Hello! Remember my 'Invisible Children' blog a few months back (check it out in the archives to the right). Well, the cool thing is that there is always something going on with the movement in which to participate. The most current upcoming event is the 'Global Night Commute,' which is happening all over the world on the night of this Saturday, April 29th. It's also happening at the Courthouse square in Morgantown, WV! What is it, you say? Well, you can visit invisiblechildren.com (also featured in my links to the right) to find out everything you need to know. But in brief, we (as in the public in general) are being asked to 'commute' to somewhere in our city (it's happening at various locations in various cities in the U.S.), in our case the Courthouse square, at 7 PM with our sleeping bags and spend the night there until 7 AM Sunday morning. WHY in the WORLD do THAT??? Well, it's what children and families in northern Uganda have to do EVERY night (i.e. commute to a place many miles from their homes on foot to find a safe place to sleep so that they will not be kidnapped by bands of militia in the night and forced into service as a soldier and told to kill their friends and family or else they will be killed), and we want to show our support of their necessary hardship. The more awareness is raised about this injustice in the world we share, the more action will be taken to help make it right, and the less necessary it will be for these children to have to flee their homes every night just to feel safe. Come out for a while even if you can't spend the whole night.April 27, 2006
Global Night Commute
Hello! Remember my 'Invisible Children' blog a few months back (check it out in the archives to the right). Well, the cool thing is that there is always something going on with the movement in which to participate. The most current upcoming event is the 'Global Night Commute,' which is happening all over the world on the night of this Saturday, April 29th. It's also happening at the Courthouse square in Morgantown, WV! What is it, you say? Well, you can visit invisiblechildren.com (also featured in my links to the right) to find out everything you need to know. But in brief, we (as in the public in general) are being asked to 'commute' to somewhere in our city (it's happening at various locations in various cities in the U.S.), in our case the Courthouse square, at 7 PM with our sleeping bags and spend the night there until 7 AM Sunday morning. WHY in the WORLD do THAT??? Well, it's what children and families in northern Uganda have to do EVERY night (i.e. commute to a place many miles from their homes on foot to find a safe place to sleep so that they will not be kidnapped by bands of militia in the night and forced into service as a soldier and told to kill their friends and family or else they will be killed), and we want to show our support of their necessary hardship. The more awareness is raised about this injustice in the world we share, the more action will be taken to help make it right, and the less necessary it will be for these children to have to flee their homes every night just to feel safe. Come out for a while even if you can't spend the whole night.
April 20, 2006
April.06 prayer letter
Here's my April prayer letter for supporters of the ministry. It's a longer one this time, so make sure you don't give up before the end!
'With only two ‘regular’ h2o services left (April 23rd & 30th), it definitely feels like the end of the year is upon us. But as with many endings (which of course are really only beginnings of other things), the activity seems to exponentially increase right up to crossing that finish line, like a runner’s last burst of speed at the end of a long race. In other words, it’s a busy season around here and we want to go out with a bang!
Some of the upcoming events: tomorrow (Thursday the 20th), we are hosting at Billy’s house perhaps my favorite few hours of the year. It’s the annual Passover Seder dinner, and it’s grown so popular that this year we’ve had to limit attendance to ‘invitation-only’ due to space constraints. We set up low tables, as close as we can simulate to a traditional Jewish setting, down in a lower room in the house, light candles, and have people gather ‘round on pillows. Lamb is served of course, along with any other ‘kosher’ dish (meaning no yeast, no dairy products, and a number of other restrictions). We are led through the significance of each part of the meal by an awesome guy, Jerry Haynes, who is a friend of ours and who leads Seders all over the country (and he says Morgantown is one of his favorite places to do it!). It’s truly a remarkable experience, and it greatly increases one’s knowledge of Jewish history AND how Christ fulfilled all the prophecies about himself, ultimately as becoming the Passover lamb. I’m greatly looking forward to this special night.
