Home, at last

By now, I've not only attended the outstanding homecoming concert at Bethel and (briefly) the lovely homecoming party at the Myerholtz home, but was able to take a l-o-n-g shower and sleep in my own bed.

What a concert, though!  The message of our own brokenness, of the world's tendency to sometimes drown in sadness and sometimes explode in fits of rage came through clearly.  Equally clearly, though, a message of hope came through: no matter what, the youth proclaimed, we can bring our sadness and our anger to God. All along, God has been weeping with all the victims of violence, injustice, and terror -- with the abandoned child and with the anorexic teenager (lyrics to "He Weeps": http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/fireflight/heweeps.html)  Not only is God weeping with us, but he also holds out the promises of salvation, wholeness, and transformation.  The youths faith and trust in God is assuring to watch and gives testimony to the strength of Bethel's youth program -- maybe currently not so much in numbers, but certainly in spirit.

I had a number of brief conversations with people after the concert who seemed sensitized by this Year's Common Ground to pay more attention and to take more seriously what teenagers are going through, given what our world has become.

The tour and this year's theme clearly bore the mark of Katlynn Hoegel's contagious faith and passion for music.  "Thank you," Katlynn!  Thanks are due to many others: to the Common Ground adult sponsors, Mary Deutscher fot the graphics of posters and t-shirts, Jamie Jacobson for driving us and for his friendship, this year's youth assistants, Mary Alexander for inspiring the 2013 CG theme, all CG techies, and (last, but not least), Tom Hoegel for his youth ministry leadership at Bethel.

Bethel Lutheran Church, Roseville, California

Parents! PARENTS! Parents galore.  Last night, we had our last show before returning to Bethel and before tonight's homecoming concert . The drive from Medford, OR, to Roseville was long, but uneventful.  No car broke down, no one got lost or left behind, no late charges were incurred.  

The setup at Bethel Lutheran Church in Roseville went smoothly, the major problem was how to adjust the program to a really small space. 

After dinner (tacos!), there was enough time left for fun in the lawn, making music together, etc, by the time the concert began, several sets of Common Ground parents, even one grandma and two little sisters, had arrived: Jonathan, Josh, Christa, Alex N. all were lovingly greeted by their families.  

Bethel Lutheran Church, Roseville, is very small by our standards.  Common Ground parents made up a good percentage of the audience.  Maybe thanks to the small sanctuary space, the enthusiastic audience, the bonding that had happened on tour, or the familiarity with the songs and dramas who knows why - but the concert was our best thus far. Everything seemed to come together - enunciation, transitions, smiles, etc. -- and our audience noticed!

The day ended with loading equipment onto the truck, hours of sharing time, and turning huge church's sanctuary into bedroom space.  

Right now the group is practicing for worship where Common Ground will be singing two sings during the offering.  

It was a pleasure to again be able yo travel with Common Ground this year.  Hope to see many if you tonight at our own Bethel Lutheran Church for the homecoming concert at 7:30pm!

Common Ground, Medford, Oregon

Crater Lake
Yesterday was all about recreation, sightseeing, and thrill! After leaving Bend, Oregon, we headed South-West, passing through Deschutes National Forrest and stopping for lunch, views, and small remnants of Winter snow at Crater Lake. The views were gorgeous and the chilly mountain air refreshing!







We then continued South towards Grants Pass, just a few miles North of Medford, nestled by the Rogue River, the scenic backdrop of many a Hollywood movie.

Rogue River
From the relative calm of the valley the river takes a dramatic turn as it enters the coastal range at Hellgate Canyon. From Hellgate for the next 60 miles, we were told, the Rogue takes a wild and scenic trip through the coastal range towards its final destination: the Pacific Ocean.

Donning fashionable black garbage bag attire, we boarded a 3-engine, 1,100 horsepower jet boat that could reach top speeds of 50 miles per hour. Sudden stops an numerous spins resulted in some of us getting soaked pretty well, while others (no names here!) shielded themselves by directing the splashing waters to the folks sitting in front of them. In addition to the thrills of the ride, we saw lots of birds: bald eagles, geese, ducklings, blue herons, buzzards, swallows, turkey vultures, and manyores.



















Medford
After driving a bit into dramatic Hellgate Canyon, we turned around. disembarked for dinner down-river, and eventually headed back to Grants Pass. Some 20 minutes later, we arrived at the Marriott Suites in Medford, our stop for the night.

Common Ground, Bend, Oregon

A Tour of Firsts
This is a tour of firsts. There are more boys than girls, believe it or not. We were, for the first (but hopefully) not the last time in Kent, Washington. Little Rebecca attended her first Common Ground concert. And, for the first time (at least as far as I know), we had to cancel a concert. No, not because of illness - everyone is just fine! Everyone was fine yesterday, too. Halt, make that "everyone, except for the Bethel Bus." The bus had some issues that had to be fixed before beginning the climb up the mountains towards Bend (Bend is at nearly 4,000 feet altitude).

Lloyd Center, Portland, Oregon
Nearly everyone among the group got dropped off at a mall and the bus spend some 5 hours at a nearby dealership. Being at the mall was fun, but eventually we knew the place rather well, too well for my taste. Fortunately, a bookstore and an ice rink were at the mall, providing for hours of entertainment.

