SU Sunday Mornings
Continue at regular times, 9 or 10:30am through June 30

SU Nights
Continue at regular time through May 8

Graduation Sunday
May 19

Middle School Pool Party
May 22

High School Pool Party
May 28

Middle School Summer Camp
July 14-18
Current 6-8 grade students

SU Kick Off & Pool Party
August 4

***Remember: SU Nights end on May 8, SU Sundays continue through June.

There are a number of opportunities to serve at camp, including Arts and Crafts, Field/Sports Games, Dance/Cheer Performance, Teaching about the Bible, Faith, Worship etc., Team Building Activities, Crowd Breakers and Hiking/Nature Guide.

If you would like to be a part of creating this life changing experience for Middle Schoolers, please click the link below to complete the Camp Staff Application.  There are certain positions that will require you to be able to meet Monday afternoons in June.

All applications must be submitted by April 14. Position assignments will be announced on April 22.

Apply Here

Middle School Camp

Prescott, AZ - January 18 - 21

DETAILS HERE

High School Camp

Williams, AZ - February 15-18

DETAILS HERE

September 23, 2012
November 4, 2012
January 27, 2013
April 21, 2013
August 25, 2013

SU Kick Off
August 5

Dodgeball Tourney
August 10

SU Nights
Begin August 22, every Wednesday Night

The Dash Trip
September 14-16

SU Sunday Mornings
continue at regular times through June 24
Middle School 9:15am
High School 10:45am

SU Nights
continue at regular time through May 23

SU Movie Night
May 23

Graduation Sunday
May 20

High School Pool Party
May 29

Middle School Summer Camp
June 3-8
Current 6-8 grade students

Camp Counselor Opportunity
June 3-8 and/or June 17-21
Current 9-12 grade students
(Interview Required)

Middle School Pool Party
June 10

SU Crowded House
July 11, 18, and 25

SU Kick Off
August 5

***Remember: Normal SU times in May (Sundays and Wednesdays), Sundays only in June, Wednesdays only in July.

Please make sure you complete the 2013 permission form for your students. This form covers everything for the year, but please make sure to check it before your child(ren) leave on a trip to make sure we do have it and that all of the information is current and up to date. Please click here to access the form and then return the completed form to Beth Wolff.

Whether you are making a resolution to get to know God in 2012 or have been with us for years, this is a Sunday you won't want to miss.  Making or renewing your commitment to Jesus Christ is the most life transforming resolution ever and Student Ministries at Mountain park is here to walk with you each step of the way.

Middle School will be meeting at 9:15 and High School will be meeting at 10:45.  Email Beth Wolff at bwolff@mountainpark.org with any questions.  We can't wait to see you all there!

Because everyone feels that way sometimes, I strive to figure out ways to communicate directly with you. Here is my newest shot at it-- TEXT MESSAGING! Signing up to recieve text messages about what is happening in Student Union is super simple and I promise not to make your phone beep every ten seconds.

Sign Up for Txt4Students

The entire trip is built around equipping participants to become servant leaders in their everyday lives. Each day there is opportunity to learn about biblical leadership in a dynamic and engaging way through seminar, team discussion, and hands on experience. The week becomes a catalyst for students to return home ready to apply each of the key values (Live Differently, Love Recklessly, Lead Courageously, Dream Wildly) to their every day lives.

In 2011, I took a group of students for the Hollywood Servant Leadership Trip. I think each one of them expected it to be the same ol’ same ol’ when they returned back home. However, the reality was unlike anything I expected, but everything I hoped for. In the following months, each one of them have taken on a role as a student leader at church, at school, on a sports team, or in their community. Check out some video from our Hollywood Servant Leadership Trip and I hope you are able to join us for this years Servant Leadership Trip.

Servant Leadership Experience | LA 2011 from lead222 on Vimeo.

See Details and Sign Up

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Book bio.

Pick your battles.

If you argue about everything from taking out the trash to curfew time, from what you want to wear to how much time you can spend on your cell phone, your parents are going to get frustrated super fast with the constant battle. You will be seen (and delt with) as argumentative, uncompromising, and ridiculous. They will be less likely to listen to your thoughts, feelings, or opinions. Instead, pick your battles and make sure they know that’s what you are doing. When asked to do little things like taking out the trash, tell them, “I love you too much to argue,” and take out the trash. Then when it comes to something that you really care about like how late to stay out, they will be more likely to listen to your desires.

Write down exactly what you are arguing about.

For longer more in depth arguments or on going debates, it might be a good idea to write down what you are arguing about. Parents are very good at clouding the issue with past grievances, unresolved issues, and disagreements that need to be discussed, but have nothing to do with what you are talking about. Once you figure out what you are arguing about, keep another list of the things that are brought up that may need to be discussed, but for right now are just dust. Insist to your parents that you can talk about those, but respectfully ask that we talk about them later so you can stay on topic. This makes sure that both parties can see the issue clearly, but also have an outlet for the other topics that might need to be addressed later. If needed, set a date for when you can deal with those other conversations.

Stay calm.

It is really easy to let your blood boil in the middle of an argument. We allow ourselves to argue with our parents in ways we would never do at school or with our friends. I agree that sometimes when I am being yelled at, my gut reaction is to start yelling. Your parents might have started yelling at you first, but they aren’t going to see it that way. Sometimes parents have big egos, and think they are in the right.  Always true? No. Fair? No. But when you meet fire with fire and volume with volume, you become the enemy. Now whatever the argument was about doesn’t even matter anymore. All that matters is winning against a potential threat. Reimagine an argument where a parent starts yelling and instead of dishing it back, you continue to breath calmly, with love and compassion in your eyes. When you start speaking, you do so slowly with intentionality and love, temporarily ignoring the disrespect. No matter how loud and hurtful they might get, stay calm. Our fear is that our parent will continue to escalate. But when we refuse to dish it back, it won’t happen. The issue remains the enemy, not you. They will calm down and you both will be able to stay on target to find a resolution about the disagreement.  Later, when tempers are cooled, you can tell your parents that you really don’t like when they yell at you. You can bring your example of how you dealt with the conflict calmly and with respect and encourage them to do the same next time.

Some of these things, you won't be able to control. But support system at church can make a huge difference for you when life gets a rough. But if you wait until the waters start to look rough, it will be too late. The sooner you can connected at church the better! However, most students need a little help and guidance to form that support. Here are a few helpful suggestions for you as you get connected to Student Union:

Join a d.group

D.groups are small groups of five peers and one adult leader. They meet together on a weekly basis to study the bible, grow in their relationships, and do life together. It is a wonderful way to meet people and be individually challenged and encouraged in life. To find out more or sign up click here.

Commit to come every Sunday

If happens every year. In August, you come every Sunday. In October, it becomes every other Sunday. By the time March rolls around, it is once a month. Before schedules get crazy, homework piles up, and lack of sleep builds, sit down and set a goal to commit to attending church every week. Hang it in a place you will see often to remind yourself. Don’t forget to include why… sleep can be very enticing and will make you forget!

Encourage students to volunteer

Nothing makes you feel like you belong like taking ownership of something. Volunteering is a great way to do that. Students have lots of opportunities to volunteer on at Mountain Park, particularly on Sundays.  They can attend SU during one celebration time, and serve the second. Serving together is another great way to build relationship with your student. To serve with Children’s ministry email Margo, to serve as an usher email Cindy, to serve in the band email Jon, and to get involved in Mountain Perk Café click here.

Yet, as it has grown, the idea behind it has stayed the same. All the profits from the café go to help students attend camps, outreach, and missions trips. The hope is that these experiences will act as a catalyst, launching them into a deeper relationship with Christ. For most students, this is exactly what happens. They are able to have experiences that they otherwise could not afford, that have completely changed their lives.

Beyond the finances, students also have the opportunity to work as a team as they serve on a Sunday. Students are encouraged to learn the names of returning guests as a way to connect with the larger church body.

Essentially, we are equipping students to live dangerously, on cup of coffee at a time. So next time you are thinking about stopping at Starbucks on the way to church, don’t. Stretch your dollar further. Buy your coffee or smoothie from Mountain Perk and help our students live dangerously.

Interested in becoming a part of the Mountain Perk team?

We always need more help with the Perk! If you are an adult and would like to get involved as a team lead, please contact Peggi LaMonica.

If you are a student between 8 – 12 grade and would like to get involved, download and fill out this application. You can either turn it into the church office or email it to Peggi. We normally train new students in late August and early January. Excited to serve with you!

“Joining a d.group was probably one of the best decisions I have ever made. It has helped me become even closer to God, become more involved with church and serve people in our community. It has also helped me create friendships that will last for a long time and provide me with a leaders that I know I can rely on and talk to about anything.”

                                                                              -Cesar Sandoval, Senior

Cesar’s experience is just one of over 85 students who participated in a d.group during the 2010-2011 school year. These groups are opportunities for students to connect with other students and their leader in a small group setting. Normally the groups are made up of an adult leader and about 5 to 7 students who are a similar age and gender. They meet together once a week for an entire school year.

What happens during the meetings varies a little bit from group to group, but the core stays the same. As students grow in relationship with each other, they grow in their relationship with God. Slowly they find themselves living out one of our 7 SNOWUTS, “doing life together.”

Whether you were in a student d.group last year, or what to join one for the first time this year, please let us know by signing up. D.groups will kick off (which means you will get to meet your group and leader) on August 21 after the second celebration. Once you sign up, we will keep you up to date on the details as we get closer. 

Sign up to join a d.group

In the month of July, Student Union will be joining “Big Church” on Sunday mornings. (You can find us sitting together in the front, left-hand corner of the auditorium.) But on Wednesday nights, find us in the gym having a massive snowball fight, possibly swimming in pudding, or dressed in flannel. Students will also get to choose their own adventure by attending the breakout session that interests them the most. To top it off, the SU band will be teaching us some news songs that we will be doing throughout the rest of the school year.

I would hate for you to miss this summer excitement. You can see more specific details of dates, times, and who will be leading which sessions by checking out the SU Summer Night event page.

The problem is that there is so much “culture” out there it would be full time job just to expose yourself to everything students might experience. In the end, you could spend 24 hours in front of YouTube, Facebook, Pandora, and TV and not learn anything valuable. So, while I dilly dally in those media a little, I stick to the experts to do my research for me.

Resources I Recommend for You

Center for Parent/Youth Understanding is a nonprofit organization committed to building strong families by serving to bridge the cultural-generational gap between parents and teenagers. Their website provides palatable bits of information about youth culture, including top ten lists for music downloads, videos viewed, and Google searches. As well as, articles on everything from new popular drugs among teens, to connections between bullying and sleep habits. CPYU even sends out a biweekly newsletter to let you know about the highlights from the past two weeks to peruse.

http://www.cpyu.org/

Learning My Lines is a blog written by Walt Mueller, the president of CPYU. His posts are short, fascinating, and most always contain a video. Most of his posts deal with specific ways that he has used current culture to start thought provoking conversations with students about the state of the world and their part to play.

http://learningmylines.blogspot.com/

I have found these resources incredibly helpful. Whether you are a student, volunteer, or parent, I hope that you also find them helpful to learn what’s floating in the water.

