Category Archives for "new experiences"

ServeFest – Norristown Community House

Saturday morning after witnessing the Phillies‘ dismal performance on Friday night, I had a chance to lift by spirits by spending time with my family and the Bowersox family at the Norristown Community House.  Our church was sponsoring a huge day of serving in our area, and we hooked up with the Norristown Community House thanks to a Grove City College connection with the Peter and Becky Bowersox, who are in charge of the House.

So what is the Norristown Community House?  Good question.  You can go to their website to get more details, but I’ll give you my take.  The House is located in the heart of Norristown, PA which is the county seat of Montgomery County.  Norristown is one of the poorest communities in the county.  The residents of the House are young adults – primarily college students – who attend local colleges.  By choosing to live in the House, they are agreeing to become part of a community where discipleship, serving, and reaching out to the community are expected.  Peter and Becky (shown above with their 3 kids) act as their resident directors and guides.  They make sure the House is running smoothly, and they meet with the young adults on a regular basis to participate in the discipleship process.

It really turned out to be a great morning as we helped them clean out a garage attic that was filled with lots of trash, some relics, and a few treasures.  By clearing out this space which obviously hadn’t been cleaned out in years, we helped to make storage space for the residents of the house.  We discovered an old salon style hair dryer, Vietnam War veteran documents, old clothes and suitcases, a box full of vinyl records, license plates, and lots of dust!  Our kids enjoyed sorting through everything as we removed it from the attic.

This clean-up project was a great way to introduce our family to the Norristown Community House.  I think we’ll be back to help out on some other projects and to rub shoulders with the young adults and the Bowersox family.  Thanks, Becky and Peter for the opportunity to help out – and for getting my mind off the commencement of the Phillies’ golfing season.

How have you served in your community?  What things have you done with your family to serve others? 

New Traditions

Here we are at the top of Mont Tremblant in Quebec, Canada after an hour and a half hike back in August.  If it looks cold and cloudy to you, you are correct.  We actually hiked into the clouds, and the temperature dropped noticeably as we made are ascent to the top.  As we journeyed up the mountain, our kids repeatedly spoke of a new family tradition.  You see, last summer, we hiked to the top of Sterling Mountain and Madonna Mountain when we were on vacation in Vermont.  So two years in a row must make a tradition.

Family traditions like this can have a huge positive impact on our families.  Traditions create fun expectations for everyone in the family.  For example, my family always anticipates putting up the Christmas tree and listening to each other share stories as they hang up Christmas ornaments that have special significance.  We also look forward to certain meals that have some tradition and family history tied to them.  For example, I love to make, serve, and eat the Swedish Christmas meal.  It brings back so many sweet memories of my grandparents, cousins, and parents.

This year as we rode the cable car down to the bottom of Mont Tremblant (yes, we cheated), our kids were already scheming and asking about where we could go next year on vacation that has a mountain we can climb.  Despite the fatigue of climbing, I shared their excitement for continuing our new family tradition next year.

What traditions do you keep?  Why?  What is the special significance of these traditions?

A New Beginning

This is the day which the LORD has made; Let us rejoice and be glad in it.

Psalm 118:24

Today is a day of new beginnings for our family.  Hannah starts her last year of middle school.  She is smart and confident and ready to go.  As I mentioned a few days ago, Isaac starts his first year of middle school.  I’m still blown away by how quickly this came up.  And today, Leanne starts a new job!  She will be helping preschool age children with special needs as she works as a behavioral therapist for Potential Discoveries.  (She’ll be great!)

God’s timing in each of these new beginnings has been amazing.  These opportunities have come at just the right time.  I rejoice today as I recognize God’s faithfulness to us despite our impatience and anxiety.

I’m excited about a couple of new beginnings for me as well.  I’ll keep you in suspense as I’m looking forward to sharing in future blog posts about what is new with me.

What’s new with you?

Be Generous

Good will come to those who are generous and lend freely, 
   who conduct their affairs with justice.

Psalm 112:5

When Leanne and I were celebrating our 15th anniversary in Cape Cod, we met Bob (above).  Bob met us one morning as we were getting off the boat on Nantucket.  This meeting had been arranged by Bob’s son who goes to our church, and I want to make sure I never forget what we experienced.  I don’t want to forget this day, because it was truly a great reminder of generosity.  Here’s what happened.

