holy halls

Please excuse my lack of techno-savvy. I cannot figure out how to rotate this video, therefore, will you please rotate your head to watch?

Today 140 children walked through the tunnel of love to e-camp. Our student leaders made the tunnel by standing shoulder to shoulder and raising their hands high. Little people passed through it to the other side amidst cheers and whoo hoo’s. 

I can’t help but see the figurative illustration represented here by the literal. These student leaders are giving their lives away. A phrase we throw around a lot at Fellowship Bible Church. Do we actually do it? Well, I am seeing it first hand in action by a loving group of student leaders this week. All day long I saw the leaders encouraging, bending down and looking littler people in the eyes and giving them words or hugs.

And as a mom, I know, these littler people thrive on the attention from teenagers. One Create it! (that’s e-speak for art) participant bloomed right before my eyes when Erin Ogilvie pointed out a facet of her design that was beautiful. 

My own children have regaled me with stories since we arrived home. In fact, one just called me away from this post to ask me something “very important.” He is supposed to be going to bed. One more story had to be told. He asked me if I had seen Fernando today. I told him I had not seen him but had been looking. Fernando is a friend we made two years ago at e-camp. He is from Honduras originally and now attends El Shaddai church. (We are blessed to have a group from there participating.) And so my son, Joshua, was telling me how Fernando had made him laugh today. We lived for four years in Honduras and share a special love of that country.

And so back at my computer, thinking of Fernando, I watched the video I had taken this morning and who should appear coming through the tunnel? Fernando. Catch him in the Honduras soccer jersey. Hey, Fernando, Viva Honduras!

Worship. Community. Growth. Service. Generosity. 

I’m not sure these halls at Fellowship have ever been holier.

My name is Gigi McMurray. I am being lead by ten 6 year olds and thirteen other young people during the Create it! afternoon focus group. In addition, each child will create something in the morning in our art break-out session. We will display these expressions of worship on Family Worship Night. Yes, these children are leading me. And they will lead us in worship Friday night.

Look forward to seeing you there!

BIG NEWS.... 

                      BIG NEWS.... 

e-Camp is back! 

                e-Camp dates are....  

(drum roll, please...) 

  June 20th-24th, 2011
 

Please visit fellowshipnashville.org to register online! 
Registration is open NOW!! 

Come, let us worship our KING!

Overheards - 2010

Day 4: Exalt GOD

"You have sheep hair, Gege! Yeah, you have sheep hair, but you have people skin!" g-Campers, ages 3 and 5

"Just twist it and pull it out" - e-Camper, age 6, trying to pull out her first tooth!

(playing with a train like a plane) "I'll fly you to Jesus!" - g-Camper, age 5

Camper: "This isn't my real hair color."
Leader response: "Oh, really?"
Camper: "Yes, I use a LOT of shampoo!"
- e-Camper, brown hair, 6 yrs old, Voice It!

"My mommy and daddy sing really good. My daddy teaches classes and goes to works. Why does he teach classes? Why am I here?" - g-Camper, age 2

Camper: "I'm so excited to go on vacation to Lake Tahoe!"
Leader response: "How cool...What's in Lake Tahoe?"
Camper: "A Lake."
- Voice It!

Leader: "What was your favorite part of the day?"
Camper: "Losing my tooth!"

Day 3: Trust GOD

Of art created in class, "This represents what God wants to give me and it is too big to hold." - Create It!

"I play the guitar. That is the gift that God gave me to give back to Him." ...of the painting done of a guitar, Create It!

After asking the youth guys to move the staging (heavy lifting at the end of a long, hot day...) the wholehearted response... "I would LOVE to!!" - Aaron Martinez, student leader

"I was just here for the kids, but this is changing me. This is very rewarding!" - Emily Batiste, student leader

"I feel so thankful when I am singing worship songs." - Rachel Wilburn, student leader, Voice It!

"When I sing to the Lord, I feel like He is really in me." - Voice It!

"When I sing worship songs, I am singing more for God's pleasure. When I am singing other songs, I'm singing more for myself." - Voice It!

"We are like professionals at this dance!" - Move It!

"What are some sins? - Ding-Dong Ditching, Egging someone or t.p.'ing a house" - Grasp It!

"Read your bible and use it as a weapon to fight your giants." - Stacia, Grasp It!

"Why does God do bad things and then tell us how to take them away?" - g-Camp, 5 yr old

"Why do we do bad things and belong to God?" - g-Camp, 5 yr old

Camper - "Life is like a rubix cube."
Leader response - "I can solve a rubix cube if I take all the stickers off." - Write It!