Bend, Oregon
We arrived at Nativity Lutheran Church in Bend at 10pm. Even though it was pretty late and the concert had been cancelled, the congregation provided us with a sumptuous meal, including the most delicious bread you can imagine, even by Bay Area and German standards. The boys/men were sent to the spacious youth room for the night; the girls/women got to spend the night in the congregation's amazing sanctuary, spreading out in front of the altar and pulpit area, aisles, and the back. Sleeping bags everywhere!

Nativity Lutheran Church
It is always nice to explore how other churches "do it." Nativity church exudes a spirit of welcome, community service, and hospitality. Located in central Oregon on the Eastern side of the Cascade Mountains, Bend blends technology, higher education, and administration with businesses catering to serious outdoor lovers. In the Bend area, ponderosa pine forrest transitions into the high desert. The unique mix of culture and the outdoors appears to attract active retirees, artists, and younger families alike.

Nativity Church Church is nestled in a forested area among the outskirts of town. The campus is large and filled with evidence of the congregation's noteworthy service to the Bend community.

Service
The are way too many amazing elements of the church campus for me to list here. For example, there are the Food Forrest (fruit & berries for the congregation's food pantry), the Food Shelve, bee hives and bees rescued from a crashed truck, the Common Table Community Garden, the Boys Scouts work area, the Nativity Wood Lot (firewood for those who cant afford it), the Impact Head Start wing, the Prayer Garden, a Prayer Labyrinth, info on the temporary shelter in which the congregation participates, and so much more.

Hospitality
When you enter the sanctuary building, the first thing you notice are reusable name tags ... lots of them! That way, visitors and regulars alike can greet one another by name. The sanctuary itself is spacious, decorated with large, beautiful black-and-white photos of the congregation's different ministries, surrounding the worshippers in their singing and praying, similar to the "Stations of the Cross" one might find in Catholic churches. Everything in the church building feels child-friendly, by the way. One really cute item we found in the back pocket of the sanctuary chairs, for example, were the "scribble cards for kids of all ages" (see photo).

Spirituality
After breakfast and loading the truck, the group walked the labyrinth. After many turns, back and forth, in and out and back in, the path led us to the center. We stayed there, praying for a whole, before returning the way we first had gone in. All that happened in complete silence, so that everyone could use this time to bring questions, concerns, or issues to God. Afterwards, the prayer garden offered more opportunities for prayer, either alone or with one of the Common Ground sponsors. I a so grateful to the congregation for dividing this beautiful space for reflection a d prayer. What a wonderful way to serve the spiritual needs of the Bend population!

Departure
In eight minutes, the group will meet to begin the day with a campus your, a Labyrinth walk, and then head South to Medford. Got to stop writing now, so that I won't have to pay late fees (50 cents per minute !).

Location:Nativity Lutheran Church, Bend, OR

Kent Lutheran Church

Host homes! Showers! Beds! Laundry! Last night, Common Ground performed for the community of Kent Lutheran Church (Kent, WA).

Our local contact was Vanessa Rutherford (nee Hernandez), a proud Common Ground alumna, who single-handedly convinced the pastor and congregation to invite CG to Kent, have us stay at host homes (apparently, the congregation had not done this either!), get them to sponsor dinner, and promote the show to her own and other local churches.

In result, the youth performed to an 80+ strong audience, the largest one this far on the tour! While Kent parishioners proved somewhat reluctant to engage with their visitors over dinner, by the time we left Kent the next morning, they appeared delighted by our youth and were happily interacting with them.




The overall comments on the show were overwhelmingly positive. The attendees seemed to clearly grasp the message of "crystal & dynamite ... bring it!" (to paraphrase this year's theme). People were dancing in their pews to the music. Lots of them sent text messages (telling of instances of brokenness, disappointment, sadness, and anger in their own life) during the concert that subsequently became part if the program when they were displayed on the screen for all to see.

We had some very special concert attendees in Kent: Barb and Dave Larsen, their daughter Emily, son-in-law Matt, and 7-month old granddaughter Rebekka! It was a delight to watch Chris, the proud uncle, parade his niece around the social hall. I frankly can't tell who beamed more: Chris or his dad. What a cutie girl Rebecca has become, provided that she's been fed. :-) this weekend, she'll be blesses as part of the worship at Matt and Emily's church - that's why Dave and Barb were in town (in case you wonder).


My own host family (Marlies & Dirk) opened their home and hearts to four of us (Charlotte, Emily, Mel, and myself). We had the opportunity to take (long) showers, do laundry, drink strong coffee, and eat the most amazing breakfast (thank you, Marlies!).
Even professional medical advice about seasickness was given, as one of the girls didn't do too well after the ferry ride from Seattle to Bremerton. After some ginger ale and some dried ginger, all seems now well, BTW.













Currently, we are heading South towards Bend, Oregon, and Nativity Lutheran Church, a ride of some 5 1/2 hours. I continue to be impressed by the calm demeanor, professionalism, and interest in CG of our driver, Jamie.




A big shout-out to our parents at home! All the hosts I talked to this morning commented on how responsible, talented, polite, and well-behaved (!) our youth are. Parents, you might not recognize your own kids by the time you get them back! Whether you know it or not, you must have done a good job raising your kid(s). On this trip, they are just the most amazing missionaries and messengers to their own message of "Keep Calm and Bring It!" It's a pleasure to be with them and to get to know them better.

Location:Kent Lutheran Church, Kent, WA