Blaze

Super Sunday

2009-12-17T17:19:00.004-05:00

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

2009-12-01T20:19:00.004-05:00

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.

WOW!

2009-09-19T23:45:00.011-05:00

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.

Sunday at The Wave

2009-09-27T22:31:00.006-05:00

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)

Making a Difference for Children

2009-11-15T01:46:00.007-05:00

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]

Friday Night Live!

2009-11-26T19:20:00.006-05:00

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.

A Skit About Stewardship and Community

2008-04-19T22:44:00.015-05:00

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.

Remembering Our Environment on Global Youth Service Day

2009-04-26T18:08:00.009-05:00

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.

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.

Neighborhood Youth Gather for 4th Annual Golf Tournament

2009-05-24T12:03:00.004-05:00

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.

Annual Busch Gardens Outing Great Fun

2009-07-20T23:04:00.004-05:00

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

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

2009-07-28T22:58:00.012-05:00

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.

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."

Redskins/Patriots Highlight 'End of Summer' Youth Trip

2009-08-30T20:14:00.015-05:00

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.

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.

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.

Trip to see New Batman Movie

2008-07-29T20:31:00.006-05:00

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

The Dark Knight.

Eagle Eyrie - A Wonderful Youth Retreat

2008-11-17T07:29:00.023-05:00

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.

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.

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.

Summer Outreach Concludes with G&E #7

2009-07-26T23:33:00.006-05:00

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.

Friday Night Alternative Continues

2009-06-16T22:09:00.005-05:00

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

2009-06-07T17:39:00.004-05:00

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.

Great Turnout for Games and Eats #3

2009-05-24T09:28:00.003-05:00

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

2009-05-09T01:48:00.003-05:00

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)

Spring Branch Reachs Out to Seekers

2008-09-24T10:53:00.029-05:00

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Blaze Launches Summer Outreach Project

2009-04-26T07:02:00.007-05:00

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

2009-03-15T18:31:00.006-05:00

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 Coming February 17, 2008

2007-12-30T00:46:00.008-05:00

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.)

WINTER JAM 2009 A BIG CROWD PLEASER

2009-02-23T20:40:00.009-05:00

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.

NORFOLK SCOPE HOSTS WINTER JAM 2009 ON FEBRUARY 22, 2009

2009-01-01T09:43:00.004-05:00

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/.