That was my first month of working at Mountain Park Community Church. Those first phone calls were painstaking. I’ve come a long way; yet still find myself in the same place.

Almost two years later, I can tell you exactly what I hope for out of my leaders: Beyond meeting with 5 students on a weekly basis to talk about the Bible and faith topics, leaders will “Do Life Together” with those middle or high school students. Leaders will intentionally engage students in such a way that they will earn the right to speak God’s grace and truth into their lives. This might mean going to a big game or concert, or getting to know their family and friends. Leaders will find ways to enter “student territory” and invite students to grow in their faith in “adult” ways. One way we found works is simply coming to Student Union on Sunday mornings and messaging them on Facebook. Leaders will work along side students as they learn to take ownership of Student Union, and more so, the church as a whole. This could be as short term as inviting their group to a serve at a church wide outreach day, or as long term as using and teaching them the SONOWUT language. Leaders will continuously improve their effectiveness and spiritual growth by pursuing a relationship with God and supporting other SU leaders, as they are supported. This is what our monthly leader meetings are for… plus, they are really fun!

Almost two years later, I find myself at my phone again calling unknown numbers. However, this time, I have a general idea of who is going to answer. This morning, out of the 18 phone calls that I made, 13 of them are considering being student d.group leaders for this next school year. And this time the request didn’t deteriorate into “plan events, bring cookies.”

If you are interested in being a d.group leader for the 2011-2012 school year (or you would like to make a suggestion), please email Beth at bwolff@mountainpark.org.

Sunday, May 22, we will be celebrating 8^th graders who will moving from middle school to high school, and our seniors who will be leaving the nest of Student Union to broader skies in 242 (Mountain Park’s College and Young Adults).

Join us at 10:45am for a pancake breakfast and special service in honor of our graduating seniors. Seniors will have an opportunity to impart gained wisdom to underclassmen. We will also have a chance to encourage and love on our seniors before they fly the coup. Parents are welcome to join Student Union every Sunday, but particularly this Sunday. Come and celebrate with us!

Please note that current 5^th graders (students who will be in 6^th grade for the 2011-2012 school year) will not be promoted to Student Union until August. At that point, we will welcome our new 6^th graders in grade style: a massive slip ’n’ slide in the gym!

Watch the video... if you like it, share it on Facebook to the right and click the "Like" button just up at the top! Come on, share the goodness... ENJOY!

See Colleen & Emily Live every Sunday!

Before you know it, there is no time left for the really important things: building community, spiritual retreat, service, deep friendships, hard core fun.

We want to help you get those important priorities in place and on the calendar before all the little stuff gets in the way. Check out the SU Summer Calendar for all the important dates and events of everything that is happening in Student Union this summer.

If you need more details on any of the events, like times, location, or cost, you can search for them by clicking the red magnifying glass at the top of the webpage and entering the name of the event.

• Mountain Perk
• Annual Garage Sale
• Selling Student Stocks

Occasionally, a family needs more assistance than that. Therefore, we have scholarships available. Applicants must meet the following criteria for MPCC to provide support:

• Family has experienced some amount of financial hardship over the past year, OR one or more parents are unemployed, OR applicant is a child of a single parent household.
• MPCC is the home church of the applicant. Applicants who are actively involved in church life will be given preferential consideration.
• MPCC has received a satisfactory recommendation in writing from a non-family member (i.e. d.group leader, SU volunteer (non-staff), family friend)
• Upon application being approved, applicant will complete 10 hours of service at the Church during prescribed times.

If you are in need of a scholarship for a specific event, please download and fill out this application and turn it into the church office.

With so many of you and your leaders traveling over the summer, d.groups will take a summer break starting May 22. That will be the last official week d.groups will meet together. (I have heard that some of the groups like each other so much they are going to keep meeting occasionally. How can I say "no" to that?!)

D.groups will kick off again on August 21. Through out the summer, during our Wednesday night (for the month of July only) and Sunday morning gatherings we will be asking you to "re-up" your commitment to being in a d.group during the school year. You will be able to indicate if you would like to continue with your past leader (if available), or try someone new.

Looking foward to another year of doing life together!

REGISTER YOUR STUDENT

Middle School Summer Camp 2011

When: June 2 - 6
Who: Current 6th through 8th graders
Where: Forrest Homes, Forrest Falls, CA.
Cost: $195 by March 27, $315 by April 24, $360 by May 29**

Click here for details

High School Summer Camp Mimp 2011

When: June 1 - 6
Who: Current 9th through 11th graders
Where: Forrest Homes, Forrest Falls, CA.
Cost: $195 by March 27, $295 by April 24, $315 by May 29**

 Click here for details

Jr. Counselors for Summer Camp - Application Only

When: June 2 - 6
Who: Current 11th - 12th graders
Where: Forest Homes, Forrest Falls, CA.
Cost: $215 upon acceptance of application**
Details: Applications due by April 24

Click here for details

Servant Leadership Trip (Hollywood)

When: July 10 - 17
Who: Current 8th through 11th graders
Where: Hollywood, CA
Cost: $700, sign up with a $100 deposit

Click here for details

SU Summer Nights

When: Every Wednesday Night in July (6, 13, 20, 27)
Who: Current 6th through 11th graders
Where: Mountain Park Community Church

Click here for details 

Find out about scholarships that are available here.

**You might have noticed a price change in the original advertised prices for camp. Unfortunately, Beth (our fearless leader) goofed and forgot to add the price for transporation on to the camp fee. Please forgive her. She feels aweful! If you signed up early, you just got a smoking good deal!

Of all the churches in the early Bible days after Christ has ascended into Heaven, the church of in Philippi serves as a shining example of what a community of Christians should look like.

What We Can Learn from 1:3-6

In most of his books to the various churches, Paul opens up with greetings that are appropriate for those churches. Usually it's a prayer for grace on them because they've got a lot of work to do. For this church in Philippi his opening is one of thankfulness.

"I thank my God everytime I remember you." As you learn throughout the book, Paul has a special relationship with the people at this church and though he is their teacher, he also considers them his dear friends. He is writing this letter from prison, but this church in Philippi causes a spirit of thankfulness to overflow.

"In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day till now…" This picture is so relevant to us today. We can all relate to a time in our lives where our circumstances were so difficult but just knowing that there was someone out there who, though absent in body, were with us in spirit, bearing the burden with us, serves as such an encouragement.

"…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." Part of his encouragement is from the fact that he knows that God is on a mission and that regardless of whether Paul is able to continue to minister… regardless of how things go for him… regardless of what happens, he finds joy in the fact that it is God who is at work and God's work cannot be stopped.

Response

1. Who do you have in your life who encourages you like the church of Philippi encourages Paul?
2. Is there a person or a group of people who have your back and are there for you no matter what the trouble… they say "where you go, I will go." 
3. What do you learn from Paul's words to his dear friends, the Philippians?

Please feel free to leave your comments below.

In our group we are reading Chapter 2. It's titled "You might not finish this chapter," and that title comes from the thought that before we know it our life could be over. I am in my home right now and the reality is that once I get in my car and begin driving today my life could indeed be over.

Why I'm Telling You About This

Reading through the chapter was insightful and challenging, but there is one portion that I really connected with and it just so happened to be a verse from Jesus. While speaking at a friends funeral, Francis opened up the Bible and shared the words from Matthew 10:32-33. "Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven." To me those words are intense. They don't leave room for messing around. You're either in or out.

I think we can relegate that verse to acknowledging God in word only. If someone asks us if we're a Christian in order to adhere to this verse we must say yes. I think that's true, but I think what Jesus was getting at runs deeper than that. We shouldn't limit the power of Jesus' words to only responding in the affirmative when presented with opportunity to acknowledge him, but I think that verse reaches further into our lives. I don't believe it is calling us to be reactive, but pro-active. When combined with the Great Commission (Matthew 28:16-20) this is a teaching that ought to propel us to living lives where all we want to do is find opportunities to acknowledge, even confess Jesus before others. 

What does that look like? To pro-actively seek ways to acknowledge Jesus to all men? I think it manifests itself in all different ways and I think to each of us the answer will be different. The essance of the message remains steady, but our tactics will look different as a result of what surrounds us.

God's Throwing A Parade: I'm Invited

I don't want God to be reactionary with me. I don't want him acknowledging me only when asked. Rather I want to be adored by my Heavenly Father. I want to live a life that God is proud to parade. To live a life where he doesn't model a shamed parent… you know that parent in the grocery store who loves their child dearly but has to go around apologizing for the behavior of their kid when she doesn't get lucky charms in the cereal isle. I want God to hold my hand proudly and parade me as a prize. I don't think that's too much to ask… as a matter of fact, I think that's well within the realm of an acceptable desire. Who doesn't want to be adored by their father… earthly or heavenly?

What does this look like for you? How can or do you acknowledge him pro-actively in all areas of our life? Please comment and share from your experience.

Lives on Mission

No one wants to waste their life but unfortunately the majority of lives lived are wasted. Wasted on careers. Wasted on education. Wasted on accomplishments. Our lives are wasted on so many things that are not inherintly bad but become bad when they take the place of Jesus. For the Christian we are called to live lives on mission; lives of purpose. No one said it would be easy, as a matter of fact, Jesus said it would be hard. There is too much at stake to forget that we are on mission for Jesus. There is too much at stake to approach religion as a moralistic therapy. There is too much at stake to mistake good things in life for our lifes purpose. We are called to live lives on mission for the priorities of Jesus.

Lives of Self-Control

One of the shining traits of a Christian following after Jesus is their ability to live lives of self-control and not surprisingly one of the most damaging things a Christian can do to their lives & their credibility is exhibit a life of zero self-control. The choices in life are so clear when you focus on Jesus and surround yourself with a community that loves Jesus. When we begin to stray from biblical community those easy choices suddenly become harder to make. What are areas in our lives where we need to ask Jesus to bring a spirit of self-control?

Generosity

It seems that the younger a believer is the more firmly he holds to his pocket book but the more freely he will be with his time. As the believer ages he is more willing to part with pieces of his pocket book but his time becomes something to hold tight to the chest. Christians should be the most generous, giving people on the face of the planet because unlike the non-believer, we are aware of the great sacrifices that Jesus has made for us. When we fail to be generous men and women of Christ we become more and more like the unmerciful servant. Our lives should be shining examples of demonstrating the genersoity of Christ.

Christians are no exception to having our favorite pets. We have things that bring us comfort & safety as Christians. It would be great if God was always the one bringing us comfort & safety, but sadly we often relegate his relevance to our comfort & safety to the post life (we just want to get into heaven). What do I think is the Christian's favorite means to attain comfort and safety here and now? Legalism.

