Christian FIRST Group

[Dylan Gramlich]

I am not sure how many people would be interested in this but i was just wondering a few things? With the growing numbers in FIRST i have seen an increasing number of Christian FIRSTers. This has given me and Mike of 340 the idea of doing a couple things

1)praying before regionals (just gathering off to the side of the field. Anyone who wants to participate can)

2)possibly organizing the Christians in FIRST into some type of group or even just gathering(suggestions on this would be awesome)

thats all we have right now but we are open to suggestions!!

p.s. if i have done something wrong here or offended anyone we are sorry and please just let us know, but we believe the Lord is calling us to get the Lord's word out!

[Koko Ed]

Originally Posted by Dylan Gramlich

I am not sure how many people would be interested in this but i was just wondering a few things? With the growing numbers in FIRST i have seen an increasing number of Christian FIRSTers. This has given me and Mike of 340 the idea of doing a couple things

1)praying before regionals (just gathering off to the side of the field. Anyone who wants to participate can)

2)possibly organizing the Christians in FIRST into some type of group or even just gathering(suggestions on this would be awesome)

thats all we have right now but we are open to suggestions!!

p.s. if i have done something wrong here or offended anyone we are sorry and please just let us know, but we believe the Lord is calling us to get the Lord's word out!

Nothing wrong with getting the word out.
If they are offended they don't have to join.

[Dylan Gramlich]

Thank you very much for the encouragement Ed! It really means alot!

[Chuck Glick]

just an idea, do something like the N.E.R.D.'s or Mavericks do. Have a group with a cool name like that.

[Cory]

Originally Posted by Dylan Gramlich

but we believe the Lord is calling us to get the Lord's word out!

Isn't that what churches are for? FIRST is about robots.

[SamC]

Originally Posted by Cory

Isn't that what churches are for? FIRST is about robots.

There is nothing wrong with mixing the two...Just like apples and bananas, they taste fine together...

[Koko Ed]

Originally Posted by Cory

Isn't that what churches are for? FIRST is about robots.

If that was the case then the Chairman's Award would not exist. Nor animation really.
They have nothing to do with the robot.

[Cory]

Originally Posted by Koko Ed

If that was the case then the Chairman's Award would not exist. Nor animation really.
They have nothing to do with the robot.

The animation does.

Those things all have to do with the robotics program as a whole. Religion does not, except perhaps in the sense that most religions call for reaching out to those less fortunate than yourself, and many FIRST teams perform community outreach.

[Brian Lesser]

Originally Posted by Cory

Isn't that what churches are for? FIRST is about robots.

FIRST is also about gracious professionalism.

And in a case like this, there is nothing wrong with a group of people from several teams getting together for a common interest. Heck, the idea of people coming together for a common interest makes a FIRST team in the first (no pun intended) place...

I say go for it.

[Koko Ed]

A group of peers who have similar interest should not be a source of controversy especially if they are doing ti off to the side among st themselves not bothering anyone.
Say, I wanted to start a FIRST group for African-Americans that address the concerns and needs of African-Americans in FIRST. I would certainly hope no one would get upset by that because it fills a need. Just like this group would.

[Cory]

Originally Posted by Brian Lesser

FIRST is also about gracious professionalism.

And in a case like this, there is nothing wrong with a group of people from several teams getting together for a common interest. Heck, the idea of people coming together for a common interest makes a FIRST team in the first (no pun intended) place...

I say go for it.

I say this because I wonder what happens when a team from a public high school has say a majority of their members in such a group. Perhaps this group does activities during what are official team meetings, or while the team is representing the school. Perhaps one of the students not a part of this group feels like they are being pressured to take part with the other students. This could be a very sticky situation, that I'm sure a school would not be happy about. I can think of all kinds of potential situations that might infringe on the separation of church and state.

