Don Champion

2012-04-29T16:42:00.001-04:00

The Champion family is in the midst of transition...

We are excited to announce we will be joining the pastoral staff of River Valley Church (rivervalley.org) in Apple Valley, MN! We have accepted the role of Campus Pastor of a the new Burnsville, MN campus that will be launching this fall. Additionally, Don will be directing a new River Valley leadership institute in partnership with North Central University, also to be launched this fall.

God has been faithful throughout our transition process and is putting all of the pieces in place. We have prayed and trusted that He would confirm in our hearts where He wants us to go, and it is clear River Valley is that place. We shared the news with Andrew and Alexa earlier this week and they are excited too--that's another confirmation and answered prayer.

Of course, transition is bittersweet...We are sad to leave the great friends we have made here in Michigan and especially at Freedom. We have been so blessed with great friendships and ministry here and will miss all of you. Having been in Michigan for nearly 11 years and at Freedom for almost 8, we have established many meaningful, lasting friendships that we are so thankful for. We know many of you have been praying for our family in this process, and we can't tell you how much that means to us.

Our last Sunday at Freedom will be May 20, and we will start at River Valley on June 1. Please continue to pray for us over the next few weeks as we work out all of the details involved with relocating our family. Thank you for your love, prayers, and support!

Ethiopia Post #3

2011-03-30T17:44:00.003-04:00

Friday Nights Service was powerful, even the Christian Orthodox thought so! The Christian Orthodox Church is very powerful and intolerant of Pentecostals in Ethiopia. They often attack churches and believers for their beliefs that go against Christian Orthodoxy. As I finished preaching Friday night and individuals came up front for the altar call we began to hear loud bangs on the roof. Mike and I didn't know what the noise was at first, but quickly learned that the Orthodox were throwing rocks at the church. The stones were hitting the tin roof of the church, but worship and altar time continued! It wasn't until one of the rocks came through a side window just above where many of the children were standing that the pastor lead the congregation in singing the Lords Prayer, as they prayed for those who were trying to disrupt and harm them. The above picture is of a rock I took from out front of the church that night...a great reminder that there are believers all around the world that contend and suffer for the gospel...we can remember and stand with them in prayer!

Ethiopia Post #2

2011-03-26T13:37:00.006-04:00

Friday was a big day for us here in Ethiopia. We had a full day of teaching a preaching, thankfully God gave us strength. Our day kicked off early as we headed to the school at about 6:45am, to beat the tremendous amount of traffic. The Bible School is only a few mile away, but leaving later in the morning could mean major traffic, taking us a couple hours to get to the school.

We taught our Youth Seminar session two times on Friday. The first time we shared with about 20 freshman during their first class of the day at 8:30am. When we finished teaching that seminar, we headed directly to chapel! Mike preached a great message in chapel. After chapel we grabbed lunch at La Prima, an italian restaurant right across the street form the Bible school. (The italians once tried to settle here in Ethiopia, but were run out by Ethiopian, but they left their food!) The food here has been great, and so cheap. We can eat in a very nice restaurant for about $4 or $5.

The afternoon consisted of us teaching our final two session for the Youth Seminar. I had the chance to share on developing student leadership, specifically around a servant leadership model. My masters work at Regent came in real handy on that topic!

In the afternoon we headed to the church. Friday night is typically the biggest church service, they still meet on Sunday's too, but fewer people attend. God has given this church a huge piece of land right in the middle of a new government housing project that will house tens of thousands of people. Pastor Bole, the pastor of the church has vision for a 10,000 seat church, and they will begin work on that soon! The church is thriving. We had the opportunity to pray, worship, and share the Word with them. Worship was electric! (See video below). I had the chance to preach to a packed house, such a great an humbling experience. I told the church that when we get to heaven they will have a lot of work to do to teach those of us from America how to worship and dance - they applauded. It was a powerful and great night! Church ended just before 9pm, and we headed to get dinner, at a place called Carnivore, I couldn't think of a better name for a restaurant!

Amazing day! Hopefully the video and pictures will help you see what we experienced!

