Tag: church

Categories
church cartoons

It’s a tough time for huggers

Cartoon of a man running away from a woman. The caption reads, "Pastor Dan takes evasive measures when another hugger returns to church."
Published in the January 2021 CHOGNews

My it’s been a hard time for huggers if they venture out into the world! COVID has made hugging a threatening gesture in some circles. This will become more awkward as people get vaccinated and feel they’re good to go. I thought about that when I drew this cartoon.

It can get even more unpredictable when you’re dealing with kids. Spontaneous hugs go with the territory. How are you going to tell a four-year old to refrain from a hug?

I am thankful for the huggers in my life. But I’ve never been one of them. Hugging was already a challenging activity before the last year hit. Elbow bumps and air-high-fives have been the greeting of choice for an introvert like me for some time. I feel for the huggers. It’s a tough time for them!

Cartoon of a man running away from a woman. The caption reads, "Pastor Dan takes evasive measures when another hugger returns to church."
Published in the January 2021 CHOGNews

I drew this cartoon for the January 2021 CHOGNews.

Categories
Christianity

Article: Barryton, MI Church Changing the Story

little girl helping her brother with homework
Photo by olia danilevich on Pexels.com

I had the pleasure of interviewing a pastor and his wife about a Michigan church that helped their school during COVID and how churches make a difference.

Barryton Church of God in Michigan changes the story by helping their local elementary school during the COVID-19 crisis

Here is a link to a PDF of the article.

Michigan Church Changing the StoryDownload

The church is making a difference by working with what they have and where they are at. Gerald Rosely is the pastor at the church. His wife, Veronica, noticed there were some teachers and school administrators that attended the church.

Before COVID-19 affected the community, Veronica had begun a ministry with the Barryton, Michigan elementary school. When everything changed in 2020, she realized the church needed even more help and sprung into action.

I love how this church is reaching out and making a difference instead of turning inward. It is a great example of how we can all make a positive impact if we open our eyes and see what needs are in our own communities.

Churches really do make a difference!

Categories
motivation

Phoenix Church Ministers Creatively

I had the opportunity to write an article for Church of God Ministries. It is about a church that found a way to minister to the community during the coronavirus pandemic.

Phoenix Church Hosts Socially Distanced Drive-in Movie
I wrote this article for Church of God Ministries.

Arcadia City Church in Phoenix, Arizona, used an inflatable screen and some electronic expertise to have a drive-in movie family night. Pastors Michael and Christy Fay were inspired by their growing family. They observed how one of their children longed for connection during the quarantine.

I love how instead of getting frustrated and upset about how the crisis has changed how we do church, they were inspired to find a solution. As we continue to experience challenges, let’s all look for ways we can reach out and help others. We can all turn negative situations into solutions that can benefit us and our communities.

Categories
CHOG News church cartoons Newsletters

Going Viral at Church

Cartoon of a pastor at his pulpit. There is a "Quarantine Area" sign at the front. The caption says, "That was the day Pastor Don's sermon went viral.

When I drew this month’s cartoon for the Church of God newsletter, I was thinking of how the coronavirus has dominated our news so far in 2020. It appears it isn’t going away anytime soon. Something viral can have good as well as bad connotations.

It seems the goal of most Internet influencers is to have something that goes viral. That makes someone an influencer after all, doesn’t it?

This week, the church I attend has experience a little viral moment. I’m quite proud of my local church, Salem Church of God, and our congregation’s generosity. We’ve raised over $40,000 to help local schools pay off school lunch debt across the Miami Valley! We have been able to help nine school districts so far!

And on top of that, it has caused our church to make the local and national news!

Here’s a link from ABC News

Here’s a link from WHIO TV 7 in Dayton

There are times when it is good to go viral. I hope the pastor in my cartoon gets things figured out before he has to spend two weeks on a quarantined pulpit.

Cartoon of a pastor at his pulpit. There is a "Quarantine Area" sign at the front. The caption says, "That was the day Pastor Don's sermon went viral.

I drew this for the February 2020 Church of God Newsletter.

Categories
family growth

She Speaks, Ends, and Begins Today

Photo of Paula Spear holding a cup of coffee

This morning, my bride speaks before our church. It’s her last day as a children’s pastor and first day as a speaker. It has been amazing to see her growth in the last couple of years.

It will be most interesting seeing her on the stage as she closes her time at Salem Church of God. It has been the most amazing place for us. The people have been fantastic. Paula has had great support. As she will say in her sermon, her departure doesn’t make much sense except that she is making a step by faith.

I have seen amazing growth in her since she began in children’s ministry seventeen years ago. As recent as last year, she would not have thought of speaking to the entire congregation. Yet, I have seen natural talent in her and a passion to speak and get her message out. We believe her next step involves speaking into women’s lives. It’s been a thrill to witness her transformation in the last year.

For a few weeks, I’ve been talking about change, and worry. Here is the culmination of it. We don’t know what her next step is. We do know that change is coming and starts today.

I’ve tried to behave myself the last couple of weeks so I did not become subject of a sermon illustration. We’ll see how that goes this morning! My tendency to worry and be snarky probably did not help me with this goal.

I am quite proud of my wife. She is walking and speaking by faith this morning. You can bet there will be a sketch note on her sermon. Ready or not, here we go!