Hope for Thanksgiving



Volunteers assembled 298 Baskets of Hope in 2 locations.



We served 298 families in Lebanon, OH with our Baskets of Hope [BoH] on Sunday, November 20, 2011! This set a new record for families who attended our Baskets of Hope service and received food for their holiday celebration. What a blessing to share the hope we have in Christ with folks from our community!

In addition to the record attendance,
services were held and baskets distributed simultaneously at
two [2] locations that evening...
at Urbancrest and at our new church plant, Living Word Bible Church
meeting in the Professional Services Unlimited building on Columbus Avenue.

Families at both locations received turkey, corn, green beans, boxed potatoes, milk, cookie mix, and more! More importantly, after the gospel was shared in both Baskets of Hope services, God moved and blessed as people came forward during Pastor Tom’s invitation. We had nine [9] new believers and three [3] people re-dedicating their lives to Christ! In addition, five [5] people came forward requesting to be baptized here at Urbancrest during our Christmas BoH service.



Families picked up their Baskets of Hope in our gymnasium
after attending a special Thanksgiving worship service.


Our Christmas BoH services will be Sunday evening, December 18th at Urbancrest and Living Word Bible Church [LWBC]. LWBC has moved to their new location, 500 W. Mulberry Street, here in Lebanon, to better serve our community and grow as a church.

If you know of a family that needs a Basket of Hope for Christmas, please call 49HOPE4 (494-6734) and leave their name, phone number, and address so we can add them to our Christmas BoH list.

Your family can help serve our community through BoH Christmas the evening of December 18th. For more BoH details, either for recipients or to volunteer, please contact our BoH leader, Kristy Purkey at ppkp90@embarqmail.com.



Greeters in the gym made guests feel welcome as they
went through the lines to pick up the Baskets of Hope.



Great Pumpkin Give Away at Iron's Fruit Farm

What a beautiful day God blessed us with on Saturday, Oct. 8th for the Great Pumpkin
Give-Away at Iron’s Fruit Farm [right here in Lebanon]! The weather was warm,
the sun was shining, and our UBC folks were smiling!

Bill and Beth Irons partner with UBC for this event, by using their family business [fruit farm] as a local mission’s platform to plant and share Gospel through this ministry opportunity. The Irons provide the free pumpkins and the room for us to set up our tents for popcorn and face-painting along with our awesome bounce house.

Some of our volunteers were stationed in various locations throughout the fruit farm to distribute Challenge Newspapers to hundreds of visitors that day. The Challenge Newspapers were full of personal testimonies from believers around the world.

In addition, we had Derrick Dye, the Christian juggler, share the Gospel while juggling at 11:30 AM and 1:30 PM. Beth Irons coordinated our face painters who blessed many children with awesome face art! Folks were amazed that this too was free! What a blessing!

We gave away hundreds of bags of popcorn, too, [Did I mentioned this was also free?] keeping our folks busy while satisfying the hunger of both kids and adults while many waited in line for the hayride and maze obstacle course!

Thanks to all 25 of our UBC folks who served, reaching out to our community in Jesus’ name. We had some families that chose to serve together emphasizing the “family-friendly” benefit for such an event. They helped plant gospel seeds and touch many lives.

Plan to join us next year in October. You can serve for a few hours, reaching out to our community, then enjoy the hay-ride, maze, fresh apples, cider, cider doughnuts, and awesome apple fritters too!

Teaching Important Biblical Life Lessons Not Mere “Horse Sense’



“…I was in prison and you visited me…Lord, when ... did we see You in prison?...And the King [Jesus] will answer them, ‘I assure you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did it for Me’” (Matt. 25:36c, 37, 40) HCSB.

On Tuesday, August 23 we celebrated our 10th UBC summer block party with the young men at Mary Haven (MH) youth center in Lebanon, Ohio. This was our third year to partner with Mary Haven officials and Dale McCloud (and of course Spirit the horse) to share positive life lessons and the Gospel.

God blessed with favorable weather in the 80’s with a breeze, too. There were fifteen young men and at least six different counselors and staff from MH. Wow…those guys sure did pound down hot-dogs, cotton candy, nachos, and snow cones... even the staff! (Don’t they feed these guys?)

It was an evening of significant impact. Our UBC team of men that teaches and serves every Tuesday night at Warren County Juvenile Detention Center (WCJDC) re-connected with some of the young men who have transitioned to the MH program. Our team was able to have fun and connect casually with these young men for the first time. The young men were encouraged and this event furthered the discipleship of those that accepted Christ in the WCJDC over the past years.

