December 2008

The year-round youth program at Mechuwana has always been very dear to my heart. Growing up I had the pleasure of attending rallies and those experiences changed my life. Youth rallies in the church can actually be traced back more than 100 years. At Mechuwana we are very proud to continue that tradition, and it continues to be very important to hundreds of youth.

The first weekend of November we held our first middle school event of the season. Again, I had a very life changing experience because, for the first time, my son Dylan was old enough to attend. He had been waiting for this day for a long time. As we brought his stuff into the Commons to check in, his face lit up when he saw staff members he knew from the summer. Within minutes, Beth and her staff were having the youth playing games and talking.

The theme of the weekend was a program called, "Words can hurt, words can help," presented by Jordan Shaw.

The worship services led by older youth and supported by the adults are some of the most powerful worship experiences I have ever witnessed. And when you talk to the youth, they always say that worship was great.

Dylan loved the weekend, and I loved the fact that we could offer him this experience. We should be so proud that Mechuwana can offer this experience to everyone.

That's what the “Friends of Mechuwana” program is all about; we are doing this today so my son will have the opportunity to take his son or daughter to his/her first rally.

If you haven't already, please consider becoming a part of the Friends of Mechuwana program. Together we are helping to secure the future of this vital ministry.If you haven’t joined yet, we encourage you to visit our Friends of Mechuwana web page to learn more. You can also print off a pledge form and mail it in.

God Bless and Merry Christmas!

Norm