With a playful nod to 530 Dog Track Road’s history as a former roller-skating rink, earlier this month Northland hosted All Skate Weekend, one of its most ambitious and pivotal weekends to date. Fittingly, it was a rousing success.
The weekend was bookended by the daddy-daughter dance Friday, March 2, and worship services Sunday, March 4. Sandwiched in between was a Saturday morning serve time, featuring more than 230 volunteers and 14 projects. Fanning out to sites such as Christian HELP, Wayman Place, United Against Poverty, Harvest Time International, Meals on Wheels and New Hope for Kids, a blue shirt-clad army went out into the community and made a tangible difference throughout Central Florida.
Moreover, these volunteers were walking examples of the gospel, a feat that took on extra prominence as Northland marches into a new season built around forming transformative relationships with those in our inner circles as well as those in surrounding circles of work, school and neighborhood.
“It was great to see the comprehensive work that United Against Poverty provides, not just meeting immediate food needs but providing job training and education to help stop the poverty cycle,” one participant of that serve project said.
Another congregant, Gerry Glose, worked with Pastor Gus in connecting with refugees. They met with two young people from the local refugee community, who shared their story. “We explored the cultural differences between the United States and East Africa,” Gerry said. “After our visit, all eight participants drove to a nearby grocery store, where we filled a cart with traditional ingredients of the African cuisine. Pastor Gus purchased the food for them. God opened my eyes to the refugee experience in a new way. Until [then], I understood refugees in the context of a news story, a mass of faceless, nameless people fleeing from turmoil. For the first time in my life, I met two refugees face-to-face, and they had names: Clementine and Emanuel.”
A highlight of the spring season for fathers and daughters alike, this year’s daddy-daughter dance had the theme “Meet Me by the Sea.” The sold-out event featured 2,000 attendees, who packed the Worship Center to near capacity, and had the participants dreaming of a hammock in Siesta Key. Daughters participated in crafts and face painting, and indulged in snacks such as popcorn and cotton candy. The event also featured a brief message from Pastor Vernon and an interpretive dance. Most importantly, though, this foundational event allowed fathers and daughters a chance to connect, engage and grow together in a unique, inimitable and timeless way.
A few hours after the 14 serve projects, on Saturday evening, Northland held the Joy Prom, a sold-out formal banquet for more than 90 congregants with special needs. The event offered them a chance to shine in a spotlight and dance the night away. Aided by middle and high school students, all prom participants were escorted down a red carpet with their dates and feted in a grand and boisterous celebration. Since its inception, Northland’s Access Ministries has strived to ensure that congregants with special needs have equal opportunities and a chance to be part of community.
“I saw God at work in the hearts of the Buddies,” said event volunteer Ruth Brendle. “They were so amazingly kind to the Access kids. Seeing the Buddies enjoying their roles and engaging with the kids, serving the kids while also being genuine and joyful themselves, was truly captivating.”
At the same time as the Joy Prom, a cadre of Northland congregants gathered at Calvary Chapel to participate in the 14th Better Man Event. The three-hour event played host to 4,000 men, each one eager to learn how to better become an authentic man of integrity. Punctuated by messages from Hall of Fame running back Emmitt Smith, Northland favorite and motivational speaker Nick Vujicic, author and pastor Mark Batterson, and musician Brian “Head” Welch, the event was a success. By the end of the night, 300 men came to Christ and more than 300 volunteered to mentor at-risk Orange County youths. With such a strong turnout, the event is slated to convene at UCF’s CFE Arena next year.
Tom Horvath, who attended the event, was ebullient in his praise: “The Better Man Event is a jewel in the Central Florida crown — men from over 100 churches come together to be united in their call to becoming the men God has created them to be. High-energy, world-class speakers bring encouragement and instruction from the Word of God to the man in the pew. It’s encouraging, challenging, unifying and inspiring — iron sharpening iron.”
In the end, the daddy-daughter dance and Joy Prom were a success because many dedicated volunteers aborted their Friday and Saturday evenings to ensure that daughters and congregants with special needs received a night to shine, dance and revel in God’s abounding love.
The events in the morning hours of Serve Day mirrored those acts of benevolence. And it is that benevolence that should not be overlooked or underappreciated. When we unite to serve others, we are hitting at the very fabric that weaves together our stories, our hearts and our faith.
To that end, if Northland is going to grow in 2018 and into the next decade, it is going to need more weekends like All Skate Weekend — not necessarily for the volume of activities but for what resulted: a weekend filled with service, lasting connections, believers engaged in community and conversation, and, most importantly, spiritual growth. From the daddy-daughter dance through the 11 a.m. Sunday worship service, there was a tenor in the air that was vibrant, dynamic and very much alive. That quite succinctly is a church at work being the hands and feet of Jesus, a church wholly committed to bringing heaven down to earth.
As we as a church continue to embrace this transitional season, let us be mindful of our heart posture throughout the duration of All Skate Weekend, and may that be our guiding light as we march forward through 2018 and beyond.