Gettin' all Legalistic on Your Behind

Stop having sex. Don't drink. Don't swear. Pray. Do a quite time. Give money to church. Volunteer. Go to Sunday services. "You'd better do these things if you want to be loved by God." It seems to me that we, Christians, love to get all legalistic about things. It could be for a variety of reasons. It could be to puff ourselves up. Make ourselves look better than everyone else around us, like the religious leaders in Jesus' day. It could be for reason of not even knowing where to start in trying to live a Christian life... "well, I'm a Christian now. I guess I'll stop drinking." But I think those are just symptoms of a greater problem.

Gettin' all "Jesus" on Your Behind

The heartbeat of legalism is self-help Christianity. This so called self-help Christianity is the brand of faith where you figure out a way to clean yourself up for God. You accumulate a list of all the things you did and didn't do in the name of Jesus and then at the end of that day, week, month, you present your list to God and try and convince him to say "red rover red rover, send insert your name over!" The problem with this brand of faith is that it lacks one fundamental understanding about God: why Jesus came.

Jesus came to set the captive free. He came to fulfill the law, to be a trailblazer. But somehow we still want to earn God's approval. Even on our best days, when we have made all the right choices, done all the right deeds, we are not beyond the need of God's grace. And even on our worst days, when we have sinned greatly and don't feel like we deserve what Jesus did, we are not beyond the reach of God's grace (take from The Discipline of Grace).

We love to be legalistic about things because it is a way we rely upon ourselves and assure ourselves of our salvation. But Isaiah & Paul say:

"All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away." Isaiah 64:6

"But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ," Philippians 3:7-9

That second verse from Paul is pretty powerful. He had a lot to tack on to his spiritual resume... I mean, he wrote half of the New Testament. I would imagine it would be easy for Paul to get a book deal and be a best selling author in the "Christian Living" section of Barnes & Noble. He could have written books that would make Joel Osteen jealous. But instead he says he counts all his accomplishment as a loss. The only thing that matters to him is that he has Jesus in the end.

Response

What are some of the favorite legalisms Christians tend to hold on to? Obviously sex, drinking and swearing are huge... what are some other legalisms we try to abide by to earn salvation and how does Jesus release us from them?

Each sitting I find myself really drawn to a particular verse each time:

Those three verses alone could give you a clear picture of who Jesus is. In Matthew 6:21 he is a wise teacher who understands the condition of the human heart when it comes to money. No matter how many years have passed, this statement is still true today. We can be found when the trail of our check book is followed. What is it that we love? what is it that we invest in? Our money will testify on our behalf every single time.

JESUS IN ACTION

In Matthew 9:6 he speaks with compassion and authority. He knew the needs of the paralytic were much greater than regaining the ability to walk. With authority he addressed the greater needs first but then with compassion and power he gave the ability to walk. Imagine being a close friend of Jesus in this moment. I am thinking about my buddy Isaac right now… I would say that we’re pretty close and we know pretty much everything about one another. I can’t imagine the two of us hanging out and all of the sudden Isaac forgiving sins of some guy on the street and then giving him the ability to walk. I would think inside my head “I can’t believe what just happened! Seriously, did that just happen?” That’s probably very similar to what the disciples felt every time Jesus did something great. I can’t imagine it getting to a point where they’re like, “yeah, that’s our rabbi. He does stuff like that all the time.” NO WAY! I wouldn’t be able to maintain composure.

And then in Matthew 9:35 we hear what Jesus’ wrap was around town. He’s a guy who goes around to all the neighboring areas, talks about God and “heals ever disease and every affliction.” Now that’s cool. Just stop and think about that……………. he heals ever disease and every affliction. The people surrounding him at the time were seeing him heal physical ailments but his miracles paved the way for humanity to be healed from spiritual depravity. He was doing so much more than what people could see. In the words of Allan, “Jesus Had an Agenda.”

JESUS STANDS ALONE ALONG SIDE US

I would love to have been around when Jesus was walking. I don’t think many people would express the opposite… “I would have hated to be around him.” Even people who don’t believe Jesus is God would want to go back and hang out with Jesus. The reality is that there is none like our God. No other God has had the wrap that Jesus has. No other God has accomplished the things Jesus has accomplished. No other God proclaims the ability to forgive sin. Jesus stands alone on so many fronts and someone who is that set a part would normally be difficult to find. However, through his Word,  God has made himself, Jesus, available to all and even though he isn’t here in physical form, he is here inside our hearts. And we get to hang with him.

VINTAGE JESUS

This Thursday, May 19, is 242 Night and we will be continuing in the Vintage Jesus study. I have been loving this study because Jesus is the center of the Christian's world and it has been incredible to dialogue each week about who Jesus is. Please go to our website and "Like" the page or share it on Facebook.

Info for Vintage Jesus

FRESHMEN WELCOME POOL PARTY

On Saturday, May 21, we are welcoming the incoming Freshmen into 242. This is a very important day for our group as we get to make a first impression on graduating high school seniors. Please do everything you can to join us. Food will be provided, but you'll want to bring your swimsuit and a towel. If you've got someone who you'd like to invite to check out the 242 group, this is a great opportunity in a non-threatening environment... Please be there on Saturday!

Info for the Freshmen Welcome Pool Party

242 LADIES RETREAT

Lastly, the 242 Ladies Retreat is in June and spots are limited on this weekend just for the ladies. It is probably one of the least expensive trips you will ever take! The cost is $50 and includes accommodations, meals and for those carpooling with the group, gas. All ladies between 18-28 are invited to join the gals from 242 for a great weekend of relaxation and community.

Info for the Ladies Retreat

If you're a man and you want to get fired up about being a man in love with Jesus, take 5 minutes and watch this video. Don't just watch it, but watch it and ask, "how does this change me?"

So, you’ve made Mountain Park your new church home. What is it about our community that you really connected with?

I feel like Mountain Park is a place you just can’t get away from… No, that’s not a bad thing in this situation. Other churches I’ve visited have been different because, once I was out the door, my mind told me “Ok, Jordan, on to the next thing…” and I never thought twice about the message or the songs or the people I met. BUT, when I leave Mountain Park, it’s always on my mind. I remember the message I heard at random times during the week, I am always thinking about the next time I’ll get to see the people there, and I’m always excited to go back for more! I’ve never felt that about a church before, and it’s addicting.

It’s been said that you work at ASU. Is that true?

Who told you that? Oh right, I did… Yes, I work in Stadium Control. “But Jordan, Stadiums are usually pretty structurally solid, right?” I get that question every decade. No, my job is basically to make sure people are behaving themselves at sporting events, like football games, volleyball, etc. It’s a pretty easy job, aside from the occasional drunk person. I get to go places that the regular fan doesn’t usually get to go, so it’s kind of like a backstage pass at times, which I think is cool because it’s interesting to see how the whole “College Sporting Event” works on any given saturday.

No, I can’t get you free tickets to sporting events… Sorry guys…

Did I see you online somewhere? Are you a YouTube superstar?

You caught me. I do a little video recording/editing now and again. My video capabilities are limited because I have a PC, which doesn’t do as well as I’d like, sort of how Macs handle that kind of stuff. I also play the guitar and sing, so what better way to let my far-off friends and family know what I’m working on than posting it on youtube, right? As for the superstar bit, I’d have to get at least 2,000 more views before I could actually put that on my business card.

Mac or PC?

As stated above, I use a PC, but would LOOOOOOVE a mac, because it most effectively fulfills my technological needs for video fun! Unfortunately, that dream aint cheap, and I’m not the Monopoly guy.

What were the circumstances surrounding you deciding to follow Jesus and embrace everything it meant to be a Christian?

I’ve always been a “Christian” since I can remember. It wasn’t until some events as recent as last Decemaber that I actually decided to devote all my cares, concerns, strengths, weaknesses, and everything in between to Jesus, and become a follower of him. I have to tell you, life pretty much rocks when you do that, I highly reccommend it. Now, I’m not saying life is all footloose and fancy free, far from it. I’m saying that I really truly understand that passage that says God will never give you more than you can handle, I’ve handled some pretty tough stuff and I can honestly say I’d be a very different person if I didn’t have God on my side!

People have noticed dog tags around your neck. Are you in the military?

Well, the dogtags I wear actually aren’t mine. They’re my dad’s from when he was in the Navy during the Vietnam War. He gave them to me years ago, like when I was 15 or 16, and I’ve worn them just about every day since. I really respect him for doing what he did in service to our country, and have decided that I too will be joining the military by way of the Air Force. I’ll be joining after I gaduate so I can be an officer and hopefully become an airlift pilot! My first big dream in the military is to salute my dads at my basic officer training graduation.

What is your favorite way to relax and recharge?

Well like a lot of other guys, I have an xbox which serves as a conduit to a few of my good buddies that share my affinity for games. That’s my recharge because my friends always cheer me up no matter if I’m sad or already happy! My relaxation happens when I’m alone, just me and the guitar. I’ve spent many, many hours just strumming nonsense because it’s just a theraputic thing to do.

Have you ever participated in a pyramid scheme?

I feel ashamed to admit it but yes… I used to be a part of the mega-ultra-pyramid-scheme-atron known as CUTCO. I got through 5 days and said, this seems to have filled the quota for “job I’ll never list on my employment history.” I’m not bashing the company or the product in any way, I kept all of my sample knives because they rock! But, that job takes a special person, and I don’t care to be it…

What are 3 things that we should know about you but probably would never guess on our own?

Batman is my favorite Superhero, because he’s the only superhero classified as such without having super powers!
I have never had a flying dream
If it’s interesting enough, I can quote a movie pretty well after seeing it 2 or 3 times…

You’re in the backseat of a Ford Astro Van for 12 hours… what would you have taken with you and what would you do during that time?

That all depends on how much room there is. If there is plenty of room I’d probably play my guitar as long as I could, if not so much room, I’d probably take a nice collection of some movies with my laptop and have my own private movie marathon.

Its been said that you’ve had a couple tours at Mountain Park. Share with us your history with the church!

Well my parents used to help with music here back when we met at Mountain Point High School like 18 years ago. So my first ‘tour’ of Mountain Park was pretty much playing Sega Game Gear backstage listening to them sing. The second ‘tour’ started a few years ago when I was asked to start playing guitar for the main service.

So you play guitar… what was your inspiration for picking up the ax for the first time?

My inspiration had to be because I sucked at drums. I had this 70’s Slingerland kit that was red and I was so hyped to get it. After like 3 months of not taking any lessons or getting any better, I put the sticks down. Around that same time we went on the vacation to Colorado with this other family and he showed me some chords and stuff. So went home, sold the drum set and bought a guitar.

I heard that you have a friend that lives with you in your room. Care to introduce us?

Yup, I have a dog named Bella.

Let’s say a light bulb in a Wells Fargo were to go out randomly, would you be able to help fix it?

