Congratulations are in order…

We are celebrating here this weekend as a member of our Host Team is celebrating the birth of a new daughter!  Dave Vander Meulen (Spiritual Life Coordinator), his wife Jen and their daughter Ella welcomed the newest edition to the family on Friday.  Delia Kristen arrived Friday morning, and Mom and Delia are already home in Escalon.  If you would like to see some pictures of the happy family, you can visit their family blog at http://www.growingvmfamily.blogspot.com.

Meet our Host Team…

Just wanted to let you know that our Host Team Page is now updated! Feel free to stop by and check out the names and faces of the people involved with the Ripon SERVE project!

Click here to go to the Host Team Page…

Here comes the sun…

After a beautiful June, we sort of forgot about the sun and the heat! Well, both have returned this week with a lot of force! We thought a little checklist would be in order, so that when you start packing to come to California, you know what to bring:

• Comfortable, cool clothing for working indoors or outdoors
• Comfortable athletic shoes or work boots for working
• Hat, sunglasses, and sunscreen (We don’t exactly have overcast days!)
• Swimsuit and towel for any number of pools and the beach
• Long sleeve shirts or sweat shirts for night time and the day away

Granted, this isn’t a full list, but you get the idea on some of the basics. If anyone has more specific questions, please send us an email.

Celebrating Our Nations…

One of the most amazing things about SERVE is how people from separate countries come together for one cause.  In the case of our SERVE project, both Americans and Canadians will be working side by side for the week to serve others!

Today is July 4th, the day we celebrate America’s Independence as a nation.  This past Sunday was July 1st, the day that Canada celebrates it’s establishment as a self-governing country.  With these two national celebrations happening in the last few days, we thought it would be appropriate to take a moment and celebrate our nations and our freedoms.  In addition, we should take this moment to continue to pray for our nations, our leaders and those who protect the freedoms we have in our countries!

Happy Canada Day and Happy Fourth of July!!

The weather outside is…well…warm

We are hard at work planning out the details and activities for this year’s SERVE. We are less than 3 weeks away from the beginning of SERVE, and time is flying by! July has come in with a bang, as temperatures are beginning to climb into the triple digits for the first time this summer! Be sure to pack extra sun block and your hats, as the sun is not very forgiving in the Central Valley!

You can check the weather for Ripon here!

SERVE 2007 countdown begins!

In about one month, people from across the United States and Canada will be arriving in Ripon for the start of Ripon SERVE 2007! We have groups coming from Colorado, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Alberta and Ontario this year! These groups will be made up of high school students and adult leaders, ready to take in all that Ripon has to offer and serve others in the process!

We would like to give you a little taste of some of the work that will be done during the project, so here’s a list of our work sites and the work that will done:

Stockton Gospel Rescue Mission (Stockton, CA)
– The Gospel Center Rescue Mission provides long-term shelter for homeless women and children, overnight shelter for homeless men, a residential drug and alcohol treatment program, a kitchen that serves breakfast and dinner every day and other services to Stockton’s downtrodden. The work to be done includes: creating a playground area and installing playground equipment, paint, fence building, deck and siding repair, roof removal and walk-in freezer repair.

Stockton Shelter for the Homeless (Stockton, CA)
– Stockton Shelter for the Homeless is a not-for-profit agency that serves the homeless in a caring and compassionate manner. Become a supporter of the shelter. The shelter operates three shelters for most of the year and opens a fourth one at the Housing Authority’s migrant camps during the cold winter months. The work to be done includes: helping with day to day responsibilities and remolding living spaces for families living in the shelter.

Redwood Family Center (Modesto, CA)
– The Redwood Center is a transitional housing center for women in recovery and their children. The facility offers housing for 60 women and their children, most of whom might otherwise be homeless. The Center offers many services to the women and their children to help meet their needs. The work to be done includes: building planter boxes, planting trees, installing water irrigation, and spending time with the children.

Sierra Salem Homes (Modesto, CA)
– Sierra Salem is a non-profit corporation located in Modesto serving the residential needs of the developmentally disabled. The purpose of Sierra Salem is to provide residential care and training in a Christian setting, and to maintain and improve the quality of life for residents and their families. The work to be done includes: kitchen demo and makeover.

As SERVE approaches, please pray for the Host Team as we begin our final preparations for the week. Also pray for traveling mercies as the participants travel to Ripon on Saturday, July 21st. Finally, please pray for God’s Blessing on SERVE and that God will begin to prepare each person’s heart for the week ahead!

A look back at Ripon SERVE 2006…

Click the “Play” button to begin the video.

Updated for 2007

SERVE 2007 is coming, and we are getting ready for it starting with this blog site. We have updated the look and feel. All of the posts from SERVE 2006 are still available for your reading pleasure! Hope to see you this summer!

And then there was one…

Good morning! The team has departed for their journey home, except we do have one straggler who is headed for LA this afternoon.  Now we, the host team, start the great task of putting the church right-side up again.  It’s been a great week, and every thing that we touch today will  remind us of something or someone from the past week!  So while cleaning may be a chore, it’s a great reminder to us of everything that happened this week!

Please feel free to check back here on the website for updates regarding the work sites and other updates.  If you like, you can email us with any feedback to you may have.  Thanks for reading every day! We’ll see you next year for Ripon SERVE 2007!!

The Last Night…

SERVE Team Picture

Originally uploaded by Ripon SERVE.

Good evening! It will probably be morning before you read this post. By then, the team will be on it’s way back home! Today was a great day as the work site projects wrapped up. The team got to see their hard work culminate in visible results. Many of them came away with a new appreciation for life and how God blesses them in many ways.

Tonight the team shared a meal with many of the work site leaders. After dinner, we watched a slide show movie of the week and then the worship band led us in worship. Matt brought the Word one final time, as everyone reflected on what the week meant to them. We then had a time of sharing followed by the adult leaders providing blessings to the students. Now the church is full of fellowship with students and leaders taking pictures and signing shirts.

It’s been a great week, with lots of experiences and memories! Tomorrow morning, even 3 AM for some, the team will begin their trek back home! Our prayer is for safe travels home and a new outlook on how God provides for us in all things.

We hope you have enjoyed watching the website this week. It’s been a great joy to bring you the pictures and updates. Please check back as we will put updates on here from time to time. We leave you tonight with one final picture. This is our group shot from Sunday, our first morning together! What a week it has been! Good night!