jstefan posted on September 15, 2009 09:07
August 22 was a special day, the launch of a new season for the youth church called, HISspace Worship. Our theme was Creation and Nature. Our song service prepared our hearts with songs like, "God of Wonders" and "Majesty" complete with pictures of nature to go with the words. Mrs. Smuda, our worship leader, challenged us to think of people to pray for, including individuals who we might invite to the revival meetings to be held the first week in September. Michael Durant and his drama team of Abbie Smuda, Corey Tyler, Mandy Wilson, and Rachelle McNeave, provoked our thinking as they revisited the Garden of Eden and the temptations by the snake, Satan, toward Adam and Eve. We were privileged to host a special guest, Loring Bearce, who manages the Griggs University Book Store. After singing for the main service, he came over to share a song with us, "You Raised Me Up."
Pastor Joshua Voigt arranged for his brother, Alex Voigt, a Junior Theology major at Southern, to be our speaker for the morning. Alex shared instances in the Bible where God used nature in miraculous ways, such as, when the Sun stood still, swarms of bees won battles, and warriors single-handedly won battles with simple tools. The audience appreciated Alex's enthusiasm and creative thoughts. To follow-up the nature theme, the HISspace planning team invited the church to a fellowship dinner at the Hashuwa Bear Branch Nature Center pavilion. Even though it was overcast and threatening to rain, we were able to enjoy a delicious lunch and even fit in a hike before the rain came. The general consensus was that we should do this more often.