Magic Moments: One Last Hurrah!

Ski Trip, 2007- at Cracker Barrel

Today is the last entry in my Magic Moments series. When I began these posts I promised there would be 10 posts. This makes 21. I said there would be great memories as well as some ups and downs. This final Throwback Thursday story has both. It is the story of my last days as a youth pastor.

When I began work on the full-time summer staff of Quaker Lake Camp in June of 1978, I was 18 years old. I was still 18 when I led my first youth group at Centre Friends Meeting. I had no idea that nearly 30 years later I would still be doing youth ministry. But in February of 2007 I was still at it, and on February 19 of that year my group from Trinity UMC of Waycross, GA returned home from a ski trip. In many ways it was just like the hundreds of other youth group trips I had been part of over the many years. In at least one way it was like no other. I didn't know it until a few days later, but it had been my last hurrah in student ministry.

The story of the trip really begins a year earlier when I arrived at TUMC. I wanted to change the culture of the youth ministry to reach out to more students in the community and to make our church "the place to be" in Waycross for middle school and high school students. Part of that plan included more trips and more big adventures. In the summer of 2006 we took a successful mission trip to Chicago with the Center for Student Missions. In September we attended Night of Joy at Walt Disney World. By then, we had already announced the ski trip, and excitement was building. We would go to West Virginia and ski Winterplace the week after Christmas. The Guy with the Bus was going home!

As often happens with youth trips, life got in the way. The church van broke down coming home from a Christmas outing to a Japanese restaurant in Brunswick (an hour away). Repairs would be major, and I was left scrambling to find a rental van for those days after Christmas. In the meantime, there was no snow in West Virginia and it was too warm to make any. Winterplace was not even certain they would be open. At the last second, I called and moved our reservations to President's Day Weekend, 2007. This caused much confusion and chaos, but since it was youth ministry, no one really noticed. 

Let it snow!

By the time we actually took the trip, our van was fixed. But the parents who had planned to go along as chaperons had to back out, and no one stepped up to replace them. So my brave wife Marilyn and I took them ourselves- as we had done so often back in the day. I drove the van and she drove our station wagon. We went up on Friday, and any worries about snow were put to rest as soon as we arrived in Virginia. It was snowing like crazy. By the time we arrived at the motel, conditions were tricky. For the students who had never really seen it snow big time, it was amazing. They were all psyched about skiing. It was going to be a great couple of days on the slopes.

A VERY young Will Jones ready for the slopes!

In the middle of that night Marilyn (who never gets sick) became as sick as a dog. By morning it was clear she was going nowhere. So we left her at the motel, loaded up the van, and headed up the mountain to Winterplace. And it was indeed a great couple of days of skiing with a diverse and wonderful group of kids. By the time we were ready to head home on Monday morning, Marilyn was fine. One of the girls, however, was not. Kendall would spend the entire trip back asleep in the back seat of the station wagon, leaving the van a bit more crowded. It snowed more on the way home. But eventually, we arrived safely in Waycross, and I was able to write a safe and successful ending to yet another youth trip.

Meagan & Marilyn in the ski lodge

I was excited for the future of the student ministry of TUMC.  Nearly half of the students on that trip had never been to church at Trinity when I arrived a year before. We were growing. The community was buzzing about us. I was already working on an amazing summer schedule for 2007. Two nights later I led our Wednesday night bible study. That would be my last official act as a youth pastor. After nearly 30 years in ministry, after hundreds of trips, countless programs, thousands of games, 3 guitars and more wonderful relationships than I can possibly count, I was suddenly- and I knew quite permanently- finished as a youth pastor. Seven years later I am still recovering. I have experienced the grace and forgiveness of Jesus in new ways. I have been loved and supported by family and friends (and a whole new community of grace-filled folks from Twitter!) in ways I never expected. I have even found new ways to continue to be in ministry with many of the people I served for all those years. But as I look back today, I see that final trip, and thank God for it- and all of the incredible adventures He allowed me over those many years. My life has been so blessed. So many Magic Moments, so many stories that have been shared here on this blog. But still...I really miss those amazing trips! Anybody else feeling the need to hit the road? Crank up the Bohemian Rhapsody and let's go!  :)

Because of Jesus,

Magic Moments: The Flaming Bus

Magic Moments in student ministry can take many forms, including occasionally taking on legendary status. This story of a skit trip to West Virginia has been shared at least twice in the years I have been writing this blog, and it is still one of the most popular, It's today's #TBT and this week's Magic Moment! Enjoy!

We took a Ski Trip from Kissimmee to the mountains of West Virginia, North Carolina or Virginia every year from 1995-2000. To be completely honest, they all run together a bit and it is hard to remember what happened on any given trip. But I am certain that what you are about to read is true, even if it does sound like the plot from a terrible made-for-TV movie!

Our adventure begins in Princeton, WV, where we had arrived the day before after an all-night bus ride. We would be skiing at Winterplace, located about 8 miles north of our motel. All of our arrangements for the trip had been made through a company called Carolina Tours, a group that we knew well and trusted completely. A year or two before their representative Robert had saved our trip by moving the entire excursion from Boone, NC to Winterplace at the last minute- because Boone had no snow. This year we had a different problem. It was brutally cold. We were warned about what the wind and cold up on the mountain could do our skin and our health. We were warned to stay out for short runs and then visit the lodge often. We were not warned about what the intense cold would do to a Floridian bus! When we woke up and loaded the bus on our first day of skiing, our fearless drivers Dave and Vern were trying to warm the bus for us, but it just wasn't working. As we left the motel and tried to merge on to I-77, we discovered the heater was not the only problem we had. We couldn't accelerate. We moved onto the highway doing a robust 8 miles per hour. Dave pulled the bus over to the side of the road, hoping that letting it sit and run would thaw out the diesel fuel and get us going. It didn't. We continued on, and everyone on the bus was freezing. Our pace continued until we had to climb our first major hill, and the bus almost stopped moving. We once again pulled over to see if we could thaw out;  Vern left the bus and went to the woods by the roadside to relieve himself. He came back explaining how peeing outdoors in 10 degree weather was not a good idea! It took us over an hour and a half to drive the 8 miles to Winterplace that morning, but we got there. And we skied and had a great time, I am sure. But the fun was just beginning.

