Summertime

This week we are supposed to “enjoy” some above-average temperatures. Weather like this reminds me of the fun times we had as kids on the hot summer days. We would pull out the sprinkler and run through it with laughter. We would sip on cool lemonade or lick frozen popsicles. We would compete to see who could make the biggest cannonball splash at the local pool. I’ve always liked the summer months.

As a kid, things in summer seemed to slow down from the rest of the year. If you think that we are in a summer slowdown here at church, I would beg to differ. Our events and activities continue to roll as we move through these “lazy” months. Here are a few examples:

Right now, we are in the midst of Vacation Bible School (VBS) here at Prince of Peace. It has great. This week, we got to walk with 100-plus kids while they had a fantastic time learning about God and serving God’s Creation. We’ve also been inspired by the nearly 50 volunteers who are helping make VBS a roaring success! (As a matter of fact, the volunteers seem to be having at least as much fun as the kids – in the case of our science crew, it might even be more!) All of this is wonderfully orchestrated by our own Sue Miller who has done a great job lining it up and creating some fantastic decorations – ask her about the giant pier and underwater scene.

That’s just one example of our recent church activities. In addition, our church just returned with 28 pilgrims who traveled throughout Turkey and Greece tracing the footsteps of the Apostle Paul and John of Patmos. Next week we have a group of elementary and middle school kids headed to Hopewood Pines for a great week of camp. Looking down the road, our high school youth are joining 15,000 other ELCA youth from around the country in New Orleans for the ELCA National Youth Gathering. Mix all of this in with Summer Choir, Thursday Bible Studies, and all of the various committee meetings, and you start to get a sense of how this place is still doing God’s work.

My guess is that you are enjoying a busy summer as well. My prayer is that amid all the scheduled times, you get a chance to see all the ways that God is working.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Tim

P.S. If you want to see photos of these events and other things happening at church, make sure to like our Facebook page!