"New" Ministers at Waynesboro

During the past few months we have had several men interview for the position of minister at Waynesboro. I have no doubt that most of these men will go on to other congregations and make great ministers in God's kingdom. However, God seemed to have different plans for the Waynesboro church of Christ. Our community has already been hit hard by the current recession and the members of our congregation are no exception. The elders are acutely aware of the current situation and desired to come to a solution that would continue the forward progress we have experienced in our congregation as well as address the realities of current economic conditions. The overriding theme in all the elders discussions was how do we fill our needs for a new minister while continuing to minister to our community at our present commitment level in the face of ever increasing need. Sunday the elders at Waynesboro officially made a decision concerning the future of the church and who will lead its ministry. Instead of hiring one person the elders hired two men who will each serve in their own niche of ministry.

Three weeks ago the elders hired Bobby Pinckley to serve as our Visitation Minister while we searched for a new minister, this ministry was made a permanent position on Sunday. As many of you know, Bobby served as the Pulpit Minister at Waynesboro for many years before retiring; after a period of retirement Bobby became restless and began preaching again at the Beacon congregation. A few months ago Bobby retired again and returned to Waynesboro only to be offered his present position. We are blessed to have Bobby Pinckley serving in Waynesboro again and I look forward to working with him into the future.

Also on Sunday, the elders made the announcement that I would become the Pulpit Minister. The elders desire that I continue the Family Life Ministry that originally brought me back to Waynesboro while assuming the responsibilities of the pulpit. I grew up in Waynesboro and this congregation is my home. I am so excited about this new opportunity as well as for the future of the Waynesboro Church of Christ.

Bobby and I are excited about the future of the Waynesboro Church of Christ. Working together for the past three weeks, we have seen the possibilities that this type of ministry arrangement can produce. Together we ask for your help and your prayers.

Mitchell

Technorati Tags: evangelism,Family Life Ministry,Waynesboro,visitation,church of Christ

CYC '09 - Fellowship, Friends, and Fun

Christian Youth Conference is an annual event that takes place in Gatlinburg, TN put on by members of the churches of Christ.  This year was my first year attending CYC and the first year that the church at Waynesboro has ever sent a group, it will not be our last.  CYC was a positive and motivating experience for everyone who attended, not just the young people.  I highly recommend that you make plans now to attend next year.

Our trip afforded us with many opportunities I never imagined at first.  My first surprise was running into so many of you who are regular readers of this blog.  It was great to finally meet you all!  Blogging has added a new dimension to my ministry and has expanded my circle of friends (more about blogging in a few days).

We left Waynesboro on Thursday afternoon immediately following school, with the time change encountered as we hit east Tennessee is was past midnight when we finally got to our cabin.  This was the first "bonus" of the weekend, our cabin was awesome!  This thing was nice, it was big, and it had a pool table, air hockey, and foosball table; the kids (and some of the adults) kept those things hot all weekend!  Friday morning we all got ready and went to eat breakfast at the Log Cabin Restaurant (I recommend the Caribbean pancakes).  Following breakfast we went up the mountain to Ober Gatlinburg for some ice skating, we had a blast.  The rest of the day the kids and ladies all walked the streets of downtown Gatlinburg for the all important shopping session.  My friend, Sam Haines, and I hung out in lieu of shopping and just talked; we learned a lot about each other and became closer friends as a result.  Friday night was the first session of CYC and it started with a bang!  My favorite part was the singing, very moving!

Saturday was an early morning as we were in session by 8:00 AM for more motivational speakers and awesome singing until the lunch break at 11:30 AM.  We were so wore out from the day of travel on Thursday and our all day fun fest on Friday that we went back to the cabin, ordered pizza for lunch and basically "vegged out" the entire afternoon.  Saturday nights session of CYC was the best, more great singing capped off by a sermon by Lonnie Jones.  Lonnie is always great and this night he was exceptional.  I don't think I'll ever forget his story about the snake and the .45 pistol!  Hilarious! (Ask me or one of the others and we will be more than glad to share it with you.)  After the session we were invited to one of our Wayne County sister congregation's cabin for a devotional. (Collinwood's group was also invited.)  This was a great way to cap off the night, Clifton was a great host and this was a spectacular way of promoting unity within neighboring congregations.  I love all the brethren at Clifton and Collinwood, both congregations have been good to me and I always love speaking for them.  Hopefully, our efforts toward unity will continue and God will be glorified as a result.  Jake Wilbanks, one of Collinwood's teenagers and my cousin, spoke at the devotional.  I was taken aback by Jake's speaking ability!  He did an outstanding job and I pray that he continues to use his talents for the Lord.

