It wasn’t the Holiday Inn, but Camp Hensel was the place to be last week. 7 Pscoc campers and 4 Pscoc staff members joined ranks with campers and staff from all over Central Texas (and France) to search out our identities in Christ. It was a wonderful, but hot, week full of fun and fellowship, laughter and praise. Check out the pictures and remember to pray for the junior week campers there this week.

2008_Camp Koinonia

The Pond Springs family knows how to have fun - and it frequently includes eating! Memorial Day 2008 was celebrated in style with hamburgers, hot dogs, and what kind of pudding was that Mike? Since Keith wasn’t there, one of the other elders filled the role of the injured, so be careful checking out the pictures if you have a weak stomach. Thanks to Sharon Holt who has joined the ranks of PSCOC photographers.

05 25 Play and Pray in the park

Hey parents and kids!  Hope you’re geared up for a great summer.  We here at Pond Springs are planning a fun and exciting Vacation Bible School  just for you.  Open to kids from 3 years old through 5th grade, this year we are excited to be going all out for God to serve our community.

Everyone loves a big back yard - a place to have fun, share good memories, and to work on important projects (like an occasional tree house!).  Well, this year we are celebrating God’s Big Back Yard.  We will have many activities packed full of fun and designed to teach children the importance of being a servant in their family and in their community.

Please plan on joining us and let us know if you are coming by filling out this short registration form.  VBS is Saturday, July 12th from 9-3.

As long as you didn’t mind eating with your fingers, Grace Cafe was great. We had supper served by delightful wait staff although in a rather interesting order. The desserts were unbeatable and the entertainment was superb. Andy and Debbie helped us recognize the characters among us. And the grand total of the funds raised blew the roof off - probably due to the amazing talent of the auctioneer. Check out the pictures.

Grace Cafe 2008

About thirty of our men went out to Bertram to the Flying T Ranch owned by Terry Tuttle. They enjoyed delicious brisket, peach cobbler, brownies and GUNS!! There was a small arsenal available (ok, not so small) for target practice. It is rumored that an attempt to take Oklahoma was discussed. To our knowledge, no one was shot. (We still haven’t found Sterling!?) What happened at the tribal counsel on Friday night will never be divulged. But hey, at least we have pictures this year. Check them out by clicking here.

Men & Boys Retreat

We were thrilled to have thirty-five gathered to honor the high calling of our teachers. We were blessed by an outstanding lesson and charge delivered by Charlie Johanson. And, we were absolutely overwhelmed by a gorgeous and delicious meal. What a blessing!

To those who organized, arranged, cooked, served, watched children, washed dishes, took out trash, rearranged tables, vacuumed floors, and turned out the lights when it was all finished, we thank you. Your servant leadership made an enormous impact on all of us who have dedicated ourselves to studying and sharing the word of God. You also are among our most prized teachers, putting into action the call to love and to serve.

Our teachers delivered some important updates about what blessings are occurring in their classes and what challenges they are needing help addressing. Below are some of the prayer requests made by our teachers. Will you please join us in going to God to address some particular needs.

We are praying:

–That God will provide endurance for the difficult task of teaching (study, preparation, delivery, application)

–That God will lead us in finding ways to apply difficult information in practical ways (e.g., putting the Truth Project material into application)

–That God will help us find and implement curriculum that is both relevant and substantive

–That God will grant us wisdom for teaching new age groups or in new scenarios

–That God will give us patience to teach learners who are experiencing Sunday School for the very first time

–That God will guide us in teaching the teens who they are in Jesus Christ, preparing them with a Christian world view, and passing on values that will allow them to launch out into young adulthood successfully

–That God will bless the ladies’ class as it transitions to a new teacher soon

–That God will continue to draw learners close together in unity even while being challenged to study difficult, even controversial, subjects

–That God will bless our opportunities to love and to serve and that we will always say “thank you” to those who pour their hearts into this endeavor

–That God will be glorified by the teaching ministry of the Pond Springs family

Thanks again to all of you for making Pond Springs a place where people are loved and led in the service of the Lord.

Richard Singleton

Teacher Appreciation Luncheon

04 12 Habitat House

Click here to see pictures of the women who spent the day on Saturday “putting down their hair dryers and picking up hammers” to help out at a Habitat for Humanity house. Good job, ladies!! (By the way, I won’t tell you whose words those are quoted above!)

The Engmans and crew took several of the elementary age kids (Cameron Boucher, Eric Boucher, Kionne Fields-Cameron, Jesse Loughmiller, Taylor Loughmiller, Joseph Johnson, and Sterling Stagner) to Georgetown for “Spring Board”. They started the morning at the church building eating a delicious breakfast provided by Debbie Bradley, Sharon Holt, Lisa Whitmarsh, and Daisy Wyatt. The days activities were a hit with the kids. They listened to a speaker, Larry Nunley, who was very entertaining, played freeze tag, decorated skate boards, watched a magic show, and played with a parachute. Thanks to teens: Kami Marnach, Kara Marnach, Katherine Swinney, Kipp Swinney, Carmon Terry, and Brandon Wilkinson for helping with kidnapping and feeding the kids breakfast. Check out the pictures by clicking here.

04 05 Elementary Spring Board

If you want to go to camp this summer, but don’t have an application, you can download one from this link. See Keith Engman for other details. And have fun at camp!

Seven of Pond Springs’ young people participated in the LTC Convention in Houston this weekend.
The younger Bible Bowl team consisted of Matthew Kurten, Jesse Loughmiller, Lydia Singleton, and Sterling Stagner. Katherine Swinney coached them. All four of them received individual medals: Matthew getting gold, Jesse and Sterling received silver, and Lydia bronze. The team earned a silver medal.
Our older Bible Bowl team consisted of: Katherine Swinney, Kipp Swinney and Joey Terry who joined with a young man from Schulenberg. Kipp received and individual gold and Katherine a silver. The team earned a bronze medal.
Other awards include:
Joey - Service Challenge, bronze.
Katherine - Service Challenge, gold, Bible Teaching, gold, Art, gold, Multi-media Presentation, gold.
Kipp - Service Challenge, gold, speech, silver.
Thanks to our sponsors: Missy Cole and Shelby, Catherine Kurten and Daniel, Stacey Singleton, Kirk and Jan Swinney, and the best food coordinator ever to grace the LTC Convention: Kathi Terry.
The kids (and adults) had a great time competing, swimming, evacuating the building for a fire alarm, and spending time enjoying the family of God.
Click here to see a slide show of convention pictures.

LTC 2008

Seven Members of the youth group and a few adults went to the Cedar Park YMCA and participated in a ropes course. There were several games designed to illustrate the importance of cooperation, communication, and planning. There was a 53ft tower that, with the aid of safety ropes, the group climbed. The philosophy of the YMCA for the tower was: Challenge by Choice. From the tower there was a zip line that sent us flying around 150 yards. There was a giant swing that when one of us was harnessed in, the group would pull him or her as high as he or she wanted to go, using a pulley system. Everyone had a great time and the experience was beneficial to all. To see a slide show, click here.

03 08 Ropes Course

Thanks for coming out in such large numbers to clean, weed, paint, and do whatever needed to be done. If you were there, you know that the crew was willing and able. If you weren’t there, make sure you look around at the wonderful results of the day’s activities. Click here to see a slide show of the fun!!

March 1 Work Day

The February Fellowship Meal was baked potatoes. Click here to see a slide show of the fun and fellowship.

February Fellowship Meal