I could send someone out there to fix. Basically every Wells Fargo in the United States has to call my department for any building maintenance need, which can be something minor like a light bulb or something crazy like a roof leak.

If you had a blank piece of paper set in front of you and had to draw something, what would that something be?

I always draw this same pointy headed guy. I don’t really know why. Maybe just out of habit.

You’ve led worship a couple times for 242 Night. Is that something you do pretty regularly?

Pretty much every week. I’m the music guy for the Student Union and I play in the main service on Sundays that we don’t meet in SU. I love playing with a band and my band right now in Student Union is great. We are making some good music.

What’s one thing about you which no one would know just by looking at you?

That I am a wordsmith. I rarely lose in Scrabble or any other word games.

What’s the most exciting thing to happen in your life in the last 3 1/2 years?

Lets see… went to Hawaii, got a dog, went on some roadtrips. I’ll have to go with getting a dog. I just taught her how to speak, that took like a year for her to learn that!

When did you decide that you wanted to make Jesus #1 and serve him? What were those circumstances?

It was really more Jesus choosing me. The way everything worked out was that my dad had lunch with Jonathan Foster (interim worship pastor before Marsh Hall) and my dad said that I played guitar and gave him my number. So Jonathan Foster called me up and I played that week and pretty much every week after. I made an early decision to not turn down any invitations to play because I knew that there was a reason I was there. Then they started growing me into different roles within the church and I couldn’t be happier with where I am now.

Would you share a bit about your history at Mountain Park?

I’ve been coming to Mountain Park since I was in fourth grade when my now step-dad started bringing me. I grew up through Hot Church, and started singing in the worship band. It’s been a long and emotional journey through many leadership changes and transitions, but God has certainly grown and changed me through the process. I have been in leadership for several years, from leading worship around the church, being a student leader, leading small groups, and helping keep the student ministry program alive and well. God has certainly found many ways to use me at Mountain Park over the years!

So I’ve noticed different hair colors over the past few months… care to share insight into your creativity?

Honestly, I get bored, and I’m excessively creative. It’s a dangerous combination. Let’s see, I’ve gone through blonde, dark brown, light brown, auburn, purple (not my fault), brown with red streaks, orange (also not on purpose), platinum, and of course, hot pink. But I’m trying to take a break and make sure my hair doesn’t fall out, so I’m getting it done professionally now.

There is a rumor that you own a rat. Is this metaphoric or do you really own a rat?

Unfortunately for some, it’s not at all metaphoric. I actually own two rats, and have owned 6 all together (RIP). You could say I’m a die-hard animal lover. I also have 2 dogs and 3 cats at home, and our house feels pretty empty right now. The coolest pets I’ve had would have to be my Mali Uromastyx (basically a tiny dinosaur), and my Veiled Chameleon. I’ve worked with animals for a few years now, from pet care and sales at PetSmart to being a certified dog trainer. I’m currently working on becoming a certified dog groomer.

It seems that anyone you knows you, knows that music is a big part of your life. Why is that?

Music is my passion and the greatest gift that God has given me. I’ve learned more about myself and God’s infinite grace through music, and my biggest dream is to bring people to Him through my voice.

Who has had the biggest influence on your walk with Christ?

I can’t say there’s one specific person who gets this award, although my mom definitely deserves a big mention for helping keep me on a good path through life! But God has a way of putting very influential people in my life for short periods of time to teach me exactly what I need to learn at that time. God is awesome like that!

What is the greatest thing you’ve learned over the past year about our God?

He’s A LOT smarter than me. I’ve tried in the past to control my own path and have failed miserably. I’ve learned that when I let go and let God take over, he blesses me with more than I could ever imagine!

If there is one thing that everyone must know about you (besides what you’ve already shared), what would that be?

I love art and crafts of any sort! I knit, sew, cross-stitch, bake, scrapbook, and make jewelry, along with other various projects I find. I have my own jewelry line with products made from real gummy bears, and I make lots of other accessories as well! I’m at peace when I’m making something with my hands.

What is one factoid about you that doesn’t really serve a purpose but is fun to know?

I never grew up, and I’m still obsessed with Pokemon!

How long have you been in the Phoenix area and what brought you here?

I have been here since June 2008. I moved here with my parents because we had sold our family business back in the Midwest. We moved here because of the beautiful weather, except for the 120 degree days 

How did you hear about MP and twoFORTYtwo?

Two friends of mine, Lauren and Jeremy, introduced me to the church.

I think I’ve seen you in war gear somewhere on the internet, can you shed some light on this?

My dad and I started a leadership development company called Character Quest. Our company utilizes U.S. Army Ranger based missions to teach our clients about team, leadership and character development. During their four-day training session they learn how to orienteer and build team cohesion. They are then introduced to an enemy team that provides a layer of adversity via paintballing. My role is to lead the enemy faction. This would explain my army gear 

Here is a link to the Character Quest Youtube Channel.

What is one thing you enjoy in life that no one would ever guess about you?

I love filming. I recently started a Youtube channel and I enjoy taking my video camera with me and capturing life. I will only live one life, so I figure why not record it!

Ok, so you’re on a deserted island, what are 3 books you would bring and 3 movies you’d bring?

Books: Stephen King Dark Tower 7, Bible, Malcolm Gladwell Blink

Movies: LOST dvds, Star Wars Episode 3, 300

Are you a Mac or a PC?

Mac!!!!!

What’s the most important thing people should know about you?

I am working on getting my PhD. in Leadership to be a professor and consultant. I hope to be completed within the next 3 years. I am very excited!

Tell us something about your relationship with the Lord.

I believe God works in amazing ways. He has led me down many paths that I have grown ethically, spiritually, mentally and emotionally. I am excited to see what God has in store for my life in the years to come.

Print off the calendar from your computer by clicking the button below or grab one next time you're in our lobby.

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As a member of the Church of God, Mountain Park is encouraging those who are looking for a way to financially contribute to recovery and aide for the OK region affected by this disaster to direct funds to the national Church of God. The Church of God is collecting funds to send directly to the affected areas. 

For more information on this effort as well as a link to contribute visit the Church of God website by clicking the link below.

Contribute Now

Photo Credit: The National Guard via Compfight cc

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It was in the safety of small group discussions that guys shared their joys, concerns and a few tears. By opening up, many of the guys discovered that they're not alone in their struggles and that they have brothers in Christ that they can face the battles of manhood with - battles such as marriage, career, finances, addiction and lust.

Saturday afternoon signaled intermission of the 3-day agenda, yet it was when the real fun began. The grounds of the 370-acre retreat became like a real-life set of the tv show Wipeout, featuring the longest tandem zip line in the West, a 30-foot climbing wall and a huge trapeze-type swing built for three. Horseshoes, frisbee golf and a flag football tournament helped ratchet up the folly factor.

"As sore as I am today, I would do it all again. No regrets!" Jack Ames said as he limped to his car Sunday morning with pain an stiffness resulting from Saturday's flag football game.

Jack became an overnight Man Camp sensation with a flag football catch worthy of an NFL highlights reel, provided the clip stopped before he got chase down by a 12 year-old from 40 yards away.

If you are a man who could use a Man Camp experience, make plans to participate in April, 2014. In the meantime, you can connect with other men in the church by plugging into one of the MPCC men's small groups.

Juno's last Sunday is May 19. :-( Join us as we say goodbye. There will be a reception in the lobby after each Celebration. Baskets will be available for cards and notes to say thank you and to wish Juno well at his new church in California.

Was there a “Darcel” in your life? A teacher, coach, pastor or leader who invested in you? I bet you can remember their name even if it’s been nearly 40 years.

That’s the opportunity Peggi LaMonica is offering a few lucky people with the right stuff. That “stuff” includes a love for teenagers, a vision to see what they can become, and a gigantic sense of humor.

Mountain Perk Café

Peggi is the visionary behind Mounain Perk Café. This cool little coffee bistro is more than a snack stand. It is a training ground for kids to learn business skills, character lessons, work ethic and communication development. They learn to be servant-leaders.

The Perk is self-sustaining--all supplies are purchased with funds earned. Student workers bank their hourly earnings to be spent on… wait for it: attending camps, missions trips and service projects like Feed My Starving Children (not ipads, smart phones and designer jeans). These kids are working for an opportunity to serve and to grow in their faith.

This spectacular program, which is rich with diversity of kids ranging from 8^th-12^th grade and hailing from many different schools, can’t happen without adults to supervise.

Peggi says the job requires a little management, a little help and guidance and a lot of listening. The obvious goal is to keep the Perk program, well… perking. The bigger outcome is to help kids navigate the rough waters of transition from child to adult, building a solid faith foundation as they go.

You might think that the best candidates for this position are parents of teens, but (while they are welcome) people in other stages of life tend to love doing this. They aren’t exhausted by the energy demands of their own teenagers so find the kids to be fun and uplifting.

Making Investment Count

Leadership at the Perk isn’t a drive-by date. This involves commitment. If you’ve been feeling like you could use a boost of “meaning and purpose” in life, and you’re willing to invest your time and heart for at least five hours every five weeks, contact Peggi to learn more at Peggi.LaMonica@sheraton.com or 480 748-6719.

Will someone outside your family remember your name in 40 years because you loved, laughed and listened to them? Here’s your chance to begin that legacy.

Enjoy the video above of our 2012 Mother's Day Tribute.

Enjoy the video above of our 2011 Mother's Day Tribute.

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This is the day that all grade school students will promote to their new class. Sixth graders will be officially inducted into Student Union and new first graders will join the crazy fun in Kids Up.

Over the summer students should continue to attend their current class.

Some of the guys went to Man Camp in search of a new direction in life; others just needed a break from the daily grind. Most came away renewed, encouraged and equipped to face the challenges of today.

The teachings of Oregon Pastor Stu Weber were the center point of the weekend. Weber has authored "Tender Warrior" and other books credited for helping men worldwide tap their potential as the leaders, protectors and providers of our world.

Weber delivered four impassioned teachings around what he has termed the four pillars of authentic manhood: king, warrior, mentor, friend. Each large group session, over 300 men from churches across the state, opened with about 20 minutes of worship led by the Christian band By the Tree.

"Just to be present in a room with 300 men all singing praise to God with their booming voices was an amazing thing." That came directly from Men's co-Director, Jim Cooper.

Camp wrapped up Sunday morning with a final challenge by Pastor Weber "to stand firm in the battle we face as men, together. The main thing is God's glory as all men come together like the trinity."

If you are a man who could use a Man Camp experience, make plans to participate in April, 2014. In the meantime, you can connect with other men in the church by plugging into one of the MPCC men's small groups.

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Give online today.

Arizona & US Partnerships - $45,000

Military Ministry of Arizona $2,000 A division of CRU (fka Campus Crusade) that encourages and equips churches to become “Bridges to Healing” for returning combat veterans and their families.

REACH $4,000 Events that allow us to work side-by-side to help meet the needs of our community. Includes $2,000 for CASS Homeless Shelter, prepare, deliver and serve meals every six weeks to the homeless in metro Phoenix.