While the group was out on the mountain, Dave and Vern were talking to professional bus drivers who had driven to Winterplace that day about fixing our problem. They were told to add a very small amount of kerosene to the fuel mixture, and that this would help the diesel move through the engine more freely. They took the bus down to a gas station and added the kerosene, and drove back up- but they couldn't feel any difference. When we left Winterplace late that afternoon, the bus was a bit better but still very sluggish. As we headed south on I-77 to our motel, we felt a sudden jolt, and almost instantly we were moving at full speed again. The kerosene had worked, and all was right with our world!

About the same time,  Erin Augenblick yelled to me from her seat in the back of the bus that she thought she saw fire behind the bus. No one else had seen anything, and we were finally moving again, so we just ignored Erin. In fact, I believe we made fun of Erin. A few moments later we arrived back at our motel, and as the bus doors opened an SUV pulled up next to us and out jumped Robert, our Carolina Tours friend. He looked panicked about something, and began asking me if I had seen "them." I am sure I looked confused, so he began to explain. He had been behind us coming up the interstate, and had seen an amazing thing. When the kerosene kicked in, we not only gained speed, but we began shooting flames out of our tailpipe. Not just one or two, but a series of five foot long streams of fire. He could see the fear in the faces of the other drivers on the road. We became a rolling flame thrower! And all we could do was thank God that no one was injured.

The bus was just fine the following day, and we headed back up to the mountain for some more skiing. When we arrived and entered the lodge to claim our tables for the day, there was a buzz. People were pointing at me. I could hear the murmurs; "That's the guy with the bus!"  Robert had shared out story, and it had instantly become legendary. I returned to Winterplace a number of times and with several different churches after that, and every time someone would remember that I was "the guy with the bus." I guess it is good to have a legacy...even if the legacy is a flame-throwing bus!!!

The moral of this story is adventures take many forms, and sometimes the "oops" stories stick with us longer that the perfect ones, And also,  NEVER doubt Erin Augenblick!  

Because of Jesus,

Magic Moments: A Farewell to Springfield

On March 30th, 1994, Springfield Friends Meeting honored Marilyn and I with a farewell dinner in the Fellowship Hall of the Meeting. It was quite a night. a great memory, and a definite Magic Moment! We had been so busy with packing, making plans for the move, trying to get things organized for our arrival in Kissimmee and doing all of the youth events we had planned that the emotions of leaving had not really hit us yet. Both of our families were there, along with a couple of hundred members of our Springfield family. It was a very emotional night, but it was also a lot of fun.  And it even had a Disney theme!

Many of the different groups that we had been involved with showered us with gifts. The children's ministry sang us a song to the tune of The Mickey Mouse Club theme. Marilyn was presented with a quilt made by the toddler Sunday School class she taught and put together by our dear friend Karen Chester. Our own Sunday School class honored our contributions to the annual Ham & Egg Supper by giving Marilyn an autographed apron and me a plaque with a golden spatula recognizing my talents as "The Egg Wizard." Lewis Farlow did a one-man skit in which he spoke with God (by phone) about our moving, and it was both touching and hilarious. Lewis, the late Toland Swaim and I also got to perform as a bluegrass trio one last time. I received a Hawaiian shirt and a Mark Rumley-style pink hat from the youth. We got a Mickey Mouse alarm clock from the Family Life Committee. Marilyn was made "Secretary for Life" by the women's circle she belonged to. Tim Terrell presented me with a portrait of myself dressed as a woman from a fundraising Womanless Beauty Pageant we had done a few years earlier. And then there was the youth group. They took about an hour of time, doing skits, singing songs and telling stories. As usual, they were neither organized or prepared. But they were awesome. Erin Moran, Jill Gilbreth, Mandy Beggs, Beth Brown, Mary Mercadante and others told tales of youth group events. My two favorite moments were very different in tone. The kids used a skit to hit both Marilyn and myself in the face with whipped cream pies and cover us with "silly string," as we had done to them so many times over the years (although we never did use silly string...but whatever!). It was great fun and we loved it and understood it as an act of love. Many of the older folks there that night did not, and thought it was terribly disrespectful.  Such is life in student ministry- often the rest of the congregation doesn't get it! After the pies in the face (and on top of the head- both Marilyn and I were covered in whipped cream!) the group wanted to sing one more song.  One last song. For the previous songs they had performed that night, Bob Spencer, our choir director, had played guitar for them. For this last song they wanted me to play, they wanted to sing Let Me Be There. The song was an old country/pop tune that had been a hit for Olivia Newton John in the early 1970's, and we had been singing it at TNT for a number of years. I never thought of it as a spiritual song- it was just fun. But as we sang it for the last time, the meaning of the words became crystal clear to me and the only thing that kept me from breaking down was the whipped cream in my eyes. Here are those lyrics:

Wherever you go, wherever you may wander in your life

Surely you know, I always want to be there

Holding your hand, and standing by to catch you when you fall

Seeing you through in everything you do

Let me be there in your morning

Let me be there in your night

Let me change whatever's wrong

and make it right (make it right)

Let me take you through that wonderland

that only two can share

All I ask you is let me be there (oh let me be there)

