The Anthony's

State of Emergency pt 2

2010-06-29T16:51:00.000-07:00

Well the mayor and city council has voted to extend the state of emergency for 30 days. After finding out from the city that we as citizens are still allowed to do normal activity like driving to the grocery store, coming home from work, and anything else legal after 9pm and finding out that if you plan to gather more than two or three people together in a public place you need a permit, we found that the 9pm curfew does not negatively affect us. The city is definitely more quiet at night. I think that most residents are in favor of the curfew. However after 8 days of silence of gun fire, we have had 3 shootings since Sunday. The first left one person injured, the second was a man shot to death Sunday night, and just a few hours an officer was shot in the arm and one suspect is dead and two others are injured. Today I drove by the place where the man was found shot to death. As I got close I saw one of the ladies who I regularly meet with carrying a teddy bear to add to the make shift memorial. When I pulled up beside her she told me that the man who was shot was a good friend of hers. She was having a hard time dealing with this loss. It seemed like this was the first time that someone that close to her had been killed. I was at a loss for words to comfort her. Ultimately it is changed hearts that will change this community, God is working! He is here in this community. He loves the people of Chester. Pray for my dear friend and others who are grieving the loss of this friend. May God receive the glory from the changed lives that can be born out of tragedy.

A State of Emergency

2010-06-21T13:05:00.000-07:00

Tom and I were getting ready to play Apples to Apples with friends on Saturday night when we got some unexpected news. At 8:53 pm one of our church members called and informed us that there was a city-wide curfew going into effect at 9pm. It was a bit of a shock to us, but we packed up our stuff and headed home. We got home about nine and called some friends who went online and told us that what we had heard was true, the Mayor of Chester had declared a State of Emergency earlier in the day in response to a rise in the number of murders over the last few weeks. That night our area felt a lot like a ghost town, much quieter than usual.

We waited around for the 10:00 news to hear the info for ourselves and sure enough we heard that the Mayor had declared a state of emergency until Thursday. He also plans to meet with city council on Wednesday and urge them to extend the state of emergency for 30 days. To enforce the curfew the Mayor has requested assistance from the state police and county sheriff's departments. He has also cancelled vacation days and personal time for all city police officers and placed them on 12 hour shifts. We are concerned about the Mayor's desire to push this an extra 30 days. Keeping people off the streets will not change their hearts. The added restrictions for an extended amount of time will most likely increase tensions between residents and police. Our prayer is that God's will would be done in our city.

As I read people's comments about Chester in the online newspaper my heart is saddened. There are many negative comments, even so far as wanting the people of Chester locked in their city with their guns so that they can shoot themselves and have the problem done with. How Our Father looks on this city is very different, He sees the brokenness and desires to heal each heart and restore them. He has placed His children here to share that good news. His children are young/old, black/white and they are on their knees lifting this city before Him. Tomorrow (Tues June 22) and 9 am we will be gathering at the Frederick Douglass Christian School/World Impact building to lift up our city to Him and to lift up the Mayor's meeting on Wednesday with city council. Please join us from wherever you are.

People, People, People

2010-05-11T17:51:00.001-07:00

Planting a church is hard work, full of successes and failures. Tom and I both have jumped into this process without much experience. Over the last year we have learned much from our own experiences and from the experiences of others who are part of World Impact and other groups. I have been doing much soul-searching lately as I consider what God is doing in our Highland House church plant. I looked back to an entry I wrote in my journal on June 28, 2009. I wrote about feeling God's call to strengthen relationships with people within our church. Glancing over other entries I have seen an increase in the number of people that Tom and I have gotten to know and build relationships with. Khadijah's mom is an example. The more I have gotten to know her the more she has opened up and shared her life with me. I continue to see her wanting a peace that can only come from God. Tom and I are praying about beginning a Bible Study in her house with her and her family. Our friend Es just had a baby and we have been watching her kids on and off. Four year-old Zech loves playing with Tom and looks up to him. Whenever we stop by he wants to come over to our house. We continue to have contact with Danita and Doc. Danita and I meet to study the Bible and Tom is seeking an opportunity to take Doc out to lunch. Yesterday I spent two hours talking with Kim whose life has been turned around by her family's involvement with World Impact. The stories could go on, but as a couple Tom and I desire to build relationships that will give honor to God and lead people to His kingdom.