A bit of worship - the house was rocking!

A look at the crowd during altar time worship

The kids "getting down" during worship

Some Pictures...

Teaching in morning session

Mike preaching in chapel

Church where were we ministered Friday night. What does that sign say? Notice the white "tub" on the front porch...baptismal!

More of the land of the church. In the distance the soon opening ministry center. Where the truck is and where we are standing is site of future worship auditorium that will seat 10,000. Behind us is the tabernacle church building you see in the above picture.

When I got up to preach, I asked the congregation to stand so I could take a picture of them to share with you. I told them to smile big, I wanted to see their teeth!

Preaching

With Pastor Bole after service.

Ethiopia - Post #1

2011-03-24T17:14:00.006-04:00

Wow! What a great time we have had in Ethiopia thus far. We arrived in Addis Ababa, the capital, on Tuesday evening around 10PM. (It is 7 hours ahead of Michigan here).

We kicked off our ministry here on Wednesday, in the morning we had the chance to meet many nationals ministering her, and the Ethiopian Superintendent (head honcho), Pastor Johnannis! What a great man of God and an anointed leader!

Wednesday afternoon we began our seminar on Youth Ministry to the students at Addis Ababa Bible College and pastors located in and around Addis Ababa. We have had a great turn out for the seminar – we had to move locations because the classroom we began in quickly ran out of space. Sweet!

Today (or yesterday rather, since it is after midnight here), I had the opportunity to speak in Chapel to the students from John 4 – talking about the need for us to continually draw the living water that springs forth-eternal life in us! Great to hear the Ethiopians worship, and respond to the message!

Our seminar on Youth Ministry continued this (Thursday) afternoon. We had two great sessions. Mike shared on “Building a Team in Youth Ministry” and I shared on “Student Outreach”. The sessions have been humbling as students are eager to learn and they diligently take notes. They seem to be benefiting from the material we are sharing with them, God gets the glory, not us!

Friday is a busy day! Ministry from early in the morning to late in the evening. We will be again speaking at Bible School, but also ministering in a local church. More to come...

A few photos...

Outside the Bible College

Mike outside Bible College

Eating traditional Ethiopian "Injera" & "Wat" (stew)

Mike Teaching Youth Seminar

Teaching Youth Seminar on "Outreach"

A picture form the balcony of our apartment

More teaching

Ethiopian Starbucks - so good!

Mike being studious!

Time to knock the rust off this thing...

2011-03-22T04:42:00.005-04:00

Well, time to knock the rust off this blog! I haven't posted in quite some time, mostly due to my hectic grad school requirements. I was thinking though that I would use this blog to share and log my trip to Ethiopia.

Currently I'm in Amsterdam, Netherlands and we are headed to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. I'm traveling with Mike Sabatino, youth pastor (Northpoint First Assembly - Holland, MI) and master of the prepared! There we will be working with missionaries Bob and Rhonda Thomas training pastors that attend ABC - Addis Ababa Bible College. We will be talking to pastors about the need for viable youth ministry in the Ethiopian Church (EC). The EC ministers to adults well, but tends to neglect a focus on the young adult generations. Along with teaching, we will be preaching in chapel and local church. Anticipating a busy week of ministry!!!

Tune in for more...

I'm back and armed with the BIG FIVE!

2009-03-15T22:45:00.007-04:00

Don't give up on me! I'm back and ready to role!

As I was reading about Leadership Trait Theories the other day I came across this great list of personality traits that enhance leadership. They are the Big Five personality dimensions to leadership:

1. Extraversion-refers to the degree to which a person is outgoing, sociable, talkative, and comfortable meeting and talking with new people.

2. Agreeableness-refers to the degree to which a person is able to get along with others by being good-natured, cooperative, forgiving, compassionate, understanding, and trusting.

3. Conscientiousness-refers to the degree to which a person is responsible, dependable, persistent, and achievement oriented.

4. Emotional Stability-refers to the degree to which a person is well-adjusted, calm, and secure

5. Openness to Experience-refers to the degree to which a person has a broad range of interest and is imaginative, creative, and willing to consider new ideas.

