This past Sunday, our church celebrated its 40th anniversary. We put together a special service honoring and celebrating our past and the faithfulness of so many families that have been serving for 20, 30 and even 40 years. It was remarkable to see pictures of couples now in their 80s who were active members with young children when the church began. What was most impressed upon our hearts this weekend however was God’s faithfulness to our community. Through ups and downs, pastoral changes, demographic and economic instability, God’s hand continually has been on our faith community through the years.
We watched a slideshow commemorating the history of our church. Familiar faces and places from times gone by illuminated the screen. We saw old pictures of our church building throughout decades of transformation, and we could not help but notice smiles adorning so many faces as we remembered the times and moments when God was present in our church.
Another interesting realization was to see older pictures of a retreat center to which we take the youth each fall in the Catskill Mountains. For more than 30 years, this has been a sacred place of spiritual renewal and refreshment. We go each year as school begins in order to reconnect with God and others and set the vision for the school year. Nestled in the mountains, our meeting hall provides a stunning panoramic view of mountains and valleys.
No matter the weather — snow, rain, fog or a crisp autumn afternoon — the majesty and splendor of God’s creation is clearly visible. Our students love this retreat and it has become one of the highlights of our ministry each year. We provide time for a silent retreat when students are self-guided on a spiritual journey of reflection, Scripture reading, mediation, nature discovery and (of course) silence.
Year after year and decade after decade countless lives have been transformed at this particular place and through our church and youth ministry. I often get bogged down in the day-to-day activities of running a youth program. This past weekend was a perfect opportunity to slow down, reflect and celebrate.
Moments such as these reminds us how much God cares for and loves not only His Church but every member of His family. This weekend inspired our youth to remain faithful to God and His dream for our church. What will the next generation, 40 years from now, have to say about us? Did we persevere through the storms, trials and difficulties? Did we remain faithful to God’s mission and invitation to us to partner with Him to redeem and restore the world back to Himself?
As we honored the past, we looked toward the future. We’re blessed with “such a great cloud of witnesses” who have modeled faithfulness, and we have an ever-faithful God.
