A special note of thanks to Jon from Overit Media for working through the weekend to finish up the last few details. An entire community of people say thank you.

the speaker:: E. Benjamin Skinner, Author and Journalist. Read more about him in a blog post from last week. 

the cause:: raising awareness and funds for the issue and specifically LOVE146 

the numbers:: Roughly 260 people were in attendance between both services. Those people gave nearly $4000 through donations and book sales to LOVE 146 and bought 65 copies of Skinner’s book A Crime So Monstrous. 

the press:: NPR’s Dave Lucas covered the event by interviewing Skinner and Terra’s Lead Pastor Ed Marcelle. The interviews aired throughout the weekend on WAMC–Northeast Public Radio. It was a great piece, scroll down to the last blog entry for more info. The Schenectady Gazette was present on Sunday and a short article appeared in the paper today, Monday September 20th. You can read the article here. 

the church:: Terra Nova has taken up this issue over the last year or so and made it a part of our DNA. We came off of this event with greater resolve to push forward in seeking ways to do more than just write a check, read a book and be informed. We are ready to act and we are praying that God will show us ways to do so. Email Pastor Matthew Miller for more information. 

the video:: We had promised a video yesterday to be shown in the course of the service, but as Skinner took questions, it became apparent that there would not be time to play it. So, as promised, here is the video.

Here’s the Link to the NPR story audio. As far as we know, this is first time Terra Nova has ever made the airwaves of WAMC/NPR. Thank you Dave Lucas for covering this important story and doing your part to make an impact on the modern day slave trade.

We could have spent 10’s of thousands of dollars on a new site (plenty of people do). We were prepared to spend some money on a site. Instead, God provided a way for us to get an amazing new site for free through a national program called CreateAThon and a local company here in the Capital Region.

Kevin Richardson attends Terra Nova with his wife Jen and is one of the graphics guys at OVERIT MEDIA. He suggested that we apply to be this years CreateAThon project, and we were chosen! So Kevin began working with us on the design ahead of time so that during the actual CreateAThon night, things could go a little more quickly.

So, after months of planning, here we are on September 18th, and the team at Overit Media is about to descend on our website and build something we probably could not afford to do on our own. They will begin work at 5PM and work through the night and into the Friday work day. I’ll be dropping off cases of Red Bull and other things to help them get through the night.

By Friday afternoon, Terra Nova will have a new website. Between now and the end of the month, we’ll tweak the text, and other pieces of the site with the idea it will go live on October 1st.

I can’t wait for the new site to launch. The navigation will be better. It will have more features, more content, more everything!

So keep this team in prayer throughout the night. We can’t thank them enough.

Here’s a link to an article about this project. It mentions Terra Nova briefly.

Journalist To Share Firsthand Experience of the Modern-Day Slave Trade
E. Benjamin Skinner, author of A Crime So Monstrous, to speak at Terra Nova Church

Troy, N.Y. – You may have thought that slavery ended with the Emancipation Proclamation and the Thirteenth Amendment, but the slave trade is alive and well: today there are more slaves on the planet than at any point in human history.

To help raise awareness and support for the modern-day abolition movement, Terra Nova Church in Troy is hosting a lecture by journalist E. Benjamin Skinner, author of the critically acclaimed book, A Crime So Monstrous: Face-to-Face with Modern-Day Slavery. Skinner will speak Sunday, Sept. 21 at Terra Nova’s 10 a.m. and noon services in Revolution Hall on River Street in Troy.

“The Capital Region has deep roots in the abolition movement, from its ties to the underground railroad to the rich activist history of Troy’s Liberty Street Church,” said Ed Marcelle, lead pastor of Terra Nova Church. “While people in this region may come from a range of faith traditions, political points of view, and socioeconomic circumstances, the issue of human trafficking is universal. Everyone should sit at the table to discuss how to end this. It should make us angry. It should make us act. We decided to give key voices on the issue a platform at Terra Nova. Ben Skinner’s firsthand experience will open our eyes to the injustice being perpetrated on millions of our brothers and sisters around the world.”

To understand the breadth and depth of the modern-day slave trade, Skinner spent four years visiting a dozen countries where slavery flourishes. In A Crime So Monstrous, he tells the story of individuals who live in slavery, those who have escaped from bondage, those who own or traffic in slaves, and the mixed political motives of those who seek to combat the crime.

“Much like 19th-century abolitionist accounts of slavery in the United States, his book is meant both to inform and to enrage — and it succeeds on both counts,” wrote Denise Brennan in the Washington Post. U.S. Senator John McCain said that Skinner “does a great public service by exposing the massive scope of human trafficking in the world today.” And from the other side of the political aisle, former President Bill Clinton described A Crime So Monstrous as “rigorously investigated and fearlessly reported,” praising Skinner for making “crucial strides toward closing this shameful chapter in history.”

