As the buzz grows about CityFest 2009 one of the questions that is often asked is, "What about ShareFest." The answer is that this years ShareFest will be more exciting than ever as we join in CityFest 2009. Churches will still be uniting together to demonstrate the love of Christ in our community. For those who have participated in ShareFest things will feel very similar but there will be a few differences.
First is a different name this year--CityFest.
Secondly, rather than a single weekend there will be a season of service that begins in July and goes through the last part of October.
Finally, we will not only be loving our community through prayer and serving, we will also invite the community to join us for a big Celebration the weekend of October 24-25. The celebration will include an outdoor festival with some of the best muscians in the country, a family fun zone, and live action sports demonstrations. For more information about all these exciting opportunties visit www.cityfest2009.com
Friday, April 24, 2009
Thursday, November 27, 2008
One Pastor's Thank You
It's early on Thanksgiving morning and my heart is truly filled with thanksgiving. I am thankful for God's provision and blessing in this last year. I am thankful for the wonderful family and friends God has provided in my life. Most of all I am thankful for the salvation He has provided through Jesus Christ.
I am also thankful for the incredible blessing God has provided in allowing me to be a part of a 10 year journey in Central Arkansas where churches have united together to share the love of Christ with our community. I am thankful for the thousands of volunteers who have given their time. I am thankful for the hundreds of leaders who have worked tirelessly make this opportunity available to others.
In a thank you letter to his congregation one of those leaders, a congregational pastor at Fellowship Bible Church and a good friend, expresses well the feelings of many leaders for those who have served. With David's permission I share it on this Thanksgiving.
During this Thanksgiving season, I am very thankful for you and the manner in which you participated in an extremely encouraging ShareFest day last Saturday. In fact, for me, this may have been the best ShareFest that I have been a part of since we began 10 years ago. That is due in large measure to the attitude with which you served the students, faculty, and administration at Arkansas Baptist College.
We worshiped God as we painted, landscaped, cleared lots thick with bushes and debris, built a deck and an arbor, worked on updating some gym bathrooms, and cleaned up a playground. We accomplished a lot on Saturday because you worked hard, as unto the Lord; and because our site coordinator, John Turner, and our project leaders, Randy Abbott , Jimmy Alessi, Grant Bray, Jeremy Collins, Mike Cumming, Tommy Goad, Randy Ripley, Chuck Taylor, Mary Ann Turner, Jann Webb, and Keith Woodruff had organized and prepared our projects so well. My deep gratitude to them for all the hours they put in prior to Saturday.
We have been talking over the last several years here at Fellowship about the Biblical pattern of being blessed by God so that we can, in turn, be a blessing. Dr. Fitz Hill and his staff were clear that we were a blessing to them during this ShareFest effort; and we look forward to future opportunities to work with them.
As is always the case though, as we are in the process of blessing another, we are also blessed; I heard that from a number of you - what a blessing it was for you to be able to work at Arkansas Baptist and to see what God is doing there. That is how God's economy seems to work: keep the blessings in circulation.
I pray that you have a blessed Thanksgiving.
Be a blessing,
David Bruns
Community Pastor
Fellowship Bible Church
Little Rock, AR.
I am also thankful for the incredible blessing God has provided in allowing me to be a part of a 10 year journey in Central Arkansas where churches have united together to share the love of Christ with our community. I am thankful for the thousands of volunteers who have given their time. I am thankful for the hundreds of leaders who have worked tirelessly make this opportunity available to others.
In a thank you letter to his congregation one of those leaders, a congregational pastor at Fellowship Bible Church and a good friend, expresses well the feelings of many leaders for those who have served. With David's permission I share it on this Thanksgiving.
During this Thanksgiving season, I am very thankful for you and the manner in which you participated in an extremely encouraging ShareFest day last Saturday. In fact, for me, this may have been the best ShareFest that I have been a part of since we began 10 years ago. That is due in large measure to the attitude with which you served the students, faculty, and administration at Arkansas Baptist College.
We worshiped God as we painted, landscaped, cleared lots thick with bushes and debris, built a deck and an arbor, worked on updating some gym bathrooms, and cleaned up a playground. We accomplished a lot on Saturday because you worked hard, as unto the Lord; and because our site coordinator, John Turner, and our project leaders, Randy Abbott , Jimmy Alessi, Grant Bray, Jeremy Collins, Mike Cumming, Tommy Goad, Randy Ripley, Chuck Taylor, Mary Ann Turner, Jann Webb, and Keith Woodruff had organized and prepared our projects so well. My deep gratitude to them for all the hours they put in prior to Saturday.
We have been talking over the last several years here at Fellowship about the Biblical pattern of being blessed by God so that we can, in turn, be a blessing. Dr. Fitz Hill and his staff were clear that we were a blessing to them during this ShareFest effort; and we look forward to future opportunities to work with them.
As is always the case though, as we are in the process of blessing another, we are also blessed; I heard that from a number of you - what a blessing it was for you to be able to work at Arkansas Baptist and to see what God is doing there. That is how God's economy seems to work: keep the blessings in circulation.
