The Last 2 Weeks

Well....the last 2 weeks....have been amazing! Our Mission NYC Team had an incredible time serving the people of The Bowery. God showed us so much about Himself and ourselves at the same time. The days started before daylight and went way past sundown but our hearts were so full as we saw God rescuing the lives of men right before our eyes. The theme of Luke 15 continually came to my mind as I thought of God's great love for the 1 lost sheep...for the 1 lost coin...for the 1 lost son! He is good! Last week we had the opportunity to fellowship with 2200 other students and adults at Student Life Camp at Orange Beach. Matt Chandler and Aaron Keyes did an incredible job leading us in worship. Our students were challenged in their faith and in their complacency in their relationship with the Father.

Great Missions Retreat

This past Thursday night and Friday our Mission NYC & Mission Ecuador teams retreated together in Little Rock. It was an incredible time together as we shared testimonies about the difference the Lord has made in our lives. For 2.5 hours we shared testimonies of how each of us had come to know Jesus as our Lord and Savior and what He is doing in our lives right now as well. We also have been reading David Platt's Radical so we talked about parts of the book that really spoke to us. It was an incredibly fruitful time of sharing and preparation! Please be praying for both of our teams as we prepare to share the Gospel and extend the Kingdom of God!

What an incredible Day 5!

Yesterday was an incredible one as we woke up and headed to the beautiful Fourth Presbyterian Church in downtown Chicago. We spent some incredibly fruitful time worshipping with just us and God. The Concert With God has quickly become a Choir Tour favorite. We then walked to Ed Debevic's for a great diner lunch where the waiters and waitresses aren't so friendly. This went over well with some students and not so well with others...HA! We then traveled to an all girls Youth Detention Center and had our final worship experience. It was an awesome experience as we had the privilege to just speak truth over the girls and staff of the facility. They were incredibly grateful for our time together! We are now at camp where we will spend the next couple of days just playing, worshipping, and walking through the book of Philippians. It's going to be a great way to end up our time together before our long trek home. Thanks to so many of you who are praying for us!

Seeing all of Chicago

G'day from Chicago.... Well today found our group exploring all parts of Chicago this morning and afternoon. Our groups were split up into 'city groups'. Some found their way to Shedd Aquarium...some to Willis Tower...some to many shops up and down The Magnificent Mile...and I believe ALL of us found our way to some pizza for lunch! We met up this afternoon at Millennium Park near 'The Bean' for some pics and an impromptu worship time that drew a crowd with folks from all over the world. We were able to engage in some fruitful conversation. We met a man by the name of Michael who is from Brazil and we hope to see at our Concert With God tomorrow morning. We finished the day by visiting US Cellular Field, home to the Chicago White Sox. Most of us found our way to a hot dog or brat before settling in and watching the White Sox lose to the Blue Jays. Everyone had a great time even though the temps dipped down into the 50's this evening! It's June right??? Tomorrow is a busy day and I'll look forward to updating you on all the going ons of the trip! Thanks for your prayers! Blessings!

A Great Day 3!

Today was a great day as we spent the majority of the day traveling through Missouri and Illinois all the way to Chicago. After lunch in Champaign we hit the road and traveled in to Chicago! What a beautiful city! We spent some time at Navy Pier this afternoon enjoying a gorgeous day by the lake. Shopping, quality conversation, and eating a lot of great food made up our time. We capped off the evening by riding The Seadog and enjoying the skyline of Chicago at night! What a beautiful night! Tomorrow we will explore some more of Chicago, sing at Millennium Park, and taking in a Chicago White Sox game!

Headed To The Windy City!

Day 3 has begun! We have just left Sikeston and are now headed to Chicago! Yesterday was an incredible day in both Mtn. Home and Pocahontas! Eastside BC in Mtn. Home were incredible hosts to our group. We had the opportunity to sing 3 songs in both of their morning services. Afterwards they fed us pizza before we headed out. Thanks to Pastor Mike Shy and his staff for allowing us to come and be a part of their church! We then made a short 2 hour jaunt to FBC Pocahontas. My good friend Eric Moffett is the pastor there and is doing a GREAT job! Congratulations to he and his wife Sherrill on the arrival of their brand new baby girl, Madelynne! After a quick rehearsal and some family group time we were treated to an awesome Southern Baptist meal of fried chicken and mashed potatoes!! We then enjoyed an incredible time of worship with such a Spirit filled congregation!! God revealed Himself in a powerful way as truth was proclaimed. We then headed to Sikeston, MO to spend the night. We are now headed to Navy Pier in Chicago to spend some time exploring Chicago! Stay tuned!

GREAT FIRST DAY!!!

1st day of Choir Tour......SUCCESS. We made it through the hills of North Arkansas with only 1 student who did not fare so well with curvy roads! We arrived at FBC Yellville to a warm reception from Pastor Rick Pyron. After a quick sound check we changed into our uniforms, ate a quick dinner, and prepared ourselves for worship. Our Choir President Steven Rutherford shared thoughts from Ephesians 2 and encouraged us to understand the depths of what we are rejoicing over as we worship. Our time of worship was incredibly powerful as our students did an awesome job! After some great fellowship we went to the Yellville City Park and played and ate some hot dogs. We are up and at em this morning and about to head out to Eastside Baptist Church in Mtn. Home! Thanks for praying for us!

Almost to Yellville

We are on the road to Yellville!! Pray for us as we proclaim Jesus tonight during our worship experience. Robert and Louis are taking care of us as our bus drivers again this year. They have been our drivers for the past several years and always do a great job! Feel free to post comments and we will pass them along to folks!

