A Message from Pastor Chad – Summer & Mission Trip
As the summer begins to take shape around us (finally!), I’m reminded of the words from Psalm 19:1:
“The heavens are telling the glory of God; and the firmament proclaims his handiwork.”
Summer has a way of helping us notice things again. To me, the longer evenings, the warm sunshine, the sounds of nature all can help us slow down just enough to remember that God is present, not only in worship or prayer, but out in the everyday world around us. In the grass, the flowers, the trees, the birds…in so many ways! This time of year is full of little reminders of God’s creativity and care. So soak in a quiet morning walk, the laughter of kids playing in the neighborhood, a bike ride, or even just the smell of cut grass (I love to cut the grass!)…there are signs of God’s presence woven into the world. Sometimes, we just need to pause long enough to see them.
And speaking of seeing God at work, I want to celebrate and lift up our youth group heading to Detroit, Michigan for a service trip. It’s truly amazing that these 12 kids will take a week out of their summer to do something like this…and also amazing that we have awesome adults to go with them. Big shout out to Brian Hurd, Chris Carter, Christin Delaney, Larisa Catcott who are going on the trip. Big shout out to Pam and Dave Auble who planned the trip and prepared the youth! What an opportunity everyone will have to serve, learn, and grow. No doubt it will be a time when they feel God’s presence in new and real ways through the people they meet, the work they do, and the community they build together. And when they come home, we’re excited to hear their stories and learn from what they’ve experienced!!
As we head into this season, may all of us, whether we’re traveling or staying close to home, look for moments to notice God’s presence. In creation. In service. In one another. May it be so!
Grace and peace,
Pastor Chad
