30hr. Fast

Hey everyone,

Tonight at midnight we begin our fast for the Aids pandemic. I would encourage you all to take time to pray and reflect on the crisis that is facing our world as you feel hungry over the next day and a bit. Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount, "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness". Tonight we begin a fast to declare that our hunger and our thirst is to see justice break into our world.

Every single day, 9500 African contract AIDS. The daily death toll is 6500.

Those numbers are worth praying about. Those numbers are worth giving up a couple meals.

Currently we are about $700 away from our goal of $3000...be praying that the money that people will bring in tomorrow will push us over our goal! With that money we will be making 20 Aids Care Kits for MCC!

I've planned a bunch of things for tomorrow night that I hope will be meaningful for us...tell all your friends and family to come to the worship service at 8:30pm! Even if they can't stay for the night, tell them to come!

Bellow is a prayer I found online (it comes from the Diakonia Council of Churches, based in Durban, South Africa). Feel free to use it throughout our fast:

Dear God, we ask you to walk with us in our HIV and AIDS filled world.
We pray expecting Your presence among us!

Be with all who live with the effects of this disease.
Be with those who wait to die because they have no access to medication.
Be with children who received HIV as a legacy from their parents.
Be with orphans and families who have lost loved ones.
Be with countries who have millions of citizens with HIV/AIDS.
Be with all who are stigmatised and ignored because they have HIV or AIDS.
Be with politicians and corporate executives who control access to affordable medications.
Be with researchers and scientists who work to find a cure.
Be with healthcare workers and caregivers who comfort and encourage.
Be with all who have lost hope because of HIV and AIDS.

Lord, we hear the angel's song of peace!
Fill the hearts of people around the world with good will
so that together we can work for justice and healing
for all who suffer from HIV and AIDS.

Amen.


See you tomorrow and I hope that seeing people eating around you won't be too rough on you all!

God bless us as we do this together!

Bowling this Friday + Rememborizers

That's right, this Friday we are going bowling!!!

But not just any kind of bowling...no, we're going 5-pin bowling which is a proud part of our heritage as Canadians.

Bring $4 for the bowling!

Also, if you didn't pay your doubloon ($2 piece) last week, bring that for Mark...as well, remember we always take an offering for our Global Family Project (the kindergarten in Serbia that we support as a group).

Finally be bringing in your forms and money collected for the 30hr. Fast...

Here's a sneak preview of the night...

12am Thursday...begin your fast.

All Friday...don't be eating nothing...take meal times to pray or reflect on the Aids pandemic facing Sub-Sahara Africa

7pm Friday...come to youth! (and still don't eat)

We'll be having somone from MCC come and share with us for a bit (that's the opening)

8:30pm Friday...Worship service in the sanctuary...tell everyone you know to come...Matt Klassen will be leading with some of our youth and we'll be using an interview with Bono that is just excellent as the "message" portion of the service...it'll be good. We'll also take an offering to give anyone there who hasn't sponsored a chance to be a part of things.

Afterwards...we'll be watching some movies in the youth room (significant ones at that)...there will be a room where people can go to reflect and pray as well.

At some point...sleep...

6am Saturday...wake up and go for breakfast...the 30hrs. is over!

GTKMN

Hey All, I realize that this is late...but I'm on my holidays, gimme a break...I shouldn't even be working!

Anyways, tonight is Get To Know Mark Night!

So, I won't give you any details, except that it's a food event...So if you could bring a doubloon (i.e. double loon or twonie as the more common folk call it) to help cover the cost, that would be excellent!

We'll hear a bit of Mark's story and then we'll do something that Mark is passionate about...so come on out, bring your friends, and be prepared for a supper cool night led by a supper cool guy!

Also, read the last blog about the 30hr. Fast...you gotta start getting in your sponsor sheets!

For the record...we just broke the $1000 mark ($1015 to be exact) so we're just over 1/3 of the way to our goal...time is running out, so be praying that we get there!

Our top 3 fund raisers to date are:

Paster Tom at $305 (and it would make my day if someone beat that!)
Alina at $220 (just slipped past Jordan for second place)
and Jordan at $160 for the bronze medal!

Get out there and lets see that $3000 mark shattered!

And now for the intro to the greatest show ever! I just downloaded all 6 seasons as you can't get it on DVD...

A Reminder:

I forgot to say in the last post...

Bring in your pledge sheets for the 30hr. Fast...Charity and I said that we would sponsor any youth $10 when you get your first $10 donation from someone else and that we'd also sponsor you $5 when you sponsor another youth $5 or more* BUT we're gonna put a deadline on that because we have a budget to live by...so you need to get in a pledge sheet to me on or before next Sunday (Nov. 18) to be eligible for that.

Also, to get your T-Shirts on the 30th you need to get your sheets in to me by Sunday Nov. 25th (with at least $150 in pledges...$200 gets you a T-shirt, button and bracelet!)

So far as a group we've raised $755
(we're on our way to our $3000 goal, but we still got quite a way to go!)

In the lead is ME at $245 and have earned my T-shirt, button and bracelet!
In second place is Jordan at $190
and for the bronze medal is Alina at $160

I encourage you all to try and beat us out of our medal positions!
A suggestion, just go through your facebook list and pick a bunch of people to ask...I got some good responses that way...then most of you have families you can ask too (Grandparents, Aunts, Unlcles...cousins...etc.) and there are also the many people in church too! So let's see those sponsor sheets coming in!

Lastly, thanks everyone for rolling with the punches last Friday when Brent couldn't come...Don't worry we'll get him in with us someday! But great cards for Noah's Ark...I called to find out how to send them and the woman on the phone said that they will love that! They'll go out tomorrow...also, well done to the group that collected shopping carts and litter, it's great that you guys were so willing to express love to our city in such a humble way. Also, to the groups that went for a walk through Old Pine Trail with me, keep that community in your prayers!

Don't forget to vote on our online polls...your favorite event for September was: The Farwell Party for Vic

Also, when you think of it, please pray for my Aunt Irma, Charity's Grandma and Jesse Klassen who are all in hospital...thanks to everyone who has been!

Love ya all,
Tom

This Friday

Alright everyone,

We're meeting at 6pm this week...not 7pm! Also, were going to leave pretty much immediatly...so that might mean for some of you that you should aim to be here for 5:45pm or for some of you 5pm even depending on how much you struggle with punctuality*

So...why are we meeting so early you ask?

Well, because we're going to be driving up to Oakville to a church called The Meeting Place to attend an MCC Youth event (it's part of their annual meeting and there will be students from all across Ontario)...It'll be big.

"So, what else?!?" you ask...

Well here it is, straight from the MCC website:

Friday, November 9 "The Underground" at The Meeting House
God is calling you into lives of compassion in a world with AIDS, Refugees and War. Join Bruxy Cavey and others in this interactive event for high school age youth.

It should be a great event!

Also, if anyone wants Charity and I are going to go again on Saturday for the MCC Ontario annual conference...there will be worship, speakers and some great break-out sessions...we've gone the last couple years just because we love it so much...so let us know if you want to come...the first 3 people to contact me will have a spot with us!

*If you struggle in this area as I do, I'd suggest trying out a wrist watch with alarm features on it...Charity made me get one and I've hardly been late coming home since!

Now here is another example of television programming that fed into making me the person I am...