Fall break update

Hey friends,

I hope you are enjoying the break, maybe getting a chance to rest and catch up on homework. We have set a date for our annual Thanksgiving meal (carnival)--Thursday, Nov. 19.

In preparation for this, the Theatron club has chosen our team as the benefit for their service project for homecoming week. They are collecting canned beans, corn, instant potatoes, and possibly turkeys, as well as clothing. It's great to see how God is providing already.

Also, we are doing a coat and blanket drive this week. We will have boxes set up all over campus where students can drop off coats (sizes M-XL) and blankets. Consider bringing an item back from home with you tomorrow.

We do not want the boxes to overflow. If you see a full box, let me know and I may ask you to take the donations back to your dorm for the moment.

God is a great God, strong and able to provide. Let's trust Him.

Paul

The week of 9/27

Friends,

I hope your weekend was dandy. A few announcements...

Our meeting this week will be at a special time--6:00pm instead of 6:30--in ADM 204 on Tuesday. Having it earlier helps the Tuesday outing get to Food for Life on time, but if this is a conflict for you, please let me or Zach know.

It was be helpful if you would email

downtownimpactteam@gmail.com

and tell us which outing you will be attending (Tuesday or Thursday). It's a small formality that helps us prepare for the week ahead and minimize confusion. Thanks!

New church plant in Greenville

Caleb M just told me about a church plant coming to Greenville. Renewal Church is led by Matt Rogers and will be supported by a number of churches (Baptist and otherwise) from around the Southeast and by the North American Mission Board.

As a team, we see church planting in Greenville as a way that God renews and invigorates the body of Christ and reaches more people who could not be reached by existing churches. If you are looking for a church home during your time at North Greenville, being a part of this plant would be a great experience. It is really exciting to see churches supporting and encouraging the fulfillment of the Great Commission through new churches, especially in our city.

This week

Hi friends,

A reminder...we need you to email

downtownimpactteam@gmail.com

and let us know which outing you will be participating in--either Tuesday after our meeting or Thursday after BSU. Please do that by Monday night.

We have the largest (and coolest) impact team, and we need to be able to plan how many vans we need to take.

ALSO, our meeting will be at 6:00pm instead of 6:30pm on Tuesday in ADM 204 because of the bonus chapel.

For His fame,
Paul

Shakespeare and laughter

Tonight was our first official outing of the semester! It felt good to be back in Greenville, back on the street, back with our friends. We arrived at Food for Life just as everyone had received their meals, so we jumped right into conversation. Daniel and Michael, both new arrivals on the team, were thrown into the madness and did quite well. I had a nice talk with my friend Kenny, and we were able to serve him by providing some cough medicine for his cold. I also spoke with Toni, who just had surgery to remove scar tissue from her side.

Dan had some good laughs with one guy (whose name we don't know) about the difficulties of studying Shakespeare in school. It was good to laugh and enjoy the humor that God has given us. Katrine caught up with Steven, a guy who used to go with us to the Channel on Sunday nights my freshman year. We continue to praise God for the ministry of Food for Life and for their consistency in the gospel.

This week

Hey friends,

So that we can plan out this week...we need you to email

downtownimpactteam@gmail.com

and tell us

1) which outing you will be attending

2) and whether or not you will be attending the meeting (6:30pm ADM 204).

Tuesday outing: 7:00-9:30ish

Thursday outing: 8:30-11:00ish

Obviously some of you have class on Tuesday nights. We understand if you can't make it. This just helps Zach and I plan accordingly. Thanks!

Good to see that you have found our super-awesome blog!

If you have questions, please ask.

A Biblical Theology of the City

For your reading pleasure...Tim Keller is a pastor at Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City, and he has some helpful thoughts about how to understand the city biblically. The article can be found here. Enjoy!

Team training

Just a reminder...Impact team training is this weekend, Sept. 11-12. Jody has planned this to be a helpful weekend that will set the course for the coming year of ministry, and he is really hoping that you will be part of it. We will also hammer out our vision for this semester as a team, so it is important that you are there. It's Parent's Weekend; you're on campus anyway, right? :)

Friday, Sept. 11: 3:00-8:00ish
Saturday, Sept. 12: the morning hours? (I can't remember the exact times)
Hayes Ministry Center

Obviously, if you have extenuating circumstances beyond your control, we will carry on without you (somehow). Exact details will be disclosed at Fusion on Thursday.

Walk for the Homeless

I like to keep you guys informed of the different ministries and organizations in Greenville, secular and Christian, that work with the same people we work with. One group is United Ministries, which sponsors the Place of Hope day shelter on Pendleton Street. We've heard some good things through our friends about the work they do. They also provide job and skill training to interested people.

On Sunday, Oct. 18 at 2:00pm, United Ministries will be holding a Walk for the Homeless, a fund-raising event for the Place of Hope. Consider being involved. You get a free t-shirt!

Passion 2010

This really has nothing to do with Impact Team, but...I'm posting it anyway. Consider attending Passion 2010, a global movement of college students seeking to make Jesus famous in this generation, in this world.

I attended the Passion Regional in Atlanta in 2008, and it was truly a life-changing event. The website has all the information.

This semester

Quick update. We will resume regular outings after Impact Team training Sept. 11-12. Until then, we cannot use BSU vehicles, but if you still want to go downtown on Thursdays after Fusion, I am happy to drive four other people. Anyone else will have to drive themselves. This is an unofficial outing. I will be in the lobby in Turner after Fusion, so if you want to go, come talk to me.

