Redeeming BUD On July 9, I will have been sober for 13 years and the only step I needed was to follow Jesus Christ. But, oh the stories I could tell and have told the young men I see every day. I’ve told them so many times that they actually tell them better. However, our summer staff gets it the worst as they hear those stories again for the benefit of the new staff. For training there’s always new faces eager to hear how to tackle inner city youth ministry and, much to the chagrin of the veteran staff members, every year I share the life principles I learned from living fast and experiencing the “no bar too far”, “we drive at five” culture. So, in teaching them how to handle difficult parents who think their $45 payment for six weeks of camp entitles them to tell us how games should be played or what kind of counselor is best for their kid, I use Patrick Swayze’s Roadhouse model of management. Step 1: Be nice. Step 2: Take it outside. Step 3: Call the “Cooler”. Now I must admit, my ego gets a bit of a boost every summer as I envision myself with Patrick Swayze hair dealing with hard cases. However, this year, the Lord led me to new heights of creativity by using a young man nicknamed Kunta. He asked me why my favorite word was “bud”. That’s what I call everybody— “Hi Bud!”, “What’s up buddy?”, “See ya later, buddy.”, etc. So, as I shared our mission for camp of “Building Character, Unlocking Eternity, & Directing” with the summer staff, I thought to myself, “If the Lord can find a redeeming way to use the phrase, ‘This Bud’s for You!’, anything or anyone can be redeemed.” So, this summer, please pray that our workers search high and low, deep and wide for those redeeming parts which are sometimes hidden in the lives of the community we serve. Semper Fi, Matt Nance Opportunities to Help We need minivan or bus drivers who have their CDL license to help with summer camp transportation. Part-time, schedule varies. If you are interested, please call 724-630-9383 for more info. PLUMBERS: We need help installing water lines and drains in some of our properties. If you would like to donate some time, please call Dave at 724-610-0847. Work Recognition The Eye of the Tiger work program has been working hard with painting, landscaping, and moving service projects over the last several weeks. They moved Healthcare Support Technologies, a medical billing company, into the old Armstrong office building. If you have some projects around your home or office and could use some help, consider hiring our work crew. You can contact us at 724-843-2384 to arrange for an estimate for your particular project. Highlights and Successes Erin Lokay won the Jason Theadore Healthcare Scholarship given in the name of Tiger Pause Youth Ministry. Erin plans to attend Clarion University in the fall and pursue a career in the healthcare field. Additionally, Joseph Wynn won the Tiger Pause Scholarship provided by Kevin & Janice Colbert. We are thankful to our generous donors who make these scholarship opportunities possible for students in Beaver Falls. Prayer Requests Please pray for the safety of our workers and for support and encouragement during these long summer work hours. Golf Outing There’s still time to register for our annual TEE OFF for Tiger Pause Golf Outing on Saturday, August 11 Fox Run Golf Course, 4240 River Road, Beaver Falls, PA 15010. . Details and registration available at tigerpausegolf.eventbrite.com. Facilities Update Best Builders will be giving our Furniture Bank a new look. Thank you to Suzanne Modrak at Community Development and Stephen Johnson at the City Building for helping us with our grant to renovate our main street building fa?e
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