2020 SUMMER

BUILDING BRIDGES

OF GRACE

Burst into song, you mountains,Burst into song, you mountains, you forests and all your trees, you forests and all your trees, for the Lord has redeemed Jacob, for the Lord has redeemed Jacob, he displays his glory in Israel. he displays his glory in Israel. Isaiah 44:23b Isaiah 44:23b

CONTRIBUTORSEditor: Becky Vroon

Graphic Design: Ruthanne BurchContributors: Laura Bansek, Kevin Burrell, Doug Falls,

Chris Gregory, Chris Hall, Tim Mascara, Caleb Rayapati, David Vroon, Ingrid Ward, Kate Williams

Copy Editors: Monica Gutai, Chris Hall, Cheryl Pfeiffer Front Cover: Raquel Raclette via unsplash.com

All stock photography was found on unsplash.com

stonebridge.org/mag

CONTENTS 3 - Letter from the Editor 4 - The Measure of our Days 6 - AVL Team Ministry 8 - StoneBridge Cares10 - 5 Steps to Peace11 - VineLife Women’s Ministry12 - On The Frontlines in India16 - Bridge to Faith Ministry17 - The Grace of Liberality: StoneBridge Deacons18 - SBkids Children’s Ministry19 - GROW Classes20 - COVID and Community22 - A Little Humility Goes a Long Way25 - College & Career Ministry | SIX|TWELVE Student Ministry26 - What if StoneBridge Disappeared Tomorrow?29 - StoneBridge Preschool30 - RealLife Men’s Ministry32 - Updates from our Ministry Partners34 - A Little Fun

Psalm 46:10 tells us, “Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” Our cover photo reminds us that even in these uncertain times God still redeems and continues to display his glory.

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Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of CreationO my soul, praise him, for he is thy health and salvation

All ye who hear, now to his temple draw near, join me in glad adorationOne of my favorite memes said, “My worst purchase this year was my 2020 planner.” Not that planning or goal-setting are worthless things; they are tools we need to order our lives, to function as teams, to make our work – which we were created for – productive and meaningful. At StoneBridge we plan sermon series and music, we plan events big and small, all of it aiming us, we hope, closer to the one who made us and closer to each other.We plan a magazine and what “story’’ it should tell, what our ministries need to communicate and we think we have a plan. But … God has his way, the stories come in and they are different, better, stories that brag on our God and how he is working through this disease, through his people.

Praise to the Lord, who o'er all things so wondrously reignethShelters thee under his wings yea so gently sustaineth

Hast thou not seen how thou desires e'er have been, granted in what he ordainethWorship leader Darlene Zschech wrote, “... the only safe and sure passage through any storm is to grab hold of His promises like an anchor and worship your heart out until you actually believe what you are declaring.” When we worship, we are exalting Christ and his control, his plan over every situation and circumstance.

Praise to the Lord, O let all that is in me adore himAll that hath life and breath come now with praises before him

Let the Amen sound from his people again, gladly for aye we adore himI pray the stories and articles shared in this magazine are an encouragement to you and give honor and praise to the giver of all good things. We look forward to the day when we can gather together and “Let the Amen” sound from his people again.

Letter From the Editor

Becky Vroon is our Programming Director and Editor of the magazine. She works behind the scenes in many areas of the church. When at home, Becky loves to tend her garden. She’s also known for making THE BEST salted carmel chocolate chip cookies in the world.

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This is a crazy time in history, or at least it feels like it in our history. It feels like we’re living through something that hasn’t happened before. It has. Others have gone through a global pandemic, they just didn’t have direct access to the entire world while it was happening. For many of us this is the first time we’ve lived through something that draws the whole world into its grasp, and yet, we don’t really know how well COVID-19 will be remembered by those who come after us. We don’t know what it will end up being according to the annals of history. Will it be a chapter, a paragraph, or merely a sentence? A blip of a thing that happened once? It feels massive right now. It is massive right now. It’s all-encompassing. It’s a quarantine and a shutdown of the global economy. BUT, it’s also a time to reevaluate and to reset. How are we living our lives? Why? What drives us? This time right now begs the question - what is the measure of our days? David asked the same question in Psalm 39. In verses 4-7 he says: “O Lord, make me know my end and what is the measure of my days; let me know how fleeting I am! Behold, you have made my days a few handbreadths, and my lifetime is as nothing before you. Surely all mankind stands as a mere breath! Surely a man goes about as a shadow! Surely for nothing they are in turmoil; man heaps up wealth and does not know who will gather! And now, O Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in you.”

My hope is in you. I often forget that. I put my hope in myself and end up getting so stuck in my own head that I think I can measure up by something that I do of my own accord. But whom am I living for? Who holds the ruler? The ruler of the universe holds the ruler. I tend to whip out my own ruler and try to determine how I’m doing. I think we all tend to do that sometimes (maybe? no? You’re all better than I am then). We try to measure our lives in the checking off of our to-do lists, and in what we have - in our houses, cars, kids, 401(k)s, and all of the other material things that we can’t actually fully take credit for. Our hearts tend to long for the things of this world. We still believe that terrible lie the snake told us long ago in the garden. We still believe that being our own god is far superior to submitting to the one true God. Don’t we all really want to be in control? That is the pull of our hearts.

THEMEASURE

OF OUR DAYSby Kate Williams

We say “yes, Lord I submit to you,” but then morning comes and we are like Pharoah, chasing after what we let go of the day before. What has this global pandemic—this global crisis—taught you about where your hope lies? It has shown me that I want to accomplish something. Too often I want to check off my to-do list at the expense of everything else. My hope lies in achievement—in making myself good enough by proving myself in what I do. Sitting at home while my husband works from home, and all three of my kids are here 24/7, often feels like an exercise in survival and less like an accomplishment. If I’m being really honest with myself, I don’t measure my days the same way God does. I lie to myself a lot. I say that I’m on the same page as him, but then I live for the applause of man and I reveal the depths of my own deception.I am a breath. A vapor. I am fleeting. I am a shadow. It’s NOT about me. I think that’s the part that I forget most often. My life is not about me. When I gave my life to Christ, he took my junk and gave me his clean slate. Therefore, my life is not my own. We are selfish above all else though, that’s why Jesus said to love our neighbor as ourselves. He created us, he has plumbed the depths of our hearts, and he knows how much we love ourselves. That’s how we need to love others.

He alone knows the measure of our days.

He alone knows our heart and our intentions. He knows our innermost thoughts. He knows how often we do things out of our own selfish gain, but pass it off as if we’re doing it for him or for someone else.He knows. He knows the things I wish weren’t true. He knows my worst thoughts and my worst mistakes.He knows.But he doesn’t leave me there. He wants to make me like him. He wants to make me like him because he knows best.

But when it comes down to the nitty-gritty, I often don’t follow where he’s leading because

I don’t live like I believe that he knows best,

or that looking more like him will lead to what’s best. Let me say that again—I don’t live like I believe that he knows best.There’s a Harry S. Truman quote that you’ve probably heard, but I think it’s fitting in this context:

“It’s amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit.”

Too often, I want the credit. I want it to be about what I’ve done. I want it to be about my name. But my name will be forgotten more quickly than I would like to imagine. I’m a mist. Any memory of me will clear when the sun comes up and the fog dissipates. I can live my days for myself—most of us do whether we care to admit it or not—or I can live for the name and fame of Jesus. He doesn’t need me, but he lets me help as best I can anyway.

He works through my imperfection and uses it to point to his perfection.

Am I willing to let go of myself and how I want to use my gifts, and to seek him above what I want for myself? Am I willing to use his ruler and put my effort behind his purposes, even if it feels like less right now? Am I willing to put all of my hope truly in him, and use this one short breath I have to proclaim his name to those around me? May my hope truly be found in you, Lord.

Kate is an avid runner, jewelry maker, and former StoneBridge staff member. She is married

to Peter and mom to (L-R) Adele, Keane, and Iris.

You can follow Kate on her blog lifeatfivefeet.blogspot.com.