Family Promise $4,000 Connects churches with homeless families in transition, providing meals and shelter for families during host weeks.

From Gangs to Jobs $5,000 Helps troubled young adults between the ages of 18 and 30 develop job and life skills.

AZ Association of the Church of God $5,000 AACOG sponsors youth camps, supports new churches and encourages pastors and lay leaders

Youth Leadership and Outreach Training $10,000 Provides leadership training and life-changing outreach opportunities for Mountain Park students.

Local Benevolence $15,000 An ongoing effort to provide essential living and other financial assistance to people in our community.

International Partnerships - $27,000

Unreached People Groups $3,000

• *For the protection and safety of those serving in closed countries, we only use first names.         

• Chris, Jana and Elizabeth Current in-country workers through a sending organization, training and equipping Jesus communities among the Muslims of South India.
• Tach, People International Female Turkmen national, residing in the US, bringing the gospel to women in the closed countries of Central Asia via satellite television.

Tabernaculos de Dios Honduras $3,000 Provides funding for our sister church in El Progreso as well as community development projects and ministry retreats.

Short Term Cross-Cultural Trips $9,000 Provides assistance for MPCC attendees participating in short term cross-cultural outreach trips.

Compassion House Honduras $12,000 Completion of the second floor of a building project started with the 2011 Honduras team.

If you would like to be baptized or would like to get more information, please contact Caroline Clock.

You can read more about what Mountain Park believes regarding baptism on our website, here.

While you're in the HomeTeam Corner, check out some of our Coaching Tips, additional Play Cards or some of our extra resources, all meant to help you to be intentional in your home.

Download Card 1   Download Card 2

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Check out this month's calendar with key dates for all church events as well as other opportunities unique to the month of May.

Print off the calendar from your computer by clicking the button below or grab one next time you're in our lobby.

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All current 6-8 graders are invited to the middle school pool party on May 22. Current high schoolers are invited to the May 28 pool party.

There's no agenda, no exams, just a lot of fun and water.

High School Details   Middle School Details

As Allan mentioned in November 2012, Family Promise provides temporary shelter and meals to families who have found themselves without a place to live. Now we can say Family Promise helps with job networking too.

One family to benefit from Family Promise recently was Ryan, his wife and their young children.

Ryan was temporarily displaced from his job due to an accident. When Family Promise Leader Amanda Escobedo learned of Ryan's desire to work in an established restaurant, she reached out to a friend who manages Lucille's BBQ in Tempe.

As fate would have it, the restaurant was in need of reliable, well-trained, professional staff, just like Ryan. Long story short, thanks to the connections he made through Family Promise, Ryan interviewed with Lucille's and was hired almost immediately.

Our Care & Support Ministry Director, Mark Farley, checked in with Ryan recently to see how his family was doing.

"Ryan loves his new job and is getting ready to move his family into their new home," Mark said. "Lucille's loves their new chef and is looking forward to hiring more Family Promise guests who have the desire and ability to work in their environment."

This awesome story happened because many of you have stepped up with generous donations of time and money to help make this Mountain Park mission a reality.

Learn more about Familiy Promise here. If you'd like to volunteer with this ministry, please contact Mark Farley.

In my preparation for this message I jumped too quickly to the understanding that Jesus was referring to Satan. While I believe we are wise to not underestimate his hatred of us, Jesus is not saying that Satan is the one we are to fear.

My sincere apologies for any confusion created. This is a great (and personally humbling) example that we are all figuring out the Whole Shebang together!

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A case of water costs less than a trip to Starbucks. Pick up a case or two, bring them to church Sunday morning or during the week and put them in the lobby.

You can also donate through our website.

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Truth is, God is very clear about so much regarding how we are to do life together. Then there are those topics that appear unclear or confusing... many of which are hot issues in today's culture. Then you have those topics which God has not spoken on but we do our best to discern truth based upon what God has said.

In his hour-long interview with Diane, Allan and Diane touch on topics such as:

• Are angels and demons real?
• If life is predestined and God is in control, why bother playing? Will God change His mind?
• Why do good things happen to bad people? (...And reverse.)
• How do you reconcile the job of a soldier in war with the 6th commandment?
• Why are some Christians so judgemental and legalistic in the name of Jesus?
• If heaven is wonderful and earth is broken, why do we have to be here?
• How far is too far sexually before marriage?
• Are there rules and limits to entertainment?
• Is divorce always wrong?

Take a few moments to listen to Allan's interview on Bold Living with Diane Markins.

Visit DianeMarkins.com

No doubt questions will be asked in the coming days, many of which will be questions of honesty asking how God could allow something like this to happen. One thing that is made certain through scripture is that God is consistent in his passion for us, his creation, and has gone to great lengths to demonstrate his love for us. It is our prayer that God would use this event for good and that many would hear the Gospel of Jesus as they search for answers.

At Mountain Park we talk much about God's Whole Shebang story and moments such as these reveal so clearly humanity's need for a Savior to bring redemption. Jesus is that Savior and we hold firmly to the belief that he will turn the evil acts of a few into stories of redemption for many.

Check out the setlist from this past week's Sunday Celebration. Let others know about the tunes you love most from Mountain Park!

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Local leaders have been invited to attend as well as participate in activities. Please join us in taking a moment to prayer for this great land we live in.

The Agenda

• 7:15am Welcoming
• 7:17am Opening Prayer
• 7:19am History - God-Family-Country
• 7:22am Recognition
• 7:26am Guest Speakers
• 7:38am Unity and Prayer
• 7:42am Closing Prayer & Remarks
• 7:45am Dismissed (Refreshments will be provided)

If you have questions or would like to request more information, contact Greg Battle, gbattle@mountainpark.org.

Print off the calendar from your computer by clicking the button below or grab one next time you're in our lobby.

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*Adobe Reader is required for PC users. Click here to download for free.

Regular office hours will resume April 2 at 8am.

We also have Resurrection Eggs, a fun, engaging way to tell the Easter story to your kids and Why Easter, a book with daily family devotions helping you experience a more meaningful Easter in your home.

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Easter Sunday Opportunities

• Breakfast for 7am Celebration: Set up and clean up for the 7am Celebration.
• Children's Ministry: Classroom volunteers to help hold and play with the babies and share the love of Jesus with older children.
• Food for Staff and Volunteers: Make/provide "brunch type" foods for the staff and people who will be here all morning working.
• HomeTeam Hosts: Assist guests who are interested in what is available in the center.
• Parking Team: Assist with welcoming guests and moving cars in and out of parking lot.
• Ushers/Greeters: Assist with the 7am Easter Celebration.

More Easter Info

Stations of the Cross Opportunities

• Craft Creators: Assemble and organize Station crafts.
• Flow Crew: Assist guests ... answer questions, direct them ... keep the flow moving.
• Greeters: Welcome and count guests as they enter.
• Hospitality Team: Organize and staff the hospitality room. Make/buy cookies and drinks. A leader is needed for this team.
• Runners: Prepare stations before each event begins, as well as during the event.
• Set-up Team: Help dig, lift, move, weld, hammer, build ... to prepare the 15 Stations.
• Tear-down Team: Tear down and put away all stations and decor.

More Stations Info

As a parking volunteer you will be the first person to officially greet our guest on Easter Sunday, giving the first impression of our church.  This is very important, not only in representing Mountain Park, but also the Christian community.

I would like to extend a personal invitation to anyone who values first impressions, and being a positive Christian influence to volunteer for the Easter Sunday Parking Team.

We have 5 shifts that we'd like to cover.  Please respond to Greg Battle which shift(s) you will be able to work.  There will be a brief meeting Sunday, March 24th at 1:15pm room 203 to go over details.

• Shift 1 - 6:35am to 7:10am
• Shift 2 - 7:35am to 8:45a
• Shift 3 - 9:15am to 10:15am
• Shift 4 - 10:35am to 11:45am
• Shift 5 - 12:15pm to 12:45pm

I want to take an opportunity to introduce you a little bit to the team that made this journey, and forever have had their lives changed.

Pastor Greg Battle, one of MPCC's finest, as well as a very strong family man was our leader while he was with us. His heart truly is invested in this exchange program, and the relationships we are developing with our sister churchs'  and their communities. I must compliment Greg on how well he did with getting us all roommates that worked well with our individual personalities. I have never spent this much time with any one group were there was virtually no clashing of personalities. We truly were focused where we needed to be!

Allison and Kate Eichenberg-Kast-ordained minister and spiritual leader for our trip. She is amazing, truly someone I feel do blessed to have spent time with. She kept us on schedule, and grounded us daily with bible readings, as well as helped us through moments we may not have understood. She brought her baby Kate, who was such a joy for all of us! We each had our special moments with Kate.

Susie and Patrick Ching-Susie was our team nurse. She is a calm, centered, sweet, amazing lady-truly a wonderful team member and aid to each of us at different moments. Her husband Patrick was not able to join us until Wednesday, so he and Greg switched off, and he dug right in to work with the rest of us. A very peaceful and pleasant man, who like his wife have made this trip in the past, truly a valuable asset. I will always treasured my baptism moment at the orphanage with Susie.

Doug and Michelle Merrill-Doug was our construction leader, and helped so much with the planning for Maria's home. In fact he wired the whole home himself with electricity. A very Christian man, Doug lead us in many prayers and offered many of us insight. His wife Michelle is truly admirable. Struggling with health issues, this was her first trip. She just dove into the work, enjoyed special relationships with many children, and was able along with Doug to visit with their sponsored child. This is a wonderful hardworking couple, and all of us were grateful for them.

Scott and Eric Harper-a father son team, they were truly a joy! Scott made his 4th trip with this visit. He is simply a joy to watch when interacting with the children, a person that is someone we would all treasure to have as a friend. His son Eric ended up being our team photographer, and we can't wait to see the photographic results of the trip. They both dug the septic tank, moved rock, and hauled cement like no tomorrow!

Glenda Riley-a very Christian woman, she brought humor, along with her native language expertise for the rest of us. Very hard working, she worked with the screen committee and was a big part of the driving force to ensure that the visits to the boys homes and the orphanages brought each child something special!

Sylvia Shook-Oh what another neat lady! Again, another expert with the communication barrier, hard working, great humor, and so very Christian focused! She was a special treat for each of us, and I for one treasure my time with her.

Amie Stewart-Amie is someone who firmly believes in the gift of mission in His name. She has done many trips to Mexico, and was a great bonus to have on this trip. She was able to collect hundreds of shoes for the team to bring down to donate to those who were in need in the community we served. She lead us in prayer often, worked hard, and many times brought us the gift of humor to lighten things up when it got emotionally heavy.

Leona Williams-Leona leaves me speechless. She knows so much about so many things, is simply so gracious, and created relationships with each of us we will always treasure. She shoveled cement alongside the workers, and created many relationships with the children. She was a great help with the baptism planning as well-I thank her for that!

