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Bertha is coming!!

Bertha is approaching...get ready for waves on Friday and Saturday!!  The first hurricane swell of the year, and it's a recurving storm with no potential landfall!  Thanks, Lord!! :)

Life Rolls On

On Saturday, EPIC got to take part in a local event called "They Will Surf Again," with the California-based organization, Life Rolls On.

LRO was started by a surfer who was paralyzed when he suffered a spinal cord injury.  His buddies helped him get out on his surfboard again.  He wanted to share this feeling with other injured athletes, and LRO was born. 

The TWSA events are hosted up and down the West and East Coasts.  This is our second event in Jacksonville, and it was hugely successful!  We hosted 27 injured athletes, and had over over 150 volunteers show up for the event!  Praise the Lord!  The event coordinator, who came from Cali for the day, said it was LRO's biggest event to-date.  WORD!

It was an honor to partner with Brooks Rehab, Sisters of the Sea, Christian Surfers JAX and LRO to make this event happen.  Both the surfers and the volunteers were fully stoked!

Gnarliest Wedding Ever

North Florida surfing icon, "Gnarly" Charley Hajek, was married on Friday, May 9, to former rock band front woman Neenah James.  The awesome event was officiated by yours truly.  Who better for the job than the "AWWW YEAH" guy?!!

Charley and Neenah are two awesome people.  I've known Charley from a distance for about 12 years.  It was awesome to get to know him better, and to see how God is working in his life, as well as Neenah's.  Yep, they did premarital counseling with me and everything!  AWWW YEAH!

So, next time you're surfing the Poles and see Gnarly Charley ripping waves, give him an encouraging hoot.  Let him know you're praying for him as he starts this new life as one flesh with his Bride!!

Surf Jam Blows Up

Our 7th Annual EPIC Surf Jam is in the books!  Another incredible event, thanks to an awesome contest ministry team, awesome surfers, awesome sponsors, and, thanks to our Awesome JESUS, awesome waves!!

The Lord came through again with great waves and a great beach day.  As a result, the turnout was awesome!  Combine that with the Opening of the Beaches Weekend, and the Jax Beach Sandcastle Contest, and the beach was packed with crowds. 

The win for us is not to host an altar call on the beach.  The win for us is to get beach folk thinking about Jesus.  There we are on the beach, all crazy, tatooed and gnarly, mixing the joy of the Lord with radical music and wave shredding.  We're hoping they'll go home thinking, "maybe this 'Jesus' guy isn't so bad after all!"

Mission accomplished!

Testimonies are already coming in.  Stay tuned!

Awesome Kickoff Party

WORD!!  We had an incredible kickoff party at EPIC last night!  Great turnout, and the contest is just about FULL!  It's going to be a great day.  It doesn't hurt that the surf forecast is good for Saturday, with a low forming offshore!

Thanks so much to Beach UMC for opening up their awesome facility for us, and to BONO's for throwin down the BBQ!  Delicious chicken, and WORD!!  Banana pudding!!

The highlight of the night for me was the skateboard giveaway.  Gnarly Charley Hajek told me once that if he ever set foot in a church, God would blow the place up with a lightning bolt or an earthquake or something.  Instead, he took home a brand new Ozborn skate!  God's good like that!

See ya on Saturday!!

jw

Surf Jam coming this weekend!!

AWWW YEAH!  Tis time for the  7th Annual EPIC Surf Jam!!

Come out to the pier this Saturday to check out some incredible surfing action.  The waves look like they are going to be firing!  Praise the LORD!  It's going to be a great day at the beach.

We also want to get you signed up for EPIC's 4th annual Habitat for Humanity build!  The Surf Jam is our fundraiser, but we need YOU to come pound nails for a local family in need!  Sign up at the Kickoff Party (Thursday night), the contest on Saturday, or online at www.epicsurfministries.com!

'Walking on Water' and 'Life Rolls On' come to town

We at EPIC were stoked to host two great events over the past couple of weeks:

Life Rolls On is a foundation that gets athletes with spinal cord injuries SURFING!  That's right.  At the Jax event last month, we had 15 athletes, from as far away as North Carolina, join us to go for a surf!  EPIC partnered with LRO, Christian Surfers Jacksonville, Sisters of the Sea, and Brooks Rehabilitation for a great day at the beach.  Of special note was the return to the water of our friend, Joshua Brian Branter, of Thru the Roof Ministries!  AWESOME!!  Check out pics in the EPIC photo gallery.

Walking on Water is an awesome surf ministry from San Diego.  They have pioneered Christian Surf Films, and their latest is on tour.  EPIC partnered again with Christian Surfers Jax to bring the Premiere Tour to Jax!  We had two showings at the UNF Lazarra Theatre on November 2nd.  The movie rips, but the big news was that over a dozen surfers made decisions to follow Jesus that night!  Check out pics from the night on the EPIC web site.  Check out the trailer and tour info on the movie website.

Life Rolls On, Jax Beach

This weekend, EPIC is helping to host an event for athletes who have been paralized to go for a surf!

The ministry is called "Life Rolls On," and the event is called "They Will Surf Again."  The idea is that with the right equipment and enough dedicated volunteers, we can take athletes with limited mobility out into the water to catch a few waves. 

Some of our good friends, including Joshua Brian Brantner from Thru the Roof Ministries, will be there to take part!  What a pure stoke that's gonna be!

The Jacksonville Beach event is this Saturday, October 27th, 9am-1pm, at the Jax Beach Lifeguard Station.  Afterparty immediately following at Happy Stefano's!  We got some excellent press coverage in the Beaches Leader.

Check out www.liferollson.org for more info or to register to volunteer.

jw

The Fall Classic has Arrived!!

Whew!  How many posts can I put on in one day???

The EPIC Fall Classic is THIS WEEKEND!

Check our event web page, on www.epicsurfministries.com

Hope you can join us!!

JW

2007 surf camps are a wrap!

epic's 2007 surf camps have come to a close.  the grand finale was chronicled as a huge article in the times-union last sunday, which showcased kids getting baptized at our end-of-the-year beach party! 

this was another explosive year of growth, featuring:

• dozens of kids getting saved, and EVERYONE getting fired up to live for Jesus!
• the development of two AWESOME directors: rob holley and jason venn
• our first overnight camp (SO fun!)
• the launch of our junior instructor program, which helped us develop the hot young talent God sent our way
• another year in which our camp capacity nearly DOUBLED!! (2005:61 campers; 2006:161 campers, 2007:290 campers!!)
• two huge promotions in the florida times-union
• our first ever full waiting list for next year
• and so much more!!

thanks so much to all of you who helped make this years' camps so great: our campers and their parents, our ministry partners, prayer warriors, staff and their families. you guys ROCK!

most importantly, thank you JESUS!  it's all BY you, FOR you, and THROUGH you!!

jw