Watching you grow and going through the changes in your life

That's how I know, I always want to be there

Whenever you feel you need a friend to lead on, here I am

Whenever you call, you know I'll be there

The event ended with Max Rees sharing with us an official "minute" drafted by the monthly meeting recognizing Marilyn and I for our contributions to Springfield. If you aren't Quaker, you may not appreciate what a big deal it is to have this done for you- it means future generations will read of your ministry. That was followed by the presentation of a very generous love offering from our adopted church family. The tears flowed freely all over the room as we prayed together and said a final goodbye and amen. We stayed around a long time that night and hung out with some of the youth, which is when we took the picture on the right. Marilyn and I still have the video of that night, which also included personal messages from many of the students. On the cover of that video are written the words So Long...Farewell...Amen! It's  great title. We have shown it to our son Will, and we watch it on occasion to remind ourselves of the amazing 8 years we spent sharing life with Springfield Friends Meeting. We were blessed in so many ways, and there were so many Magic Moments. But this last one was special. 

Because of Jesus,

Magic Moments: The Old Rugged Cross

From March of 2000 through October of 2001 I was the youth pastor at the Union Church of Hinsdale, a UCC church in the Chicago suburbs. It was a tough 18 months for me, often feeling like I didn't fit in. I had been there 3 weeks when I traveled with a group on their traditional Spring Break Mission Trip, which they called Work Tour. I had discovered quickly that there was much work to be done in that ministry, and the first days of the trip had been shocking to me in many ways. But then, as so often happens, God provided a Magic Moment. A big one...

Sunday morning came cold and clear in Dungannon, VA. We walked down the hill from the mission center to attend worship at a very small Primitive Baptist church. The sign said that worship began at 11 AM, but when we walked through the door at 10:50 there were about 15 people sitting in the sanctuary listening to a man preach. The 25 of us slipped in as quietly as we could and sat near the back. I felt bad, thinking we had missed the service and were causing a distraction. A few other people continued to wander in, and then about 11:05 the man stopped preaching. People stood and stretched for a minute, and the pastor walked back to where we were sitting. It turned out we had walked in on Sunday School; now it was time for worship. The pastor greeted us warmly and said that he wanted us to say something to the congregation during worship and perhaps sing a song for them. I said I would gladly bring greetings, but that we were not prepared to sing and I didn't have my guitar with me. He assured me that he had one I could use, and pretty much refused to take no for an answer. We were going to sing.

There was one major problem- I had already discovered that the youth of the Union Church didn't actually know any songs. At least not any appropriate ones. And yet I had just agreed that they would sing. As I sat in my pew waiting to be called up front, my mind was racing. What would we sing? I didn't want to embarrass the kids or take away from worship. And then it hit me- the night before a small group sat around singing, and that group should be able to fake the chorus to Step By Step (O God You are my God). I know I must have been smiling like an idiot as I sat there; once again God had provided despite my doubts. We all went up front, I brought greetings from Illinois, and we sang for them. It was a blessed moment, and one that we all later agreed gave us a real sense of unity. We finished our song, and the pastor thanked us and then said words I had not foreseen: "How about another one?" Once again God intervened, giving me the wisdom to say, "Why don't we sing one together?" I then led the entire congregation in Amazing Grace, which only a few of the students knew. It didn't matter, because the congregation (of about 30) sang with such gusto that the roof was lifted. It was awesome. The youth were all smiles. I silently thanked God for His provisions. We could have left then and there filled with the Holy Spirit and a new excitement. But the blessings of that morning had just begun. 

We had just returned to our pews when the pastor announced that it was prayer time. Now I had worked in a pretty wide variety of churches, and attended an even wider variety. I didn't think anything they could do during a prayer time would surprise me. The youth of Union Church were a different matter entirely. Worship at UC was very formal and very controlled. Nothing happened that was not planned- and then planned again. So as prayer time began that morning I said a prayer and held on...

The pastor began taking prayer requests from the congregation. And almost everyone had one. Some were for physical needs; others for salvation for family members. One elderly woman gave her testimony and then requested that we all sing the classic hymn The Old Rugged Cross. So we did. It was an old favorite of mine from my childhood, but totally foreign to my new youth group. As I mentioned before, it was a very small church, but they sang out very loudly- especially the woman who made the request. She was singing at the top of her lungs. She couldn't carry a tune in a bucket, but the song clearly meant the world to her. She sang with such vigor and passion that after a few giggles at the quality of her singing, the group was mesmerized by her. You could feel the Holy Spirit moving in her. It was a moment we would talk about for weeks to come.

But prayer time was not over. After a few more requests, the pastor invited everyone to come up to the altar and pray. In my experiences, when this happened the people would go forward and kneel and someone would pray for the requests. Not that morning. The pastor said "Let us pray," and everyone did. All at once. Out loud! My first reaction was to see and hear it as total chaos. My next understanding was much deeper. They got it. The God of the universe doesn't need us to sort out our prayers so He can hear them. He doesn't need us to sing with beautiful voices in order to sing praise to Him. He wants to hear us. As the voices mingled together in a beautiful, confused noise, I knew God was listening. I opened my eyes and saw my youth with mouths hanging open, unsure of what to make of this. It would become a wonderful teaching moment later that day. It was truly "beautiful noise..."

I don't remember a thing about the sermon. We had already been to church. Later that afternoon we went out hiking on a nearby trail, and as we sat around talking it was amazing to hear the reactions of these wealthy, big city students to what they had seen and heard that morning in that little "hick" church. And I began to understand more about how this trip was coming together. We were going to be doing some work for poor local families. That was the Work Tour part of the adventure. But the mission- the real opportunity to change lives in the name of Jesus- was about God opening the eyes of my own youth to what real faith and real worship are all about. God was moving among us, and kids were coming face to face with Jesus- many of them for the first time. It was time for them to understand why The Old Rugged Cross- the song and the event- is so meaningful to so many. It never felt like there were many "victories" in my short 18 months in Hinsdale. But that morning was a Magic Moment I feel certain none of them have ever forgotten. I know I never will.

