A218 Community News Blog

Your Calling and Concert this Sunday

Hey A218,

Last night at the Main Gathering, we wrapped up our series on Haggai. If you missed it, you can watch it by clicking here. During the talk, I mentioned the Ephesians 4 framework of ministry. I have personally found this framework helpful in finding my place in the church. 

As I said in the message, as you fulfill your calling you will build His Jesus' Church...and Jesus is serious about the church (Matthew 16:18, John 2:17).  The work of Alan Hirsch, Founder of the Forge Mission Training Network has been extremely helpful on my personal journey to discover my calling. Check out his website, www.theforgottenways.org for a brief description of the Ephesians 4 ministry framework, a few articles, and a pretty inventory called the APEST Assessment. (It was the best $10 I spent this year) I hope you will find these extra resources helpful as you pray and discern your calling.

And don't forget this Sunday Night's A218 Band Concert and Freedom Songs CD Release at 7pm. It will be at Murray Hill Theatre, 932 Edgewood Ave. S. in Jacksonville. Freedom Songs CD's will be $10. It will be a fantastic night that you will not wanna miss. Hope to see you there.

Folks...you have been chosen to do great things in this world. May 2010 be the year you got series about it. 

Much love,
Derrick

What no one wants to hear, slavery, and rice + beans...

Hey A218,
Okay...picture it. You are at coffee with a good friend...talking about the events of the last week, problems that have come up, secrets you've yet to disclose...you know, life as usual. And then your friend puts down their latte and says to you, 'I hate to tell you this, but you are self-centered.' Is anyone ready for that conversation?

No one is ready to be told that they are self-focused, self-absorbed and self-consumed. And yet, that might be the newsflash we need. I don't think anyone wakes up in the morning saying to themselves, 'I think I want to be the center of my world today.' (Okay, I do...but I am chief of selfishness). Every now and then, we all need a wake up call that the selfish, consumer-driven, inwardly focused life is not a healthy way to live. Many folks across the ages have found themselves more alive and more human as they have focused on others, opened their circles of friendship, and identified with people who have less.

Last Saturday, we hosted a screening of the IJM documentary, 'At the End of Slavery: The Battle for Justice in our Time'. Many of us became aware of the harsh reality of slavery that still exists around the world. This week at all of the gatherings, we will have postcards for you to fill out that will go to our congressional leaders, letting them know that the issue of slavery around the world is important and must be addressed. We will also be showing the film again at JU Community Night on November 23 at 9pm. If you missed last Saturday, do everything you can to make it on Nov. 23.

Also, this week at all of the A218 and Forward Gatherings, we will be having Rice and Beans for dinner. We are joining CrossRoad Church in their Rice and Beans week, an effort to identify and understand how many folks in the world live on so little. Dinner will still be $2 on Monday at Forward and at the Tuesday Main Gathering, and that money will go towards a feeding project that will provide 70,000 to 100,000 meals for 6,000 children in Haiti. I hope you will join us for what will be a powerful week of gatherings.

The truth is, we can all be a little less focused on our own lives. Could a few dinners one week help? Could an hour-long documentary open us up a bit? I think so. It won't fix the world's problems and it won't completely transform the selfish soul. But it is a start and who knows where this could go...

I look forward to seeing all of you this week at one of our gatherings. Love your life and love your neighbor...all of them!

For His Dream,
Derrick

P.S. You definitely will not wanna miss the A218 Band Concert and Freedom Songs CD release on December 6th at Murray Hill. It will be a night of music, mercy and mission.

What not to do at Six Flags

Hey A218,
First off, you just have to go to Passion 2010. I am still talking about the great moments from Community Weekend...and Passion 2010 will be 4x the fun. Space is limited...so get that $25 deposit in this week. Your heart will thank you on January 6...I promise.

