Danville Campus Blog

Recently, I've found myself using the phrase "church family" a lot.  I think family is the best word for what Jesus had in mind for the church - His followers.  A family spends time with one another. They eat meals together.  A family looks out for one another.  A family lives life a certain way - a culture.  The older show the younger how to live life that way.  A family encourages each other through the difficult times and celebrates together in the exciting times!  A family sticks together.

Mike Jacobs
Adult Connection Leader
Harrodsburg Road Campus

What does it mean to blaspheme against the Holy Spirit? Will there be animals in heaven? What are Southland’s thoughts on divorce and remarriage? If you’ve ever wondered about these kinds of things, the Q Event is for you.

Last night, about 40 of our Danville family gathered to ask things that they wonder about or have concerns over. It was a great exchange of biblical thought, interpretation and doctrinal examination.

Dan Hamel (Teaching Pastor), Gary Black (Richmond Road Campus Pastor), and Lawson Stone (Old Testament Professor, Asbury College) gave thoughtful, insightful responses to the questions raised.

If you’ve ever made the statement, “When I get to heaven, I’m going to ask God … (you fill in the rest),” then plan to join us for the next one! Q Events are held throughout the year, offering you and me the opportunity to seek answers to our inmost questions - even before we get to heaven!

Watch the website and weekend programs for upcoming Q Events!
 

Rebecca Hatton
Couples Ministry Leader
Harrodsburg Road Campus

On Saturday, May 5, the Danville Campus closed out the 2012 school year at Jennie Rogers Elementary School with a colossal block party. Everyone who attended the party was served lunch and had a lot of “fun stuff” to do.

Dunking teachers in the dunking booth was one of the favorites, but the huge water slide was the biggest hit. Face painting, tie-dye t-shirts, and decorating horses were just a few of the many craft activities in which families eagerly participated.

Thanks to the numerous volunteers from the Danville Campus who made this a special day for our community. 

To find out more about local outreach opportunities at our Danville Campus, contact Lana Yeary.

Lana Yeary
Danville Campus Local Outreach Coordinator

One of the things that I love most about my job in Age Level Ministries is getting to see how people at Southland respond to prompts to take their faith to the next level. They always come through in amazing ways and this weekend was no exception. How little did we know that our request to "Radically Invest Our Lives In the Next Generation" would touch the hearts of so many people this weekend! I stood there each hour between services watching as people responded in two powerful ways:

1. Hundreds of people dropped off their volunteer cards at our Harrodsburg Road Campus, signing up to invest their lives in the next generation. What amazed me was the sense that so many people really get what we are trying to do – we want the next generation to know Jesus! Because of these commitments, our students will be able to continue to grow in their love of Christ while the volunteers will be able to take ownership of investing in the life of a child or student.
2. People took the opportunity to commit to praying for a child/student by name. Cards were available with the first name, last initial and age of every student that attends Southland at Harrodsburg Road and Danville Campuses. The amount of prayer cards that were taken was amazing. This experience became even better as I got to see how people reacted as they went to pick out a name. People looked for certain ages, names that they could relate to, families even pulled cards off together talking about what child they thought would be the best fit for their family. Another powerful scene was the amount of parents who would go to their child’s environment, pick them up and bring them back in, so that they could be a part of picking out a name.

This weekend's message was about generation after generation coming together to help another. How blessed we are to be a part of such an amazing place. I am sure that God is being blown away listening to all the prayers for our students and smiling as he looks down upon us.

Laura, Nursery Leader

How will you get involved in the next generation? If you have questions on how to get started, contact Nate.

We, here at the Danville Campus, have the opportunity to adopt a child through the local Salvation Army's Angel Tree program.  We have the names and wish list for 50 children in the Danville area.  You can pick up a child's tag at Connection Point this Sunday, shop during the week, and return your child's gifts with a label on each, to the Salvation Army by Monday, December 5.  The Salvation Army is located at 519 South Fourth Street.  They're open M-F, 8:30am--Noon and 1--4pm.

Lexington Ave. Baptist Church is hosting a Thanksgiving Feast for individuals and families in need or alone for the holiday.  This will be at their fellowship hall, 339 Lexington Ave., Danville, from 11am -- 2pm on Thanksgiving Day. 

If you can help serve or deliver for an hour or so during that time, please contact Cindy.  This is another great opportunity to serve in our own community.

In Matthew 14, we read about the story of Jesus walking on water.  We also read about Peter getting out of the boat and walking toward Jesus.  But at some point he remembers that the waves are against him and he remembers he shouldn't be able to walk on water and begins to sink.  I know (figuratively), what he feels like.

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Not long after I finished college I wondered if I had plateaued as a Christian--hit the high point of what I would know about God and His Word.  The journey getting to that point was filled with excitement as I turned each page of the Bible and learned something new for the first time.  Each story stirred emotions within my heart.  I was excited as David defeated Goliath by the power of God.  My heart ached as I read through the accounts of the cross for the first time.  I was a little confused as I turned to the last book of the Bible, Revelation, and thought maybe someone a long time ago wanted to add a little science fiction into the Bible (joking--kind of). 