Because of Jesus,

Magic Moments: A Myrtle Beach Surprise

On Tuesday of this week I read that it was snowing in Myrtle Beach, SC. That news led me to a Twitter conversation with Jill Gilbreth Bryant and Ashley Goad that brought back this wonderful memory full of Magic Moments for me to share on this particular Throwback Thursday. I'd love to hear from anyone else who was there...

In January, 1992, the Springfield Friends Meeting youth went on a retreat to Cherry Grove, SC (located just north of North Myrtle Beach). We rented a house (not the Betsy B) and had a great weekend, but there are three things I really remember about that trip. Here they are:

* Our program for the weekend was talking about our spiritual journeys, and included things like each student doing a written spiritual history. As part of this exploration, one morning I served Communion (the outward sacrament is not usually practiced among Quakers. For more on this read Communion Confusion) using orange juice and Krispy Kreme doughnuts. The experience was was very cool and quite meaningful. It really served to remind us all about the sacrifice of Christ. It's also part of the reason I continue to believe that hot Krispy Kreme doughnuts are the modern version of manna from Heaven!

* That particular group of kids (well, the girls anyway) were obsessed with the movie Grease. We could all tolerate Grease, and at times even enjoy it. But on that weekend someone (in my mind I have always blamed Jill, Erin Moran and Mandy Beggs) also brought Grease 2 (one of the worst sequels ever made!!!) and made us watch it. I wanted to gouge my eyes out. Jill estimates we watched each of the Grease movies 500 times that weekend- which may be only a slight exaggeration! Our greatest Grease moments would come in 1993 at The Beaches and Cream Soda Shoppe at WDW, but that is a story for another day!

* I very rarely lose my temper, but it does aggravate me when people are rude to others. Late one night while on that retreat suddenly my sleep and that of several others was interrupted by lights coming on, people talking and yelling and youth running around the house. I came out of my room screaming for them to get back to bed, issuing all kinds of threats and scaring them half to death. When I finally got around to asking what was going on, Ashley meekly told me "It's snowing, Carl." It was snowing at Myrtle Beach!  Now I was the one running around, looking out the windows, checking the beach, beside myself with excitement. This was something I had often dreamed of seeing! I apologized to everyone and we all stayed up a while, watching it snow. The pictures posted here are of the infamous Springfield blue van and the beach at Cherry Grove, both from the next morning.  It's still the only time I have ever seen it snow at the beach!

We had lots of great moments with lots of great people on trips from Springfield, and more than a few took place at Myrtle Beach. This particular weekend was a classic Magic Moment and a one of my favorite memories.

Because of Jesus,

Magic Moments: SLINKY!!!

Today's Magic Moment is a more recent one in my youth ministry career, going back only 12 years to a wonderful night in Tampa (It was a Thursday night, making this a legitimate Throwback Thursday!). As I approached the end of my first year at Wesley Memorial UMC in October of 2002, it was clear that it had been a very difficult year, with lots of changes in the student leadership and an unwanted pastoral change as well. We had struggled, but it felt like we were turning a corner and many of us were excited about the future of the student ministry. I wanted to do something big to mark the occasion, and my first choice was to host Michael Bridges (guitar, lead vocals) and George Baum (keyboard, slinky, recorder, vocals) for a concert at the church.  George and Michael are better know as the great two-piece band, Lost And Found. I had seen them at many National Youth Workers Conventions, had hosted them at FUMC-K in 1999 (and been the keeper of their van for a week) and had spent time with them in Chicago in early 2001. I knew they would provide us with the kind of big event we needed to keep our momentum going. It turned out they were flying to the Tampa area for a weekend confirmation retreat with a local Lutheran church, and we could get them on a Thursday night. (Side note: I didn't know this until later, but those guys are royalty among Lutherans. They even wrote a song about Lutherans, listing famous Lutherans much the way Adam Sandler's Hanukkah Song lists famous Jews.) So on October 10th, exactly one year after my first day in my office at WMUMC, we hosted Lost And Found.

The only thing most of the students knew about the band was that they were the guys who sang Lions, a song we often did at youth group. They loved that song and loved yelling "SLINKY!" at the appropriate times. To further prepare my students I began telling them stories about some of the songs they would hear. I told them how requests could be made to the "Panel of Judge" (George) but were not likely to be played in the order approved. They learned all about great songs like Baby, Used To Be, Saskatchewan and Slide Girl. As a result of the Slide Girl stories (the video below contains an explanation from Michael so I won't bother here), many of them showed up for the concert dressed in blue, with blue hair or other assorted tributes. Although the crowd was smaller than I had hoped (about 300, and a third of them were local Lutherans!) we had a great night.

Lost And Found recorded that performance at Wesley, and the song below is the version of Slide Girl recorded that night. Since the song changes each night to include people from the audience, it is a treasured memory and a true Magic Moment. You will hear them mention Lenny, one of our guys who dyed his hair blue. They refer to Rebecca, Stephanie and Ashley, three more of our folks who made their very own t-shirts with a slinky attached to the sleeves. And you will hear them sing about my one year anniversary.  It was the kind of exciting, memory making night that you pray for as a youth pastor. The band would be back to WMUMC two years later, but by then things were very different. Enjoy the song below. It is a classic moment captured in time...