I pray that you have a blessed Thanksgiving.
Be a blessing,
David Bruns
Community Pastor
Fellowship Bible Church
Little Rock, AR.
Friday, November 21, 2008
The C.A.L.L- The 2008 Share Fest Love Offering Recipient
We are thrilled to annnouce that this year's ShareFest 2008 Love Offering Recipient is The C.A.L.L. (Children of Arkansas Loved for a Lifetime). We are excited as Central Arkansas churches to unite in the vision to ensure that every foster child in Central Arkansas has the opportunity to experience the love of Christ in the context of a loving home. If just half of the churches in Central Arkansas chose to participate in this vision through giving and providing one foster-care family, the dream of “no child waiting” would be accomplished. What a challenge! In light of Arkansas’ decision on Act 1, this has really become the Church’s mandate.
Friday, November 14, 2008
Bringing Light to Morehart Park
Bringing Light to
Morehart Park
Community parks are meant to be a place of laughter, family, children and fun.
A place of light, not darkness.
Morehart Park is a 20 plus acre Community Park located in Southwest Little Rock. The park is located directly across the street from Mabelvale Elementary School.
If you walked into the park before Sat, November the 9th, you would have seen a playground, a softball field, and a tennis and basketball court. You would not have seen the walking paths. You would not been able to see into the woods. Denseundergrowth blocked the light. The park did not feel safe.
Gayle Owen, Supervisor of Volunteers in Park and Ron Ross, Manager, Little Rock Park Service, said they wanted to open up the park so people could see into the woods. Their desire was for more people to feel safe coming to the park and thus with more people present, it would be less likely that inappropriate activity would occur.
Sharefest 2008 was the catalyst for eight churches to provide 200 volunteers. One church, Mabevale Methodist involved the local Boy Scout troop.
If you walked into the park before Sat, November the 9th, you would have seen a playground, a softball field, and a tennis and basketball court. You would not have seen the walking paths. You would not been able to see into the woods. Denseundergrowth blocked the light. The park did not feel safe.
Gayle Owen, Supervisor of Volunteers in Park and Ron Ross, Manager, Little Rock Park Service, said they wanted to open up the park so people could see into the woods. Their desire was for more people to feel safe coming to the park and thus with more people present, it would be less likely that inappropriate activity would occur.
Sharefest 2008 was the catalyst for eight churches to provide 200 volunteers. One church, Mabevale Methodist involved the local Boy Scout troop.
What happens when these Sharefest
volunteers showed up in mass?
In less than six hours, bathrooms and baseball stands were painted, underbrush on several acres cleared, and pathways were uncovered. Mike Cagle, Outreach Minister at Little Rock Church said that he was “amazed, given the size of the project, how everyone showed up, everyone knew what to do and went right to it.”
By lunch time, the park had a new look. Darian Smith, Principle of Mabevale Elementary School, dropped by during lunch to express his appreciation. He spoke of a homicide last year involving the father of one of his students.
His hope, along with the prayers of the church community is that God's light will make the park once again a safe place for the community to enjoy.
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
ShareFest 2008 Begins with Excitement!
Along with food and coat drives, this year's ShareFest Season of Service launched on November 1st as more than 500 volunteers from 19 churches came together at St Joseph's Orpanage in North Little Rock to complete a variety of outdoor and indoor projects. North Little Rock Mayor Patrick Hays while visiting the project said, "This is a historic landmark in our city and I am thrilled to see churches working together to restore it." Bill Singleton, pastor of Liberty Fellowship said, " It was fun, exciting, and a blessing to see that many churches working together.
On November 8th, eight churches united together to spruce up Morehart part in Southwest Little Rock.
More than 30 churches and 2000 volunteers are scheduled to come together to culminate the ShareFest Season of Service on November 22. In coordination with the Little Rock Parks & Recreation department, several community parks will have walking paths and underbrush cleared. Several area schools, including Robinson Middle School, Franklin, Stephens, and Wilson Elementary in Little Rock, Hurricane Creek in Benton, and Westside Elementary in Cabot will have teams working on enhancements within the schools and on the school grounds. Arkansas Baptist College will have teams from many different churches participating in campus clean-up and other improvements. Another new partnership for ShareFest is one with the Department of Health Services Foster Care office. ShareFest crews will be painting, cleaning and landscaping facilities in order to make a more inviting place for children who come into the foster care system.
On November 8th, eight churches united together to spruce up Morehart part in Southwest Little Rock.
More than 30 churches and 2000 volunteers are scheduled to come together to culminate the ShareFest Season of Service on November 22. In coordination with the Little Rock Parks & Recreation department, several community parks will have walking paths and underbrush cleared. Several area schools, including Robinson Middle School, Franklin, Stephens, and Wilson Elementary in Little Rock, Hurricane Creek in Benton, and Westside Elementary in Cabot will have teams working on enhancements within the schools and on the school grounds. Arkansas Baptist College will have teams from many different churches participating in campus clean-up and other improvements. Another new partnership for ShareFest is one with the Department of Health Services Foster Care office. ShareFest crews will be painting, cleaning and landscaping facilities in order to make a more inviting place for children who come into the foster care system.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
First Sharefest Prayer Concert: Refreshed. Renewed. Rewarded.
