Recent Events

A ton has happened since my last post! Boy! It's been a busy fall and this Advent season is no different!Trinity has been plugging right along! We had our annual Turkey Bowl (The Sunday before thanks giving Football and Ultimate Frisbee against McMinnville Covenant Church) and We even won the Football! (and lost Ultimate, a personal blow to my pride) and both churches seemed to enjoy themselves!

I was blessed and lucky enough to get to go with my family up to Seattle for Thanksgiving, and it was a good time for me to relax and take a break from work. It was great to see my immediate and extended families and not answer any emails!!

Three weeks ago Sprague Young Life went to the Salem All City Club, I played guitar for the event (which was a ton of fun) and we brought 14 kids from Sprague! Young Life has been gaining the momentum that we've been praying for (We have eight leaders, not including myself!!) and have gotten to the point where we need to do a weekly event in order to satisfy demand. This has been a fun time of exploring what Young Life can and should look like at Sprague High School. It has been a period of re-imagining what a Young Life "club" should be and how we can best accomplish it. My leaders have been wonderful at joining into this conversation and helping me discern what God wants us to do.

This past Monday we had a Bingo Night (Complete with live streaming video of the balls coming out of the cage projected onto a large screen, full "Bingo Lingo" used in the calling, 30 second dance parties between games, a full "true-to Young Life" program (Edgar McDaubs and GTI) and prizes! It was a fun night! and we had about 15 kids, which I was totally happy with! This Monday we are inviting all the Young Life guys and gals over for a Christmas Party at my Apartment! I'm pretty excited for that time as it will be really relaxed and relational! Hopefully we can manage another 15 kids or more!

All and all things have been happening and God has been moving a bunch! It's been quite the roller coaster and I'm excited to see what's around the next turn!!

First Young Life!!!

SO, Monday night was set to be our first event. We (My leaders and I) were going to take a group of Sprague High and Trinity kids to North Salem High's club. I checked with their leaders that week to make sure that would be okay and I was given the go ahead. In my time at Sprague so far I've gotten to know about 15 kids (meager, I know, but I know that if I'm faithful to them God will give me more to be faithful with) and I've gotten them all into a mailing list via Facebook and so I have been sending out invite/reminders for the past week or so and of course been telling them in person as well. On top of that I told all my Trinity kids I wanted to come, but only if they brought a friend that didn't go to Trinity with them, otherwise, I told them I'd send them home. I told them this because, as Christian kids already pursuing a life with Christ Young Life is not for them, it is merely a tool for them to use to create dialogue with their friends.
So, with all of this preparation I was hoping for 10-12 kids. I thought that would be a stretch with all that young people have going on nowadays, but I was hopeful. However, to be quite honest, part of me was worried that no one would show up. Anyway, Monday rolled around and 22 kids showed up!!! And I had never met probably 5 of them! I was amazed! It was so great, so we piled into the all of our cars (I drove the Church's 12 passenger van) loaded up with 9 kids and myself. And we caravanned to the Ike Box (Concert Hall and host of North Salem Young Life's Club)! When we got there we all piled into the club room, doubling the number of kids and probably increasing the energy level by 8, and got ready for club. Well, turns out, there was a miscommunication with the North Salem leaders and they weren't doing a normal club that night. They were doing a scavenger hunt around downtown Salem. We made a few changes so that our scavenger hunt ended at Trinity and we went for it. It was a blast, so so so much energy, I wish you could have been there to see it. The excitement fogged the windows of the cars and when we arrived at Trinity we quickly diverted that energy into a happening game of dodgeball, and then had a quick debrief of what we were just a part of.
All I have to say is kids are pumped. I think it's safe to say we will never have an event that small again. God has laid some serious ground work at Sprague already and the harvest is ripe. It's go time. I'm encouraged. And I'm humbled. God keeps reminding me to dream big, raise the bar, and expect miracles. So far, that is exactly what I'm seeing. More to come!!

Contact Work Today

So today was the first day I was able to go to Sprague for Lunch and to contact work. For those of you that havent had the experience of going to a high school lunch when you aren't in high school, it's pretty terrifying at first. I don't know many kids and so it's pretty uncomfortable to be there at this point (which will only get easier as I get to be known there) SO anyway, I got there about 5 minutes before lunch started, headed into the dinning hall, sat down at a table, and really started to feel nervous. So I pulled out my phone, which has a Bible application, went to reading of the day, and this is what it said.
John 17

1 After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed: 2 For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. 3 Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. 4 I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do. 5 And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.

6 "I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word. 7 Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you. 8 For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me. 9 I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours. 10 All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them.

11 I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name, the name you gave me, so that they may be one as we are one. 12 While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me. None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled. 13 "I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them. 14 I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. 15 My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of it.

17 Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. 18 As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. 19 For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.

20 "My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21 that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one-- 23 I in them and you in me--so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.

24 "Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world. 25 "Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. 26 I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them."