Milestone

2010-05-11T17:35:00.001-07:00

Today marks a pivotal day in my journey as worship team coordinator with Highland House. My team is being run by one of it's own members. My only roles are to work with vocal warm-ups and meet with the team leader. When I started working with the team almost two years ago this was my vision, to pass the team and its leadership to Highland House. I have enjoyed watching the team grow in their relationships with God and also in their musical ability. I am in awe of God and all that He has taught me and shown me through this process. He has taught me to let go of my ideas of how things should be done and let our team member's express and use the ideas God has given them. I have learned that the outcome of this team is not based on me or my musical ability, but on God. I have learned also what it means to truly worship and I have seen my team members learn that as well. I have seen them seek God as they choose the songs that will be sung each Friday night. I am blessed that God has allowed me to walk with this team during this part of their journey with Him.

God's Amazing Provision

2010-05-11T17:23:00.000-07:00

Today we are praising God for His great provision! About a month ago on a Sunday our house was broken into while we were at church. We walked in our back door and saw things amiss in the living room and then noticed that the front door had been kicked in. Thankfully not many things were taken, my camera, an ipod that was in the camera bag, and Tom's coin collection. We were grateful that we weren't home, but we had to deal with the feelings of having our privacy violated. God has been healing our hearts and allowing us to forgive. Since then I have prayed that in His time, God would replace my camera. It was a tool that I used to capture snapshots of what God is doing here so that I can share God's work with others. It had been stolen once before, but this time I felt a great peace waiting on God's timing. Today I went to our mailbox at FDCS and found an envelope with our names on it. Inside was a gift card, given anonymously, to be used to replace my camera. Through God's provision I was able to order a camera today that is better than the one that I had before. I am still amazed and do not consider myself worthy of this gift that He has given. We are both thankful to God and the people who gave us this wonderful gift!

Gold, Silver, and precious stones

2010-04-14T10:24:00.001-07:00

Today I was reading in I Corinthians 3. I came across verses 12 to 15. "Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw- each one's work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire...(ESV)" What remains is what is worth much in God's kingdom. One of the faithful who have gone on before us, Amy Carmichael, used these verses to measure what she was doing to God's standard. If I used these verses as a measuring stick in my life, would I find that I am building with "gold, silver, and precious stones" or am I building in "wood, hay, and straw?" Part of me is afraid to look too deep being afraid of what I might find, but how can I grow if I am not allowing God to change me. As I was pondering these verses I was also reminded that one way that I can build in "gold, silver, and precious stones" is to focus on the relationships with people whom God has placed in my life.

People

2010-04-12T08:16:00.001-07:00

A few weeks ago I was feeling discouraged about the state of our Highland House church plant. We had asked people to step up and take responsibility. They had for a while, but then it seemed that some of them were falling back on their commitments. We had also recently seen a drop off in attendance. It was then that God reminded me to remember those whose lives He had changed through Highland House. As I thought about a teen who life was completely turned around, about a mom who five years ago was addicted to drugs who now owns a house and makes sure that her kids are busy in sports and other extra curricular activities, about another mom who is seeking God's direction in every step she takes, and about a woman who truly understands the meaning of God's grace and mercy in her life, I remembered that Highland House is God's church and that he is responsible for changing lives.

At that time God also reminded me that he cares about people, and that is where my focus should be. As I have asked Him to help me to see the people of Chester with His eyes, he has brought many people across my path and has given me a new heart and passion to build relationships with them.

Happy Birthday Tom!

2010-03-08T11:57:00.000-08:00

Actually, his birthday is tomorrow. Yesterday we travelled out of the city of Chester to go to Steamtown National Historic Site in Scranton, PA to celebrate his birthday with my (Vicki's) family. It wasn't until Friday that I realized that it has been two long months since I have taken a trip out of Chester, I also didn't realize how much I needed it.

