Grace Community Church
Developing Bibically Grounded Followers of Christ
Touch of Grace
Andrew Pankratz
The sun is finally shining, the snow is beginning to melt and we just finished our winter backpacking trips. This is the first year we have run trips in the wintertime at Camp Redcloud. There are many unique safety concerns, gear requirements and even spiritual applications that are present in the winter backcountry. It has been exciting to explore the ministry potential of these trips.
We had a large group from Olathe, KS one week. This group had many potential leaders within the upper classmen. They are natural leaders who don’t realize their responsibility to lead the youth group. The day we climbed the mountain, we placed two athletic guys in charge of leading. They soon left the group behind. At one point another classmate said, “Guys, leaders look behind them!” What a great line! At the top, we got the chance to talk about what a servant leader looks like. It was so great to see one of the students come up with the idea on his own.
Before the group left, the senior guys got together and decided to start a weekly leadership Bible study. That is the goal - students taking what they have learned and putting it into practice as they go home.
“Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxieties on Him, because He cares for you.” I had never realized this was all one sentence. The implication is that it is prideful not to cast my anxiety on God.
He has been teaching me a lot about worry this winter. The simple truth is that finances have been tight here at the beginning. My goal is to raise $1500/mo. and I am at about 35 percent of that right now. Would you prayerfully consider partnering monthly with me in the ministry here?
I love you all. Thank you for continuing to bless me and build the Kingdom. rockclimbr85@gmail.com
Excerpts from a newsletter by Andrew Pankratz