Snow Hill News Blog

Shaping Us Toward Sunday

I recently added a podcast with some thoughts about the Scriptures for the upcoming Sunday worship. You can listen here.

Advent Journal Coming

We are just weeks away from beginning a new year following the Christian Seasons Calendar. Advent begins November 30. This year we are putting together an Advent Journal comprised of contributions from folks at Snow Hill. Often we provide devotional literature from others, people we do not know. This journal will be the combined reflections of more than 20 people. We are excited to include reflections from our adopted missionaries, Jonathan and Kari Masson. Look for your copy on Sunday, November 30. We hope the Snow Hill Advent Journal will prompt you to think about the coming of Jesus in deep ways.

Justice Now 2008 Video

Video Up Soon

Tomorrow we will post the Justice Now 2008 video created by Andrew. We will post it here and on our You Tube Channel.

Justice Now

In about 48 hours our youth will spend a few days thinking about "living justly." Brad developed a solid event focused on helping youth consider ways to think about following Jesus with a sensibility toward others. Rachael Hurt, a World Vision artist, will lead worship and Sally Rymer will share her work as founder of Clapham Sect Phase 2. At 16 Sally considers it a call from God to make folks aware of and work to rid the world of modern day slavery.

Friday evening Rachael will be in concert at 8 p.m. Everyone is invited to share in this part of the event.

Celebrating Communion

We celebrate Communion/Lord's Supper each month on the first Sunday of the month. Rather than viewing the remembrance celebration as an appendage tacked on to the worship gathering, we find the call to the Table to be a climactic moment as we celebrate Jesus who brings us into relationship with the Triune God and other around the giving of His life for us.

Video Addition

We have added a new feature to our "Learning Resources" page. You can click the link in the right sidebar to get there. We have uploaded our most recent video Brad produced for use in the service Nathan put together for Labor Day hearing from various folks involved in our Wednesdays Are for Others. We will also post future videos that will help visually illustrate the work we believe God has called us to.

You will also find a few short videos of people the staff believes help illustrate how to think about the church and what some refer to as the "missional turn." We will work to add new content each week.

Jonathan and Kari Masson

Caleb Crider and Larry McCrary launched The Upstream Collective which is described as,
                                 

                                       

what’s it all about?

Serving as full-time Christian workers in Spain and Germany has taught us a lot. One thing we at The Upstream Collective have seen first-hand is that God’s work in Europe isn’t limited to one vocation. Rather, God is calling people from all professions and all kinds of churches to get involved in what He’s up to in Europe, whether that means being globally active from a physical distance or daring to jump the pond.

One of the ways they hoped to help support and encourage missionaries is to find those who may be doing missions differently. For example, Jonathan and Kari Masson met in Africa married and now live in Lyon, France. They continue to live as missionaries. While in Senegal they were part of a program of the International Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention. Now they live as missionaries though not connected to what we refer to as a "mission sending" organization.

Caleb and Larry helped a small group of pastors and staff think differently about missionaries like the Massons during a meeting at Snow Hill. Churches really should be the "sending" organization even if financially supported by the International Mission Board or some other "sending" agency. After all, the mission of God was given to the Church not another entity. When young people choose to "go" they should do so knowing they will be supported and encouraged in a variety of ways. Apart from an agency this need tends to go unmet as our normal structures and patterns do not give space for what the Massons are doing.

We are grateful to Caleb and Larry for opening up an opportunity to think about ways we can support and encourage missionaries. Generally the first thought is, "We cannot afford to." Financial commitments are not the main issue for young people choosing to live out the mission of God in this way. It is to be tethered, or connected, with a group of people who will pray, send cards, care packages, and other things to help remind these young people God is and will use them in great ways in His work.

Jonathan begins medical school soon and his classes are in French. Pray God would prepare him after a summer without the rigors of using his French skills. Kari continues to work with several magazine. Pray God would continue to fuel her creativity. Pray that as they live life in Lyon they would through their hospitality and generosity open the way for relationships to develop and new friends to join them following and trusting Jesus.

Remember, you may keep up with the writing and photography of the Massons by clicking on the links in the left sidebar. Keep the Massons in your prayers.

Greater Things Still to be Done

Over Labor Day weekend Nathan, our Associate Pastor for Community Ministries put together a service outlining the ways we work to weave the Gospel into the fabric of our lives and serve those in our community. Brad, our Youth Minister, put together a great video. If you missed it here you go.

Snow Hill "Adopts" Missionaries to France

Pastor Todd learned while he was on vacation Jonathan and Kari Masson agreed to be "adopted" as missionaries by Snow Hill. The relationship grew out of a meeting with Larry McCrary and Caleb Crider with the Upstream Collective and the IMB. Caleb told us Jonathan and Kari's story. After a few email exchanges and sharing with a group during our Sunday evening gathering all agreed God would want us to further a relationship with the Massons. Be watching for more information both from Snow Hill and here online. One way you could get to know more about Jonathan and Kari would be to visit their blog. (For those unfamiliar with "blog" it is shorthand for "web log." You could view this as something of an online journal. For example in the links in the right sidebar you can read Jan or Ryann's blog joining them in their journeys battling cancer.)

Click here to read Jonathan and Kari's blog.