Serving and Praying for Our Community
Posted in From the Pastor | By Shades Staff | Posted on Wed May 6, 2020
We hope the Safer-at-Home order has eased a little of the burden for you. We're thankful for the steps our public officials are taking to reopen our state. Take a minute to hear from Pastor Danny regarding life at Shades, specifically information on plans for when we will worship in-person!
National Day of Prayer
Posted in Adults | By Shades Staff | Posted on Tue May 5, 2020
Thursday, May 7, is the National Day of Prayer.
We as a church family will pray with brothers and sisters around the country for our nation and for God's kingdom. Our encouragement is to set aside a few minutes each hour to pray for the Seven Centers of Influence. You can find prayer prompts by clicking the button below.
Here's a brief overview of the day and the prompts for each hour:
- 9 a.m. -- Government
- 10 a.m. -- Military
- 11 a.m. -- Media Arts
- Noon -- Business
- 1 p.m. -- Education
- 2 p.m. -- Church
- 3 p.m. -- Family
You can download the document above to revisit the hourly prompts, or you can follow us on social media. At 4 p.m. we'll host a prayer service online where we'll pray for one another's prayer requests and lift up the National Day of Prayer prompts. If you'd like to join our online prayer gathering, you can access the Zoom link sent in Shades Weekly on Wednesday, or you can email Jacob Simmons.
Church Updates and Opportunities
Posted in From the Pastor | By Shades Staff | Posted on Wed Apr 29, 2020
How do we persevere in this season? Take a minute and hear from our pastor.
In his weekly video to our church family during the pandemic surrounding COVID-19, Pastor Danny updates us on the loss of a valued church member earlier this week and recaps last Sunday's ManChurch. He also provides an update regarding ministry operations at Shades and finally makes us aware of an upcoming opportunity to live sent. Take a look!
Food Drive-Thru
Posted in Missions | By Shades Staff | Posted on Wed Apr 29, 2020
On Saturday, May 9, we're holding a food drive-thru in partnership with Christian Service Mission.
Church, you've done such a phenomenal job finding ways to live sent during COVID-19, but this is an opportunity for the everyone. And you'll get to see our staff team! We'll have familiar faces at each drop-off location waving to you and unloading your groceries.
The team at CSM is running low on food to distribute to the needy, so we're encouraging every family to go to the store and purchase groceries (canned and boxed grocery items are acceptable). They've met food needs for approximately 5,000 people to date during the COVID-19 pandemic. We want to honor and support their efforts in loving our city!
There's no limit to the amount each person can bring, so let's join together to support this wonderful ministry!
Details
- Any canned or boxed food that is non-perishable … baby food, children, adults is accepted. Specific items are: canned beans, canned vegetables, canned salmon, tuna, chicken, canned soups, chili’s, stews, fruits, canned ravioli, spaghetti, rice, oatmeal, grits, peanut butter, jelly, cereal bars, pop tarts, protein bars, snack items, coffee, and tea. However, any food will be accepted as long as it is contained and sealed. Items in jars are least preferred because of potential breakage.
- Please have items boxed or sacked in a trunk or tailgate for easy unload.
- You can drop off your items from 10 a.m. to noon on May 9th at the two following locations at Shades!
Two locations to receive food:
- North Entrance
- Preschool Drive-Thru
New Online Small Group Available
Posted in Adults | By Lisa Davis | Posted on Thu Apr 23, 2020
We have a new online small group on Sundays at 11 a.m. for anyone who’s new to Shades or who is not already involved in an Adult Sunday School Class. To sign up for it, email groups@shades.org and you’ll receive an invitation to join us over Zoom. Our hope is that this small group will introduce you to some of the new faces at Shades and stay connected with them throughout quarantine.
How Do We Stay Together While Apart?
Posted in From the Pastor | By Shades Staff | Posted on Wed Apr 22, 2020
This week, Danny provides several updates to life at Shades during the pandemic. Take a look!
