Harmony Center Update

The month of February brings thoughts of love and is often accompanied by sweet candy, silly cards, and bright red hearts. However, love is so much more than what is depicted by Valentine’s Day memorabilia. Therefore, what better time to talk about true love – God’s perfect and never failing love for his children – than during the month of February!

The kids at Harmony have been exploring God’s declarations and demonstrations of love throughout the Bible. We have seen that His love can reach each of us where we stand and cover all of our sins, regardless of how undeserving we may be. Together we have explored God’s ultimate show of love, which was sending His Son to die on the cross for us. We have learned that nothing can separate us from the love of God, and the students have been challenged to recognize ways that God daily demonstrates His love in their own lives.

After determining the source and abundance of this never-ending love, we have moved into applying this example to our own lives. The students are looking at God’s description of love in 1Corinthians 13 as a guide for how we should be show love to one another. Discussing God’s love and the way he desires for us to love one another has provided an incredible opportunity for accountability and growth as a group.

I have been strengthened as I see the students understanding that God’s love is so much more than the superficial love that is often present in our own lives. When we were initially discussing the ways God shows his love for us on a daily basis one student said that He “let’s us talk to him.” This was an incredible reminder to me of the mercy of our Sovereign God. What a blessing it is that a God who rules over all allows us to pray and communicate freely with Him at any time, in any way!  The kids at Harmony are learning what an amazing gift it is to share their concerns and praises with their Creator who loves them more than they can ever imagine.

He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. (1John 4:8)

Lauren Boughter
Harmony Site Supervisor

Reflections on 2012

As I am writing this, we just had our first day of a three-day prayer event called “14 Blocks”. Over 35 people showed up and we are expecting more over the next two days. Words cannot describe how powerful it was to be in a building with no heat, gathered with people who care about prayer, praying together, and then going out into even colder conditions so that we might seek Him together for our community. Before we started, I explained why the Lord had brought this idea to my mind. As a community organization, we share the ups and downs our community faces and, more times than not, the media like to share only the negative. Yet, even they don’t define what Tiger Pause or Beaver Falls is. There are godly people who want to do, and are doing, good things for the Beaver Falls community. The following pages will be filled with positive facts that show we are doing good things as an organization, improving, developing, and impacting our community in areas that were not dreamed of before.

Unfortunately, as a community, we've had our failures. I know all three of the boys involved in the shooting incident in December. They had come through the Boys’ Center a time or two. In fact, one of them was doing community service for us just five days before that tragedy. He came Monday and did well, but called off Tuesday. On Wednesday, I felt that voice telling me, “You better call and find out why he isn't showing up.” But, I ignored it. On Thursday, I saw him on 8th Avenue as I was driving. He was high. I was going to stop and give him a hard time, but I was in a rush. I was headed to a four-day chemical warfare training at the Air National Guard. I was on duty, but in the wrong place.

Because of my position, I get to meet many different people with various perspectives. Yet, no matter how they feel, the same questions are always brought up: “Where is our country heading?”; “What is wrong with today’s youth?”; “What can I do?”; and even “Why should I do it?”

As a response, we at Tiger Pause remain committed to creating a culture of making Him known and understood so that we might see His power displayed. We have also created a culture of rugged individualism and personal responsibility and are committed to refining that process. We don’t look forward to it, but we are preparing our youth to be Daniels in  a broken and twisted world – to stand up against edicts and continually do what is right so that the “king” might say, “May your God whom you serve continually preserve you for He is the living God and He endures forever. His kingdom will not be destroyed; His dominion will never end.”

Those that gathered to pray at our 14 Blocks campaign got to enjoy having kids waive and hug them and even ask them for prayer. City and school officials thanked us and asked us to do it more regularly. Additionally, not by coincidence but planned providence, the younger sister of one of the boys walked by the building where we gathered after we prayed.