"A merry heart makes us joyful and the bad spirit dries up your joyful." - g-Camp, 5 yr old

"You have sheep's hair!" - spoken to Gege, g-Camp, 3 yr-old

Day 2: Honor GOD

"Song writing was AMAZING! We wrote a song...a whole song!" - Write It!

"I think it's time for you to stop talking and start painting." - Create It!

(About God)"You are like a great oak giving us support and shade from lies." - Write It!

"Can we like draw a picture of God so we can show how much we love Him?" - Create It!

God created..."The world! Mars! Yeah and He breathes hot breath from His mouth!" - g-Campers ages 4 and 5

God has provided..."The grass for a soft landing" - g-Camp, Jonathan Petak, age 5

"I like crazy!" - Worship time

"God already told me what to draw." - Create It!

Day 1: Seek GOD

"I know a bad, bad, bad sin...ignoring your parents!" - Grasp It!

"We all live on this big blue ball, and there's sin everywhere. We just have to make the best of it!" - Write It!

(Prayer Request) "I want to die when my mommy dies so that I can go to heaven when she does and we can be together. I don't want to be apart from her." - 5 yr old, g-Camp

"My grandfather composed the music we are listening to" - Create It!

"How do you spell 'createable'?"

Exalting God Dramatically

Today was another dramatic day at E-Camp! Of course, when you kick off the morning with a drama sketch by our student leaders that includes Super Mario and an ostrich named Chives, the rest of the day cannot help but follow suit. When the therapist tried to help the handful of wacky characters to stop exalting things besides God, the kids laughed so hard they almost fell off their choir risers- and they got the point.

Later in our morning drama breakout session, the kids experimented with playing characters who did exalt God. One chose to be a missionary and share the gospel with another student, telling her "God is holy." Another chose to read her Bible- demonstrated by holding her hands like a book. When I asked what she was reading, she said, “I’m reading Luke.” Another prayed with his hands folded and his eyes closed, another sang a song in Spanish about how God can "move the mountains," two danced, and one picked up an imaginary baby lamb to show that she was taking care of God's creation. Little hands, faces, and imaginations were not just acting in those moments, they truly were exalting God.

After the students had returned to their places on the carpet, a little girl came up to me. She said, "I know of another song that exalts God." I needed to start the next activity, but her eyes were pleading. I asked "What is it?" She said, "Joy to the World." I asked, "Would you like to sing it for me?" She nodded. So, amidst the furor of energetic noise around us, I bent my head down to listen. She sang the whole song. And it was precious.

Now that I think about it, it wasn’t just another dramatic day at E-Camp. Through wacky characters, heartfelt acting, and a joyful Christmas carol, it was a dramatic day in which God was exalted!

Daily Notes - Exalt GOD

 

Daily
 Notes  
Exalt 
GOD

 



Verse of the Day! For you, O LORD, are the Most High over all the earth; You are EXALTED far above all gods.

Psalm 97:9

DON’T FORGET!

• FWN will begin at 6:30 pm Friday night. Please look for our FWN Daily Notes for details about times and places of drop off, etc.
• We hope everyone is planning to stay after FWN tomorrow for our Ice Cream Social!! Bring your favorite box of popsicles, ice cream sandwiches, or push pops to share along with your appetite for frozen treats and fun!
• Sign up for childcare with the names and ages of your children so you can attend the Parent Breakout on Spiritual Leadership in the Home in room LC219 of the Learning Center while your campers are at FWN warm-up. Childcare will be provided in room LC149.
• Campers will be wearing denim shorts and their camp t-shirt for FWN, tomorrow night . Thank you!

Family Worship Night (FWN)! We are SO excited about being led in worship by your children! And don’t forget to stick around afterward and join us for the Ice Cream Social in the back barn with a photo slideshow of our week and a fun time of fellowship to close out our week.

Daily Notes: Family Worship Night

 

Family
Worship Night

Schedule
3:00pm  - Camp Ends
5:00 pm - We need your children back to prepare for Worship!!
                  Please bring your children to the Student Center
                  with your box of frozen treats.
                  We will have coolers to put the treats in!
5:15 pm - Parent Breakout on Spiritual Leadership in the Home
                 in
 room LC219.
                 Childcare is located in room LC149.
6:00 pm - Parent breakout session ends
6:30 pm - Family Worship Night begins!!
Immediately following FWN  - Ice Cream Social!!