July 29, 2021

Keeping our Eyes on Jesus

“But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Therefore, my beloved, be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the work of the Lord, because you know that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.”

I Corinthians 15:57-58

This has been a busy time in the life of our church. In July we held Vacation Bible Camp online. Initially, we were hoping to meet in-house, but that did not work out. When we moved to online, we had many more sign-ups. It may not have been how we started, but the online experience meant it was possible for those who were not in the area to participate. Also, the videos and the music will be available for a few more weeks.

Although the experience was through pre-recorded videos, we started each day with a short Zoom meeting to say “hello” to one another and see who else was taking part. It was nice to see the children and talk about what was learned the previous day. During this time we shared God sightings – where we see God at work in the world. We encouraged the children to think about the people who care for them and how that makes them feel as one of their “God sightings.” Some of the children reported their relatives (parents, grandparents) as a “God sighting.” Do we appreciate the people around us, those who we see often, as precious and special? The fact that we do have those who care for us is a blessing from God.

With regard to appreciation, there were many folks who had a hand in making this a Lakeshore experience. We used recordings from the publisher, but the bible story, the introduction to Operation KidVid, and the opening and closing were done by LABC members. The recordings and compilation of the videos were done by members of our tech team. Plus there were so any others who began this journey with us when we were planning the in-house experience. We have your names on file for next year!

As we move into the fall and all that is ahead, again, I ask that we think about where God would have us serve. Our focus and source of strength should al-ways be Jesus along with being willing to follow His leading. When we keep our focus on what God would have us do, we can be assured that our work in the Lord is not in vain. We as a church have an opportunity to re-imagine what we can do as we move forward in ministry and service to one another and to our community – to those who God treasures!

Growing Together in Christ,
Pastor Carolyn