Because of Jesus,

Magic Moments: Pops

The Family

One of the great things about being in ministry with students is that you just never know when you will make a connection that will change their lives...and yours. Today's Throwback Thursday post is another in my series of youth ministry Magic Moments, and it features a group of girls who changed the way I saw ministry during my days at Quaker Lake Camp. They adopted me, and I them. And it was one of the best things that ever happened to me!

There are some moments that are frozen in time. You can close your eyes and picture a moment from 35 years ago as clearly as if it happened yesterday. For me, one of those moments took place at Quaker Lake after a closing campfire. Everyone was saying their goodbyes on the softball field, when I noticed a lone camper, standing out by the pitcher's mound, crying. I walked over to her and asked her what was wrong, only to discover she had just been dumped by her camp boyfriend of the week. I knew her name was Laura Wheeler, but I didn't really know her very well. That frozen moment, however, was the beginning of one of the great friendships of my life.

Tesh, Tutterow, Tully & Wheels

We talked a long time that night, and in the months that followed wrote on occasion. By the following summer I couldn't wait until she came to camp. She and her cabin mates- Christen Hayworth, Jane Terrell, Jane Tesh, Debbie Tully, Angie Swaim, Mollie (Zowie! It's Mowwie!) Edwards and later, Sharron Tutterow, became "my girls." Christen and Laura started calling me Pops (I was all of 20!) and it stuck. The whole group eventually called me Pops, and we not only hung out at camp, but got together for dinner in the off-season and even had a Christmas party together. For the first time (but not the last) I became too attached to the youth I worked with. When Debbie had surgery, I was there. When Laura became sick, her parents called me and and I spent time with her at the hospital. I watched her suffer, struggle and recover, and we became incredibly close. These were not students in my youth ministry, they were "one week a year" kids from camp- but they meant the world to me. We shared great times and

Extended Family at Winter Camp

great sorrows, and I learned what it means to really be in ministry with a group of kids. It takes everything, just like Jesus said it would. I was no hero and I made plenty of missteps along the way, but I gave them everything I had, and they did the same. They gave me a Pops sweatshirt that I loved dearly. I stayed connected to a few of them after those camp days, and all of them are often on my mind and in my prayers. I know that some have beautiful families of their own and people in their lives who love them the way they loved me. Quaker Lake was never about the camp. It was always about the people. And for this "Pops," those people were some of the best. I still text with Laura on occasion, and I would LOVE to hear from any of the rest of the family...

Some Magic Moments last a few seconds. Others last for years. The very best ones never leave you. This goes on the short list of the ones that have never, ever left me. The relationships we built and shared shaped my ministry over the following 2o+ years and made me a far better youth pastor than I would have ever been without them. Thanks girls. And I am FINALLY old enough to really be called Pops now...even though you're no spring chickens yourselves!  :)

Because of Jesus,

Magic Moments: Last Ones Out!

Part of our crew!

Welcome to the world Zoie Chan! Born Tuesday evening after a day of adventure, she, and mom Jennifer Gastler Chan are doing well. and dad Will along with grandparents Hal & Joanne are ecstatic! Aunt Christine seems to be a bit excited as well...

In the summer of 1987 I took a small group of youth and adults from Springfield Friends Meeting (High Point, NC) to Walt Disney World. The trip was designed to stir up new interest in our student ministry at that small church, and it certainly did just that. The entire trip was wonderful, but today I want to share with you a one-of-a-kind Magic Moment on this Throwback Thursday. By the way, I know in the beginning I said I would share 10 Magic Moments. Looks like the list will be considerably longer. So sue me...

The last full day of our 1987 stay in central Florida we were headed to EPCOT for the first part of the day, and then planned to finish our Disney time at the Magic Kingdom that night. We parked our Chevy Suburban and our rented van in the EPCOT lot. At the time, I was a Disney novice. In later years I would have laughed and made fun of people for making the mistake I made. EPCOT was closing at 9 PM, while we would be at the MK until around midnight. This would come back to haunt us! We had a great time at EPCOT, then took the monorail over to spend our final hours with Mickey.

Everything was fine until we met for the last time at midnight to begin the journey back to our motel. It seems that Jennifer Welch had become ill and was at the First Aid Station getting some attention (In case you are wondering, First Aid is located between Casey's Corner and the entrance to Adventureland.  We try to be a full service blog!). In hindsight, we were lucky it was just Jennifer- many of the youth had decided not to eat because they were running short on cash. In any case, by the time Jennifer was released, it was nearly 1 AM.  The monorail to EPCOT and our vehicles was no longer running. It appeared we were stuck at the MK. After much asking, we were finally told we could catch a bus from the Transportation and Ticket Center (TTC) that could drop us at EPCOT. This bus stopped everywhere, including a whole lot of places we had never seen before. In fact, as Marilyn and I became true Disney Freaks over the years, there were some places we stopped that night that we never managed to find again! The bus finally dropped us at the EPCOT bus stop area. If you know that park, then you may know how far away for our cars we still were. We still had to cross to the entrance and then make our way across the ENTIRE parking lot to our vehicles. The good news was they were going to be easy to spot- we were the only ones left! It was around 2 AM when some guys driving trams and picking up trash gave some of our group a ride to the van. All in all it was quite a night. It gave that group a shared history that helped bond us together. It's not very often you can be the last ones out at Walt Disney World! I took a couple of pics of our lonely vehicles, but I no longer know where they are. They would be classics! But even without the pictures, we still have great memories of a Magic Moment. And we have them all to ourselves. :)

Because of Jesus,

Magic Moments: Santa Carl

Today's Magic Moment is a vintage post that has become a Christmas season tradition on this blog because it is so full of great memories for me. I hope it brings back a few for many of you as well. Only 6 more sleeps until Christmas...