Dale McCloud illustrated life lessons through his interaction with Spirit and drew prallels to how we interact with God, demonstrating that we have an innate tendency to go our own way. He also explained that we must come to the end of ourselves, ask Christ into our hearts, and follow Him since He has the best plan for our lives.

As Dale concluded his life lesson and sharing the gospel, we had two young men respond and ask for one of our guys to talk and pray with them. Both young men professed to be Christians but just needed some additional help as they shared their specific needs with our counselors.

Great thanks to our WCJDC teams that served at the ministry event. Many of our UBC block party team members helped to make all this possible. Young men at WCJDC and MH are being transformed through the power and work of God’s Word and the Holy Spirit. Thanks UBC team for your faithful weekly service at WCJDC.

Sharing the Hope of Christ and Restocking Bare Shelves

“…For I was hungry and you gave Me something to eat …Lord, when ... did we see You hungry and feed You?...And the King [Jesus] will answer them, ‘I assure you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did it for Me’” [Ma. 25:35a, 37a, 40], Holman Christian Standard Bible.

For 3 consecutive weeks UBC local missions has spearheaded “Challenge the Hood”. Our strategy was two-pronged, to share the good news of the gospel through distributing Challenge Newspaper and to replenish the food for the empty shelves of the Lebanon Food Pantry.

Cliff Glenn, our local summer missionary intern, led this local mission initiative preparing the distribution packets, Lebanon Food Pantry collection bags, maps, and coordinating our leaders and volunteers.

“Challenge the Hood” was conducted on Wednesday nights, August 10th, 17th, and 24th through 3 key UBC leaders within 3 targeted neighborhoods in Lebanon. Neighborhoods included Revere’s Run, Turtle Creek Village, and Garfield Park sub-divisions. Our awesome neighborhood leaders included Rhonda Kuntz, Rick and Barb Oppy, and Dewayne Jeffers.

Our UBC volunteers went door-to-door each Wednesday night, distributing Challenge and asking for donations of non-perishable food for our local food pantry. After the process of distribution, teams collected all the bags of food and then delivered the food to the Lebanon Food Pantry. Barb Gregory from UBC, who coordinates our Food Pantry ministry, met our teams at the Pantry. The food was so desperately needed that some food was handed directly to the recipients at the Food Pantry while other food was immediately re-stocked on the shelves for future needs. We praise the Lord for His provision of food for this initiative!

The Food Pantry served 76 families with food on Wednesday night, August 24th, alone. Those 3 SUV’s of food collected were an answer to prayer! Thanks to Cliff Glenn, our local summer missionary, and our faithful volunteers that helped to meet the needs of families in Lebanon.

In addition to this initiative, we have asked our UBC congregation to personally bring in food to re-stock the shelves of the Food Pantry and our UBC Resource Center.The response has been wonderful! Just bring your donations to the Worship Center so we can all celebrate God's goodness to those in need.

If you have any questions relating to this initiative for collecting food to re-stock our local food pantry and UBC resource center, please contact UBC local mission’s strategist, Mike Wright: mwright@urbancrest.org or call 932-4405, x32.

Partnering with Dramatic Flair to Win Souls For Christ

Over the summer, Leah Busick and our Reality Youth Drama Team partnered with UBC local mission's work and with Chris Straw in our local church plant, Living Word Bible Church. In the blog today, Leah shares her team's experiences with us.

"Our drama team likes to get outside the four walls and we certainly had a chance this summer working with the Block Party Team and the LWBC church plant team!"

"We were also busy this summer at local Back Yard Kids Clubs. Thirteen Drama Team members were in Hunter's Run neighborhood on June 26-28 with around thirty-five kids. The team then had the opportunity to share a drama sketch at the Block Party."

"August 10-12 found twelve members of the team at Cedarbrook Campground with many visitors both children and adults. The group shared the Gospel and told Bible histories, including the healing of the Centurion's servant and Moses and the Israelites escaping Egypt. They played games such as "Chicken on a Roof" and "Mosquito Tag" and did more sticky foam crafts than could be counted. The Gillens joined in the fun at both the campground and the Block party by making necklaces for everyone with individual names on a grain of rice."

"But the most important even of the summer was that six people turned their lives over to Jesus for the first time. What a fantastic time to celebrate what the Lord has done for all of us!"

Thanks to the teens and adult leaders who added so much to our Block Parties and Back Yard Kids Clubs. Their enthusiasm and apparent love for Jesus Christ was refreshing and a great asset in every circumstance.

