This summer, I am going to NORTHERN IRELAND!
Ok, there you have it.
No it's not a job offer.
Yes, it requires MORE fundraising.
But I am so excited and I know God will provide.
You can read more about the trip at NCC's mission site, Aone:eight. This ties in well with what I am gaining from my experiences as a protege. We will be helping a church put on a week long festival in the City of Derry. It will include concerts, which makes me really excited. This trip is also the encouraged youth trip, so I might get to work alongside middle school and high school students as well. There are other teams coming from other churches.
I am hoping my NCC network will be able to provide most of it, but I wanted to offer you the opportunity to be a shareholder in this part of my protege journey.
We are doing fundraisers locally as a mission team.
The total cost is $2400. I'm hoping to raise $24 a day for 100 days.
If I raise more than $2400, it goes into the general mission fund.
That being said, I could also use support in my personal support raising.
For the past six months, support has averaged to around $1000 each month, but they are not at all consistent. This month, I received less than $500 (my half of the rent is $600), which is what I get on a consistent basis. People who give one time gifts offset that cost. God is faithful to provide (even when I struggle to see how it will happen). Please consider giving, whether it is a one time gift or monthly giving for the next six months!
Friday, February 28, 2014
Sunday, February 23, 2014
The Justice Conference
This weekend I volunteered to work the Justice Conference at Ebenezers. I was there to troubleshoot if we had any sound/lighting difficulties (imagine me, technologically-impaired, running sound/lights!). God works daily miracles. ha.
Speaking of miracles, I witnessed one this weekend. Our Internet at the coffeehouse was slow and not working correctly Friday night, the start of the conference. We were live streaming the conference on our screens, so Internet was vital. Our production guys were working right up until people came. The Internet worked and I am claiming that miracle! Thank you, Jesus!
So much good content at The Justice Conference. A lot of the speakers were from DC.
My favorite speaker was talking about justice in the education system. Her name was Nicole Fulgham, a Michigan native living in DC (she went to UofM -- GO BLUE!). She spoke about The Expectations Project. She taught in Compton and talked about the difference in education for her students compared to those in Beverly Hills. It's a matter of awareness, funding, parent involvement, community involvement, and just an overall interest in setting kids up for success.
Great weekend. Long day but soooooooooo good.
Speaking of miracles, I witnessed one this weekend. Our Internet at the coffeehouse was slow and not working correctly Friday night, the start of the conference. We were live streaming the conference on our screens, so Internet was vital. Our production guys were working right up until people came. The Internet worked and I am claiming that miracle! Thank you, Jesus!
So much good content at The Justice Conference. A lot of the speakers were from DC.
My favorite speaker was talking about justice in the education system. Her name was Nicole Fulgham, a Michigan native living in DC (she went to UofM -- GO BLUE!). She spoke about The Expectations Project. She taught in Compton and talked about the difference in education for her students compared to those in Beverly Hills. It's a matter of awareness, funding, parent involvement, community involvement, and just an overall interest in setting kids up for success.
Great weekend. Long day but soooooooooo good.
Thursday, February 13, 2014
Good Busy
As an introvert, I'm not ever sure that there's a good side to busyness. Lately I have had a lot to chew on because I have been learning a lot, meeting with new people, and hearing people's stories.
Have had great conversations with
Have had great conversations with
- a guy who works at a local church as the small group coordinator. I loved hearing his background in ministry, what God is doing through the small groups, and the fact that most people don't think they will like living in DC but end up loving it!
- Monday night I went to another concert venue to see past performers from Ebz. It was great to touch base with the musicians as well as hang out with a girl from my Freshmen of the City small group.
I decided to get back on Twitter. This is my fourth attempt. @JenniButtonUSA because I'm pretty sure one of my other three attempts was simply jennibutton, but I shut it down. ha. Also there's a South African designer with my name.
February... six months into the protege "program". I really hate calling it a program because really it's just LIFE! I was telling someone earlier that it's less of a program and more networking and placing yourself in a posture of learning.
Speaking of learning...
At staff meeting on Tuseday, we talked about the Five Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace. Like the normal 5 languages, the choices are Touch (although that was left off the survey for workplace because it does not score high on anyone's workplace quiz), service, affirmation, quality time, and gifts.
