New website

Check out our new Headwaters website. We'll still use this blog, but most of the important info and news will be found at the new site.

This week at Headwaters we’ll be serving at The Friendship Center. As usual, we’ll meet first at ExplorationWorks at 10AM and then head over to the Friendship Center by 10:30.

We’ll start off our time there with an orientation, sign release forms, and take a brief tour of the facility.
Our top tasks will include:
1. Transporting extra supplies of clothing, furniture, household goods, etc. to Good Samaritan.
2. Hanging and organizing baby clothing and items
3. Hanging labels
4. Organizing the stuffed animals and folding blankets (this will be great for the kids)
5. Putting together food boxes
6. Weeding the garden
7. Disinfecting the children’s in-take room

Details:
• The Friendship Center will supply cleaning stuff, paper towels, etc.
• They will also provide snacks and drinks for us. But feel free to bring your own water bottle—always a good idea!
• We have people signed up to bring trucks/SUVs/trailers for taking items to Good Samaritan, so we should be set for that.
• Bring gardening gloves and small tools (shears, trowels, etc.)

We’d love to have you join us.

Fall at Headwaters

Fall is here! Maybe not according to the calendar, but school has started, the mornings in Helena have definitely gotten cooler, and people are getting into their routines.

Now is a great time to come check out what's happening at Headwaters. The worship on Sundays is casual and engaging. And because we want our faith to lead to action, we’ll also continue to serve the community on the last Sunday of each month. This month we’ll be working with The Friendship Center on September 27th. We’d love to have you join us on a Sunday... and find a faith that's more than words.

Every Sunday you can find us at ExplorationWorks at 10 a.m. We serve in the community on the last Sunday of the month.

A great day giving blood

Our first blood drive with the Red Cross was a great success at ExplorationWorks yesterday. It was my first time giving blood...and I didn't die! It actually went really well. I may even have to give again in the future! Check out the story in our local paper.

While we were at ExplorationWorks we also did work around the facility--cleaning the chairs, washing windows, wiping down the railings and beams and sills. And we got our new sound system set up and tried out.

Next Sunday we'll be back at ExplorationWorks for a regular service at 10am with our new sound system. It should be great.

Red Cross Blood Drive

This Sunday, August 23, we're hosting a blood drive for the Red Cross at ExplorationWorks from 10-2. We're pleased to be able to partner with them in meeting this important need.
And for those who are unable to give blood for any reason, we'll also be doing some cleaning work at ExplorationWorks--windows, chairs, spot cleaning the floors, and so on.
We also just got a new sound system for Headwaters and will get that set up and tried out as well as we get ready for the fall.

Serving at Intermountain

We'll be serving at Intermountain on Sunday, June 28 this month.

Project details:
We'll be doing a bunch of great stuff:
Painting tables and benches
Raking
Cleaning/Weeding around Cottages & window wells
Sprucing up the bark around the shrubs

We'll meet at ExplorationWorks at 10 a.m. as usual and then proceed to Intermountain.

Driving Directions: Intermountain is located at 500 South Lamborn. Follow Winne to Oaks turn right about 2 blocks turn left on Ohio. This will bring you to the rear parking lot on Intermountain’s Campus. Meet at the Pavilion near this rear parking lot.

What to Bring: Work clothes, your new Headwaters hat/shirt, garden gloves, bottle of water.

Don’t forget to bring your APPETITE too! BBQ with the Intermountain children following our work day!!

Want to know more about Intermountain? Go here.

YWCA day

On May 31, we had a great day serving at the YWCA. Furniture got hauled away, flowers got planted, and weeds got killed. Windows were cleaned and the patios were swept and washed. The grill looks great and the shrubs look better than ever. It was gratifying to get so much done so quickly. Thanks to all who participated—it was a great day!

The YWCA in Helena does great work in our community by providing transitional housing for women--both with and without children. Headwaters is pleased to support them in their work.

Headwaters serves in the community on the last Sunday of the month. Coming in June--working at Intermountain!

Life Together

Remember Simon and Garfunkle? You know, “Feelin’ Groovy”… “Mrs. Robinson”… “The Sound of Silence”… and my favorite: “Bridge over Troubled Water”. Good stuff, even if 40 years old now!
How about this from “I am a Rock”:

I've built walls, a fortress deep and mighty, That none may penetrate.
I have no need of friendship; friendship causes pain. It's laughter and it's loving I disdain.
I am a rock, I am an island.

Don't talk of love, but I've heard the words before; It's sleeping in my memory.
I won't disturb the slumber of feelings that have died. If I never loved I never would have cried.
I am a rock, I am an island.