As I sat in the cafeteria and read that, such an amazing peace came over me. It's as if those words were written for me in that very moment. I said a quick prayer and then they came in droves, from all entrances of the lunch room, it was a swarm you would only find in a high school. And immediately I saw two guys I knew, they brought me to meet their friends, I met six guys today. I then turned around and Jeremy Wanak (one of my youth group leaders and a science teacher at Sprague) walked over and said hi, he took me to meet some administrators, which was great, and then I saw a few more Trinity kids. It was unbelievable to see how quickly God can both calm my fears and create an environment so great for meeting people. I'm still processing today, but at this point I'm just pretty wowed. -Mat

Just keepin ya updated

I don't have much to write here other than a brief update on what's been going on lately. Firstly, I've started a Wednesday night service that is both Young Life and Trinity Kids. It's called Kaleo, and it's been a bunch of fun! We've had growing numbers each week and the kids seem to really be enjoying it! It's been very encouraging! We do worship, spend some time in groups, have a discussion about something of worth, and then play some games! It's a great night! On the Young Life side of things I now have 3 other leaders which is a huge blessing! We (Greater Salem Young Life) just had our huge fundraising event and it was a blast and a huge success! My background check has finally cleared at Sprague and I have been able to start going to lunches at the high school. I've been to a few football games. And I think I'm starting to get to know kids. The Sunday School class I teach has been great! We are mostly working through our collection of Nooma videos (if you havent heard of Nooma videos they are awesome and you can check them out at http://www.nooma.com/) and we are doing some Christ in Culture discussions every few weeks. Our new Associate Pastor Dawn, and myself have been able to be on the second service worship planning team (second service is our contemporary service) and are getting a voice in reshaping it in some ways. If you haven't picked up on it, I have a lot of plates spinning right now. But I don't think any are looking to fall. On top of all that Aaron Strumpel is coming to Trinity to do a concert on Nov 7th and so I have a lot of planning to do with that, but it's going to be such a good night. We had associate training (My position in Young Life is no longer known as intern but is now known as associate) at Breakaway on Tuesday and Wednesday of this week and that was such a good time with some beautiful weather at the coast (in October, who'd have thought!!). Things are busy, but they're good!

A New Chapter

So, this blog is going to take a new twist. Let me tell you what's going on in my life right now. I am not the High School Youth Pastor at Trinity Covenant Church and a Young Life Staff person/Team Leader at Sprague High School. Young Life at Sprague is non-existent at this point so I get to build it from scratch (which is REALLY exciting and also a little bit terrifying). Trinity's Youth Group is great, but We are in the midst of overhauling it. The people I work with are about as good a person as you can find on this Earth. It is amazing to see how God has taken so many points in my life and used them to give me the skills needed to fill this position. This is going to be a good year. That's all I can really say to people at this point. I am so excited to see what God does. The Kingdom of God is exploding all over South Salem right now, and Sprague and Trinity are both parts of that!! Woooo, more to follow!

The Violence of Love

"We have never preached violence, except the violence of love, which left Christ nailed to a cross, the violence that we must each do to ourselves to overcome our selfishness and such cruel inequalities among us. The violence we preach is not the violence of hatred. It is the violence of love, of brotherhood, the violence that wills to beat weapons into sickles for work."November 27, 1977 -Oscar Romero

This quote hits me hard. As a self proclaimed pacifist I have come to rejoice over reading Romero's words. He speaks with a humility and passion that convicts but never condemns, that moves the reader into being angry over injustice but still loving those that commit such atrocities. I am amazed as time and time again he says that he loves the assassins, the murderers, the politicians that hire them. His words encourage me and push me to think more deeply about the way my theology actually impacts my life. I know that this world is broken, that things are seriously messed up, but Romero stands as a loud reminder that there is hope for a future, and that only Christ is that hope. His constant calls to love push me out of my comfort zone and force me to step out of where I have been in order to get a better view of Christ's kingdom at work.

"What I want to say here in the cathedral pulpit is what the church is, and in the name of the church I want to support what is good, to applaud it, encourage it, console the victims of atrocities, of injustices, and also with courage disclose the atrocities, the tortures, the disappearences of prisoners, the social injustice. This is not engaging in politics; this is building up the church and carrying out the church's duty as imposed by the church's identity. My conscience is undisturbed, and I call on you; Let us build up the true church!" September 10, 1978.

Romero's words help me to see that the church should stand as a reminder of heaven that awaits, that it's walls should scream of redemption, or liberation, or freedom. That if the church is not taking steps to bring this about it has lost it's way. We must make this part of our DNA. We have to be about redemption and love if we are to make any sort of impact in this world. Romero constantly pushes me to see the movement of God in this world. He speaks of this movement in ways that make it undeniable and then says to me, "Here, continue this movement that Christ has started that we have joined in on, let the freedom ring out in your town as it has in mine."

"When Christ appeared in those lands, curing the sick, raising the dead, preaching to the poor, bringing hope to the peoples, something began on earth like when a stone is cast into a quiet lake and starts ripples that finally reach the farthest shores. Christ appeared in Zebulun and Naphtali, with signs of liberation; shaking off oppresive yokes, bringing joy to hearts, sowing hope. And this is what God is doing now in history" January 22, 1978

I think the task falls on our generation to take this movement of Christ that started 2000 years ago and take down the dams that block the ripples in outr communities. I think we need to idenitify the dams and destroy them with God's love and redemption. Transform them into a deep pool that allows the ripples to continue. Any thoughts on what the dams are or how to remove em?