So you've probably heard about it...but it was Muslim Family Day at Six Flags during Community Weekend. It was actually an eye-opening experience for me. It was particularly interesting to see Muslim families enjoying a theme park together. I hate to admit it, but seeing followers of Islam enjoying roller coasters just wasn't something I thought I'd see. I also hate to admit it but after over 10 hours in the park, I did not say a thing to anyone outside of my small little circle of people. Most of you reading this post wouldn't blame me I guess. Who goes to an amusement park and talks to people they don't even know? We're all there for the same thing...to have fun with the people you came with...not to make new friends while standing in line to give our lunch a spin (you'll get that later). But I couldn't help but ask myself that beautifully cliche question, 'what would Jesus do?'

Here's what I know about Jesus. He had a habit of talking to people who didn't see the world the way He did. In fact, He often went out of His way to engage conversations with people who obviously differed with Him religiously, politically and socially. For example, in John 4 it isn't the Samaritan woman who breaks the ice, it is Jesus. In Mark 2, it is Jesus who invites a tax collector to join his inner circle. It is Jesus who reaches His hand out to touch a leper in Luke 5. It is the tenor of the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5. As you read the gospels, you find that time and time again, Jesus 'crosses the aisle' so to speak to reach out. Is it not the entire theological premise...that He who was not like us became one of us in order to include us? This is the example I am living and learning to follow.

So while Community Weekend was a blast, I have to admit that I left that park a little disappointed in myself. I do not think Jesus would have played the introverted card or would have excluded himself from others in the name of community. He would've moved towards people...He would've talked to them, broken bread with them, listened to their stories and He would've desired to be friends with them.

Somewhere down the line, I have been convinced that it is okay to not follow Jesus' example at Six Flags (among other places). I mean, Six Flags can be a dangerous place. You might get ignored. You might catch something. You might lose your life. You might even start looking like the One you claim to follow. Who wants any of that? (Actually, a lot of us in the A218 Community say weekly that we want that!)

Jesus tells me that God loves the world, which obviously means people. I wonder if I do. I wonder if you do.

So A218 Community...whether you are totally convinced that Jesus is 'God with us' or you are still deciding if you are gonna buy your own Bible, remember that the example of Christ compels us outward, and at all times. Jesus calls us to put on humility even when we think we have all the answers or think we reserve the right to ask all of the questions. Jesus' eye is always on the ones who are excluded, and His finger always directed at the included to 'go get them'. The story of the King is one of constant reaching out...in season and out, introverted or extroverted, on a roller coaster or eating a funnel cake. Don't do what I did at Six Flags, (again, sorry for the cliche) do what Jesus would do.

Love you A218 Community...make sure you love the world.
--
For His Dream,
Derrick Scott III

Upcoming events and info:
Silver Creek kids to CRC Fall Festival - Oct 23

A218 October Seminar - Oct 25 and Oct 29

Passion 2010...$245 rate ends Oct 24

Passion 2010 and tips for dreamers...

Hey A218,

Hope you are doing well and staying healthy. To all of those dealing with the flu-like symptoms, our prayers are with you...get well soon!

First, I wanna make sure that you guys know that registration for the  A218 trip to Passion 2010 is open. It will be a fantastic few days in Atlanta this January...the best time for community and inspiration for the new year. Great speakers such as Louie Giglio, Francis Chan and Beth Moore and worship leaders like Chris Tomlin, David Crowder and Charlie Hall. Prices are the best there gonna get right now. Go to the Passion 2010 page on the A218 community site or come talk to one of us at the gatherings. And don't let the first day of classes keep you from registering...God has a way of working things like that out so come talk to us.

Last Tuesday, I gave the third talk in our series called Access. We've been unpacking the values that guide our community. The first two have been around for a couple of years: living today in God's reality and learning in community what it means to be a Christ-follower. Links to these talks will be at the bottom of this post.

