OUR FATHER'S FESTIVALTM !Feast of Sukkot / Tabernacles!
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Prescott, Arizona
Chag Sameach! - Happy Feast!
Our Father's FestivalTM is in "hiatus" (will not be held) in 2012.
We offer the below interent web sites which list many Feast sites in the nation.
We hope that you avail yourself of this opportunity to travel and share your Spiritual fruit, fellowship, experiences and make friends while sharing the "Light that is within you"!
PHOTO CAPTION: Jared Jackson takes a leap of faith from the top of a 25 foot high telephone pole at the High Ropes Course at the Season of Our Joy Feast site in Missouri. (Photos by Haylea Parks)
Record Attendance in Missouri
Record Attendance in Missouri
Sometimes it take a leap of faith to break out of our comfort zones in overcoming and fellowshipping. Life is hard enough for most of us that we would rather have life's challenges and hardships come to us rather than embracing them in a voluntary leap. The High Ropes course challenges teenagers to face and feel the fear and overcome it (see above photos), while the Focus Point series offers spiritual instruction and life lessons by mature believers, and the Midnight Midrash (a chaperoned discussion group run by the teens themselves) offers them real-time in interfacing respectfully and intelligently with others.
Season of Our Joy (SOOJ) offers the nation's premier teen's and children's feast programs in education, fellowship, recreation, team-building, and worship. Teen written comments in our anonymous survey reveal a common thread of the fun of making new friends and discovering that they are not alone in their walk of faith. Children are not forgotten either. They have their own separate programs geared just for them during the sermon messages.
SOOJ is an "Ambassador quality" independent feast site with a professional conference program approach. It is located at the beautiful lakeside setting of Camp Windermere in the Lake of the Ozarks, Missouri. The feast is open to all and features 70+ activities for all age groups - including 21 adult interactive break-out sessions, 12 sermon presentations, and 12 teen activities (15 proposed in 2012) ---which empower all to participate in every aspect of the feast. It is called a "Hebrew Roots" site (not Messianic) because more people are discovering that the Hebrew language and an understanding of the ancient first century culture and history (not Jewish tradition) add a richer meaning to the traditional messages taught in the Churches of God.
In 2011 SOOJ had a 31% increase in attendance (590 total) including a 49% increase in teens and 67% in children. We know that worship, education, recreation, fellowshipping, joy and peace are some of the primary fruits and purposes of the feast, but... we are also happy to see numerical growth in attendance as an added blessing.
Season of Our Joy (SOOJ) offers the nation's premier teen's and children's feast programs in education, fellowship, recreation, team-building, and worship. Teen written comments in our anonymous survey reveal a common thread of the fun of making new friends and discovering that they are not alone in their walk of faith. Children are not forgotten either. They have their own separate programs geared just for them during the sermon messages.
SOOJ is an "Ambassador quality" independent feast site with a professional conference program approach. It is located at the beautiful lakeside setting of Camp Windermere in the Lake of the Ozarks, Missouri. The feast is open to all and features 70+ activities for all age groups - including 21 adult interactive break-out sessions, 12 sermon presentations, and 12 teen activities (15 proposed in 2012) ---which empower all to participate in every aspect of the feast. It is called a "Hebrew Roots" site (not Messianic) because more people are discovering that the Hebrew language and an understanding of the ancient first century culture and history (not Jewish tradition) add a richer meaning to the traditional messages taught in the Churches of God.
In 2011 SOOJ had a 31% increase in attendance (590 total) including a 49% increase in teens and 67% in children. We know that worship, education, recreation, fellowshipping, joy and peace are some of the primary fruits and purposes of the feast, but... we are also happy to see numerical growth in attendance as an added blessing.
In 2012 SOOJ was blessed with a 55+% increase in teens (about 125 teens)
There are a number of Churches of God that Feast in southwestern Missouri. Go ahead...take a leap of faith..and visit us for a day!
