and a half of spiritual truth in its purest, simplest form offered by the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. For those waiting to attend later this week you are in for a real treat.
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“The only means of establishing and perpetuating our republican forms of government…is the universal education of our youth in the principles of Christianity by means of the Bible.”
- Benjamin Rush, signer of the Declaration of Independence
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"As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another." Proverbs 27:17

Winter Jam 2007 - February 2007

Blaze joined a sell-out crowd of thousands of young people from all over the region at "The Ted" for Winter Jam 2007 to hear Christian artists Steven Curtis Chapman, Jeremy Camp, Sanctus Real, Hawk Nelson, New Song, and newcomer Britt Nicole perform. Speaker Tony Nolan shared his faith story of how the love of Christ gave him new hope after being raised in an abusive home. John Morgan, well known President Bush impersonator, performed a comedy routine in character as "The President" as well as sharing his on personal Christian faith with the crowd.

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The Commentaries of English jurist William Blackstone were once required reading for all law students in the United States. In Blackstone's view, and in the eyes of those who founded the United States, every right or law comes from God, and the very words rights, laws, freedoms, and so on are meaningless without their divine origin. It was with this understanding that we see our U.S. Constitution's Bill of Rights, not so much as granting fundamental rights to the people, but as limiting government's interference with the fundamental rights already given to them by their Divine Creator.

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"Pray, then, in this way: `Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.'" Matthew 6:9

Rock the City - January 2007

Blaze went to the Ted Constant Center in January 2007 for Rock the City, a lead up event to the Franklin Graham Festival in May. Nationally acclaimed speaker Ron Hutchcraft challenged those present to follow Christ and Michael Tait and his band "Tait" performed hits from their recent album, as well as songs like Jesus Freaks, In the Light, and What if I Stumble made popular by Michael Tait's prior band "dc talk".

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God's plan is always for us to share His Good News with more people... [T]hrough God, we can change the world. If your dream is only as big as your own capacity, then it is not big enough. There isn't room for God in small dreams.

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"In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you..." Matthew 7:12

Blackstone Youth Retreat - January 2007

The annual United Methodist Youth Retreat in January 2007 in Blackstone, Virginia was once again a huge success as 420 teens from the Norfolk District gathered to fellowship together as Christians. Rev. Clarence Brown, our district superintendent, was the keynote speaker.

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“Do all the good you can,
By all the means you can,
In all the ways you can,
In all the places you can,
At all the times you can,
To all the people you can,
As long as ever you can.”
- John Wesley, founder of Methodism
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Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Matthew 5:3-11

U.S. Supreme Court - October 2006

Blaze on the steps of the United States Supreme Court in October 2006.

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"Good intentions will always be pleaded for every assumption of authority. It is hardly too strong to say that the Constitution was made to guard the people against the dangers of good intentions. There are men in all ages who mean to govern well, but they mean to govern. They promise to be good masters, but they mean to be masters."

- Daniel Webster

On the Washington Mall - October 2006

In October 2006, Blaze braved the chilly Washington D.C. weather to visit numerous Christian landmarks in our nation's capital.

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"Our Constitution was made only for a religious and moral people. It is wholly inadequate for the government of any other."

- John Adams