Leanne and I decided that we should go to Nantucket  on the actual day of our 15th anniversary.  We arranged the visit boat ride over to the island from Cape Cod through Mary, our bed and breakfast hostess.  We decided to take our bikes on the boat, so we could enjoy some biking and sight-seeing during our once in a lifetime day trip.  As we unloaded our bikes from the boat, we met Bob.  He was standing there patiently waiting for us in anticipation of starting the tour.  Bob took us over to his yacht club where we dropped off his bike and proceeded to walk a few blocks up a hill to The First Congregational Church where our friend from church had been married.  We walked up to the bell tower to enjoy spectacular views of Nantucket.

After walking back down to the yacht club, we jumped in Bob’s Suzuki Sidekick.  From here, Bob took us all over the town where we saw The Oldest House on the island, the old windmill, and some homes of well-known business people and celebrities.  The town is beautiful with its cobblestone streets and its blooming hydrangea bushes.  As we traveled around the town, it was obvious that Bob knew many facts about this town and he was so happy to be able to share the place he loves with us.

When we got back to the yacht club, Bob offered to take us for a ride in his boat.  At this point, I was beginning to wonder if I was dreaming – was I going to wake up back at home in Pennsylvania?  Bob drove us around the harbor area of Nantucket and pointed out various homes and sites.  He also shared stories about his family and about his business.  You could tell he was particularly proud of his kids.  The boat ride was so refreshing, and I felt like I was flying along the water as we motored across the harbor.  It was a boat ride to remember.  (Leanne even had an opportunity to drive the boat.)

Our time with Bob wasn’t over when we arrived back at the yacht club.  Bob invited us to lunch at the club.  It was an offer we couldn’t refuse – and I’m not sure he would have taken no for an answer.  We enjoyed sandwiches and lemonades on the patio overlooking the tennis courts and harbor.  Bob continued with stories of the yacht club.  He told us about the boat races that he and his brother had won.  He shared about how his kids had grown up at the yacht club every summer.  He wasn’t bragging.  He was celebrating.  He was expressing thanksgiving for what he had experienced.

Following lunch, we said our good-byes.  As Leanne and I walked to our bikes, we looked at each other and agreed that we would never forget our 15th anniversary, and we would never forget the generosity of Bob – a man we had never met before this day, a man who expressed generosity to complete strangers.  I don’t anticipate the business success that Bob has had in his life (although I suppose that’s possible), but I want to be like Bob when it comes to being generous.  Thanks, Bob for a great day and an important reminder to be generous.

Have you ever experienced generosity that blew you away?

Vacation Church – My Sunday Quebec Experience

As you may have known or guessed, our family was on vacation last week.  We took off for a week to enjoy the great outdoors and the French Canadian culture in Quebec, Canada.  We spent most of our time in and around the small ski town of Mont-Tremblant.  It was gorgeous and a wonderful break from the hustle and bustle of everyday life here in the Stolpe home.  The Sunday we were there, we visited the only church in town, L’Eglise Sacre-Coeur (Sacred Heart Church).  The church is a small Roman Catholic church that overlooks Lac Mercier.  Here are some of my thoughts from our visit:

It was very interesting to be in a French-speaking church and to be in a catholic church.  In some regards, it makes me appreciate my own church all that much more.

On the other hand, it was encouraging to see the devotion of those who regularly worship in this setting.  A few other observations:

1.  Besides the passing of the peace, we were not greeted by a single person.  Nobody said, “Bon jour.”  Nobody said, “Hello.”  Nobody said anything.  If you belong to a church, you should be friendly.  Stop and say hello to those you don’t recognize.

2.  We need to speak the language of those around us who don’t have a church home.  Putting aside the French language and the differences in doctrine, would I or anyone else understand what was going on as part of this service?  Do we expect people to come into our churches and fall in line with the routines and traditions we keep?  Do we provide an explanation of our traditions, etc.?  Are we relevant to the community around us?

3.  The priest reminded me of (my wife’s) Uncle Dave’s brother, Tom.  I know this is trivial, but it’s just what I noticed.

4.  The French language is beautiful.  I have no idea what everyone was saying or singing, but it sounded nice.

5.  People think that church ends after communion.  I shouldn’t judge as I don’t know what these people had to do this day, but I observed many people slipping out of the church as soon as communion was over.  They didn’t stay around for the closing words.  They didn’t stay around for fellowship.  They left as quickly as they arrived.  Our involvement with church isn’t meant to be a task that must be checked off the list.  It’s meant to be our life.  We’re called to be in Christian community that transcends the Sunday service.  We’re called to be involved throughout the week, and we’re called to bring it into our communities.  This doesn’t happen in a 40 minute Sunday service.  This happens every minute of every day.