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We all have different interests, talents, abilities,  likes, and dislikes.  Through our local church, we get to utilize a variety of gifts and talents in a lot of different areas.  We just had training for our Children's Ministry Summer Serve volunteers.  Each weekend we see lots of folks on the stage who have outstanding musical talent and abilities to share. 

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What a great weekend...

I've been reading an interesting book, God's Guest List, by Debbie Macomber.  She talks about God putting people in our lives that are gifts to us -- and that many times we refuse to open the gift He's given and we lose out.  She suggests that we make a list of 30 people (no, it's not a magic number -- just somewhere to start), that we would like to meet in the course of our lives and that we keep a Guest List Journal -- of folks who've impacted our lives.

As I've been reading and thinking about her suggestions, I've realized that I'm rich in friends.  I don't dream of meeting celebrities -- authors, sports heroes, movie stars--because God has blessed me with men and women of faith.  What they've shared with me (and continue to share with me) has impacted my life and my ministry.  This includes family members -- Mom, Dad, Sister, Brother, In-Laws, Neices, Nephews, and Cousins.  That number alone would make up my 30!  But Christian brothers and sisters from college days, co-workers for the past twenty-five years at Southland, volunteers in lots of different areas, and ministry associations through traveling groups and serving on committees with other organizations, all have impacted me because of these people who were willing to invest in me.

Philippians 1:3--6 expressed Paul's feelings about the folks God put in his life.  "I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the fifrst day until now, being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." 

So, take time to make a list...even keep a journal...and thank God for His plan to put people in your life that you can continue to learn from and serve with for His glory. Don't leave the gifts unopened!

Cindy Willison, Ministry Services Leader -- Danville Campus

A few weeks ago, Jon walked us through Matt. 8:23—27.  Jesus is asleep in the boat and the waves of the Sea of Galilee begin to rise.  The disciples, also in the boat, begin to worry and fear for their lives believing that surely they will drown.  Jesus, in the meantime, sleeps as if He is back home on His Tempurpedic, the perfect pillow holding His head in place, with the sound machine in the background playing a trickling stream of water. 

The disciples, most of them fisherman, know the power of the storms on this water.  So they wake Jesus saying, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing” (v.25).  Right here is where I enter the story because I would have been asking the Lord for help as well.  Jesus gets up, questions their faith, and then calms the storm.

There have been many times I have laid awake at night, unable to sleep because I am worried about something.  The stack of bills on the counter, the car that needs many repairs, the house that needs to be worked on, the college fund for the kids (that hasn’t even begun), the reasons why certain things happen— they all keep me awake at night.  I can even hear myself calling out to Jesus, “Save me from this, Lord, or I might die.” 

This story of sleeping made me think to other times in the Bible when sleeping was an issue.  Later in the Book of Matthew, Chapter 26, Jesus goes to pray in Gethsemane and takes the disciples with Him.  Here we see a glimpse of the fully human side of Jesus when He said, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch with me” (v.38).  So Jesus goes up further and prays but when He returns the disciples had fallen asleep.  Again, put me in this story-- right here.  Jesus questions their faith and tells them again to stay awake and, “watch and pray” (v. 41).

I wonder what it is that I am falling asleep on?  What is Jesus asking me to stay awake for and I have no problem going right off to sleep?  I often find myself thinking that the disciples were ridiculously naive.  They walked with the Son of Man and yet they feared the waves and fell asleep when Jesus asked them not to.  However, I am worse than they were.  I have the whole story held in my hands.  I have the power of the Holy Spirit living in me and yet I still have fears and questions.  I also fall asleep (literally and figuratively) when I shouldn’t.  

As I strive to be more like Jesus, my hope is that the things that are important to Him are what are important to me, and the things I need not worry about don’t make me sleep deprived.

Brian Lucas, Experience Leader

This past weekend our high school students had the opportunity to travel up to Bluegrass Christian Camp for our winter retreat. It marked the first of many joint retreats/trips between both Southland campuses. The theme for the retreat was FIVE, taken from Ephesians 4:11 which reads, "It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers..." Between the two campuses, there were around 90 students and 20 leaders in attendance. 

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Bust out your turtleneck sweater, those oversized ski goggles and get ready to hit the slopes at Perfect North.

On Saturday, March 5, Danville Student Ministries will be going to Perfect North Slopes for a day of skiing, snow boarding, and tubing. We will leave the Danville Campus as 7am on Saturday morning and return at 8pm that evening.

Students interested in participating should fill out the online registration form by March 1. The cost for skiing or snow boarding is $85 and the cost for tubing is $40.

If you have any questions or would like more information, contact Jon Hall.

As we have been going through the book of Matthew as a church, I’ve been taking time each week to focus some of my quiet time on this book. The way that my mind works is, I often get caught up on a word and try to see how often it’s used; when and where, and in what context. A word I decided to trace through Matthew is "Follow." Take a look.

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