Start a Servolution

March 8, 2010 in Mission trips with 2 Comments

Servolution - by Dino RizzoOne of the books on my reading list for 2010 was Servolution by Dino Rizzo.   The sub-title is “starting a church revolution through serving.”  A revolution?  Do “churches” need a revolution?  Some may think that is too harsh or controversial of a term.  Others may make the argument that all churches need is a good old fashioned Revival.  I disagree.  My connotation of “Revival” is that you are trying to renew something that has waned.  This may have worked years ago but I believe things have changed and that is why I found Dino Rizzo’s book so refreshing.  In the last few years, I have a growing desire to see churches quit doing church and start being THE church.

In the book, Dino chronicles the efforts of the church he started – Healing Place Church – to carry out Jesus’ example of serving others.  Chapters range from “The Beginning of a Servolution” to “The Culture of Serving” to “Unlocking the Need”.  Each chapter takes you deeper into the thought processes, planning and execution of the strategies Healing Place Church has to serve those in their communities.  But as you will read, it’s not just about serving their communities.    It’s about serving their communities with a passion to change lives!  I really like how he includes detailed examples in each chapter of the joys, stresses and exhaustion that go with each project.  Each time I came away with the understanding that serving the community is not for the weak hearted nor is it for the slightly committed.  To serve others successfully requires a full dependence on God and a commitment to carry the project through while completely leaning on God for guidance and strength.

At the end of each chapter, there are questions designed to help you think through the content of the previous chapter.  This makes the book a perfect planning tool for leadership teams to use as they walk through the process of creating a servolution in their own churches / ministries.  Every community is different as are the gifts and talents within each church or ministry group.

Finally, as Dino makes quite clear, the book is not intended as a reference filled with formulaic solutions to create ministry and outreach opportunities within your own church.  It is designed as a resource guide to help churches / ministries answer the tough questions necessary to change their churches from  just DOING church to BEING the church.

Is your church ready to start a servolution?

Romania Trip Status Update

March 5, 2010 in Mission trips with 5 Comments

Piatra Neamt, RomaniaTime is ticking away quickly.  June will be here before I know it and it will be time to board a plane first for Munich, Germany and then on to Bucharest, Romania.  Then, we’ll board a bus for a long ride to Piatra Neamt.  Upon arriving we will have a packed week!  I’m excited, nervous and expectant.

I know this trip will change me as much as anyone and I spend time wondering what that will mean. But, before I even pack the first things in my suitcase there is so much more that has to take place.  Preparation takes place on many levels – spiritual, physical, financial and I’m sure others I haven’t even considered yet.  Whenever someone tells you that preparing for a mission trip will stretch you, they aren’t kidding.  My faith has been tested.

Unfortunately, the primary worry for most people (including me) is, “how will I come up with all that money?”  I too am struggling with that concern.  We are a one income family and the expense of the trip isn’t a part of our normal budget.   The ongoing recession doesn’t help much either.  I believe that this is an area where God is continuing to stretch and grow me and demonstrate to me that He is the true provider for my family.   From job loss to unexpected expenses to increases in insurance and other costs, God shows me each time that I just need to let go.  Since I decided to go to Romania, I have just been in awe about how God has provided in unexpected ways to defray the cost of the trip.

Even with these unexpected funds, I still believe firmly in working to raise funds in whatever ways I can to pay for my trip.  So, brainstorming with my wife, I will be doing various things between now and June to raise the additional funds needed.

Fund Raising Events and Activities

  • March 24 – Wednesday Night Supper at RRBC with proceeds going towards my trip (Registration required – register starting Sunday March 21) Menu = potato bar
  • April (date TBD due to weather) – Garage sale in the parking lot at RRBC.
  • Anytime – PC repairs, clean-up and upgrades (by donation of your choice)
  • Anytime – purchase a Beta Version t-shirt.  Check out the design and costs.
  • Anytime – Video projects i.e. photo montage memory DVD’s, etc.

Most of all, please continue to pray for our team as we prepare.  Please pray for safety, protection for us as we travel, serve and return.  Also, please pray for our families that we will be leaving for a while – for their safety.

5 Rules of Youth Ministry

March 3, 2010 in Student Ministry with 5 Comments

I have volunteered working with Youth for a number of years.  There is nothing more challenging and rewarding than working with pre/teenagers in a group setting.   So many times I have learned as much or more than they have from a bible study or discussion.

A number of people I follow on twitter have been at  SYMC (Simply Youth Ministry Conference) 2010.  From the tweets and posts I’ve seen, this conference appears to be a powerful resource for anyone working with teens.

Derry Prenkert, a Youth Pastor from Indiana, posted this video from the conference on his blog.  (Quick note – if you work with teens – Derry’s blog is a must read. Lots of awesome insight, challenge and encouragement.)

Now enjoy the “5 Rules of Youth Ministry”:

Are there any other “rules” you would like to see Youth Ministers and Volunteers abide by?

New Look and Better RSS Support

March 1, 2010 in Housekeeping with 1 Comment

I know, I just launched the site and I’m already making changes.  Thankfully, being “The Beta Version” gives me a little leeway to constantly making changes.