Shawna Thue-Shawna was our primary interpreter. She leaves me speechless. While I personally have known her 17 years, she never fails to amaze me with her generosity and selflessness! 100% committed to our Honduran families, she is an amazing help to Greg in their shared passion for Honduras. She tried teaching us some Spanish before we left, and it helped immensely.

JoJo Badgley-as our youngest team member, she was like a Pied Piper to the children. She fell in love with them when she went with Shawna on a student group trip to the community, and was counting down the days before we left. Those children adore her, and she played with them tirelessly. I must say, she also jumped into the septic tank hole and helped dig as well! She was the team mascot, for lack of better description. We all love our YoYo as the community children call her!

Lori Wallace-Lori first did this mission last year, and had such an amazing experience! She was our screening building team leader, and lead that group in production. A wonderful woman, who serves so well, she truly brought a lot of insight and helpful suggestions to those of us who were experiencing it for the first time. The children adored Lori, and we had some funny moments because neither of us understand the language well!

Keith Hojnacki-Wow! Keith stood head and shoulders taller than most of us, and was extremely helpful in many ways due to that height! He gave us all a very special moment, as he chose to renew his baptism on Sunday when we did the service for our Honduran brothers and sisters. He was pretty chill, but his inner faith showed at every moment, with his patience and adaptability. Truly a treasure of a man!

Me, Susan Slavin-Enough said...I think you have gotten your fill of me from the blogs over the past week! May I just say that the very special community we assisted have moved right into my heart! I WILL be going back!

Our team dynamics were incredible, I could not imagine this trip without each of these individuals, they were so integral-each in their own way. I love each of them, and cannot wait to serve alongside them again!

You know, they say that this is a hard trip, and they say it's life changing, and they are right! It is! But oh-so worth it!

Well-over and out as they say!

God's Blessing to all,

Susan Slavin & the Honduras Team

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On to the bus and then off to a local boys facility-ProNino. ProNino is not necessarily an orphanage as many of the 88 boys do have one or both parents, as it is a rehabilitation and school center for boys that find themselves on the street or addicted to a substance such as glue or drugs. Boys may stay here until they reach a certain age, then they are moved or graduate to another facility for more of a grown up lifestyle that will phase them into the outside world successfully. The leader Kevin showed us around the facility, and explained the progress the home has made since he started there. The facility is very structured, and well scheduled. The boys are taught regular school lessons as well as day to day living or trade lessons. This may include agriculture or baking, etc. The American team had prepared little gift bags for each child, and so we all spent some time hanging with the kids and playing with them.

After lunch at a local favorite, we then headed to a government run orphanage. I have really struggled with writing about this experience-to put it briefly-it was horrendous. We are so blessed in this country! Our team had worked hard to collect stuffed animals and some clothing articles for each of the children. We first visited the crib room. Now you may think this would be the infant room. Wrong. Any child who is special needs-some of them 14 years old and tethered to a crib!!-and all the way down to a couple of 4-6 week old infants were kept in the same room. Some children were violent-hence being tied to a crib. There was one caretaker in rooms that had at least 20+ children in it. We struggled getting her attention from the book she was reading so that we could get diapers and formula from her. In fact, she was upset that when volunteers come in and give the children attention, she is stuck with more work because the little ones then want attention.

The other rooms were just as traumatizing, kids kept in rooms like they were jailed. No adult in the rooms. Several of us had breakdowns and were in tears most of our visit. Even Pastor Jaime fell apart and excused himself to the bus.  Folks, Americans cannot adopt these children. And Honduran citizens go through a 2-3 year process to adopt a child! What hope do these kids have?! 

I made my way back to the infant room before we left, and held the smallest boy William, they think he is about 4 weeks, and have no history on him. Susie, our nurse had the other very small infant. Both children had to share the formula in a 4 ounce bottle. When we put the children back in their crib-shared-we both leaned over William. I remember my mother telling me that as individuals and in an emergency, we can baptize someone else-Baptism by Desire. The strangest thing happened. Her words were running through my mind, so I reached into the crib to make a sign of the cross on his forehead. Susie, at the exact same moment, leaned in to do the same thing, saying that she did not know why but she had a compulsion to put the sign of the cross on Williams head! God must have been speaking to us at the same moment, we both did it at same time without preplanning or talking about it.

Well, it was a very somber, some sobbing crew that left that facility. We went back to the hotel and some of us grabbed groceries, while others rested before the gala that Jaime had prepared for our final evening. A couple went up the mountain to the other boys facility to visit their sponsored children. A couple of the ladies got a special treat of spa treatment from Jaime for the evening gala surprise-Susie and Michelle.

Eventually we ended up back on our bus for our last dinner as a group, cooked again by those wonderful ladies. Then to the church for the surprise. The married couples on our trip have both been married under a year. So Pastor Jaime planned a Honduran reception to celebrate their marriages. Full wedding party was made up of assorted children and young women, dressed so beautifully! It truly was a special moment for the two couples, as well as for all of us! The evening ended up in a high note, and was simply beautiful!

Back to our bus, to the hotel, where we prepared for morning travel and that 4 am wake up call!

God's Blessing to all,

Susan Slavin & the Honduras Team

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We had another nice breakfast, some spiritual time with Pastor Jaime, and loaded the bus to a most amazing place. Beautiful park-cannot even begin to spell its name-with the most amazing waterfall! We got to go under the canopy of the waterfall, which involved teamwork, as it was dangerous enough that someone could fall an injure themselves pretty badly. At one part if the trek, there was a small cave one could go in-I passed on that! After the amazing experience, many of us then chose to go zip-lining, Pastor Jaime included! It was the first time to do this type of thing for many of us, myself and Jaime included! So very glad we did it, it was simply wonderful. At one point we zipped right over the top of the waterfall. So darn cool, almost felt like we were flying. Definitely touched by God!

We stopped at a road side stand that a family operates for their living. Fresh fried tilapia (um, the whole fish including eyeballs-which a couple of the team dared each other to eat, video on Facebook!), green plantains cooked like chips, with an assortment of red onions and cabbage as enhancement. Such a beautiful simple meal with awesome surrounding nature.

We made a pit stop for a little shopping, and back to hotel for quick showers. Then back to church to collect the medicine supplies and orphanage gifts-all to sort and organize-and the to Pastor Jaime's house for dinner. Another wonderful meal!

After dinner, Allison read a scripture, and then the pastor asked us to share experiences each of us may have been blessed with since our last sharing session. So many different stories, and experiences. One common denominator, or thread throughout everyone's stories was one very importante word-"familia" (family). We as a team have become family, the Compassion House and Tabernacle de Dios is family to us as we are to them, Pastor Jaime and his wife and children have embraced us as family....all the children view their Americanos as familia, the construction crews are familia-we have been completely absorbed as family by our Honduran counterparts! The sense of attachment is immense.

Back to the hotel for us, where we split into two groups-one to pack up gift bags for Proninos-the boys center we are visiting in the am, and one to finish splitting up all if the over the counter meds we have brought for the church families. It was a long and wonderful day!

God's Blessing on all,

Susan Slavin & the Honduras Team

Pastor Jamie is a healer. I know for many people this will cause pause for disbelief, but it is true. At the end of the service when he asked for all who wanted him to pray for them to come to the podium area, there were 40 or so as I mentioned in the earlier post. Several of those people became overcome, and began retching, some keeled over, and some seem to be having an out of body experience.

Pastor said that when he is asked to pray for one of his sick parishioners, that when he touches the person, his palms become hot to the point of pain. There was another sermon when he was praising the Holy Spirit that the entire congregation began crying. Another time where a man with cancer in his throat coughed up an evil looking matter, and was healed. The widow Maria, whom we are building a home for, was unable to walk or talk for 8 months. He prayed over her, and told her to get up, and she did. He says that he did not ask for this gift, and doesn't understand why he has it, nor when it will appear, but God IS love, and God IS power, and it is in His hands.

It is always a choice what we believe-in ourselves, in our faith, and in others. I have chosen simply, to believe in God, to see his love in others, and to have faith in the unexplainable.

Today we are loaded up the bus and headed to the Compassion House for our morning of Children's Day. We took over the empty church, and some of the outside common area. Outside we had hopscotch, kickball, races, jump rope, and made chalk angels. Inside we had face painting, puppet making, coloring, fingernail painting, and hair braiding. We have some 300 kids who attend Compassion House, and the experience was amazing for this kids that attended. Our team really outdid themselves, sharing time with these wonderful kids.

I am going to take a moment to talk about my experience at the hair station. These little girls lined up to have their hair braided. I volunteered for this station-I have five daughters myself-yet I may not have had I known what I was in for. I am a selfish-or maybe phobic is a better word-person. I cannot share my hairbrushes, toothbrushes, pillow, shoes, drinking containers with others, it is something that I just can't handle well. Probably a hygiene phobia of some sort. Well, something I did not expect, yet should have known as I did see living conditions of these children with my own eyes, is the condition of the hair of these little darlings. Folks, to have a 8 year old sit down and ask for you to braid her hair is sweet. For a child whose hair looks wet like it is freshly washed, but it actually is limp with oil and dirt, literally dripping-for them to want to look pretty and have that special attention is also sweet, but incredibly difficult for the person who is doing their hair. It broke my heart. I was in tears that these little children cannot even bathe, and they were so excited to receive new hair bands and clips, something so inexpensive, but meant so much to them. And here I was literally gagging due to my personal phobia, but not letting on to anyone, so that each child could have their moment of attention. I am still crying over it every time I reflect on it. I know it may sound silly to you, but it was not just hair to me. Each child God created is special, each child. Each child deserves to be special. Each child deserves love. All that kept running through my mind is what it says in the bible, (Matthew 25: 31-40) in effect, serve the least of my people, you are serving me. These kids are not the least, but they sure are in the eyes of the world.

In the afternoon, after another wonderful lunch served by Mindy and crew, it was hard labor time. We split, most of the team went to play more with the children at school, and truly enjoyed their experience. Amie started sorting out the shoes she had gotten donated and delivering them to the folks that Mindy had determined needed them the most. Another point, some of these people have one pair of shoes. And wear them to work, to church, to play, to the beach (on rare church excursions). So to receive another pair was truly special.

There was six of us who stayed with the concrete crew. I needed some not-thinking time due to my experience at the hair station, so I chose concrete duty. Oh my! This involved either shoveling cement into buckets, and putting the bucket in your shoulder and walking up a rickety man made ramp to the section where it would be poured out, then coming back found ramp and doing it again! At first I attempted to be bucket mover crew. I don't know is it was because I am a woman, or because my pink scrubs made me look too feminine, but the native men kept taking my buckets and would not let me work. Finally, I grabbed a shovel and started loading the buckets myself. Many times I was the only gringo working-it was incredibly hot, and some of the American crew are older than me-very draining work. Needless to say, I finally got accepted by the males. We did figure out that if we did an assembly line by filling the buckets a little less, and putting several people on the ramp to pass the buckets to one another, that we worked smarter not harder. In 3.5 hours we were able to accomplish what just the native men on their own did in 5 in the morning. Over 2/3 of the necessary flooring was done by end of our time there. Boy folks, if you could have seen the condition of our clothing! Cement everywhere!!!