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Upstream key | frequency scanning | stage display channel group | lower third | monitor mix

noise gate | de-ess | digitally controlled amplifier

Spend some time in StoneBridge’s Audio/Video/Lighting (AVL) booth and you’ll hear the unique and essential language of the production team. Our roles are fully behind the scenes – literally, we’re hidden above and behind everyone in the sanctuary – but the work performed is necessary to produce a worship service. Production consists of four areas: audio engineering, graphics, lighting design, and video production. The audio engineer is responsible for all elements of sound during a service: music mix, pastor mic levels, monitor mix for the singers, and multi-track audio recording. The graphics position runs ProPresenter, a powerful presentation program that outputs all of the song lyrics and backgrounds, plus plays any pre-produced videos that are shown. The lighting console manages all lighting cues throughout the service, including house lighting. Finally, at video production, all of the cameras are operated, the video is switched, and the livestream is managed. StoneBridge services have been videotaped and archived for years, but we didn’t begin livestreaming until Easter of last year. Its primary purpose was to serve congregants who couldn’t attend our services. All of that changed on March 15 when the coronavirus stay-in-place order went into place and worshiping from home became a necessity. Thankfully, we had the livestreaming experience and the only step we had to take was sharing the livestream link with the congregation. We are looking for dedicated volunteers to help in the AVL booth. If you have an interest in creative technology – even if you have no experience – we’d love to have your help. We will even explain the terms in the first paragraph! Email Chris Hall at chris.hall@stonebridge.org if you’re interested.

LET THEREBE LIGHTand sound and video

Chris joined staff in 2017, but he and his family have been members since 1997. He’s a master at video editing and sound engineering. When at home with his family he is perfecting his homemade pizza recipe.

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by Chris Hall

Cleaning out your closets?

Shop, share, and support the

visit caminocommunitycenter.orgfor their hours of operation

WE’RE OPEN FOR TO-GO ORDERS!Head downtown to the Community Matters Cafe and support

Charlotte Rescue Mission. Their passion is to help CRM’s graduates build skills that enable them to thrive.

“When you visit our cafe, you are not only reinforcing the essential life skills our students are learning, but you are showing them that they

have a community that believes in their future.”

821 W 1st St. CharlotteM-F 7:00am-3:00pm, Sat 7:00am-1:00pm

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USCar i ng fo rJES

H a s t h i s e v e r h a p p e n e d t o y o u . . . You’ve just settled into your favorite chair, your favorite drink and snack on the table beside you, your favorite TV show is about to start … and the phone rings. You think seriously of just not answering, but for some reason you do anyway. Turns out it’s a friend asking for your help in moving this Saturday; or maybe it’s someone from the Children’s Ministry at church asking if you can substitute teach this Sunday; or someone at the mall whose car battery has died and needs a jump – now!“Sure, I’d be happy to,” barely gets through your clenched teeth! But what if, when the phone rang, the caller ID reads, “Jesus”? Besides the fact that it’s hard to imagine Jesus having a cellphone, what needs does Jesus have? And why would he call you even if he did? Sounds impossible, right? But maybe it‘s more likely than you think. After 40 days in the wilderness, after fasting and being tempted by Satan, “angels came and took care of Jesus” (Matt. 4:11 NLT). During the horror of Jesus’ crucifixion, the “women who had come from Galilee with Jesus to care for him were watching from a distance” (Matt. 27:55 NLT). Luke 3:1-8 tells us that these women had provided for our Lord and his disciples out of their own wealth.

What a privilege it must have been to care for our Savior! What wouldn’t we give to have the chance to do so today?Actually, we do have that chance. At the end of all things, when we finally get to come before our wonderful Savior, he will tell us about how we cared for him during our lives. “And when did we do that, Lord?” we’ll ask. “When you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me,” Jesus will reply (Matt. 25:40 NLT). So next time an opportunity to care for someone comes along, think of it as Jesus calling and see if it makes a difference. And one more thing, if Jesus let people care for him, why should we be too proud to accept care from others? Let’s be like Christ and both give and receive care when the time comes.

Doug is one of our associate pastors and is over congregational care at StoneBridge. He is our resident expert on all things C.S. Lewis.

by Doug Falls

NEW THIS SUMMER:It hurts to lose someone. GriefShare is a friendly, caring group of people who will walk alongside you through one of life’s most difficult experiences. You don’t have to go through the grieving process alone. For more information about the ministry visit griefshare.org.This 13 week group will begin this summer.

Our Stephen Ministers are trained caregivers ready to listen, pray with and for you, and help you through a crisis or difficult time. They are there for you when life happens because no one should have to suffer alone.

Alzheimer’s can be a trying journey … God is in this journey with you AND he gives you others to walk with you. Join the Alzheimer’s/Dementia Support Group for Caregivers every second Monday of the month at 7:00pm.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THESE GROUPS, EMAIL CARE@STONEBRIDGE.ORG.

As we sit here in April knowing that you are reading this in May, we have no idea what the past month will have held for each of us, so we ask ... How are your plans going today?“In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33) When we think of the promises of Jesus, don’t we often neglect what Jesus said in John 16:33? Note that he doesn’t say you “might have trouble” or “people you know will have trouble.” He promises us that in this world “you will have trouble.” Thankfully, Jesus doesn’t stop there! He tells us to “take heart! I have overcome the world.” In this verse, we see two true realities. First, we will all have troubles; but second, Jesus has already won the victory. He doesn’t want us to be under the delusion that we will have a life of ease, yet through his death and resurrection, we have peace and courage that passes all understanding in the midst of our troubles. If your day is not going as you thought and you are in the midst of a storm, hold onto Jesus and his promises. Because he has overcome the world, we have too, through him. If you have a specific need and would like prayer, your shepherding elders long to pray with you. Please email us at care@stonebridge.org.

a note from your session

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5innersteps to

These “steps” are an amalgamation of the wisdom that can be found on the internet. Too often we can fall prey to the “easy” paths, whether they be the path to health, success, or peace. The problem? Control. We can’t control situations, create “intentions” to inner peace, or otherwise direct the circumstances, events, or the conditions of our lives. The answer? God. In no way am I trivializing the answer. The peace of God (which transcends understanding—Phil. 4:7) has the same nature as the love of God: it is higher, deeper, wider, and longer than any version of peace we can find or attempt to create for ourselves. In the Bible we find peace in the Old Testament as the word “shalom” and in the New Testament as “eirene.” The very word shalom is translated into over 300 words. It is a way of being, a way of living, and an approach to life. Cornelius Plantinga wrote:

“The webbing together of God, humans and all creation in justice, fulfillment, and delight is what the Hebrew prophets call shalom. We call it peace, but it means far more than mere peace of mind or a cease-fire between enemies. In the Bible, shalom means universal flourishing, wholeness, and delight – a rich state of affairs in which natural needs are satisfied and natural gifts are fruitfully employed, a state of affairs that inspires joyful wonder as its Creator and Savior opens doors and welcomes the creatures in whom He delights. Shalom, in other words, is the way things ought to be.”

shalom..... One word that is truly multifaceted. Shalom encompasses the very nature of God, the work of Jesus Christ, the presence of the Holy Spirit. Shalom permeates the entirety of our relationships: with God, within ourselves, with individuals, with groups of people, with God’s creation. Given the expansive nature of shalom, is it within our grasp? It seems daunting. It seems unattainable. And yet, shalom is God and shalom has been accomplished for us by God. Shalom presents itself in the same way as God: multifaceted, complex, elaborate, abundant—in a word manifold. As we have God, so can we have shalom.

is there a quick fix? are there easy steps? can we try harder? work more? do enough? .....not really. But we can seek God, abide in HIM, and trust WHO we know. With each new day we walk the path before us. As you walk, continue to observe the words that Jesus taught, seek the presence of the Holy Spirit, and allow God’s presence to transform your heart and mind. Abide in Him and breathe … peace.

1. remove yourself from the situation2. have nothing unresolved3. prioritize peace4. create a clear intention to cultivate inner peace5. believe you are doing the best you can: you are!

