Perfect Games Not Required
May/100
Yesterday, Dallas Braden pitched a perfect game for the Oakland A's. He faced 27 batters and recorded 27 outs.
No hits. No walks. No batters hit by the pitch. 27 up, 27 down. Perfection.
Pitching a perfect game is arguably the most difficult feat to accomplish in professional sports. In fact, it's only been done 19 times in Major League history.
As awesome as the accomplishment is, the end result was a win. The A's won the ballgame…one of 162 games they will play this season. Lots of other teams won yesterday without the aid of a perfect game.
In reality, while a perfect game is an amazing achievement…it is not a necessity.
Baseball teams don't need perfect games in order to win. Neither does the church.
One of the hallmarks of our church is that we strive for excellence. We're never satisfied. We're always trying to improve. We value excellence…but we can never value perfection.
As soon as our focus shifts from excellence to perfection, we're doomed. People aren't perfect. They will not live perfectly. They will not serve perfectly.
And that's ok.
You don't have to be perfect to be part of our church. You don't have to be perfect to serve in our church.
We expect our volunteers to prepare. We expect them to give their best when they serve.
But we can win without a perfect game.
Marie Young
May/100
Yesterday I wrote a post about Melanie Presta's move to a new ministry in the Louisville area. We are saddened that she is leaving, but also excited about the new opportunities for the Presta family and for our church family.
Marie Young will be assuming the role of Interim Children's Minister on Monday, May 10. I am so excited that God has placed Marie in this position!
Marie is one of our own. She and her husband, Josh, have been part of the ACC family for several years now. Josh is on our staff as our Creative & Communications Minister. I'm so excited that Marie is also joining our staff in this interim role.
Marie has worked in our children's ministry for a long time. She has proven that she is very gifted and very passionate for this ministry. The kids in our church love her. She loves them. But most importantly, she loves Jesus and wants to teach our kids to love Him, too.
I have said it countless times before, and I will say it again…this is the best church staff on the planet. God has chosen to bless our church with people who are amazingly talented, overflowing with passion, and incredibly faithful.
Marie will fit right in.
Melanie Presta
May/101
What a difference two years can make. A couple of years ago, our church's children's ministry was really struggling. We knew that God had given us a vision to make kids a huge priority, so we did what our church had never done before…hire a children's minister.
Honestly, with the hours and money that we were offering, I wasn't expecting much. But God moved in spite of my lack of faith when we hired Melanie Presta. She came complete with a wealth of children's ministry experience and an intense love for Jesus and for kids.
The rest, as they say, is history. Melanie got right to work and transformed our children's ministry. We now have a ministry to kids that is vibrant, exciting, and alive.
A couple of months ago, we were saddened to hear that Melanie's family is moving to Elizabethtown, KY. She has accepted a full-time children's ministry position with First Christian Church.
This Sunday, May 9, will be Melanie's last day of service with our church. Be sure to show her the love and gratitude that she has earned. Her impact in our church will continue to be felt for a long, long time.
Register Now for Sports Camp 2010
May/100
Registration is open! Get your kids signed up for ACC's annual Sports Camp.
Last year was amazing, and we believe that God has even greater things in store this year.
Get all the details and register on the KidZone website.
