Can You Picture Yourself Here?

Enjoy the beauty of an island, meet United Methodists from across the U.S., learn about international mission teams in a safe setting close to the U.S., and delve into a different culture. All this while eating some great food and benefiting from the expertise of some who've been involved in mission teams for years. We'll have many opportunities with both Bahamian and Haitian cultures. Think about this the next month or two while the weather is cold. But don't wait too long as the two camps will fill up fast. Go to Mission Encounter at http://www.missionencounter.com/location_nassau.htm for more information. And tell them Scott Parrish sent you! :) Just be sure to save me a hammock near the beach!!

Summer Mission in Nassau, Bahamas

I just returned from a 1 1/2 day visit to Nassau, Bahamas with a team of conference youth coordinators. Terry Carty of the Youth Workers Movement http://youthworkermovement.org/ and Mike Shinn of Mission Encounter are facilitating the effort in conjunction with United Methodist Church leaders from across the United States. The scout team included conference youth leaders from Rocky Mountain, Virginia, Wisconsin, Delaware, Western North Carolina, North Georgia , & Arkansas. This is a really large effort with hundreds of youth and adults participating in a variety of projects including construction, vacation Bible school, recreation, and other opportunities. Some of the group will work in July, but I'll be involved in the June 21-27 camp and encouraging groups to talk it up and register in the next couple of months. We hope North GA might have 75 youth & adults involved. This will be a great entry level international mission for groups or youth ministers/counselors/churches who have always wanted their youth to experience such a mission but haven't had the opportunity. Look for more details soon here or find more information in mid November at http://www.missionencounter.com/location_nassau.htm

In addition to the entry level mission for youth or college students they also offer some good options on the other islands of the Bahamas through www.methodisthabitat.org

I'll share more pictures and stories in the days ahead.

Busy, Busy, Busy

It's a shame when everything is fast paced action, and there's no time for sharing with friends, swapping a story, or catching your breath. But, in some ways, that's exactly what I've been doing the last few days at the national meeting of the Christian Educators Fellowship (CEF)/ Preaching from the Center conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico. http://www.cef2008.org/

I've been involved with CEF http://www.cefumc.org/ for a number of years due to my earlier years of work in the church. I've stayed connected with that group through the years even though my job has transitioned. I still find that group to have innovative, creative thinkers who look for practical ways to share the love of God with the world. This time I even facilitated a workshop on "Missions as Discipleship" and had fun sharing our Augusta story as I encouraged others to experiment with ways of being the church in community rather than retreating behind the walls of our buildings.

I get to stay at home and at work for a few days, and then will be in the Bahamas for a few days next week as we prepare for the North GA conference youth mission camp. We'll be in Nassau, Bahamas June 2009 with many youth from our north Georgia area http://www.missionencounter.com/location_nassau.htm More info later after our November "scout trip" to meet with the ME leaders.

For the moment I'm just GLAD to be home! I am still basking in the glow of Hispanic dancers with machetes, Native American drumming & dancing, all the beauty of the New Mexico area, and the incredible arts and crafts of that region. What a wonderful place to meet old friends and find new friends, to learn some more about sharing God's love today and how others throughout the country are experimenting with that, and to sit at a table with some great food and wonderful conversation. Thank you CEF friends for a very inspiring, renewing experience!