We drove through PA in beautiful 50 degree weather and enjoyed looking at a variety of Steam trains and Steamtown. Tom, my dad and my brother Andy enjoyed looking at all the exhibits. My mom and I enjoyed the sunshine and taking pictures of the guys enjoying themselves. It was a restful and relaxing day that was much needed and helped energize us for this week coming up.

Special Words

2010-03-03T07:00:00.000-08:00

I (Vicki) have been reading Amy Carmichael's book Gold Cord. As I have been reading about the life and ministry of this woman of God, I have been amazed at how struggles and situations in her life and ministry are similar to our life and ministry. As mentioned in the last entry I have been discouraged by not being able to get in touch with one of the ladies I meet with. It has become apparent over the last few days that she is avoiding us. I have been struggling with discouragement and getting a hard heart and then I read something that Amy wrote about similar situations she came across in her life. On pages 294-295 she writes about one who has made great progress with Christ and is then distracted along the way. She says that it is easy to let that experience harden our hearts and that hardening can affect how we approach others. She also said that it is better to not give up and be deceived by a person that to harden your heart and give up on them. This was a good reminder for me to keep my heart soft and not give up.

Encouragement

2010-03-03T06:46:00.000-08:00

The last week has been a bit rough, issues with getting Tom's license transferred, difficulty getting in touch with one of the ladies Vicki is mentoring, financial concerns, and being ready for spring when we are still getting little bits of snow. Through prayer we were able to see Tom's license issues worked out and he is now a Pennsylvania resident. The last few days we have had more springlike weather!

The biggest praise had to do with Meme, one of the ladies Vicki meets with. She finally was able to find a part time job after searching for over a year! Over the last month Vicki has seen Meme's relationship with God grow seven-fold. The last few weeks Meme has been reading in Romans, a book that God also led Vicki to read. They have both been able to talk about what Meme is learning and God has been showing Meme how to apply His word in her life! Vicki and Meme have also been studying the book of I John together. They have talked about how people walking in the darkness of sin are blinded to the light of God. Meme shared yesterday that learning this has helped her have a better perspective of those in her life who do not know Christ. It has given her more compassion for them! Another big praise from yesterday was when Vicki shared a praise in her life and Meme was excited because she had been praying for Vicki over the situation and was happy to see how God answered her prayer.

Thank you Father for encouragement in the midst of hard times!

A Fresh Wind...

2010-01-14T11:56:00.000-08:00

This new year starts a new phase for the church we are planting. World Impact began planting Highland House Church in 2003. We started with kids Bible Clubs. After getting families together at Harmony Heart Camp in 2005 we decided to move to having family Bible studies on Friday nights. We held these Bible studies in ministry houses here in Chester from 2005-2008. We had grown from a handful of people to 40-60 people (adults, teens, & Kids) meeting in our houses. It was at that point that we decided to move our Church to the Frederick Douglass Christian School building to accommodate our growing numbers. This is where we are currently meeting today.

From the beginning of this church plant our desire has been to raise up leaders from within the congregation who will take our places. Over the last few months we as a church plant team have been praying about how best to re-ignite this vision within our church. We earnestly seek and desire God to be in the center of planting this church.

Last Friday we recast this vision with the teens and adults. We know that God was present at this meeting and prepared the hearts of those who were there for the message that was given. We have been encouraged by the fact that many of those we talked to afterwards had been thinking along similar lines.

We are going to continue this process over the next few weeks. Please be in prayer with us over these times. Pray that God will reveal in each member where He would have them serve. Pray also that we will be sensitive to His leading in all that we do!

