Love Forgives and Protects: Congregational Safety and Security

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Love protects and forgives Congregational Security Featured Image for web

Special Feature

How and why would anyone kill an innocent victim? The answer is in the first recorded murder;

“Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast. Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast?” Genesis 4:5

Then, in the New Testament;

“Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own actions were evil and his brother’s were righteous.”

1 John 3:12

Man (and even sometimes, woman) can be evil. Add anger and you get a volatile potion. In 187 years of American liberty there had never been a mass murder at a faith-based organization in the U. S. That ended in Birmingham on September 15, 1963. That Sunday, church services were under way at the 16thStreet Baptist Church. It was Youth Sunday. Children were to lead the morning service. As they prepared around 10:20 a.m. for the service (titled, “The Love That Forgives”) dynamite exploded. 11-year-old Denise McNair and 14-year-olds Cynthia Wesley, Carole Robertson and Addie Mae Collins were killed.

The November 5, 2017 massacre at a Texas church was the 14th mass murder at a U.S. faith-based organization. No mass murders before 1963; now 14 in 54 years. Most were domestic spillover. Some were racial, robbery, mental, religious bias (mostly against Christians) or some mix. All were evil. There is a lesson learned in this trend which started in Birmingham; that is the need for intentional protection. Birmingham was the wake-up call.

As Cain set the pace for murder, the Birmingham cowards set the pace for murder in sanctuary. Like Cain, they got their feelings hurt because their brother’s actions were accepted as righteous, while the evil in their own heart was exposed.

The civil rights message of the 1960’s was right. The intended message that Sunday (the Love That Forgives) was right too. But, let’s learn another lesson from this story. We should embrace the principles of Matthew 6:25. We shouldn’t worry about life, food and clothes. But confidence doesn’t replace action. We trust God for clothes, but they don’t fall on us from heaven and God doesn’t fold the laundry. The procurement and management of clothing requires intentional actions on our part.

Providing for safety and security of congregations, staff and volunteers is like that. Yet few faith-based organizations are intentional about security. This is especially true of churches. Many still say, “God will provide.” He does, but He expects a little participation. The people in our care are worthy of intentional safety. Let’s be intentional about the safety of our congregations. First Corinthians 13:7 tells us that love always protects. Let’s move forward with the love that forgives and protects.

-Carl Chinn 

NOTE: Carl Chinn, along with other nationally recognized experts in safety ministry, including Lt. Col. Dave Grossman and Jimmy Meeks, will speak at the Sheepdog Seminar, September 28-29 in Birmingham. Learn more at www.sheepdogsafetytraining.com/birmingham-alabama-september-28-29-2018/

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Healthy Living

We all know how great it feels to get away, but do you know how important those vacation days are for your health and well-being? Trips away are good for our body and soul.

And as it turns out, adding mileage to your vacation can also increase your longevity.

According to an article published by U.S. News & World Report, putting real distance between you and your workplace could very well add years to your life. It isn’t enough just to take time away from the office – we need to advance toward new and faraway destinations. Experiencing new places is invigorating, refreshing, and boosts our creativity. By stimulating feelings of awe and admiration, taking in new sights (and sites) can even make us more compassionate and help us better connect with others.

A change of venue is good for your body too. Breaking away from our regular routine frees us up to take on unique, invigorating activities. The more distant our adventure, the more physically active we tend to be. For example, most of us are more likely to go hiking among exotic ruins than we may be to go walking around our own neighborhood.

We cannot overlook the benefits of reducing our stress levels either. Crossing oceans or long lengths of blacktop not only stirs our sense of adventure – it helps us relax at the same time. Changing our backdrop removes us from our regular stressors of job, house, and mundane responsibilities. In addition, planning for a special trip gives us something amazing to look forward to throughout the year, keeping our focus on better, wondrous things ahead. Improve your scenery. . . and extend your expectations for life down the road.

-Jean Bowick

YMCA of Greater Birmingham, www.ymcabham.org

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For children who have experienced abuse or neglect, the Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) can help make a difference by helping them work their way through the court and child welfare systems in search of a loving home. Each time a child is paired with a CASA Volunteer, their chances are greater to have the best possible outcome. CASA recruits and trains volunteers to advocate for the child’s best interest in the court process. They work with judges, lawyers, social workers, and families to ensure each child has an advocate in court, the child welfare, and foster care systems.

Many life goals and achievements that our culture considers normal rites of passage do not occur for children who are in foster care. Statistics show that 40% do not graduate from high school, 20% become homeless within one year and 25% will be incarcerated after leaving foster care. In contrast, children with CASA volunteers spend 7.5 months less time in foster care, experience fewer out-of-home placements, have significantly better educational performance, and are 90% less likely to reenter the system. By working to reduce the length of time a child spends in foster care, CASA saves the state thousands of dollars while drastically improving the quality of a child’s life, one child at a time. Every child that CASA helps to find a safe, permanent home is one more future adult who has a chance to thrive and succeed in our society.

In 2015, there were 10,279 dependency proceedings in Alabama. Currently, we only have the capacity to serve 10% of the children who need a CASA Volunteer. We must serve more but we cannot do it without the help of caring individuals willing to be trained to serve. You don’t have to be “qualified,” just a caring, compassionate and concerned person willing to be trained.

CASA is presently recruiting volunteers to work with abused and neglected children in all areas of Shelby County and parts of the Hoover area. For more information on how you can help, please visit www.casaofshelbycounty.org or call Beth at 205-243-8753. †

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Faith @ Work

Brought to you by: State Farm, www.ThomasWaters.com

<em>Last year Waters’ team raised $11,000 for MS. Seen here (L to R) are Al Schlosser, Thomas Waters, Eric Riddle, and Shane Roberts. Every dollar raised helps fund critical research, programs and services for people affected by MS, <a href="http://www.bikems.org">www.bikems.org</a>.</em>
Last year Waters’ team raised $11,000 for MS. Seen here (L to R) are Al Schlosser, Thomas Waters, Eric Riddle, and Shane Roberts. Every dollar raised helps fund critical research, programs and services for people affected by MS, www.bikems.org.

“By God’s grace I am here. I have been the beneficiary of God’s ocean of grace,” explains Thomas Waters as he remembers the bike ride he took through Irondale in June of 2017. “I felt the car’s front end hit me and the next thing I knew I was lying in the middle of the road.” With a low back fracture and a severe soft tissue injury to his shoulder, Waters struggled to get out of the road. With help from fellow cyclists, he did and avoided being hit by on-coming traffic. The driver of the vehicle that hit Waters never stopped and has not been caught. “At first, I had a lot of anger,’ says Waters. “I was angry and grateful at the same time.” As a State Farm Agent, Waters team focuses on living out their mission to “be there for you in life’s toughest moments.” Waters confesses it was hard for him to understand how someone could leave the scene of an accident not knowing the well-being of someone else. “The accident has refined my personal ministry to give out more grace. Be kind to everybody even though sometimes that kindness isn’t easy to offer,” explains Waters adding, “Al Schlosser and Rex Seaborn were examples of God’s grace to me as they called for the ambulance and came to check on me in the emergency room.”

<em>While riding his bike June 26, 2017, Thomas Waters was struck by a hit and run driver in Irondale. Fellow cyclists, Al Schlosser and Rex Seaborn, helped Waters to safety.</em>
While riding his bike June 26, 2017, Thomas Waters was struck by a hit and run driver in Irondale. Fellow cyclists, Al Schlosser and Rex Seaborn, helped Waters to safety.

For twelve years Waters enjoyed cycling, but after the accident he struggled to ride again. “Every time a car passed I would think, this could be the next hit.” The only thing that kept him riding was a commitment he made with his cycling team to raise money for Multiple Sclerosis (MS). “I had so much mental pressure not to ride, but my friends gave me the confidence to ride to help people who really needed it.” Three months after the accident, Thomas and his team rode two, 80-mile rides in one weekend and raised $11,000 for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. “I thought, as soon as the ride is over, I will quit,” says Waters. “Anxiety and fear are crippling, but that ride restored my soul and my desire to ride. My friends lifted me up. Two of them, Adam Hodges and Jonathan Schaefer, escorted me into the end of the race the second day. I was struggling and they both sacrificed good positions to help me cross the finish line.”

September 15-16 Thomas Waters and his team will ride again in Bike MS. Help them reach their team goal of $15,000 to help those affected by MS.
September 15-16 Thomas Waters and his team will ride again in Bike MS. Help them reach their team goal of $15,000 to help those affected by MS.

Waters and his team are preparing for the MS Ride again this fall. Bike MS: Tour De Beach is September 15-16, 2018 in Orange Beach, Ala. The team goal is $15,000 and Waters personal goal is $5000. To learn more about how you can support or participate with Waters’ team visit, www.main.nationalmssociety.org/goto/StateFarmBikeTeam2018

Brought to you by: Community Partner www.ThomasWaters.com, 205-879-1988.



 

 

 

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Special Feature Alabama Statistics about Opioids IMAGE Aug 18

Alabama Statistics about Opioids:

  • The number of overdose deaths(OD) climbed by 82% from 2006 to 2014 (and this is with little consistency around ER’s not reporting on OD deaths)
  • In 2016, there were 756 drug-related deaths in Alabama, the majority of which were opioid related
  • In 2016, Alabama doctors wrote 121 prescriptions per every 100 persons, which is equivalent to 1.2 prescriptions for every man, woman and child in our state.
  • Governor Kay Ivey established the Alabama Opioid Overdose and Addiction Council in 2017. The Council is charged with developing a comprehensive strategic plan to abate the Opioid crisis in Alabama.

Opioid Abuse among Teens:

  • 23% of students who had used opioids less than 40 times reported using heroin
  • 7% of those who use heroin admitted to also having used prescription opioids non-medically
  • Half the teenage Medicaid patients in Alabama prescribed opioids in 2016 got them from dentists or oral surgeons
  • About 1 in 6 patients between age 13-18 on Medicaid received an opioid from a provider in 2016

Common Signs of Opioid Misuse in Teens:

  • Negative changes in grades
  • Skipping classes or school
  • Dropping longtime friends
  • Loss of interest in usual activities
  • Changes in appearance
  • Changes in general behavior, including sleeping and eating habits

Things parents can do to help teens avoid risks:

  • Take inventory of prescription and over the counter (OTC) drugs you have at home. Properly destroy unused or outdated medicine
  • Monitor and safeguard any and all prescription drugs that a child is currently taking.
  • Role model care and careful use (not misuse) of any and all prescription drugs you use. Use opportunity to educate.
  • Openly discuss the risks of use and the importance of medical supervision and proper disposal.
  • Understand motives behind signs of use or misuse (i.e. weight loss, pain, grades) and speak compassionately first.
  • Be honest (come clean) if your child challenges your own use.
  • Discuss how avoidance of addictive substances is part of health consciousness

-Information provide by Addiction Prevention Coalition

100 Union Hill Drive, Suite 150

Birmingham, AL  35209

www.apcbham.org

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Enjoy a Cool Adventure Close to Home! Alabama Splash Adventure!

<em>Dan Koch and his mom Pat, the “The General,” welcome you to a great day of family fun at Alabama Splash Adventure</em>
Dan Koch and his mom Pat, the “The General,” welcome you to a great day of family fun at Alabama Splash Adventure

Alabama Splash Adventure in Bessemer, Ala. opened the 2018 summer season with the largest expansion in park history. Enjoy six new amusement attractions, the Pirates High Dive Show, and many more enhancements to provide more fun all summer long. Depending on your mood, enjoy a relaxing lazy river ride or amplify the excitement with monster slides and waves. On the amusement end, check out the Rampage Wooden Roller Coaster that reaches speeds of 56 mph for a family thrilling ride.

Owners, Dan Koch and his mom Pat, also called “The General,” have over 60 years of experience in the amusement and waterpark industry. Over the past five years, the Koch family has added numerous amusement attractions to the park, restored the world-famous Rampage wooden roller coaster, and introduced many valuable extras such as free parking, free unlimited Pepsi drinks, free sunscreen, free inner tubes and free Wi-Fi. Both Dan and Pat Koch are at the park daily from open to close greeting customers, cleaning, and you may even see them in the restaurants making funnel cakes. Pat Koch 86 years old says “We have an incredible staff and you really feel like family when entering, everything must be spit spot clean and all you have to do is relax and have fun.”

Alabama Splash Adventure has received a series of positive rankings including being chosen in 2017 as one of the top five friendliest parks in the world by readers of Amusement Today, a national amusement industry news leader. The park was also named as one of the best theme park values in the USA by MSN News. “We will build upon these honors. We are definitely moving in the right direction,” says owner Dan Koch. “Thank you, guests, team members and the great state of Alabama.”

<em>The Rampage Roller Coaster at Alabama Splash Adventure is ranked as one of the top 25 wooden coasters in the world. A season pass to the park has been lowered, check it out at <a href="http://www.alabamasplash.com">www.alabamasplash.com</a>.</em>
The Rampage Roller Coaster at Alabama Splash Adventure is ranked as one of the top 25 wooden coasters in the world. A season pass to the park has been lowered, check it out at www.alabamasplash.com.

The park’s new attractions include the Scrambler/a spinning frenzy family ride, the Yo-Yo/experience the feeling of flight in open air seats, the Tilt-A-Whirl/encounter a series of spins and twists, Rocking Tug/enjoy rocking and spinning motions in this wild ship, Royal Express/gentle train ride off the rails throughout the park, and Splash Island/kids slides and play area. New enhancements to the park include a renovated Island Cafe Restaurant, additional lockers, more seating and dining tables, more shade structures and additional premium cabanas.

What are you waiting for? To say THANK YOU for reading and supporting the businesses and organizations that advertise with Birmingham Christian Familymagazine and make spreading Good News possible, we are offering an easy way to be entered towin 4 tickets to Alabama Splash Adventure and enjoy a full day at the park.

Follow Birmingham Christian Family magazine on Instagram @cfpbirmingham for a chance to receive 4 tickets to Alabama Splash Adventure. Tickets good through the 2018 summer season! (September 3, 2018) Offer Ends 7/18/18. Winner Announced 7/19/18 on Instagram and Facebook.

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Special Feature

<em>Vital worship leadership practices and principles are at the core of Samford’s Online Certificate in Worship leadership course. Registration opens July 2018, <a href="http://www.samford.edu/go/cwa">www.samford.edu/go/cwa</a>. Classes begin August 2018.</em>
Vital worship leadership practices and principles are at the core of Samford’s Online Certificate in Worship leadership course. Registration opens July 2018, www.samford.edu/go/cwa. Classes begin August 2018.

Samford University’s Center for Worship and the Arts will launch its third-annual Online Certificate in Worship Leadership August 2018. Created in partnership with Samford University’s Ministry Training Institute, this certificate offers an introduction to the basic principles and practices of worship leadership. Each course presents vital worship leadership practices as well as the principles.

The program is designed for avocational and bivocational worship leaders. It is best fit for high school students, media personnel, children and youth worship leaders, worship team members, and others who need training or want to refresh their skills in a vibrant, conversant, learning community. Taught by prominent voices using testimonies, stories, and exercises, students will have many opportunities to practice skills and gather valuable resources for planning and leading worship in their congregations. Christy Olsen of Colorado Spring, Colorado completed the Online Certificate in Worship Leadership last May.

“Most of us have a sense of what seems right in worship and we all certainly know what we like. What we really need is the ability to approach worship from a Biblical perspective. Relating the Gospel story to the liturgy of our weekly gatherings is the foundation for creating worship that honors God and renews his people. This program has given me a much better understanding of what that means. I have also been greatly blessed by sharing the experiences of fellow worship leaders. They have been a source of strength and learning. Through this excellent program and the wonderful people I’ve met, I believe I am much better equipped to serve our church.” –Christy Olsen

Registration for the 2018-2019 certificate program will open in July 2018 and classes will run from August 2018 to May 2019. For more information visit samford.edu/go/cwa.

–Kara Young, Public Relations Coordinator

Samford University Center for Worship and the Arts

[email protected] | 205-726-4525 | @samfordcwa

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Parenting Points 

Brought to you by: White Plume Technologies www.whiteplume.com

Sometimes, teenagers take drugs or drink. Maybe even the one in your home. You may be thinking, “That can’t happen to us!” Are you sure? Because 75% of high school students have tried some type of addictive substance, and 40-50% use drugs, drink alcohol, or do both. In fact, 90% of Americans with addiction started before the age of 18. Why do teenagers do it?

  • To fit in, because they are eager for connection and hanging around friends who do it.
  • Because they want to have fun, and they don’t see it as a huge risk or that big a deal.
  • Deep inside, they feel pain or emptiness, and they want to escape from those feelings.
  • Their lives are disrupted by a family move, divorce, changing schools, or a breakup.
  • There is a related medical or emotional issue, such as ADHD, depression, or anxiety.
  • They have developed behavior traits that influence them toward substance abuse.

How Parents Can Help. Is there anything parents can do to help protect their kids against addiction? Yes. STEPS Proactive Parenting is an education program for parents to become intentional about protecting their kids from addictions. This training and coaching will teach parents how to raise kids to be balanced emotionally, spiritually, and personally to lessen the risk of addiction. These proven seminars can help all of us learn from how God parents us with both grace and truth. They are delivered by STEPS Ministries, a Christian nonprofit organization in Birmingham with a vision for all people to find hope, healing, and help and avoid the tragedy of addiction.

What Parents Are Saying

“Great understanding of the pressures my child may be facing, how he may seek relief from pain, and how I can be aware and come alongside if destructive behaviors take over his life.”

“This is the beginning of the spread of a powerful, wonderful message, not just for folks in the middle of dangerous addiction, but even for the parent who does not fear this for their child.”

“This seminar was the best investment of time I have made recently, and I can recommend this session to other parents without hesitation.”

What You Can Do

  1. Sign up for the STEPS Ministries weekly blog, www.lifeimprovementsteps.com
  2. Ask your church or organization to sponsor a STEPS Proactive Parenting seminar. Learn more at www.StepsProactiveParenting.com
  3. Donate to STEPS Ministries so more parents can be trained to protect their kids from addiction, www.lifeimprovementsteps.com/donate

– Steve C. Ward

Executive Director, Steps Ministries 

Author of STEPS A Daily Journey to a Better Life

[email protected]

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Healthy Living

Long before Jane Fonda donned her first pair of leg warmers, “cardio” has been a major buzz word in the exercise world. According to an article published by Muscle Mag Fitness, both the term and the style of exercise were introduced in 1968 by a team working at San Antonio Air Force Hospital in Texas.

Cardio, or aerobic exercise, refers specifically to exercise that helps improve our bodies’ consumption of oxygen. Improving our oxygen efficiency increases our metabolic (energy generation) process. Common examples of aerobic exercise include running, walking, swimming, cycling, and any number of aerobic-style classes. As long as the physical activity involves prolonged, continuous movement that keeps your heart rate elevated at an ideal level, it qualifies as “aerobic.”

Like any other muscle, your heart becomes stronger with regular exercise. Regular aerobic/cardiovascular activities help your lungs, heart, and blood supply operate more efficiently, and with less effort. The physiological benefits of cardio exercise are vast and many. Regular cardio training:

  • Increases stamina & reduces fatigue
  • Helps control blood sugar
  • Improves the muscles’ ability to use fat
  • Strengthens the immune system
  • Increases red blood cell count
  • Improves circulation
  • Reduces blood pressure
  • Decreases body fat
  • Tones muscles
  • Increases bone density
  • Reduces stress & improves sleep
  • Eases joint impact for arthritis patients

In addition to all the great ways cardio helps your body, it does brilliant things for your mind. In a study published by US News & World Report, cardio exercise increases your brain’s output of “calming” chemicals like serotonin and dopamine. It’s also possible that regular cardio can counter the effects that stress would otherwise have on the aging process. Aerobic activity also helps our brains produce more new brain cells, and new connections between these cells, thereby improving our learning skills. The more complex the activity, the bigger boost your brain gets. Activities that require intense concentration to follow, or to learn specific steps, are the best. Furthermore, aerobic exercises help keep your brain active, which defends against memory loss and supports your long-term vocabulary retention. Studies suggest that exercise, in particular, helps protect the hippocampus, the part of the brain where Alzheimer’s first manifests itself.

Now if you’re ready to give your heart and mind a good workout (with or without the leg warmers), check out our schedule of awesome aerobic Group X classes at the YMCA branch closest to you: www.ymcabham.org/class-finder. We look forward to seeing you there!

-Jean Bowick

YMCA of Greater Birmingham, www.ymcabham.org

 

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Healthy Living

Worry is often my default emotion—tromping a well-worn path in my mind. I feel like I am being proactive when I worry, yet Matthew 6:27 (NIV) proves otherwise, “Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?”

Worry is a backbiting friend, isn’t she? She promises comfort yet delivers anxiety and unrest. So why do we worry? It could be due to past hurts, present circumstances, or future fears. Often worry is rooted in a lack of trust.

I worry because I don’t like to be blindsided, in case the what ifs happen. I feel like if I worry, somehow, I’ll be more prepared for what might transpire. But more than that, I wonder if I can trust God, because He might not do what I want Him to…or He might allow something to happen that I don’t want to happen.

Worry is often fueled by these questions: 

What if I don’t have enough for what is required?

What if I am not enough?

What if God isn’t enough?

We had a health scare with one of our children. Per usual, worry beckoned me to entertain cyclical thoughts that led to nowhere but fear. During this time, my friend Niki prayed for me: “Where fear and worry are appetizing, may she grow sick of that. May worship and Your Word be more fulfilling and appetizing than worry.”

Niki’s prayer made me realize that worry does not have to be our go-to. In the past, I fed worry scraps under the table and as I did, she grew until she was an unruly beast. But we can starve worry when we feast on worship. Worshiping God is a better alternative than worry—much more satisfying.

God is more powerful than any giant worry we face. We can trust Him to do what’s best, even when it looks different than expected. Instead of focusing on the cares of the world, let’s remember our Giant God who cares more for us than we can imagine. When we face worrisome situations, let’s choose to worship instead.

-Katie M. Reid 

Author of Made Like Martha: Good News for the Woman Who Gets Things Done

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