Outreach and Bus Ministry Convention

Randy and Joy, Tim and Brenda have been to Bus Convention every year since they started doing children's work, but this year was the first time for any of the Johnstown Albertsons to get to go. The location of Bus Convention alternates between Lebanon, PA and Camby, IN, with this year in Indiana. Because of our involvement in children's ministry in Federal Heights each Sunday evening, we felt it was important that we go when it was going to be "this close" to us. The dates were March 1-3 and the days were full of workshops and evenings crowned with wonderful services that were a blessing to each of us.

One bonus of Bus Convention was getting to see our special friends, the Barnards. It had been over five years since we had seen them in person, but Beth and Jonelle are phone buddies and keep in touch that way!
Beth and (Marcia Alice) Jonelle

Jonelle, Merilee, and Micah

Merilee, Mercy, and (Marcia Alice) Jonelle

Here are some of us at the Bus Convention. We didn't take a lot of pictures during the services or workshops, but we really enjoyed and benefited from being there. We have new ideas and desires to do more for Christ in our children's ministry!

The Union Bible College choir sang on Wednesday night and the singing was wonderful. Our friend, Jerry Glick, is a wonderful director, and the students sang with God's spirit.

One of the classes was conducted on a bus ride. Barbara Baker has a lot of ideas on how to make the bus ride to church full of ministry!

We are thankful for the opportunity to go to Bus Convention this year!

Family Pictures from our trip to MO and IN

Here are some pictures from our time with our family in Missouri and a few from our trip to Indiana.
Joy and I at my parents' house

My daughters-in-law, Brenda and Joy in Brenda's kitchen

Around the table at Tim and Brenda's. Randy and Tim weren't there because they were still at the Home Show.

The next evening after church, Randy and Tim were with us.

This is a funny picture because of my eyes, but it was taken the next night at Randy and Joy's house. I was telling a story from my childhood.

Sunday afternoon pictures on my parents' front porch. Quil was sick, so only Micah is pictured.



Randy and Joy at Tim and Brenda's house

Rowen reading to the grandsons

Rowen playing with Quil

Tim and Brenda relaxing at home

My parents, Wanda and Rex Scoles, at church on Sunday

Roadside picnic on the way to IN. It was a cold, windy day, so we stood in the sunshine!


Video chatting with Jeffrey and Jason from our motel room in IN. They did not get to come on the trip because of working at ACE Hardware.

Emily took most of these pictures.

Here is a video of Grandma Janet singing "Climb, Climb Up Sunshine Mountain" with Quil and Micah. I had been singing it with Micah and then Quil came over for his turn. This was in our motel in Plainfield, IN.

New ABE Painting shop

In January, Randy and Tim bought this property for a shop for their painting business, ABE Painting. It is a property enclosed by a fence. There is a lot of work to be done yet, but they have made a valiant beginning in remodeling it for the use of their business and also for the youth activities of the church. Keep in mind as you view the pictures that nothing is finished yet; it is a work in progress!

This is the first room you enter. It is a nice sized room that they have painted, (fauxing yet to be done), wainscoted, put a new drop ceiling in, put beautiful tile floor in. They plan to put in kitchen facilities and have round tables for the youth activities of the church. This will be a wonderful room when it is finished.

The next room is the office. It is unusual because they used the blueprints from one of their big jobs to wall paper in the scrunched up sort of way. (They have done this with brown bags in Randy's house. see this blog for instructions.) They didn't tear the blueprints, though, just scrunched and overlapped them.

The next two pictures are of the equipment room.


The next two pictures are of the paint room. It is double insulated with a little heater, so that none of their paint will freeze.


This picture is looking back toward the ministry room. We are standing in the office area. The paint room is the closed door on the right. The double barrel wood stove is on the left. Equipment room to the right. Behind the photographer is the big room that will be the paint spray booth room with the big white double doors, one of which is in the picture.

Pray for Randy and Tim to have the jobs and the money to get the whole building complete and functional. They are already using the ministry room for Bible Study and prayer with their employees on Monday mornings. We know God wants to do great things with this property. The parking area has to be graded to improve the drainage. There are lots of needs, but they can only do it as they have the money for it.

ABE Painting Booth at Home Show in Joplin, MO

The last weekend of February we traveled to Joplin, MO to have a few days before going on to the Bus Ministry Convention in Indianapolis. The Home Show was in progress and we went to see our Randy and Tim's ABE Painting booth. Here are some pictures we took of their booth.

Each panel demonstrated different painting techniques. When people weren't coming in to the booth, Randy would walk back and rub his hand on the gold rough surface (2nd panel in the picture below) and people would come in to feel of it also!

Kids enjoyed playing with the magnets on the orange magnetic paint. Notice the chalk board paint also! Pictures showed kitchens ABE Painting has done.

They do great fauxs!

David offering a refrigerator magnet to a show attender.

They had big pictures showing some of the places they have painted. The fauxing on the left panel is like Tim and Brenda's living room accent walls. The white picture frame wainscoting is like they are doing in their new shop in the front ministry room. (I will do a post on their shop later.) The striped panel is something they have done a lot of.

The panels were great, showing what they do so well. We are praying they get lots and lots of business for the year from all the contacts at the Home Show. Here is Randy with Micah, who loved the suckers handed out at the Home Show!