Next week's blog will cover our Challenge the Hood event for 2011 and the neighbors who made a difference in their neighborhoods this summer.

Bacon and pancakes during church services-----Awesome!

Imagine the tantalizing smell of bacon in the air along with the smoke of a campfire on a Sunday morning, enjoying God’s creation before heading to church at Urbancrest with your family…

Sound like something your family would enjoy? Well, we have great news for you!

While most folks were getting prettied up for Sunday school and worship services this summer, UBC teams served up food and the Gospel on Sundays at 8:30 AM on June 5 & 19, July 10 & 24, and most recently August 14, at a beautiful campground called Cedarbrook – located less than a quarter mile from downtown Lebanon – the closest campground to Kings Island in southwest Ohio!

Terri Lipot leads our Cedarbrook ministry, Kim Gidley coordinates the breakfast and Beth Irons assists Kim and takes photos. These UBC teams typically have 10-16 volunteers. The devotions and gospel have been shared by Jeff Lipot, David Gidley, and Kirby Hamblin.

Up to twenty guests per breakfast have enjoyed chowing down on bacon and pancakes. We had a great time serving up food for the soul with the gospel, along with food for the belly. God blessed with at least 4 professions of faith this summer too!

And if you don’t get a move on… you’ll miss being a part of our Sunday breakfast team for August 28 – our last scheduled Sunday AM service at Cedarbrook this year! Please contact Jeff and Terri Lipot immediately at jlipot@embarqmail.com, 513.897.2335 or contact, Mike Wright, UBC local mission strategist at 513-932-4405 or mwright@urbancrest.org.

Faith Build 2011 Update

After 2 delayed deployments, some of our UBC volunteers for Habitat for Humanity served at the Lebanon build site on Saturday, July 30th. After the scorching heat, it finally rained on Friday night, July 29th, but that was good-news, bad-news for us on Saturday. It was a bit cooler, but the building site was a muddy mess!

 

The team, along with home-owner Randy Fields and his nephew Joshua, slipped and slid in the mud, but got to the basement with its poured side walls and began to work. (For photos of progress on this build project, go to http://www.habitat-tristate.org/Gallery.aspx and click on Faith Build – 7/16/2011)

 

During our scheduled half-day we:

• Cleaned out the basement area, removing large chunks of concrete by putting them into a bucket, pulling the bucket up the walls, and then dumping the contents in a sink hole.
• Covered the poured basement walls with a thin layer of insulation
• Attached the base “green” boards to the basement walls with washers and nuts
• And secured the floor joists, spanning the basement from one side wall to the other.

Each Saturday, another Habitat team will continue where we left off working on Randy’s home until it is completed.

 

Danny Mitchell will be working with the Habitat coordinator to schedule more UBC folks to help with this build in October. For more information, contact Danny Mitchell at mitchdj@go-concepts.com or 513-282-6397.

What a great way to end our year of Block Parties! The streak of 17 straight days of 90 degrees or over was broken! The skies cleared from the rain, the temperature dropped just a bit, and we were able to have our final Wednesday Block Party at East Ridge and Deas Dr.! Our new kiddie train, once again, was a great hit for the kids!

We had about 60 residents and only 27 UBC workers….but we had a great time. One neighbor was so enthusiastic that she called UBC and offered her help at the block party. She showed up early and helped set up equipment!

This neighborhood location was conducive to our ongoing strategy to partner with Living World Bible Church, Chris Straw and his core team. Chris shared the gospel at the Block Party, and we had 7 responses, 1 of these for salvation!

Since Kelli Hundley and Deanne Clem announced they will be stepping aside as leaders for our Block Party team, we need some new folks to step forward soon so we can plan for 2012. Now is the time to evaluate what went well this year, and what needs to be changed to improve the experience of our guests at our Block Parties next year. Please contact Mike Wright, mwright@urbancrest.org or call me @ 932-4405 ext 32.

Block Party Update



(L-R, top to bottom) Pastor Chris Shaw shares the Gospel at La Luz,
UBC workers serve guests, kids on our train and enjoying face painting,
sister of all ages love Block Parties!



July 20, 2011

Close to both Living Word Bible Church (our church plant) and the UBC Resource Ministry, the Lebanon School Administration Building on Holbrook Avenue was a great place to have a Block Party on July 21. Over 300 doorhangers were distributed advertising the event to the surrounding neighborhood.

And even though it was too hot for the bounce house and cotton candy that night, 24 residents and 28 UBC workers endured the 110 degree heat index by eating made-to-order snow cones! Attendance was low due to the heat and the Warren County Fair, but Pastor Chris Straw shared the Gospel and made connections with families who expressed an interest in the new church plant.