The following day, Friday the 21st, our next-to-last ‘regular’ open mic of the year will take place at the Waterhouse, and I’m particularly excited about this one because I’m debuting a few songs I co-wrote with my friend Ryan Huffman. Ryan is an artist as well as a ‘lyrical poet,’ and he’s put together two booklets of his ‘lyrics’ or poems that he has graciously let me read, and I’ve been putting a few of them to music. I’ve mentioned Ryan before as a great friend and leader, and now I want to let you know that he also has come on staff with GCM as a part-time intern as he finishes school. So please pray for him as he raises support and continues to serve in our faith community.
Also on Friday is my friend J. Nicholson’s CD release concert at Chestnut Ridge Church. I make note of it because, for one, he’s my friend and I’m proud of him (he hired a producer in Nashville and recorded the tracks professionally down there over the last year) and also because he’s the first recording artist in our fellowship to put out a CD under the name ‘Deepwater Media Group.’ DMG is a project of Chestnut Ridge and h2o that has been in the works for years and is now taking shape through things like J.’s CD and monthly gatherings called genesisarts community where artists in various fields have discussions and workshops. I’ve written a little about Deepwater Media in my latest blog (kingfriend.blogspot.com), in previous prayer letters, and I’m sure I’ll write more on it in the future. I’m thrilled to use my songwriting in community this way. I may get to offer a few songs for J.’s next CD! Please pray for Deepwater Media as we grow and seek to utilize the arts to express God’s amazing story of which we’re all a part.
Okay, so we’re up to Saturday, the 22nd! Some of the h2o worship band and I are going to Alderson Broaddus College in Philippi, WV to lead worship for Omega, a West Virginia American Baptist day-event for youth from all over the state. My sister Colleen is on the Youth Ministry Planning Team responsible for such events, and when she asked us to do this I was so happy to be a part of it in this way (I used to go to Omega every year in high school and then was on the planning team my senior year just like my sister!). Please pray for our safe travel and that we inspire the youth to experience God in rich, authentic worship.
When we get back Saturday evening, many of us will go to Billy’s house for the Mustache Bash, h2o’s spring party. Last year we did the Napoleon Dynamite party, which turned out to be quite a hit because of all the thought put into the themed decorations and activities. We’re hoping this will be just as fun. (If you’re wondering, basically the Mustache Bash is just an excuse to get together, eat and have fun. The ‘plus’ is that we’ve been encouraging guys to grow facial hair to reveal some crazy mustache that night, and for anybody else, including gals, to come up with some creative way to wear a mustache. There will be prizes in many different categories.) Please pray for the leadership team as we get everything together to make this happen, and pray for the students who attend h2o to invite people out to a positive environment where it’s okay to be a little silly. J
Then of course we have the last 2 h2os, this Sunday and next, and we really want them to be memorable and full of energy (which can be tough when your leadership team is already tired from writing end-of-semester papers and studying for final exams!). So please pray that we end on a high note; these last services are usually some of the best-attended of the semester. We will actually continue h2o into the summer for the first time ever this year, so praise God! The summer services will be more like our ‘h2o unplugged’ services we sometimes have due to lower attendance, but there is a team of people who will be here over the break and so I’m glad for continuity’s sake that we’re doing this. Pray that whoever is in town will continue the fellowship with this community during this time and that we can plan some great things for the fall semester.
Some of the upcoming events: tomorrow (Thursday the 20th), we are hosting at Billy’s house perhaps my favorite few hours of the year. It’s the annual Passover Seder dinner, and it’s grown so popular that this year we’ve had to limit attendance to ‘invitation-only’ due to space constraints. We set up low tables, as close as we can simulate to a traditional Jewish setting, down in a lower room in the house, light candles, and have people gather ‘round on pillows. Lamb is served of course, along with any other ‘kosher’ dish (meaning no yeast, no dairy products, and a number of other restrictions). We are led through the significance of each part of the meal by an awesome guy, Jerry Haynes, who is a friend of ours and who leads Seders all over the country (and he says Morgantown is one of his favorite places to do it!). It’s truly a remarkable experience, and it greatly increases one’s knowledge of Jewish history AND how Christ fulfilled all the prophecies about himself, ultimately as becoming the Passover lamb. I’m greatly looking forward to this special night.
