Catacombs Canteen Debut

Only a couple more weeks until commitment Sunday and the congregation is abuzz! If you haven’t had a chance to check out capital campaign events yet or if you’ve been involved since the beginning, this is a wonderful time to see what this campaign is all about—not just raising money, but coming alongside each other throughout this spiritual journey. A perfect way to do that is to sign up for the prayer-a-thon by picking a slot and committing to pray for the campaign during that time. You can sign-up on Sunday in Reception Hall.

Another way to be involved and support the hard work of Tenth’s children is to check out the Catacombs Canteen. Last Sunday the 1st, 3rd and 5th grade classes manned the tables which were laden with baked goods and craft items. I didn’t make it to the Canteen until after the 11am service and found that the vast majority of the goods had already been purchased—wow! (I did manage to snag a lovely greeting card.) But, I’ll share some excerpts of details with you that I received from an earlier observer (thanks, Dori!) And, I’ll have the opportunity to visit the Canteen again this coming Sunday when the 2nd, 4th and 6th graders will be running it. I hope to see you there (you’ll find me by the sweets)!

As soon as the tables started to fill up there were customers ready to make a purchase. There were people two deep trying to get to the tables. The items for sale were truly amazing...such variety! The fifth grade class took the suggestion of classmate Henry Listenberger's and sold fresh pretzels. A perfect accompaniment was Sarah Cohen’s lemonade. Both the pretzels and lemonade sold out so be sure to get there early next week when both will be sold again

Some other food also available were a granola & candy mix, fudge, cupcakes, chocolate lollipops, quick bread, cookies (many, many varieties!), and chocolate covered pretzels. Dori noted many customers wanted to know "who made" the items they were buying...the actual names
of the children, demonstrating a real interest in the whole stewardship adventure at a personal level and not just in satisfying their hunger!There were also crafts for sale, including greeting cards, ribbon hair bands, gift tags, decorated gift bags, books marks, pot holders and silk corsages. The crafts were beautiful and unique and were flying off the tables.

Next week the 4th and 6th graders will be manning the tables with their goodies. You can look forward to a raffle for special treats, handmade marionettes, and yarn dolls. You will also have the opportunity to purchase the party planning services of some of the 5th and 6th graders who have organized a special birthday party planner package. Clearly the creative juices have been flowing!Dori summed up the project, “So...lots of happy children and satisfied customers. Our children are learning from the Word and experiencing through the seed money stewardship adventure, ...that God CAN and DOES use children in big ways for kingdom work and His glory.”

(For more pictures, visit this slideshow at the Kodak Gallery.)

Harvest Time

Time is flying! April is here which means that we are in the public phase of the capital campaign. All of the praying, talking, events and information have been leading us to this time where many of us will make our commitments to the capital campaign. As you consider everything you have learned over the past few months, here is an encouraging update from Dori Baggs on one aspect of the campaign. Since the beginning we have heard about the role of children in the campaign and they have continued play an important part in it. (And don’t forget to visit the “Catacombs Canteen” which will run the first two Sunday’s in April during coffee hour and after the 11:00 service. Grades first, third and fifth will participate in the Canteen on Sunday, April 6th. Grades second, fourth and sixth will participate in the Canteen on Sunday, April 13th. You will have the chance to buy baked goods made with the children’s seed money and all proceeds will support the capital campaign.)

You should have been in the catacombs last Sunday. The children were very excited sharing the different projects they were engaged in and how much money they have made for the capital campaign...in one week! These children are excited because they really see and are beginning to understand that God can actually use them to accomplish big things...even though they are young! Just imagine where that type of faith will lead! Each of these children is like a tiny mustard seed...the journey of faith (yes, Elmer, even the children are on one!), they have embarked on will yield a crop!

Moving Up (and Down)

Another project that the capital campaign will fund is the installation of an elevator. Perhaps you’ve never known the isolating feeling of being unable to access part of the church, but chances are you’ve shared a pew with someone who has. Darv Dombach, a member of Tenth’s building committee, wrote the post below to highlight the many people who will be able to participate more fully in the life of Tenth with the installation of an elevator.

Who is the elevator for?

“When you give a feast, invite the poor, crippled, lame, and blind; and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. You will be repaid at the resurrection of the just.” (Luke 14:13-14.)

The elevator is about inviting those who have mobility difficulties to feast with us. It might be a physical feast such as a small dinner in Fellowship Hall, or a spiritual feast of God’s Word such as a Bible Study in the Catacombs.

Who are those people?

Maybe you’re like me, and the first people you think of are those who have reached a stage of life when their knees don’t bend as easily as they once did. For them, climbing stairs is laborious or even painful. We have a few in the congregation who already feel this limitation on themselves. Demographically, we expect those numbers to increase as our current middle-aged generation continues to age. Even though I still take stairs two steps at a time and perhaps feel slightly invincible, there are sober people who remind me from time to time that one day, our time will come, and they expect to be one of the beneficiaries.

It is surprising to remember, however, that even young people can have difficulty with stairs. Sometimes it’s the result of a congenital condition or a crippling disease. Dear Nada Ghattas comes to mind as someone who would greatly benefit. Other times, it is a more temporary affliction such as a broken bone sustained in a sports injury. We now have a couple young teenage men in the congregation who are ardent supporters of the elevator because they have had to live on crutches for a period of time.

Whatever the reason someone may “walk” through our doors without actually walking through them in the usually understood way, I am convinced that our elevator will be a means of introducing people to Christ or helping them to grow in their faith. It may be unbelievers who feel welcomed when they see our commitment to their needs, or believers who are refreshed during some opportunity for worship or service that was otherwise not available to them. Though they may not repay us for our act of love, God promises us immediate joy and full restitution at the final resurrection.