Mar 5th, 2010
Daniel – Week 4 – Verse 1.18-2.16
Surf’s Up!
A monthly column for the PC(USA) by the GA stated clerk
by the Rev. Gradye Parsons
General Assembly stated clerk
LOUISVILLE — Each year, the Mavericks Surf Contest attracts the top surfers in the world. The competitors watch the Mavericks’ Web site until they see the words, “It’s on.” They then have 48 hours to get to the designated beach and compete for the prize money.
This year, the beach was Half Moon Bay in northern California. The surfers had to be towed out to the starting point because the breaking waves were so monstrous in size. Lifeguards zoomed around on jet skis to watch over the competitors.
Naturally, many spectators came to watch the excitement. Some observed from the bluffs; others, from the shore. Many of those who stood and watched from the shore were injured when a couple of the giant waves made it all the way onto the beach and crashed upon them.
An insightful bishop from the American Methodist Episcopal Church observed with interest that no active surfer was hurt while in the middle of riding a board on those huge waves. It was only the passive spectators on the unmovable shore who were injured.
We are facing a wave of change in our communal life of faith. It seems logical that the safest way to weather that change would be to observe it from the unmovable shore of “We’ve always done it this way.”
But could it be that the safer, though perhaps scarier, place to thrive in this change is in the middle of the wave?
In Danielle Shroyer’s study guide for Phyllis Tickle’s book, The Great Emergence, shewrites:
“Perhaps surfing is an apt metaphor for the kind of dual action required of us. Though we may choose our surfboard, our spot in the ocean, and the wave we take, we are not, in the end, able to control the movement of the ocean. We cannot determine the tide, or the length of the wave, or its intensity. It is our duty to ride it, and ride it well, in hopes that we arrive safely (and, with a little luck, gracefully) on the shore.” — (Reader’s Guide to The Great Emergence: How Christianity is Changing and Why, Baker Publishing Group, 2008, p. 20)
Surf’s up. It’s on!
Youth Group Update – March 2010
Growing, changing and on the move – that’s the CPC Youth Group lately. January 2010 was an exciting month – Ken Yarbrough became the full-time Youth Director and is now able to dedicate 100% of his time to the young people of Port Aransas. We moved back into the original youth room and if you stop by you’ll see that it has a decidedly new look – more of a coffee-house hangout. Many thanks to Randy Johns for his skilled carpentry and the gorgeous laptop bar and TV Stand. We’re almost done with the renovations and when we are we’ll have a space that the kids can call their own, with wireless internet, cappuccino makers, huge floor pillows, and musical instruments to learn, practice and play. Our goal is to offer after-school tutoring and mentoring so if you’d like to get involved a little – or a lot – just see Ken.
February was also the month for Presbyterian MidWinters at Mo Ranch and this year we split our group into two weekends, with 20 Senior High Students and 8 Middle Schoolers. Port Aransas has a “rowdy reputation” for worshipping, singing and generally blazing trails of leadership, and these weekends were no exception.The theme of both weekends was, “Be Doers of The Word, and Not Just Hearers” and it’s been interesting to see the application as we came back to the real world. Changes, both radical and subtle, are everywhere. Many thanks to all those that participated in the “Butler Auction” to raise money to send the kids to this special event. We hoped for $300 and were blessed with over $2000!
Before our Winter Texan Friends leave us, we have a treat – Uncle Phil’s Diner – a 50’s Style Dinner Theater – with sassy employees, stylish decor and live music from the Desotos to jive and jitterbug the night away. All the proceeds from this event go to fund our May Retreat to Mo Ranch which this year includes our “Senior Send Off and Blessing.”
Finally this quarter, our youth group has formed a team for this year’s Relay for Life, a one night event to raise money and awareness to make cancer obsolete! Look for more information soon on our marathon weekend event with a car wash, rock-a-thon and bake sale.
As always, thank you for supporting your CPC Youth Group and please join us any Sunday at 12:30 for live music, food and a great message.