Looking forward to this semester,
Paul

Welcome back!

Hey guys,

Good to have you back! I'm excited about the new semester. I've seen many of you and already some have asked about impact team. As you probably know, Zach and I will be co-leading the team.

Applications will be available at Fusion tomorrow night, and sorry, you still have to fill one out even if you were a member last year. They are due by Sept. 7, but the sooner you get those to Zach or me, the better.

We will have a team meeting next Tuesday at 6:30pm in ADM-204. We will review our vision and talk about what the coming year will hold.

We will most likely begin going downtown next week starting with our Thursday night outing.

See you soon,
Paul

Downtown Impact Team in the Skyliner

Check out Jon Harris' article about our team that was published in Wednesday's edition of the Skyliner.

Also, Jon and Chris Bullard--some of you may know them--created a non-profit organization called Sidewalk Stories for their senior presentation for Senior Interdisciplinary Seminary. Explore the website and read about their heart for Greenville.

Impact Team Banquet

BSU is putting on a dinner to thank members of all the impact teams for their service, so all of you on Downtown Team are invited! Both of the ones I have been to have been tons of fun, and we will be celebrating what God has done during the past two semesters. Mark your calendars!

What: Impact Team Banquet

When: April 28th at 6:00 p.m.

Where: Hayes Ministry Center

Attire: Casual

I do need you to RSVP to me one way or the other by April 22 if you plan to attend. Thanks!

Art in Greenville

As you know, art has great power and can have a tremendous effect on its audience. Often artists seem to have their finger on the pulse of the city, reflecting emerging ways of thinking and positing new ones. Greenville is quickly becoming a haven for developing artists young and old, and this is something that is very encouraging to me, who remembers downtown without places such as Artist Crossing and West Greenville. Artisphere is a three-day arts festival coming up soon that never would have been possible 15 years ago.

If you're downtown for fun, I would encourage you to stop by a gallery and observe and appreciate the art you see. Ask questions about the art: 

• Is it nihilistic? 
• Is it happy?
• Is it dark or light?
• What does it say about the city? 
• How does it portray God?
• How does it portray man?
  
• Is it sensual or jaded? 

These questions can help us better understand the culture of Greenville and how we are a part of that culture.

(Just a side note...) And by all means, if you don't like what you see or think you can do better, start creating what you want to see. The way to change the arts culture is not to theorize about why it is bad but rather to make something better and more creative.

Serving Greenville

One of our core tenets as a team is to serve Greenville in tangible ways. I wanted to let you know about two organizations who are working to make Greenville a stronger city.

• Hands on Greenville is a non-profit organization affiliated with the United Way. They are sponsoring H.O.G. Day on Saturday, May 2nd, a day when they direct volunteers to complete service projects throughout the city. Last year, 2,800 people participated during the morning hours and gathered at Fluor Field for a huge celebration. I know that May 2nd is right in the middle of exams (I have two that morning), but if you are able, I would encourage you to participate.
  

• Greenville Forward has written a vision for progress in the city by 2025. I would encourage you to read the Vision 2025 and consider how you and Downtown Impact Team fit into that vision.
  

Taking it to the Summit?

Dan, Andrew, and I weren't able to go to Herdklotz Park to play soccer because of the rain, so we decided to go downtown and check out the Greenville Summit instead. Last year, Cole mentioned that the management there was open to us doing a Bible study there. At the time, we had no good way to do it, but the Thursday afternoon outing may fit.

The Greenville Summit is government housing for the handicapped and is located right across Richardson Street from the bus station at the same intersection as Downtown Baptist. We talked to the receptionist there, and again she was open to the idea, so Dan, Andrew, and I started brainstorming ways to do a Bible study there.

We are looking at doing a social event towards the end of the semester and start the study next fall. Again, we're still throwing around ideas, but please be in prayer for this opportunity.

Tuesday night is just all right

Another solid night at Food for Life. We saw C.W. for the first time in several months, and Bethany asked him all about the Soup Kitchen crew. Wayne and Sharon are still in the area, as is Pat, but we heard that Reggie has gotten back into trouble since he took the cooking class at the Soup Kitchen.

As for C.W. himself, he said his wrist is still hurting him but that he should start getting disability pay soon. He also wants to move into Greenville Summit, government housing for the handicapped. He told me,

"I don't know why God took away my hand. My hand was my blessing, and I used to be able to work, but now I can't even close it."

Continue to pray for perseverance for C.W.

Dan and Daniel both dealt with Doc, the self-proclaimed kingpin of the streets and spoke with Jeff as well.

Katrine caught up with Kenny, and I talk to a man named David, a writer who feels rejected by society. He has a 15-year-old daughter who is on the Honor Roll at Tanglewood Middle School. Although he feels outcast by the world, he said that he sees a clear difference between the churches and the world. That was encouraging to hear.

The Gospel and the Poor

This is helpful article by Tim Keller about how the gospel transforms our view of ministering to poor people. Enjoy!

T is for Tuesday and all its craziness

This will be quick...What a night! We had three random encounters with people on the street, all of which resulted in some funny stories. Ask Katrine, Bethany, or I about them some time.

Bethany got to speak with Franklin, who looks like a completely different person without his massive beard. Katrine spoke with a guy named Chris, and I spent my time with Toni and her husband. She lives a few blocks from Triune and is considering going back to school because she is so bored all the time.

A guitar was lying around, so somebody picked it up and started playing the blues. It reminded me that healing can start to come through music, as well as through narrative, or telling your story.

Continue to pray for these people and the entire Food for Life ministry.