The View From Here

November 9, 2023

by Rev. Adam Blons

It is hard to believe sometimes, but we are in a season of college applications in our house. Satya is a senior at Central High School and is anticipating going to college next year somewhere on the West Coast. Applying to college was very different when I did it: paper applications that were completed by hand, typing the essay on a typewriter, giving stamped envelopes to teachers for reference letters, and waiting by the mailbox for responses. It is all done online now.

Reading through Satya’s answers to various questions, I couldn’t help but notice all the ways the church showed up in them. The church enriched Satya in so many ways! Youth Mission Trips, sabbatical adventures, friendships with refugee and asylum seekers, work in the nursery, writing birthday cards as a youth Deacon and so much more influenced Satya to become kind, curious, empathetic, service-oriented, and world-aware. These are qualities that colleges look for. Thank you church!  

Both Satya and Isa are now in the confirmation class. I recently shared in a sermon what that experience was like for me with my mother leading the class. Needless to say, I am very grateful that Cynthia is leading it for my kids. While parents are the first faith formation teachers, children and youth need other teachers and role models as they grow. I am excited that this current group of youth, accompanied by a faithful group of mentors, have the space and support to discover their own spirituality and what faith looks like in real life. 

Because of you, our church changes the lives of our youth!