Folks, the fields are ready. We just need some harvesters who have this in their hearts and minds:

Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. All of us, then, who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. Only let us live up to what we have already attained. (Phil. 3:13-16)

Semper Fi,

Matt Nance

3 Kings + 20 Female Academicians + 1 Guaranteed Truth = The Perfect Week

About a month ago, I experienced what could be considered a “perfect week” in ministry. Beginning on a Friday, Huntington Bank graciously offered to sponsor the B.E. Taylor Concert, provide a dinner at Maria’s Kitchen for some of our most generous donors, and donate $1,000 toward our Matching Grant fund-raising drive.

The next day, Nancy Johnson, Professor of Education at Geneva College, brought 20 female elementary education students to chaperone 20 Tiger Pause kids to the Carnegie Science Center. Normally, Tiger Pause specializes and takes pride in our ability to command and control large masses of children and youth with a bare-bones staff. So, when we are blessed with one-on-one matching of kids to adults, it is like paradise found. We were able to enjoy the entire trip, there and back, with a stop at Pizza Hut, and not have to deal with one issue, emergency, or disruptive child.

On Monday, we had a beautiful time of fellowship at our staff meeting led by Pastor Larry Bettencourt (1st wise man), where young and old got together and shared how they spend time with God and what joys and sorrows they face each day. I got the idea for this time of sharing when Jack Walker (2nd wise man) had lead devotions at our board meeting the previous month. Times of sharing like these are powerful and bring folks together, gives individuals more resolve and grit to do the things nobody can or wants to do normally.

After that week, the ministry seemed to ride on a cloud, which was easy to do since Thanksgiving was around the corner. Then, the third wise man, who will remain nameless for the time being, brought us (in a good way) back to earth. “Sin wants paid”, he told me. And as we head toward the cliff, both as a country and as a civilization, the two things we grew up knowing as absolute truths—death and taxes—will have to take a back seat to that guaranteed truth.

Here is another greater truth that almost everyone reading this newsletter remembers hearing while watching a Charlie Brown Christmas:

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given: and the government shall be on his shoulder: 

and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, 

The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6)

Now, that makes for a perfect month!

14 Blocks

Dear Friend,

In prayerful response to the Beaver Falls shooting and the tragedy in Connecticut, we feel led to pray for the protection of our children and community in a more direct and visible way. Therefore, we are planning a community prayer event called “Fourteen Blocks” and we are petitioning you to be a part. Already, the Beaver Falls Ministerium is coming together in ways I have not seen since I got here. As they begin their planning for the next steps, I thought that three days of a visible presence of prayer surrounding our children will help give us insight on how God wants to bring us together and respond as a community of believers.

We will be meeting on Thursday, January 3, Friday, January 4, and Monday, January 7 at 1611 7th Ave. (next to McDonald’s) at 2:00 p.m. We will provide refreshments as we meet and coordinate where our prayer teams will be stationed. Our plan is for teams of people to pray at 14 different street corners outside the Beaver Falls schools at dismissal time as the children begin their walk home. The purpose is to let the kids know that people care about them and, more importantly, Christ cares about them.

To ease our participants’ apprehension, a Tiger Pause staff member will accompany each team as they stand at the 14 corners that literally see 500 to 600 youth pass by every day after school.  While we are not an official part of the ministerium, this event is being held to support their future plans and a practical way to answer what I feel is every Sunday school question of what can we do?

If you would like to join us, please let us know the days and number of people attending by registering online at: tigerpause.net/14blocks or by calling our office at 724-843-2384. If you cannot join us physically, please join us in prayer during these times.

God bless you & Semper Fi,

Matt Nance

Morado Center Update

Nobody Greater Than You…

That song, “Nobody Greater Than You”, was taught to the students at our site when our after-school program resumed in September. The song goes on to say, “I searched all over, couldn’t find nobody, I searched high and low, still couldn’t find nobody. Nobody greater than You.” That is the lesson we wanted to instill into the spirit of the students at the Tiger Pause Morado Center. God is the greatest and there is none like Him anywhere. By week two of the program, they were still singing that song with power, purpose, and conviction. They believe and know that there is nobody like God. The angels in heaven cannot sing God’s praises any better than these students. As a matter of fact, the angels may be a little envious! ☺