This blog has grown so much in the past four years that sometimes I forget that in the beginning my only readers were former members of my various youth groups. The posts were more often about old stories of great memories, and were here for their reflection and enjoyment. Today is another one of those posts, although my newer readers are more than welcome to enjoy it as well! About 3 years ago I put together a little slideshow featuring pictures of kids from the various youth ministries I served over the years and jolly old Saint Nick. Most of these pictures were taken at youth group Christmas parties. Some of the "youth" in these old photos are over 40 now. Many of them have children of there own.  Others are still in college. The point is, I can look back at these pictures and remember all of the love and Christmas cheer we would all share this time of year and it is very special to me. For you see in every single picture in this slideshow, I am Santa. It's me under the beard. I always loved doing the Santa thing, and looking back at these memories is great fun.

I chose the song I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday from one of my favorite old-school bands, All Star United. This song is full of energy and joy, but it also carries an important message. How much better would this world be if we were the people all year long that we try to be at Christmas? Enjoy the slideshow. And if you happen to be in it, thank you for some unbelievable memories.  I would love to hear from you all.

Magic Moments: Christmas at The Grand Floridian

You can take the kids out of the youth room...

As we continue to get into the spirit of Christmas and some great memories of years gone by, today's youth ministry Magic Moment comes from my years in Kissimmee.  There are few parings in life that seem less likely than a youth group full of wacky teenagers and the ultimate Walt Disney World luxury resort, The Grand Floridian. Yet through a series of wonderfully strange circumstances, we wound up having a wonderful youth group Christmas party in one of ballrooms at the GF in 1997. This is the story of that evening. Enjoy this Throwback Thursday memory!

It was our habit in those days (1994-2000) at FUMC-Kissimmee to have very formal Christmas parties. Everyone dressed up and we would have the event catered. For a number of years the party had been held at one of the lakefront homes of some of our wealthier members, in houses so large that the over 100 youth in attendance were barely noticeable. In 1997, none of our very generous hosts were available on the dates we wanted, and I began to search for other options. Our church was loaded with folks who had WDW connections, so I began to explore those channels as well. A church member who was also in management with Disney (I believe his name was Jeff) suggested that if we could find an unbooked conference room or other meeting space at one of the resort hotels that we might could get a decent price- and so he began to look for such a location. The only thing available was one of the grand ballrooms at The Mouse's most exclusive resort. I assumed it would be cost prohibitive. but Jeff got us a great deal, and we decided to go for it. As you can tell from the picture, this is not a quaint little hideaway; this was the big time!  Princess Diana, Michael Jackson and almost every celebrity you could name had stayed there; and now the youth ministry of First Methodist Kissimmee would party there!  Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction...

OK...so maybe the karaoke wasn't PERFECT...

Youth Ministry is always full of surprises and adventures that you cannot predict and never expected, but there were very few events in my career as surreal to me as having our church vans valet parked at the GF!!! And that was only the beginning. Disney does everything with excellence, even if it is for a local youth group paying bargain prices. It was a great night; the catering, the service, the karaoke and the elegance were perfect. The students, many of whom had grown up in the shadow of The Mouse and were thus a bit immune to the normal Disney magic, were totally WOWED by the treatment we received and the beauty of the location. It was a truly magical night and a once in a lifetime opportunity.

Yep...it's the people!

I have written before that it's not the location, the food, the gifts or the service that make a youth group Christmas party great- it's being with people you love and care about and celebrating life together. And that is so very true. But for this one night and this one very special memory, maybe it was a little bit about all that other stuff too! :) I don't know how many student ministries have ever been blessed to have their Christmas parties at WDW, especially at the GF. But I am so glad to have my name on that short list. Be blessed, my friends!

Jesus- the only hope for me is you...and YOU alone!

Magic Moments: The Ministry of Pizza Inn

Today's Throwback Thursday flashback (and vintage post shared here before) features a Magic Moment that lasted 8 years. That may not really qualify as a moment- but it certainly was magical for everyone involved! During my time at Springfield Friends Meeting there were few things that had a bigger impact on the youth ministry than Pizza Inn. I am aware that every youth ministry is impacted by pizza is some way. I know that food is an important part of most every ministry. Why do you think churches love potluck dinners so much?  In some ways our attraction to Pizza Inn was not unique.  In some ways, however, it was an amazing part of our success.

The Pizza Inn located in High Point was only about a mile from Springfield (as the crow flies!) and so it was convenient. They had a wonderful lunch buffet at a reasonable price. The words "all-you-can-eat" are always good to hear when feeding teenagers! We would go, eat salad, pizza, pasta, dessert pizza and bread sticks.
 And we would drink sweet tea. The sweetest sweet tea you have ever tasted. And we would drink it by the gallon! In the beginning it was just something we did every now and then as a group for Sunday lunch, and we called it Pizza Break. Eventually it became the place where groups of us would eat most every Sunday.  During school breaks and summers I would often eat there 4 or 5 days a week, usually with a different person or group each time. It was such a safe place for all of us.  Some days we would laugh so loudly that we expected to be thrown out. Some days my lunch partner would share deep pain or hurt, and tears would be shed. Some days we would just bask in the glow of spending time with people we loved. In the truest sense of the word, Pizza Inn became the place where we would have Communion. We would pray around the table; we would break bread together; and we would share our lives. Most of the time is was not "religious," but every time it was special. When students would go away to college, they would come home and call and want to go to the Inn. The managers and wait staff knew us and loved us. It was truly a second home for our student ministry.

Although I shared this experience with many students over the years, when I think of Pizza Inn my mind first jumps to Ken Hill, Todd Farlow, Danny McCorquodale and Jamie Robinson. We ate there together so many times over so many years, sometimes staying for hours. I cannot even imagine how much tea we drank or how much pizza we ate. I do know this- we could all walk into to Pizza Inn today and it would be just like no time had passed at all. Communion is like that. It is never ending, not just a sacrament to be shared on special occasions. It is unfailing. Because Jesus is the same today, yesterday and forever! Just like the Pizza Inn buffet...

