We’ll Meet You Where You Are
Bob VerBurg
In Ron’s message, “Growing Pains,” from January 21, we learned how Paul, Priscilla, and Aquila traveled to Cenchreae to preach the message to the new Christian Church. Ron pointed out how Paul met with the early believers in their own city with respect to their culture and social sensitivity. In his message on January 14, “Help for the Weary,” Ron showed us how Christian service and worship need to be a group activity.
This summer, a group of high school students from Hillside will do just that. They will travel to the Big Sky Bible Camp in Montana. Specifically, they will serve in a program at Big Sky Bible Camp called Camp Promise. Camp Promise is a getaway for people with special needs and disabilities.
Kirk Kingsley, Hillside’s director for high school students, is leading the group. “This is not a mission trip organization per se that they are working through; rather, it’s a camp that needs volunteers to help run their special needs day camp.” I asked Kirk what his hope for the group is: “I want young people to learn the value and beauty of a demographic they may not encounter regularly. Second, I’m hoping our group will appreciate the simplicity of their life. They are often people who have a lot of worries in life, especially with their health, but in my experience, they tend to be the people who live life to the fullest and find joy quicker than ‘normal people.’ They don’t need a constant connection to a cell phone or social media. Third, I hope they will realize the blessing and Christian service they can bring to people with disabilities.”
As a parent of a social needs child, Kirk and his wife, Krystal, know the ministry and blessing an outside person brings. “So along with serving this group, we also want to bring a blessing to the parents by giving them. week off from caring for their child while knowing their child is in the loving care of a Christian who brings service and blessing to their family where they are at.” Kirk adds, “Finally, I want them to see every person is a child of God and worthy of God’s love.”
I’m amazed by the distances Paul traveled, mostly my foot. Fortunately, the group from Hillside won’t have to walk to Montana! Instead, they’ll fly, and that’s where most of the cost of the trip is. Kirk hasn’t booked the flight yet as he’s still finalizing the details. We don’t want costs to stand in the way of them having this great opportunity. The team will be seeking to raise some more funds in an upcoming fundraiser. There are 14 students that will be going along with four adults. Before they return home, the group will visit Glacier National Park.
Kirk and the group request your continued prayers and interest in the upcoming trip. Specifically, prayers that the trip will be a blessing to Hillside’s students and a blessing to the people they will serve. If you’d like more information, contact Kirk.
“My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power.” - I Corinthians 2:4-5