...Or I should say, regularly scheduled series on Luke - for a special anouncement.
KTM is bringing Sean Michel to Restoration Urban Ministries for a free concert. Who is Sean Michel, you ask? Here’s the official press release:
Sean Michel has been performing Christian blues and praise music in venues around the world since he was a teenager. In 2006, Sean was a contestant on CBS’ American Idol where his foot-stomping audition qualified him for the finals in Hollywood. Sean and his band recorded their debut album in 2007 and have traveled nationally and internationally playing in concert halls and church sanctuaries. In 2009, Sean released “I Know I’ve Been Converted”, a blues influenced album that contains new renditions of several old spirituals mixed in with original songs. On October 28th Sean will be bringing his gospel blues, rock and soul sound style to Champaign, IL for a free concert at Restoration Urban Ministries, 1213 Parkland Court at 7:00 PM. Concert goers are asked to bring a donation of canned goods for the Restoration Food Pantry.
I’ve seen him perform twice, and I can assure you it will be a GOOD time in many ways. He puts on a great show and God is really present in what he does.
Since a picture says a thousand words, a few videos probably say more that that:
Some very complex schedules have been checked (7 children in sports is the reason for the grey hairs popping out all over my head.), and we have finally settled on the official time and dates of KTM ACTION. We will get together for the first time on Saturday, September 10th from 6:00pm-7:30pm at Westside Church in Champaign (1501 W Park Ave). Here is the full scoop if you haven’t had a chance to check it out yet:
Have you ever heard the story of the child who was afraid at bedtime? His mother said, “It’s alright. Jesus is with you.” and the child responded, “but I want someone with skin on!” I can relate. Sometimes in this journey we want to feel like other people - with skin on – get what the Bible urges us to be about. We are excited to begin ACTION, which is KTM’s physical gathering of people who want to reflect who our Lord is to those in need (and those who aren’t).
We’ll be hosting a gathering the 2nd and 4th Saturday of every month, beginning September 10th. This will not be a “church” service in any of the traditional definitions or stereotypes. More like a family gathering where you can arrive and leave in whatever time and manner works for you and your family, and there is no need for any pretense or protocol. The intent is to gather to honor God under the leadership of The Spirit and to provide each other with the encouragement to begin becoming deeply involved in service to those in need in our community.
As I’ve quoted before: “...the real tragedy in the church is not that rich folks don’t care about poor folks, it’s that rich folks don’t KNOW poor folks” - Shane Claiborne.
If we gather to seek His will, with the goal of allowing Him to lead us to be the part of His body that He intends, then I believe the DNA of Jesus that was transplanted into us as His body on earth will flourish and grow.
ACTION is for people of all generations but our intent is that its non-hierarchical structure will encourage the involvement of our kids. Speaking of kids, feel free to sit on the floor and color with your little ones while we discuss our topic, and since it is a Saturday night I may even be braiding or twisting my girls hair while we talk. We have an absolute reverence for our Lord, and I for one sometimes think we make Him too small, but this is a gathering that is about honoring Him by providing each other with a relaxed place to be in community with each other.
For some people ACTION may be the only service they attend. For many it will just be something additional. We pray that for all, it will be a place to stop and “fill up” in between the many different places that service to the Lord takes us.
We’ve hinted at beginning to be more active locally for some time. Well, that time is here - or… almost here. At least it’s “here” enough to start getting much more specific. I’m not sure how to describe the first component. The easy part is that we’ll be hosting a meeting/gathering every other Saturday beginning in September. That’s where the easy part of describing it stops. The intent is to gather to honor God under the leadership of The Spirit and to provide coordination and momentum to begin becoming deeply involved in service to those in need in our community.
We are intentionally avoiding making specific plans about the structure of our gatherings. The components we think should be included are prayer, learning, and worship - all with a focus on community - building relationships with Jesus, amongst ourselves, and with those in need in our community. Exactly what that will look like is unknown. I believe that The Spirit desires to build on the DNA of the body of Christ that The Church should be. If we gather to seek His will, with the goal of allowing Him to lead us to be the part of His body that He intends, then I believe that DNA that was transplanted into us will flourish and grow into what He wants.
This will not be a “church” service in any of the traditional definitions or stereotypes. More like a family gathering where you can arrive and leave in whatever time and manner works for you and your family, and there is no need for any pretense or protocol. From the base of these gatherings, the second local component is to branch out to serve those in need in ways that build relationships - not isolated service days that fail to build real relationships. As I’ve quoted before: “...the real tragedy in the church is not that rich folks don’t care about poor folks, it’s that rich folks don’t KNOW poor folks” - Shane Claiborne. Oh, yeah… we’re not exactly sure what form that is going to take either. The goal is to submit and follow Jesus. He’ll lead us if we do that.
Specific dates and times to come… let us know if you have questions.
It is an exciting day as this evening our team of supporters and travelers for the trip to Ludlati Carepoint in Swaziland are having a planning and packing meeting. But this morning was met with terrible news from Swaziland. One of the children named Mamba at a carepoint called Thulwane (thool-wah-nay) went missing, and was found dead…killed by his step-father. Before you read this terrible and sad news, I want everyone who supports the children and people working at Ludlati Carepoint and beyond to know, I believe what God does through the monthly financial support, letters and visits like our upcoming trip not only brings hope, love and encouragement to Ludlati and Swaziland, it fights against terrible evil. After you read about Mamba, I encourage you to read Romans Chapter 8, and pray with the Holy Spirit’s help. God is already working to turn this situation to good for those who love Him. He is in control, and will get all the glory in the end. Romans 8:18-21 tells us our present sufferings and frustrations are nothing compared to the glory God will reveal in us. It is God’s hope and plan to use these present times to liberate His creation, and deliver us into the glory of His children.