I have my books and my poetry to protect me; I am shielded in my armor,
Hiding in my room, safe within my womb. I touch no one and no one touches me.
I am a rock, I am an island.

And a rock feels no pain;
And an island never cries.

Really???
What do you think—are we better off as islands, protected from the dangers of relationships and the disappointments that are sure to come? Are we better off shielded in armor, hiding in books, touching no one and never being touched? The rock may feel no pain—and feel no love. It never cries—but never rejoices. It is alone.

And it’s a lie—the rock will feel pain—but feel it alone. The island will cry—and find no one to bring comfort. We were made to love and be loved—we were made for relationship.

Life Together
Over the next few weeks we’ll be looking at Life Together, which is what being the church is all about. God invites us into a life together—life together in friendship and relationship with God and one another. The passage that we’ll be using as a touchstone over these next few weeks comes from Acts 2:42-47:

They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

What does the life that God has for us look like today? And how can we be a part of it? What we’re talking about here is how to be the church—in a life-giving and life-fulfilling way. I hope you can join us.

Life Together

We know what it means to go to church--to the worship service. We know what it means see a church--the building with a steeple and stained glass. But what does it mean to be the church? God is far more interested in people than in buildings, than in rituals. What kind of people is he calling us to be? And what does this mean we should do? How should we live? How do we do life together? Is it meaningful? Is it worth the effort? Is it any fun?

Come and check out how we're doing life together at Headwaters.

YWCA

This Sunday we'll be at the YWCA doing a bunch of projects there:
Cleaning windows
Lawn and flower bed clean up
Planting flower boxes
Cleaning up patio area
Hauling away old furniture
And even working on a section of the roof

We'll meet at ExplorationWorks at 10 and then head over. The weather will be great and it should be a great time.

Iran: Yesterday & Today

Tonight Headwaters will be hosting a showing “Iran: Yesterday & Today” followed by a discussion. We’ll get underway at 7pm at the YWCA (corner of Park and Placer—enter on Placer). We’ll enjoy this provocative and eye opening video brought to you by travel author and guide, Rick Steves. What are the people like? Are they are enemies? Should we be prepared to go to war with them? Or are they people like us?

Join us for this engaging subject a provocative discussion, and some Iranian ice cream!

Watch a preview of the video here.

First Things

This week at Headwaters we’re getting into “First Things”. Sometimes we lose sight of the forest for the trees, and this is true of individuals and true of the church. We get caught up in all the many things it seems like we should be doing—so many responsibilities, endless needs, attending to family obligations, work, school … and on and on and on! We do this in our personal lives and we do this in our churches. Even following Christ can seem like an endless treadmill of making sure we’re praying, keeping in the Bible, loving one another, serving, and... and...

It can be exhausting.

So this week we’re going to focus in on the heart of the gospel and what that means for us as individuals and what that means for us as a church as we get Headwaters established. In "First Things" we'll be looking at what matters most. This will be a great time to catch our vision—and a great time to bring friends. Join us!

Serving with Prickly Pear

This last Sunday, Headwaters partnered with the Prickly Pear Land Trust to do some trail work in Helena. On the fourth Sunday of the month we meet briefly at ExplorationWorks and then head out to serve in the community. Last month we were at God's Love, the local homeless shelter, and in February we partnered with Helena Food Share for a food drive at Safeway.

The forecast for Sunday was a bit ominous--snow in the early morning followed by rain. But the precipitation held off for a day and we met as planned. After meeting for a brief time of prayer, we headed out to the Nob Hill area where the hillside has been scarred by jeep tracks. We transplanted bunch grass from the lusher areas into the scarred tracks, the idea being to help stem erosion and restore the aesthetics of the hillside.

It was great to see kids and adults working together, and even visitors to Headwaters joined in on the work. Next month we'll be serving at the YWCA downtown.

Trust

Can we trust God? How about in uncertain times? In the face of pain? When things are falling apart? When your 401-ain’t-OK? We all will face tough times in life and we all know people who are facing tough times. So I invite you to join us for an encouraging time this weekend at Headwaters. We'll be gathering at 10am at ExplorationWorks.

Jesus said, “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world" (John 16:33). That was right before he was arrested and his disciples faced troubles they that had no idea how to handle.

Even when everything falls apart and the trouble we could never conceive of comes our way, Jesus says, "Take heart!" These aren't just empty words. We can take heart because we have something--someone--we can put our trust in.

More on Sunday...

Easter

Join us this Sunday as we celebrate Easter at Headwaters. We'll worship at ExplorationWorks at 10 a.m.

Good people, good music, good message--it should be a good time.

