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| Rev. Da Vita D. McCallister, Associate Conference Minister for Youth and Young Adult Ministries |
This week’s author is the Rev. Da Vita D. McCallister, Associate Conference Minister for Youth and Young Adult Ministries.
Be careful then how you live, not as unwise people but as wise, making the most of the time, because the days are evil. So do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. Do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery; but be filled with the Spirit, as you sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, singing and making melody to the Lord in your hearts, giving thanks to God at all times and for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
We have come to the end of another Silver Lake Summer and I can’t think of a wiser thing to do, than to give Thanks to God! Each summer our Co-Directors Tim and Anne Hughes, year round staff, summer staff, deans and a host of counselors provide an opportunity for children and youth to sing songs and make melody to God. I know because I have the privilege of witnessing it.
As I read this text it seems tailor made for the beloved community that is Silver Lake. It admonishes us to “make the most of our time,” we only have 1 week conferences at Silver Lake. It reminds us not “to be drunk with wine”, just one of the Silver Lake Rules, right next to no pets and no fireworks. It speaks of “psalms, hymns and spiritual songs,” which is kind of life the social hall during meals. It even captures our nightly worship with the line about “Giving Thanks to God at all times.”
But the beginning offers a bit of a caution, “Be careful then how you live.” I often hear folks say that they are “the best version” of themselves when they are at Silver Lake. They are kinder and gentler, event to their siblings, they help to keep the place they love clean by doing dishes and cleaning the Freds (the bathrooms) and they attend a worship service everyday for a week. Here is where we have to be “careful” because the goal of Silver Lake is to give us the experience of God’s Beloved Community so we can duplicate in our real world experience. It would be unwise to leave the best of ourselves in Sharon, when God is in need of our BEST SELF in the world at large.
If we live this life wisely, we can encounter to joyful love of God wherever we are.
Living God, thank you for Silver Lake. Thank you for the Staff, Deans and Counselors and this beautiful place. Help me to live as my Best Self, no matter where I am. I pray all of this in your name. P.S. Please help others to come to know the joy that is Silver Lake, your backyard. Amen.
Please remember:
those throughout the state effected by last week's severe thunderstorms
Please remember:
the athletes, coaches, and organizers of the 30th Olympiad: may their competition foster peace as the return to their homes;
Bob Willard, husband of the Rev. Dr. Claire Bamberg, pastor of the
Congregational Church of Plainville UCC, recovering from a congestive heart
failure event last week;
the friends and family of Dr. Harry M. Rowe of Wells River, Vermont, father of the Rev. Jane Rowe, transitional minister of faith formation at South Congregational UCC/First Baptist Church of New Britain, who died unexpectedly on August 3rd;
those injured or grieving, and the faith community of the Sikh Temple in Wisconsin following the Aug. 5th shooting;
the injured spectators and those grieving after a violent storm occurred Sunday during a race at the Pocono Raceway;
the citizens of Aleppo, Syria, whose homes have become a battlefield;
those injured or grieving by the railroad fire in Nellore, India, today;
all the staff, volunteer leaders, and conferees at Silver Lake this week;
Grace Congdon, daughter of the Rev. David Congdon, pastor of the Elmwood Community Church UCC, who is undergoing tests for a yet undetermined illness;
the Rev. Stephen Camp, senior pastor of Faith Congregational Church UCC in Hartford, who is recovering from severe injuries suffered in a fall;
those left wounded in body, mind, and soul; those left grieving; and those who care for those injured by the shootings in Aurora, Colorado, on July 20;
those grieving or wounded by coordinated attacks in Iraq on July 23;
the Rev. Carl F. Schultz, Jr., pastor emeritus of First Church of Christ Congregational UCC in Glastonbury, who is recovering from surgery for a broken hip;
the Conference Minister Search Committee as they begin to consider candidates;
the Rev. Dr. Barry Cass, the staff, members, and friends of the Somers Congregational United Church of Christ, which lost its 170-year-old meetinghouse to a devastating fire the night of January 1-2;
the Rev. Alison Buttrick-Patton, the lay leadership, staff, members, friends, and community of the Saugatuck Congregational Church UCC, which suffered severe damage from a substantial fire on the night of November 20;
the Conference's partners in the Kyung-Ki Presbytery and their communities on the Korean peninsula;
the Conference's partners working for peace in Colombia amidst violence;
the leaders of this nation, that they may meet the challenges of the day with insight, wisdom, and compassion;
this nation, that it may continue its difficult work to end the practices of racism;
those suffering due to the ongoing financial woes of the nation, be they struggling to meet an unaffordable mortgage, seeking employment, or working to find just resolutions; and
those serving or living in war or conflict zones around the world, or where terrorists have struck.
To be added to the prayer list, please send an email to Rev. Eric Anderson at: webmaster@ctucc.org.
East Haven
First Cong'l Church of East Haven, Inc.
P The Rev. Karen G. Johnson
CE Ms. Diane Lewis
East Windsor
First Cong'l Church of East Windsor
P The Rev. Thomas V. Calderone
East Woodstock
East Woodstock Cong'l Church
P The Rev. Susan J. Foster
CE Ms. Emily Murphy
MM Ms. Kristen Wedegis
Easton
Cong'l Church of Easton, Inc.
SU The Rev. Amanda Osgrove
Ellington
Ellington Cong'l Church
P The Rev. Donald Bailey-Francois
AP The Rev. Karen Bailey-Francois
MM Ms. Esther Pezzella
CE Ms. Lisa Crocker
To read previous editions of the Spirit Calendar, visit:
http://www.ctucc.org/fido/spiritcalendar/
To learn more about or subscribe to the Spirit Calendar, visit:
http://www.ctucc.org/fido/
The Spirit Calendar: August 12, 2012 by Rev. Da Vita D. McCallister, Associate Conference Minister for Youth and Young Adult Ministries