**Very few leaders are strong in all five dimensions.

Take a minute to reflect on these in your own life - What are your strongest area's? What are the areas that you need the most improvement? How can you maximize your strongest qualities? How can you work harder to overcome your weaker areas?

As I read through these I immediately could point out the area's that are my strengths and the others that I need the most help/improvement on. Some self-awareness in this area will go along way to improving your leadership skills!!!

Reflections from the Toilet Bowl...no it's not what you think.

2008-10-20T10:33:00.007-04:00

After 7 years of youth ministry I still haven't learned what I shouldn't do. One of those things I shouldn't do is play in the Toilet Bowl (our annual flag football tournament.) Saturday was our 16th Annual TB Tournament - and I played! Ouch. Two days later I'm still sore. At least I scored a couple touchdowns. Here's are a few pics...

Awake 2008-2009

2008-08-26T00:39:00.008-04:00

You know that feeling when you just wake up in the morning? Your eyes are open, you are moving along (sometimes running into things), you even perform a couple mindless tasks, but things aren’t fully registering yet! Sometimes it isn’t until we eat some breakfast, take a shower, or drink some coffee (or pop if you’re like me) that we feel awake.

As this school year approaches, we are going to focus on being awake as followers of Christ! We don’t want to be going through the motions of being a Christian as though we were half asleep. Instead we need to be purposeful in our pursuit of Jesus as well as our mission. Wake up! It is our time to wake up and start growing and maturing in our relationship with Him. Wake up! It is our turn to lead a generation towards the power of God. Wake up! This is our chance to live a life of worship. Wake up! It is our time to start reaching our friends with the unfailing love of Jesus. Wake up! It is our time to reach the world with the good news of salvation. Wake up! This is too important to walk through half asleep. He has called you to live awake!

The Power of Testimony

2008-08-25T10:29:00.003-04:00

It always amazes me when I hear a testimony of how God has changed or is changing someone's life. This past Wednesday after all.access I talked with a young man who shared with me how his life has changed since he started a relationship with Jesus. How powerful!!! The words of our testimony bring to life the tremendous power of our God.

I love what Revelation 12:10-11 says:
The salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Messiah have now come, because the accuser of our brothers has been thrown out: the one who acuses them before our God day and night. They conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they did not love their lives in the face of death.

Wow, it doesn't get any clearer than that. We have the power over our acuser (Satan) because we come speaking the TRUTH about a God who loves, cares, and still works in lives today! I don't think I'll ever get tired of hearing about God changing someone's life. The video below is from a church that illustrated short "cardboard testimonies" - every time I watch it I tear up...it is powerful!

What is your testimony?

Change of Location

2008-08-06T00:16:00.002-04:00

In case you've noticed my silence this week, I am blogging on our Costa Rica team blog you can visit it here. Check it out you will see some video, pictures, and here about what we are up to down here. I'll be back around these parts next week.

The Carnies are in town!!!

2008-07-29T10:48:00.004-04:00

Each year about this time the carnies roll into town for Sterlingfest (Sterling Heights little summer shindig.) On the Sunday before the festival the large caravan of motor homes, tractor trailers, and carnival rides begin to arrive at the corner of 18 Mile and Utica. Since this is on my way home, I become witness to carnie life over the next few days. As I sit at the light, I often wonder what life must be like as a carny. I am also astonished that no one has made a reality show about carnies (If there is one - please let me know - because I'll probably watch that as much as I watch the Deadliest Catch.) Don't get me wrong, I am in no way interested in being a carny. No, I won't be leaving my wife and kids behind for the glamorous life of a carny. Actually thoughts of their lifestyle makes be feel bad/sad for them. I really wonder about their journey to becoming a carny; did they have hopes and dreams, did they expect something different. What life did they leave behind, are they happy or just stuck? Do they wish they had never signed on...or are they content? Do they hope for a different future?