Sunday Morning we again woke up early as we were hosting a worship service at our cabin.  Clifton's group came over to join us in worship as well as Will Tidwell and three students from Heritage Christian University.  Wes, one of the HCU students led singing for us, Jeff, another HCU student, led us in prayer, as well as Chad Love from Clifton.  I enjoyed speaking for the group in such a loving atmosphere.  We shared a meal and laughter before worship and the family feeling just seemed to carry over into the service.  It was great!

CYC provided an awesome opportunity for everyone involved to grow spiritually.  The structure of the conference provided the main spiritual food, however, the part I enjoyed the most was the fellowship with friends and learning more about my brothers and sisters in Christ.  If your congregation doesn't attend CYC then take it upon yourself to organize the trip next year, I guarantee it will be a huge success.  If you had the opportunity but didn't take it this year be sure not to miss it next year.  Just some "sage" advice from a one year CYC "veteran!"

Technorati Tags: blog,faith,Family Life Ministry,unity,youth,worship

Podcast Now on iTunes

My podcast is now officially a part of iTunes!

Until today you could use your iTunes software only to subscribe to my podcast through the RSS feed but as of today I have been officially approved by iTunes! 

This means that you can go directly to the iTunes site and search "Mitchell Skelton" or "Waynesboro church of Christ" and you will be taken to a page on the iTunes site that contains my podcast and from this page you can subscribe for automatic downloads each time a new podcast is added.  For a direct connection you can click the iTunes link here.

Technorati Tags: blog,church of Christ,evangelism,iPod,iTunes,podcast,technology

Forward Progress

In ministry the constant struggle is to maintain forward progress. As an old friend of mine was fond of saying, "You are either green and growin' or you are ripe and rotten." This is especially true in the life of a congregation of God's people, once you stop moving forward the downward spiral soon follows. The elders at Waynesboro are especially aware of this and as a result they have always been vigilant about maintaining the forward progress of the congregation.

This past Sunday the elders made a decision which will help keep the congregation moving forward during this interim period while we search for a new minister. As most everyone knows, when Matthew moved the elders appointed me as the interim Pulpit Minister asking me to continue in my role as Family Life Minister and taking on the responsibility of filling the pulpit each week. This was a role that I gladly accepted however, it still left a large portion of our regular ministry concerns unmet. It was out of concern for this unmet need that the elders have hired Bobby Pinckley as our new Visitation Minister. Bobby will serve in this position until a final solution is arrived at concerning our ministry situation.

I am so excited about the prospect of working with Bobby! Bobby has been a great influence in my life as well as countless others in this congregation. Bobby's focus as Visitation Minister will be to visit all those in our congregation and community of friends who need encouragement. He will be visiting in the hospitals, the nursing homes, and in the homes of our sick and discouraged members on a regular basis as well as following up with others through telephone calls. The addition of Bobby to our staff will enable the congregation to continue its forward progress.

In order for Bobby to do his job effectively he will need your help. If you know of anyone in the congregation (or connected to our congregation) who needs a visit of encouragement then let him know. Too often people fall through the cracks because no one took the time to let someone know a member or loved one was sick or hurting. If you know someone who is in need of a visit, please don't assume that we already know because we probably do not. You can easily keep us informed by calling or emailing Bobby, Sheryl, or myself. Let's keep moving forward!

Contact Info:

Sheryl - Church office	Bobby Pinckley	Mitchell Skelton
931.722.5520	931.722.3563	931.722.8227
waynesborococ@tds.net	pinckley@netease.net	mskelton@live.com

Podcast Now Online!

Thanks to you my first podcast has been wildly successful! Thanks to everyone who has subscribed, downloaded, and iTuned my sermon. Keep checking each week for the latest update and periodically I might even throw in a bonus.

You can now listen to my sermons here on the blog, at a separate web address, or on your cell phone or PDA. You can even subscribe to the podcast through RSS or through iTunes! I hope you enjoy.

The Life of Ryleigh

Today is a special day.  The Butterfly Foundation is having it's annual walk from the high school to the town square in remembrance of Ryleigh Stegall and to raise awareness for the foundation.  Ryleigh's family started the Butterfly Foundation to help people in Wayne County who have children facing life threatening illnesses.  The Stegall family holds a special place in my heart and in my mind they are true heroes.  The following post was originally written on September 15, 2007 the day after Ryleigh died, I read it at her funeral and since then it has taken on a life of its own.  It remains the most read post on my blog by far with dozens of hits each month.  My intention is to "re-post" it annually in conjuntion with the Butterfly Walk.  Mitchell

Ryleigh Stegall's seven year battle with Leukemia ended Friday morning as she passed from this life and into the arms of God. Ryleigh's life ended quite similar to how it began, surrounded by family and friends, appreciative to God for blessing our lives with her life.

Anyone who ever spent time with Ryleigh found themselves captivated by her strong personality. She had one of those smiles that could light up a room. With all of the things about Ryleigh that made her special, ironically, it was her desire to just be a normal kid that truly set her apart.