My top two in everything are Quality Time and Words of Affirmation.
I also took the Strengthsfinder test again. Mine are Achiever, Learner, Intellection, Input, Discipline. Last time I took it in 2011, I did not get input but rather developer. Interesting that I switched one...
That's the update! You guys are awesome!
Thanks for reading.
Sunday, February 2, 2014
Normal Work Week
You may be wondering: What do I do on an average week? I can't remember if I've shared my normal work week schedule, but it looks something like this:
Monday: Work on updating shows on our websites, send reminder details to baristas and artists about shows that weekend, send follow up thank you emails to artists who played that weekend.
Tuesday: Meetings, Meetings, Meetings (staff meetings, weekly meeting with Juliet, weekly meeting with the other proteges)
Wednesday: Weekly luncheon rental set up and tear down (this is also when I get to master my A/V skills... Paul Rice would be so proud) For those who did not have the privilege of knowing Paul, he was the sound engineer for KCU. I was in Destiny, our school's singing outreach group and he was the sound tech for that. A wonder behind a sound board and hilarious. Was never my professor, but I learned a lot about life and good music from him. Miss him so much!
Thursday - Saturday: concerts
(My normal days off are Saturday and Sunday).
My favorite time is Tuesday morning. We have weekly staff meetings when we share what is going on throughout all seven locations. We get updates from missionaries who are home, wins across all ministries, and hear from Pastor Mark (or campus pastors) about what they are learning from God. Mark is great at continuing to share the vision of NCC. DREAM BIG. THINK LONG. PRAY HARD. (Yes, all the things Mark tweets, he really does say... a lot... sometimes I wish I had a voice recorder to just hit every time he talks because there's always something great...)
I have slowly built relationships with people throughout the weeks I have been here. I am recognizing artists as they come back to play at Ebenezers. Like I said in my last post, we are hosting a concert with nine artists in one night each month. If people are not playing, they usually come out to support the other artists. So cool to see how the small things add up to the big things.
This is unlike any other ministry job I have had. I love that I am allowed the freedom to engage in conversations with people and be part of the real world, if that makes sense. Too often church leaders do not know people who do not know Christ. I love what I get to do in showing people simple ways that God loves them... even if it is by just having water available to artists who come to play at Ebz. Simple hospitality goes a long way.
Monday: Work on updating shows on our websites, send reminder details to baristas and artists about shows that weekend, send follow up thank you emails to artists who played that weekend.
Tuesday: Meetings, Meetings, Meetings (staff meetings, weekly meeting with Juliet, weekly meeting with the other proteges)
Wednesday: Weekly luncheon rental set up and tear down (this is also when I get to master my A/V skills... Paul Rice would be so proud) For those who did not have the privilege of knowing Paul, he was the sound engineer for KCU. I was in Destiny, our school's singing outreach group and he was the sound tech for that. A wonder behind a sound board and hilarious. Was never my professor, but I learned a lot about life and good music from him. Miss him so much!
Thursday - Saturday: concerts
(My normal days off are Saturday and Sunday).
My favorite time is Tuesday morning. We have weekly staff meetings when we share what is going on throughout all seven locations. We get updates from missionaries who are home, wins across all ministries, and hear from Pastor Mark (or campus pastors) about what they are learning from God. Mark is great at continuing to share the vision of NCC. DREAM BIG. THINK LONG. PRAY HARD. (Yes, all the things Mark tweets, he really does say... a lot... sometimes I wish I had a voice recorder to just hit every time he talks because there's always something great...)
I have slowly built relationships with people throughout the weeks I have been here. I am recognizing artists as they come back to play at Ebenezers. Like I said in my last post, we are hosting a concert with nine artists in one night each month. If people are not playing, they usually come out to support the other artists. So cool to see how the small things add up to the big things.
This is unlike any other ministry job I have had. I love that I am allowed the freedom to engage in conversations with people and be part of the real world, if that makes sense. Too often church leaders do not know people who do not know Christ. I love what I get to do in showing people simple ways that God loves them... even if it is by just having water available to artists who come to play at Ebz. Simple hospitality goes a long way.
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