ReCharge Update

ReCharge is our weekly discipleship program; this year the group meets on Thursday nights. We have approximately twenty faithful attenders (we have had up to thirty!). Attenders are generally students we have retained from our Summer Blast and Club 2-5-2 programs. Our Blodgett duo - Pete and Nikki Blodgett - are currently co-teaching a study on studying (a few) attributes of God. For example, last week's focus was on God's grace and goodness. In past weeks we have highlighted God's holiness, His justice, His love and mercy, His eternality, and the list goes on.

We began a new segment within our discipleship study which highlights global missions. We have been pleasantly surprised by the popularity of this time. Students are bringing in their loose change and dollars to support other ministries meeting people's needs in other countries. Staff member, Dave Clark, begins each month with a description of the country of note, leading into a discussion of the country's spiritual needs and highlighting a ministry within the country seeking to present the message of Jesus Christ as the solution to one's spiritual needs. This month's country of focus is China. Dave has been exploring the growing underground church movement in China. The inherent danger of the movement has captured our youth's attention and each week we are awed by the profound, heart-felt, and tender prayers of our students for Christians in China.

Furthermore, foCus, which is our monthly hip-hop worship service, is steadily becoming a greater avenue for discipleship as we meet local community members who may be interested in greater relationship with us. Our service, which targets those thirteen and older, brings in local and national rappers who present and live out a holiness within the hip-hop culture and are committed to the genre's return to the historic roots of celebration and social consciousness.

This month the group Anti-World joined us. The group is made up of two friends, Ron and Eric, who are empassioned to proclaim Romans 12:2 which says, "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - his good, pleasing and perfect will." The very fact Anti-World is a hip-hop performance group attests to their (as well as our) belief that non-conformity does not mean divorcing from modern culture but rather about living a Christ-honoring life within our present culture.

If you are interested in hearing some of their music, check them out on mySpace.

Needless to say, there is a lot happening within our building. We truly look forward to continuing to update you on our discipleship studies, especially as our current relationships with Woodlawn grows and new ones are formed.