Thanks to everyone who made the Aprons For Orphans event a big success. Our hope was equal parts fundraising and getting the word out about what we are trying to do. Since so many were introduced to us for the first time, I think it is worthwhile to revisit what we are trying to do here, and what we are not.
- We are a ministry of The Church - that is, the combined body of Christ. We are not a ministry of, sponsored by, or exclusively supported by any one church. In fact, among my personal core goals for KTM is to break down the concept that churches all need to “do” or “own” their own sets of ministries. The fragmentation in churches and church ministries is a leading cause of our ineffectiveness. All are welcome in every aspect of we do.
- We are not an “organization”. We are a community. God is all about responsibility, and thus we do our best to reflect Him and remain true to His Word. But as a community, we have no formal structure or leadership. All who are sincere in their desire to understand God’s will for their role in helping others are welcome to participate in ALL ways in this community.
- We are not orphan care in Swaziland. We support a community of orphans and at-risk children in Swaziland. However, that is only one facet of our purpose - an important facet, but only one facet. We do not limit ourselves to any geographic region, and are working in our local communities as well.
- The larger goals are awareness and community. Awareness of God’s heart, His desire for our good and the good of all. His desire for us to make disciples of all nations… including our own. Awareness of the shocking need many in the world face, awareness of a slave trade that now enslaves more than were enslaved in the entire history of the trans-atlantic slave trade. Awareness of the needs that exist in our own communities. Resulting in a community that draws together to identify needs, and pools our resources - whatever they may be - to respond to those needs, and to support each other in our efforts to lead our lives as living sacrifices.
When we ask for your involvement, we’re not just asking for a donation and trying to make it sound like more than that. It really is more than that. Much more. If you are just getting to know us and want be really, truly involved, contact us. I’d love to talk to you.
First, I’m under strict orders that any and all posts before this weekend include a reminder about the Apron Auction/Cupcake Fundraiser Saturday from 2-4 at the First Baptist Church of Champaign (on Prospect Ave. in Savoy). While I’m willing to pass on the Aprons, I am quite jealous of the cupcakes I am missing out on.
On to my post… This video is amazing. Not as much of a heart-wrencher as others I’ve posted, but so enlightening as to the conditions others live in. This area doesn’t even seem all that impoverished by world standards. Give it a look, I think you’ll enjoy it:
We have been gearing up for our 2nd annual KnownToMe Apron Auction to honor the ladies of Swaziland who began the Ludlati Carepoint in response to the need of the orphans and vulnerable children in their community. In conjunction with this fantastic event on June 4th from 2-4 pm at the First Baptist Church of Champaign in Savoy, we wanted to jump in to the fun early by conducting a pre-auction GIVEAWAY online. This is a special chance for all of you who have asked to help, but are not close enough to attend. Of course anyone can participate. Donations will go to the mission at Ludlati this summer, August 20th-30th. This yearly trip allows for relationships to grow between these children, their community and ours.
The item to be given away…this beautiful black and white halter apron made by Creative Chics.
How this will work…for every donation of $10.00 we will give you one entry into the giveaway. Give $10.00, get 1 entry. Give $50.00 then you get 5 entries. And so on. This giveaway will run from now until Wednesday, June 1, 2011 at 7pm. You can click the DONATE button to give through Paypal or send a check by mail.
Donations sent via Paypal are paid to .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). Please leave your name and contact information (email) in the comments section on the Paypal payment page to make sure we have your name and contact information if you are the giveaway recipient! If you donate by check, your check should be made out to WestSide Church (with Ludlati in the memo line). Please send an email .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) to get the specific mailing address for checks. We need checks to arrive by Wednesday, June 1st, 2011 to include you in the giveaway.
If you cannot give, but would like to be entered anyway please send an email to .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
THE BIG EVENT: The KTM Apron Auction is on June 4th at the First Baptist Church of Champaign in Savoy from 2-4pm. There will be many beautiful aprons for silent and live auction, an apron boutique, a gourmet cupcake shoppe with 9 amazing varieties of gourmet cupcakes, and a kids shop. There will also be many wonderful items for silent auction from Pampered Chef, Norwex, Mary Kay, Timbali bags, Thirty-One gifts, Homer Soda Company, local salons and more! Please bring a friend, mom, aunt, grandma or daughter. We can’t wait to see you there.
For the Facebook event page for the apron auction, go here:
ONE MORE THING… for Auction attendees who support a child at Ludlati, we will have some special things for you along with the chance to be part of an apron giveaway JUST FOR CURRENT OR NEW FRIENDS OF LUDLATI!! If this is you, please make sure that you check in at the Ludlati table on the day of the auction.
Thank you all for your support of KnownToMe and Ludlati Carepoint. We can not wait to give this apron away. Click the DONATE button to get started.
Posted by Barbra at 07:15 PM.
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Ludlati Carepoint Support Level 47 Kids Funded; 62 Kids To Go
About - KnownToMe
We have begun to ask ourselves...What would we do if our neighbor was starving right before our eyes? Would we not help? Today, their plight is not hidden from us. It is known. We believe there is a clear mandate that we must care for societies most vulnerable members, the widow, the orphan, those in extreme poverty. If you are stirred to a similar belief, if you know there is more that you must do, Known To Me will make you aware of specific needs and opportunities to help.
