Who am I? Who are you? Who are we? The answer to this question is called your self-identity and our self-identity and is very important. I hope that our congregational self identity might be unified. How we see ourselves probably reflects our sense of unity. Our yearly goal and theme (Belong) surely is connected to our collective self identity. “We are one in the Spirit. We are one in the Lord. And we pray that our unity may one day be restored. And they’ll know we are Christians by our love.”

I would be interested in knowing how each one of us would answer the question, “How do you see yourself?” What would you answer if someone asked you, “Who are you?” Would you write your answer on an index card and put it in a box on my desk?

Joe

JYM Spring Retreat 2017:

Recently our youth ministry participated in a Spring Retreat with three other youth groups (White House Church of Christ, Main Street Church of Christ, and Lafayette Church of Christ). The theme for the retreat was “Mayhem.” We were playing off the AllState Insurance Company’s point that “Mayhem is everywhere.” We began the weekend by addressing the fact that inevitably there will be storms in each of our lives. Then we talked about how we can prepare ourselves for those storms, and we emphasized the importance of having a firm foundation in God.

The students participated in a couple of object lessons that emphasized that we need each other to get through the storms of life. In the first object lesson the students got into pairs, and one student was blindfolded, so they could not see. The other student had his/her hands tied behind their back, so they could not use their hands. They had to walk up the hill to the mess hall to eat lunch this way. They had to completely rely on each other to move around and to eat. Once again, the lesson was that we need each other when the storms come.

The second object lesson was a prayer walk at night. The students were divided into small groups, according to their age and gender. Each group had to carry a cross that weighed up to 110 pounds, similar to what Jesus had to carry when he was on his way to be crucified. The cross was heavy, and the students needed each other to help carry it all the way across the camp. The lesson was very humbling, and it emphasized once again how much we need each other during the storms of life.

I believe each of the students had a great time, and I believe they learned valuable lessons about preparing for the storms of life. I hope they remember to grow their roots near God, our only true source of life, and I hope they build a firm foundation in Him so that they will stand strong when the storms come!

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