As summer is getting closer and testing at the schools approach, the Explorers are getting a bit more restless at after school. To help with this, we have been outside more playing games together, such as four square, whiffle ball, and just enjoying the outdoors. Our 4H agent came on Monday and taught about tectonic plates with a fun snack activity to demonstrate involving graham crackers and icing. Kaitlyn came to teach chapel, and she always brings fun activities and games to play with the kids. We also wrote our Pen Pals again and look forward to celebrating with them at our end-of-year celebration next week!
College Bible Study
Join us for our weekly college Bible study every Sunday evening at 6:00 p.m. in the youth room!
Midweek Meal & Activities
Our Wednesday evening fellowship meal and bible studies are going great! Let’s keep the momentum going, inviting others to join us and enjoying the deepening of our fellowship.
REMINDER: Reservations must be made before noon on Mondays.
Below is the schedule for our Wednesday evening activities:
The meal begins at 5:30 p.m. each Wednesday. Group time begins approximately 6:10 p.m. and goes to 6:45 p.m. This group time is for college students and adults.
Our youth will meet from 6:10 to 7:00 p.m. in the youth room.
Our children also meet from 6:10 to 7:00 p.m, and they will be in the children’s department for a devotional, activity and play time.
Choir rehearsal follows at 7:00 p.m.
We can’t wait to see you on Wednesday evening!
A Break for Wednesday Evening Dinner & Bible Study
We will break for the summer from our regular Wednesday evening dinner and Bible study. It’s been a great opportunity for food, fun and fellowship, and we look forward to returning to our regularly-scheduled mid-week time together in September!
Mission Moment 5.14.25
Lita and Rick Sample
CBF Field Personnel San Francisco Bay Area, Calif.
“Lord, help!” they cried in their trouble,
and he saved them from their distress.
He calmed the storm to a whisper
and stilled the waves.
What a blessing was that stillness
as he brought them safely into harbor!
Let them praise the Lord for his great love
and for the wonderful things he has done for them.”
– Psalm 107:28-31
We can all agree that “trouble” is part of life. Sometimes it is pretty overwhelming. In past years, I’ve struggled through two cancers and heart issues, and some other significant challenges along the way. It wasn’t easy, and I can’t imagine walking this path without Jesus by my side.
Looking back at the hardest times of my life, I can see God’s hand holding me and carrying me through it all. Where I find the most peace and comfort is when I go to the beach, sit and listen to the waves, watch the birds and get lost in my thoughts—sometimes just emptying my mind.
There is much to say about the beach. The sound of the waves distracts me from life’s overwhelming busy-ness and distractions. It’s as if the setting slows the world down for a little while. Grounding myself in the damp, cool sand connects me to the Lord, and I find myself breathing praise for what God has created and done for me.
Watching the waves roll in as the sun begins to fall from the sky, I see the water begin to calm, and I find myself matching its tranquil rhythm. Breathing the fresh clean air renews my strength and calms my spirit. The clouds on the horizon begin to turn shades of pink, purple and orange, as the sun tries to stretch its arms out from behind the blanket of white, giving one last show of brilliance as the canvas before me turns a bright orange as its song’s sweet ending. It’s like looking at a glimpse of God on the throne, showing us God’s glory, before dipping into the sea. All worries and burdens are washed away by the sound that covers me. It is comforting. This is when I know that my Lord is carrying me in peace and wholeness.
I find myself not wanting to leave. This moment is given to me, and the connection with God is so deep, that it is indescribable. I wait until the rays are all but gone, then turn to walk away. There are no words to speak, nothing to share. My heart is full and in ways, even healed.
As I read Psalm 19:1-8, I am taken back to that place.
The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they reveal knowledge.
They have no speech, they use no words;
no sound is heard from them.
Yet their voice goes out into all the earth,
their words to the ends of the world.
—Lita
Pray, Practice, Ponder
This is a perfect time to reflect on the poem, “Footprints in the Sand” by Mary Stevenson. Many of my generation know this well and for us and those who never have heard it, I hope it will remind you of God’s great love and care for us.
