Externally Focused at Watermark

As you know, one of our “flagship” opportunities to really engage our community is our annual “Service Day .” This year it falls on May 2.  It will look very similar to last year but on a larger scale both for Watermark and the fact that we are collaborating with dozens of other churches across the metroplex and World Vision.  There is even a website www.goandbe.org and Facebook page highlighting the collaboration.  It will be an exciting time to engage our community.  We have lots of needs as we begin planning, including folks to begin coordinating service sites, communicating with ministry partners and other organizations, bus captains, site captains, supplies coordination, folks to stay on campus and help stragglers, and logistics, such as people movement, buses, signage, etc.  We’ll begin planning in February, so let us know if you’re interested in this.  You can e-mail us at externalfocus@watermark.org.

Thank you to the dozens of Watermark members who have reached out to us, asking what you can do as a part of the body of Christ to help the victims of Tuesday’s earthquake in Haiti.  We want you to know that we are prayerfully considering our corporate response to these dire circumstances. Over the last few days, Watermark’s leadership has been in near constant contact with our key ministry partners (World Vision and others) and our friends on the ground in Haiti, including a conference call with those in Port-au-Prince who are assessing the situation firsthand.  We are taking all the necessary steps to ensure that every dollar and every minute invested in the relief effort honors God and is reviewed wisely.  Ultimately, we believe that a corporate response from Watermark will allow us all to make a long-term impact in Haiti for Kingdom purposes, so we hope that you will join with us in the relief efforts that we participate in with our ministry partners.

We hope to update you fully on Sunday with ways that you can be involved in the relief efforts and the long term recovery for the people of Haiti.  Our goal is to deploy people with specific skill sets within the Watermark body in the coming days who will be instrumental to care for the physical and spiritual needs of the people of Haiti. In the meantime, please join with us as we continue to pray for the victims, their families, the relief workers who will be traveling to Haiti, our partners at the leadership level who are making decisions, in-country church and organizational leaders, and us, as we discern how God would have us respond.

Hope Lives is back!

Wanna join us for 5 weeks starting January 14th?  We’d love to have you!  And, if you’re reading this blog, you’re likely already praying and processing through these topics (serving the marginalized, helping the physically and spiritually needed, missions-minded) so we’d love to have you in the class to corporately continue to grow in this area.  And, maybe invite some others to join you?!

We have some first-timers coming and some repeaters … so, whether you’ve never heard of this class, heard of it and wanted to take it before but your schedule didn’t work, or already a graduate, JUMP IN with us as we search the Scriptures as to what is true about our God, what is true about us, and what is true about the needy.

And, Lord willing, as we understand these truths, our lives, our communities, and our world will be changed by the people of God doing the will of God.  [Warning:  This is not for the faint-hearted.  I thought this class was a royal-kick-in-the-pants and a big part of me wants to go back to thinking I'm doing good to serve once a week, give a little more than 10%, and know at least one homeless person ... but, by His grace, He's moved my heart and my hands have followed ... I don't deny that I kind of liked my self-centered, materialistic world without much of a conscience or burden for the physical needs of others but I'm infinitely more the BLESSED ONE by having my heart, schedule, and priorities re-aligned by intentional service and relationships with folks that I never intentionally interacted with and loved before.] This year, Jeff Ward and I will be team teaching!

click here to sign up (or copy/paste into your browser)…

http://www.watermark.org/ministries/equipping/equipping-ministry/

by Jennifer Lewis

We recently did a break out session at the Community Group Leadership Conference on the issue of how to help your group engage and connect in service in our community.  The session is brief (less than 30 minutes) and is very practical. 

Here’s the link to the audio: http://www.watermarkradio.com/index.php?id=153&channel=371&series=167&message=0

Here’s the link to a video interview of one community group and how they serve and connect in service: http://www.watermarkradio.com/index.php?id=153&channel=371&series=167&message=0

If you’d like a copy of the Power Point presentation or any of the handouts or other resources, please e-mail us at externalfocus@watermark.org.