[Koko Ed]

Originally Posted by Cory

I say this because I wonder what happens when a team from a public high school has say a majority of their members in such a group. Perhaps this group does activities during what are official team meetings, or while the team is representing the school. Perhaps one of the students not a part of this group feels like they are being pressured to take part with the other students. This could be a very sticky situation, that I'm sure a school would not be happy about. I can think of all kinds of potential situations that might infringe on the separation of church and state.

I know WIlson Magnet has both a choir and a prayer group and I never heard of it being a problem there. So long as it doesn't infringe upon school policy I don't think it crosses the line between church and state.

[JoeXIII'007]

Originally Posted by Dylan Gramlich

I am not sure how many people would be interested in this but i was just wondering a few things? With the growing numbers in FIRST i have seen an increasing number of Christian FIRSTers. This has given me and Mike of 340 the idea of doing a couple things

1)praying before regionals (just gathering off to the side of the field. Anyone who wants to participate can)

2)possibly organizing the Christians in FIRST into some type of group or even just gathering(suggestions on this would be awesome)

thats all we have right now but we are open to suggestions!!

p.s. if i have done something wrong here or offended anyone we are sorry and please just let us know, but we believe the Lord is calling us to get the Lord's word out!

1. Private prayer is a wonderful idea. Just as long as it isn't over a loudspeaker. God can hear people clearly enough.

2. Cool idea, might be useful to start it in myspace or something like that (chain e-mail).

As far as I am concerned, as long as it begins and remains an option and nothing more (ex: Its less of an option if somebody declines the offer and gets a look of even minor dissent, or when offered it is offered in a way that yes is apparently the only answer), its OK.

I personally think for people like me, who once went to church on a regular basis but then due to other callings had to just read the bible and soak in as much as possible, a prayer at/before a regional would be a major spiritual booster, morale boost, etc. Fantastic idea.

-Joe

[woody]

Dylan, I think this is a good idea and I appreciate you bringing this up. Members of any religion should certainly feel a need to gather and pray to whichever supreme being they choose, and FIRST does, after all, embody a number of values that are also held by many religions. As a Christian myself, i am disappointed that this has not been mentioned earlier. We should all strive to live out our religion more in our daily lives, including in FIRST.

As for your concerns, Cory, i can understand your concerns. I would certainly hope that no one would feel at all pressured to take part in such a group; as you mentioned, such activities should not necessarily be a part of official, mandatory meetings. However, this could potentially serve as a young person's first experience with Christianity and could have a profound impact on his or her life. It would be a shame to eliminate this possibility. On another note, this really has nothing to do with "separation of church and state." First, praying at regionals has very little to do with the state and/or federal governments at all. Secondly, none of the founding documents even imply that public gatherings or political events must be free from any and all religion; however, the establishment of a religion (that is, direct government support, funding, or reqired practice of said religion) is expressly prohibitted.

So basically what I'm trying to say is that praying at regionals is a great idea; it could help bring teams together and it would certainly provide a forum in which students and mentors could express their beliefs.
Thanks Dylan, this is a wonderful idea.

[Mike Starke]

Hey all, this is Mike from 340.
First off, we don't want to offend anyone, and anything I'm going to say now, or anytime in the future is not meant to be offensive in any way. I'm not angry in anyway, I just want to discuss this in an "adult-like manner".

Originally Posted by Cory

Isn't that what churches are for? FIRST is about robots.

Having common interests is what brings people together no matter where you go. That's how people make, and keep friends. FIRST is an awesome organization that has been bringing people together since it started! I think I read a post once about the first marriage between two people that met through FIRST.
What Dylan and I are going for is to use FIRST as a way to communicate to other FIRSTers about the love that the Lord has for them (To be clear, I'm not saying this is our sole purpose for participating in FIRST). If we asked people to come to church with us, not a lot of people would. So we're using a more comfortable environment to talk about God with them. We feel that this is a much better, more effective way of doing this.

I hope this helps... please let us know if you have anymore questions or comments!

-Mike