Countdown to Choir Tour 2012

In less than 36 hours Choir Tour 2012 will be in full swing and we are excited about what will take place. This year will find us winding through the hills of North Arkansas to FBC Yellville, Eastside BC in Mtn. Home, FBC Pocahontas, and on to The Windy City of Chicago. We will end the week by spending a couple of days retreating in Michigan. Be praying for our students and adults who will make up the 108 folks who will be on tour. Pray for the Spirit to be at work in a powerful way as we proclaim the greatness of God. Check back here for updates throughout the tour! Blessings!

Evening With The Stars

Don't miss out on our 5th Annual Evening With The Stars THIS Sunday night, April 15th! It will all kick off at 7:00 PM in Selph Hall. We have some incredible 'stars' who will be visiting us! Adele/The Dixie Chicks/Josh Turner/Bobby Darin/Jimmy Buffett/The Civil Wars/Shania Twain and many more will be on stage this year! Tickets are only $5 and are available at the church or at the door! It will be a great time together! Invite some friends to come with you for a fun evening!

Theology Tuesdays

WOW! What an incredible year of waking up WAY TOO early, eating great breakfasts, and learning the truth of Scripture and why we believe what we believe. Honestly when God gave birth to this idea of Junior High and Senior High students coming to the church to eat breakfast at 630 AM and talking theology I expected it to be me and 3 students...which would have been great! To my amazement (and embarrassment over lack of faith) over 20 students remained faithful to coming and learning about sin, inerrancy of Scripture, the virgin birth, the church, the doctrine of God, eschatology, and so much more! What a great journey!

My prayer is that these guys and girls have had their minds filled with knowledge, but more importantly that their hearts will explode with affection for Jesus because of what they know about Him! Thanks to so many parents who brought breakfast, transported students, and encouraged them to come. I love my job!

Mission Arlington

Hey gang! Just one week left for you to sign up to be a part of our Spring Break Mission Trip Team to Mission Arlington March 18-23. We will be partnering with this incredible ministry again to serve the people of the DFW metroplex. The cost is only $200 and this Sunday, February 19th is the last day to get signed up with a $50 deposit. If you have any questions don't hesitate to call/e-mail/text/facebook me! It's going to be an incredible week!

Rally Tonight

Reality Weekend 2012 is here!!! We will rally tonight in Selph Hall at 7:00 PM. Don't miss out on a time of worship and prayer before the weekend gets here. We will also unveil host homes and give away your t-shirt and RW12 wristband that you must wear the entire weekend! Get pumped...it's here!

Reality Weekend 2012

It's ALMOST here!!! RW2012 registration deadline is THIS Wednesday. Make sure you get your registration packet in so you can be a part of an incredible weekend. Ed Newton will be our preacher for the weekend and Kristian Stanfill will be leading worship. Be praying for God to move in a powerful way!

Speedy Santa 5k

Thanks to everyone who was a part of our 1st Annual Speedy Santa 5k! We had right at 140 runners/walkers and raised almost $2800 for student missions! Check out some of the pics below.....

Fall Retreat Deadline/Speedy Santa 5k/The Shanes & Phil Wickham

Wow....the next month or so is going to be so much fun....just wanted to update you on a few things....

FALL RETREAT
The deadline is THIS Wednesday night!! Don't miss out on this incredible weekend! It's going to be such a good time away to focus on our relationship with God and each other. Let me know if you have any questions at all!

SPEEDY SANTA 5K


Our first ever 5k to support student missions will be Saturday, December 3rd! It is going to be a fun day. We want any and all runners, walkers, run/walkers, crawlers to come and be a part. You don't have to be a marathon runner to participate. click here to go to the FBC website and download a registration form! Get your registration in ASAP as there is a price break for early birds!!

Shane & Shane and Phil Wickham





Do not miss out on this incredible celebration of Christmas at FBC with Shane & Shane and Phil Wickham. It's going down on Saturday, December 17th at 7:00 PM. Tickets are only $10 before the concert and $15 day of the concert. You can purchase them in the church office, or you can grab them off of www.itickets.com!

FALL RETREAT 2011

November 4-6 will be here before you know it! I hope you will join us in praying for these 3 days away at Pine Cove Camp in Tyler, Texas. Be praying for God's Spirit to set souls free....be praying for a spirit of revival and renewal...be praying that God would call prodigals home during this time away!

We are in need of scholarship help! If you would like to invest into the life of a student please hit me up with an e-mail and we can talk about what is needed! Looking forward to Fall Retreat 2011!!

IMPACT last week

Last Wednesday night we had an incredible night of worship as we heard testimonies from students and had the blessing of baptizing 2 students. Just wanted to share some pics of the night! To Him be the glory!!

Testimony/Baptism Night

Wednesday night, September 7th will be a special night in the UR as we highlight several different students' faith stories. It will be an incredible night of hearing the story of God written on the hearts of different students. We will also be baptizing students who have made Christ the Lord of their lives and now want to proclaim that through baptism! Do not miss out on this special night of worship together!

Rookie Day

This past Saturday we welcomed 33 new 8th graders into our Junior High/Senior High Ministry by having Rookie Day. This is something we kicked off last year to help make the transition from our Middle School Ministry a little bit easier.

The students were broken down into teams led by some of our awesome Senior High students. We kicked off the day by competing in an intense game of bowling @ Enterprise Lanes. Emily & Olivia's team came out on top and earned an extra $10 gift card to our next stop...Playtime Pizza! We spent some time eating together, winning tickets together, and just hanging out together!

We finished the day by coming to the Upper Room and enjoying some homemade desserts and letting our Senior High students share about what all happens in our JH/SH ministry. It was a great day and we had a ton of fun getting to know our Rookies!! Looking forward to a great year of ministry. Below you will see our teams and a pic of my adult volunteers. I get the blessing of serving with the best volunteers in the world....top notch!