Happy Thursday High Places!
Just a reminder that tonight is family night at summer camp (Big Ridge State Park), so if you're up for a road trip on a beautiful summer day, come visit us at Big Ridge just past Norris and Andersonville at 6:00 PM. The group camp is situated in the back of the park, so just follow the road back past the old Grist Mill and you should see us. If you're up for it, bring a side dish and share in the meal we will have together -- but even if you can't, don't worry. We will have plenty!
We will also have a baptism tonight after supper and do some old-timey singing down by the water and a very brief word about the sacrament of baptism and what it has meant to the Christian church ever since Jesus Himself chose to be baptized.
Please remain in prayer that our summer camp (this year a very young summer camp with lots of first time campers!) is going great, and keep praying for God to work and move in this space as so many of our staff and volunteers are pouring themselves into the week with the hopes of creating safe, joyous, and open spaces for our teenagers to seek the Lord.
In other News and Notes...
Life at High Places continues to grow rich and deep, with God adding to our faith family regularly. In fact, God added our newest member as Kelly and Adam Detwiler welcomed baby John into their family this week. Congratulations to them on the new addition and our prayers are with them on the journey. And I just learned that daughter Chloe (who is at summer camp) plans to be baptized tonight. So exciting!!!
I have just returned from a two-day exchange at the Kettering Foundation, which regrouped this week after a long pandemic break from in-person gatherings. Meeting at Kettering these past few years has been a bit of lifeline for me personally, as so many pastors from around the nation just get together to discuss our collective challenges, obstacles, hopes, and dreams related to our work in our home-towns and we as we gather together find spaces to decompress and heal as a group of leaders. I return refreshed and reinvigorated and feel especially grateful for the opportunity to share our ministries on a national stage, and to hear from other communities around the United States and what they are doing to make more healing spaces for their neighbors.
Finally, I wanted to let High Places know that I am currently in the closing paragraphs of a grant that will be submitted tomorrow. It's grown and grown after conducting dozens of interviews, and to be honest, has about as much potential to bring change in our community as anything that I've ever worked on in maybe 30 years of ministry. The number of times God has just "winked" at me in the process has been overwhelming and reassuring. While it doesn't mean we're going to win the grant, it has certainly been an affirmation that our church is on His path and in His lane on our journey. That affirmation alone has been encouraging.
Now... I am late to get to camp and I haven't even mentioned our August 6th events... plural! Those will have to wait until next week's news and notes.
Long story short.... great stuff just keeps a happenin' ... and God is very, very good.
Love to you all and I hope to see you tonight at 6:00 PM at Big Ridge State Park.
David