Really???

peace

Cynthia is creative at heart. She is the curator of our bulletin artwork and is working on her first book. Her family has been at StoneBridge for over 25 years.

by Cynthia Mitchell

1. remove yourself from the situation2. have nothing unresolved3. prioritize peace4. create a clear intention to cultivate inner peace5. believe you are doing the best you can: you are!

VineLife is committed to engaging women in all seasons of life. We provide ways for women to grow in their relationship with Christ and in community with each other. While this may look different as we move forward during

this time of uncertainty, we are still looking to provide those opportunities for you. This summer we are working on events and studies that we can do in person or virtually.

Watch for updates in your email or at stonebridge.org/vinelife.

Do you enjoy reading? Do you like to discuss the book you just read but don’t know anyone else who has read it? Join one, or all of our Summer Book Clubs. They are a great way to get to know some of the women in the church while discussing a book you all just read. You can order all of these books on Amazon. All book clubs start at 7:00pm, location TBD.

Do you have a desire to be in God’s Word but find that distractions seem to get the best of you? Do you start reading plans with good intentions but can’t seem to follow through with them? Would you enjoy reading God’s Word in community or appreciate some accountability establishing new habits? ABIDE is a small group ministry within VineLife. Our ultimate goal is to provide women with accountability and encouragement as they live life rooted in God‘s word. Women come together and commit to a reading plan and weekly meetings. We encourage

one another as we share journals discussing our interaction with God’s Word! Our next ABIDE groups will start in August! You don’t have to wait until August or until we offer the summer Bible study to dig into God’s Word. Grab a friend(s) and start reading! Pick a book in the Bible to read or email us and we will be happy to send you reading plans.

July 2 | Humble Roots by Hannah Anderson

July 28 | Jesus Over Everything by Lisa Whittle

August 27 | How to Pray: a Simple Guide for Normal People

by Pete Greig

Summer Book Clubs

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The current pandemic has the world in a panic. Not only are jobs being lost and orders to work from home, schools have been closed both here and around the world—our school, Vijayalaxmi Memorial StoneBridge School, being one of them. It was not an easy mandate to swallow. Why? The school isn’t just “a school” for our children to attend. It is a home away from home. It is an incubator for growth both academically and spiritually. It is—as they say on campus—a little piece of heaven. So, what do you do when you are forced to “close heaven’s doors?” Caleb’s answer: Open a window! The Indian government didn’t just give “work from home” orders. No, the country of India has been in a full and total lockdown, only being allowed to shop for essential items within about a mile of your home. For the migrant workers and their families, this has been an extremely difficult situation. Many are now jobless, hungry, and sick. Caleb’s heart for those in need wouldn’t allow him to sit back and do nothing. Here’s his first step of faith, in Caleb’s own words…

COVID-19 has been a terrible time for all around the world. The pandemic has changed the dynamics of what a normal life is. It has been a scary situation and I felt completely down and out, confined to home and working from there. I was too afraid to even go to the office or to the school campus for fear of police in the midst of lockdown. At the same time, I had an urge and longing to do something for the people who are in dire straits – particularly, poor, homeless daily wage earners and migrant workers across the country. The visuals that were beaming out from the media were agonizing, painful, heart rendering, and deeply touching.

A couple of times I was reduced to tears. I had no money in the bank and the little that was to come had been delayed due to lockdowns in USA and India. Even as I was struggling, a voice told me to look at the resources that I already had—stock of rice that I had procured to sustain 40 people in the campus, a kitchen, and cook at our disposal. I had this urge to cook hot meals and feed the hungry in the villages surrounding the school campus. In my interaction on Skype with our team in the campus, I found that several migrant laborers were working in a brick kiln a few kilometres away from the school campus. We made a few inquiries and found that these people were in dire need, but no one helped them because they were tucked away in a remote location. The same day, we talked to the police officials to get the required permission to meet the needs of the migrant laborers. The permission came without much trouble locally, but I did not have a vehicle pass to travel from my home to the campus and to the distribution site. I tried from various influential sources and drew a blank, but I didn’t want to wait any longer and dared to go to the school campus along with a friend. We passed a few police barricades and were stopped but we said that we were going for a relief work and managed to get past them. At one check post, I noticed that several people were being turned back and when my turn came, I flashed the letter addressed to Police Commissioner for permission. The cop looked at the letter head and said, “Harvest...go, go go.”

by Caleb Rayapati

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Soon his superior yelled at him, “why did you stop him and then why did you allow him to go.” He just responded by saying “I do not know.” The friend sitting next to me said, “Yes, he does not know but we know that it is our God!” I recognized that God does make a way when there is no way. It was indeed an adventure crossing the police barricades without proper permission or pass, but even more adventurous and exciting was the way things panned

out for the rest of the day. At the appointed time, we went

and invited the local police official to come and participate in the distribution. The local Sub-Inspector turned out to

be an IPS cadre officer on probation. He not only obliged but was so happy and thrilled about the way we organized the distribution and our passion for the needy. He also promised to contribute some clothes. The local village head also joined us in the distribution. Over 200 people and several children were living in pathetic conditions. After the lockdown was announced they were left jobless and couldn’t go back to their homes as the transport system was suspended. They were surviving on a meager allowance provided by the owner. So, our providing them with a nutritious meal was not only timely but also a much-needed means to survive. We also provided them soap and told them about washing their hands regularly. It certainly gave all of us great joy and satisfaction in meeting a felt need and doing this in Jesus’ name. After the distribution we went to meet the Commissioner of Police. God timed our visit to perfection as the officer was not only in his office but also gave us ample time to talk with him. He appreciated our intension and the project and asked us how he could help us. We had no hesitation in asking him for the vehicle pass and he immediately set the process in motion. Instructions were sent to the lower

official to grant us the vehicle pass. Hence, I now have a pass to commute to campus and office from home and our school vehicle also has a permit to pick up and drop supplies. All of this happened in a span of 12 hours and it humbled me a lot. I realized that when I obey him – whether we have money or not – and am willing to use the available resources, He is more than willing to use and multiply it. Certainly, when He guides, He provides.

I thought it was going to be another day with the food distribution at the brick kiln but about 250kms away our tiny little church at Neridikonda in the Adilabad district demonstrated the truth of “Love in Action.” The events were shocking and sad but there was immense joy in the way the church handled the situation. The day began with us distributing food to the migrant workers and I was joined by Acsha and Jonathan, who came loaded with biscuits (cookies) and fruity to be given to the children. They also gave 10 bags of rice and one bag of pulses (lentils and beans) apart from some cash contribution. They not only played with the children but entertained them with a song and simple talk. The meal consisted of beetroot fry and sambar with rice. But the real action was in Neridikonda. It reminded me of a book by sociologist Rodney Stark “The Rise of Christianity.” He talks about Rome and the Roman empire and how Christians served their heathen neighbors with the little they had while their relatives of the victims had fled from the cholera epidemic. The church, pastored by David Paul—who is one of our best dentists and mentor of the youth—at Neredikonda was no different.

