Welcome everyone to the ninth in our series of online Port Ann Wesleyan youth group online sessions. If you missed any of our previous installments, you can catch up here:
May 6, 2020: Serving as samaritans
April 29, 2020: Adopted into the family
April 22, 2020: Living as lighthouses
April 15, 2020: Absorbing the truth
April 9, 2020: Preparation over procrastination
April 1, 2020: Standing up in the midst of a storm
March 25, 2020: What route do our roots run?
March 18, 2020: God’s calm guidance during a coronavirus craze
Opening song this week is Hawk Nelson’s “Diamonds”
We continue to have a variety of prayer needs across our youth group. Please continue to pray for those connected to our church who are on the front lines of the coronavirus situation — as well as people battling the virus and people making decisions on what is next for our church and our state/country heading into a summer filled with question marks.
Lee Jordan continues to struggle with a variety of health issues connected to his falls and, more recently, pneumonia. He is currently in the hospital and tested for COVID-19 (which the family does not believe he has), and there are a lot of big questions and decisions about what happens next. Please keep Lee and the extended Jordan family in prayer.
Rose Walter, a member of our church, was in an accident recently in Mifflinburg. Early reports are that she will be OK, but please remember her in prayer.
Don’t forget the other requests we typically receive through our group, such as the Hartley family, Jason/Jeremy Kratzer, Jim Mulaney, Cameron’s grandmother and each of our youth as we navigate this new normal.
Announcement-wise, some important updates:
- We will resume in-person youth group next Wednesday (May 20) at the church. We will be mindful of restrictions and guidelines, expect youth to bring a mask/face covering and will plan activities that give everyone necessary space. Time will be 7-8:15 p.m., as normal. If you have any questions, comments or concerns, email us by clicking here.
- We are still tentatively planning our youth yard sale on Saturday, June 6. This will look differently than normal. Our board has requested workers wear facemasks and gloves during the event. We will also have extra jobs to handle, such as wiping down items when possible after customers handle them, and we may try to set things up so those who want to view the yard sale can do so in a drive-through manner. More details to come. It may be awkward, but many people are itching to get out yard-saling, and it may work in our benefit. If you have items to donate, please let us know ASAP and we can store them at the church.
- We are working on an alternative option for those who were planning to attend youth camp this summer. Details are being ironed out and more will be available soon. Please pray for wisdom/guidance for the planning process.
Last night, we appreciated those who could stop by at the church from 6-8 p.m. to help with our annual spring roadside trash pickup.
Paige, Samantha, Alana, Elena, Holly and Austin were joined by soon-to-be youth member Blake Walter and helper Blake Walls, as we picked up 12 bags of trash along the 2-mile stretch of road Port Ann Wesleyan’s youth group has been cleaning up for the past 25 years.
While driving, there didn’t seem to be a whole lot of trash, but as we walked, it was disappointing how many empty beer cans, plastic bottles, food wrappers, car parts, cigarette butts and other items were tucked into the growing grass lines on either side of the road.
Michelle and I have had numerous talks with the kiddos in our house about picking up stuff laying around the house. One of the most common responses is “I didn’t leave it there” or “it isn’t my mess to clean up.”
Those lines came back to me while we walked the roadside and stuffed trash into the bags. None of us contributed to this mess, and yet here we were cleaning it up. It didn’t seem completely fair.
Of course, we do it because we care about the environment — the beautiful landscape God left to us to tend for Him dating back to Creation outlined in the first chapters of Genesis. There are a number of verses tied to our responsibilities in taking care of the environment, among them Numbers 35:34 (NIV):
“Do not defile the land where you live and where I dwell, for I, the Lord, dwell among the Israelites.”
Beyond the environmental impacts of our trash pickup and our responsibilities to do what is right, if for no other reason because it is right, I had another visual last night while we toted our white plastic trash bags along Troxelville Road.
Jesus on the cross, Jesus in the tomb and Jesus resurrected. The Easter story. His sacrifice to clean up a mess he didn’t create. Our sin makes us about as useful as the trash left laying along the road — God sees us as much more. He picks us up, polishes us of and creates beauty where there was otherwise darkness, decay and disappointment.
As the chorus of Hawk Nelson’s “Diamonds” reminds us:
He’s making diamonds, diamonds
Making diamonds out of dust
He is refining, and in His timing
He’s making diamonds out of us.
Are you feeling like less than a diamond right now? Do you feel rejected, cast aside or worthless? If you haven’t already accepted Christ and the redeeming power of His sacrifice, there is no better time than now. If you have already accepted Jesus as your savior, but feel a need to rekindle that relationship, don’t hesitate to reach out to God in prayer. If you need help in any of this, contact Michelle (570-495-3740), John (570-847-2718) or Pastor Paul (570-837-3188).
We’ll leave you with two songs that can help remind us of God’s ability to turn trash into treasure:
