Merry Christmas from UpStreet!

We want to wish all of you a merry Christmas! 2008 has been an amazing year on UpStreet. This blog will be on a bit of a break since things are so crazy this time of year, but we want you to know how much we appreciate you. Thanks for all you do to serve these kids and families!

-Jill, Emily, Bethany, and Mike

“For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
-Isaiah 9:6

Thankful for our storytellers!

We wanted to give a special shout-out to our amazing UpStreet storytellers. Thanks for all you do to communicate the Bible in an engaging, unforgettable way!

Coming up this Sunday, sharing about Feast Days in the Bible, we have:

Jenny, 9:00 Cafe

Ron, 9:00 Warehouse

Wendy B., 9:00 Factory

Elizabeth, 11:00 Cafe

Contessa, 11:00 Warehouse

Betsy, 11:00 Factory

Gratitude!

Our Big Idea for the month of November is gratitude! We had a lot of fun kicking off the month with a crazy game show – “Thanks or No Thanks.” Not only that, we learned what the Bible has to say about thankfulness:

“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.”
-1 Chronicles 16:34

Not only that, we also announced our Be Rich service initiative! This year for Be Rich, we are all working together to have a free toy store for some special families that might not be able to have much of a Christmas this year. We all have a chance to BE RICH by giving brand-new toys for these kids. We’re asking UpStreet kids to go shopping with their parents, pick out a NEW toy to donate toward the toy store, then bring it to their UpStreet classroom. We’re collecting toys every Sunday in November!

Volunteer Spotlight: Stephanie Powers

Name:
Stephanie Powers

UpStreet Role:
11:00 Cafe worship team

Family?
I’m one of the few Atlanta natives. My parents are both remarried and I love both sides very much. I’m grateful that despite the hardship of divorce I can truly say I love step siblings, step-parents, step-grandparents, etc….there is nothing better than a HUGE family that all loves each other! My siblings are all over the south, Va, Nashville, Savannah, but yet I remained here b/c Atlanta is my home

Where did you grow up?
Conyers, Ga

What’s the last movie you saw?
hmmmmmm, honestly cant remember? I did see Enchanted at work not too long ago.

How and when did you get involved with UpStreet?
I started as a small group leader one summer as a volunteer but when I saw the worship team on stage I knew right away that was the place for me. I have been doing it for almost 3 years now!

What’s your favorite thing about serving on UpStreet?
Getting the kids excited about God through music! There are so many outlets to praise Him and celebrate Him, and music is one that is close to my heart!

What’s your favorite ice cream flavor?
Do I have to choose? Either apple pie from Brusters and good ol fashion Vanilla Bean

Could you tell us about one UpStreet moment you’ll always remember?
I remember the 1st time I sang with UpStreet – (It was @ NPCC in the Cafe) We were in the middle of a fun UpStreet song – when I looked to the far right of the stage and saw a girl singing her heart out! With her hands lifted to the Father, and her eyes closed tight! He says with “Faith like a child” I see these children and they have such faith!!! God is SO GOOD!

What was the first concert you went to?
Remember Sandi Patty?

What’s your favorite message or series from “big church”?
I can’t remember the official name of the series or sermon, but there was one sermon Andy did regarding work/career. I always struggled with being “ok” with a corporate job, or a job that is not necessarily “in the church.” However, Andy made me realize that not everyone is called to work in the church. Whether you work as a missionary in Uganda or as a top man on Wall Street you can still work for GOD! It’s not about what you do, but how you do it and you should always do it for HIM! It made me realize that wherever I work in life I can still be an example for Him and work for Him.

What’s your favorite Bible verse or Bible story?
Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.

Volunteer Spotlight: Laura Sanders

Name:
Laura Elizabeth Sanders

UpStreet Role:
11:00 Warehouse host

Family?
Mom, dad, younger sister

Where did you grow up?
Born in Jacksonville-FL, but grew up since age 5 in Woodstock, GA. So pretty much I consider myself a GA girl.

