Fine Arts Camp + Glory Ridge

Fine Arts Camp

Summer is a time at St. Paul’s for a different pace.  Many of us are taking some time away on vacation.  I hope you find some time over the summer for rest and rejuvenation.  Meanwhile, the mission of the church never stops.  This past week we have been blessed with a multitude of children attending our Fine Arts Camp. I am grateful for the church staff, clergy, and volunteers who have worked so hard this week to make it happen.

On Sunday (June 26), Allen and I will head to the mountains with 4 young people from St. Paul’s to attend a week of worship, mission, formation, and lots of fun at one of my favorite places, Glory Ridge.

Over 50 years ago a young pastor was hiking through a wooded area that is now Glory Ridge.  While walking that day he had a theophany, an encounter with God, and he heard children singing, playing, and laughing.  Fifty years later, that vision has come to fruition in the sense that all who go to this thin place are reminded during their stay that they, too, are children of God.  There is a simplicity to the week.  The young people do not have their phones.  The adults rarely use them.  We eat our meals together in community.  We are intentional about helping others and we worship authentically as the sun goes down and the fireflies come out.

Glory Ridge is a place that has shaped me and continues to shape me for ministry.  It is a week of hard work, but for some reason I always come back rested and rejuvenated.

Thank you for your prayers this week as Zoe, Bennett, Katie Rose, and Cabe go to a thin place and offer themselves to Christ’s service.

We will all return in time for our Independence Day Celebration on July 3^rd.

Faithfully,

Caleb+