6/6/2007
Operation Barnabas and a...Rodeo???
Operation Barnabas orientation will be held at Grace Church in Lititz, PA. Over 100 students and adults will spend two weeks learning music, puppets, drama, witnessing tools and preparing their hearts for summer ministry. But more than that, the group will learn ministry first-hand.
Knowing that this large group would be available, Grace Church decided to use them in a unique way—to help put on a rodeo Sunday afternoon and evening, June 24.
Scott Distler, Senior Pastor, put it this way...
“The idea for this event began when we were asked by CE National to once again be the host church for the Operation Barnabas orientation as we were two years ago. Operation Barnabas is a summer ministry training program for teenagers which will bring over 100 ‘cream of the crop’ teenagers and their leaders from all across the country to our church for over two weeks of orientation before they head out on their summer ministry tours. As we talked, we desired to take advantage of having this ministry-minded group with us to partner with us to make an impact on our community and touch more people than ever before in the history of our church. Doug Kegarise, who is our Director of Student Ministries and a former Senior Leader of Operation Barnabas, was given the task of putting together a task force to plan such an event. The Rodeo and Western Event is a product of that task force.”
The Operation Barnabas team will be featuring entertainment for the whole family using puppets, clowns, mimes and songs. Children will enjoy a Petting Zoo and Pony Rides as well as Crafts and Games. There will also be Peanut and Candy Scrambles. Adults will compete in a Pie-eating Contest, Seed Spitting, Horseshoes, and other contests. There will be Calf Roping, Barrel Racing, Pony Express, Chicken Catch, Truck Ricking and Roping, Bull Riding and many more rodeo activities to enjoy.
The church is expecting 2,000-4,000 people from their community, most of whom do not have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, coming and rubbing shoulders with 1,500 people from Grace Church who are the “salt of the earth” and the “light of the world.” That, in and of itself, is powerful. The church is praying that many of these people from within their community will visit or contact Grace Church because they have built a bridge to them and their families in such a unique way. Over the next year they expect to see much growth in their church and many people coming to faith in Christ because of their first contact with them at the Rodeo and Western Event.
The day after the rodeo the church’s Vacation Bible School will start. The theme of Avalanche Ranch was chosen to help draw kids who attended the rodeo into the VBS.
Grace Church is doing a great job of utilizing the Operation Barnabas teams in a city-wide, cultivating event that will surely have a huge impact for eternity.