The church was built adjacent to the truck stop off the National Highway (NH) 44. It is almost a gateway to the state of Telangana. David had seen migrant workers trekking down the highway towards their homes in states like Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. These places are hundreds of miles away from Neredikonda. Moved by the plight of these workers, David had contacted us and we decided to provide food for 50 people. When I called him at 11:30 on this day to check how things were going, David said that 22 people from Karnataka came to the church. They were worn-out, hungry and had bruises over their bodies—the vagaries of a few hundred kilometres of walking and lathi blows from the police. David not only fed them but also provided them with first aid and painkillers from his stock of medicines meant for the dental work. We realized that we not only had to give food but also provide first aid for the dehydrated workers. One thing led to the other! At 2:30, after winding up the distribution at the brick kiln and heading home, I called David again. It was shocking to hear him say that 150 people showed up at the church. I was confused as we had made provision for only 50 people and we had 150 to cater to. David explained that the police directed the workers to the church saying that the hungry were being given food. David said that he was cooking a simple meal again to feed these people and was also providing them first aid. In all, 280 people were fed whereas we have planned for 50 only. It was unbearable to see women and children with hollow eyes and whose hopes of returning home so uncertain. Heart wrenching to say the least! I was moved to the core and wanted to get permission from the district police officials and, therefore, called a highly placed police official. Listening to his perspective

was shattering and also showed the importance of the work done by the church. He said it was difficult to give permission since the place was under containment zone and they do not expect any movement of people away from their homes. All this while this town was under containment zone (infected people) and sealed for outsiders. Several villagers, who had COVID-19 positive neighbors, fled their homes and pitched tents in the fields for fear of contracting the virus. On the other hand, David and his team of several youth who had graduated from the VMSS, think differently. Instead of being concerned about their safety, they were worried about the migrants and wanted to show God’s love. It was humbling to see the hungry souls being fed and cared for inside the church. Our pastors Sunil and David, after the distribution of food, provided first aid and treated the wounds of the

people. During that time, local RSS and VHP leaders showed up at the church. They watched our team serve and take care of migrant workers and then got into

a conversation with David. They expressed their happiness on seeing the migrants being taken care of and said they would also like to do their bit from tomorrow. The people who we thought would cause us trouble and stop our work, came around and were inspired by our work. Now it is an opportunity to serve more people. Having failed to secure any written permission from police

and politicians, we have decided to continue providing 100 meals and medical help to as many as possible. Just now as I am penning these words, I got a text from one of first batches of VMSS graduates that they appreciate what we are doing and they have collected 5000 rupees ($70)—it may seem like a tiny sum but it is huge encouragement to me. God’s work, done God’s way does not lack God’s provision. Though our commitment is to provide meals until the lockdown is lifted, I see an opportunity to work with the laborers for a much longer period as the Lord provides.Thank you for your prayers and encouragement so far and I request you to continue to pray for us and the situation in India, even as we do the same for your families and country.

Every day in the distribution of food to migrant workers, there are several challenging moments, but in it all we were able to see the hand of God. About 30 migrant workers, trekking to their homes, were stopped by police and provided shelter at a Government school near the police station. The police and government representative asked if we could provide them meals during their confinement. We had no hesitation in grabbing the opportunity but we would need another vehicle to transport food and supplies to these people. The only vehicle we have has been earmarked to serve as the first mobile food station on NH 44, a few miles away. While we were in a dilemma on how to respond to the situation, God wonderfully provided the vehicle through the police themselves. About a year ago, we had retired and sold our “Bolero” wagon after 10 years of use. This vehicle has been seized by the police for violating curfew rules and lack of certain paperwork. The driver of the Bolero had been pleading

with the police to release the vehicle. When the police officer came to know of our connection to the vehicle and the driver, he put a condition to the driver. The officer said that he would consider releasing the vehicle if the driver agrees to help us deliver food every day. The deal was clinched and we have a vehicle at our disposal. We have been experiencing God’s help and provision every day since the last update. Had been too tired after returning home from distribution to capture the experiences God has provided, but thought I will not delay sharing this...that when God guides, he provides the vehicles too!

Caleb is the Director of Vijayalaxsmi Memorial StoneBridge School andw Harvest Ministries in the Telangana region of Andhra Pradesh, India.

Caleb, along with his wife Usha, love the children at VMSS like their own and look forward to the

day that the school is re-opened.

Namaste! Most of you are familiar with Bridge to India, StoneBridge’s sponsorship program for children in India, but did you know that we also support another ministry in India called Bridge to Faith?

Bridge to Faith (BtF) was founded to help support Harvest Ministries, an organization founded by Caleb Rayapati – yes, “our Caleb!” What is special about BTI and BtF is that they both work with families and pastors from the villages that our BTI children come from.Harvest Ministries supports local pastors who serve in remote Indian villages. This takes on the form of funding

for wells to supply clean drinking water, motorbikes for transportation to remote churches, Bibles for distribution, as well as sound systems for the pastors so their voices can be amplified as they spread God’s word. BtF works closely with Harvest’s HIV/AIDS clinics which provide medical

care for those afflicted with this disease and supports their families in many practical ways such as food, clothing, and counseling whenever possible. Medical care is provided in clinics throughout the Harvest villages as well as in a brand-new medical center located on the VMSS campus. Bridge to Faith also has the privilege of facilitating the sponsorships of VMSS graduates during their college and university years. One of our newest projects is working to establish a sponsorship program for the Harvest pastors, hoping to provide additional financial aid for their families and ministries. It has also been our privilege to send funding to help support the urgent work of Harvest Ministries as they provide food and water for some of India’s most vulnerable – the migrant workers. If you would like to learn more about Bridge to Faith, support the work with a financial gift or go with us on a trip, please contact Jen Westmoreland at jen@btfindia.org or visit our website at btfIndia.org.

Bridge t o

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Deacons within the PCA have a unique responsibility “to develop the grace of liberality in the members of the church.” But what is the grace of liberality? Over the past months, our deacons have been honing down a definition of what they are called to promote, and what we are called to live out. The Deacon’s mission is to encourage StoneBridge Church Community to minister to those in need, to the sick, to the friendless, and to any who may be in distress by sacrificially giving ourselves away and we are called to live this out with... The Grace of Liberality: a radical obedience to Christ’s call to steward his resources with open hands and hearts. Trusting God with our time, talents, and wealth is a reflection of his abundant grace. God’s grace at work through us enriches our souls and is proof Jesus is alive. “With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all that there were no needy persons among them…” (Acts 4:33-34) God has given everything we need through his son Jesus Christ and he modeled total generosity by being obedient and trusting God the Father. As Christ followers, we are conduits of his grace and generosity, and are encouraged to give beyond our means to take part in the relief of the saints (2 Cor. 8:2-3). C.S. Lewis writes, “There ought to be things we should like to do and cannot because our charitable expenditure excludes them” (Mere Christianity) Paul encourages generosity: “But as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all earnestness, and in our love for you—see that you excel

in this act of grace also. I say this not as a command, but to prove by the earnestness of others that your love also is genuine. For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.” (2 Cor. 8:7-9) Paul emphasizes that it is not a command, but highlights the benefits of accessing God’s grace, “Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.” (2 Cor. 9:7-8)This is not necessarily about living on less; it is about humbly accepting the grace that God has given us freely, trusting in Jesus Christ alone and following his example and then applying how to align our lifestyles with God’s unique call on our lives and trusting him. It’s the hope and prayer of our deacons that StoneBridge would continue to live out this “grace of liberality” in ever-increasing ways as we give ourselves away for the sake of the gospel.

If you would like to contact the Diaconate for any reason you can email them at deacons@stonebridge.org.

A Word from Our Diaconate

We love your covenant children and ministering to them is one of the great joys of our lives! Seeing God take hold of a child’s heart is one of the greatest blessings and yet we’ve been asked to refrain from it by those God has seen fit to place in authority. This has led to some tough decisions for all of us. One being postponing Summer Bible Camp until next year. While this is, hands down, my favorite week of the year for our ministry, it has become clear that it is an unnecessary risk. In light of this, Hope and I are working diligently on several new ministry avenues for our families. These include weekly ministry emails, a SBkids ministry time during our online Sunday service, and a SBkids Pool Party. In addition to this, we’ll start our new summer curriculum soon. Over the last several years we have been blessed to have Susan Grewell serve as a teacher. Her passion for teaching children led her to write a wonderful curriculum called “Growing Fruitful Souls.” In it, she combines her passion for Scripture, nature, botany, and children all into a wonderful curriculum and we are excited to begin this with our SBkids in Kindergarten and 1st grades. Our 2nd–5th graders will resume their 4-year journey through the New City

Catechism. This little set of Q&A’s will give them a solid foundation on which to build a lifetime of faith in Christ. It’s fun, engaging, and most of all - Biblical!

If you’d like to get a head start, you can read through Q&A’s 14-27 as a family. Summer topics include: the fall, Christ, redemption, and grace.

For more information on how to download the app go to newcitycatechism.com.