Important Calendar Updates from Pastor Danny
Posted in Uncategorized | By Shades Staff | Posted on Wed Apr 15, 2020
Pastor Danny takes a few minutes weekly to connect with us and update our church family on what’s happening as we live sent in the midst of social distancing. In the video, Danny lets us know about some important changes to our calendar at Shades.
It's OK to Grieve
Posted in Uncategorized | By Lisa Davis | Posted on Fri Apr 10, 2020
A few weeks ago our community tended to perceive that we had the option to avoid hardship and suffering.
When our world was flipped upside down by the coronavirus pandemic, many of us were surprised or frightened by the intensity of our emotions. We now face health crisis, job insecurity, economic uncertainty, at-home school, daycare closings, postponed weddings, missed celebrations, and social isolation.
Is it selfish to grieve such losses? No! Grief is a normal human reaction to a significant loss. Although grief is usually associated with death, we should also acknowledge our fears and sadness in the face of other losses. Recognizing our grief allows us to not only work through it but to grow stronger in the midst of loss and suffering. As we walk through grief, we can build the spiritual muscles to handle loss, and we experience that God welcomes our doubts, fears, and pains. Trying harder in our own strength to overcome our grief can lead to self-dependence. Submitting our grief to God helps deepen our love for Him and trust in Him.
Psalms of lament validate our feelings of sorrow as they guide us to express sadness, fear, and despondence as well as emerging joy and hope. The psalmist in Psalm 22 illustrates a grief journey.
Although he is rooted in trust and faith, the psalmist wails in confusion, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Ps. 22:1).
In his desperation, he moves from lament to prayer, pleading for removal of God’s distance (Ps. 22:12, 20). He later exclaims that God “has heard when he cried to Him” (Ps. 22:24). Whether or not God removed the affliction, the psalmist rejoiced because he experienced restoration in God’s presence.
Each of us responds differently to grief. Some can’t sleep while others sleep too much; some lose their appetite and others overeat; some respond with angry outbursts while others withdraw; some of us want to talk about feelings while others do not. Conflict can occur when stressed individuals are grieving and do not recognize that their family members are also grieving in a different way. One person may be angry when another is sad, while another struggles with anxiety. Step back and recognize what is happening. Ask God for wisdom and guidance. Offer patience, understanding, and respect to each other in large doses.
Just as adults grieve differently from each other, children grieve differently than adults. Children grieve in small doses; they may become extremely emotional or act out for a few minutes, then quickly revert back to happiness. They may carry grief in their bodies which manifests itself in stomachaches or other physical symptoms. They also live in a world of magical thinking, believing their thoughts and actions can cause things to happen – “Daddy lost his job and is sad because I was mean to my brother.” Children’s grief typically follows their particular developmental stage. The following link is designed for children grieving death but the principles apply to any grief situation.
Grief encourages us to anticipate eternity. We often try to build a heaven-on-earth for ourselves and our families. Facing loss reminds us that in this world there will always be suffering. Our hope and peace is the confidence found in Revelation 21:3-4:
“Now the dwelling of God is with men and He will live with them. They will be His people, and God Himself will be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain.”
Is it OK to grieve? Yes! But let’s not waste our grief. Let our grief transform us. As we embrace loss, we can choose to allow God to work through us and make us stronger and more Christlike than before the loss. Author Randy Alcorn explains it like this: We define our good in terms of what makes us healthy and happy. God defines our good in terms of what make us more like Jesus. If God delivered us from all our grief and suffering, He would be delivering us from Christlikeness. (The Goodness of God: Assurance of Purpose in the Midst of Suffering)
Today our conversations are filled with words like unprecedented, unpredictable, unstable, and uncertain. Let’s hold fast to the unwavering truth that “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Heb. 13:8). He is the One who loves us the most and He desires to strengthen us, so “let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need” (Heb. 4:16).
