August 25, 2016

It’s been quite a summer! This week my job is to close up loose ends on multiple summer projects, and in doing so, I was to take a few moments to savor all the work, all the joy, and all we have accomplished together!
In July, we had our 6th annual Vacation Bible Camp. At this point, VBC has become a new Lakeshore tradition. With over 40 people involved, VBC is an intergenerational and inspirational way to immerse ourselves in simple yet profound Gospel truths. This year we crawled through caves and used many flashlights to understand anew the multiple ways Jesus is the Light of the World.
July 29-August 6 Lakeshore sent 13 missionaries to New Orleans. It’s been 11 years since Hurricane Katrina, and yet, there is still much work to do. We went to partner with the community to rebuild homes, lives, churches and communities. We worked hard, played hard and learned much. We encountered God in powerful ways as we witnessed resilience, inspiration, and hope.
August brought with it the church retreat. We gathered for our annual weekend of relaxation, retreating and rejuvenation in the Redwoods. Having Father Aidan McAleenan as our leader allowed us to Welcome the Stranger in new and significant ways. We explored the stranger within, the stranger in our congregation and the stranger in our community. We affirmed the need to offer welcome to all that is strange, celebrating the diversity of God’s creation.
This fall brings with it lots of new opportunities to form our faith together, but first, let’s bask in the last rays of summer’s warmth!
Peace,
Allison