I’m excited to announce that I’ve switched themes to the new Standard Theme.  Although, I’m new to WordPress, I can certainly say that this is the easiest to use theme I’ve come across.  The functionality, customization and overall layout will make TBV much easier to maintain and customize as time goes by.

The Standard Theme gives better control over widgets and RSS feeds, so the feed functionality is a little better and should direct you to feedburner.  If you haven’t already subscribed, please do so you don’t miss out on the discussion.

My International Missions Opportunity – Romania

February 25, 2010 in Mission trips with 3 Comments

This post originally appeared at my first (and still active) blog earlier this year.   I’m re-posting it here because I really can’t think of a better way to restate what I had already written.

** Begin repost **

As many of you know, I will be going to Romania in June with my dad – specifically June 10-21. He is the Director of Missions for the Florence Baptist Association and has been leading trips to Piatra Neamt in the Northeast corner of Romania for nearly 10 years.

Some of the things under consideration for our team to do include:

  • Medical/evangelism
    • Witnessing in clinics
    • Taking blood pressures
    • Registering people
    • Working in the pharmacy
  • Children’s work like Bible clubs
  • Light construction
  • Negotiating the possibility of trying to help a small struggling church.

If any of you have gone on an International mission trip, then you know that they can be expensive. So, I’m in the process of raising funds to cover the cost for the trip. God has provided so many unexpected sources of funding so far – but I have a way to go yet.

I’ll be doing several things to raise funds.

  • Selling T-shirts for my new website (which has yet to launch www.thebetaversion.org). The site will do a number of things including providing updates on this mission trip and other mission/outreach related projects throughout the year.

    • We just finished final edits on the shirts, so if you’ve previously told me you’d like a shirt, please tell me again so I can get an accurate count.
    • Shirts are $15 for sizes S-XL plus any necessary shipping. 2X and larger are $1 more.
    • To buy a shirt, contact me using the call widget in the right hand column or email me GsimmonsSC (at) gmail (dot) com
    • Click on the image below for a larger image.
    • If you have a promotional need – please call Shawn at OurShirtsDontSuck.com It’s a GREAT company to work with.



  • PC repairs, upgrades, etc – If you need your machine cleaned up (viruses, spyware, malware), or need help with hardware changes, I will be glad to help with these for a donation. Donation will be up to you. I can also help you setup wireless networks, connect game systems to the web (Wii, etc), help you setup Netflix streaming, etc
  • Video projects – Have you been wanting to put photos into a memory DVD video? I can help you create the kind of project you’re looking for. This includes color correction and balancing of aging or faded photos.
  • Yard sale – I will be holding a yard sale later in the Spring – date to follow. Please let me know if you have items to donate or would like to buy some of these “hidden treasures”. :)

Of course, if you’re not local to Rock Hill…then the second and third bullets may not apply.

If you can help by letting me help you, then THANK YOU!

But, most importantly, pray for our team as we prepare for the trip later this year and THANK YOU for those prayers.

Welcome to The Beta Version!

February 17, 2010 in Housekeeping with 3 Comments

After a lot of time, false starts, questions to more “blog knowledgeable” friends – I am excited to introduce you to The Beta Version.  What is The Beta Version?

For several years, my first blog has been a hodgepodge of personal posts, devotionals, politics, meteorology, humor…you name it. Over the last year, quite a lot has happened.  From losing one job and starting another one to helping start a new ministry to middle school students at our church, it has been quite a year.  During this same time, I have had so many opportunities to be involved in various ministry opportunities.  All of this birthed the concept of The Beta Version.

As you may have seen at the top, the core verse for this concept is Philippians 3:12:

12 I do not mean that I am already as God wants me to be. I have not yet reached that goal, but I continue trying to reach it and to make it mine. Christ wants me to do that, which is the reason he made me his.

We (especially me!) are all “in Beta”.  If you’re not familiar with technology, software or hardware that is “in beta” is in a preliminary or testing phase.  It’s not complete.  Since I’m a geek (yes…geek – there’s a whole discussion on geeks vs nerds), this resonates with me.  Re-read the verse above.   Paul was writing to the Philippians and saying, “I’m not a final product yet, I’m in beta, I still have a ways to go.”

I get that!  As Christians, we are ALL “in beta” as God continues to work on us to mold us into what He has in mind.

This site will be a place where I hope we can all engage in the discussion about our beta status and what we can do to keep growing!  I will also post about my personal ministry opportunities.  2010 will be a busy year.  In addition to working in telecom software I am getting the opportunity to:

  • Go to Romania on a mission trip with my dad
  • Be a chaperone as my son goes to Children’s camp for the first time
  • Work with other volunteers to keep growing the new GROW Middle School ministry at our church
  • Grow our small church’s media/tech ministry beyond where it is now
  • Engage others in discussion about this beta life!

I encourage you to jump in and share your experiences as well!  We can all learn from each other, celebrate the successes, discuss why something didn’t go quite right and pray for each other.

We’re all in beta – hey this site’s going to be in beta for quite a while as I figure out what works best.

So, WELCOME! Look around, connect, engage discuss

Page 14 of 14« First...«1011121314