(Amy Jahn de Torres is the author of this post and was very instrumental in making this summer program work! This story is a wonderful example of being aware of what is happening beyond the church doors – identifying the needs and places where God is already present and partnering with others to strengthen the ministry in the community.)

It’s a Friday afternoon and the church is messy. There are footprints on the bathroom floor and drips of water on the mirror. Stacks of paper with the names of 140 children are scattered on tables throughout the Fellowship hall and counting room. Boxes of copies of Eric Carle books, donated by Kohls, are resting in the corner where eager students picked their very own copy to take home earlier in the day. Garbage cans are full of the remains of breakfast and lunch that this group of students consumed during the day. The once-orderly Fellowship Hall is seriously disordered, with tables and chairs askew as a reminder of the end-of-day sign out process that just took place. Empty boxes sit next to the milk cooler, bearing the fingerprints of the adults from McKinley who helped themselves to bags full of bread donated by the local Panera Café. Five adults sit, exhausted, eating popsicles to beat the heat, and reflect on the events of the day.

This is the basement of Christ Lutheran Church in Allentown, Pennsylvania. For seven weeks out of this summer, the building is crawling with students from a summer tutoring-and-arts program, run through College Nannies and Tutors and McKinley Elementary School. The program, which was relocated from the tiny school building due to a roof construction project, has 140 students enrolled, and more than 110 students in attendance each day. They are from McKinley and the surrounding neighborhood, and come for any number of reasons: to continue learning and improving academic skills for the next academic year, to socialize with friends, to interact with the small groups of students and dynamic tutors, to have a complete breakfast and lunch to eat, to be doing something other than sit at home all day.

Christ Lutheran Church and McKinley Elementary School have a partnership that has evolved over seven years. The beautiful—and spacious—church building opens its doors to welcome students and families from McKinley for family involvement events, basketball practice, reading with 1^st and 2^nd grade students, dance performances and 5^th grade graduations. These events could not take place in the tiny school cafeteria, which doubles as their gymnasium. In turn, students from the school help Christ Church whenever they need to set up the gym with tables and chairs for a church function. On occasion, families from the school even make their way into the sanctuary to attend a worship service.

The smudge marks, empty boxes, and garbage remains tell a story of selfless hospitality that needs to be shared. If only every member of the congregation could see the smiles on the faces of these students as they play in the gym each day and scurry around the two floors of classrooms, they would understand. This gift of space is providing these students with a summer where their minds, bellies, imagination and hearts are filled with delight. In the end, maybe the roof project was a blessing in disguise, as the program expands into the beautiful spaces of this old building, and the children and tutors absorb the good news through the very walls, the echoes, the great cloud of witnesses that have similarly scurried through these halls.

Christ Church, we thank you for this gift of space. The impact is immeasurable, the gift hard to quantify, the gesture one of sincere grace-filled love. 

I had the profound privilege of attending a part of the Lutheran Youth Fellowship Assembly held at Muhlenberg College from June 22-24. What an amazing experience! I arrived just in time for the elections for the LYF Board. Along the back wall were sheets of newsprint with biographies for eight candidates vying for four positions (read these incredible biographies yourself below). The candidates took turns standing in front of their peers to speak, sharing their reasons for running for office.

The written biographies are now posted on the walls of the Lutheran Center so visitors can read about these church leaders. We need to SEE what our young people are doing that matters to God!

Young people ARE incredible leaders if we give them space to do that. The LYF event itself was planned and led by youth of our churches with minimal support from their advisors. They light up our church with energy, creativity and enthusiasm. These kids are the ones who are going to lead us into a new way of being the church.

Who are the kids that light up YOUR congregation and how do they do it? I hope you will share your responses below with me.

P.S. If you want to learn more about the Lutheran Youth Fellowship – or have questions and concerns about youth ministry – or want to be included on a youth ministry e-news list, please contact Karen Matthias-Long at the Lutheran Center.

Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.   1 Corinthians 12:4-7

What gifts has God given your congregation for the sake of serving the community?

We have covered a lot of ground in our time together at the synod assembly. When you reflect on our time together, what one thing about this assembly would you share with your   congregation?

Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand; and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God. And not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.  Romans 5:1-5

Where do you see hope in this church?

In my travels around the synod, I always see congregations engaged in ministries that matter. These stories need to be shared and celebrated.

What is one thing your congregation does that matters to God?

I heard they were going to have “Holy Humor Sunday.” I have heard about such celebrations for years but have never had the opportunity to experience it. Now it was happening on a Sunday when I had no other responsibilities and, in a congregation with which I serve. Perfect!

It was a great morning of seeing people I haven’t seen since they called their new pastor. Having worked with them through that process I had gotten to know many of the leaders and members. And then there were those who had ties to beloved members of the congregation I served before coming on synod staff. Catching up is always a joy. But this morning was to hold more than the joy of jokes and songs and renewed relationships.

Just two pews in front of me sat a family.

What happened in your part of the synod this weekend? Where did you see God on the move?

As a synod staff person, I was blessed to witness – or know about – some amazing things that took place in our synod this past weekend – and they are all stories worth sharing. I hope you will share your experiences here – in the comment box below – of where you saw God on the move in your area of the synod recently.

THURSDAY: SECRETARY LUNCHEON - The long weekend started on Thursday when the secretaries

Check out our synod’s YouTube page where, among other things, the Lutheran Youth Fellowship interviews of synod assembly attendees are posted. Interviewers asked the question, “Where do you see God loose or on the move in the world?” Listen to the different responses. Most are short (less than 30 seconds). Pick one a day for the next 40 days to get your daily dose of  “God sightings!”

Here is one to get you started….check out what 300 year old Henry Melchior Muhlenberg had to say about where he has seen God:

 

The Northeastern Pennsylvania Synod Assembly, Lutherans in Faith Together (LIFT) and the Lutheran Youth Fellowship (LYF) assembly were held this past weekend, June 17-18, at Muhlenberg College. On Friday, some members of the LYF  videotaped interviews with folks who were there. The question they asked was “Where have you seen God on the loose/on the move?”  They interviewed over 60 people!

One interviewer said, “I saw God at the LYF & Synod assembly because I was walking around interviewing people and it just made me realize, God is seen in so many different ways to so many people.” (See this post and more at “God Sightings in Northeastern PA Synod“).

Some of the interviews were blended to make the following video, which was shown at the end of the synod assembly. The other video clips will be posted – one a day – at “God Sightings in Northeastern PA Synod.” Check it out!