Back to the hotel, scrub off cement and whatnot, then off to a local favorite Power Chicken. Yummmmmmy! Lots of different local food, very tasty. Then across the street for an ice cream cone, and some local shopping at a grocery store. Then hotel, and blessed sleep!

God's Blessing to all,

Susan Slavin & the Honduras Team

We set out to the labor intensive portion of our day. All of us worked on moving rock and dirt into the bedrooms and bathroom for fill. Each of the 8x8  rooms and the 4x8 bathroom need 3+ feet of fill. This means manually bringing the outside to the inside, with 1 bucket and some empty cement bags. Eventually the screening crew was able to go to the woodworking shop and work on making more screens for homes. Those of us that remained moving rock and dirt truly became rock stars in our own minds!

Something interesting that I noticed that really touched me in regards to the interaction between the Honduras men who are part of the church crew that the Americans are assisting build the house and the children of this country. In America, we tend to shoo our kids away from work sites, and many times have little patience for children underfoot. These men are so easygoing with the kids, playing with them and joking around. And the kids! So very eager to help! Hauling rock and stone, digging in "the hole" and helping make screens right alongside the adults, working every bit as hard!

We put in a good 6-8 hours hard labor each of us, and at the end of the day were so honored to see how much progress we had made. The house is no where near completion, but definitely on its way. Unfortunately, it is at a point of completion that if it is not watched over, things may disappear out of the home, such as the wiring, screens, doors, plumbing, etc. The 22 year old daughter of the widow, Lucia-yes the one mentioned earlier who put our men to shame with how hard she worked in "the hole"-is planning on spending the night from now on. Folks, there is dirt and rock on the floor, no facilities of any sort, and no safety in respect to locking doors etc, yet this home for her and her family means so much she will sleep there to protect it! In fact, those accommodations are likely better than where they have been living.  We finished up around 4 and headed back to hotel for a couple of hours of R and R before dinner and evening service. Our final team member, Patrick has joined us. His wife Susie has been with us since the beginning and we know she is very happy he has made it safely out to us.

Dinner was wonderful as usual, and off to service. The message tonight was belief, and Pastor Jamie delivers a powerful message! Allison was the interpreter for the team, and did a very nice job for us. Using the story if the woman who was bleeding for a long period of time, and believed in Jesus as a healer. She touched his robe and was healed. Jaime invited church goers to give a testimonial if they have ever been healed, then proceeded to invite all who wanted him to pray for them to come to the alter area. At least 40 people, including most of the Americans, participated. It truly was an amazing thing to behold, very emotional. And once again, so many hugs and greetings were shared when the service was over.

Well, we are grateful to be heading to our beds, and to prepare for tomorrow!

God's Blessing to all,

Susan Slavin & the Honduras Team

Once arriving at the town, and disembarking in front of the property where the new church is being built, we explored a bit. The men were amazed at how much work was done already, as they had just broke ground a few hours ago. The men who had worked in "the hole" the day before were especially astounded! The trenches were already dug for the perimeter of the pastor's living quarters, and the sewage hole was dug down six feet. It must be noted in defense for the American men however, that this ground was soft with no rocks....therefore all of the struggling the day before with the huge rocks in the ground at the widow's home did not compare.

We joined the children's center area, at the home if a local woman, who was allowing the church to use her property until the church was finished for services and children's worship. It was so sweet, all of the children got into a huge circle, with the Americans joining in, and played a game. This entailed a tossing a ball around until the leader said "stop". Whoever had the ball at that point had to sing a song. It really broke down the communication barriers, and everyone enjoyed it.

We gathered in a group, and the pastor of the new church-Alan Fuller-spoke about how much adversity he had faced when starting the new service. Attempts at his life, witchcraft situations, and other pretty scary happenings were some of the things he faced. Yet this 21 year old persevered, his faith in the potential of Christianity within this community prevailed.

We went back to the property and prayed over it, and then were blessed with a wonderful lunch at one of the parishioners homes. We then piled into our favorite mode of transportation and continued on our journey. Our next stop was to a price of property way in the mountains. Pastor Jaime has an enormous vision. His goal is to open a center that will house children 9-18 years of age who are on the streets, and also those who are under a drug addiction with no place to go. His center will offer recovery as well as several opportunities for learning different trades so that once they are rehabbed, they may be able to help thief families as well. We learned about Pastor Jamie's background and why this facility has become his passion. His wife Mindy will finish law school in a few months and will be able to assist with the particulars. However, the purchase of the land is needed first, and the owner wants $80,000 for around 15 acres. Both pastors prayed over the property as well as in support of Jamie's vision.

We then returned back to the church base, but we were too late to get much work done, but "the hole" was attacked once again. Poor Pastor Jamie actually got in and could not get back out, to the amusement of the rest of us. We congregated back at Compassion House for some organizational chores, dinner, and playtime with many children.

At end of eve, after we returned to our hotel and debriefed next to the pool area. Aime indicated during testimonial time (the point of the day were team members relate special things that occurred during the day) how much she appreciated having 5 team members who speak Spanish. Shawna, Susie, Glenda, Sylvia, and Allison have been immeasurably important to the communication factor of our mission. Michelle related how her and her husband Doug got to meet their adoptive boy and his family. She said it meant so much to each of them as well as the family. She is firm that they will help not only their adoptive child but his family as well. Eric related about a book he recently read that addressed how first world problems really do not apply to third world country, and how those of us in a country such as America struggle to relate to their issues. Pastor Jaime had us all tell him about what had made the most impression on each of us thus far in the trip. It was Pastor Greg's last evening, he is headed back to Arizona in the morning as a dear member of his family had passed and he needs to be there with his family.

God's Blessing to all,

Susan Slavin & the Honduras Team

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Once again, off to the bus, and on to the church! Here our lesson in productivity and patience continued. We sorted through ten boxes of supplies to find the tools necessary for our day that was to be spent creating screens for some of the parishioners doors, and work on the widow's home. The team was split into screeners and the builders.

The screeners were sent to a woodworking shop owned by Guillermo, and proceeded to go measure homes for needed screens. Once back at the screen shop, we learned that how we thought our production line would work was not how it actually worked. The young boys in the shop chuckled over the American women who were using hammers and other tools, some for the first time. Guillermo had to leave to exchange screen material because the wrong size was provided, and we were at the mercy of his apprentice, who like American young men-loved his cell phone! However, the assembly line productivity was successful and all of the screens that had been measured for built.

Down the road at Lucia and Maria's home, the building crew got right to work. Pastor Jaime provided some male parishioners, and the combined work force worked on several different areas of the home. Part of the crew worked on installing the roof. This required the I-beams and struts, as well as the corrugated tin that comprised the roofing materials. Pastor Jaime was right up on the roof working on that project!

Meanwhile, Pastor Greg started work on digging the septic tank hole. This hole needed to be manually dug, for lack of digging equipment that we Americans expect. What this means is that a ten feet deep, 6x6 circumference hole was to be dug with one shovel, two picks, one bucket for dirt and rock removal, and two metal leverage poles to help dig out the big rocks. We got down five feet today, and those on the building committee each found themselves in "the hole" at some point. Little Lucia, the daughter of the widow may have been the hardest worker of all! She was down in that hole, digging as hard and fast as the men. All of the dirt and rocks were transported either by hand or by the one bucket to the interior of the home to one of the bedrooms. This is because the floor needs to be built up at least three feet before the concrete is hand mixed and poured. This process saves on building material, but us definitely tough labor-partially due to lack of materials. Some of us were simply the "rock throwers"-we threw in via the windows of the bedroom the rocks used for fill.

While all this was going on around the exterior of the home, team member Doug was assembling and installing the basic wiring that will be needed for the home's electricity.

We are especially grateful on this trip to have five interpreters, two of them native speakers, on this trip. It has certainly helped with the language. I hesitate to say language barrier, because truly-there is not a barrier when people are unified in His name!

The team was pleased with the day's progress, especially since initially we had hoped to dig right in and get going, but ended up with limited hours actually on the project. But once again-two things-many hands make light work, and everything is on God's time (and on Honduras time!)

I must also interject that once again, Pastor Jamie's wife Mindy and her staff provided a wonderful lunch. Perhaps because it was so close to American style-mashed potatoes and chicken, the crew was very ecstatic, as it helped with a bit of homesickness some of us may be feeling-missing our families.

At the end of our work shifts, the very grubby crew returned back to Compassion House to store tools, and plan the evening and next day's activities. Allison, our ministry leader, has ensured that the team often meets to decompress from the day's emotions and take opportunity to share the different touching things that happened to each of us. It keeps us grounded and bonded, and reminds us that we are on a mission of relationships as much as we are on a productivity mission.

After returning to hotel, and cleanup-it was off to Pizza Hut for dinner. Simply-it was awesome! I find that the down times are such great opportunities to bond with one another, and share our insights. Then it was back to the hotel, where we individually worked on things we needed to do. For me, that meant dealing with a computer with a hard drive that appears to completely have crashed-and having University of Phoenix homework due in a few hours. Thankfully, one of the team, Shawna, loaned me hers. I will save my panic over the loss of my only computer till I get home....

What a wonderful day we had, we are each thankful that it was successful, productive, and everyone stayed safe and injury free.

God's Blessing to all!

Susan Slavin & the Honduras Team

When we arrived at the church, we had a bit of a mad scramble to locate the baptism certificates and personalized bibles, and match them together for the evening service and presentation. Well, many hands make light work-opening some 20 bags/boxes to make it happen was no problem for this group! After another wonderful meal, we walked to the church for service.

We were ushered to the front of the church, where "reservado" was on the first couple of rows. When the service began, rows of little dancers in groups of threes came from back of stage out to audience area. Each group carried signs such as "we welcome you", "God Bless you", "You are our family". What a tear-jerking moment it was for each of us. The church band played worship songs for at least a half hour, and all of those little girls, dressed in their matching finery, danced for all of the music. Most of us in the front rows ended up with other assorted children attached to us by hugs-I myself had three little sisters that stayed with me the entire service, as well as a little three year old boy who kept running up.  I would like to take a moment to say this-those children are pure love, simple as that! It shines in their faces, and they are so hungry for reciprocal love...so hungry. This is why we are here-each if these children, and their families matter so much to Him!

Pastor Greg opened the prayer service, and talked of how important the belief in Christ is. The ceremony to give the bibles and certificates was magical-each member of our team participated, with Glenda acting as interpreter. Pastor Jaime then gave a service that was so heartfelt around readings from Acts 26 and Isaiah 53, that pertained to belief in Christ and acceptance-the fundamental of Baptism. Shawna was his interpreter, with a humor moment of translation of the duties of enochs.