Christmas Time Part 4

2010-01-01T10:08:00.000-08:00

For our Christmas Eve service we did a Christmas pageant. The cast was made up of our Saturday Bible study kids, teens from our choir, and kids from our Friday night class. They all did a wonderful job! Khadijah played Joy to the World for everyone and also did a wonderful job! At the end our friend Esmeralda shared what Christmas meant to her and her family. God used her and her families experiences to share the true meaning of Christmas. My (Vicki's) highlight was seeing Khadijah's mom there and watching as she listened intently to the message given by Esmeralda. We both pray that God will use these words to draw her to himself.

Let it Snow!!

2010-01-01T09:42:00.000-08:00

Two weeks ago we enjoyed the biggest snowfall that we have had here in Chester since at least 2005. It was fun being home and keeping warm during the snow. I (Vicki) made cookies and homemade pizza dough. We were also able to bless one of the families in our church with food. God had blessed us with an abundance from Tom's family at Thanksgiving and we were glad to pass on the blessing.

Christmas Time part 3

2010-01-01T09:32:00.000-08:00

One of the blessings of the Christmas season is being able to help families in Chester provide their kids with gifts through our Christmas Toy Store. Due to a large snow storm we had to change the date, but this did not keep families from coming out. For the toy store we collect new toys and clothes from supporting churches, we are then able to place the toys at discounted prices for parents. This gives a chance for us to build dignity in the parents as they are providing for their families. Vicki was encouraged by the smiling faces of the parents as they were checking out, knowing that their families will be able to have an enjoyable Christmas.

Christmas Time part 2

2010-01-01T09:26:00.000-08:00

For the last month we have taken a break from our Saturday Bible Study because of the business of the holiday season. On December 20th we were able to get together with the kids for our Christmas party, a fun afternoon of playing games, making pizza, and decorating cookies. This time was also a reminder of how much we enjoy having the kids over and how much they enjoy coming. We anticipate restarting Bible study next week. We pray that through this time these six precious kids will continue to desire to know God more.

Christmas Time part 1

2010-01-01T09:17:00.000-08:00

In early December we invited Khadijah's family to come to Christmas at Harmony Heart. We want to see her family become more involved in Highland House and to come to know Christ. Her step-dad and little brother were able to come to camp with her. We are pretty sure this is the first time that their family has been able to get out of the city together. At camp they enjoyed decorating cookies, cutting down Christmas trees, making Gingerbread houses, and snow-tubing. All three had a wonderful time at camp. Khadijah's step-dad shared his thanks with Vicki as she dropped the family off at home. We hope that Khadijah's family was able to sense God's love during this time together.

'Tis the season

2009-12-09T12:35:00.000-08:00

The Christmas season is a busy time for us. This week we are looking forward to heading up to Harmony Heart Camp in the Poconos for Christmas at Harmony Heart! This is one of our favorite times of the year when we take families to camp where they can cut down Christmas trees, decorate cookies, make crafts, and celebrate Christ's birth as a family. This year we are brining 80 people with us! Please pray that this will be a time of peace and joy for the families who are attending.

Some other things that will be happening are the Christmas Toy Store and our Highland House Christmas Eve service. At the toy store parents will be able to buy brand new gifts and clothes for their children at greatly reduced prices, giving them an opportunity to provide for their families. This will be our first Christmas Eve service for Highland House. I (Vicki) am busy putting together a simple program where the kids and our choir will be acting out the Christmas story. Our prayer for this service is that the message of Christ and his birth would be clearly communicated and understood by those who come.

Musical Blessings

2009-12-09T12:17:00.000-08:00

Yesterday Tom was at homework club and a friend asked him if we could use a cello. Tom said sure because he knew that the cello is one of the instruments that I (Vicki) would love to learn how to play. The friend said that he had the cello in his trunk and he gave it to Tom. When I opened it last night I found that it was in great condition! I look forward to learning how to play and then being able to teach someone else how to play it!

Another blessing in area of music is in regards to a choir that I am starting with Highland House Church. I officially started the choir in October but was disappointed when only one person would show up for practice. This last Saturday I had four teens show up early for practice. When we started practicing songs for our Christmas Eve service they worked hard and sang well. I told them that they we were going to practice on the Tuesdays leading up to Christmas. Last night they all showed up and were excited to practice. Their enthusiasm is a great encouragement. I pray that the choir is something that these teens will want to continue and that it will be a way to encourage them in their walk with Christ.