I really don't know what this post is... just my random thoughts and questions about carny life...

from the Don

Unity

2008-07-25T09:22:00.004-04:00

Earlier this week I was reading 2 Choronicles 30, and it has me thinking a lot about unity. As King Hezekiah is making a proclamation calling the people to Jerusalem to celebrate passover, verses 10 - 12 records the reaction of the people as the messengers spread throughout the land. In verse 10 the messengers are met in some parts of the land with scorn and ridicule of King Hezekiah, but in verse 11 and 12 they are met in other parts of the land with humility and unity. Here is what verse 12 says:

"Also in Judah the hand of God was on the people to give them unity of mind to carry out what the king and his officials had ordered, following the word of the LORD."

A couple things to ponder...

1. Unity came from the hand of God...it really does have to be God given. You know how hard it is to get people to agree on something.

2. Unity involves a togetherness in thinking. Unity isn't just a matter of conformity, a mindless act, or a lack of understanding. This is the miraculous part of unity.

It is so exciting when God brings unity, the possibilities are endless as to what he can do when we are unified according to His Word.

from the Don

comMISSIONed

2008-07-16T16:03:00.009-04:00

In Matthew 28:19 Jesus gives what is commonly referred to as the "Great Commission." Here is how the Message puts it.

"God authorized and commanded me to commission you: Go out and train everyone you meet, far and near, in this way of life, marking them by baptism in the threefold name: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Then instruct them in the practice of all I have commanded you. I'll be with you as you do this, day after day after day, right up to the end of the age."

This verse clearly instructs us to win our world and see lives transformed by Jesus. It is so inspirational to me for a couple of reasons. First, the amount of trust that God places in us shows his confidence in us as ministers of His gospel. The word commission at its root means giving the authority to perform a task. God gave us, every one of us, the authority to the ends of the earth to proclaim his name; to win the lost! I think often times followers of Jesus end up discounting their value and authority in the kingdom of God and shy away from any personal investment in the Great Commission. We must realize that he will use each and every one of us if we let him. Second, is his promise to be with us until the end of the age. Not only does God give us the authority but he gives us his supernatural power midst the natural. While the mission rests as our responsibility we aren't left hanging on how to accomplish the mission; the Holy Spirit is there with us to direct us and lead us in the planting, watering, and harvesting of souls for Jesus. The supernatural work of his Holy Spirit makes the seemingly impossible task of changing our world suddenly possible. How cool - God has comMISSIONed you and I and every follower of Jesus to be a part of the eternal work of this world, it really doesn't get any greater than that! Ready, Set, Go...change the world!

Summertime in the City

2008-07-16T10:57:00.003-04:00

It always astonishes me how fast summer flies by! It seems like we anticipate summer for so long, and then suddenly it's here then gone. I think that the weather in the lovely state of Michigan creates a more drastic summertime contrast. We freeze all winter and look forward to the warmth of summer only to have it be a mere fleeting moment. As a youth pastor it seems like each summer passes by quicker than the last!

On a side note, I have been away from the blog world the past week while I was at camp. I absolutely love camp it is an awesome experience! I am really proud of our students that went to camp...they really got a lot out of it. Want to check it out? I'm back in "the saddle" now, so expect more!

all.access tonight...'Pursuit'!

Thrilled

2008-07-02T22:09:00.003-04:00

So a wave of excitment flooded over me today! I saw a commercial for the new Heroes season "Villains" which will begin September 22. Because of the ridiculous writers strike I really feel like I was slighted last season. We have gone so long with information on if or when the show would return, but alas. I know my excitement is a bit overdone, but Heroes really is my favorite show, so please forgive an entire blog post related to a TV show...I know it's weird!!!

Ah...Fathers Day!!!

2008-06-16T10:34:00.002-04:00

Had a great weekend...and a fun Fathers day yesterday! Jamie and the kids got me a couple of pictures for my office and a couple shirts for summer. They're great! Yesterday, we went to church and then to Papa Vinos for lunch...stopped by a grad party...and then went home. Cleaned out old mulch from our landscaped and put down fresh stuff - Jamie made me do it on Fathers day (jk)! It's okay though cuz she took me to Coldstone afterwards. My new favorite Coldstone Signature Flavor - Banana Carmel Crunch. After we got the kids in bed we both passed out on the couch because we stayed up too late on Saturday havin' a bonfire. Good times though!