Tuesday night at 6:30 p.m. I sat in a circle with a handful of believers from five different congregations. I did not imagine that when I left at 7:45 that I would use the above words to describe this time in prayer. Below I capture a few questions that you may have about these Sharefest Prayer Concerts.
What happened in this first of six planned "Prayer Concerts?"
We began with a focus on God, with who He is. During those moments of spontaneous praise, songs, and scriptures God set the agenda for our time together. One brother had us pray back to God the vision of unity He had put on our hearts. My heart was renewed and refreshed and rewarded by hearing others cry out to God.
By God’s spirit, we were given a vision of city church that was about:
· Humility
· Blessing the community with no strings attached
· Willing to hear the hurts of our city
· Empowered by God to respond to real needs, to see real hope
Was it worth giving up 75 minutes of my evening?
Yes, yes, and yes! I came home renewed to share more with my wife and children. I told my wife, Angela, that I wanted her to go to one of these prayer concerts. I was renewed in my commitment to engage my family in such times of prayer.
Would I suggest rearranging my schedule to be at one of the remaining five events?
Yes, yes, and yes!
How many times in the year do you have the chance to unite in prayer with members of the body across the city? This is a rare opportunity to connect. These evenings are designed to call intercessors together. These evenings are about God gathering us to be renewed, refreshed, and rewarded by being together in His presence.
What happened in this first of six planned "Prayer Concerts?"
We began with a focus on God, with who He is. During those moments of spontaneous praise, songs, and scriptures God set the agenda for our time together. One brother had us pray back to God the vision of unity He had put on our hearts. My heart was renewed and refreshed and rewarded by hearing others cry out to God.
By God’s spirit, we were given a vision of city church that was about:
· Humility
· Blessing the community with no strings attached
· Willing to hear the hurts of our city
· Empowered by God to respond to real needs, to see real hope
Was it worth giving up 75 minutes of my evening?
Yes, yes, and yes! I came home renewed to share more with my wife and children. I told my wife, Angela, that I wanted her to go to one of these prayer concerts. I was renewed in my commitment to engage my family in such times of prayer.
Would I suggest rearranging my schedule to be at one of the remaining five events?
Yes, yes, and yes!
How many times in the year do you have the chance to unite in prayer with members of the body across the city? This is a rare opportunity to connect. These evenings are designed to call intercessors together. These evenings are about God gathering us to be renewed, refreshed, and rewarded by being together in His presence.
What about future Prayer Concerts?
In the six weeks prior to ShareFest, unite with believers from other churches in community-wide ShareFest Prayer Concerts scheduled on Tuesdays at 6:30-7:45 p.m. at the following locations:
o October 14th- Little Rock Church
o October 21- Mosaic Church
o October 28- Liberty Fellowship
o November 4- First United Methodist Church, Little Rock
o November 11- The Summit Church
o November 18 - Fellowship Bible Church
Wednesday, October 01, 2008
ShareFest 2008: A Growing Festival of Lights
Fulfilling the Christmas wish of his youngest daughter, he covered his house with a thousand red lights. While not many particularly noticed that year, it was different just a few years later when cars lined up for miles in both directions to see Jennings Osborn’s Christmas light display. What was the difference? The display had grown to millions of lights. After the Osborne’s stopped the annual display due to traffic problems, it moved to Disney World where it continues each year as the "Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights."
A few years ago, individual churches in our community were letting their lights shine, but similarly, many in our community had not noticed. This changed however in 1999, as 100 central Arkansas churches united together in a "light show" of good works that our community could not miss.
This November, the churches in our community again unite together for the 10th Annual ShareFest. As we pray, serve our schools and neighborhoods, and share from our abundance, we are part of light display that has now spread to more than 50 cities in the U.S. and at least two cities internationally.
When you serve at ShareFest you will not only bless those in our community, you will be blessed. You will have the opportunity to experience the life of Christ together with your group. Most of all, as let your light shine, you will be part of a growing world-wide light show-a festival of lights with eternal significance.
Mark your calendar for November 22 and watch for details to come.
A few years ago, individual churches in our community were letting their lights shine, but similarly, many in our community had not noticed. This changed however in 1999, as 100 central Arkansas churches united together in a "light show" of good works that our community could not miss.
This November, the churches in our community again unite together for the 10th Annual ShareFest. As we pray, serve our schools and neighborhoods, and share from our abundance, we are part of light display that has now spread to more than 50 cities in the U.S. and at least two cities internationally.
When you serve at ShareFest you will not only bless those in our community, you will be blessed. You will have the opportunity to experience the life of Christ together with your group. Most of all, as let your light shine, you will be part of a growing world-wide light show-a festival of lights with eternal significance.
Mark your calendar for November 22 and watch for details to come.
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