Philippians 4:6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
If I were going to rewrite this verse for today, in a Eugene Peterson kind of way, I think I would go with, “Quit being negative about all that is going on, but go to God, thankful and humbly in prayer with all that you have.” For God gives us so much strength through him and for that we are thankful.
I write this, because our amazing Youth Ministry volunteers and I have really been blessed with your youth. We have had to adjust more than once to our situation, sometimes on a weekly basis, so that we can minister to your Grace youth. There are times we could have been negative about it, yet this amazing team of adults bring such energy and enthusiasm it takes away all the negativity. Think about this: where we live and the times we are still able to meet with youth, even if just online. This would not have been capable so easily 10-12 years ago. Zoom, TeamMeetings, Facebook Live, and Facetime would not have been available to us.
So, during a pandemic, we would have to shut down completely in some cases. God has given us this gift of technology that can be used to glorify His kingdom and for that we must be thankful. I believe that God has also given us the opportunity to rethink how we reach out to each other. Walls were never really a part of Jesus and his ministry, so for us to go beyond these Grace walls, whether in a parking lot or online, we are mirroring what Jesus has done already. Nothing is really that new.
Look at some of the things we have done over these past months: we purchased folding outdoor chairs so that we could meet in the parking lot for Fellowship and Sunday school or we have utilized Zoom to meet when the weather has not allowed us to meet outdoors. We have participated in mission with Giving the Basics. Our Youth band, the Elevators, has blessed us with worship music. Three of our youth led youth worship with amazing word and message. We have had one-on-one conversations to check in with youth. We have been blessed by you all to hold our Grace School, so that students during the week can come to Grace and have access to good Wi-Fi and community. Grace school has not just been for “our youth”, we have had a family from the community utilize this opportunity. This has also benefited our local college youth as they have been able to be supervisors and earn some much-needed money to cover their college expenses. Along with Jennifer Snook and the Children’s Ministry we added a monthly family activity that helps start dinner time conversation on life and faith. Our high school seniors have started to plan for next year’s mission trip!
So while it is not face-to-face all the time, I am so thankful that we can still meet and lift up God in music, word, community and prayer. Being negative does not fit in God’s plan, so we will move forward thankful that God has provided so much, for each and every one of us.
~Kirk Anderson
