Update: I.C. Health Fair
The body of Christ came together in a beautiful way this week in International Connection, the English as a Second Language (ESL) program at RBC. In order to make a Health Fair work, I was in need of healthcare instructors to deliver short talks on general good health habits to our internationals, and I also needed translators to assist in the lower level classes. With the precision of a physically fit body, and by God’s grace, it all came together! Students were divided into 3 groups, depending on their level of English. Everyone rotated through 3 different seminars on health on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, instead of their regular English classes.
In the two days of health seminars, we featured a registered dietician, nurses, a dental hygienist and a representative from Medicare/Medicaid. Students had their blood pressure taken, learned what those numbers mean and how to improve them. They were also given vaccination schedules for their families and talks on general preventive medicine. The dietician gave talks on eating appropriately from the five food groups and dedicated all of Wednesday’s seminars to diabetes education. The dental hygienist used student volunteers to act as “teeth” as she used a giant brush to demonstrate proper brushing habits and a jump rope for flossing! With our ESL students, the more demonstrations and visuals one has, the better! The rep from Medicare/Medicaid spent time emphasizing how to live an active and fit life.
In addition, we had RBC attendees come alongside our presenters to translate into Spanish (our largest language group) all of the details of this important information. They also spent time one-on-one with some of the students who had very specific questions for our health care professionals. It was a beautiful thing!
I was blessed to have a very robust turnout for this unique event which leads me to think that it might be wise to have this on an annual basis. I will be looking for more ways to serve our international community in the future and welcome any ideas that the church gives me in this regard.
Susan Morinaga
Director, International Connection
Click here to learn more about International Connection and our ESL program at Reston Bible Church.
Conversations 2013 Recap
Last week, the RBC Sanctuary was transformed into Fast Eddie’s, a funky old diner, for the annual production of Conversations.
At Fast Eddie’s, families came on their way to the “best Spring Break trip of their lives,” infomercials from the infamous Kevin Winthrop, memories of lives spent together, and a community college study group. We were serenaded by the music of Philip Phillips, Coldplay, Gabe Dixon, The Beatles and more… But most importantly, we heard stories of God’s grace in real lives.
It was a wonderful week, made possible by the more than 300 volunteers, who provided food, served in the Coffee Shop, ushered, baked cookies, etc. We are so grateful for everyone who served, whether on stage, in the lobby or behind the scenes. More than 3,000 people attended Conversations this year, many of whom are friends, family, and neighbors of our regular attendees. Many people were able to come, relax, and hear the truth of the Gospel message through this production! We’ve been encouraged by the many stories of how God enabled people to attend, is softening hearts, furthering the conversation, and working in our community as a result of this production and the faithfulness of our body to invite their friends.
Just before our final performance, we received an email from someone who first attended Conversations two years ago. They wrote, “I have attended Conversations each year since (including last night). I really wanted you to know that you do have an impact on people. I don’t know if you hear from many people who you have been involved helping start a relationship with Christ, or wonder if you have reached people – You have! I’m living proof.”
We give thanks to our gracious God for what He has done – and may do still – through this production. Do you have a story to tell from your experience at Conversations? We’d love to hear it – drop us a line at stories@restonbible.org.
Remember the elevator scene from Conversations 2012? Conversations 2013 saw the return of the infamous Kevin Winthrop.
Thanks to Mike Kelly for the photos above. You can check out more shots from Conversations by Mike here.
Guilford Updates: Bingo Night & Book Fair
BINGO NIGHT: RBC helped sponsor a Bingo Night at Guilford Elementary last Friday evening. The event is one of the school’s biggest community events with 300-400 families attending. The Guilford staff and PTA were so thankful for the RBC volunteers and the financial support we were blessed to be able to provide.
Here’s an excerpt from a note we received from Alex Collier of the Guilford PTA:
“The volunteers really made the evening run smoothly. They were up for helping with anything we needed, and added a definite air of excitement to the night! Katie VanDorsten and her son were the best 50/50 raffle hawkers we’ve ever had! Together they raised almost $100! Julie and Micah Loesch worked the popcorn and cookie concessions like pros, and Tyler Preast and his friends did a spectacular job manning the bingo sales table, selling cards and daubers with confidence and pizazz!”
