Mysterious, wonderful world

Marion Clark was hoping I take some of this blog time to tell you about the mysterious, wonderful world of Maranatha Missions. This year we have 42 teens volunteering to train, form and serve as a team for two weeks in Chester this sumer. (Let me help you with the math: 50-60 weekly attendance at regular meetings.) Training times are twice a month, Sunday afternoons from 12:30 - 4:30 pm. (We stop then so those in Sinfonia Sacra can get to their rehearsal.) During that time we get to know each other a bit better...but as a team. It is hard to cut out the age factor and focus on talents, spiritual gifts and unique personalities, but that is the goal.

More to come. [Have been invited to play tennis!!]

Fun for our "today"

Okay, I have to ask: Are you still alive? I got busted as of last night! Everything was great except for one game. But I will enjoy the Nova game today. (Doesnt' change eternity, but provides a lot of fun for today.)

March Madness Squared

While many are enjoying March Madness on the basketball court, remember to pray for our medical students who are awaiting their own Match Madness. This is when they discover whether or not they have gotten their preference for residency. This makes a huge impact on Medical Campus Outreach in our area and therefore deserves our concerted effort in prayer -- especially at the Moreaus embrace their future posting from the Lord.

Remembering Martha

She could talk a blue streak, outwit Erma Bombeck in telling stories...and then shift gears to be quiet and focus on a person pouring out their heart. She always lived purposefully with a mission of her own and melt bowling pins with her determined gaze (she wished!)...and have tenderness to embrace someone crushed by life. She could be one tough lady (ask her kids) unless you were a cat and then she was indulgent. While staying with them one night I learned her secret. I should have known it sooner, but I was just enjoying being with Martha and didn't think this vibrant woman relied on anyone or anything else. But there it was in her eyes: They lit up when we talked about Jesus. She was in love and fully loved. This was her secret: Her confidence in life, her striden lifestyle blossomed out of her love affair with him. Martha spent hours -- yes, hours -- studying Scripture and talking with Jesus daily. When the kids were younger she had her Bible opened on top of the counter and after they were in bed, spent an hour soaking in what he said to her. And she spoke to him of me. I always knew there was something special about her kindness towards me, but I never guessed it was this deep. I will miss her.

For others who knew her and for whom she prayed, there will be a memorial service this Saturday at her church in Augusta, GA. We will have another one here at Tenth next Saturday, March 25, at 10:00 am. If you knew her, come celebrate with us.

Welcome to Margaret Winifred Charles!

Congratulations to Doug & Chris Charles on the birth of the daughter, Margaret! Their message:

Margaret Winifred was born on March 11, 2006 at 1:11AM. We will probably be calling her Maggie for short. Weighing in at 7 lbs. 10 oz. and measuring 20 inches long. Mom and baby are doing fine. We are so excited to finally meet this little one. Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers.

Can't know without a program!

Remeber that old phrase "you can't know the players without a program"? Friday night is our congregational meeting (and dinner). Some people consider this event relatively unimportant -- but that is not true. How can you know the players or discern the strategy of what God is doing without a program? Come on! It's a great time of fellowship and exhilerating for the soul. (Hmm, I wonder if Jeff is cooking up soul food?)

By the way, if you need child care, it is necessary to register by Wednesday with the ever-lovely Mrs. Nancy Hala, our church receptionist.

Girls' fun on Saturday - Guys get to cook!

Sparrows, a ministry of TenthWomen for girls, teens and women ages 5 years old and up, will be having their annual french toast, sausage, danish, bagel & fruit breakfast this Saturday morning, March 18th at Tenth from 8:45 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. Ginger Clark, wife of Marion Clark will be our devotional speaker. Our craft is making wallets out of craft foam, plastic lacing and foam
stickers. There will be a fee of $3 per individual or $5 per family to cover the cost of the breakfast. Please RSVP Dori Baggs by Thursday, March 16th. Call 215-844-3912, or email at baggsend@juno.com. Ginger is inviting you to bring a special purse for our display table.

By the way...if you're a guy who loves to cook and serve...you're invited to help Jim Baggs and crew as they prepare this feast for the ladies! Please let him know if you can help! Contact information is the same. Metered parking is available around the Church or for $5 at the Graduate Hospital Parking lot with a validation stamp in the Delancey Street lobby.

What thoughts go through your mind?

Have you been aware of how many saints of the Church have been called home? (Have I slipped into being an old guy who reads the obits?) We have known of four in the last week: Gloria Semkiw's mom; Richard Wattenbarger's father; Martha Betts; and now Bev McFarland's father. All of them have played an important role in the lives of those they grieve their passing and many were strong believers. How we can rejoice in the example they modelled for us! How we are called to mimic their strength in Christ! How jealous we may be that they are home in heaven! Jealous? Yes! ...or is heaven too far away from your thoughts? Thought for today from Thomas a Kempis "Let temporal things serve your use, but the eternal be the object of your desire." Maybe we just need to know more about heaven.

Got Vision?

Hope you were able to attend some of the Urban Missions Conference, because I am very excited about what I learned. Bill Krispin ran through the history of Philly from 1720 to the present highlighting driving forces that developed this great city and the Greater Philadelphia region. (Skeptic that I am, I was shocked to find the Mummers Parade is a very old tradition in our city -- guess I have to go visit that museum in South Philly!) With this backdrop, Saturday morning Bruce Finn, "Coordinator of Strategic Fun", then painted in various church fellowships in the area as well as neighborhoods targeted with prayer for new church plants. If that were not enough, we had four godly leaders of churches in the area join in a discussion of how we might better understand, pray and get involved in what God is doing in our midst. (Personally, I was challenged by Doug's words to encourage out teens not only to find good churches and get involved, but also to be committed to that fellowship.) Got vision?