Finally, we are always looking for brothers and sisters to teach our covenant children. If you are a member and are looking for a way to be blessed while blessing others, shoot us an email. This is work that lasts into eternity. In the meantime, we fix our eyes on Christ. We have a unique opportunity to model for our children what it looks like to trust Christ for our daily bread. While these feel like uncharted waters for us, we trust in the one who holds the future in his hands.

Global pandemics are uncharted territory for all of us. So like every other ministry, we are looking for what the next steps will entail. There is, however, a guiding principle that has helped clarify our responsibility. Jesus takes the protection of children very seriously (Matt. 18:6).

To get in touch with us

email kids@stonebridge.org

Chris is our Children’s Ministry Director and dad to 7! When he finds the time, he loves to play his electric guitar.

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International Campus Connections is an outreach and hospitality ministry among international students at UNC Charlotte, and is supported by StoneBridge. We will be very active this summer semester since the Coronavirus knocked out our socials, trips, and in-home meetings for the spring semester. Please be in prayer for these students who are not only away from family, but also in a foreign country. While the general population of UNCC was able to return home, approximately 2,000 students remain, studying and

looking for internships, but without the usual connections of student support groups and ministries. Very few have cars so their ability to go off campus is limited. Many will remain this summer as plans to visit families, or search for jobs within the three months their visa requires, will not be realized.We are looking for volunteers who could help with Connections summer activities. Help us help them have a better experience in the U.S. this summer! Contact Ellen Coble, Team Leader & StoneBridge missionary, at internatcampusconnections@gmail.com

GROW Classes Coming Soon

newcitycatechism.com

homeGROWn is continuing this summer, allowing anyone who wants to grow in knowledge and faith to do so from the comfort of their own homes.

Join us for The Past that Shapes Us (an overview of the first five books of the Bible).

Tuesdays starting June 2 at 8:00pm via WebExstonebridge.org/homegrown

New City Catechism

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COVID and

It’s been an odd time to be the pastor of connections at StoneBridge. I described it to someone as a scene from Avengers: Age of Ultron, as Hawkeye is trying to assess his dubious usefulness on the team of heroes. “The city is flying, and we’re fighting an army of robots. And I have a bow and arrow. Nothing makes sense.”When your main role and passion is helping people to meaningfully connect, social distancing measures are a bit of a curveball. How can my “bow and arrow” help StoneBridge experience togetherness in a moment of global sequestering?But here are three things I’ve learned about the importance of community through this crisis.COMMUNITY THRIVES IN THE MARGINS OF LIFE. Busyness is the enemy of intimacy. By increments, most of us have gradually allowed our life to push its margins to the edge of the page. We didn’t necessarily decide to move at this frantic pace. It happened in small steps, like the proverbial frog in the kettle. And then suddenly, in a matter of days, many of these manifestations of busyness were removed. Some were mere diversions, while others were more life-defining. Pascal once wrote, “All of humanity’s problems stem from man’s inability to sit quietly in a room alone.” He wrote that in the 1600’s, well before Netflix and Candy Crush. In recent days, so much of our societal noise has been stilled. We have the ability now to ask, “How did we get here? How did I allow life to get so busy and noisy?” We can make decisions more circumspectly about what to add back in—and to what degree—when this moment has passed. As we make those decisions, hopefully we do so with this recent discovery: Removing the pacesetters of busyness has created more time to prioritize people. How do we keep that? How do we cherish and protect the newly-gained time we’ve found to look each other in the eye and ask, “So how are you doing, really?” After all, do we really want “things to go back to normal” when this is all over? Or, do we want this moment to have awakened us to a better version of ourselves, a Matt. 22 upgrade that puts a new passion on “love God and love others?” A life with more room in our hearts to relationally pursue the people around us and the God who loves us?ONLINE COMMUNITY IS A GIFT. Paul wrote to the Thessalonians, “But since we were torn away from you, brothers, for a short time, in person not in heart, we endeavored the more eagerly and with great desire to see you face to face.” (1 Thes. 2:17) Paul was longing for face-to-face presence with this community, but circumstances prevented it. So instead he availed himself of his generation’s technology to stay connected with those he loved. His “technology” was a quill, some parchment,

COMMUNITYLessons on Connect ion from a T ime of I solat ion

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by Kevin Burrell

Kevin is one of our associate pastors. He heads up our LifeGroup Ministry & helps people get connected into the life of our church. Kevin is a U2 super fan (he’s been to 5 concerts in 5 different states) and an avid bird watcher.

and a willing DoorDash volunteer to deliver the letter.

This pandemic moment isn’t the first one the Church has been called to minister into, but it is the first one in a digital age that allows us to send instantly-delivered messages, talk face-to-face remotely with loved ones, and even gather groups together via Zoom and Google Hangouts. The Lord gave us these gifts in part to be able to stay connected in these moments of forced isolation. He’s allowed the means for our ministry to adapt to this moment, stay connected, worship concurrently online, disciple our kids, enjoy our life group communities, and even innovate some new ministries like stay-at-home RealLife breakfasts and Tuesday night GROW classes.

If a heart of worship includes “giving thanks always and for everything to God” (Eph. 5:20), then let’s gratefully thank God for the tools he’s provided us to keep community tangible.

And yet…PHYSICAL PRESENCE IS A BETTER GIFT. As astounding as these tools are in maintaining our community, they are no substitute for physical presence. Anyone who has watched teens at a restaurant, at the same table but texting one another instead of talking, knows this. We long to see heads look up and acknowledge each other, unmediated by apps. These past months have surfaced many things that we take for granted. I’ve never seen my wife so excited

about a 64-ounce bottle of hand soap, or myself so concerned about a half-gone roll of toilet paper. But I earnestly hope that when all this is over, the physical presence of other

people will be the gift we’ll have the greatest newfound appreciation for.Presence matters. We need no better demonstration than the incarnation of Christ. When the fullness of time had come, God sent… a text? A tweet? A Google Doc from the cloud? God removed any intermediary forms of communication. The media was a man. It was Jesus’ physical presence amongst his disciples that made the impact; they rejoiced that the Savior was one whom “we

have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands.” (1 John 1:1) When “normal” returns to the world post-pandemic, I expect that we will have discovered many new media-savvy ways of getting work done, staying connected, and doing life. May those things serve our relationships without replacing them. Online worship has been a temporary necessity, not a new strategy. Virtual men’s breakfasts await the day when we can all break bread and bacon together again in the same space. We accent the word “community” in our church’s name because we believe we are called to a shared life. Physically gathering is a crucial piece of the rhythms of shared life. I hope we embrace a newfound appreciation for the gift of those gathered moments.

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A L I T T L E

humilityG O E S A L O N G WAY

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humility Ever say something you immediately regret? The words stumble out of your mouth before your internal filter can scream, “Stop, stop stop!” Perhaps it isn’t a word that stumbles out of your mouth, but out of your fingers as you type on some device. A small feeling in your gut rises and you realize, “I probably should not have hit submit just now.” Right now we are in a season of even more reliance on digital communication and social media than we expected. This season is compounded upon as we also find ourselves in a big election year, a presidential race. If the 2020 race is anything like the 2016 race, mixed with the increase of social media use, we will have more opportunities before us to type words with little thought of the impact they could have on others. And not just “others” out there, but fellow brothers and sisters here in our own community. If we are not careful we may find ourselves descending into name-calling and other types of divisive words.

While we would expect Christians to perhaps behave with a little more civility or humility, many times our expectations are unmet and broken. This speaks to our own brokenness and its ripple effect. And it also speaks to some valuable lessons on how we interact online while we find ourselves more at home.