Ryleigh leaves behind her parents, Steven and Michelle, her sister Keerstin, and her brother Chandler, a close knit extended family as well as an entire community who loved her. At some point all of those who knew Ryleigh will ponder the question of "Why?" Why did Ryleigh have to bear such a burden? Why did she have to go so young? Why did all the prayers for healing offered on her behalf go seemingly unanswered? I will be first to admit that I have pondered these questions. While I may not be able to answer these questions, even to my own satisfaction, I do know that God holds the answer. Ryleigh now knows the answer and her smile continues to light up rooms.

We may wonder, "What if. . ." What if she had never gotten cancer? What if God completely removed it from her body? One thing I do know is that no one who ever knew her could imagine what life would have been like without her.

Steven and Michelle never let the disease that robbed so much from their daughter's life define her and neither did Ryleigh. This attitude, this determination, is what defined the life of Ryleigh, it is her legacy to us. It is not what happens to you in life that defines you, but rather it is how you choose to live.

We would all do well to choose to live the life of Ryleigh.

Circle of Protection

The Musk Ox seems to have more sense than God's family at times. When faced with danger, musk oxen form a circle with their heads and horns facing outward. In the center of this circle of protection, musk oxen place their young and weak. They gather for mutual protection rather that trying to go out on their own or running away. We can learn a lot from the Musk Ox. When things get tough, we have a tendency to withdraw from those who care for us the most. When trouble comes, instead of coming together to draw on our mutual strength, we stray from the pack and conjure up lame excuses to justify our actions.

We should all remember the old saying, "Christians aren't perfect, just forgiven." As long as we are on this earth, Christians will make mistakes. Sometimes these mistakes will be embarrassing, not only to the person themselves but also to the church. Our tendency in such cases is to distance ourselves from the situation. We leave the weak ones outside the circle of protection to fend for themselves. Scripture tells us that we have an obligation to our brothers and sisters in spiritual need. "Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ" (Galatians 6:1, 2).

Young Christians are especially vulnerable to being abandoned in their time of need. Mature Christians should be the first to stand beside a fallen brother or sister. We need not be afraid to admit that we too have stood where they are standing. By doing so, we are not condoning their sin, but rather we are protecting them in a time of weakness. We are showing them that while perfection is not in our lot as humans, maturity is.

Jesus was not afraid to stand beside those who had fallen prey to temptation. In the case of the woman caught in adultery, Jesus stood beside her and became a one man "circle of protection." Not once did Jesus say her actions were acceptable, yet not once did Jesus act as if she was unworthy of his presence. On the contrary, once the protagonists had disappeared, those who delight in the fall of another, Jesus was able to show her the way to repentance. "Jesus declared.”Go now and leave your life of sin" (John 8:11).

Helping God's children in their darkest time of need is as close to being Christ-like as one can get. It was for this purpose that Jesus came to earth, and it is because of our sin that he suffered death on the cross. "She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins" (Matthew 1:21). "This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers" (1 John 3:16).

Waynesboro church of Christ: Full of Faith

This past weekend was quite busy for the Waynesboro church of Christ. Four huge events converged into the “Perfect Storm” of church activities. Kicking off the weekend was a surprise birthday party for Obie Duncan. Obie’s family had a great party to celebrate his 95th birthday. Obie is one of a kind and he deserved that party. Occurring simultaneously with the birthday party was the Mobile Pantry. The Mobile Pantry has become a regular occurrence for the church through our Benevolence Ministry and our partnership with the Second Harvest Food Bank. The result of this partnership and the work of our volunteers was that about 150 people from our community were given over 10,000 lbs. of food! Our Benevolence Ministry is the most active ministry in the church as they are constantly helping people in the church and the community who have fallen on hard times. Richard McNabb, Jeff Duren, Charles Hunt, and Jerry Hollis are the deacons who work in this ministry, when you see them give them a pat on the back because they deserve it. As soon as the last boxes of food pulled away from the Fellowship Center, we shifted gears and started working on the next event. Our annual Veterans Day Remembrance was Saturday night and it was a huge success! Over 180 people attended the event highlighted by the fish fry. After eating, we honored the Veterans in attendance with a program put on by our children and each Veteran received a Flag lapel pin as a token of our appreciation. After only two years, this event has become a favorite among our members and the community. One woman told me that her husband (a Veteran) had been looking forward to this event for two months! Sheryl did a phenomenal job in putting this event together, it would have been a good event no matter who did it but because of her, it was great.
After the flurry of activity on Saturday, you would think that everyone would have been excited about going to worship Sunday, not so. Saturday’s excitement turned to Sunday’s gloom in a hurry. No one wanted to see the Morine’s leave Waynesboro and this day evidenced that feeling. Matthew’s sermon on Sunday morning walked us down memory lane bringing laughter and tears. It all ended on Sunday night with a good-bye meal for the Morines. Matthew and Charity loved the scrapbook (thank you Kim Bell and Kristen Duren!); it will bring back great memories for years to come.
I am so proud to be a member of and minister for the Waynesboro church of Christ! This congregation is full of faith as evidenced by the love that we show. This past weekend was a great example of our love for our neighbors as well as our love for each other.

