As I walked in to the kitchen, it had a very familiar buzz. It was the first morning of the Summer in the City mission project for middle school students. They were dopey (from staying up late talking) but very chatty. Many of the young people I knew from previous gatherings, so it was great to reconnect. After their evening escapades, we worshiped together and they went off in groups to engage God’s mission in a variety of contexts.
Late last week I traveled to North Carolina to be a keynote speaker for a gathering of 150 high school students. The theme for the event was, There’s An App For That. Our focus was on identifying God’s mission in their neighborhood (what is God up to in your hood?) and then discerning their gifts for ministry to engage with God in mission.
This week over 1,000 young people and their advisors from throughout The Episcopal Church and other parts of the Anglican Communion will be at Bethel University for the triennial Episcopal Youth Event (EYE) gathering. They will worship, work on an onsite Habitat House, learn from each others’ experiences, renew their Baptismal Covenants and then be sent forth to engage God’s mission in Minnesota and beyond.
I feel incredibly blessed to be sharing the journey with so many young people who are passionately seeking to use their gifts for ministry to engage God’s mission in the Episcopal Church in Minnesota and beyond!
God’s blessings come in many ways. I praise God for his using you in so many ways and our continued contact with you in obscure contexts. Matt will be there as a chaperone from the Spokane diocese. We appreciate your continued influence on the kids of this world and the blessings they receive from being in your presence – Matt included – though he’s not a kid any more.
Our prayers are with you in this huge event. May the Spirit flow through you in wonderous ways!
steve kellen
I remember 1964 and being one of 3 Minnesota youth invited to attend the Tri-annual EYE in Colorado. What a privalidge to represent our Diocese and what an impact on my life to see the church at large in action. Don’t remember much about the talks of the week, but I do remember being with such a LARGE gathering of wonderful Christians. Made me want to go home and tell all that the church is large and the GOD was very much alive.
Thank you Minnesota for giving a young girl from rural MN a chance to see faith in action.