Cedar Point on Thursday!!!

Cool Runnings

2008-06-13T10:18:00.002-04:00

So as I was driving home from church on Wednesday night, I was thinking how cool Andrews new buzz cut was. I was in need of a hair cut on Thursday so you guessed it...I shaved my head. When Jamie got home from work I came out of the house to greet her at the car. Her reaction was priceless...she cried! Andrew thought it was totally awesome that his dad got the same hair cut. Numerous high fives ensued between dad and son when he saw my hair.

Basically I just felt like doing something out of the ordinary. Needless to say...mission acomplished. I saw someone at CVS from church yesterday and they didn't even recognize me at first. It was awesome.

Obedience

2008-06-11T11:14:00.002-04:00

Last week when I was in Flordia I was with my parents, Steve, Tracy, Conner, and McKenzie. Sunday Night we decided to head to Bruesters, an Ice Cream place near my parents house that we ritualistically visit. I love their ice cream. As we were sitting there for some reason our conversation turned to the discipline, "woopin's" that we received as kids. I was sharing memories I had when I got in trouble. A memory of a very distinct belt my dad wore that I got spanked with on more than one occasion was part of one of my stories. No sooner than I finished the description of the belt did my Brother-in-law pipe up and say, "I think I'm wearing it right now." He proceeded to show it to all, a number of emotions flowed through my body. I was shocked, disturbed, and somewhat frightened by the sight of the belt. Over all though I thought this was ironic and funny.

My biggest violations during my childhood were violations of obedience. Learning to obey is a significant part of the growth from childhood to adulthood. Even though I'm grown now and don't "answer" to my parents, obedience is still a huge issue. Our obedience to God the Father is so important as we move through life. Violations of obedience can have significant penalty and even derail us from the will of God. I pray as I walk with God that disobedience is something I put behind me, and obedience is what I embrace.

1 Corinthians 13:11

When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me.

from the don

30 Hour Famine

2008-06-06T10:58:00.004-04:00

Well we are just about an hour away from the 30 Hour Famine. all access will be fasting for 30 hours starting at 12:00 PM today!!! We are fasting and raising money to fight world hunger. $1 feeds a kid for a day and we are hoping to feed several kids for an entire year. So over the next 30 hours remember us and pray with us as we do a little bit to change our world.

P.S. We will be doing a free car wash tomorrow afternoon from 12:00 - 3:00 PM. If you are in the area stop by the church and get your car washed.

Psalm 91

2008-06-05T10:03:00.004-04:00

Last night was amazing. The acoustic worship night last night at all.access was so refreshing! God really moved in a real way. It was great to see all.access seeking God and worshiping him. Keep it up!!!

This Sunday is our annual graduation service. I am so excited, our drama team will be presenting a drama that I just love. I really love this service each year. This year our theme is "Everything" and I am preaching from Psalm 91. Psalm 91 is one of my favorite passages and this is the first time I am preaching on it. Each verse is packed with hope, trust, safety, strength, and truth. It is just so refreshing to my soul. Read it today and then you'll be ready for Sunday!

On a side note, it is good to be home after being gone for a couple of days. It was good to get all those hugs & kisses from the kids and Jamie! I am truly rich!!!

Have a great day!

from the don

Headed Home & Leadership Lesson

2008-06-04T08:19:00.003-04:00

I'm sitting in the Tampa airport this morning...studying for all.access tonight. We have an acoustic worship experience night planned, I am going to speak in two five minute segments. One segment on worship, and another on prayer. I'm pumped! As I look at my Blackberry I realize the next few days are going to be crazy. all.access tonight - Grad dinner Thursday night - 30 hour Famine Friday through Saturday night - Graduation Service on Sunday - and on Monday "recovery".