Skinner’s book will be on sale at the Sept. 21 event, and a portion of the proceeds will go to benefit Love146, a non-profit organization that works toward the abolition of child sex trafficking and exploitation through prevention and aftercare.

- more -

Journalist To Share Firsthand Experience of the Modern-Day Slave Trade
Page 2

Though Terra Nova Church is a relatively new faith community, the congregation has been a strong supporter of the modern-day abolition movement. In the fall of 2007, Terra Nova partnered with local churches, businesses, artists, and media to host Abolition Week — a series of events and activities ranging from a screening of the film “Amazing Grace” to a special concert by singer/songwriter Derek Webb. In addition to the Sept. 21 Skinner lecture, other abolition events are being planned for 2008 and beyond.

[Note to editors: E. Benjamin Skinner and Ed Marcelle are available for interviews in advance of the event. For details, Contact Matthew Miller, 518-369-2000, matt@terranovachurch.org.]

About Terra Nova Church
Terra Nova Church is a community of roughly 250 Christ followers intent on discovering fresh ground together. Our goal is to share the ancient truths of Christ in a culturally relevant way through teaching, music, art and media. Terra Nova Church meets in Revolution Hall on River Street in Troy, N.Y. on Sunday Mornings at both 10 a.m. and noon. The Terra Nova Gallery can be found three doors down from Revolution Hall at 409 River Street, where the church’s office and education space also are located.

Contact:
Matthew Miller
Terra Nova Church – Community Extension
matt@terranovachurch.org
518-369-2000(mobile)
518-691-9220(fax)

If you went to the 12NOON service you saw fewer people all sitting downstairs (we are closing off the balcony during the second service at this time). Honestly, it felt a lot like our first sunday back in January of 2006. A lot has happened since then. We were hoping for 50 at the second service, and in the end about 60 were there. Ultimately, we’d love to see 40% of everyone who calls Terra Nova home attending the second service. We think that a number of people will grow to enjoy the smaller nature of the 12NOON. One person commented that it’s almost like a church plant within a church plant. That’s a great way to see it.

We would encourage you to try out the 12NOON service sometime. You might really enjoy the more intimate setting with fewer people, more chances to connect with the pastors before and after church, and the sleeping in till 11AM is not so bad either.

If you were at church on August 31st, you noticed that we were almost at standing room only, so this whole two service thing came at just the right time as people settled back into fall routines, and our many college students returned for the semester.

On behalf of all the pastors, I want to express thanks to all the volunteers who are working overtime to make this transition a smooth one. You are appreciated!

This is a great question! There are so many things to do, to spend your time on, and when you make a choice to do one thing, you are also choosing not to do a whole slew of other things.

I know the pressures of using time wisely. I hardly have any discretionary time. So why am I asking the already way-too-busy-women of Terra Nova to add one more thing to their calendars?

Because I believe it’s a critical part of becoming the women God has called each one of us to be.

Poiema means “masterpiece” and comes from Eph. 2:10, which states that, “We are his masterpiece, created in Christ Jesus to do good works which He planned for us a long time ago.”

So, God’s been booking things in our ical’s and day planners without our knowledge…To me, that’s kind of exciting – God has plans for me, things He specifically wants me to do. In God’s reality, as fascinating, as beautiful, as inspiring and thought provoking as any work of art ever created may be, none of it compares to God’s creation – His masterpiece - you.

Really??? I don’t mean to question God but it’s not like I wake up every morning and think, “Wow! I’m a beautiful work of art, a masterpiece! I wonder what God has in store for me today! Whatever it is, I know I can do it because He created me to do it!” It’s more like, “Dear Lord, help me get through this day because I can’t do anything right without you!”

We can do it, but we can’t do it alone. We need the Lord first, and we need other women to walk with us. God designed us to need support and instruction from our sisters. Titus 2: 3-5 tells us basically that whether we are navigating through the challenges of being wives, mothers, mothers-in-law, daughters, daughters-in-law, professionals, friends, or laborers for Christ, we need other women to help us so we can live in ways that honor and glorify God.

Through bible studies, social gatherings, book clubs, and a yearly retreat, Poiema provides instruction, encouragement, prayer, and a chance to develop meaningful friendships with other women. Let’s carry each other’s burdens, and encourage one another to fulfill the good work that God has planned for us.

Come on out to the Poiema Fall Kick Off Party on Friday September 19th at terra409 from 7-9PM.

Additionally, this month only there will be a special show next door at 407 River Street in the vacant storefront. The show is called ONE NIGHT ONLY . . . a different kind of art opening. Featuring art by Dave Ozmon, Benjamin Mancino, Tim Ozmon, Sarah Gabler and terra nova’s own Jessica Neitzel.

