Numbers are in on the Fall Harvest!  
       
Total Income = $8538.85 Total Expenses = $8537.90     
(Total Income includes: Pumpkin Patch Income = $5946.31,  Festival Public Donations = $593.54, Credits  = $374.00 for Coca Cola products
 Individual or Group donations = $1625.00)
SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO... the bottom line ... our donations completely covered our expenses!  Wow!  Jesus is so amazing!  Please take time in your schedule today to thank Him for His amazing grace and love.  (Oh yes, and mark your calendars NOW for next year’s event, October 18, 2008!   We truly need every person attending Asbury to be part of this huge community outreach project!  Go God!
(By the way, these numbers do not even include the monies spent by individual home teams or other small groups.  Those groups completely covered their own cost to run their booths.  Thank you Asbury for your generosity.)

 Estimated attendance - approx. 8000 (police info)
 between 1300-1400 people entered the Celebration Center to see a puppet show where the message of Christ’s love was crystal clear.  About 2100 hot dogs were served, between 2000-3000 soft drinks were served, 1300 servings of nachos were served and tons of snowcones and bags of popcorn were served, 516 servings of caramel apples were served (we ran out) and most importantly, 7 persons made first-time decisions for Jesus Christ at our face-painting booth! 
Read about the AWESOME GOD ENCOUNTER from one of the seven – a teenager who will be graduating in May:
“Um? To be 100% honest, I don’t remember exactly what was said, but the lovely lady’s name was Trish and she was very nice… she told me that God loved me and no matter what I’ve done, regardless, all I’d have to do is to ask God’s forgiveness and make a commitment to love Christ, and I would be forgiven.  And then we prayed… and I accepted the Lord, and it really meant something.  For the first time, it wasn’t forced upon me [or shoved down my throat].  Through this stranger’s random act of kindness, I honestly believed that Christ was really my Savior.  Before, I only believed that He was a man and the Bible was just a book written to scare people into acting appropriately, but she opened my eyes.
Because if one person could share such an amazing gift with a complete stranger, then God must have been guiding Angela and myself to that face painting booth.  I really didn’t need the “fire breathing giraffe rooster” [that was painted on my face], granted it was amazing, it was the message I needed, and my life is now very different thanks to one great friend and a very special stranger!”
THANK YOU ASBURY FOR SHARING HIS WORD WITH OTHERS SO THAT THEY CAN HAVE LIFE! 

Brand New Family Ministry Designed for Awesome Family Fun!

Families that are looking for that safe place where they can enjoy a wholesome environment while having the time of their lives are flocking to Asbury Family Nights – a new community outreach program attracting between 250 – 350 individuals each night!  From family movies, popcorn, pizza, drinks, and recreation activities, to dominos, DDR (Dance Dance Revolution) and everything in-between including Volleyball, FoosBall, Air Hockey, Ping Pong, Board Games, and the ever popular Spoons game, Asbury Church is rockin’ with excitement!  This has been a great opportunity for the congregation to invite those families around them to come check out Asbury!  Optional childcare is provided for the very young, and of course, …EVERYTHING IS FREE...yes, EVEN THE PIZZA!  Interestingly, there have already been individuals whose only contact with Asbury was attendance at a family night…and now 2 months later, they are members of the church!  Go God!

Another Brand New Outreach program…Children’s StoryTime

Our debut storytime this Fall was a BIG hit!  We hit our mark by attracting those in the community, not just in our church.  Several families (80 percent) are not attenders of Asbury Church!  Asbury StoryTime is designed to attract those in the community with small children.  It is designed similarly to the Children’s Story Time at the Public Libraries, only with a Christian twist!  Each time a story is shared, a connection is made to Christ.     It is wonderful to hear, for example, a story about a child who could find his way only because his father had left clues along the path just for him.  The storyteller explained to the children how God the Father has done the same for us, so that our paths may lead straight to Him!  How very cool to watch Jesus work in these children and their families!   Families and children are learning, in a friendly environment designed specifically for them, that Jesus offers abundant living for each one of them.  We host parents, children and their friends every 1st  & 3rd Thursday mornings.  Our Teatime with Teddy Bears was enormously popular!  Just imagine 60 toddlers pouring out tea for their neighbors while enjoying specially prepared finger sandwiches along with crumpet-like cookies, all for the purpose of sharing Jesus!  Each storytime offers singing, storytelling, and a special craft.  Themes of the Day help us to continue to learn to love Jesus!  

In addition to StoryTime in our new Community Life Center, we also were able to reach over 800 children outdoors at our pumpkin patch storytelling.  We offer coloring pages, fun recipes, stickers and activities, but more importantly we invite children from all over the city to come and experience the love of Jesus.  We offer special stories to the children to help explain the awesome and amazing love that God offers to each child.  We also send home  a written explanation of the Gospel message for each family to share together.  God continues to grow this outreach as we stay faithful to share His Word. 

Did you say Puppets?  Like the Ones on TV ?

Yes, that’s right, large commercial puppets (similar to the rod arm puppets on Sesame Street like Bert and Ernie) are giving performances across the city for various public schools in the district!  This is a powerful tool to reach into the community.  The puppeteers have learned about commitment, team building, acting and staging, but more importantly, they have learned that being able to share the love of Christ with over 1100 children is really what it is all about!  How awesome that God has made a way for us to reach the children in the schools through hilarious musical productions.  Sharing Jesus and showing these kids The Real Answer to real problems is the greatest joy of all!