6.  I’m not real great at the kneeling thing.  Perhaps, I need to practice this more.  Getting on my knees before God is a discipline of trusting God and of putting Him first.

I realize these thoughts are somewhat random, but I thought you’d enjoy hearing how I was stretched on vacation.

Where do you go to church when you’re on vacation?  What have you learned from your vacation church experiences?

Small Holdings Festival

Recently, one of my office team members invited me to bring my family to a new festival being held in Bucks County, PA.  The First Annual Small Holdings Festival showcased area suburban self starters.  The various exhibitors were regular people who found have found ways to live off the land, to live off the labors of their own hands, and to make decisions that will provide while being good stewards of the earth around us.

My team member, Eric, spends his spare time running Barefoot Gardens with his wife, Linda.  Together, they take care of a “farm” that serves their CSA and provides for local restaurants who are seeking to serve locally grown produce to their patrons.  Part of Eric’s farm includes raising approximately 100 egg laying chickens.  (Eric has become one of my mentors in the whole chicken farming thing.)  Eric built a chicken coop for the festival.

Other exhibitors for the festival included bee keepers, cheese makers, gardeners, canning experts, vegetable fermenting experts, bread makers, clay oven makers, and several others.  I was definitely inspired by the talents presented at this festival.  And I look forward to going again next year!

What inspires you?  If you could try something new, what would it be?

The Better Way

Today, I’m honored to present another guest blogger.  Terri Stone is the Director of Pastoral Care at my church.  I’ve had the privilege of serving with Terri over the past several years, and I’ve met few people who can connect and remember people like Terri.  Today, Terri shares her current STRETCHING story with us.  Enjoy!

(If you’re interested in guest posting on my blog, please drop me a comment.  I’d love to connect with you.)

I’ve spent the last 11 years stretching. I should be good and warmed up; ready for anything. Serving on the ministry staff at my church has given me the opportunity to do more things and meet more people than I ever imagined I would in my lifetime. Being in the mix of a fast growing church has had me “burning the midnight oil” for a very long time. I have to be clear, though, and say that no one demanded I burn the midnight oil; I chose to burn it myself. My personality is one that needs to be busy from sunrise to sunset or I feel like a useless, lazy, non-contributing person. Crazy, I know.

I’ve had a few different jobs in my tenure at the church. I’ve seen staff members come; and I’ve seen them go off to do awesome things. I’ve been part of large outreach events, classes, small groups, Sunday services, baptisms, mission trips, and capital campaigns…and this is the short list. The thought of having enough time in the day to get everything done has been unheard of. This was the case until recently. I’m now in the job where I’m perfectly gifted to serve. I’m no longer involved in every single thing that happens at the church being pulled in a million different directions. Now my days are focused, helping people with their spiritual questions, life struggles and personal needs. I have time to think and pray, plan and strategize about how to build a new ministry from the ground up.

And while I absolutely love how I’m serving, it’s been one of the most challenging things I’ve encountered in ministry. The task list has changed. The “to do” list has become the “who list.” To say the least, this new place in ministry has me stretching in ways that I’m not used to stretching.

I think about the story, in Luke’s Gospel, of the two sisters, Martha and Mary. Martha welcomes Jesus and his crew into her home where she and her sister promptly choose two different approaches to their interaction with Jesus. Martha fusses with taking care of the needs of her guests while Mary ignores all the others and all the preparations so she can hang out with Jesus. Martha complains asking Jesus to tell her sister to help. Jesus’ response is not what she expects, “Martha, Martha,”…“you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”

What I’ve come to realize is that I’ve been like that complaining sister! I’ve been busy “doing” ministry; all the while fussing about something or somebody. For someone like me, it’s strange not to have a task list a mile long of what must get done. Having more tasks than I can handle has always equaled value. But Jesus is saying there’s a better way. The better way has me stretching to be contemplative, to be quiet, to be more prayerful and to listen. In doing so, I’ll actually be better prepared to do the people things, “who list” things God has for me to do.