Come join us as we build relationships with West Dallas families!

October 31 – The Voice of Hope Fall Festival runs from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and is great for Community Groups and families looking to serve.  Sign up by e-mailing externalfocus@watermark.org.  Then, come ready to serve at Voice of Hope, 4120 Gentry, Dallas, TX 75212.  There will be bounce houses, lunch service, and lots of other activities for the families of West Dallas.

November 21 – Come serve at “Bless West” from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. as we celebrate the completion of a Habitat house and spend the morning doing trash pick up in coordination with several West Dallas churches, West Dallas Weed and Seed, Dallas Area Habitat for Humanity, Builders of Hope, Highland Park Presbyterian Church, and the Reese-Jones Foundation.  Sign up by e-mailing externalfocus@watermark.org!

Dallas Justice Revival is coming in November…and unlike many “events” this one is different, in that the purpose is to promote “long term” collaboration between business, non-profits, and churches to transform our community in the name of Christ.  Recently, I interviewed Aaron Graham, with Sojourners, who is the sponsor.  Here’s that interview:

What is the Dallas Justice Revival?

The Dallas Justice Revival is a three-day gathering at Dallas Market Hall Nov. 10-12, 2009 with passionate worship led by well-known musicians with a clear call to do justice. The focus is on uniting the church in a city for a time of spiritual revival that leads to social change. The Revival will lead to real change in Dallas, as churches come together to bring God’s healing and justice in the areas of affordable housing and public education.

 How is this initiative bigger than a three-night event?

The Justice Revival is a catalyst for collaboration among churches, business, non-profit, and city leaders to work for long-term justice for the Dallas area. Over the past ten months, leaders and laypeople from over 150 churches and denominations, including Catholic, Mainline, Evangelical, African American and Latino churches have been working to plan the Justice Revival. Local organizations including the Foundation for Community Empowerment, Central Dallas Ministries, and the Dallas Leadership Foundation have been involved as well. During this planning, relationships have been formed between churches, nonprofits, and businesses that weren’t talking before, and our prayer is that these groups continue to work together long-term for transformation in Dallas.

What transformation in Dallas are you praying for?

Through many months of praying and listening to the needs of the city, the Justice Revival Leadership and Planning Teams have committed to achieving the following outcomes by the fall of 2010:

• Educating 200 churches about the biblical call to social justice
• Creating 25 linkages between churches and public schools by fall 2010
• Advocating for 700 units of permanent supportive housing

 Our prayer is that every person in Dallas would know Christ and that all Christians would know the God of justice – and realize that evangelism and working for God’s kingdom and justice go hand in hand. We want to provide an opportunity for the entire Body of Christ in the Dallas area to share their gifts and talents to honor the dignity of all people and empower them with the tools they need to be healthy and active participants in their communities. Housing the homeless and strengthening public education are parts of a holistic development solution for Dallas.  

 How was the vision for Justice Revivals birthed? 
In 2007, Jim Wallis, founder and president of Sojourners, gave birth to the Justice Revival vision. He wrote about it in his latest book The Great Awakening: Seven Ways to Change the World, where he paints a picture of “linking the tradition of Billy Graham with the tradition of Martin Luther King, Jr.” and an event that would “take place in the city’s great convention centers but result in thousands of small groups for ongoing discipleship, training, and action in every neighborhood of those cities.”

The first Justice Revival was held in April of 2008 in Columbus, Ohio. Over three days it brought together 10,000 people from a broad range of churches and denominations across the city. More than 150 people made first-time commitments to follow Christ, and hundreds more made commitments to work for justice in Columbus. More than 300 people signed up to be mentors in the public schools. Local pastors, bishops, and nonprofit leaders met with the mayor and the governor during a city leaders’ luncheon to discuss strategies to fight child poverty. The revival concluded with 2,000 people taking their faith to the streets on Saturday to serve the city in tangible ways. The Justice Revival coalition of more than 40 churches and denominations has now formed a Columbus Faith and Justice Network to continue their work of relationship-building, discipleship, and advocacy for the poor.