How and when did you get involved with UpStreet?
May of 2007 through my super fabulous friend Beth Pilgreen!

What’s your favorite thing about serving on UpStreet?
Performing for the kids and getting good reactions out of them!

What’s your favorite ice cream flavor?
This is really tough for me, since ice cream at my house has always been a food group in itself, but I’m going to have to say…. Ben & Jerrys Coffee Heath Bar Crunch or Oatmeal Cookie Chunk. They are the bomb!

Could you tell us about one UpStreet moment you’ll always remember?
When Beth Pilgreen and I had to play “mind-readers/mad scientists” and wear these crazy wigs and goggles! OR the one time that Mike had to come onstage during performance and check my mike and I totally didnt notice he was there for like a whole paragraph of my lines. OR that time when a small group volunteer was supposed to eat ketchup mixed with baby food mixed with onions and the leader let a kid come up onstage and eat it instead! Crazy stuff happens at UpStreet!

What was the first concert you went to?
Third Eye Blind in 9th grade. I thought Stephen Jenkins was so dreamy.

What’s your favorite message or series from “big church”?
Probably the series Voddie Baucham did on relationships. The whole who he must be/who she must be series. But I also thought the one Louie Giglio recently did on Hebrews 6:19 “this hope we have as an anchor of the soul”…was really good too.

What’s your favorite Bible verse or Bible story?
I really like Hebrews 12:11 “All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.”

Volunteer Spotlight: Autumn Ginn

Name:
Autumn Ginn

UpStreet Role:
9:00 Cafe worship team

Family?
Mom, Dad and a number of close friends who are my “brothers and sisters.”

Where did you grow up?
Hotlanta! To be more specific, Gwinnett County.

What’s the last movie you saw? (Survey filled out in February.)
No Reservations

How and when did you get involved with UpStreet?
Mike, Julie, and Stacee kept peer-pressuring me and I finally gave in this year! And if we’re being honest, I’ve always wanted to do it.

What’s your favorite thing about serving on UpStreet?
Using the gift God gave me to glorify Him and help little people learn to worship Him.

What’s your favorite ice cream flavor?
I’d have to go with something obscure like Gold Medal Ribbon from Baskin Robins. However, I like most kinds of ice cream.

Could you tell us about one UpStreet moment you’ll always remember?
Singing with Julie the first time was pretty awesome. It made me feel like a rock star. We might start a band.

What was the first concert you went to?
Either The Monkees with Weird Al Yankovic as the opener, or Michael Jackson at the Omni. I went to a lot of concerts growing up. My Dad made sure that was part of my Rock ‘N Roll education. Thanks, Dad!

What’s your favorite message or series from “big church”?
How to Be Rich, which was fairly recent. It came at a time when I was starting to reevaluate my finances. This series, paired with some advice from Dave Ramsey, helped me to sit back and reflect on how everything we have comes from God and isn’t ours anyway, so why not share?

What’s your favorite Bible verse or Bible story?
Off the top of my head, I’d say the story of David & Jonathan. I hope that I can be that kind of friend to those in my circle, but I know it takes work and sacrifice.

Volunteer Spotlight: Paige Bloodworth

Name:
Paige Bloodworth

UpStreet Role:
9:00 Warehouse worship team

Family?
Husband  – Greg,   Sons – Mac (7yrs), James (4yrs)

Where did you grow up?
Galveston, Texas

What’s the last movie you saw? (Survey filled out in February.)
Indie film “Once” – It’s very good by the way!  It inspired the singer/songwriter in me.

How and when did you get involved with UpStreet?
My dear friend Kathleen Merten signed me up.    I started in Oct. 2006.

What’s your favorite thing about serving on UpStreet?
Seeing the glorious smiles on the kids’ faces as they sing and dance. 

What’s your favorite ice cream flavor?
Dark Chocolate

Could you tell us about one UpStreet moment you’ll always remember?
Each Sunday brings a new moment.  Being a part of Upstreet is such a blessing to me.  I see a lot of future singers out there in the audience! 

