May and June Newsletter

The Injury
“But he who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him.” -1 Corinthians 6:17

The clouds overhead seemed to be causing darkness that was growing by the second. Knowing that rain was eminent, my good friend (and coworker) Greg Burdette and I zoomed through Pittsburgh’s streets on our bikes; trying to find any short cut that would get us home one second faster. Quickly, we decide to cut through Oakland Catholic High School’s parking lot to reach our destinations that much faster as it now starts to rain. We are approaching the upcoming street and go through the open gate, being sure to avoid the speed bump since we are coasting at rather high speeds. Greg quickly goes through, and I follow closely behind. As I reach the gate (an automatic gate) it starts to close. Being three feet away from it, I have no time to react and crash head first into it…luckily I am wearing a helmet.

I wake up on the ground with the world spinning. I quickly try to get up, but my arms have seized up and it is as if my legs are gelatin and do not work. Greg, who witnessed the crash, rushes to my aid and tells me to lie down. “Greg…I think I have a concussion,” I mumble. Pretty soon I am able to get to my feet as a bunch of female students and teachers from the school rush to my aid. I feel wetness on my right ear, which is hurting a tiny bit. I think it might be the rain, but am not sure so I touch it. I look at my hand to find it red with blood. “I think I might need stitches,” I think to myself, “but can they stitch an ear?”

Emily pulls the van up to the school after she has dropped the kids off at our neighbors. Soon, I find myself at the Emergency Room unable to remember my birth date. It just so happens that the hospital is under construction, and there are no rooms available so I am forced to wait on a cot in the hallway. After much waiting, the doctor comes by, diagnoses me with a concussion and sews four stitches in my ear which (to my surprise) has a small chunk missing out of it. Soon I am discharged, but because the hospital is busy I am never told what the next step should be for my head injury.

The next day, I proceed to go to work only to have multiple migraines and find myself extremely exhausted. I have to sit in my office with no lights, and no noises or my head will pound and pound. Unfortunately, I find this pattern continuing for the next week, and know that I need to make an appointment with a doctor.

In short, the doctor told me that I never let my brain rest and heal, and need to do so immediately. This means that I have to go on bedrest. Not just any bed rest, mind you, but one that involves zero stimulation. That means no television, computer, reading (which is my bread and butter), or exercising. Basically all I can do is lay on a couch/bed. I did this at home for the first dew days, but found that I was actually getting no rest because I was still playing with the kids. Emily then suggested that I go to my parent’s house in southern West Virginia for the following week, and get some rest.

You may think that doing “nothing” would have bored me to tears, but it was quite the opposite. During this time, I found that God was truly speaking to me, and that I needed to readjust some of my priorities. It is ironic that on the Sunday before I was put on bed rest, the pastor talked about technology, our reliance on it, and how it become a god to us. The next day, all modern technology was taken away from me. It was during this time that I learned to truly rely on God and had no distractions to take me away from him. Of course, I couldn’t read the Bible, but I could pray.

I relearned that God wants all of my time to glorify him, and that I was letting too much get in the way of just that. In fact, God does not just want all of my time, but he wants all of me. It is so easy to become self concerned when a serious injury or sickness comes along, and it is much harder to trust that God has a reason. It is ironic that a head injury actually helped me to think straight for the first time in a while.

Time of Change
A recent change has happened at Bellefield Presbyterian Church when our senior pastor, Geoff Brown, announced his retirement. I have gotten to know Geoff over the past three years, and can truly say that he is a deeply caring individual who was fantastic at pastoral care. When my grandparents died this past year, Geoff was the first one in my office with a bag of coffee, and sat on my messy floor while I grieved with him. That truly meant the world to me. We will be sad to see Geoff go, but know that the Lord has a great plan in store for him.

With Geoff’s retirement comes yet another transition and new challenges in the church. The first challenge will be finding a new pastor, the second will be the staff taking on new roles and responsibilities as we look for a new pastor. This, I feel, will present an opportunity for the staff to unify and grow together. In the meantime, we have an interim pulpit supply in Rev. Jay Slocum who is a dynamic speaker and has been doing a great job filling in. Please pray for Bellefield in the midst of this unique transition time, and the challenges that come along with that.

Another point of change and transition that happens every year is when our seniors graduate. This group has a very special place in my heart, because this year’s group of seniors were freshmen when I started working for the CCO and Bellefield. To watch them “grow up” spiritually has been the most rewarding thing I have seen in my ministry. I can’t wait to see what God does with them in the working world! Please pray for our graduating seniors as they make this huge transition.

Why We Do What We Do
Meet recent Pitt graduate Benjamin Schneider. Ben is a mechanical engineering major who plans on being our part-time intern in the next school year. He enjoys fantasy novels, and has taken multiple forms of dance for ten years. I got to witness Ben’s dancing skills first hand in the Dominican Republic…he’s quite good. Read more about him:

1. What is your favorite movie, book, and band/music? My favorite movie is Hook. It is from my childhood, and there are so many good lines and memories associated with it. My favorite book would actually be the Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan. If I had to pick a favorite book from the series it would either be the very first one or the most recent. My favorite music is probably Rock, but I am very partial to Christian rock as well.

2. What has been your involvement in Cornerstone? I have been a student leader for Cornerstone. I led small groups for two years. I also participated in Outreach, Drama, Worship, Service Team, and Prayer. I have also participated in a discipleship group for over three years and have recently begun leading another one. I also will be the Cornerstone intern in the coming year.

3. How has Cornerstone helped you during your years at Pitt? Looking back on Cornerstone, I'd say it guided me in my Christian growth through college. It allowed me to gain a better understanding of my relationship with God and who I am. It also provided me with a place to fellowship with other Christians.

Moore News
Other than the “bleak” news of my injury, we’ve been having a lot of fun in the past month even with the hustle and bustle of graduation, and the concussion. Our entire family met up with friends for WVU’s annual gold-blue spring football game, and had a blast. This was Josh (who is a football fanatic) and Asher’s first football experience, and they quite enjoyed themselves; Asher was entertained by the large crowd, and Josh by the actual game. Oh, and the Mountaineers look pretty darn good if I do say so myself.

We are at that time of the year where my work schedule slows down and I am able to spend more time at home with my family. The boys are enjoying the outdoors (on the days it doesn’t rain) and we try to get them in the fresh air as much as possible. As they grow older, it’s wonderful to see the relationships change and the brotherly bonds form. Now that Asher is older and can handle himself more, the older boys include him on many more activities. They love playing in the sprinkler, and Ben enjoys reading to Asher and Josh.

We thank you all for your continued support and prayers. God Bless!

In Christ,
Andy Moore