Blast-Off

I cannot wait for this Sunday, September 13 as Chain of Lakes will be offering a carnival for Hope 4 Youth at 11:30 a.m.  The theme of the carnival is Blast-Off.  We will have space stations (carnival booths), food, and a lot of fun.  Tickets for the carnival are $5 with all of the proceeds going to Hope 4 Youth.  The address for the carnival is 10130 Davenport Street NE in Blaine.  More information about the carnival can be found at the church’s web site at colpres.org

Hope 4 Youth is an agency that helps homeless teenagers in Anoka County.  Last Sunday in worship John Sitarz spoke about how he helped found Hope 4 Youth.  His daughter was going to Andover High School, and she told John about the teens who were sleeping in their cars.  They were homeless.  John went on to discover many more teenagers who were homeless.  He shared the story last Sunday of a woman who slept in a tent for two years.  One morning she woke up with her hair frozen to the ground. 

The people of Chain of Lakes Church want to be part of a movement that ends homelessness among teenagers.  We have already helped in many ways.  In April 2014 we did a large benefit breakfast for Tiger Take-Out—the food shelf at Blaine High School.  Last October we helped organize Box City—an event where high school students and adults slept in boxes on the tennis courts of Blaine High School to publicize teen homelessness.  People from Chain of Lakes staffed Tiger Take-Out last school year, and we will this year too.  Every Monday people organized and stocked the shelves with food, and kept the food shelf clean and organized.  This past summer our congregation provided 14 Survival Bags for Hope 4 Youth.  A Survival Bag costs about $150 to put together.  It’s like a soft piece of luggage that a teenager can put their belongings as they sleep outside.

During worship at 10:30 a.m. we will look at how our faith can help us blast-off as people of God.  I’m preaching on my favorite passage of the Bible—Acts 2.  At the end of the sermon I will share special resources for people to take home with them.  Everyone who buys a ticket and comes to worship will be put in a drawing for a $100 Cub gift card.

Come to worship at 10:30 a.m. this Sunday and learn how you can blast-off in your faith.   Then come to the carnival and help Hope 4 Youth. 

I can’t imagine any other place I’d rather be than in worship at 10:30 at Chain of Lakes and then the carnival!