As you prepare to read this, breathe in deeply and slowly exhale. Relax your shoulders. Picture yourself at the ocean’s edge, cool water lapping your toes, as your feet sink into the sand. Think of God’s all-encompassing love for you.
“Footprints in the Sand” by Mary Stevenson
One night I dreamed I was walking
along the beach with the Lord.
Many scenes from my life flashed across the sky.
In each scene I noticed footprints in the sand.
Sometimes there were two sets of footprints,
other times there was one set of footprints.
This bothered me because I noticed that
during the low periods of my life, when I was
suffering from anguish, sorrow or defeat,
I could see only one set of footprints.
So, I said to the Lord, “You promised me
Lord, that if I followed you,
you would walk with me always.
But I have noticed that during the most trying periods
of my life there have only been
one set of footprints in the sand.
Why, when I needed you most,
have you not been there for me?”
The Lord replied,
“The times when you have
seen only one set of footprints,
is when I carried you.”
Giving the Jesus Way
United Christian Ministries is in need of: canned soup, canned chicken and Boost. To donate items, please drop them off at UCM’s building at 191 Skyland Drive. Thank you!
1st Explorers Summer Camp
Mission Moment 5.7.25
Christine
CBF Field Personnel, Africa/Middle East
“It is in solitude that we discover that being is more important than having and that we are worth more than the results of our efforts. In solitude we discover that our life is not a possession to be defended but a gift to be shared.” —Henri Nouwen
I live in the middle of a very busy urban neighborhood. There’s beauty in this communal life, but quiet moments are rare. Early on a Sunday morning as the sun is rising, there might be a moment of peace; but inevitably, it’s not long until it’s interrupted by a honking car horn or the revving of a motorcycle engine. Days are crowded and packed with people, hollering over each other and the noise around them, buying their groceries, having coffee with a neighbor, picking kids up from school, making their way through the tasks of daily life. People walk everywhere and it’s a place that’s full of life. It’s one of the reasons I chose to live here—to see the realities, to pull back the curtain, to have a truer glimpse of how this community lives.
But between the actual noise and the inside “noise” perpetuated by the stresses of the hardships and uncertainties in the neighborhood and the lives of those around me, it can be like a frog in boiling water. You don’t even realize it’s happening until it’s too late. It can feel impossible to find a space for peace, for stillness, for silence.
What’s saving my life right now? It’s creation. The rustling of the leaves in the wind outside the sunroom of my temporary home; rooftop sunsets at a friend’s house; the stillness of birds chirping outside my window as the new day dawns; hours to sit beside the ocean, listening to the lapping of the waves; the fresh, cool air of a hike in the woods with friends and colleagues. I’ve been reflecting recently on how often Jesus lived and modeled this pattern. Of course, the stillness and solitude and peace of creation are saving my life right now; it saved Jesus’ life too. We see over and over again in the Gospels that when Jesus was sad or grieving, he would go off to be alone. When he was tired from the overwhelming needs of life and work and ministry, he went into the hills by himself to pray. And each time he returned refreshed, more able to meet the needs of those around him, more grounded in his need for God’s strength to sustain him, more able to say “yes” to what God was asking of him, more fully able to love the people in his life and the strangers who came seeking help. May it be so with us.
Pray, Practice Ponder
This week, set aside time for silence and solitude. This may be for five minutes, or a few hours. If you don’t know where to start, begin with the “Five Senses” grounding practice: Find a quiet space, inside or outside, and wake up to the world around you by noticing: five things you can hear, four things you can see, three things you can touch, two things you can smell and one thing you can taste.
1st Explorers After-School Ministry Update
This week, the explorers talked about “April Showers Bring May Flowers.” We discussed how this relates to our spiritual life, that God makes us new and he grows fruit in our lives much like the flowers and trees have started blooming this spring. We made a little flower garden on the wall to see everyone’s creativity and what kinds of flowers and trees they could make. The sun is made out of everyone’s handprints!
College Bible Study
Join us for our weekly college Bible study every Sunday evening at 6:00 p.m. in the youth room!