SOOJ: The Nation’s Premier Feast Site!
I am convinced Season of Our Joy (SOOJ) is the nation’s premier Feast site. This is not a flippant or partisan statement, because in 40 years I have attended Feast sites of different fellowships and sizes in both the U.S. and Europe ranging from 20 to over 12,000 participants. Furthermore, I have also facilitated a successful Feast site in 2008 and 2009, and, will again should the Father so wish. Brethren are not in competition with each other. We are happy when others are so blessed!
Why is SOOJ the premier site? Here is my checklist of reasons:
1. Daily educational sessions for children under 10 years of age. I consider this and point #2 below as being the critical corners in making this the premier site. The message of “He will turn the hearts of fathers to their children” is not given to one or few activities while adults receive most of the teaching and attention. After opening music and dancing, both children and teens are dismissed to their respective separate teaching sessions, and given almost as much attention as the adults. Congrats to “Captain Mark” Roth (an Alaskan boat fisherman) and his first mate (his wife Linda) who saw the need and stepped forward to coordinate kids and teen activities, and a toddler’s room with live video of the services provided for the attending parent. SOOJ is the model to be emulated for both children and teens.
2. Daily educational and/or recreational activities for the 11-18 age group. Teens explore caves, test their mettle on the ropes course, enjoy water fun, exercise their high energy in group dancing lessons, attend teaching sessions designed just for them, and have in-depth friendship building opportunities. One of the most heartwarming comments I heard was from a Michigan father attending SOOJ and the Feast for the first time ever. He told me his son asked him “Dad, can we come back here next year?”
3. Gatherers---not scatterers (Jer. 23:1). As much as 40% of the attendees are first-time Feast-goers who are gathered from different walks. Add to this the brethren from the COGs and Messianics who are looking for community, commonalities, cooperation, and commitment in following our Father.
4. Fellowship! All activities occur on the 300 acres of Lake Windermere Baptist Camp on the Lake of the Ozarks. Something special happens here! About 500 brethren from 3 different festival observing calendars annually keep the Feast at SOOJ and share the important Fruit(s) of the Spirit (Gal 5:22-23) in warm fellowship with others in a great setting. Late evening group discussion sessions are offered to “fill one to the brim” and are well-moderated by Mike Mastropaulo.
5. Teachings that stimulate thinking! Various established ministries come of their own volition to offer two daily services with Q and A sessions that truly challenge, educate, inspire, and cause rejoicing. Q and A and interactive sessions mean a speaker is responsible for answering audience questions. Are you still hearing the “same-o same-o” teachings all these years—like I was? If you are, then break-out of the habit! Consider feasting on the menu of the 21 interactive “break-out” sessions which also offer everyone the opportunity to share their spiritual and physical journeys. There is much to learn from mature, everyday brethren in the faith. Do you have something on your heart to share before others? Volunteer to speak! Check out the SOOJ web site at www.sooj.org/resources to explore all the 2010 presenters and their session topics in both MP3 and DVD formats.
6. Empowerment—not control. Ami Yisrael, the Festival sponsor, offers volunteers the flexibility to make things happen. Here are opportunities to offer one’s talents, experiences, and the important Fruit(s) of the Spirit. Are you putting your talents to use? There is no better way to get to know one’s brothers and sisters than in rubbing shoulders together in sharing volunteer efforts! Observe them do it in abundance here! First-time Festival keepers are given a “pass” to enjoy the moments. The SOOJ leaders do not come from one, single fellowship or just from one label named the “Church of God”, but from individuals throughout the nation called to share the vision of servant-leadership, building teamwork, growing leaders, and wishing to make a difference beyond being a “seat potato”. SOOJ also encourages people to start their own Feast site! This encouragement was an impetus to hold—not just another separate localized Festival site to add to the current 150+ U.S. sites—but the successful regional Sukkot of Our Father’s Festival (www.ourfathersfestival.net). This involves the cooperation of several different Arizona fellowships to gather the people of God to come together at least once a year to get to know each other!
