Thursday, November 6, 2008

New Ministries On The Way At Skipstone!

It's been even busier than usual here at Skipstone these last couple of days! We have been working on our revised budget for next year and doing some planning for next year and beyond.

We are in the process of merging the ministry of Rockbridge in to our Skipstone W.I.L.D.S program. For the last couple of months, we have been meeting with Chip Cofer & Brian Shuler, the founders of Rockbridge. These guys are awesome and God has really gifted them and given them a passion for ministry to men and boys, especially in the adventure setting.

We will be formally introducing these guys soon, but I couldn't wait to at least give everyone a taste of some of the new ministries we will be providing as a result of these guys joining the Skipstone team.

Beginning in January, we will offer an Adventure Club that will provide opportunities for young men 7-12 years of age to meet twice a month at Skipstone for adventures such as rappelling, ziplines , team challenges, special trips, and a time of study and devotion specifically designed for young men. We will be releasing more details about this very soon...... I personally can't wait to get started!

We will be conducting 5 weeks of Rockbridge Day Camps next summer on the campus of Mt. Vernon Baptist Church in Sandy Springs. The guys from Rockbridge have been providing day camps for several years at Mt. Vernon, and we will be providing additional support and resources to help continue and expand that ministry. They have a beautiful 15 acre low and high ropes challenge course and great facilities. This will allow us to "expand our territory" by providing some opportunities closer to our friends in the Metro Atlanta area.

In 2009 we will become much more intentional in the area of ministry to men. Several USC (Ultimate Sportsman's Challenge) events are being planned that will challenge men in a variety of sports and skill activities in an adventure filled afternoon. Each USC will end with an awards ceremony and a special guest speaker (you won't believe some of the guests we are securing for these!). These "partnership" events will be held at local churches who have a desire to reach out to the men in their communities and begin or strengthen the Men's Ministry of their church.

We will also be launching "BATTLEZONE - An Experience For Fathers & Sons".
The BATTLEZONE events will be weekend retreats where teams of 12 dads and sons sign up to compete against other dad/son teams in amazing challenges and adventures designed to strengthen the unique bond and relationship between dads and sons. We will also be going through a brief but challenging study to help guys identify and be prepared to handle the "battle zones" we each deal with on a regular basis. We are putting the final touches on "BATTLEZONE" and hope to announce our first dates very soon!

I hope that you are excited to hear about where God is leading us into these new areas of ministry. This is really just a taste of all that we are working through right now. God has given us some very clear direction that we are to be much more intentional about the ministry of Skipstone, especially in encouraging and strengthening the family. These new ministries are our first steps towards obedience in to God in this area.

Please continue to keep the Skipstone family in your prayers. It is so exciting to be a part of a ministry that God continues to lead and bless.

Whatever It Takes,
Chip Moody

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