The third value -- key word dreaming -- is a work in progress. We have added this value because I think dreaming is not only a part of our experience as aspiring young adults, but it is also spiritual, hopeful, prophetic and challenging. According to Joel 2:28, when the Holy Spirit comes upon us, the result is young people seeing things they have never seen before. I wanna believe that we are in such days. Furthermore, I am challenged by the idea that God Himself might have dreams for our lives, our generation, our world and His Church...and I for one wanna be a part of seeing those dreams become reality. What about you?

Many words later, I realized that I forgot to offer next steps during the talk for those who are serious about dreaming and being a part of God's dream. (That is a big no-no for communicators, by the way...I'm still learning.) So what follows are some thoughts for those who are interested in this dreaming value of the A218 Community.

1. Pray. All of the great dreams for our lives, our friends and the world all start with aligning ourselves with God and cultivating a deep conversation with Him. In fact, the bigger the dream, the deeper the need for prayer. It is also in prayer that God will reveal both the steps to achieving your own dreams, but also (and arguably more important) a vision of what He would like to see in the world.

2. Reflect. This is a priceless and rarely used spiritual discipline. If prayer is a conversation, then reflection is processing that conversation. If we're honest, we'll all agree that it is harder to hear God's voice when we're in a rush. Reflection requires us to slow down, sit and ponder what God has said (whether through the scriptures, to your heart, through others, etc) and what that could mean practically. Often, it is in reflection that God begins to bring clarity to the dreams of our hearts.

3. Be inspired/bothered. You gotta get around things that keep the dream alive in you. Read the books, listen to the songs, watch the videos that keep you excited and motivated to continue moving forward with the dream in your heart. Similarly, when it comes to making a difference in this world, stay bothered...this will help you maintain that sense of urgency and audacity that may be required to stay in the game when the dream seems afar off.

4. Talk. Share your dreams with others. Be open to their feedback and suggestions. Be okay if people say things like, 'I don't think that's possible.' Comments like that are priceless, especially if you probe deeper into why the dream seems unreachable. Talking about your dreams also invites others to be a part of the dream. You never know who has a dream of funding someone else's dream. And without conversation, those connections may never be made. Finally, talking about your dream usually gives you more to pray about, more to reflect on, and greater reason to stay inspired and bothered.

I hope this helps those who have a dream in their heart. More than anything, I pray that the Holy Spirit would give you a dream that gives you a reason to press on into the future.

I love you A218 people...keep fighting for the love in your life. I hope to see you soon...

Much love, Derrick

P.S. This Tuesday at the Main Gathering, we'll talk about the fourth and final A218 value...going. Get excited!

Links to the last three A218 Values talks: living, learning, and dreaming.

Living in Reality and Community News

This past Tuesday night, we began a new series at the Main Gathering based on our A218 values...living, learning, preparing (the last word is now turning into dreaming and going). Our values are not so much like stones, but more like compasses. The hope is that as we embrace these values as a community, we will be drawn towards becoming the people (both individually and collectively) that we were meant to be for the transformation of the world and the kingdom of God.

Our first value statement is living today in God's reality. My hope is that during your time in the A218 Community, you will be inspired to do just that. I could spend an hour talking about what it means to live out this first value. But I did that on Tuesday Night. You can watch the message on our ustream channel: http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/2048413. But I did want to take a minute or two to unpack one single but extremely significant part of what it means to live in God's reality.

For some of you, this will not be news to you...but God's reality includes this truth: God is for you. He wants the best for you. Always looking out for you. Constantly thinking of you. Ever speaking up for you. At the end of the day, God is for you and not against you. This is an extremely important detail and it is often overlooked. And again, this is reality. It is the context that we all live in. You'll find that navigating life becomes a lot easier when we face what is real and true. And what is true is that God is for you.

I'm not telling you this to simply make you feel good (although I do hope those words bring a smile to your face.) I am telling you that God is for you, because it is reality and to live under any opposing thought is a train wreck waiting to happen. Often, when we ignore the truth that God is for us, we see His life, His words, His commandments and His plan as limiting to the life we deeply desire. But the truth is, God is so for us that He is more invested in our futures than we will ever be. He has put more on the line to see us get the desires of our hearts than we have. He is more committed to our tomorrows than we could ever be.

