Pudge
* I love working in my yard (Bermuda grass, irrigation, retaining walls, mulch, landscape, and much more…its fun)!
* I actually have 2 twitter accounts… (what’s wrong with me?)
* Sometimes I talk to myself in the mirror (ok, many times, ‘sometimes’ the mirror talks back).

Tiffany
* I LOVED New Kids On The Block when I was a kid! I had all 4 of their tapes (yes – cassettes!), an NKOTB sleeping bag, pajamas, posters, bedding, you name it!
* My family once owned a guinea pig named Gimpy who died of cancer a few years ago. He was a special little guy who suffered from lots of health problems, but we loved him.
* Green is my favorite color.

Liz
* I don’t like sushi because of the seaweed, not the raw fish.
* Of my 9 pets, 6 are hermit crabs. One is named Ricky Bobby, and yes his shell does have a checkered flag.
* I ran a half marathon a year and a half ago, less than a year after knee surgery.

Cat
* I love 80’s sitcoms- think Growing Pains, Saved by the Bell and Cosby show. And I still make references about the characters, as if they are current!
* My husband and I love to double date on Tuesdays to the movies because it is free-popcorn Tuesday!!
* I went skateboarding on Saturday- and didn’t fall!

Howard
* My home group introduced me to golf two years ago….it was VERY funny watching me try to hit the ball the first several times….I am not good, but working on it!
* I LOVE salt water aquariums. I had a 110 gallon tank in my office before coming on staff at NewSpring.
* You can follow me @ www.Twitter.com/HowardFrist if you care to see my life in 140 characters or less.

Tom
* When I was little, I used to want to change my name to theo b/c I loved the cosby show
* My second toe is longer than my big toe
* I made a friend yesterday named Bobby…and he is a duck!

Yesterday I talked about why we are opening a location in Greenville. I said how we need each person to be involved by investing and inviting friends. Today I would like to give the students in the area (and the parents) a very awesome way to accomplish both with an exciting event.

Students, what an better way to show your friends how NewSpring is different and a relationship with Jesus can be challenging and fun all at the same time, than bringing them to Gauntlet this summer.

With summer just around the corner, our Student Ministry is gearing up for the Gauntlet 2008—the most phenomenal summer camp ever. Last year, we took 9 charter buses full of leaders and students to Panama City for a week of insane challenges on the beach and life-changing worship services with Lee and Perry. This year’s Gauntlet promises to be even bigger and better. In fact, we couldn’t pack the Gauntlet experience into one week. Instead, we’re devoting two separate weeks, one for Middle School (July 13-18) and one for High School (July 20 -25), to what will be the best week of your (or your student’s) summer vacation. Visit the Gauntlet Web site fo sign up and for more information.

Think about how amazing it would be to bring a friend to Gauntlet and after you experience a crazy awesome time, come back to the Greenville area! Your passion and excitement can be the momentum that rocks the Upstate for Jesus! WOW! Sign up today!

It might seem like a weird question to ask….but it needs to be answered.

I had the opportunity to go to Brown’s Bridge Community Church in Cummings GA this past Sunday with the Greenville campus staff team. They use a very similar video setup to what we will be using, and we wanted to learn from them. We arrived a few minutes late and the pastor was already speaking. Several in the group with me were disappointed because they thought we would be seeing a video and yet it was a speaker “live” on stage. At the end of the message (as the video screen was being raised) it suddenly dawned on them that we HAD in fact been watching a video! It was so real looking you could not tell. AMAZING!

I tell you that for this reason. Research indicates that around 250,000-300,000 people living in the Greenville area do not go to church. That is a staggering number when you look at the number of churches in Greenville. Is it alarming to you that in area with more churches per person, there is such a large number who do not go to church? It is to me. I would argue that the reason for this huge disparity is that people do not see the “churches” as relating to or having the answers for their life. That’s sad since Jesus is the ONLY answer to all our challenges and the ONLY source of true life.

NewSpring has been called by God to bring a solution to this huge problem. We are not OK with hundreds of thousands of people headed for hell! Those people are our friends, coworkers, family, etc. God has given us the ability to reach those people, and we will do what ever it takes to accomplish the goal HE has given us. When I was in GA, I saw a church that in just the last year has doubled its attendance because people were able to bring their friends to church to hear about Jesus! I sat there on Sunday and was so humbled and overwhelmed to think that in just a couple of months we will be open in Greenville and we WILL see Jesus changes lives!

Guys, this is a massive calling, and it will not be accomplished by a few people. We need EVERYONE to buy in to this calling and to do your part.

