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Got Soup?

Shiloh UMC — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 14:32:15 +0000

I don’t know if your house is anything like mine, but I currently have no less than 40* cans of soup. I almost always buy a can of cream of mushroom and cream of chicken when I go to the store. Because, I mean, I hate to run out.

So thanks to my inability to check the cupboard before I leave, I have an abundance. And this weekend that abundance comes to an end.

It’s SOUP-ER weekend. Thats right, the weekend when I will walk into church and place my can of soup in the big brown box. Which box? This one:

This morning I went out to take a picture of this box, and look what I found:

SOUP-ER! There’s Soup in there

I can’t wait to see how much SOUP we can fit in this box. Lets fill it all the way up!

*maybe a slight over statement

A Soup-er Food Drive

Shiloh UMC — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 19:46:39 +0000

Each month, here at Shiloh, we take up a food bank offering. Its the first weekend of the month, and the food goes in the big wooden boxes in the Narthexes upstairs and downstairs.

Thats what we do. We donate to the food bank.

This month, I want to take it to another level.

This month lets make someone’s fall season Soup-er.

This month we are having a canned soup drive.

On October 1 & 2, please bring a canned soup to church. If everyone brought one, and we had exactly the same number of people here on October 1 & 2, we would collect 372 cans of soup for the Dubois County Food Bank. That would be SOUP-ER!

So Lets Do this. Mark your calendars and add SOUP to the grocery List!

Did You Know?

Shiloh UMC — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 15:27:56 +0000

Here is the first in our new video series – did you know? We are going to be taking you around Shiloh and showing you things you might not know! (If you have an idea or would like to star in a video, we are auditioning people now!)

Have You Seen My Stapler?

Shiloh UMC — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 14:32:40 +0000

Its missing.

It’s red, easy to use, and likes long walks on the beach.

If seen, please return. The stapler is missed around here. We have had to resort to an old Swingline.

Where o Where has my Stapler Gone?

Welcome Pot Luck Recap

Shiloh UMC — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 13:29:21 +0000

Well, if you were at the potluck you are probably still stuffed like me. If you were not, you missed out on GREAT food.

Here is a pictoral recap of the day:

Click to view slideshow.

A Sweet VBS Photo

Shiloh UMC — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 18:26:17 +0000

Living Jesus::That Thing 2011 Day 4

Shiloh UMC — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 23:08:59 +0000

(NOTE: I wrote this Thursday and then the internet quit in Epworth Forest. We are home now safe and I still wanted you to read this post.)

Last night we did the obstacle course. It was a great exercise in how to work as a team, and how we are only as strong as our weakest person. We did it twice, and they cut their time in half.

After, we went to Worship, and from there, I totally lose my train of thought because my head exploded. I would love to write what I experienced, but I decided that there are parents who have been reading the blog who I really want to have that discussion with their kids. It would be unfair for me to take that away from the kids. And I don’t want to be like ‘it was so this and this’ and then the parents say ‘jen said it was this and this’ and the kids say ‘yeah…..’.

Today I had someone who wasn’t part of our group say I look tired. And it’s true my body is tired, but my soul feels so awake.

I’ll try to post tomorrow on the way home. If not, I can’t wait to share more pictures and stories with you next week.

Another poem from Christopher Norris (I think we could get him college credit for this one:

AquaRocker is still down.
Frownie faces still abound.

Living Jesus::That Thing Camp 2011 Day 3

Shiloh UMC — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 20:20:37 +0000

I just woke up from the most beautiful nap. One of the girls yesterday said its like time is standing still here. Like we are living to the fullest every single minute we have here in Epworth Forest. And I totally agree with her. We are just living to the fullest a few to many at night and aren’t getting very much sleep. And we leaders are tired.

Ok, so the nap happened, and now on to the update.

Last night Steve talked about prayer. We talked about reasons why we don’t pray, and he gave this great example of a couple. He even had a real life high school couple come one stage and he used them as an illustration. They had been dating for 10 months and Steve asked the girl, what if he just stopped calling, stopped talking to you. She said I would wonder what I had done, I would ask him. And Steve said, what if he didn’t answer. What if he didn’t acknowledge you. And she said she would be confused. And that’s how God must feel when we just stop talking to him.

Steve then sent us out to sit out alone for 30 minutes and pray, and to zero in on a place/thing that will be our prayer reminder. He said when ever he goes through a door he prays. It was a really cool time with the whole camp quite, and everywhere you looked there were students in prayer.

We went back to the cabin and had a great discussion, and for the first time in my Sr. High career, we circled up and prayed, (and like always everyone had the option to not pray.) Every.Single.Student.Prayed. IT WAS AWESOME! The prayers were so thoughtful, so sincere.

This morning we worshiped and talked about scripture, and That Thing put together a 14 day scripture challenge. If you want to check it out yourself you can at: thatthingevent.com/bible

And now I leave you with a poem by Christopher Norris (English Major at UofE)

The aquarocker has gone down

frownie faces all around.

<><

Jen

Shiloh UMC — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 13:08:19 +0000

Good Morning (again!) Its another beautiful day here in Epworth Forest. Its crazy how the week goes on the kids are less worried about being up earlier and more worried about an extra 20 minutes of sleep. Monday morning half the girls were up at six. This morning they were just dragging themselves out at 7 – except our dedicated ones who got up to run with Gary and Danita.

I will post more later about last night’s worship, but last night something wild happened and I can’t wait to share – We were worshiping – and worship here is like attending the greatest rock concert you have ever been to, but instead of being in awe of the front man, we are just praising God like crazy. Some of the songs they sing seem to fill me all the way up through my body and soul and I’m sure a beam of light shoots out of the top of my head. Anyway, we are worshiping, and the kids always go forward to the stage, and us ‘senior citizens’ as they call us stand back together.

We last night I looked at our kids and the were waving us up. They wanted us to come up and dance and praise with them. I had a moment where I felt like the cool kids were asking me to sit at their table. So we headed up to the front, and the band leader started to play this really intense, loud, song with great lyrics and we were all jumping up and down going crazy for God

. It was by far my favorite moment of the trip

. Here is another slide show of the photos from yesterday. The kids had my camera a lot, so some of the pictures are kinda crazy.

Click to view slideshow.

Living Jesus:: That Thing 2011 Part 2

Shiloh UMC — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 20:19:40 +0000

We have been having a lot of fun here in Epworth Forest, but we are also learning a lot too.

Last night Steve talked to us about Grace. He used the story of the Good Samaritan and it took a whole new light for me and I’m sure for some others. He told of how 50 years before Jesus there was a debate about what the two greatest laws were – the first one always was love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and all your strength and all your mind. The second one was debated – it was either Love Your neighbor as your self OR Do everything to remain holy.

And in the story of the Good Samaritan (Luke Chapter 10 started in V. 25) a man is beaten and then a priest and later a Levite (a guy who works in the temple) passes by him but doesn’t help – they was trying to stay clean (holy). If either of them had touched the man they would have been unclean and wouldn’t have been able to enter the temple. Then the Samaritan comes by, and he believes in loving your neighbor as your self so he helps the man.

I had just never thought of it that way. But Jesus clears it up for us and we now know that loving your neighbor as your self is more important.

Anyway, last nights Grace talk brought out a lot of emotions for the kids – and us. Steve asked us to think about our enemy and to forgive them. Lets just say we had a great discussion last night.

Also with Grace, we took communion and Bishop Mike Coyner was here to assist. Lets just say that was awesome! It’s great to have a Bishop who cares about kids and camping.

This morning’s worship we discussed Samson, and how he let himself become distracted from God’s will for him (and how that story contains some great/crazy stories about how he tied a bunch of foxes together and burnt a town down and killed a bunch of people with a jaw bone but I digress). We talked about becoming ‘Empty’ because we have so much ‘stuff’ that is keeping us from becoming full through the Lord. I can’t say anything for the boys bout for the girls we had a great small group discussion. Here a question to ponder – could you give up your phone for one year? Please leave a comment and I will share it with the kids later.

Tonight we talked about Pray. And I must leave you my wonderful blog readers to go over the lesson for I am the nightly leader.

Blessings, Jen