Recently I was reading a book called Humilitas by John Dickson. Humilitas was written in 2011 and I would highly encourage others to read it, shelve it, then read it in a year to glean some more from it. Throughout my times of rereading this book, I have never come back to it and exclaimed, “Yes! I have done it! I have achieved humility!” My response tends to be, “Man, I still have a long, long way to go in understanding and living out this thing called humility.” What stuck out to me during this rereading was something Dickson writes in the very beginning of the book, and then unpacks in the second to last chapter. He writes,

“One of the failings of contemporary Western culture is to confuse conviction with arrogance...humility, rightly understood, is a potential antidote to the hateful political and religious rhetoric we often hear: Left versus Right, Christian versus Muslim and so on. I want to argue that the solution to ideological discord is not “tolerance” in the post-modern form we frequently find it, the bland affirmation of all viewpoints as equally true and valid but an ability to profoundly disagree with others and deeply honor them at the same time...It should be entirely possible for Christians to reject Islamic doctrine as invalid and untrue—to maintain theological conviction, in other words—without diminishing their capacity to honor Muslims as fellow members of the human family...the liberal should be able to profoundly disagree with the conservative position without descending into name-calling, smugness, and public bullying tactics.”

As I finished rereading the section, I sat back and wondered about our own posts we tend to make on social media and comment threads. I wondered about our political affiliations. The way we have excelled at disagreeing with other parties and yet have dwindled or even lost the ability to honor another from a different party. I think we tend to be really good at declaring and affirming our viewpoints. Yet we struggle to find the balance to also honor the other person, whether fellow commenter, writer, or speaker. I have lost count of the times I have uttered the words, “Well I wouldn’t have said it that way.” Or some other demeaning word to another’s expression of viewpoint. I see how I am capable of quickly descending into the very things Dickson calls out.

The challenge is figuring out how to honor someone and yet disagree with them.

And in turn respond in humility when our own opinion is met with opposition. Perhaps this is a challenge for us because we have wrapped our identity too tightly around our opinions. If you question my opinion, my words, you question who I am. If you question who I am,

by Tim Mascara

then it becomes personal; it becomes an attack on me, on my faith, on my identity. My conservative position makes me a conservative person and therefore to question my position is to question my person. It would seem we need to discern between these two important, and yet different notions. Could another way we descend so quickly into these terrible behaviors be our lack of understanding the difference between conviction and arrogance? When did holding a conviction strongly become arrogant? Can these ideas be held separately? Can I hold a conviction, speak to that conviction, and not be interpreted as arrogant or as holier than thou? To have a conviction does not make someone arrogant. And the better we apply that notion to others as they speak and ourselves, the better the conversation will go. But this takes some remembering. Remembering to unwind my conviction with my identity, to unwind my conviction with my humanity. Dickson poses the thought this way, “We have forgotten how to flex two mental muscles at the same time: the muscle of moral conviction and the muscle of compassion to all regardless of their morality [conviction].” This is just the tip of the iceberg. More could be discussed and Dickson wrote even more on the whole topic. But I want to end by looking at a few of the ways he believes we can begin cultivating humility in ourselves. First, we are shaped by what we love. To strengthen the virtue muscle of humility, we need to understand that how much we love something tends to shape us, aim us toward that end. Beginning to see the inherent beauty in something or someone affects our heart and the growth of something in our hearts. I would highly recommend reading James KA Smith’s book, You Are What You Love.

So, what are we willing to love more...our opinions, our political party, our convictions? Or our neighbor?

Second, Reflect on the lives of the humble. Whether we want to or not, we tend to be influenced by those we admire. And we tend to be influenced by those we spend the most time around. Spend some time not only reading historical figures, but intentionally seek out and surround yourself with people who exhibit this virtue. Third, Conduct thought experiments to enhance humility. What are situations that you might find yourself in to enact humility? What are situations you might find yourself in that will cause you to stick to your conviction and yet practice respect for another individual? Perhaps think of the person on the opposite side of the spectrum and ask yourself, how can I practice humility if I were in a conversation with them? Fourth, Act humbly. Simplistic. I know. But behaviors are reinforced through practice. Historically the notions of virtue and vice were understood as good habits and bad habits. These habits were reinforced in behavior. You want to become more patient? Act it and put yourself in situations to practice it. Read some resources, tips, and tools, then seek someone to practice them with. Fifth, Invite Criticism. These conversations can be embarrassing, painful, and wounding. But Dickson points out that the benefit of thoughtful feedback far outweighs these moments. By focusing on these few practices, the hope and the goal is to begin to converse, to speak, and to act in a way that allows for convictions while still treating others respectfully. This is a lesson I still need to remember and practice. And yet, I know I am not the only one who could benefit from the reminder. It is a lesson that we may not learn anytime soon, but it is part of this long obedience in the same direction .

We have forgotten how to flex two mental muscles at the same time: the muscle of moral conviction and the muscle of compassion to all regardless of their conviction.

Tim is one of our associate pastors and heads up our Student Ministry

(SIX|TWELVE). Tim is an avid board-gamer and has one

of the most extensive game collections one has ever

seen.

stonebridge.org/students

When we start college or begin our careers and take our first real steps of independence, our faith is no longer guided by the beliefs of our parents; we have to make it our own.Last year I found myself looking for friends because I had lost touch with those from high school. That’s when I found out about the College and Career group and began getting involved. Like me, they seemed to be trying to find their place in this world and meet new people. At first, I was hesitant about joining a new group, but they welcomed me with open arms. I was invited to movie and game nights with the group at a time when I felt I had no one else and I am forever grateful. We are able to go deep into the Word and talk about difficult topics. I have grown in my faith (and in movie genres). I’m blessed to

be part of it, and I know they will always have my back when life happens. - Brenna Hart

stonebridge.org/students

STONEBRIDGE.ORG/CANDC

I’ve been part of this ministry for nine years. In my time there, I’ve grown from passive participant to small group Bible study leader. What started for me as a simple way to connect with people around my age in the church, has turned into a real community through investment and service.As an extrovert, finding community is important to me, but being in community is also an essential part of being in the Body of Christ. When I moved to Charlotte in 2010, getting to know people was difficult. While I enjoy meeting people and making acquaintances, I desired deeper friendships. The College and Career Ministry is where I found them. These relationships have been a true blessing from the Lord. Prov. 27:17 says, “Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.” I find myself sharpened daily. - Ashley Thomas

Through Bible study, group activities, movie nights, retreats, and more, our friendships have grown and Christ is glorified.“

”

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We challenged all 6th-12th graders to donate 500 pounds of food over three days for various food pantries we support. Our fearless leader Tim, had jokingly said he would get a tattoo of our ministry logo if we reached 1000 pounds! Well...they blew the top off the goal and collected over 2000 pounds! It was awesome to see everyone rally together to meet the goal, even when we can’t be physically together. Thanks to all who gave generously to help us meet the goal!

conGRADulations!conGRADulations!David Almond, Marah Barrington, Talon Bolme, Brandon Chaney, Hannah Dunn, Andrew Faircloth, Peyton Gates, Mack Gibson, Adyson Holladay, Andrew Jones, Sarah Kuo, Abigail Levinson, Naomi Levinson, Christopher Lopez, Lydia Miles, Alex Newsome, Abbey Oliver, CJ Ownbey, Rivers Painter, Christian Ponce, Isabella Saliba,Samuel Sorrell, Liam Yarbrough. to our 2020 High School Seniors!

Ten years ago when Brent joined our staff, his job description consisted of one overarching task—“If we were to disappear, would the community even notice?” Ten years later it is clear that—through Brent’s faithful service—God is glorified and we are making an impact in our community!