Tear-down went quickly, not because of the heat, but because of an approaching thunderstorm. The lightening and thunder were pretty intense!

July 27, 2011

74 guests and 41 UBC workers showed up at La Luz Apartments this past Wednesday night to enjoy hot dogs, popcorn, snow cones and our Kiddie Train. Temperatures soared once again bringing the heat index up around the 100 degree mark, but workers and guests made the best of it!

Pastor Chris Straw shared the Gospel as part of our on-going partnership with Living Word Bible Church, our new church plant on Columbus Avenue.

Sandy Huddleston and Tim Oliver followed up with two shut-ins at the apartments. Maxine Coulter, an elderly and medically fragile woman, welcomed Sandy and Tim into her home. They share the Gospel with her and Maxine prayed to accept Christ! This reminds me of Matthew chapter 25… “when did we see you hungry and when did we feed you?”

Our fearless Block Party leaders Kelli Hundley (eight years) and Deanne Clem (five years) announced to the work team that they are stepping aside as team leaders in order to give others an opportunity to serve.

Deanne and Kelli will be greatly missed because they have been passionate and committed to a Kingdom ministry through the Block Parties. Their goal was to see souls come to Christ. Thank you, ladies (and their families) for your faithful service. Both ladies have agreed to assist the new leaders that God calls through the transition process.



Faith Builds a Home in Lebanon, OH

Today's blog reviews our home-building project with Habitat and our recent Warren County Fair outreach...

Habitat for Humanity’s Faith Build 2011 for Lebanon began with an on-site celebration July 10. Danny Mitchell and I were among the guests who met Randy Fields and his sons, Richard and Brandon, as they begin the exciting project of building their own home.

(L to R) The Fields Family and Danny Mitchell
at the on-site celebration held July 10.

Located on Holland Avenue, the project site is right across the yard from Countryside Community Church of the Nazarene. Volunteers for this project have permission from the Countryside Church to park in their parking lot and walk to the site through the yard. This makes parking for this project much safer and more convenient.

Several representatives from Habitat, including our coordinators Natalie Nuce and Tara Price, were there along with several of HFH board members. After I had the honor of opening the ceremony in prayer, Pastor Lester Jones from Countryside shared a devotional. At the end of the ceremony, we had the opportunity to write on the walls [really] which included bible verses and personal wishes for the family.

Our UBC “wall raising” scheduled for July 23rd was cancelled because of some permit hold-ups…sorry team! (It’s missions right? We just have to be flexible and fluid in adjusting our schedules.)

But that brings us to our next opportunity for folks to serve on July 30th. Please contact Danny Mitchell as soon as possible at mitchdj@go-concepts.com or 513.850.9012 if you would like to participate.

 

Fans were a popular give-away at the Warren County Fair.

The Warren County Fair, July 18-23, was held at the fairgrounds on North Broadway in Lebanon. This year’s Warren County Fair booth volunteers provided free water for hot and thirsty fair-goers and a free diaper changing station for families with small children. Our forty volunteers handed out hundreds of Challenge Newspapers and Gospel tracts plus information about Urbancrest, Living Word Bible Church (our church plant) and the Resource Ministry.

Even though attendance was low due to the heat, booth workers distributed 2500 hand-held fans shaped like cowboy hats with John 3:16 printed on them. The fans sure helped folks to cool off in the high heat index that lasted through Fair Week and also sparked some great conversation about John 3:16, giving Urbancrest volunteers a chance to share the Gospel by using the Evangecube.

Last Week's Ministry Outreach Was "Hot, Hot Hot!"

Despite the sweltering heat, the visiting South Carolina team from Great Falls ministered with great results at a baseball camp, Back Yard Kids Club and our Resource Ministry last week.

 

The team of 19 divided their time by partnering with:

1. John Steiner of Living Word Bible Church (LWBC) from July 11 to 14 teaching baseball fundamentals to fifty-five children who came out from 10 AM to noon each day,
2. Natasha Neal of LWBC from 11:00 AM-12:30 PM in a Back Yard Kids Club outreach at La Luz apartments where up to nineteen kids attended each morning, and
3. the Urbancrest Resource Ministry on Columbus Avenue where they painted the outside of the building and loaded trailers of donations that went to Bryan Byrd and the Christian Appalachian Project in Kentucky

Greg Bachelor, the pastor of Great Falls’ First Baptist Church and team coordinator, Cindy Taylor, also led the South Carolina team
in prayer walking the neighborhood around Pleasant Square Park on Monday, the sight of last week’s Block Party. On Tuesday night,
they rallied around the LWBC ministry team, holding a car wash at the Resource Center as a way to connect the LWBC team prospects for the church plant which begins services on September 11.

Christmas In July

It was like Christmas in July at the Block Party at Pleasant Square Park on July 13. We didn’t have snow, but God provided cooling breezes and milder temperatures to make things much more comfortable than the previous Wednesday night.

81 Urbancrest members and 19 mission team members from Great Falls, SC attended while Pastor Dave Bickers and the Urbancrest Praise Band/Praise Team rocked the park with praise & worship music. Pastor Dave’s devotion, Christmas in July, reminded us all that, just like the angels that first Christmas Eve, we all have Good News to share.

130 area residents attended the Block Party. This was the largest residential attendance so far this summer! Two people made a first-time profession of faith in Christ and three people prayed about maintaining a closer relationship with Him.

The Great Falls, SC team also added to the Block Party activities by holding a whiffle ball tournament. Forty kids had fun while their parents cheered them on! The team also held back yard kids clubs and worked at the Urbancrest Resource Ministry during their week with us.

Seven kids from the Block Party showed up for the Baseball Camp on Thursday. The camp was held to connect families with kids to the Living Word Bible Church plant that begins services on September 11.

Sharing Faith With Summer Fun

Our last three block parties have been "full steam ahead"
as we present the Gospel in a new neighborhood each week.



Jen Marbach adds color to a Block Party Event!



On June 25 we ended vacation Bible school with our traditional Urbancrest potluck & cookout along with a block party on the church grounds. Then on June 29 we took the bounce house and the kiddie train to the Hunter's Run neighborhood.

120 people from the area plus 61 workers enjoyed the great weather that night along with a performance by our Youth Drama Team. Duane Gillen wrote people's names on grains of rice and placed them in small glass vials (very interesting) and Kyle McQuinn shared the Gospel.

We thank God for the four people who made professions of faith that night. We also praise God for and thank the Youth who took responsibility for set up, tear down and food service. They did a great job!



All of the Block Party locations this summer have been chosen to help promote Living Word Bible Church, our new church plant on Columbus Avenue that begins services on September 11. This past Wednesday was no exception.

There were less people at the Colonial Park North venue than is normal, no doubt due to the high heat index and humid conditions. But even though it was hot and muggy, Pastor Chris Straw (from our new church plant) was able to connect with a couple who were looking for a church home.

3 people made professions of faith following the Gospel presentation and a bilingual guest indicated she may help with our hispanic church plant in the fall. God used us, heat and all, to reach people where they live.



The new Kiddie Train is a hit wherever it goes!






Oh The Places You'll Go!

Although Dr. Seuss wasn't really referring to missions when he said "Oh The Places You'll Go!" it certainly applies to our local missions teams. Here are a few of the places we'll be going in the next few weeks...

Wednesday, July 6: Urbancrest Block Party at Colonial Park North on Monroe Road in Lebanon. Setup at 5:30 PM; Block Party at 6:30 PM.

Saturday, July 9 & Saturday, July 23: Habitat for Humanity Project. Contact Danny Mitchell at mitchdj@go-concepts.com for more information on the location and times.

Sunday, July 10: Cedarbrook Camp Pancake Breakfast and Devotion Outreach. Meal prep at 8:00 AM. Cedarbrook is located on State Route 123 just north of Silver Street in Lebanon. Contact Jeff & Teri Lipot at jlipot@embarqmail.com if you would like to volunteer this weekend.

Monday, July 18--Saturday, July 23: The Warren County Fair on North Broadway in Lebanon. This year's fair booth is in a prime location to greet Fair guests and share Jesus or hand out information about Urbancrest. Sign ups are already underway. Call me at 932-4405 or email me at mwright@urbancrest.org for details.

Also, be on the lookout for a visiting South Carolina mission team in July. We'll want to give them an extra warm welcome and thank you for the help they are giving our Resource Ministry and Living Word Bible Church, our new church plant with Pastor Chris and Janella Straw.

This Friday's blog will be closer look at recent local missions events including June's Big Apple Adventure Bible School and the June 29 Block Party at Hunter's Run. Until then, choose a place to go and share Jesus! You'll be glad you did!

UBC Summer Ministry Teams Warm Up to the Task

Cedarbrook Campground

Even with the 8 AM start last Sunday, ten teens and eight adults from UBC gladly provided a pancake breakfast and short worship service for thirty-two Cedarbrook Campground campers. Four of the campers responded to the invitation; one for rededication and the others for prayer for personal needs.

