Sun and blessings: God is working
Ah, summertime.
For most, the rising temperatures signal a more relaxed time of year, characterized by lazy days playing in the water, road trips to see loved ones and all sorts of fun and games.
For many members of Churches of Christ, the warmer months bring beloved traditions that go back years and even decades. Teens crowd into church vans and travel to areawide youth nights. Church ladies prepare cookies and Kool-Aid to serve at Vacation Bible Schools. Preachers hit the road to speak at Wednesday night sermon series.
Pharaoh faces off against Mario during an Exodus-themed Vacation Bible School at the Northside Church of Christ in Mayfield, Ky., in 2023.
We do our best at The Christian Chronicle to report on exciting news happening in Churches of Christ across the U.S. and around the world.
But summertime reminds us just how big our God is — and just how unequipped we are to reflect the full range of blessings he bestows.
So we provide snapshots that we pray provide an inkling of the Lord’s work in us and among us.
Picture the McAdams family from the McDermott Road Church of Christ in Plano, Texas. Nearly 600 miles from home, they enjoy singing, fellowship, fun, eating, Bible learning and encouragement at Camp Blue Haven in Las Vegas, N.M.
Hollee McAdams listed some of her favorite parts of the week: “(Son) Noah’s best friend putting on Christ, visiting on the porch with fellow teachers, (son) Malachi coming up and talking to us throughout the week and him praying over his dad (Wes), both boys leading prayers during devos, our class of great kids, learning a new song, ‘Gratitude,’ and being with my hubby all week.”
Noah McAdams sticks out his tongue as a staff member snaps a photo at Camp Blue Haven.
Picture Adam Metz, a minister for the Alum Creek Church of Christ in Lewis Center, Ohio, laboring alongside young people at the 20th annual Central Ohio Work Camp.
“We’ve painted nearly 150 houses in those years,” Metz shared. “Excited for the crew I get to work with.”
Picture sister congregations in Middle Tennessee meeting as one racially diverse body for four straight weeks — for the third summer in a row — for a special unity emphasis dubbed Greater Together.
Christians worship a Greater Together service at the Tusculum Church of Christ in Nashville, Tenn., in 2022.
Greater Together’s theme this year: “Broken but Beautiful.”
Picture hundreds of teens from predominantly African American congregations converging on a college campus in Louisville, Ky., for the 72nd annual National Youth Conference.
“We are grateful to be a part of this storied summer tradition,” said Lamont Ross, senior minister for the Marsalis Avenue Church of Christ in Dallas. “We are indebted to Orum Trone Sr., who established the National Youth Conference in 1952, and all of the dedicated men and women who have served … so that generation after generation can participate in this unique experience.”
The same could be said about countless other traditions, from mission trips to preacher training camps to big gatherings like Polishing the Pulpit and the Red River Family Encampment. All help bring the faithful together this time of year, and we praise God for them.
Ah, summertime.
“We are grateful to be a part of this storied summer tradition.”
BOBBY ROSS JR. is Editor-in-Chief of The Christian Chronicle. Reach him at [email protected].
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