EDITOR'S NOTE:  I hear our Pizza Inn has been remodeled and that the fake fireplace is gone and the buffet is even bigger. I look forward to going back someday. And Jeremy Godwin and I plan to do some serious damage! As always, ALL are welcome!  :)

Because of Jesus,

Magic Moments: It Only Takes A Spark

Today's Throwback Thursday features a youth ministry Magic Moment from the dark ages of 1978 and my glorious summers working staff at Quaker Lake Camp. Those years are filled with so many great stories about so many wonderful people, but this one will always hold a special place in my heart. Camp was nothing if not an adventure...

There were many grand traditions at QLC in those days, from tossing staff member into the lake to gathering for vespers every evening on the hillside. Camp was full of mischief and fun as well as opportunities to worship God- but seldom did those 2 things coincide. The greatest of all the traditions, as it is at many camps, was our closing Campfire Circle every Friday night. The ritual was the same each week, no matter the age of the campers. We would process deep in to the woods and be seated on wooden benches around a roaring fire. Someone would lead us in a couple of songs, and then the campers would be given a short devotional talk and an explanation of how this was their time to share. We would settle into silence, broken only by campers and staff sharing what was on their hearts and tossing sticks into the fire as a symbol of sharing in all we done that week. It was often a very emotional time. We would then light individual candles on small wooden bases and walk back through pitch darkness, with only the flickering flames to light our way along the winding path. Upon reaching the main campus, there were several different ways we displayed our candles, joining the lights together as one. Sometimes we placed them on a cross. Sometime we placed them on the softball field in the shape of a cross. And sometimes we places them on the lake itself and just watched as they floated like stars on the water. No matter how many times I was part of those moments, they always moved me. They were very worshipful occasions.

 In the summer of '78 we were just finishing a 6th, 7th & 8th grade camp, which those of us on staff always thought of as a very tough week. On Friday night we waited for night to fall and then headed off to the Campfire Circle. After sharing in the time together we did our ritual candle lighting. Everyone held their candle securely as we marched through the woods, across the Rainbow Bridge and around the lake to the dock. The dock was "H" shaped in those days, and the entire camp walked out on the dock with candles lit. Jan Osborne, who was a newcomer to the QLC family that summer and the camp director that week, said a few words explaining the significance of sharing our light with the world. She was explaining that in a few moments we would all place our candles on the lake, where the combined light was always a wondrous sight to see. As she leaned over to demonstrate, the sleeve of the flannel shirt she was wearing as a jacket got too close to the candle next to her...and Jan was on fire! Joseph Neal helped her get the burning shirt off and stomp out the fire as everyone looked on in shock. Jan was fine, and determined to give this week of camp the spiritual ending it deserved, so she went right back to her speech. She told everyone to place their candle on the lake, and then asked Martha Ratledge to lead us in singing Pass It On, a camp favorite. As we stood on the dock and admired the candles on the lake, Martha began to play her guitar, and the first line was sung: It only takes a spark, to get a fire going... I don't know if I laughed first, but I do know I laughed out loud, and so did many others. The moment was gone. Suddenly everyone there was doubled up with laughter. Jan tried to restore some dignity, but it was too late.  I am sure someone closed with a prayer, but I don't remember it at all.  And that is the last thing I remember about Jan Osborne's brief QLC adventure.

The great things about memories is that they often become more meaningful with age. At that moment, it was hilarious. Now, some 35 years later, it serves as a reminder of a great truth as well. It really does "only take a spark to get a fire going." And we never know where the spark will come from, or who will light it in our lives. Several months after this event, Jan invited me to go to a youth ministry conference with Joseph and a few others. The main presenter was a guy named J. David Stone, and among the things he said was that youth ministry was a calling- that some of us would make it our life's work. That was radical news at a time when youth pastors were simply considered to be young men and women who dreamed of being "real" pastors some day. God used that conference to change my life. And God used Jan to light that spark. 

So Jan (wherever you may be), thanks for all of the fires you lit and for one of my favorite Magic Moments. I hope that in my own small way I took that spark and passed it on...

Because of Jesus,

Magic Moments: "Sometimes People Die"

Conner & Bob BEFORE the "incident"

One of my favorite people in the world is Jennifer (Bob) Minnigan Kuramochi. This blog is full of stories featuring her and memories of my Kissimmee days, but one story clearly stands out as a Magic Moment. It took place on a Ski Trip to Boone, NC in 1996.  We were blessed over the years to never have anyone seriously injured on the slopes (we did have one major fake injury, but that is another story) but there were some interesting adventures. This is the tale of one such night. This story has been told here before, and will probably be told again. It's that good! Enjoy this Throwback Thursday! 

One evening we had returned from skiing and dinner to our chalet-style motel on the outskirts of Boone, and there was time to kill while we waited for our scheduled time in the group room.  We were planning a time of worship together. At some point during the down time, a small but violent wrestling match broke out between Connor Lewis and Jennifer. There was some reference to there being a game of something called Caveman, and Joe Montgomery was implicated as well. The details of the event have always been a bit sketchy, but it is my belief that at some point Connor picked Bob up and body slammed her (OK, not really, but it makes the story better)!  In any case, Jennifer's arm was hurt badly enough that they came and got me, I got Dr. Jill Painter, and together we decided she needed to got to the hospital.  I got directions while Jill grabbed our fearless bus drivers, David Johns and Vern Watson.  Even though only three of us needed to go, the bus was our only means of transportation.  I have often wondered what the emergency room staff thought when they saw a 60 passenger bus pull up to the front door that night...