Tecumseh Trails Block Party

Despite the near 100 degree heat, Urbancrest’s first block party for 2011 was “cool!” We unveiled our new Kiddie Train and treated families from the Tecumseh Trails neighborhood to snow cones, popcorn, hot dogs and nachos. Seventy-four UBC workers and fifty-five guests enjoyed great music by our Kids for Christ children’s choir who used puppets and sign language to sing about Jesus! Thanks to the choir and their parents for attending despite the extremely hot conditions.

It was a special day for an 11 year old boy who accepted Christ after Pastor Shawn presented the Gospel. Another child had questions about what is means to be saved.

A special thanks to Ron Turner and his crew of helpers who created our new Kiddie Train from scratch! It’s just one more awesome tool we can use to show the love of Jesus to our community.









Update on Warren County Detention Center Bible Study Ministry


Emily met Christ and turned her life around
while attending Bible studies at WCDC.

For seven Sundays in 2008, Urbancrest members prayer walked at the Warren County Detention Center in response to God’s call. Through their obedience, God broke down spiritual walls and opened up the opportunity for teams of men and women to lead Bible studies with the WCDC inmates.

Each Tuesday evening, the ministry teams seek to meet the spiritual needs of young people who are experiencing the trauma of arrest and conviction in their lives. Many times, the youth already realize that they’ve blown it, need a Savior and this time of crisis calls for a redirection of their lives.

“Our team is humbled and amazed at the outpouring of God’s spirit of love and grace upon these youth as His Word transforms their lives,” said team member Donna Turner.

We praise God for what He is doing in the lives of these youth, like Emily Easton who recently graduated from Boys Town High School and will be attending Toledo University this fall.



Flexible, Fluid and Faithful

This week kicks off Urbancrest summer missions in a big way! It all begins Sunday morning with our Pancake Breakfast and Devotion outreach at Cedarbrook Campground. UBC volunteers will begin cooking at 8 AM in the pavilion and serve Cedarbrook campers at 8:30 AM. The campground is located on State Route 123 just north of the intersection with Silver Street. If you have questions, team leaders Jeff & Terri Lipot can be reached at jlipot@embarqmail.com.

Wednesday, June 8 is our first Block Party for 2011 at Tecumseh Trails Park on Navaho Drive. Direction sheets are available at the Block Party table in the UBC lobby. Team leaders Kelli Hundley (kellihundley@yahoo.com) and Deanne Clem (clemje@embarqmail.com) encourage Urbancrest families to minister together, share the Gospel and have some fun!

Missions is a fluid, dynamic ministry and sometimes project changes can be discouraging. Due to some local permit trouble, Tristate Habitat for Humanity has asked our Urbancrest volunteers to postpone our involvement until July. Two dates open to volunteer help of all experience levels are July 9 and July 23. Contact team leader Danny Mitchell (mitchdj@go-concepts.com) for updates and more information on this project as the dates are subject to further change.

Remember that our reactions to these changes will be noted by Habitat for Humanity, our community and our congregation. We have an opportunity to show love and understanding toward everyone involved in the process through our actions, which, as you know, speak louder than words. By reacting differently than lost persons during setbacks, we can reflect Christ-likeness and glorify God.

Families, Flapjacks and Faith at Cedarbrook Campground

The Cedarbrook Campground Ministry Team is planning Pancake Breakfasts on June 5, July 10, July 24, August 14 and August 28. They will meet for food prep these dates at the campground pavilion at 8 AM and will serve breakfast guests around 8:30 AM. Besides volunteers, this team could also use extra griddles to get the food ready on time! Interested in helping? Please email Team Leader Terri Lipot at jlipot@embarqmail.com with dates your family can flip some flapjacks!

In addition, this ministry team will host Backyard Kids Clubs July 20-22 and August 10-12. Plans are to use the 2010 VBS (Saddle Ridge Ranch) crafts and stories. It’s an easy way to plug in and serve the families who are camping at Cedarbrook. Contact Terri if you are available any of these dates.

An exciting update is the opportunity to do family ministry at the campground. Cedarbrook Campground has stipulated that the gospel must be presented in some way and we’re sure happy to abide by their wishes! The first weekend for this outreach is tentatively set for Friday, June 17, but there are many more to choose from. Send Terri an email to find out more. 