For encouragement during these days, check out the video clip series, “Thriving in the Unknown” from Dr. Melissa Carlisle Golden. Melissa served on the Shades student staff while she completed her Ph.D in Counseling.
Transformation Counseling Resources
If you feel the need for pastoral support and would like to talk to a Shades minister, please email counseling@shades.org.
Missional Living with Shelter-in-Place
Posted in Missions | By Shades Staff | Posted on Wed Apr 8, 2020
Hey Shades,
What an incredible season we are in! How history records these days can be largely shaped by how the church responds in both faith and action. God is using you to advance the mission in amazing and powerful ways as you live sent in your neighborhoods -- keep it up!
In addition to your stories, below are a few simple ways to engage in the mission of God beyond the neighborhood in these days of social distancing and restrictions.
Even with the recent “Shelter-in-Place” guidelines, we have the ability to continue to serve in specific ways. Religious and non-profit organizations that are serving the essential needs of the community are permitted to carry on those functions as long as they don’t violate the state mandate of no more than 10 in a gathering and six feet of separation when you do gather. We, along with our partners, are adhering to those guidelines. Our services of providing food and other essential items to our mission partners who are serving the physical and emotional needs of the community allow us to continue to serve them in the ways we list on our website.
Our greatest response during COVID-19 may actually be the hundreds of stories of how individuals and families are living sent. Whether it be chalk drawings to pray, making cookies for health care workers with notes of encouragement, or prayer walking your street to meet neighbors to invite to join you in one of the three online services … you are living sent and the mission of God is advancing.
We are partnering with a number of local mission groups to serve the greater Birmingham area. Here is a sampling of what Shades members have done, and are doing, as a church family:
- Each Friday 75-125, “weekend sack lunches” are prepared and delivered to Green Valley Elementary School to provide meals for children through the weekend.
- Three times a week (M,W,F), at least 50 individual sack lunches are prepared by Shades members and dropped off that goes to feed the homeless population in Birmingham through Urban Purpose.
- Twice a week (T,Th), sacks of groceries are bought by Shades members and being dropped off, repackaged, and boxed up with enough food for four to five individuals. These are then distributed to churches and groups who are serving families in lower income areas and the elderly through Christian Service Mission.
- Working alongside our church plant, Antioch Community Church, we've begun intentional efforts to serve and care for the health care workers who have tested positive for COVID-19. A number of ideas are being organized such as encouragement notes, providing for childcare needs, prayer teams focused on different specialties, goodies like cookies delivered to the offices, maybe even “favorites” given out, etc.
- Additional opportunities each week are also available in partnership with Serving You Ministry.
- Finally, each week for Shades supported missionaries and church planters are contacted for updates and prayer needs. Join others who are praying for them on a regular basis through their updates found here!
These serving opportunities are updated on a weekly basis on the Volunteer site of our web page. Would you pray and ask God what you can do? Then check out the page and select a time and way to serve our community through one of our partners.
Personally, I am thankful to be a part of such a wonderful family of believers who have been led well "for such a time as this!" Our world has changed, but His mission hasn’t. This season of crisis is to be the church's finest hour. May we embrace this opportunity … may we be the church … may we live sent!
How to LIVE SENT in a Quarantined World
Posted in Missions | By Shades Staff | Posted on Thu Mar 19, 2020
Although the world of personal connection and ministry seems to be literally changing every day, our mission as followers of Jesus is still the same. “As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you…” are words that have relevance across time, culture, and place. This pandemic did not catch the Father off guard so we can trust that He has a plan and desire to use it for His Glory and our good. So how are we to live as “sent” people in a world that is shutting down, quarantined, and becoming more isolated? Below are suggestions intended to provide some initial thoughts. These suggestions are not to contradict the wisdom of officials and leaders in regards to gathering in groups but simple ways of how best to live our lives while still loving our neighbor in the midst of these days.