So let me put it plainly:

Living as if God has it out for you is not reality.

Living as if God is indifferent towards you is not reality.

Living as if God has given up on you is not reality.

Regardless of how you feel or the circumstances you are facing, reality is that God is for you and not against you. Got it?

Praying that you would have a great week. Check below for links to special info about this week's gatherings and events coming up. Hope to see you all this week! And remember that God is for you.

--
For His Dream,
Derrick Scott III

A218 Gatherings and Events Coming Up

Dr. Roy Brown, Guest Speaker at This Week's Main Gathering: 7pm Dinner, 7:45pm Worship @ CrossRoad Church UMC

ACCESS218 Sunday @ CrossRoad Church UMC: 9am and 11am Services

Justin McRoberts in Concert at the Main Gathering: 7pm on September 15

Deadlines approaching to sign up for Community Weekend to Six Flags.

Amsterdam and Community

The launch to Amsterdam has been very revealing and convicting. We are so grateful for being able to stay with the OZ100 community, you can feel the love in this place and you know the Holy Spirit is working here.

Staying with this community has really allowed me to compare it with our own Access218 community. It has raised questions in my mind. We have been welcomed so graciously and personally here and I have to ask: are we as a community willing to go to this level to make people feel at home? -are we willing to step out of our comfort zones and allow people to see the real us?

       -are we willing to put emotions on the line to cultivate our community?

For me, the trip has been epic.

Other than all the bonding time we have had with the community here including the meals, post-chapel cafe, and Brother Luc graciously taking us sailing, God has given me a check list of things I need to think about just in the projects we have been doing.

-Patience: I have primarily worked on two projects: painting and moving this widow lady. And in both project I really found myself getting impatient. We are attempting to make this house look professional in the way we paint it. Therefore, little mess-ups are a big deal and there is a process for fixing the mess-ups and that process is completely redoing the area that got messed up. With moving the widow, we have had to have patience involved in the process of moving an elderly woman who is attached to all of her belongings...all of her belongings. 

-Perseverance: As an impatient person, you often want things done, and done quickly, but that is not what happens so you must be able to persevere through it.

-Acceptance: With patience and the ability to persevere through your impatience, you have to be able to accept that every ball is not going to bounce in your favor--this is what God has been saying to me--and sometimes you just have to be able to accept that.

      

So these are the things that I have gotten out of this launch to Amsterdam. It has been a great trip and we have had a great team. I have really come to appreciate our leaders even more. I am sure the entire group would join me in thanking the entire OZ100 Community for their hospitality and really just making us feel like part of their community.

DES

broken beds, bookshelves & blindness

The first night in Amsterdam, my bed broke. My roommate had the worst headache imaginable, and the nightlife was just getting started outside our window.  This sounds like smooth start to our Launch, right? Actually it was. It set our team up to be dependent on God from the very beginning. 

One of the assignments the team was given was to help move this older woman out of her apartment and into another because her current foundation was starting to sink. Joey, Jess, Erin, Sarah, David, Robert, and I were chosen for this task. We loaded and unloaded her mini library one box at a time. Well, it was more like one alphabetized shelf at a time. Eventually we needed to move the lady's unloaded bookshelves down her narrow, steep, winding staircase. The bookshelves ended up being too big, so we decided to drop them out the second story window. That was a sight to behold as part of the team was leaning halfway out the window, and other half stood on their tip -toes trying to give support underneath. The couch had to have been at least twice as a light as one bookshelf.

 Erin, Sarah, and I loaded more books into boxes and listened to the lady we were helping repeat, "Oh, Gott. Ver are de cats?" as she worried if they had run out the door. Meanwhile, the other half of the team bicycled the couch and bookshelf on a cart and dolly a few streets over to the new apartment. 