We went inside and begin to check Jennifer in, and things continued to be interesting.  I pulled out the medical release form that all youth pastors have had students fill out since the dawn of time and presented it to the lady at the desk, proving to her that I had the right to secure medical attention for Jen.  She looked at it, laughed at me, and proceeded to explain that those release forms are not worth the paper they are printed on.  So we moved on to the next thing, calling Jennifer's mom to let her give the doctors permission.  From my end, hearing only Jen, the conversation sounded something like this:  "Mom, we are at the emergency room...No, the skiing was great...I got hurt at the motel....horseplay."  She failed to mention the body slam.  In any case, with Bob now signed in, it was time to wait.  There were several people there, mostly with ski injuries.  There was a rack of pamphlets about dealing with tragedy available in the waiting area, and we picked up a few to read.  Dave and Vern had joined us by this time, and as we all settled in for the wait we began to look at a pamphlet entitled What To Say To Your Children When Their Friends Are Sick.  We opened to the first page and read the words of wisdom that I have quoted so many times since.  It read, "You should prepare your children for the worst.  When their friends are sick, inform them that sometimes people die."  And right there, in the middle of sick and injured people, the five of us began to laugh uncontrollably.  We couldn't stop.  We kept thinking of scenarios in which a child had their tonsils out or broken a nail and their friends were told "Sometimes people die."  After Jennifer left us and went back for x-rays we continued to laugh and make fun of this booklet.  They gave her a clean bill of health (her arm was actually fractured, but no one in Boone ever told us that) and we hopped back on our bus and headed back to our waiting group.

On our way back we (OK, I) devised a plan to shake Connor up a little bit.  They group was waiting in the group room, but Connor was out waiting for the bus.  He was truly concerned for Jennifer's welfare.  As we pulled up we had Jen hide, and I got off the bus and went to Connor.  With my most serious look, I told him that it was pretty bad.  I told him Bob had not done well.  And then, without a trace of a smile, I told him "Connor- sometimes people die!"  For just an instant, his face and body language told me he was buying it.  That was more than we could take, and we all started laughing and Jennifer came out and gave him a hug.  Yes, I know it was cruel; I also know it was hilarious!  We then went in and had a time of worship together, full of a new knowledge of how much we cared about each other.  It was a great night.

Jennifer and Conner are both in my Hall of Fame.  I have been telling this story for years, and in fact even had the opportunity to tell Jennifer's husband Jun of our adventure. It was truly a Magic Moment! I am so glad I was there that night, so that I have the skills to deal with my son Will when his friends are sick.  I take his hand, look him in the eyes and say, "Will...sometimes people die."  Feel free to use this in your own life, but don't be surprised when people laugh!

Because of Jesus,

Magic Moments: Gorilla Madness!

Today's Magic Moment is actually 3 moments- or more accurately, 3 mornings!  You may well have read these stories here before, but they belong on this list- so here they are again! They encompass almost 20 years, three different churches, and some very special people! So enjoy another Throwback Thursday and moment number 8 as I continue to list 10 memories that changed the face of my youth ministries.

It all began in High Point, NC in the late 1980s.  I was looking for a way to help some of our less committed youth feel more a part of our student ministry at Springfield Friends Meeting, and I wanted it to be something with pizazz. A few years earlier I had read of a group that organized a "kidnapping" of some youth on a Saturday morning, and from that a plan began to brew in my brain.  I advertised to our kids that something big was going to happen on a particular Saturday morning, and that is was crucial that they be at the church by 7 AM. If they weren't there, then they needed to Be Afraid...Be Very Afraid!  I called a few parents of students I felt confident would not show up and arranged to arrive at their home early on the specified date.  The plan was simple.  We would awaken the "victim" with loud noises and then take them away for breakfast with our group.  We intended to startle them and make the moment memorable.  To insure those things, I rented a gorilla costume.  One of our high school guys, Jamie Robinson, wore the costume with great joy and did a wonderful job of grabbing our unsuspecting students and hauling them away.  It was awesome. And effective- although as you can see in the picture, Keri Vinson did take his head off!  Several of the kidnapees (like Keri!) went on to become important members of our youth family.

I decided to repeat the adventure my first summer at FUMC-Kissimmee. This time the targets would be our newest group of 6th graders who were just joining the youth ministry.  Jerry Hanbery, who would later serve 4 years as my summer intern, was so excited he showed up at our house next door to the church around 6 AM.  My wife was not amused.  Jerry had gone with me to pick out the costume he would wear, and so instead of a gorilla this time the kids were grabbed by Chewbacca! We took them to breakfast in their pajamas and it was a very memorable morning. For reasons I cannot fathom, I have no pictures - although as you can see Jerry can be pretty scary in any costume!  But again- it was AWESOME!!!

I set it up once more in 2005 while serving Wesley Memorial UMC in Tampa.  This time the event featured a member of our Youth Ministry Team, Josh Shapiro, wearing a PINK Gorilla suit.  It went a little less smoothly because a couple of the parents had blabbed because one of the kids slept with a gun next to his bed, and one of the girls slept mostly naked! It ended on a high note when we stopped by the home of Travis Aiken.  Travis was a regular who had not shown up, so no one at his house knew we were coming. It caused quite a scene, and Travis attempted to beat up the gorilla- but it was all good! Again breakfast followed, this time at Golden Corral.  Another great adventure!

All of the Gorilla Kidnapping events were Magic Moments.  They allowed for great promotion and anticipation, for extreme creativity, and for a very exciting Saturday morning with the students.  It was certainly an adventure.  And just like every mystery event I ever tried they would have been perfect- if we could have just gotten the  parents to keep their mouths shut...

Because of Jesus,