{"id":9298,"date":"2015-11-16T09:49:23","date_gmt":"2015-11-16T13:49:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/?p=9298"},"modified":"2015-12-22T09:39:21","modified_gmt":"2015-12-22T13:39:21","slug":"men-rake-up-111415","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/?p=9298","title":{"rendered":"Men Rake Up! (11\/14\/15)"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Men of our church got the chance to get together on Saturday for two seemingly different activities.\u00a0\u00a0 First we gathered at the church for a Bible study on Romans chapter 1.\u00a0 After that, we “gathered” at a local park to rake \"Leaves<\/a>leaves.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

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.\u00a0 For us, money earned from this morning of work helps pay for our Bible Study speakers and to provide scholarships to our annual retreat.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Beyond the money and service to the town, spending time with your Christian brothers in conversation (and even in raking!)\u00a0 helps build relationships which help us grow closer to Christ.\u00a0 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.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

The wind was\u00a0 blowing the leaves, but the Holy Spirit’s wind is\u00a0 always working to provide opportunities to stir our faith.\u00a0 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….<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

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Lost Lake Run…<\/span><\/h3>\n

We started out on the corner of Alcyon Blvd. and Cedar Ave., in our town of Pitman<\/a>.\u00a0 On the map, this site is identified as “Lost Lake Run”- a public park with a stream running through the back of the lot.\u00a0 And- a lot covered by a blanket of leaves… and a small collection of trash.\u00a0 We got to work with our rakes, leaf blowers, and tarps and cleaned things up…<\/p>\n\n\t\t

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Andrew E.\u00a0 Flemming Conservation Area…<\/span><\/h3>\n

\"UMM<\/a>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.<\/p>\n

This is a long strip of land that slopes down towards the street.<\/p>\n

When we got there,\u00a0 it was covered with leaves.<\/p>\n

By the time we left, a block-long strip of leaves was waiting in the gutter for the leaf collector.<\/p>\n

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Here are some pictures…<\/p>\n\n\t\t

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The Wind is Mightier than the Rake… Caught on Video!
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Trying to rake leaves on to a tarp can be kind of hard when the wind is blowing the tarp away.\u00a0 Persuading leaves to relocate into the street’s gutter can feel futile when the wind is blowing them in the other direction.\u00a0 Here’s a video showing how we looked, trying to “rake against the wind”…<\/p>\n