The youth fall retreat was a twist on the familiar this year. A twist on how we did almost everything, as we all have discovered to be true of 2020. From eating and singing, to playing and making it a day only retreat - we found ourselves awkwardly maneuvering the realities of a changed world. And yet, we awkwardly moved together. Our theme was about living generously, and it couldn’t have been more timely. A generous God who shows us how to live generously through Jesus. Below are three stories from the weekend. Thank you for praying for this part of our church family as they continue to walk with Jesus.

Parents with Teenagers - Let's Get Together! No expectations, no presentations, no agendas - just parents getting to know one another, and connecting over parenting teenagers! Including after dinner (dinner is provided every first Sunday night of the month for youth group) dessert and coffee/tea.

In preparation and anticipation for Easter Sunday, Sara, Whitney, and Abby recorded a beautiful song called Graves into Gardens by Elevation Worship. Take a moment and listen to this beautiful rendition.

Easter looked different this year, but we celebrated anyway! Thank you to everyone who participated in Stations of the Cross, whether as a reader or a participant. We were blown away hearing stories of you delivering eggs to your neighbors, egg hunts, chalk art, and other wonderful family events. Check out the beautiful chalk art above that was created by our members! Read below to hear some of the stories that we received from families who delivered Easter Eggs to their neighbor's so the kids could have an at-home Easter egg hunt.

"All the way to heaven is heaven, because He said I am the Way" St. Catharine Barbara and I plan to hike the last part of the Camino de Santiago next September. It's a pilgrimage beginning in the Pyrenees and concluding in Spain following the way of St. James the apostle. There's a fun movie about it, The Way, with Martin Sheen. As the story goes, his son is killed at the outset of the Camino. Martin decides to make the hike himself, dispersing his son's ashes along the way.

(Referencing Mark 10:17-31**) "As he was setting out..." someone, who perhaps grasps and then gasps -- 'He's leaving, this is my last chance to ask him' -- approaches him, respectfully, honestly, humbly, sincerely. "What must I do to inherit eternal life?" Please. Tell me.

Have you ever complained to God, asking why bad things happen to good people? Have you ever questioned God's concern for you, your family, or friends who were facing crises which seemed out of control? Have you found it difficult to trust God when your prayers seem to go unanswered?

Orlando, FL; November 2-3, 2018I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made. —Psalm 139:13Young children live freely, moving through the world without shame or pretense. But as we grow older, the impact of sin, trauma, and cultural expectations dim our natural luminescence. When this happens, we develop a “false self” as a way to cope and control how others see us. We exaggerate our gifts and create a caricature of the glory God gave us as image bearers.Parker Palmer says “Our strongest gifts are usually those we are barely aware of possessing. They are a part of our God-given nature, with us from the moment we drew our first breath, and we are no more conscious of having them them than we are of breathing.”

"When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die." Dietrich Bonhoeffer, from The Cost of Discipleship. What if that is not bad news, but in fact really good news? What if our soul's destiny depends on it? "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it.What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?" Joel Marcus in his commentary on the gospel passage for Sunday provocatively asks, "But why should one accept the dreadful burden of the cross? Why should one want to follow Jesus, (cf.8:34b) if discipleship means entry into a living death?"

Hanging pictures is best done by a team of two. One person shifts the wire on the back of the picture to the left or right until it finds a magical (mythical) midpoint where the picture will hang evenly.