7. Music at SOOJ is expressed through both contemporary song to exuberant and reverent Messianic group dancing. Lee Miller, an accomplished musician, leads the performers. Have a good voice? Try out for the Festival singing group! Can you play an instrument very good? Try out for the Festival band! You say you never danced at a Festival church service? Have you ever asked yourself “why not?” when dancing is quite appropriate Scripturally… and the Hebrew word for Feast (chagag) is derived from the chawg meaning “to dance”.
8. SOOJ offers quality resort facilities and accommodations to fit all budgets, plus a very special Feast congregational meeting hall ambience made possible by brethren throughout the nation participating in providing quality decorations, erecting a beautiful stage setting and excellence in organizational skills. Check out the photos on the SOOJ web site. Plus, a free, 24 page full-color Festival program, which offers info about the teachings, the presenters, activities and facilities, is given to each head of household and serves as a wonderful memento.
I could go on about singles’ activities (5), seniors’ special luncheon, the ladies’ “Hat Happening Haven” luncheon, potlucks, dance lessons, campfire singing, the campers’ Feast “parade”, talent show, resource center, etc. SOOJ is free (no registration fee). Only once—on the first day of the Feast—is the donation box mentioned. No offerings or tithes are collected. There is no church “to join”. The SOOJ leaders, attendees, and contributors are shining their lights in dedication, giving, and the Fruit(s) of the Spirit and have been blessed in their doing.
Wish to take your spiritual and physical relationships to the next level? Consider at least one journey to SOOJ!--Mike Bacon, Facilitator, Our Father's Festival
http://www.thejournal.org/issues/issue135/the-journal-lists-feast-of-tabernacles-sites-for-2009.html
2009 Our Father's FestivalTM Recap and Attendance
222 registered attendees from 6 states attended Our Father's FestivalTM in 2009: 162 adults, 50 kids ages 5-17 years old, and 10 under the age of 5. Overall, this represented an increase in attendance of 27% from our inaugural in 2008.
Thank You!!
The Festival Planning Team wishes to extend their gratitude and appreciation to all who made Our Father’s Festival possible in our 2nd year. Based on an evaluation scale of 1 to 4 with 4 being the highest---the Festival received an overall evaluation of 3.56 from the evaluations forms submitted. Thank you for all who took the time to let us know how we did!
SPONSORS: Several Sabbath-keeping fellowships in Arizona
SPEAKERS: Mark Biltz, Steven Collins, Mordakhai Joseph, April Renee, Tony Robinson, Dr. Frank Seekins, Gary Tunsky, Uri Harel + MORE (see our SPEAKER page)
WHAT: Festival (Feast) of Tabernacles / Sukkot
WHEN: October 3 – 10, 2009 : Rabbinic Calendar
October 5 – 12, 2009 : Karaite / Sighted Moon Calendar
WHERE: Prescott, Arizona. Camp Yavapines is a quality and quiet 169 acre facility with many amenities and adjoins the huge Prescott National Forest.
WEATHER: Fall temperatures are typically in the 70s and nightly lows into the high 40s. One can expect blue skies with no or very little precipitation.
Explore the West while enjoying the Festival in this Top Ten Western Town for its scenic beauty, historic downtown, the Courthouse Plaza which was named one of the first Top Ten Public Places in 2008 in the nation (along with the likes of New York's Central Park and Santa Monica Beach), and the surrounding forests.
Thumb Butte Mountain (above right) is named “Ne Mithe Giyake” (lion lying down) by the native American Yavapai Tribe because of its resemblance to a lion. The mountain lies just to the south of Camp Yavapines and offers outstanding views of the Prescott area via a hiking trail from the camp
(Click on the above)
In advance participation of the time when Zechariah 14 states all families of earth will celebrate the Festival, You are cordially invited to attend the Festival of Tabernacles in Prescott, AZ!
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