“What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him. “Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” James 2:14-17

Worship Technology

The technological advances of our time absolutely amaze me. The one bit of technology that has taken the church by storm is PowerPoint (or other presentation software). During my previous ministry, as the pulpit minister for a congregation of about 70 members, we adopted this technology with the intent of enhancing the worship experience for our younger members. Much to my surprise, it wasn't the younger members who benefited the most from this aid to our worship.

The older members of our congregation, who we feared would be resistant to this addition, were thrilled! They could now follow along with the scriptures used in the sermon without having to look up the passages and the size of the font was much easier to read than even their large print bibles. The same result was seen with our announcements and bible study.

The congregation at Waynesboro is in the process of adding this technology and it got me to thinking about all the ways this one bit of technology can be used. Please take a minute and participate in the poll located in the menu bar to your right. While it's not possible to list every use churches make of PowerPoint, I have tried to list the major categories. If your congregation is using PowerPoint in a different way please leave a comment (or email me) with this information and tell me a little bit about how it is working and the level of success you are experiencing.

I'm also interested in who congregations are utilizing to "run" the technology. We are considering putting together a group of teens to work in this ministry as they seem to know more about computers and software than all of the rest of us combined. Let me know what you think.

Defining the Win

In any endeavor one undertakes there is an expected result that, if achieved, serves as a "win." In sports this is easy to define, a "win" is a win, just score more than your opponent to claim victory. In business the win is usually defined in monetary terms, increased sales, lower costs, or increased profit. In ministry the "win" is sometimes harder to define.

Most people, myself included, tend to want to tie some tangible result to ministry work to define the win. Usually we enter into a ministry with the expected result being either an increase in attendance or even better, saving the lost. However, some ministries do not lend themselves to such concrete results whereby we can claim victory.

This past weekend at Waynesboro was one such occasion. Saturday morning the church, in conjunction with The Second Harvest Food Bank, was able to distribute over 12,000 pounds of food and necessities to deserving families in our community. In all, we were able to help over 100 families and about 400 people in total with this massive distribution of produce, frozen food, and dry goods. I guess for some the "win" here would be in the numbers, but for me and those of us who worked the food drive the "win" was something else entirely.

The "win" Saturday was evident in the faces of the people we were fortunate enough to be able to help. The win was the erasure of worry from the face of a single mother as to how she would balance paying the bills and putting food on the table for her children. It was expressed in the relief of an elderly couple who, at least for this month, wouldn't have to make the choice between food or their needed prescription medicine. It was evidenced in the heart of a Mom & Dad as they collectively realized that they wouldn't have to face the choice between food and Christmas presents. You see, sometimes defining the "win" is not as simple as counting the numbers, sometimes the win comes from the simple act of helping those who need help.

"For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me." (Matthew 25:35-36)

1000 Visitors Can't Be Wrong!

It's hard to believe but, sometime today "The Mind of Mitchell" blogsite will record it's 1000th guest. I started this blog in June of this year but didn't really get going until August/September (basically what that means is I didn't know what I was doing when I first started and it took me a good two months to figure things out).

One of the things I learned was how to gather and analyze statistics for my site. I am amazed every day at the number of people who read my blog as well as the reach I have made worldwide. Yes, worldwide! I have visitors from all over the United States, Racine, WI to Biloxi, MS; San Bernadino to San Marcos to Spring Hill; Nashville to Los Angeles; Pascagoula to Chicago and many points in between. I also have recorded visitors from Canada, New Zealand, Australia, India, South America, Honduras, Germany, and England.

I reached another milestone today, since I began keeping stats(on Sept. 3rd), I have flirted with 100 guests in a day but never quite made it, today (Thursday) the site recorded 103!

When I started this blog I never dreamed of the impact and reach I could have on so many people, from so many different places. God willing I will continue to write with my purpose remaining to glorify God and Christ, to bring a little humor into your life and to help us all gain perspective on the things happening around us. Thank You for stopping by and reading. Let me know how I'm doing and what you would like to see me discuss in the future.

Honduran Orphanage

The Family Life Ministry of Waynesboro church of Christ is helping the Honduran Orphanage where Alden and Candace Bass are working. We are collecting board games to send for the children to play with as this is a need they have identified. They can be new or used just make sure used ones are in good condition with all the pieces. Also, the games you donate need to be ones that don't require reading or requires reading very little English.

You can see pictures of the young boys we are helping at Alden and Candace's blog. I have also added a link in my favorite sites to the left.

Right now there are some great Christmas pictues to view.