January 4, 2010

A Note from the Director 

Happy New Year!!  

I hope each of you had a wonderful Christmas and that your new year has started off enjoyable and relaxing…but it is going to get exciting now with Upward Basketball and Cheerleading!!!!!!  

For those of you returning for another season, we are glad you are back and hope that you will enjoy some of the new ideas and props that we have in store for you this coming Saturday!  

For those of you who are joining our ministry for the first time, we hope you have as much fun as those of us who have been doing this for 5 years now!   

This Saturday is our first game day and we so look forward to what this day brings for you and your child! Remember in our orientation sessions, that I talked about how God is at work all around us, referring to “God moments” and that you never know when they may occur.   

Our focus on devotions for your child(ren) during this season is how God is the light.  We hope that these devotions have proven to be meaningful for you and your child, and that some time during the next 8 weeks, the light may shine for you, even in the simplest manner.  

The following is an excerpt from the Upward President that I want to share with you, but I have taken the liberty to “tweak” it for our ministry.

"To make a difference in the lives of those who don’t know Jesus today, the first thing we all have to do is to be aware. We should be aware every single day that we encounter people who don’t know Christ. The way we treat others and the conversations we have with everyone makes a difference. Whether we are sitting at a stoplight, ordering lunch in a drive-thru, or purchasing items at the grocery store – we are constantly interacting with people who may not know Jesus Christ.

The next thing we must do as Christians is to be intentional about reaching people. This requires thinking through how we are going to reach them. Individually, we can be intentional in how we talk with others, how we spend our time with them, and how we treat them.

Lastly, we must be ready to share Christ with children and parents.  We must be ready to be the hands and feet of Christ. Being aware and intentional do not account for much if we aren’t ready. We have the opportunity to serve our community. The effectiveness of our service is dependent on how we prepare our hearts and minds EVERY DAY. We have all heard of the Nike brand, Air Jordan.  It might be easier to remember the critical steps above by referring to them as “Upward Air.”  By being  Aware, Intentional and Ready, God can enable us to soar to new heights.  We continue to lift up praise and thanks to Him for your partnership during this Upward season and the years to come!" 

Every Child is a Winner,

Laury Holley, Director
818-5938 (c)