BOOK DRIVE: We are thankful to God for all who donated books and time for yesterday’s Guilford Elementary Book Fair. We were able to give out over 1500 books! Each child was able to take home 3 books of their own, and the librarians and resource teachers were able to restock their dwindling supply of books and resource items. The principal and entire faculty were so thankful to RBC. Many of these children have never owned a book and were joyfully overwhelmed to be able to take three books home. RBC is sharing the love of Christ to children in need in our community, and we are grateful for the many who invested your time (and books!) in serving them.
VIDEO: Youth Winter Retreat Slideshow
Last month, RBC hosted our annual Youth Winter Retreat. We spent the weekend with the kids teaching them and hearing about how we should live as Christians as Biblical men and women. The gospel was also shared and several of the youth indicated they had prayed to receive Christ! On our activity day, the youth did either indoor activities which included bowling, roller skating, laser tag, or an outdoor activity where the kids went skiing and snowboarding at Elk Mountain. It was a blast and it was great to see God work in our youth and speak to them that weekend.
Please be in prayer for our youth from winter retreat:
1. Pray that those who accepted Christ would continue to walk and seek to grow in their new-found faith in Jesus Christ.
2. Pray that the teen guys would take to heart the teaching on authentic manhood and would seek to no longer live passively or in laziness, but that they would become strong Godly leaders and initiators.
3. Pray that the teen girls would take to heart the teaching on biblical womanhood and would seek to live a God-centered life as daughters of the Most High King, living a humble life in His unfailing Love.
4. Pray that all our teens would remember and live from the fact that God created them for a specific purpose.
Call for Volunteers: Conversations
Conversations is an evening of music, humor, drama, and moving real-life stories. This year, nightly shows will begin the week of March 25-29. If you’re unfamiliar with Conversations, you can get more info here.
Our first performance is less than two weeks away, and we are in critical need of at least 60 more bakers and at least 40 more Children’s Ministry workers. There is also a less-critical need for ushers, parking attendants, prayer warriors, and make up artists. To volunteer for any of these positions, please click here.
We also need volunteers to provide food for the cast and crew prior to each performance (March 25-29). Each night during our Conversations outreach we will be feeding more than 100 people involved with the production. Please consider signing up to provide one or more items of food. To help with these meals, please click here.
For more information on any of these needs, please contact Barb Ruffner or sign-up online. And don’t forget to pick up invitation cards from the Welcome Desk and other tables throughout the RBC lobby the next time you’re here! We hope you’ll prayerfully invite many friends, coworkers and neighbors to this great event.Thanks.
Dale Peak
Administrator
VIDEO: Women’s Retreat 2013
Join us Friday, April 19, through Sunday, April 21, for the 2013 Reston Bible Church Women’s Retreat.
The Women’s Retreat is for all women, college age and above, who desire to step aside from their daily routine and focus their hearts and minds on our Lord Jesus Christ for an entire weekend. The retreat will include wonderful Biblical teaching, Christ centered worship, and small group discussion. Saturday afternoon is whatever you want it to be. You can attend a workshop, participate in a service project, spend time with friends, join other women in a planned activity, read a book, or just take a nap.
The retreat is a unique opportunity to gather with other women of RBC. It’s a time to deepen existing Christ-centered friendships and develop new ones; a time to connect with women in your stage of life; a time to meet women across the generations. It is a great opportunity to find community. We hope to see you there!
Event Update: Daddy-Daughter Dance
The arrival to our annual Daddy-Daughter Valentine’s Dance was posh this year with valet parking, corsages upon entry, and a formal photo shoot before heading into the exhibits area for this year’s dance, The National Gallery of Heart: Love on Display. The girls and their dates visited several exhibitions, including the Hope Diamond room where they fashioned their own version of the necklace or the Portrait Gallery where dads and daughters could choose a frame to draw their own work of art right on the wall! A bit later in the evening, the Dessert Café opened with a sundae bar, and then came the big reveal in the auditorium with a freshly-installed wooden dance floor and a DJ showcasing some struttin’ music! With a little over 200 folks in attendance, the night was brimming with joyful laughter and sweet smiles.
At one point in the evening, everyone was assembled to discuss that there are lots of ways that dads can put “Love on Display” for their wives and children. However, the only perfect example of “Love on Display” in history was Jesus Christ’s death on the cross (John 15:13). Jesus took on the penalty that we deserve for the times when we don’t love perfectly, forgave us for the times when we turn away from Him, and opened the door for us to live with Him in heaven for eternity. All we need to do is trust in what Jesus has already done for us. Jesus truly is, always, love on display.
For myself personally, there was never a moment to sit as I poised my volunteers for the next transition in the evening’s agenda or checked on the maraschino cherry stash. I’m so thankful that my duties kept me in and out of every room constantly throughout the night so that I could witness the fun and the awed faces of the couples with each new reveal! My eyes vigilantly searched in the nooks and corners in each room and I was never disappointed in the findings as I saw dads and their girls involved one-on-one in their own conversations, whether it was answering some questions we posed in their Gala Guide, or telling their own stories as they worked their way through each gallery exhibit.
The girls and their dates were blessed with a dedicated crew of volunteers and several staff members who made this night shine! May we be blessed to continue this event for years to come.
Have a story from the Daddy-Daughter Dance you’d like to share? We’d love to hear from you. Leave a comment below or drop us an email at stories@restonbible.org.
Event Update: Jr. High Epic Fun Night
With each of our Jr. High Friday Night Lives, we strive to create fun, safe environments where our students and their friends can have a great time & also hear about what Christ has done for us. On January 18th, the Jr. Highers had a blast at our Epic Fun Night. A series of Epic Fun activities were spread throughout the youth building so teens could compete in RC car racing, basketball, dodgeball, sculpting, Mario Cart, foosball, Super Smash Brothers, and more. The video below gives you a glimpse of all the excitement. It was a great time for our volunteers to hang out and build relationships with our students and over 40 of their friends that came.
In the middle of the epicness, we paused to watch some epic near-death experiences. In lots of epic movies it always seems when certain death and failure is imminent, at just the right moment salvation comes. The same was true for us in our spiritual lives. As Romans 5:6 says, “While we were still helpless, at just the right time, Christ died for the ungodly.” While we faced certain judgment and eternal punishment, Christ came in God’s perfect timing to die for us. This makes us some of the luckiest and most blessed people ever.
Praise the Lord for His salvation and for the 12 students who indicated they trusted in what Christ has done for them & began a relationship with God that evening.
If you have a Jr. Higher or know one you want to reach out to, go to www.restonbible.org/breakthru and check out our latest calendar to find our details for our next Friday Night Live.
VIDEO: Marriage Booster Promo
IS IT SAFE? How to Take Your Marriage to a Deeper Level of Emotional Intimacy.
Are there some topics that are taboo in your marriage? You know, those areas of discussion that you avoid because venturing there always seems to end up shaking the foundations of commitment to one another. In other words, you “don’t feel safe going there”. Join us on Friday, January 18 for our first Marriage Booster of the year. Pastor Paul Goodnight will help us learn how to take marriage to a deeper level of emotional commitment and trust.
The evening starts on your own with a dinner date for you and your spouse, with discussion questions provided by Pastor Paul Goodnight. Afterward we’ll meet back at RBC, where Pastor Paul Goodnight will speak.
Event Update: Jr. High Minute To Win It
Back in December, the Jr. High Ministry held our 3rd annual Minute to Win It: Friday Night Live. Guy Feiri (played by Erik Palmer) hosted our own version of the TV game show as our students played a series of pressure-packed challenges to win prizes.
We had a full room of excited Jr. Highers (with about 50 friends who do not regularly attend RBC) trying to throw rolls of toilet paper through hoops, making Diet Coke volcanos with Mentos, and bobbing their heads trying to tally steps on a pedometer.
The highlight video below gives you a small glimpse of the excitement. In the middle of the event, one of our Jr. High Volunteers, Amy Stegeman, shared about her life (you can also watch her story below). Just like how in the game show you only have a short time to complete a task, she shared about how she has learned that our time here on earth is short. But unlike the game, we don’t win prizes based on our performance, but by believing in the performance of the God who came into this world at Christmas 2000 years ago.
Praise God for the over 20 students who indicated they trusted in what Christ has done for them & began a relationship with God that evening.