As always, the Photo Center across the street from 409 will have new work on display throughout the night.

Check out all of these galleries this friday.

“For in You the orphan finds mercy”. (Hosea 14:3)

 

This is Hernan, Giovani, and Jonathan playing Matchbox cars at Casa de Ninos.  Giovani is making snow (more impressive on video than a still shot!)   I look at this picture and long to go all the way back there just to see and hug these boys again.  In July, Emily Armstrong, Christin Henry, and I stayed at Casa De Ninos, an Orphanage in Tepic, Mexico.  The trip was long and hard and expensive and the food beans, beans, and more beans, but the payoff was the children there - wonderful, delightful, and charming.  Hernan and Jonathan especially hungered for hugs and attention, delighting in us just being there. 

 

Perhaps most amazing is the peace and joy so abundant at the Casa.  Peace and joy, laughter and happiness, are not words one would naturally use to describe an Orphanage.  However, the Spirit of God is generously poured out on the staff and children here.  Even though we had expected this because of reports from those who have gone before us, to experience it in person was astounding nonetheless.  I continue to be so humbly grateful for all I saw the Lord doing there that it continues to renew and deepen my love and trust in Him.

 

We accomplished important things there – rehabbing an old classroom into a new Library and beginning to transform an unused space into what will immediately be a Prayer Room, and possibly a Church eventually.  While these things were valuable to us task-oriented Americans, I learned that playing cars in the dirt or just sitting and talking with the Staff to be most important.  As “not everything that counts can be counted”, it is hard to quantify the impact of our brief visit to the Casa where we loved the children and came alongside the amazing staff. 

 

The Casa has a Website (www.casadeninos.org) that includes pictures and a link to a brief video that will give you a good idea of what Casa de Ninos is all about.  If you feel the Lord calling you, “arise my beloved and come away”, consider Casa De Ninos in Tepic, Mexico.  Another trip is being planned for February.  Maybe I’ll see you there.   

Anyway, I decided to do something I did a few years ago at another church called 10 questions to diagnose your spiritual health. It’s based on a book by Donald Whitney. I promised that I would post these questions here on the blog, so here you go. I’d encourage to spend some time with these questions and be honest with yourself about your answers.

#1 Do you thirst for God?

Psalm 42 

#2 Are you governed increasingly by God’s Word?

2 Timothy 3

#3 Are you more loving?

John 13:34-35; 1 Corinthians 13

#4 Are you more sensitive to God’s Presence?

Genesis 28:16

#5 Do you have a growing concern for the spiritual and temporal needs of others?

James 2:15-16

#6 Do you love being with other followers of Christ?

1 John 3:14

#7 Are the spiritual disciplines increasingly important to you?

Hebrews 12:14; 1 Timothy 4:7

#8 Do you still grieve over sin?

2 Corinthians 7:8-11

#9 Are you a quicker forgiver?

Mark 11:25

#10 Do you yearn for heaven and to be with Jesus?

Philippians 1:21-24; Colossians 3:2

Almost a year ago, we started talking about a new site. Six months ago or so, we started talking specifically with a graphic artist at Terra Nova who works with a local design and development house. He suggested that we might be a good candidate for something called “Createathon”. Createathon is a nationwide project involving graphic design and web development companies. The basic idea is that they shut down for profit business for a day and turn their attention to not for profit projects. With Kevin as our spokeman, we were chosen. The net result is that we are going to end up with an amazing new site with some great new functions a much better navigation system and a completely new look. And most importantly . . . we are getting this site for free.  This is one of those behind the scenes projects that takes a ton of time figuring out a million details that all add up to what we hope will be a huge step forward and maybe even help create a little more community from an online standpoint. 

Every word, graphic, file, and concept is being rethought. New files, jpegs, videos, text and more are being gathered up to be inserted into the new site. Kevin is working on the artistic direction already. Scott Womer and I met with Kevin a couple of weeks ago to see some preliminary design concepts of the site. And we continue to work on details. On the day of the createathon, those photoshop files that Kevin has been creating will be turned into html code, information and files will be inserted into the appropriate places and if all goes well, we will have a mostly fully functioning new website by October 1st. 

To get a sneak peak at the art direction we are headed in click HERE. Many thanks to Kevin Richardson who has done so much work on this project already.

Skye Farm Camp is looking for volunteers!

Skye Farm Camp is a children’s summer camp run by the United Methodist Church just outside Warrensburg NY. For seven weeks during the summer kids play, learn, make crafts, swim, canoe, and learn about God. For one week during the summer Skye Farm hosts a Special Needs camp for adults with a variety of disabilities ranging from mental to physical. During this week for the safety of the campers the camper/counselor ratio needs to be much higher. Next week is Special Needs camp and Skye Farm is in disparate need of volunteers to help with the camp. If you or anyone you know could give up even a day or two to work with this amazing group of campers it would be greatly appreciated. I have worked at Skye Farm for years and I always look forward to the Special Needs Camp. I am constantly in awe of the campers zest for life. They all love to sing, dance, and they don’t always have all the words but many of them become very emotional at worship when they learn about God’s love. Every meal is their favorite and they whole heartily enjoy doing dishes. If you think you might want to spend some time with next week with Special Needs camp you can call Skye Farm at 518.494.3432.

