I hope you all had a lovely Christmas and New Year!
This has been my first time working at a church during the holidays. It was certainly busy, sometimes hectic; but I have never felt so apart of such a special community than I have at St. John. It was awesome being part of the worship team that held the Advent services on Saturday evenings. I was blown away watching our youth's outstanding performance in the Christmas Play. It was incredible to witness the ways each one of those kids brought their individual strengths and energies to make that come together so beautifully.
It has truly been a blessing to worship with fellow members in such intimate and unique ways throughout December. I feel so fortunate to have gotten to know people better through the experience.
But the fun isn't over! I am SO excited to go with four of our confirmands to Lake Chautauqua Lutheran Center for the confirmation retreat this weekend. I volunteered for the same retreat last year, and we all had a blast. I'm ecstatic to see a lot of the kids from last year returning for the retreat this year. LCLC is a remarkable place, the way it creates immediate community and holds an atmosphere where everyone in it can enjoy and be themselves.
The theme for this weekend is "Promises"; what a promise means, what God's promises are, broken promises, and making promises. We've got a creative and enthusiastic team who are sure to deliver the theme in an impacting, powerful way!
To parents of confirmation students who were unsure last Sunday if their schedules permitted the retreat, it's not too late for your child to attend! Always, the more kids the merrier. There will be plenty of fun this weekend for both those highly active and those who prefer to check out nature, play cards, etc.
Please email me if you'd like to get your child aboard the retreat. We're departing from St. John on Friday (about 4 pm), and we're departing from LCLC about noon. Or shoot me a call (515-5964). I'm happy to answer any questions and do whatever I can to get your child there with us.
