Long Beach

This past weekend I headed for the Mississippi Coast to join FUMC of Long Beach for their Souper Bowl Sunday lunch and missions fair!  Man, was that soup good!!!  There were 20 different ones to choose from!  I think I tried 6 of them, (or just had 2 bowls of the 3 I liked), but Mr. John definitely beat me.  45 mins later he was still eating!

                                    (Mountain T.O.P. can come to your church too!)

FUMC of Long Beach has been coming to Mountain T.O.P. for 27 years (WHOA!)  It was a great weekend to see some old friends and make some new ones.  I stayed with John and Ann Armstrong, who were incredibly hospitable!  They took me to Lil Rays, "the best seafood restaurant on the coast."  Mr. John told me about all the ways the church and community serve others.  It was nice to sit back and see his passion and love for serving people.  He is such a humble man.  A model of a servant in my eyes.  He's constantly looking for ways to help others and is never concerned about being recognized for his efforts. He serves from his heart, one that reflects the heart of God.  As Rick Warren puts it, "Real servants maintain a low profile.  Servants don't promote or call attention to themselves.  Instead of acting to impress and dressing for success, they 'put on the apron of humility, to serve one another.'  If recognized for their service, they humbly accept it but don't allow notoriety to distract them from their work."  What a blessing he is to others.

It was nice to worship with the Long Beach congregation as well!  I love getting to experience different churches and different styles of worship.  Everyone was friendly and welcoming!  Just look at their beautiful sanctuary!

When the missions fair was over, Mr. John took me to the children's building.  Just recently, they finished mosaics that line the hallways.  They are stunning....

Is that last one a coincidence?  I think not :)

Along with the mosaics, Long Beach actually created a program called M.O.S.A.I.C. (Making Our Souls Alive In Christ).  Mosaic is a work mission camp that developed in the wake of Hurrican Katrina.  It's objective is to provide a holistic work mission camp for Junior and Senior High students in order to make a difference in the community.  (Hey! You can do this too!)

Last, but certainly not least, I had the privilege of meeting Stan Partridge, a 9 year veteran to the AIM program.  Stan and his wife Sandy live in Gulfport, MS and attend Michael Memorial.  The church currently serves in Brazil, but wanted to get involved in a domestic mission trip.  Knowing Mountain T.O.P., Stan suggested the ministry and got people interested!

It was a refreshing visit and certainly an inspiring one.  In just 30 mins, I could feel Stan's love for missions, Mountain T.O.P. and following the calls God has laid out for him.  Praise God for people who continue to spread the good news!