“What if StoneBridge disappeared tomorrow?” “Would anyone notice or care?” By God’s grace, I believe the answer has become more and more “Yes!” over the past ten years. Enthusiastic volunteers regularly serve with – and financial support is given to – a diverse array of fifteen-plus local community partners, all of which have been strategically chosen according to the following principles:

– Community partners whose work focuses on people groups for whom the heart of God consistently beats throughout Scripture (Lev. 19:33-34; Job 30:25; Pro. 14:20-21; Pro. 31:8-9; Isa. 61:6; Jer. 29:7; Mat. 25:35-40; Luk. 14:13-14; Mar. 9:37)– Opportunities that involve personal interaction and relationship building (Tit. 2:1-9; Jam. 2:15-17)

– Opportunities to minister to the whole person, spiritually and physically (Mat. 5:16; 1Pet. 2:12)– Opportunities to minister to our immediate neighbors, where God has planted us; within a seven-mile radius of our campus (Mat. 22:37-40; Mat. 5:16; Jer. 29:7)– Community partners that are evangelically Christian or “morally positive and spiritually neutral” (Mat. 25:35-36; Mat. 5:16; 1Pe. 2:12)

In addition, StoneBridge provides support to ten local missionaries in the greater Charlotte area, who are “good neighbors” in the locales in which they minister. And then there are the “parklet” and basketball courts, which have been an incredible blessing to our neighbors far and wide! God is on the move in Charlotte and his work has been picking up steam in the past four or five years. Both a 2014 Harvard/Berkeley study (which ranked Charlotte dead last among major cities in upward mobility) and the violence and unrest in September 2016 have been used by God to wake up our churches to the fact that all is not well in the Queen City.

what if stonebridge disappeared tomorrow?

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by Brent Jones

City leaders realized this, too, and they knew that change would only happen if everyone in Charlotte were at the table, including her churches. In December 2016, I was asked to convene a monthly meeting of civic and church leaders in the University City area—to build friendships, to keep up with the community’s greatest needs, and to be ready to react quickly and effectively to future crises. Simultaneously the Lord was putting together the University City Family Zone, a community development organization that also brought non-profits, UNCC, Atrium University Hospital, and marketplace leaders to that same table. I don’t think any of us anticipated the sheer magnitude of the COVID-19 crisis, but our almighty God has been redeeming it in many ways, including the expansion of StoneBridge’s target area to include the hard-hit Hidden Valley neighborhoods. God knew the novel coronavirus was coming, and because the church network and Family Zone had been “tilling the soil” in this community for the past three years, we easily and quickly sprang into action and helped feed (at the time of this writing) over 6,000 meals a week to residents in that area, many of whom were the first to be laid off when the crisis began. Hearts are more open now to eternal things than at any time since 9/11, and God has used our service to proclaim the Good News in both word and deed to thousands of people. And he has knit churches and organizations together into relationships that will far outlast COVID-19 and contribute even further to his Kingdom work here. The Community Hub is one of those UCity Family Zone partner organizations. Its founder Charles Robinson and dozens of volunteers (many of them from StoneBridge – thank you!) work all day – every day – in Northside Baptist Church’s commercial kitchen, busily preparing upwards of 9,000 meals per week for the people sheltering in place at these motels, along with homebound seniors. Gospel tracts and Bibles accompany the food whenever they’re available. The food comes from a variety of sources, including generous restaurants, a Family Zone non-profit

called Feeding Charlotte that collects extra food from markets and restaurants, and a grant from the Foundation for the Carolinas. As a result, a crisis of potentially significant proportions has so far been averted. HealCharlotte is another UCity Family Zone organization that has been engaged. Its founder, Greg Jackson, and his colleagues have been active in serving the residents of an apartment complex on the other end of Hidden Valley for years. From leading daily after-school tutoring and recreation and Bible classes for the hundred or so children who live in the complex, to teaching financial literacy classes for their caregivers, HealCharlotte has made a real difference during the three years they’ve been serving there. When the novel coronavirus struck, numerous residents were jobless and stranded without adequate food.Enter Uptown Yolk. Uptown Yolk is a breakfast spot in the 7th Street Market

MISSIONSINTERNATIONAL AND DOMESTIC

Please remember to PRAY FOR OUR MISSIONARIES! During this pandemic each missionary’s ministry has changed drastically.

For more detailed information, go to stonebridge.org/missionaries.

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that’s usually bustling each morning. Not since COVID-19 shut it down, however. Greg knew the restaurant’s owner, though, and because of a generous donor, “Chef Oscar” and his crew now cook 200 meals each morning which go to feed the at-risk families in Greg’s neighborhood. People in desperate need have food, and a business and its employees like Chef Oscar are able to remain afloat. It’s been beautiful to see. Just around the corner from StoneBridge, the Keith Family YMCA is also playing a critical role during this crisis. This branch, along with a number of others, is providing day care for the children of healthcare workers at Atrium University Hospital. Our nation’s front-line heroes are able to do their life-saving work because of this critical service being supplied by the Y. And you stepped up here, too, StoneBridge, in helping provide daily snacks for the 30+ children being cared for there.

Well done! So what is next for StoneBridge and Charlotte? I don’t believe God is asking us to stop the work we have been doing–with his blessing, it will only increase! However, I think he is asking us an additional question, not to us collectively as a church, but to each of us individually: “What if YOU were to disappear tomorrow? Would anyone in YOUR neighborhood notice or care?”

What if—when Jesus boiled down the Law and the Prophets into “Love God, and love your neighbor as yourself”—what if he meant your ACTUAL neighbor?

For outreach and service at StoneBridge, I believe THAT is the next frontier.

Brent is our Director of Service & Outreach. He hails from California but is well-known in the University City area of Charlotte. He can rival Kevin as “biggest U2 fan on staff.”

One of the millions of joys in being the StoneBridge Preschool Director for 22 years is discovering more about the way preschoolers learn as more is discovered about how God designed our brains. Did you know that the first 3 years of a child’s life is the BIG BANG for the BRAIN?

86 billion neurons are firing away, absorbing everything around them! By age 4 the brain begins to build up the most frequent pathways and prunes those that are not used. What an important time that is in a child’s life! So what pathways do we want to be built up, what is it we want children to be trained in so that when they are old they won’t depart from it? This question has formed our focus at StoneBridge Preschool. First and foremost, we want our preschoolers to know that they are fearfully and wonderfully made by an Almighty, Creator God who is crazy about them and whose Son loves them so much that he died for them, but then rose again so we can have life with him forever. Our preschool environment needs to promote discovery and wonder with lots of loose parts, craft materials, items from nature, and more that get those neurons firing! Then there’s discovering God’s creation through

outdoor play with natural elements and gardening. Swinging, spinning, and hanging upside down are great for organizing the prefrontal cortex which promotes executive function - who knew? Children apparently, because they do it naturally! Our amazing teachers are tuned into each child’s uniqueness, looking for ways to encourage his or her gifts and to work through weaknesses. They are intentional about promoting kindness, encouragement, acceptance, problem solving, conflict resolution, and other traits that make for good community. Children are learning to not only love and respect adults other than their parents, but to love and respect their neighbors—their fellow students —to “do to others as they would have them to do you.” This is what we want children to be trained in so that they will not depart from it! As we remind ourselves regularly, this is not our preschool, not StoneBridge’s preschool, but God’s. To Him be all the honor and glory!

Ingrid is the Director of our Preschool. She loves to set sail on Lake Norman with her family when the weather is just right.

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by Ingrid Ward

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WHEN THE GOING GETS TOUGH“The best time to be ‘connected’ with a group

of guys is before the crisis hits.”

Many of us try to do life alone, become isolated, or pull back when we should be pressing in. Going it alone is not how God wired us. Life is more fulfilling with a group of guys who are moving in the same direction! We’ve asked a few of our guys to share about their experience:What has been the benefit of forming a group?

A: Sharing questions from a man’s point of view in a confidential environment. A: You go through life with other men who have similar challenges that I have. You have brothers to share with, to challenge you, to support you, to pray with you.

What was the driving factor to commit to “doing life together”?

A: No other option – there are no other men in my family and I hoped that a Christian environment would be a good place to start looking.A: The key word here is commitment. This is not a casual group you go to whenever you feel like it, it’s a commitment to live life together. The driving factor was wanting to be closer to God, to grow, to be challenged to move beyond where I currently stand. Knowing there’s so much more.

What was unsettling about this new challenge?A. So the truth of the matter is the commitment. You may not even know these people oh, and I chuckle, I might not even like these people, but as you let people in and grow together...God’s plan is perfect. A. My concern was if I would have the time to dedicate to it with my travel schedule. COVID-19 has taken care of that.

What is the greatest reward you’ve experienced?A. Growth of true friendship, which most men do not have. Typically we judge each other and compare, versus love unconditionally and accept each other, and put the other person first.A. Share the weight of the journey – with the deteriorating health of a loved one.