Also if this week isn’t free for you the camp could always use volunteers during the rest of the summer.

see photos of Phil Tomkins summer HERE.

I am having a pretty amazing summer I wanted to let you all know about.  As some of you have heard, God has led me to Waxhaw,  North Carolina this summer to intern with the engineering department at Jaars.  Jaars is a division of Wycliffe Bible Translators, which provides technical and logistical support for missionaries.  One of the things they focus on the most is providing missionaries with aviation support.  That means flying people, supplies, and Bibles into remote landing strips in the middle of unreachable areas all over the world.

This summer I get to work with a wonderful man named Terry Heffield.  He is the research and development department of Jaars.  We are working on making improvements on the Pilatus PC-6’s that are flying in  Papua New Guinea and other places all over the world.  There are two main projects.

The first is reverse engineering the mud guard accessories.  These work like the mud flaps on your average truck, keep things from getting all over the plane and protect the prop from damage.  Unfortunately they cost as much as a small car when bought from the original manufacturer.  So we figure if we can make them ourselves, it will save us a lot of money.

The second one is the one I am even more excited about.  One of the accessories you can buy for the plane is a set of wing mounted fuel pods.  They look like bombs that hang under the wings and allow for longer flights.  What we heard from those using these planes in the field is that they love the pods, but would like to put stuff in them other than fuel.  Therefore, we are designing storage pods that are the same shape and strength as the fuel pods.  If we do that we don’t need to get them fully certified by the FAA, we only need to have them tested.

Anyway it’s really cool and fun to be doing actual engineering.  I love that this is what God has for me, and that this is where he put me.

I would really appreciate your prayers.  I always need prayer.  The PC-6 needs to be shipped out by the first few weeks in August.  There are still incredible amounts of work to be done and I don’t know how else but by Gods hands it will all get done.  Secondly, please pray for me as I struggle to learn more about engineering than I normally cover in months in the hours between when it is introduced to me and when I have to use it.   On that note I basically had to learn all of solidworks (a computer aided design program) in two days to keep up, which was crazy.   Lastly, as always, I need prayer for wisdom as I go back to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute this summer.  I am always in need of help to handle the craziness of school.

Also I have some practical needs. I am a Jaars employee, so I am getting paid a little. The cost of living here and traveling will take up most of what I’m earning.  I am working here as a short-term missionary of Christ Jesus, and considering what God has for my future.  Please pray that he will provide for my needs.

[donate to Phil Tomkins by mailing checks to Terra Nova Church.]

Anyway I am glad that I have a great group of people who love and support me always in so many ways.  I thank you for all the support you have given me over the years and look forword to seeing you all again.

Thanks,

Philip Tompkins

Recently, on two separate occasions, a group from Terra Nova Kids spent time with residents of the Terrace at the Eddy as we began to build a bridge between the children of Terra and our senior neighbors right here in Troy. The residents genuinely enjoyed making puppets with the help of the kids and then participating in an actual puppet show that had been prepared just for them. There was a lot of laughter and hugs as Christ’s love was shared with our new found friends.

Dan Williams has been interning at Terra Nova while studying to be a pastor. Read about his summer plans below::

“Lea and I will be taking advantage of another summer off from our normal routine to once again serve the Lord through camping ministry. This summer we’ll be heading up to Camp-of-the-Woods, which is located in Speculator, NY (Southern Adirondacks).

The role is a familiar one, as we’ll be ministering as staff counselors (along with 4 others) to the 275 high school and college-aged summer staff who are hired on to run the various departments at camp. Lea and I have both been in this type of position before, and have really been blessed and stretched by it.

Just to clarify, Camp-of-the-Woods is a camp that offers summer recreation opportunities for families (a place many people return to annually for their family vacation), as well as opportunities for spiritual growth through the many excellent speakers, seminars and other activities revolving around God’s Word.

More than just a summer job, COTW’s philosophy for the high school/college students who come to work is that they are also provided ample opportunity to grow in their faith, which is where the role of the staff counselor comes in. Through Bible studies, one-on-ones, recreational events and just living and working side by side with them, we have the chance to create an environment that we pray will aid these students in drawing closer to their God.

As you may happen to think of us, pray that Lea and I would be used by God to reveal Christ through the ministry He’s given us this summer. Thank you… we will miss our Terra Nova family.”