God's Love

Yesterday a number of us from Headwaters went down to God’s Love, the local homeless shelter, and made and served a meal to about 50 people. We first met at ExplorationWorks at 10 a.m. for a brief service and then headed over to serve.

A pile of onions and peppers got chopped, beef and sausage got browned, salads got prepped, and the big spaghetti meal all came together pretty quickly. Meanwhile, others got some windows washed, tables wiped down, and some serious crud cleaned off the chairs. In all, it took about 90 minutes to get everything ready for the mid afternoon meal. We were also able to get a truckload of food from Helena Food Share for the women’s shelter (which is run separately from the men’s side where we were making the meal). The second shift came in later in the afternoon to get the noodles cooked, serve the meal, and clean up.

On the weekend, God’s Love serves breakfast and then a meal at 3:30. Typically, one employee makes this all happen! We had 32 of us between the two shifts (and a few did both shifts).

It was great to bring in the food and make and serve the meal. But more than just a meal was made. People serving alongside one another got to know each other a little better. People got to meet and talk with the people who came for the meal. Hopefully we fed both body and spirit in our efforts.

Are you ready?

Our regular schedule is almost here! This coming Sunday, we'll be partnering with Helena Food Share for a food drive at Safeway in Helena. We'll be there from 9 to 5 taking donations for those who are in need in our community. For more on the record demand Food Share is experiencing, click here.

Groups of four of us will be taking shifts throughout the day. At 10am on Sunday, those of us not on duty at Safeway will gather at ExplorationWorks for a brief time of worship and prayer for this project.

On Tuesday, February 24 we'll be at Food Share sorting the donations. If you'd like to join us, leave a comment.

On Sunday March 1, our regular schedule begins. We'll have worship services on the first three Sundays of the month; on the fourth we'll serve in the community in various ways. We'll still gather at ExplorationWorks on those Sundays for a time of prayer and then set out. It's a great time to get involved!

Worship on Sunday

This coming Sunday we'll once again be having a worship service at ExplorationWorks. We'll open the doors at 9:30 for coffee and refreshments and begin the service at 10. Join us!

What do you envision when you think of a "spiritual" person?
A guru on a mountain top?
A guy fasting in the desert?
A monk in a robe?
A scholar with big, heavy books?
A mystic having visions?

Or do you think of someone feeding the hungry?
Someone tutoring a child?
Someone comforting a husband who has just lost his wife?

This week we'll be looking at what "spiritual" means. What it means for ordinary people. What it means in everyday life.

Working on our serve

Last Friday night we had a great night of seeing how our new church can serve in our community. We met at ExplorationWorks and came up with all sorts of ways we can meet needs in Helena. People had ideas for helping a variety of organizations that serve people with all kinds of needs. We explored serving individuals in practical ways, serving with other organizations, working indoors, and working outdoors (in the spring!). Even the kids came up with great ideas.

Making the dreams real
It's one thing to see the needs around us; it's another to do something about them. And we don't want to be just about a lot of talk. So we took the big list we came up with and determined what kind of things we can actually take on in the near term. At the top of the list were partnering with Helena Food Share and taking on some practical projects (like painting and laying carpet) at the Care House (a crisis-stabilization facility). Our plans are to take on one of these projects in February and another in March.

All of this has been part of our dream from the very beginning. It is so striking that when we look at what Jesus actually did on earth, he spent so much time out among the people, teaching in the open air, healing people in the square, visiting the sick in their homes. We want to be a church that doesn’t just meet for worship and Bible studies and prayer; we want to put our faith in action in practical ways right where we live.

Worship services and serving monthly
So far we’ve put a lot of effort into getting worship services going. Now we’re ready to put that effort into getting our service to the community going. We’ve come up with lots of ideas about how best to serve people in Helena, we’ve brainstormed, and we’ve dreamed. It's time to put things into action.

Since November we’ve been meeting monthly as a way to get things rolling and we have another service coming up on February 8. But in March things will change: we’ll begin meeting for worship services on the first three weeks of the month. But on the fourth Sunday we’ll gather together to serve in the community. This way we'll keep serving the community in the forefront of what we're about.

Let us love not in words or tongue but with actions and in truth. (1 John 3:18)

Worship on Sunday, Jan 11

We're back for another worship service at ExplorationWorks this Sunday. I hope you had a great Christmas and New Year. We're looking at this service and then another one in February before going more regularly in March. And then we'll worship on the first three Sundays of the month and serve the community on the fourth.

This Sunday we'll open up for refreshments at 9:30 and worship at 10. Our worship is relaxed and casual. We'll have some great music and share in communion. We'd love to have you join us.