The Men of our church got the chance to get together on Saturday for two seemingly different activities. First we gathered at the church for a Bible study on Romans chapter 1. After that, we “gathered” at a local park to rake 
leaves.
The leaf raking was our participation in Pitman’s “Clean Communities” project in which civic and church groups work to clean up an assigned roadway or piece of land. For us, money earned from this morning of work helps pay for our Bible Study speakers and to provide scholarships to our annual retreat.
Beyond the money and service to the town, spending time with your Christian brothers in conversation (and even in raking!) helps build relationships which help us grow closer to Christ. And as we share our “war stories” of aching muscles in church the next day, we are also more able to share in more serious conversation of accountability and faith issues.
The wind was blowing the leaves, but the Holy Spirit’s wind is always working to provide opportunities to stir our faith. Below are some glimpses of us raking leaves… if you look close enough you might also catch a breath or two of the Holy Spirit….
Lost Lake Run…
We started out on the corner of Alcyon Blvd. and Cedar Ave., in our town of Pitman. On the map, this site is identified as “Lost Lake Run”- a public park with a stream running through the back of the lot. And- a lot covered by a blanket of leaves… and a small collection of trash. We got to work with our rakes, leaf blowers, and tarps and cleaned things up…
Andrew E. Flemming Conservation Area…
After beautifying the “Lost Lake Run” area, we moved down the street and put our tools to work at the Andrew E. Flemming Conservation Area.
This is a long strip of land that slopes down towards the street.
When we got there, it was covered with leaves.
By the time we left, a block-long strip of leaves was waiting in the gutter for the leaf collector.
Here are some pictures…
The Wind is Mightier than the Rake… Caught on Video!
Trying to rake leaves on to a tarp can be kind of hard when the wind is blowing the tarp away. Persuading leaves to relocate into the street’s gutter can feel futile when the wind is blowing them in the other direction. Here’s a video showing how we looked, trying to “rake against the wind”…
But eventually, persistence pays off, the leaves get dragged away, and the park looks much better…
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