What was the first concert you went to?
The Police – Synchronicity Tour

What’s your favorite message or series from “big church”?
They are all amazing to me.  I always walk away with something I can talk to others about.

What’s your favorite Bible verse or Bible story?
Right now my favorite verse is the one Jeff Henderson spoke about a little while back -  Luke 1:37-38.  I have it on my mirror and look at it each morning.  Good way to start out the day!

KidVenture: Pajama Jam on UpStreet!

So why was everyone wearing pajamas to church this past Sunday? Well, it’s all about an event on UpStreet we like to call KidVenture. All of our elementary-age kids – and all our amazing leaders – wore their pajamas to church! It was a blast!

KidVenture is a fun event offered twice a year with one specific focus – to allow UpStreet kids and their small group leaders to connect. Usually it’s held outside of UpStreet (past KidVentures have been a big-screen movie in the KidStuf Theater, and Jump ‘n’ Slide in the main auditorium). This time, we had our Pajama Jam during regular UpStreet on Sunday morning. It was a GREAT success!

In small group, the kids and their leaders ate chocolate sprinkle donuts, and each group came up with a name and Bible verse for the year (one example: Faithilicious). They also painted pillowcases and played get-to-know-you games. In large group, they danced and sang to some great, high-energy music, and they played a game show called “Do You Know It All?” The kids surprised us with their knowledge of UpStreet song lyrics… and the names of all three Jonas Brothers. (OK, so that was an easy one.)

Thank you to our wonderful volunteers, who were willing to come to church in their PJs to make it a Sunday no one will ever forget! And if you were wondering about that person next to you in “big church” wearing PJ pants… trust us, they were bringing the FUN on UpStreet!

Volunteer Spotlight: Ron Hart

Name:
Ron Hart

UpStreet Role:
Storyteller, 9:00

Family?
A wife of 44 years and 2 grown children

Where did you grow up?
Various countries in Latin America and NY/NJ

What’s the last movie you saw? (survey filled out in February)
Juno

How and when did you get involved with UpStreet?
Auditioned with Buckhead when it first opened

What’s your favorite thing about serving on UpStreet?
Telling the story with animation

What’s your favorite ice cream flavor?
Chocolate chocolate chip

Could you tell us about one UpStreet moment you’ll always remember?
Looking out and seeing the trusting faces of the boys and girls

What was the first concert you went to?
Peter, Paul and Mary

What’s your favorite message or series from “big church”?
The Canvas series

What’s your favorite Bible verse or Bible story?
Romans 8:1,2

Volunteer Spotlight: Haylie Montgomery

Name:
Haylie Montgomery

UpStreet Role:
Warehouse worship team, 9:00

Family?
Yes, I have two.

Where did you grow up?
Greenville SC

What’s the last movie you saw? (survey filled out in February)
Enchanted 

How and when did you get involved with UpStreet?
I started singing w/ UpStreet 2 years ago, I believe. I was leading worship with KidStuf, and wanted to find other outlets to serve!

What’s your favorite thing about serving on UpStreet?
Leading children to the Father through music!, and helping them to understand worship!

What’s your favorite ice cream flavor?
Mint mmmmmm

Could you tell us about one UpStreet moment you’ll always remember?
I remember the 1st time I sang with UpStreet – (It was @ NPCC in the Cafe) We were in the middle of a fun UpStreet song – when I looked to the far right of the stage and saw a girl singing her heart out! With her hands lifted to the Father, and her eyes closed tight! He says with “Faith like a child” I see these children and they have such faith!!! God is SO GOOD! 

What was the first concert you went to?
American Idol, lame I know….

What’s your favorite message or series from “big church”?
Hmmm, how could I pick one out? God speaks in different ways to me through each….. 

What’s your favorite Bible verse or Bible story?
I love Romans 11:36 – For all things come FROM God, happen THROUGH God, and belong TO our God! Glory belongs to our God, forever and ever, AMEN!