Last year we hosted face painting, water games, bubble gum blowing contests, Derek Dye the juggler, a scavenger hunt and a hymn sing. This year, Urbancrest families can camp out, host an activity, present the Gospel and make new friends. It’s a great chance to minister as a family during the summer months!

What’s New in Summer Missions at Urbancrest?

This summer we will unveil our new Kiddie Train at the June 8 Block Party at Tecumseh Trails Park! Pick up a flyer at the Block Party table in the foyer beginning May 29 for the details on each week’s Block Party this summer. Block party leaders Kelli Hundley (kellihundley@yahoo.com or 937-367-8429) and Deanne Clem (clemje@embarqmail.com) are looking for a Transportation Coordinator who will organize workers to move the Block Party Trailer from UBC to the block party location and back to UBC each week. A complete Block Party schedule is available on the Urbancrest missions webpage, http://www.urbancrest.info/missions/local_missions/lmissions.htm.

Urbancrest will host a Habitat for Humanity building day on June 18. Team Leader Danny Mitchell (mitchdj@go-concepts.com or 513-282-6397) is holding an informational meeting this Sunday, May 15 at 12:30 PM in Room 201. A construction, photography and feeding teams will assist Randy Fields and his two sons, Brandon and Robert, to build their new home and document the experience. UBC folks can invite their non-believing friends or relations to participate too. This kind of work opens up the door to conversations about faith and the love of Jesus.

For many families, summer means camping out at Cedarbrook Campground in Lebanon, OH. UBC is sponsoring a family-friendly summer ministry that includes weekend outreach events and a Wednesday night Block Party with Dale McCloud and his horse Spirit! Urbancrest families can camp for free on Saturday night, work with the Family Night outreach and then again at the pancake breakfast and devotion service on Sunday morning. Last year’s outreach events touched families from as far away as Australia! Team Leaders Jeff and Terri Lipot (jlipot@embarqmail.com or 513-897-2335) would love to have you work with them this summer.



Praise & Worship at Cedarbrook






Juggler Derek entertains & shares the Gospel



A bubble blowing contest brings out the kid in everyone!

Proclaiming Christ (our Hope) at Easter through Baskets of Hope!



“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead….” [1 Peter 1:3, NJKV]





On Sunday evening, April 17^th, we celebrated our 2^nd year anniversary for our Baskets of Hope [BoH] ministry which we launched here at UBC three years ago! We blessed 126 families Sunday evening with complete Easter dinner and trimmings for them to prepare and share with their families to celebrate Easter together! In addition, we blessed 26 families on Thursday, April 14^th, partnering with our new church planter Chris Straw, Living Word Bible Church. So our total number of families blessed through Easter Baskets of Hope was 152 this year compared to less than half that number our 1^st Easter BoH!

At our Sunday evening service on April 17^th, we worshiped together with our UBC praise team, Kids for Christ [KFC] choir, and our hand-bell choir! Pastor Tom shared a devotional message about the encounter with Christ by the two men on the road to Emmaus. What a change Christ’encounter made in their lives!

Personal lives were also changed at Baskets of Hope as they encountered Christ through the gospel message. We had a total of 2 folks who invited Christ into their hearts and lives [one on Sunday and one on Thursday] and 2 re-dedications on Sunday night! Praise the Lord…new believers were added to the Kingdom of God!



4H Group



Our BoH ministry is also expanding out into the community as well. Irene Parent from our UBC congregation, invited the youth and parents from Warren County 4-H to volunteer and help us! What an awesome team numbering 30+ helped at hospitality and VBS tables, assisted in packing the Baskets of Hope, and helped carry the baskets out to our BoH recipients’ cars. Even better news, the 4-H group joined us in our worship time and heard the gospel too!

 








Our Baskets of Hope initiatives for Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas are led by Cheryl Kemp. Thanks to our great team leaders that work with her to make all this possible: Kelly Cummings, Nathan Coates, Susan Byrd, Sandy Huddleston, Cathy Dwire and Pat Mitchell. More leaders and helpers are needed to grow this ministry. To learn more about how you may serve in this awesome ministry, contact Cheryl Kemp at ckemp4@woh.rr.com or Mike Wright, UBC local mission’s strategist at mwright@urbancrest.org.

UBC Workshop on sharing your faith: Share Jesus without Fear

You could begin to make an eternal difference in the lives of others in just 4 Wednesday night sessions right here at Urbancrest! Sign-ups begin in our UBC foyer Sunday March 27th. Workshop sessions are scheduled to begin Wednesday, April 6th 6:30-8 PM. Learn in just 4 weeks!  Workbooks are included and paid for by UBC.