The reason I am in the Tampa airport is because I'm headed home after spending a couple days with my family. Arrived Sunday afternoon. Monday was an awesome study day - so much easier to study and prepare for Grad Sunday on a patio next to the pool with a waterfall! Tuesday headed out to the beach for a couple of hours - despite my suntan lotion efforts I ended up a little red.

Finally, a great leadership lesson, is to own your decisions - right or wrong. It's easy for us to own right decisions, they make us look great. If you make a difficult or unpopular decision but fail to own it in public, it could ruin your integrity. Often times our human instinct is to spin stuff to make us look good or our organization look good. The reality though is that people often see the truth, and efforts to "spin" a decision become as transparent as a sweaty pair of white underwear (sorry for the visual-but that's how gross that is)! The point is if you make a decision that might be unpopular, controversial, or difficult - just own it. That is being a leader, making the tough calls and being willing to lead through them even if you discover you might have made the wrong decision. Be genuine, that will do so much more for your integrity!

Okay...time to get on the plane! Have a great day!

from the don

Stress, Stress, and a bit more Stress!

2008-04-29T13:29:00.002-04:00

So I am working on a couple of video projects for the A/G Michigan District. They will be played at our District Council Banquet next Tuesday. I still have like a million more hours of work to do on it and only 160 hours to get it done! Needless to say I working on it non-stop!

Anyway I needed a blog break. Yesterday I saw a video link on my friend Chilly Chilton's Blog. I think it might just give me some great preaching material (wink-wink). It made me laugh and then made me sit in utter unbelief - You can check it out here on YouTube.

the don

YouTube Post Dedicated to Judy Gregory

2008-04-25T13:26:00.003-04:00

Discovered I was on youtube today!!!

Click here and enjoy!!!

Heading up to the Bolt Youth Ministry Conference in Midland, MI today with some all.access leaders! It should be a great weekend!!!

Hotlanta

2008-03-18T00:14:00.002-04:00

I made it down here to Atlanta yesterday and today was day one of this Cadre Advance. It is nice to retreat from the 30 degree weather to 70 degree weather. The Cadre is a one year mentoring group with Jeanne Mayo. These times with Jeanne are amazing and inspirational. The formula of ministry that Jeanne challenges and inspires each of us to is just so real and practical. I love it! I'm looking forward to all that this week holds in store.

On a personal note, I miss Jamie and the kids. They bring so much joy that when I'm not around them there is a huge piece missing...at least I got to talk to them today!

~the don

death

2008-03-11T11:24:00.003-04:00

So last night I took Andrew to school for a parent "Writing Club" meeting and activity. Mrs. Zimmer (Andrew's teacher) let us know how she has been teaching the kids to learn each sound of the letters. The meeting part was a bit boring but when the kids came back into the room the energy level shot through the roof. That is when Mason sat down next to me (one of Drew's buddies.), from there the night got interesting. Mason looks at me and his opening line is "my dad went to the cemetery today, because his friend died." "Really," I said astonished at the topic we were discussing. "Yeah his friend died, but I didn't know him, because it was his friend that he grew up with. I wish I could have gone to the cemetery."

It really was an interesting conversation, and Mason is an outgoing and funny little boy (the conversation quickly turned to how his 8 yr. old cousin can burp and pass gas at the same time). What I noticed though is that Mason was really intrigued by his dad going to the cemetery, and that even sparked a conversation today between Andrew and I about death about where they go when they die.

Ecclesiastes 3 says, "There is a time to be born, and a time to die."

It always seems easier to think about the being born part, and many times we don't want to think about the death part. The idea of death though becomes more of a celebration point rather than a point of mourning, when we live according to God's will and purpose. When we live for Him we inherit the promises & rewards of eternity. No matter when I die I want my life to be a celebration of legacy and reward. Celebrating the legacy of my time here on earth and a celebration of what awaits me in a heavenly reward. The simple fact though is that - If you want a celebration of your legacy and eternal reward you have to live a life that is worth celebrating. That is why I will always try to serve God, my wife, my kids, and those around me in a Christ-like way. Legacy and reward are two very motivating words for me.

~the don