I wish you could have been there. I wish I could convey to you the thanks, the smiles, the hugs, the “When are you coming back?” warmth of the residents and their family members, as Westheights stepped away from “church”–to be the Church. And what an experience! Kids, students, and adults of all ages and abilities, being the Church together!
And then there’s the thrill of my heart as a leader: to see your students and kids step into their gifts, rely on God, and create God-exalting, meaningful worship moments to share. To see them make connections with neighbours, setting aside both self and social norms to be Christ, often with someone they’d only known for 2 hours, or 30 seconds! To see them use their strengths to help and support each other, so that everyone present could feel accepted, included and empowered.
Thanks, parents, for home practices, and rides, and hanging around during rehearsals. Thanks, leaders, for believing in your students and kids, and for stepping back and quietly holding them up—to let them take on every possible role. You were all essential to making a great thing happen.
