CAPA Corner

    This past weekend was Memorial Day weekend – the unofficial beginning of summer.  School is out, the pools are open, the grills have been uncovered and fired up and vacations are being planned.  If there was ever any word for summer in my household as my children were growing up it was chaos.  Not in the sense that there was no “method to the madness” but in the sense that any resemblance of regular schedule left.  Children were going to their grandparent’s for a visit, there were camps and lessons and sports events and spur-of-the-moment activities.  If we were not careful there would not be any “lazy” summer days. 
 Like every other part of our lives, summer offers unique opportunities and holds moments for personal and spiritual growth.  There are numerous Vacation Bible Schools in which to share.  These offer moments for the children who participate and the youth and adults who help and lead to have encounters with the Christian faith story; times to get to know God through Jesus Christ.  Summer “church” camps offer extended periods of time for children and youth to spend time out of their regular setting and with different people, exploring their own faith journey and their own relationship with God.  Many times, summer church camp is the place where a young person has an intense spiritual experience and begins their spiritual walk. The quiet moments on the beach or on the porch of a mountain cabin (or even a moment in your own backyard) can be times of prayer and contemplation.  
    Summer is indeed a time to deviate from our regular schedules but it is also a time when there are many opportunities to experience God in those different activities.  We are invited this summer to find moments and perhaps even create times of intentional opportunity to encounter our creator as we enjoy summer.
Rev. Marie Williams
Blackwater United Methodist Church