Soon after, we were able to leave and head over to the new apartment in an attempt to reassemble one of the bookshelves and reload the books (hopefully) in order. 

 Even in the midst of hard work and fellowship, I think our group has still been challenged spiritually and personally. The culture, sights, and sounds have affected our perspectives and how we feel about it. For me, one of the observations that has been driven home a couple of times is the idea of blindness- blindness to what can be done around me at home, in another city, state, and country. It really is amazing when you realize what can be done through Christ. I believe God is driving this idea, concept, and passion home this week in me on this launch. This is a learning and growing experience I will never forget!

Rebecca Eppler

amsterdam photos

Amsterdam :: Wednesday

So, I'm sitting here in the Detroit airport.  We all just finished eating lunch.  It's been a long day already.

We all arrived at the airport at 5 a.m., except for a few stragglers.  But we all had plenty of time to get checked in, and several ACCESS 218 members (including our fearless leader, Derrick) came to see us off.

After the demeaning airport security process (they make you walk around with no shoes) half the team hit up the Starbucks right inside the security gate.  

We made our way to our gate and circled our wagons.  A few minutes and a few bathroom breaks later, we boarded the plane.

The flight itself was pretty uneventful.  Some people caught a quick nap, while others talked, listened to music, or played video games (actually, I think I was the only one who did that).

We actually arrived in Detroit a little early, which meant that our lengthy layover would be just a little bit longer.  We passed the time by playing cards until it was lunch time.

Most of the team went to Chili's, but a few of us hit up the Quizno's and Hungry Howie's on the far end of the airport.  David Sandlin made uncomfortable comments and alienated the rest of the group (just kidding... sort of).  

The group is now meeting back up to pass the time before our flight to Amsterdam leaves.  By the time we get there, it will be 6 a.m. their time.  Our plan is to stay up that whole day so we can adjust to the time change, basically meaning we will have been up for about 36 hours.  I think we all plan on trying to catch some sleep on the plane.  Maybe I shouldn't have drank so much Mountain Dew.

We are all very excited.  Right now the anticipation is fending off the weariness, and we hope it will keep us going strong until the end of this very long day.  We know that God is going to do amazing things in our lives on this trip, and we hope to make a real difference over there.  Continue to pray for energy and focus.  We have been doing really well, with no complaining so far!  Let's hope that this trip is just the beginning of something great that God is doing for us, our community, and everyone we come into contact with.

-Robert Snyder

Training Seminars coming this month

Hey ACCESS218,
We are getting ready for what I believe will be an awesome fall season. I am so excited about the next few months of ACCESS218...but there are still a few weeks left before the semester starts and our community gatherings reconvene. I cannot wait.

Wanted to let you know of an opportunity coming up for folks in our community. Some of you have expressed an interest in participating in the creative, production, musical and worship aspects of our gatherings. And others of you are already are serving in those capacities within ACCESS218 as well as other ministries and churches. Here's an event just for you folks...

We are hosting a Worship and Creative Arts Training Seminar for anyone who would like to attend. The context of this seminar will be the A218 gatherings, but the principles discussed will be useful for any Christian community. This event is free and open to anyone regardless of their talent level, experience or current A218 serving role. At the moment, we have 2 options for those wanting to take part in this event: August 17 at 7pm and August 23 at 1pm, and the location for both is CrossRoad Church. If you play an instrument, sing, serve in production (sound, lights, audio, visual, etc), are interested in serving Christian communities artistically, or in running a gathering for Christ-followers some day, you should attend this seminar.

If you would like to attend (and you really should), check out the event page on the Community site: http://access218.ning.com/events. RSVP's are really helpful. You can also drop me a message with any questions you might have either by email or on my community site page. Looking forward to seeing you there.

Hope you have a great week and I cannot wait to see you all...

For His Dream,
Derrick

P.S.  If you are interested in attending the seminar but cannot make either of these dates, please drop me a message ASAP and we will see what we can do for you.