We have building (at an amazing location in Greenville), we have TONS of technology (video like you have never seen before) and we have a kid’s environment that rivals Disney. We have all that BUT what we need is for you to talk to your friends and coworkers. Get them so excited about our church that when we open…..we will see such an amazing growth and life change that the WHOLE Greenville community will take notice of what is happening. Do not assume that someone else will talk to the people around you. You do it!! YOU invest in their lives, and YOU invite them. Together we will witness something that people only dream about!!

It is going to happen, my question to you is, ARE YOU SIGNED UP TO BE PART OF IT???

Tiffany Tucker, Greenville Children’s Ministry Assistant
* I have a cat named George that likes to play Hide-and-Seek.
* I’ve seen a tornado while flying in an airplane…scary!
* I can’t seem to keep plants alive. I’ve even killed a cactus.

Cat Powell, Greenville Volunteer Director
* I love to read bumper stickers!! I will drive very close to a car with a bunch of bumper stickers so that I can read them all! Sorry if this is you!
* I love watching America’s Next Top Model and have spread the addiction to my whole family- even my Dad, although he would never admit it!
* I have a green and blue snail tape dispenser on my desk. Aren’t you jealous?

Howard Frist, Greenville Campus Pastor
* I worked on a dairy farm one summer. I had to get up at 3:00 AM each day in order to help milk over 300 cows.
* My first car was a 1973 Blue VW beetle.
* I love mushrooms….make that I am CRAZY about mushrooms!!!

Pudge Huckaby, Greenville Children’s Director
* My wife and I have AWESOME two dogs (Bailey & Oscar)
* My favorite vaca spot is Disney World (singing voice like JT…“I’m bringing Mickey back…yeah!”)
* In high school, I was a 3 sport letterman (one of those was wrestling…ah the joys of a singlet!)

Tom Pellerin, Greenville Worship Leader
* I’ve been to 49 states…all but Hawaii.
* I am addicted to brown sugar cinnimon pop tarts.
* I love the smell of fruit stripe gum! (if anyone remembers that stuff).

I am very happy to introduce you to the “Assistant to the Greenville Campus Pastor,” Liz Wilson.

Liz has an amazing story of how God changed her life after being invited to NewSpring over 3 years ago. I’ll let her share that in a later post. Liz and her husband Paul live in Greenville. Together they lead a young couple’s home group and have a real passion for seeing Jesus made famous in the Greenville area.

I am excited to have Liz joining the team for several reasons. First of all, she is crazy organized and detailed…skills my assistant needs to have in order to help keep me on track. Secondly, I don’t think she has ever met a stranger, or at least she thinks she hasn’t! Liz loves people and is excited about seeing people’s lives impacted through NewSpring. Because of the life change she has experienced personally, she gets the vision of NewSpring and will be a super addition to the staff team. This role has a lot of responsibility associated with it, so please be praying for Liz and Paul that God would protect and strengthen them along with all the other NewSpring staff members. And when you see Liz be sure to congratulate her and remember to be nice….she is my assistant

When I moved to Greenville a few years ago, the West End side of downtown was really growing with new shops, restaurants and cafes opening. Now the Falls Park, with the cool suspension bridge, is my hot spot to take visiting friends and family- where else can you see a beautiful waterfall and walk a few hundred feet to get delicious ice cream? (vanilla with peppermint and marshmallows is my favorite!!)

On Friday night my husband and I got to join some of the single home groups to go see the Greenville Drive play downtown. Although the Drive did not win- only scoring a disappointing 3 points, it was still a fun time for all! One thing that got the crowd cheering was seeing the Walter’s Produce fruit mascots running the bases! Here are some pics:

What do you like to do in downtown Greenville?

Catherine Powell
Greenville Campus Volunteer Director

I just spent a few days in Myrtle Beach visiting my family (yes - it is SWEET to have fam at the beach!). My brother has the scoop on all fun things down in MB, and he has acquired an all-season pass to the newly opened Hard Rock Park. I was intrigued by all the talk about this new, amazing roller coaster, the Led Zeppelin. I am a roller coaster freak, and I seek out the biggest and baddest like it’s my job. So, I HAD to check this one out.

The weather was warm and the park was practically empty, and we went straight to the front of the line for the Led Zeppelin coaster. By this time, the anticipation was killing me - I actually get really anxious before riding, and I thought for a second that my stomach might not make it through the wait, let alone the ride! I was really getting worked up - but loving every second of it!

They finally let us board the ride, and as we climbed to the top of the first drop, things got crazy. We all started screaming and acting stupid, and then the drop - my stomach felt like a yo-yo as we shot down an intense vertical slope. We looped, rolled, twisted and screamed bloody murder through the whole thing with our arms above our heads - PURE AWESOMENESS!