What insights would you give to other men who have yet to develop a band of brothers?

A. DO IT – get over yourself. You will receive 4-5 times the benefit of the work you put in because of the group size.A. Challenge yourself to get in a group and stick with it, no matter what. Don’t just go 1 or 2 times. Go for at least 6 months and then decide if it’s for you.

You may ask, “Is this an accountability group?” The Answer is no. Traditional accountability groups don’t work. We lie to ourselves,

we lie to each other, and we make up stuff to avoid shame. The truth is, “don’t hold me accountable, hold me close.” If you’ll draw close

enough to me, I’ll let you in on my victories and my struggles, and I’ll do better because I know you’re watching...and loving...me.

The Mentoring Manifesto by Reggie Campbell

How about you? What might your life look like if you committed to pursuing the cause of noble manhood with other men? We invite you to join a group where men strive to make each other better —not by calling each other out, but by calling each other up to God’s standards of noble living!

For more info on how begin to build a band of brothers, contact us at reallife@stonebridge.org

The RealLife Leadership Team

David VroonRussell Justice

Jay AllderLee HendersonClay Weemhoff

Mark Tozier48 men met online for

a virtual breakfast

REALLIFE MEN

June 6 |8:00am–12:30pm at StoneBridgeRegister at stonebridge.org/blooddrive

Sunday, September 27 after Church

we can’t wait to serve our city together

An Update from our Ministry PartnersWe asked our ministry partners to send us an update on their

churches and their labors. Here are a few excerpts ...

From Chris Hildebrand - Resurrection Park Slope In many ways we, like you no doubt, are adjusting to the current realities of social distancing, sheltering in place, and flattening the curve. We all are learning how we can be together even as we are

apart. We worship together on Sundays over Zoom, we pray together during the week over Zoom, and our life groups gather together each week over Zoom. It’s a lot of Zoom, and while it is certainly imperfect we remain grateful for the opportunity to see and hear one another. New York City is not designed for isolation. It is built to incorporate and encourage life together. We share walls, sidewalks, tiny tables at restaurants, subways and buses, and parks–but that has all grown silent and vacant. The only noise we hear in a once bustling city are the sirens carrying COVID-19 patients to the hospital. We have been reminded all week that the rate of deaths due to coronavirus will likely peak this weekend (Apr. 20) in our city. This reality looms over our congregation heavily. We have had several folks test positive, but thankfully most have either full recovered or are in the process of recovering. But most of us have family members, friends or neighbors in the city who have been impacted deeply by COVID-19. New York City fits better right now in a Good Friday world. With daily death rates remaining so high in our city it does seem like perhaps Lent is ending a bit too soon, but the reality we carry with us is that Easter has come just in time. What we need in this Good Friday world is the hope and promise of the resurrection of Jesus. We, like Mary Magdalene, need to take another look at the empty tomb and through our tears and uncertainty hear Jesus call us by name. We need to behold his resurrected body and know that death does not have the final say.

We will say these glorious words together (even over the awkwardness of Zoom) “Alleluia! Christ is risen! Chris is risen, indeed! Alleluia!.” They are words of protest because they are words of victory in the face of our present darkness, and they are true. A specific prayer request … for such a time as this ... We are currently looking for a new location for our church in Park Slope. While we are not currently meeting physically, the need to locate and rent space at a reasonable price is always a struggle for all of our Brooklyn Network churches. In Park Slope we are currently paying $7,000/mo and we are seeking prayer for an opportunity to utilize a new space at a greatly reduced rental rate. We are asking a smaller church to consider renting to us at the rate of $500/mo, a bold ask. Please be in prayer for our proposal to be accepted and the continued strength and safety of our congregations in Brooklyn.

From Brian Steadman - Resurrection Sheepshead Bay Thanks be to God, the Steadmans are all healthy! To date, only one person in the immediate RSB church family has had COVID-19 and thankfully is recovering well, but sadly, at least two family members of Resurrection Brooklyn members have died from the virus at this time. Thankfully, I still have my bi-vocational job. Every day that goes by and I still have that paycheck is a huge provision from the Lord. Please pray that work continues, the company pulls through this season, and we start securing projects ASAP! Likewise, we are very thankful that so far our members at RSB all have jobs that are secure and not too adversely affected by the quarantine. In the larger network, folks

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are losing jobs and taking pay cuts, so please pray for our sister congregations who are going to feel the economic impact much more acutely. RSB began formerly partnering with our sister congregation, Resurrection Park Slope, on Palm Sunday to host online worship services. While we all feel the loss of not being able to worship in person, as I’m sure you are feeling at your churches, the ability to connect and pray for the needs of our brothers and sisters has been meaningful. In NYC, we still have no idea how much longer the quarantine

measures will remain in effect. While technically we may be able to start gathering for worship again after May 15th, please pray for our pastors and leadership as we discern when and how it is best to do so.

StoneBridge – thank you for your commitment to IBC through prayer and financial support. Bridges of Grace are continuing to be built as

we advance his kingdom here on this earth.

The new session of West Charlotte Church

From Charles McKnight - West Charlotte Church I really appreciate you reaching out last week to check in on me, my family, and WCC. This has of course been a challenging time for us, but the Lord’s grace has of course continued to abound in some pretty

amazing ways the midst of it all—God is good. I count you checking in on us as yet another simple and significant demonstration of God’s grace of encouragement to us. Knowing that this is also a very complicated and difficult time for you and for the StoneBridge family makes your taking the time to check in on us all the more encouraging. So grateful for your friendship and gospel partnership! I ask that you and the StoneBridge family join us in praying for the following during this COVID-19 chapter of WCC’s life: Health - Physical health and safety of “essential workers” and “high risk” individuals in our congregation and urban West Charlotte community, and for those experiencing

elevated levels of mental/emotional health challenges and financial instability and uncertainty.Leadership - Creativity and wisdom as we reimagine what it looks like to faithfully care for the spiritual and material needs of our people. Finances - A few individual financial supporters have already had to step back from their financial commitments due to job furloughs and layoffs. Should things persist much longer, we anticipate there being others. Please pray for our financial stability in light of these new and potential challenges. Also, we are still in the process of working to transition into a church building which will require some financial investment on the front end to upfit. The new relative uncertainty of our financial situation is requiring us to make some challenging related decisions. Please pray for wisdom.

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Crossword Puzzle

AnagramsBible Characters

1. O MESS

__________________________

2. POSE HJ

__________________________

3. ENHANCED BUZZARD

__________________________

4. ARM AHAB

__________________________

5. HAZE HIKE

__________________________

6. JAIL EH

__________________________

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sometimes, you’ve just got to

1. MOSES2. JOSPEH3. NEBUCHANEZZAR4. ABRAHAM5. HEZEKIAH6. ELIJAH

ANAGRAM ANSWERS

From the Mascara House: There are some things I never thought I would say or hear said, and yet, as a parent, we find ourselves having to say the craziest things. Last week was one of those times. I was sitting in my chair working and Amanda was outside doing yard work while the boys were playing around the house. After some time, Amanda comes in and asks Rhett (5) where the cat is. She can hear the cat meowing but can’t seem to figure out where it is coming from. Rhett of course doesn’t answer, the telltale sign of guilt. Finally she gets close to the spot where she hears the meowing. Rhett thought the cat would want to spend some time in the refrigerator. And so Amanda asks, “why would you put the cat in the fridge?”

sometimes, you’ve just got to

actual cat not pictured

laugh!

CROSSWORD SOLUTION Staff FavoritesBooks & Podcasts

Becky: Educated by Tara Westover (book) Chris H: Song Exploder (podcast) Tim: 99% Invisible (podcast) Randi: Masterpiece by Francine Rivers (book) Ruthanne: Twenty Thousande Hertz (podcast)

3700 Prosperity Church Road Charlotte, NC 28269 | 704.549.8272 | stonebridge.org

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you;

and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem,

and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.

Acts 1:8