November Breakfast

Big thanks to Westernco Donuts for the maple bars and apple fritters; tasty all the way to belt-line. I consider it preparation for Thanksgiving. We really need to start stretching out these stomachs.

John, YFC Ken, Jeff and Mantiou Ken met this morning at Manitou and we had a good lively discussion about youth in South Tacoma as well as the work of Dr. Abraham Park who wrote the Genesis Genealogies. If you are interested in learning more about the second, then mark your calenders for a weekend conference on January 6-8 as Green Pastures and Celebration Christian Fellowship are partnering to host some lectures on the book. Contact John Kim (jhkjhkjhk3@hotmail.com) if you have more questions.

Our discussion focused around youth in South Tacoma and we ended up approaching the discussion from several angles. The discussion began when Rich arrived early to let us know that he couldn't stay because he needed to be at court with one of the youth from his church. Rich was living out Jesus' question, "I was imprisoned, did you visit me?" Our prayers are with he, his church and the young lady.

YFC Ken brought good news from Gray as 8 kids gave their lives to Jesus during yesterday's club. What great news. Ken's prayers were not only of praise, but also a request that these youth might find churches where they can grow in their faith.

Jeff shared a bit about his unfolding adventures with how the school districts approach sharing faith in the schools. Some of his kids had questions about how much they can share in school and as a good pastor, Jeff is trying to get that answer. So far, he's had a good response from the schools and we look forward to hearing what he finds out.

John not only shared about his passion for the work of Dr. Park but also modeled a t-shirt that captures the essence of the book. We had a good discussion about how this book and the theology can be good news not only for adults but for youth as well. How do we pass on the God's legacy to the next generation? How do we do this especially for young people who may feel as if they have no legacy?

For me, the conversation seemed to lead to the place where John made the claim that the best way we can reach out to youth in the community is through the schools. This led us to ask how this might be done. We all agreed that we have parishioners of varying abilities and availability. How can involvement be made accessible to them? On the other side, does the school really want a lot of volunteers? If so, what might we be able to do? John crystalized the questions when he said, "It seems like what we need is a group to coordinate the work between the schools and the churches. If there were a group that could help to specifically name the ways we could help then more folks might get involved." And so...

What if we asked the question, "How can we bless the schools?' More specifically, "How can we bless Gray Middle School?" Then responded as were were able and willing. To that end, YFC Ken is going to ask the principal, Mr. Ikeda, this question. So, don't miss the next breakfast as we'll throw these things on the table and see if there's enough energy to do some blessing.

Speaking of the next breakfast. Here are the details: Wednesday, December 14th, 2011 at Green Pastures Presbyterian at the corner of 66th and Junett. See you there.

Ken