How can churches and individuals become more involved in the Justice Revival?

You can visit www.justicerevival.org for more information, to register, and to download promotional materials to share with your communities. 

Thanks so much to everyone who participated in Stuff the Truck and the related service events.  We delivered 30,000 pounds of food to various ministry partners.

Suzanne Griffin, the Director of Brother Bill’s Helping Hand, had this to say: 

The gift Brother Bill’s Helping Hand received this morning from Watermark Community Church was amazing!  I could not believe all of the food, diapers, and hygiene items that came off that truck.  Over the next two weeks over 400 families will come to BBHH for groceries.  They will be astonished at the generosity of your membership.

…the Grocery Store is our open door into the lives of our neighbors in West Dallas.  Because they come for food we are able to touch families in a meaningful way.  Mothers register for English class and job training programs, adults receive quality health care through our Community Clinic, children participate in a variety of programs, and throughout it all the love of Jesus is shared.

 Thank you for largest amount of food ever donated to Brother Bill’s Helping Hand.  Thank you for the hard-working crew of volunteers you sent to unload the truck, and thank you for your continued prayers as we try to meet the needs of those living in West Dallas.

 In grateful appreciation,

 Suzanne Griffin

Many folks also served at North Texas Food Bank on Saturday, boxing and sorting food items for distribution.  $1 given to NTFB provides 4 meals for those in need.  Another crew of folks went back to BBHH to help with their annual back-to-school roundup for West Dallas children.  Still others served at Sequoyah Elementary’s back to school event, where others had spent the prior Thursday helping teachers get their rooms organized and painted.  To stay up to date on serving opportunities with Sequoyah, please visit the blog at www.watermarkblogs/impacteducation.

Way to go in serving and engaging our community on Saturday!

In June, the Lord stirred my heart to attend Camp Barnabas (http://www.campbarnabas.org/) with our High School students ministry. I know it had to have been the Lord to stir my heart, because quite frankly my flesh would not have had me give up a week long beach vacation with a friend, use up 9 vacation days, ride in a 8-10 hour bus ride with High School students to and from Missouri, and chosen to go knowing very few people. I remember Mike Shelton, our High School Director, recounting stories of kids that went last year and mentioning how incredibly difficult it was and how one student even came up to him mid-week and asked if he could go home, to which Mike replied no! I thought to myself in my pride, I am ten years older than they are…more mature even, there is no way that I will think along those same lines. The Lord in all His grace and mercy humbled me within those first 24 hours and I found myself thinking all those same thoughts and then began what ended up being one of the hardest weeks of my life and by the end of the week, one of my best. 

Having never been to camp before…I could only go off of what I had heard from friends that had grown up going to Kanakuk and Pine Cove. It seemed to all be summed up into one word: FUN. So, I thought I was going to go have fun for a week as I love on kids with severe handicaps and disabilities. Yes, you read that correctly. Kids with severe handicaps and disabilities. What was I thinking??!! Did I not think that it would stretch me in every way physically? Or what about emotionally as I gained perspective on their lives? Or even spiritually as I wrestled with why a 14 year old boy was in a wheelchair and I wasn’t?

Prior to camp, we received training on the various disabilities that the kids would have, how to respond to them, what their lives are like, how to maneuver their wheelchairs, how to take them up hills and down hills, etiquette, and so on. The campers all arrived on Wednesday and it was SO exciting! The camper gets off the car one by one and they are greeted with over a hundred girls and guys that are cheering, clapping, screaming, sweating, screaming some more, and sweating some more. It is quite the event!