When I got home, my parents were asking about the new park, and I filled them in on the incredible experience they had missed. My dad reminded me of my first roller coaster ride - the Red Devil in Maggie Valley, NC at Ghost Town. I was 7 years old and TERRIFIED of roller coasters! He told me I would love it if I just gave it a try, and he made me sit in the very front to get “the full effect.” I screamed and cried through the whole thing, and I was pretty traumatized for the rest of the day. But the following summer, on a trip to Carowinds, I decided to try riding another coaster. I had lost my intense fear of this ride because my dad had forced me to try it out. This irrational fear could’ve kept me from many more incredible rides to come - and I would’ve never discovered my love of roller coasters!

Since those days of my childhood, I have been faced with many opportunities that would’ve been easy to turn down - because I was afraid. God has taken me through some AMAZING experiences and allowed me to see things that a lot of people don’t get to see in a lifetime, and I’m so grateful for that! When an opportunity to do something bold arises, I always ask myself, “Will I regret NOT doing this?” If the answer is “Yes”, I take a chance. For me, living a life of regret is worse than facing the fear.

Tiffany Tucker
Greenville Campus Children’s Ministry Assistant

I stopped by the Greenville campus this morning and took some pictures of the progress being made. There are between 40-50 workers on the site each day who are busy trying to finish their part of the project. I have really enjoyed getting to know some of them and seeing each step of this process. Walking through the building now it is hard to imagine that just 3 months ago it was a grocery store complete with shelves, freezers and a pharmacy.

In this picture you can see they are building one of the stages located in each of the kid’s rooms. There will be a total of 6 different stages, 3 for the preschool and 3 for the elementary school rooms.

They painted the ceiling in the main auditorium black. Now they are installing the mounts for the speakers located around the room. This place is going to ROCK!!!

More heating/air ducting being installed in the atrium area.

Now for a little trivia and whoever gets the closest guess will receive a FREE drink coupon from the Awake coffee shop.

The question is: how many feet of network cable do you think is installed at the Greenville Campus? I will even give you a hint to help with your guessing. The building is 280 feet wide by 225 feet deep. This picture is of one of the server closets in the building. Good LUCK!!

Not sure if you all saw this story the other night but WYFF, the local NBC affiliate, ran a story on large churches in the area and featured NewSpring. You can check the story out here if you missed it. What was really cool is they showed video of the Greenville campus and talked about it opening soon!

Guys, this is amazing, before we are even open there is lots of talk in the community about NewSpring. Everywhere I go now, people are asking me when we are opening. There is a real buzz around town, and I cannot wait to see what is going to happen after we open. Keep talking to your friends about what is coming and investing in the lives of others. Before we know it, we will be open and can bring our friends and family with us to NewSpring in Greenville!!! WOW that is awesome!!

What are others are saying to you about NewSpring coming?

Tiffany Tucker, Greenville Children’s Ministry Assistant
* I have the gift of writing with my toes. Perry made me show everyone at my first staff meeting, and NO - I will not show you!
* I have a brand-new nephew named Tyger Tucker. I think that’s just awesome!
* I love eating mac ‘n cheese with tuna in it. This grosses some people out, but it really is that good. I’m not ashamed.

Cat Powell, Greenville Volunteer Director
* I have a twin sister that lives in Louisiana.
* I love taking pictures- I have to budget an average of $60 to develop pictures monthly
* I have a cat named Benjamin Franklin that can play fetch

Howard Frist, Greenville Campus Pastor
* I am a private pilot and received my pilots’ license on Sept 28th; 16 days after my 19th birthday.
* I am the oldest of 9 children; 7 boys and 2 girls. And no, there are no twins or triplets in the family! My youngest brother and I were born 17 years apart.
* I am working on sectional hiking the Appalachian trail. My goal is to complete it by the time our kid’s graduate college, so I still have some time left.

Pudge Huckaby, Greenville Children’s Director
* I love listening to a weird variety of music (Jazz, R&B/Rap, Rock).
* Pudge isn’t my real (birth given) name…wouldn’t you love to know more?
* My favorite meal is a steak (medium rare) and a sweet potatoes fully loaded (in Hawaii sweet potatoes are purple).

Tom Pellerin, Greenville Worship Leader
* I was on the swim team in high school and was required to wear a speedo. I have since repented of my sins and will never ever do this again!
* I once owned a pair of cargo jeans (not carpenter but cargo) My friends in college had an intervention and let me know the error of my ways. I still have them in some drawer at my parent’s house.
* I play the tuba.