Grace Lutheran Church has had a vibrant summer so far. The community has come together to support the youth ministry of this congregation. As I mentioned last month, we hosted Day Camp. Fifty area children spent time in worship, Bible study, prayer, service, and play. With the support of Ewalu Bible Camp, our congregation came together to lift up and encourage these young children. Our confirmation students also spent a week at Ewalu,
“I pray that, according to the riches of his glory, God may grant that you may be strengthened in your inner being with power through his Spirit and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love. I pray that you may have the power to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge,
God the Father creates and sustains you. Jesus Christ saves you through his death and resurrection. The Holy Spirit binds you together in love and gives you peace. The Spirit of God helps you in your weaknesses, intercedes for you, and knows you. The rushing wind of God, the Holy Spirit, breathes onto you and gives you the gift of life in Christ. The first Sunday of this month is Pentecost Sunday.
God has formed and changed me through the ministry of Ewalu Bible Camp. The first time I attended Ewalu Bible Camp, I was nine years old. I remember that as soon as my parents left me in this strange wilderness with a bunch of strangers to take care of me, I felt alone, afraid, and ready to go home. However, God is present in every place of need. God was present with me in my first week at Ewalu.
Lent is a forty-day journey where we prayerfully prepare for Jesus’ death and resurrection. We do many things as a community to take part in the prayerfulness of this season. This year we gather on Wednesday evenings to share a meal provided by our youth. After our time of fellowship, we will hold a time of song and prayer, using the Holden Evening Prayer. This is a worship service from a Christian retreat center in the mountains of Washington state.