As a cabin mom, my days began early as Jen (fellow cabin mom) would look at me from across the bunk and we would both acknowledge with only a look that our time in bed was over and it was time to get up and start the day. We would quickly get ready and head over to cabin G8, which happened to be the lowest functioning girls cabin that week. I am certain that the Lord in all His sovereignty had that planned all along. We arrived and would do an assessment of the room trying to see which counselor needed the most help to get their camper ready. The reality was, they all needed help. It was hard for any one of them to carry their camper in and out of their wheelchair on their own, change a brief on their own, go to the bathroom on their own, put on a shirt or a pair of shorts on their own and the list goes on. So, we would help as many as we could and then we would all head to Inspiration Point for a time of worship. After IP, we would head to breakfast and half of our cabin would go to the Fish House to get tube fed. The afternoon was filled with activities, anywhere from horseback riding, fishing, a petting zoo, gardening, a science project, arts & crafts, dress-up, swimming, a ropes course, you name it! Camp Barnabas is designed for kids with disabilities to do everything and anything that kids without disabilities can do at any other camp. It’s truly incredible and you can tell it makes an impact on these kids as they adventure out of their wheelchair, which can also be referred to as their comfort zone, because it’s where they spend most of their time and it’s all they know. One of our girls, the only gal in our cabin that was somewhat verbal, experienced going down the water slide for the first time this summer and for the rest of the day and night in her slurred speech, she would pick up her two fingers and tell everyone she came in contact with that she went down the slide two times. It was a beautiful picture to me of finding joy in the simplest and smallest things. We would then head to lunch, do more activities, head to dinner and then we had themed parties every night.

The last night was called “cross carry” as they carry a wooden cross from cabin to cabin as each group prays over the cross that has names of kids that have been campers and have since past away. You could hear some of the campers wailing, kids that recognized names on that cross. I am pretty certain I cried the entire time. I don’t think anyone knew what to do with me. After cross carry, they had “Say So,” where campers get to voluntarily share anything they want about camp. The theme throughout was evident, they all loved camp, didn’t want to leave, and most of all, they enjoyed feeling “normal.” What does normal mean anyway? Who would even classify themselves as such? That night everything came full circle for me. Everything that was hard that week had all become so easy as you saw how much this camp blesses these kids and in an instant, it all becomes worth it.

There was one boy at camp that stole my heart. I saw him during cross carry from afar with tear filled eyes and knew I had to meet him. I found him after “Say So” a bit away from all the commotion going back and forth in his motorized wheelchair as fast as he could go in one direction and then he would turn himself around and go as fast as he could in the other direction. He repeated this cycle over and over. It was as if it was his way of escaping. I went up to him and introduced myself. I asked him several more questions until we got to the topic of his siblings. He shared that he had two brothers and a sister and I asked if he had missed them. His reply was…”well, it can be hard sometimes.” I asked if he wanted to share why, and he replied, “because they’re always running around.” In that moment, I would have done anything and everything to switch places with him. I wanted him to be able to play with his brothers and sisters and I wanted to be in his wheelchair. I held back the tears for the remainder of our conversation and afterwards began crying.  The truth that the Lord was able to remind me of is that in heaven he will have a new body and will be completely healed, I greatly anticipate that day.

Through these kids at Camp Barnabas, the Lord reminded and challenged me with 4 TRUTHS.

1.) He showed me what it looks like to love BIG. We had a camper that at times would go into tantrum mode and would bite and scratch your arms as you tried to hold her up, I went pretty unscathed most of the week, but towards the end of the week, she got me! Minutes later, I was sitting with her on her bed running my fingers through her hair. I had to choose to love BIG. It didn’t matter that she had just scratched me, or that I didn’t get a verbal apology. I had to continuously choose to come towards her and love her and to be honest, it was easy to do. Why is it not that easy for me to be so gracious, quick to forgive and come towards someone that is not disabled? I am challenged and desire that this experience would be a reminder for me to love BIG at all times knowing full well that’s how Christ calls me to respond.