Acts 1:8: "But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth" (NKJV).

Three times in this short biblical passage we see the word "you" mentioned. Since God does not waste words in the bible, this particular emphasis of repeating "you" three times teaches us that "you" and I are to be Christ's witnesses. You and I are critical ambassadors to God's mission to share the gospel so God can add more believers into the Kingdom of God.

In addition, the scripture found in 1 Peter 3:15 teaches us that we are to always be ready to give the reason for the hope we have in Christ. Therefore, learning from this workshop on sharing your faith helps prepare you to give an answer for the hope you have in Christ as His witness.

Here are just a few highlights from the DVD and interactive workshop series to further develop your interest:

• Do you know the average number of times a person hears the gospel before they choose Christ?
• Learn 5 basic questions to ask in order to learn more about a person's Spiritual condition rather than having them ask all the questions!
• Have problems remembering or quoting scripture? You need to attend this workshop.
• This is a highly recommended workshop for UBC folks involved with local missions, global missions and for our UBC counselors at block parties, Judgement House, VBS, etc. Be prepared to counsel others directly from God's Word as well as learning to share the gospel.
• How about learning answers to people's questions and objections? Answers to objections are included in the back of the New Testament resource (additional available resource).

Be prepared.......make an eternal difference in sowing the gospel seed so the Word of God and the Holy Spirit can yield a great harvest! Sign-up today! I look forward to seeing you there!

Prayer-Walking: The Prayer of Jericho

On April 10th this year, we will launch our local mission's prayer-walking ministry. We plan to prayer-walk strategic target neighborhoods for 7 consecutive weeks (representing the 7 times around the walls of Jericho.) We often refer to this ministry initiative and experience as "The Prayer of Jericho"

We are beginning to recruit prayer-walkers now. On March 27th (Sunday after GIC), we will have a display in our UBC foyer and you can sign-up to prayer-walk within our community of Lebanon. Please stop by and sign up to join us. We begin our prayer-walking at 4:30 PM on these Sunday nights and return to hear the personal testimonies of our encounters with God working within our community of Lebanon.

Why prayer-walk? From the passage in 2 Corinthians 5: 12-21, we learn that we are God's ambassadors and as His ambassadors, we are to intercede on behalf of the residents and children within our community to be reconciled to God. God's love compels us to go, pray, and share the gospel.

Here are some key aspects of prayer-walking which you can develop in your life as you join God in His work through prayer-walking:

"Prayer is not incessant talking with God but unceasing walking with God" 1 Our mission is to develop our personal walk with God through prayer-walking.

"We define prayer-walking simply as praying on-site with insight" 2

Praying:

a. "Prayer-walking is genuine prayer--God working with and through people, on earth and in heaven--prayer-walking is essentially relationship with God--talking and walking with God Himself through Jesus". 3

1. Directed, intercessory prayer: praying for others, neighborhoods, homes, and people encountered while walking.
2. Intentional prayer

On-site:

b. Praying where we expect our prayers to be answered.

c." Sounds, sights, and smells, far from distracting your prayer, engage both body and mind in the art of praying." 4

d. "Walking seems to create opportunities to help or to pray for new friends on the spot, right at the times of great need." 5

e. "The act of walking emboldens pray-ers to push through feelings of futility and intimidation...Prayer-walkers gently defy such fraudulent claims of darkness over their community." 6

With Insight:

f. Responsive insight. "Prayer-walkers do their work with their eyes open, allowing the sights of people, objects, events and entire communities to flood their prayers with significance. Ordinary powers of observation yield abundant insights about the best focus of prayer."7

g. Researched insight. Examine history and settings, determine influence of crime, injustice, occult practices.

h. Illuminated insight. "When believers pray according to the Bible, very often God's Spirit illumines His Word with extra candlepower." 8 They subject themselves to God's Spirit.

To sign up Sundays for our Prayer of Jericho (prayer-walking) please see our prayer-walking team in our UBC foyer March 27-April 10th, or contact Sandy Huddleston: SCHudd1@yahoo.com or contact Mike Wright: mwright@urbancrest.org

 1 Sprinkle, Randy. Follow Me: Lessons for becoming a Prayerwalker. New Hope Publishers, Birmingham: AL, 2001 p14  

2 Hawthorne, Steve & Kendrick, Graham, Prayer-walking: Praying on Site with Insight (Lake Mary: FL. Charisma House, 1993)

3 Ibid., p.1

4 Ibid

5 Ibid., p. 17

6 Ibid., p. 18

7 Ibid

8 Ibid., p. 20