I think there’s a great lesson in the story for all of us. Jesus needs us to be with him first before we can really do what he has for us to do. After reading the story in Luke 10, there are some questions we need to ask ourselves. Am I serving Jesus in the right way for the right reasons? Is my busyness “for Jesus” to impress others with all I have to do? What will it take to sit at Jesus’ feet and listen so we can learn his better way for us?

Examine your service to Jesus and others. Invite him to show you what he truly desires the outcome of your time with him to be.

Middle School Missions Trip Recap

Today, I am so proud that I can introduce my daughter as my guest blogger.  In her post below, Hannah shares her take on a missions trip she took two weeks ago with my son and a group of middle school students from our church.  I think you’ll see that this trip had an impact on Hannah, and you’ll see that God can use anyone – even a group of crazy middle schoolers!

(If you’re interested in guest posting on my blog, please drop me a comment.  I’d love to connect with you.)

 

Two weeks ago, I went on a missions trip to Johnstown, PA with my church’s youth group.  We had a great time and were able to help and shine God’s love to so many people. As well as serving people, I also learned a lot about how I should live according to God’s Word.  One of the biggest things I learned can be found in Luke 22:42:

 “Father, if you are willing take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done“

A lot of the times, I want to do what I want to do.  I’ll want to do this. I won’t want to do that.  But as a follower of God, He calls me to do His will – to step out of my comfort zone and not necessarily do what I want to do.  He has amazing plans for me, but they can only happen if I follow His will.  Two weeks ago, whatever we did we asked God for guidance so that we could do His will.  Whether it was asking Him what He wanted us to do that day or listening to Him to see if He wanted us to talk to someone, His will was done and it was amazing to see His plans for our group unfold.

Here’s a recap of our week:

On Monday, we went to a church down the street from where we were staying.  This church has been closed for two years due to the economy.  With the amount of churches closing in their area, they have decided to reopen.  As it has been closed for two years, there was a lot of work to do.  We mopped, swept, weeded, trimmed bushes, painted, scrubbed, and scraped paint and rust off poles.  It was amazing to see how much work our middle school group was able to accomplish in such a short time.  It also was great to see how grateful everyone was for the work we accomplished!Tuesday was by far my favorite day.  On Tuesday, we went to an old hospital in the town of Culver.  The owner of the hospital (Jeremy) is turning it into a community center for Culver.   It will have apartments, a kitchen, his house, and other things for youth – such as a gaming room.  On Tuesday, my middle school group and the high school group that was staying with us helped to clean out the hospital and tear down the walls and ceiling.  It was God’s miracle that no one got hurt despite the large amounts of plaster that continually fell.  After we finished our work, a friend and I explored the hospital.  There was lots of papers, x-rays, and old equipment.  Later that evening, we played volleyball, roasted marshmallows, sang songs around a fire, and watched fireworks.My day on Wednesday was split into two parts.  In the morning, I baked cookies and made cards.  Another group would hand out the cookies, cards, and Bibles to people the next day.  Their decision to do this definitely involved following God’s will by stepping out of their comfort zones to talk with the people who received the Bibles.

In the afternoon, we went to Goodwill.  We swept up trash and threw trash it into a big dumpster. Then a few people who worked there told us about what Goodwill does. We also got to meet a man who was employed by Goodwill a couple of years ago.  He was very thankful for his job and groups like ours who help out at Goodwill.

On Thursday, we went to a soup kitchen and a nursing home.  At the soup kitchen, we moved wood and sorted food and utensils. At the end, we were able to eat lunch with a few recipients of the soup kitchen food.

At the nursing home, we did several things.  First, we escorted the residents to their rooms after a ballroom dancing show.  A few of the people on our team were able to talk and pray with residents.  After that, we cut and colored Forth of July coloring pages with residents.  Later, the nursing home staff were going to put the decorations on the residents’ doors.

On Friday, we traveled home, but first, we made some detours.  After a small lunch of pop tarts at the church we were staying at, we went to McDonald’s for a bigger breakfast.  We then followed the GPS until we arrived at the incline plane in Johnstown.  We took a round trip on the incline plane and then headed to Chuck E. Cheese’s for some last-minute fun.  After Chuck E. Cheese’s, we sat on the pavement and went around in a circle complementing and encouraging each other.  After that, we went to the food court to grab some food before heading home.

All in all, it was a great trip.  I’m so glad I went, and I look forward to future opportunities to serve!

Have you ever been on a missions trip?  What was something you learned on this trip? 

1 2