Vacation part 2

2009-11-28T19:26:00.000-08:00

Well, we are coming to the end of our relaxing week in Virginia, but we are also looking forward to going home to Chester tomorrow. We had fun picking out and decorating a Christmas tree on Wednesday with our nephew Aaron. We enjoyed Thanksgiving dinner with Tom's family, his mom made the best apple pie! Tom enjoyed the chance to go hunting on Friday, unfortunately the animals decided to stay in hiding that day. Friday evening we took Tom's parents out for dinner for their anniversary, 56 years! After dinner we went to the neatest Christmas light display that I have ever seen. God has blessed us in many different ways and we are thankful for his provision!

Vacation!

2009-11-25T11:50:00.000-08:00

Tom and I are enjoying spending time with family and friends here in Martinsville, VA. We have had a busy fall and we are thankful for the rest. We are also thankful for the hospitality of our friends and family. We shared pizza with our friends Tim, Tonya, Audrey, Emma and Liam (see picture). We shared cake and wedding pictures with Eric and Kay. We are grateful to Randy, Regula, and family for opening their home to us. We also enjoyed picking out a Christmas tree with Tom's nephew Aaron. We have enjoyed taking walks along Nowhere Road with our escort of 3 dogs:) and sleeping in. We look forward to sharing what God is doing in Chester with our family at Christ's Church. Have a happy Thanksgiving.

A Beautiful Day

2009-11-25T11:18:00.000-08:00

Just a few days ago we had the opportunity to bless about 250 families in Chester with Thanksgiving dinners. We had planned to give out 230 meals and God blessed us with twenty more! We were also blessed by all the help that we received. We had quite a few volunteers from our Highland House Church, from little kids to adults. We also had help from Refuge in Christ Church and The Christian Academy basketball team. Everyone worked very hard to make this day a success!

Piano Lessons

2009-11-17T08:28:00.000-08:00

This past summer I(Vicki) began giving piano lesson to two girls from Highland House Church. I was nervous, because this was the first time I have ever tried to teach piano. As we got started the excitement and dedication of both girls motivated me. In September one went away to High School and the other stayed here in Chester, so now I am doing one lesson a week. Khadijah, the girl I am currently working with has a natural talent for music and is doing very well.

Last night I had her over for her lesson. I also had another boy, David, from our church over to the house, he takes lessons somewhere else but needed a quiet place to practice. So I had Khadijah on the piano downstairs and David on my keyboard upstairs and our house was full of music. It just made me happy to here two kids using the gifts that God gave them. Afterwards they played legos and had dinner with us. Tom and I love being able to open our house for people to come over and have fun!

Anticipation

2009-11-16T12:24:00.000-08:00

Well, this week I (Vicki) am working on finishing up the details for WI Chester's Thanksgiving Outreach. Last year we weren't sure if we would have enough meals and God blessed us with just enough! This year we have 230 meals that have been promised and 230 names of people to receive the meals as well as a waiting list. Our faithful Lord will provide us with all that we need. We will also be able to give new coats out to the children who come out.

My favorite part of the day is interacting with the families who will be receiving the boxes. My prayer is that each person who comes would know the love of Jesus through this time. The picture is of some of our ladies who help us with the outreach every year.

A new journey

2009-11-14T13:06:00.000-08:00

A blog is something new for us. We have been looking for a way to share with friends and family what God is doing here in Chester and to keep people updated on what we are doing. So here it goes...

We have enjoyed being married for almost eight months. We also enjoy working together in here in Chester. Today we just finished 10 weeks of a discipleship Bible study with 6 kids from Highland House church (the church we are planting). We are taking a break during the holiday season and will start up again in January. We have both valued this experience as we have gotten to know the kids on a deeper level. Through our discussion times we are able to see how much God is working in each kid's life.