A gallery of all the pictures are here.
On a steamy hot day, Tuesday, June 19th, the St Peter’s kids, their parents, Odessa Davis, Dave Duke and Becky Fisher, along with Catherine Hicks and Andrea Pogue gathered to hike around Portobago Bay, to worship out in the beauty of God’s beautiful world, to greet the neighbors and to enjoy creation.
The hike began at the Davis house. The nine children and four adults stopped at the Linne von Berg house and using outside voices, shouted, “Good morning, Linne von Bergs!”
Then on to the Andersons. BJ met the group and and cooled off in the shade of the cherry tree. “Good morning, Andersons!”
The next stop and the beginning of worship was at the Pogue’s house. An ancient tree resides in the Pogue’s woods, and in its shade, Arthur Duke read the opening words of worship, Zeke Fisher and Chester Davis read the prayer, Evan Davis read the Psalm, and Sydney Davis read the gospel.
The cooling breeze that sprang up reminded everyone of the Holy Spirit with them. The group got quiet and listened for the sounds of the woods –birds, frogs and crickets singing. Everyone read the affirmation of faith. After saying goodbye to the tree, everyone refilled their water bottles from the Pogue’s water hose, followed by a cooling spray of water from the hose.
Heading back up the driveway, everyone pondered whether or not the lamp post at the edge of the words might be THE lamp post at the end of Narnia’s Lantern Waste.
And then, due to the heat, the group decided to turn left instead of right and head back toward the river. As the group went down the hill, the river, in all its glory, unfolded before their eyes, and Catherine took out the pottery chalice and paten and Sydney helped prepare a place on a picnic table for communion. Everyone cheered when they realized that the bread was BJ’s delicious homemade bread. And Catherine filled the chalice with sparkling grape juice. Everyone prayed, and then Catherine blessed and broke the bread, and everyone ate until the bread and grape juice were gone.
Worship ended with the SHOUTING PRAYER.
God loves the world!
God loves us!
God loves you!
I love you!
God loves me!
I love me!
Thanks be to God!
Amen! (Aaaamen!)
Then the group had lunch. Andrea Pogue brought watermelon and cantaloupe, Catherine Hicks brought peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and Odessa Davis made the most divine rice krispee treats you could ever imagine.
And everyone ate and got full and then the children gathered trash from the riverbank and said they were working to save the world.
The group is planning to take another Hike in the fall, when the leaves start turning their vibrant reds, oranges and yellows, and the weather is a little cooler! Thanks be to God for a wonderful day.