The following day, Friday the 21st, our next-to-last ‘regular’ open mic of the year will take place at the Waterhouse, and I’m particularly excited about this one because I’m debuting a few songs I co-wrote with my friend Ryan Huffman. Ryan is an artist as well as a ‘lyrical poet,’ and he’s put together two booklets of his ‘lyrics’ or poems that he has graciously let me read, and I’ve been putting a few of them to music. I’ve mentioned Ryan before as a great friend and leader, and now I want to let you know that he also has come on staff with GCM as a part-time intern as he finishes school. So please pray for him as he raises support and continues to serve in our faith community.
Also on Friday is my friend J. Nicholson’s CD release concert at Chestnut Ridge Church. I make note of it because, for one, he’s my friend and I’m proud of him (he hired a producer in Nashville and recorded the tracks professionally down there over the last year) and also because he’s the first recording artist in our fellowship to put out a CD under the name ‘Deepwater Media Group.’ DMG is a project of Chestnut Ridge and h2o that has been in the works for years and is now taking shape through things like J.’s CD and monthly gatherings called genesisarts community where artists in various fields have discussions and workshops. I’ve written a little about Deepwater Media in my latest blog (kingfriend.blogspot.com), in previous prayer letters, and I’m sure I’ll write more on it in the future. I’m thrilled to use my songwriting in community this way. I may get to offer a few songs for J.’s next CD! Please pray for Deepwater Media as we grow and seek to utilize the arts to express God’s amazing story of which we’re all a part.
Okay, so we’re up to Saturday, the 22nd! Some of the h2o worship band and I are going to Alderson Broaddus College in Philippi, WV to lead worship for Omega, a West Virginia American Baptist day-event for youth from all over the state. My sister Colleen is on the Youth Ministry Planning Team responsible for such events, and when she asked us to do this I was so happy to be a part of it in this way (I used to go to Omega every year in high school and then was on the planning team my senior year just like my sister!). Please pray for our safe travel and that we inspire the youth to experience God in rich, authentic worship.
When we get back Saturday evening, many of us will go to Billy’s house for the Mustache Bash, h2o’s spring party. Last year we did the Napoleon Dynamite party, which turned out to be quite a hit because of all the thought put into the themed decorations and activities. We’re hoping this will be just as fun. (If you’re wondering, basically the Mustache Bash is just an excuse to get together, eat and have fun. The ‘plus’ is that we’ve been encouraging guys to grow facial hair to reveal some crazy mustache that night, and for anybody else, including gals, to come up with some creative way to wear a mustache. There will be prizes in many different categories.) Please pray for the leadership team as we get everything together to make this happen, and pray for the students who attend h2o to invite people out to a positive environment where it’s okay to be a little silly. J
Then of course we have the last 2 h2os, this Sunday and next, and we really want them to be memorable and full of energy (which can be tough when your leadership team is already tired from writing end-of-semester papers and studying for final exams!). So please pray that we end on a high note; these last services are usually some of the best-attended of the semester. We will actually continue h2o into the summer for the first time ever this year, so praise God! The summer services will be more like our ‘h2o unplugged’ services we sometimes have due to lower attendance, but there is a team of people who will be here over the break and so I’m glad for continuity’s sake that we’re doing this. Pray that whoever is in town will continue the fellowship with this community during this time and that we can plan some great things for the fall semester.
Speaking of summer, as I mentioned last time, my (and Sarah’s) summer will be spent in Wilmington, NC at GCM’s ‘Leadership Training’ or LT. We have a few students from WVU and Fairmont State attending it, so we’re pumped about that! So what is LT? Well, basically it’s 10 weeks of intense fellowship and faith-stretching training. It very much reflects some of the values of which I’ve written before: ‘soul connection’ and ‘faith ventures.’ Students will get jobs in Wilmington, either at hotels and grocery stores or something in their major. They will live in apartment buildings together and meet in small groups through the week. They will receive training in the Word and evangelism, among other church leadership qualities. They will have many opportunities to share their faith and grow in their walks with Christ. Sarah and I will help facilitate the program in any we can, whether it’s listening to and ‘counseling’ students through their experiences, leading worship times, or just offering an encouraging word. I’ve seen students come back from LT with a fire and passion they didn’t previously have, and so I’m so excited to be a part of this life-change.