Things continue to be great at Morado. We have a nice balance of old and new faces, all eager to have a nourishing meal, get the homework done, and learn more about God. When it comes to the Word, I try to stress to the students and tutors the principle of application. All the wonderful things we learn about God mean nothing if we don’t apply what we learn to how we live. So, we ask that you continue to pray for us as we strive to live and be the best that God would have us to be! Oh, last, but not least, have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Love and blessings,

Mrs. Sabrina Tench
Morado Site Supervisor

Pleasantview Center Update

As we started a new year school year, I began working at our after-school center at Pleasantview Homes. This was a new location for me with a new set of Geneva tutors. Being that it was the start of the program and working with a group of new kids, I wasn’t sure how much they already knew about God. So, I decided to start from the beginning with our Bible lessons. After all, God is the beginning.

I read to the kids, “In the beginning, God created the Heavens and the Earth.” I explained that God created the whole world because in the beginning there was nothing. I asked them to guess how long it took God to create the world, hoping that one of the 20 kids in the room would know that He made it in a week. Their guesses were way off. I heard everything from “an hour” to “a billion years”. The last guess was from a kindergarten-aged girl who, with question in her voice, said, “Ummm, He’s still creating it?”

After our lesson, I began thinking about her answer. God does continue to make us new and redeem His Creation. He is still creating. He is not finished with us and He is not finished with His children. Her guess of how long it took to create the world was a reminder to me that God is still making us new. At times when I become frustrated with the after-school kids arguing or not doing their homework, I remember that God isn’t finished with them and I hope to be used by God as a part of their spiritual growth. Through our daily homework, shared meals, Bible lessons, and by just spending time together, I pray that God will continue to work in the lives of these children and our staff and keep creating us into the people He has for us to be.

Mackenzie Brady
Pleasantview Site Supervisor

Are You Practicing?

We proclaim to you the one who existed from the beginning, 

whom we have heard and seen.
We saw him with our own eyes and touched him with our own hands. 

He is the Word of life 

(1John 1:1 NLT).

Football season is here! This is the time of year that 1John 1:1 comes alive to me. We heard about it, we have seen it, we have touched it, now it is time to proclaim it. The salt from the sweat and the lights on the field show a community, and a team, a player’s true heart.

Football coaches can have a special influence in a young boy’s heart. My very first coach was Dan Jones. I was in eighth grade playing my first year of football ever. I weighed about 80 pounds and he seemed to be like Goliath on that practice field. Trust me, we heard, saw, and were touched as we did mountain climbers up the hill, ran Oklahoma hitting drills, and ran plays in the dark, assisted only by the glowing headlights of nearby cars. When the season started, we proclaimed it. In fact, we never lost a game as a class until our senior year against the number one team in the nation, Berwick.

I played with some great athletes, Dan’s son Brad was one of them. Brad was one of our team captains and stood somewhere around 6-foot, 7-inches tall and 280 pounds. His size and skill earned him a full scholarship to Penn State University. He always made me feel that I was an important part of the team—always encouraging me in the weight room despite my genetic limitations. My senior year, I weighed about 135 lbs. dripping wet and that, combined with hands of stone, made me good for one thing: a tackling dummy.

Brian Smith was another team captain who made an impact on me. He would hit me so hard that I would have snot bubbles coming out my nose, but I always got back up. I’ll never forget those times. We were family.

The last time Coach Jones said something to me, as I stood with my “brothers” after our senior banquet. He told me that I had a heart and I would be great at whatever I decide to do.
I tell you this story, in part, to honor Coach Jones and how he always found a way to get me on the field and play as part of a team. While I, by no means, think I am a great executive director, I also share this story because I feel like a coach for a city with a great heart and that it will get up again.

My challenge to you, my Christian brothers and sisters, is to get yourself to the practice field. There is plenty of hard work down here that will make you sweat and give you the chance to build memories that last forever as you let your light shine for Christ.

Congratulations Blackhawk Football Team of ‘93—still the first and only undefeated season!

Semper Fi,
Matt Nance