After the service, simple words could not explain what happened next. The entire, yes, entire congregation came to greet each team member with hugs. There were many reunion moments with prior mission visitors, and many tears were shed. The little ones all wanted up to take pictures with them, which we of course promised to send to Pastor Jaime for them.

As we all piled once again into our bus, many of us shared our highs and lows of the day. Such stories!

God's Blessing to all,

Susan Slavin & the Honduras Team

Glenda grew up in El Salvador to a Christian family, and was raised as such. When she was a child, her family moved to San Francisco, where her mother was always involved in their church. Glenda continued this herself through her life. However, Glenda's husband Tim lost his parents at the young age of seven, and if not for the faith driven orphanages where he grew up, his life would not have turned out as it did. He was the encouragement for Glenda to attend MPCC's mission trip, knowing how much our help affects the young people of this community. He feels that if someone positive could touch a life of another in an encouraging manner, the support could enable that child to have positive reinforcement as they are growing up, to help them realize that God is there for them, and that they may have life support spiritually by following Him. Once we arrived, with all of our buses to the beach area, we assembled the people to be baptized together. Musicians played their guitars, and the group sang long to the Lord. If I only I could find a way to convey to you the high emotion of the moment! We tend to not allow our emotions out during our own worship in America, but in Honduras-the emotion and worship of the Lord just shown on every face! Tears flowed on their faces, as well as some of ours, I must admit. After singing, Pastors Greg and Jaime, with help from Interpreter Shawna, listened to the testimonials from those wishing to be baptized. Amazing! God is good! 

The good pastors led the flock to the ocean, where a circle of humans was formed. It must be mentioned here that we had a very windy, cool, overcast day. This made the actual baptism process very interesting, as trying to keep the parishioners from being swept away became important! After all of the 52 were baptized, the celebration turned into water play at large! Fun had by all, even mission team members played like children in the surf. Pastor Jaime's wife Mindy, along with her staff, once again fed us a feast. It cannot be expressed how much we each treasure and take to heart these wonderful people, who have so little, yet give everything they have to give to make sure their American friends needs are met!

We are headed back to the hotel for clean-up, and then will head to dinner at the church. We will get the baptism certificates and bibles ready for this evening's service, and are truly looking forward to celebrating the new followers of Christ!

God's Blessings,

Susan Slavin & the Honduras Team

We love our volunteers at Mountain Park! Our church family is supported by incredible individuals who match their passions with opportunities to serve others and honor God through that service.

Each month we feature several volunteer opportunities for which there are currently openings. Many of these opportunities are invitations to join a team of others already engaged but some of them are for new or unique needs at Mountain Park.

Here are this month's featured volunteer openings. Click on the 'Read More' link to get a more detailed job description. If it looks like something that matches your passion email the contact.

Currently Featured Openings

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Mountain Park sends a team to Honduras every year to build this relationship as well as provide workers and experts to continue to construct facilities and invest in the surrounding community.

Follow our team this year every day through Twitter as well as blog posts directly from the team.

Honduras Twitter     Honduras Team Blog

Leaving the airport took some doing, loading three vehicles with people and bags in the pouring rain. Pastor Greg related to me a little story....there were several young men who asked him why we had so many bags. Greg indicated that more than half of them were filled with Bibles, tools, supplies, and children's activities. The young man then asked if he may have a Bible! Not money, not tools, nor supplies-but a Bible! Just a small instance that relates what we all were about to experience with the people here.

Once we got loaded and on our way, we were able to appreciate the lush scenery of the country. We were thankful for the rain, as the temperatures were quite a bit lower than the expected 90+ degrees with excessive humidity.

Our hotel was so much more than we expected, very nice clean lodgings. Decorated beautifully, and welcomed by more friendly people, all of us settled in quickly. After a quick clean-up, we loaded up a bus once again and headed over to our sister church for dinner and a tour.

Here, I would like to interject a personal impression....when we arrived at the church, we literally ran a gauntlet of these wonderful people there to greet us. We must have each personally been hugged and greeted by no less than 15 individuals...! My immediate impression was of warmth, brotherly love, the un-jaded natural human love for one another, so amazing!

We were served dinner in one of the Compassion House's classrooms, and the food was wonderful. More and more community members arrived, and by the time we finished and were ready to tour the facility, our group had grown immensely.

Touring the Compassion House, which for those of you who do not know, is a school designed to supplement regular schooling. The Compassion House (run by our sister church, The Tabernacle of God) develops each child spiritually, physically, emotionally and intellectually. Pastor Jaime explained that some 300+ children are regulars, and the community relays heavily on this help. Many children do not have a regular home, or parents, or food and clothing, therefore this school is a very important part of the community.

We toured the church, and for those of our team members who have participated in this mission in the past, vast improvements have been made in this house of worship. It is very evident Pastor Jaime and his staff truly are invested in their community at many different levels.

Our day ended in an emotional high, with each individual in this team personally reflecting upon what they experienced as well as what lies ahead in the upcoming days.

God Bless,

Susan Slavin & the Honduras Team

Our group is made up of 18 people of all ages, and boy-we certainly are excited and looking forward to our visit next month. We have had several planning meetings, with our most recent this past Sunday to nail down trip details. We have some really big plans, with a "tentative" (as Pastor Greg reminds us) schedule. As we are there to serve our sister community, we are prepared to adjust on the fly to meets their needs. 

Some of our plans include baptizing more than 50 people on our first Sunday there, to making screens for homes, pouring concrete to add onto one of the necessary buildings, visiting and having a children's day at one of the local orphanages, visiting and assisting where needed with the newest community church, and oh so many other projects. We are also looking forward to attending a couple of church services. Our team has split into different committees, with each of us not only in charge of a specific project, but also ensuring we are available to assist each other in other areas.  

Each of us are very excited to participate in this endeavor. And each of us has our independent reason for going as well as the combined group mission of spreading the Word of our Lord, and providing necessary assistance with community and church needs. Some of us are a bit nervous, as this is a big commitment. Those who have attended this mission in the past are looking forward to re-experiencing the joy of the relationships developed on prior trips. We are all joined together in His name, and seek to give completely of ourselves, with love. 

As the plans develop, and during the trip, we will be updating you. We hope to have you join us, simply with prayer in your hearts as support, in this experience. 

God Bless you all until our next update,

The Honduras 2013 Team

We also want to build into their programing infrastructure. We will accomplish this by sharing ministries through a video presentation. We hope this will be a mutual experience. 

Finally, we hope to strengthen our relationship with our sister church and help them spread thegospel in their region of the world.  

We are excited to be able to communicate with you through blogs on the website at least once a day and by Twitter: mpcc_honduras. Please pray for us while we are traveling to and from Honduras, as well as while we are there. The team is leaving February 15 and returning February 24.

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Giving History

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Dear Mountain Park,

What a great week with Family Promise! For all those who volunteered, it was a blessing to to serve such amazing families together with you.

To all who participated directly and indirectly, thank you for giving your love, sweat equity, time and hard work to make this week long local outreach initiative a success. We cannot do this without you!

Through our week of hosting families we were able to help make a difficult time less stressful and help folks to feel whole and accepted. Meals were served with love and friendliness every night. We are pleased to report that jobs were gained, babies were entertained, moms and dads were encouraged and inspired to strengthen their marriages... it was a good week. 

After hosting our families for January, our volunteer cleanup crew of 4 individuals did the work of what is usually done by 20. WOW! We are completely blown away by the generosity and commitment of the MPCC familiy!

Our next opportunity to host for Family Promise is March 17-23. Though we have many volunteers already committed to serving, we are always looking to add additional volunteers.

God bless you Mountain Park and thank you for helping us to help others.

Let the blessings roll!

Sincerely,

The Leaders of Family Promise

To get involved with Family Promise at Mountain Park contact Mark Farley.

In these busy, hectic days we take our kids to sports practices, games, music lessons, school tutoring and other activities to give our children the best opportunities for success. But what if we’re missing the chance to teach them what matters most? Our children can grow up smart, athletic, popular and polite but lack a vibrant relationship with Christ. Church alone cannot teach them, we must start at home.

In these six sessions, we will explore biblical and tangible ways that parents—couples, single parents, blended families and grandparents—can confidently build a legacy of faith for their children.

This workshop is offered at two different times. The first begins Wednesday, January 30, at 6:30 pm. The second class begins Sunday, February 3, at 11:59 am. Register for either class by clicking on the blue button.

Register Now

Childcare Information

Hello Happy Hikers ~ Hope you had a wonderful Christmas & New Year! We're hiking this spring, with a full schedule. Hope to hike with you soon!

Meet at church @ 7:30am:

Sat 5 Jan - South Mountain
Sat 2 Feb - Canyon Lake
Sat 2 Mar - Superstition Mtns
Sat 6 Apr - Picacho Peak
Sat 4 May - Four Peaks
7-9 June - Grand Canyon
Happy Trails,
Bob Doehnert
Hiking Leader
602-363-2556

You may also be interested in the care & support groups we offer on Tuesday evenings at 6:30 pm. Please click a group for more information: H.O.P.E for Men, H.O.P.E. for Women, and DivorceCare. Childcare is also available on Tuesday nights.

• Children's H.O.P.E. - Growing Seasons
• Financial Peace University
• GriefShare
• It Starts At Home Parenting Workshop
• Men's 33 Authentica Manhood
• SU Nights
• Suriving Cancer Support Group
• Wildside - 4th & 5th Graders
• Women's Empower

Wednesday Night Life childcare will be available weekly for ages birth to preschool. Your children will enjoy a night of fun and relaxation as they play games, read books and watch movies. A donation of $5 per child or $10 per family is suggested and appreciated.

If you have any questions regarding our childcare team or our safety measures, please contact us with your request and we will be happy to get back with you.

For those with children older than preschool, we offer Entourage, grades K-3^rd, and Wildside, grades 4^th & 5^th.

We need all types of personal care items such as toothpaste, toothbrushes, shampoo/conditioner (in one), soap, combs, white tube socks and chapstick.

Starting Sunday, January 6, bring your gifts to the Mountain Park lobby and drop them off in the marked boxes.

Saturday, January 19, volunteers will meet at MPCC from 10am - noon to pack the collected supplies into shoeboxes.

For questions or additional information contact Barb, bleclerc@mountainpark.org.

Complete List

• men's underwear - size medium and large
• women's underwear - size medium and large
• white tube socks
• wash cloths 
• travel size tissues 
• regular sized bottles of all-in-one shampoo/conditioner
• bottles of skin lotion
• combs
• regular size toothpastes
• nail clippers
• toothbrushes
• small toothepaste tubes
• band aids
• bar soap
• large boxes of powdered laundry detergent  (it will be portioned out in small bags)
• disposable razors 
• chapsticks
• feminine hygiene products
• shoeboxes