2.) He showed me that I truly don’t have anything to complain about. Having the ability to walk, eat on my own, go to the bathroom on my own, brush my teeth on my own, dress myself in the mornings, take my own shower, do I even need to go on? I can do much and yet can find myself complain much. A shame indeed. Challenged to start living a life that complains less, because the reality is, I have nothing to ever complain about.

3.) He showed me how these kids were solely and completely dependent on their counselor for EVERYTHING. If I were only to name two, they clearly were dependent on them to get fed and to get clothed each day. They truly wouldn’t have been able to do that on their own given their disabilities. I also have a disability in the sense that I shouldn’t be able to do anything on my own and my dependency on the Lord should look the way it does with the camper and counselor, yet often times it doesn’t. Often times, I rely on myself to get clothed and fed and am humbly reminded that I need to look to Him to meet ALL of my needs.

4.) He reminded me that one day, I will be able to see them in heaven with new bodies and they will be healed. Honestly, it can be hard for me to fathom seeing Jesus Christ face to face. Afterall, He is the creator of the universe and He rose from the dead. Need I say more? I think it’s understandable that it is difficult for me to wrap my mind around seeing Him face to face. On the other hand, I have no problem imagining seeing all these kids in heaven free from the physical, emotional, and mental disabilities that they have now. They will be free. I honestly can’t wait.

By Veronica Serna

GLOW was a great success.  It was such a blessing to see 70 women from the Nexus Recovery Center literally “transformed” throughout the day!  One of the greatest statements that floated around was that these women were being given an “outward” makeover that reflected their “inner” makeover as they recovered from difficult life situtations.  About 75 hair care/makeup artists also volunteered their day, as did many Watermark professionals, such as dentists, fashion consultants, self-defense experts, massage therapists, and many more.  About 100 Watermark volunteers also assisted in the set up, take down, and tracking with the ladies as they went from hair, to makeup, and on to professional photo sessions.  Breakfast and lunch was provided by Blue Mesa Grill and Brinker.  Cary Pierce’s worship set was also incredible.

Good Morning Texas interviewed some of the leaders of the event, including Watermark member Paul Schmidt.   http://www.wfaa.com/video/?z=y&nvid=379783

Additionally, here’s what some of our folks had to say about serving at GLOW…

“I wanted to just drop you a note and say what an amazing day that was… It was great to meet with those young women and just hear their stories and then offer words of encourangement for what they are going through. I hope it had as much of an impact on them as it did on me.”

“Thank YOU! The people I met — both volunteers and the women going thru treatment– were all so amazing.”

“I wanted to express my heartfelt thanks to all of you who made Glow so incredibly special on Monday.  I was humbled and completely overwhelmed by the response of individuals all over the community that gave their time and energy to serve the women of Nexus Recovery Center.  I know the ladies were encouraged, not just by what they were given tangibly, but by the sacrifice that each of you made to actually be there, with them, for the day.  It’s a gift that they will not forget so thank you…I know many of you took off work, came into town especially for this event, made financial contributions, especially used your gifts & talents…I could go on & on.”

Next weekend, Watermark’s Single Parent Family Ministry is holding our first ever “Back to School Bash” to bless these families as they prepare for the new school year.  In addition to a pancake breakfast that morning, we will have some stylists providing haircuts for the kids and other volunteers washing the cars of the parents.  Additionally, each school aged child that registers by this Friday will receive a backpack stuffed with their school supplies for the year.  These will come through the generosity of members of our body who sign up to sponsor these kids.

Currently, we need sponsors for more than 30 kids and would ask that you and/or your community group consider this opportunity to serve the single parents of our church and community.  To do so, simply go to https://public.serviceu.com/registration/default.asp?OrgID=3545&EventID=4195147&OccID=144670167& and sign up for one or more kids to sponsor.  You will receive an email with the age, grade and school district school supply list for your child.  After you have purchased the supplies, simply bring them to Watermark next week and we’ll deliver them to the families next Saturday morning (you do not have to attend the event to sponsor a family).  Thanks for considering this service opportunity!

 The Single Parent Family Ministry