As I close this letter, I have a special request for each of you who support GCM for my staff position or have supported in the past: I need to raise funds for the cost of the program as well as living expenses for Sarah’s and my participation in LT. It comes to between two and three thousand dollars. I would like each of you to consider sending in an additional gift to GCM in May, beyond what you already give or have given. If you give monthly, consider giving a double amount in May. If you give with some other frequency, please consider how much you may be able to send in during May. If all of you who read/receive this letter give something, this need will easily be met. Thank you for your faithfulness and generosity! Contact me by e-mail, letter or phone if you have any questions.
As I close this letter, I have a special request for each of you who support GCM for my staff position or have supported in the past: I need to raise funds for the cost of the program as well as living expenses for Sarah’s and my participation in LT. It comes to between two and three thousand dollars. I would like each of you to consider sending in an additional gift to GCM in May, beyond what you already give or have given. If you give monthly, consider giving a double amount in May. If you give with some other frequency, please consider how much you may be able to send in during May. If all of you who read/receive this letter give something, this need will easily be met. Thank you for your faithfulness and generosity! Contact me by e-mail, letter or phone if you have any questions.
In Christ,
Cameron'
April 18, 2006
slacking & lacking...
Hello! Just wanted to apologize for my lack of posts since I created this here weblog. It looks I average only about 3 posts a month. Not great. I have TONS of thoughts and (I think) interesting things to write about/discuss, but I just haven't developed the habit of getting on here every few days and sharing them with you. I'm going to try to do better. Here's some current thoughts/happenings in my life.
As some of you know, I am, among other things, a songwriter. I'm so thankful for this drive and passion in my life; it's a joyful thing to be able to create something 'beautiful' out of just an idea. And yet music is more than just an expression of an idea; into a song enters something else that is substantial on its own. I heard a quote recently (well, I had heard it before, but I recently found it written down) that comments on this extraordinary phenomena. It's from Arthur Shopenhauer:
'Music is thus by no means like the other arts, the copy of the Ideas, but the copy of the will itself, whose objectivity these Ideas are. This is why the effect of music is much more powerful and penetrating than that of the other arts, for they speak only of shadows, but it speaks of thing itself.'
Read more about Shopenhauer here. I don't fully understand this quote, but it awakens something fascinating in my mind as a lover of the creation of music. I heard it partially explained once something like this: A painting of a tree merely represents a tree that already exists in the real world; it's the 'copy of the Idea' of a tree. But a song about the trees, while of course copying the characteristics of trees in the lyrics, invokes something else in the music on the emotional level perhaps that... hmm, gosh, it's really hard to explain! But think about the Schopenhaur quote for a while and leave me a comment.
I got the quote from the Deepwater Media Group website (I've added their link to the right). This is an in-house art production company, particularly for church use, that seeks to utilize image, word and sound to 'communicate provocative, eternal and transcendant truths.' It's headed by my friend Trey Dunham, and I'm so excited to offer my songwriting passion toward its goals.
I have recently joined up with my friend Ryan Huffman (the link to his blog is to the right) and his lyrical skills to co-write some songs, and it's been a blast. Someday you all will be able to hear the recordings of these and hopefully all my songs! Stay tuned for that...
April 6, 2006
Passion
The Passion, a live-stage-musical-production put on by Chestnut Ridge Church (the 'mother' church of h2o), is being performed RIGHT NOW at Morgantown High School auditorium! In fact, opening night was last evening (the 7:00 PM shows are Wednesday through Saturday, 5th - 9th; the 3:00 PM shows are Saturday and Sunday, 8th & 9th). As I mentioned in my most recent prayer letter and previous post, I'm portraying Jesus to the best of my ability. So just in case anyone didn't know by now or hadn't decided to come and bring a friend, come out and support me and everyone putting on this play and enjoy a memorable evening of art, music, drama (even some comedy), and a slice of the greatest story ever told. There's more information at seethepassion.org.
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