Youth Mission Trip - Josiah Hsu

For today's post, Josiah Hsu -- a student at Church of the Savior -- reflects on the recent mission trip led by Savior's youth pastor, Father Andrew Unger.

What did you do on the mission trip?

As a group, we did a lot of service work around the community. We would typically divide into separate groups and work at different locations as needed. Some notable locations that we worked at includes Cornerstone Community Outreach, where we prepared and served food, and Books for a Cause, where we packed books to be shipped to schools and universities. We also attended a bible study at the church we were staying at. In addition to this, I worked with a smaller group to help organize items in the church.

How did you see God at work in the community you served?

Personally, I saw God at work through the unexpected tasks that we found ourselves working on. When we first arrived, we were told that the building manager needed to clean, organize, and renovate rooms in the church. While not originally part of our schedule, it was decided that we would have some people help her. From what we were told, upon hearing this the manager had a visible wave of relief. I feel like God was most at work through unexpected opportunities like these.

How were you challenged or encouraged in your own faith?

Being honest, throughout the week I had a general sense that I wasn't doing enough. It felt like the work I was doing wasn't as substantial or meaningful as it had been previous years, which was disheartening until Father Andrew addressed this during our communion service. He reminded us that our goal wasn't to serve so that we could feel good about ourselves, but rather to serve so that we can demonstrate God's love to others. Those words helped reassure me that even if I didn't feel like I was doing much, God was still working through me.

Revelation Resources

As we go through the book of Revelation in our current sermon series "Revelation: Visions for a Church Under Pressure," many resources are available to help us understand this challenging book.

First, read Father Kevin's letter to the Church of the Savior, in the style of the letters to the seven churches in Revelation 2-3. (Listen to his sermon on these letters here.)

Next, Senior Warden Deb Nickerson's prayer in response to the letter is here.

For a deeper dive into the context, genre and interpretation of Revelation, Father Kevin and Richard Kepner led a seminar on August 27th on these topics. Below is the audio for Richard Kepner's historical context and Father Kevin's guide to the genre and interpretation of Revelation.

Finally, for those who want to know even more about Revelation, a list of recommended resources:

The Bible Project -- creative videos to give you the quick overview:

• Chapters 1-11

• Chapters 12-22

Short article to help you get the tone right:

• “Spirituality and the Book of Revelation” by Michael J. Gorman

Commentaries being used by our preachers:

• Richard Bauckham, The Theology of the Book of Revelation

• Greg Beale, Revelation: A Shorter Commentary

• Michael Gorman, Reading Revelation Responsibly

• Eugene Peterson, Reversed Thunder

• Peter S. Williamson, Revelation (Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture)

Sermons on Revelation:

• “The Son of Man” (Rev. 1) — Kevin Miller

• “The Seven Lampstands” (Rev. 2-3) — Kevin Miller

• “Worthy is the Lamb” (Rev. 4-5) — Sarah Lindsay

• “The Fall of Babylon” (Rev. 6-20) — Ted Olsen

• “New Heaven, New Earth, New City” (Rev. 21-22) — Kevin Miller

Word from Father Kevin: Where is God Leading Us?

I told our Vestry, at its retreat last weekend, that Savior has an unusually high level of “leadership capital” for a church our size.

Consider our preaching team: In recent weeks, we’ve been blessed by sermons given by Deb Nickerson and Al Hsu, and in September, Dr. Sarah Lindsay and Ted Olsen will preach. This kind of collaborative team is, I’m learning, somewhat unusual within ACNA, but it’s a blessing to us all.

Then, we are blessed to have ten clergy regularly worshiping with us and willing to serve wherever needed (for example, Fr. Aaron Harrison will lead the Instructed Liturgy Workshop next month, and several of our clergy have been serving for an interim time at a sister parish in Milwaukee).

The quality of our staff team is astonishing; each could be leading national workshops on their area of ministry. And I could go on to Vestry, Ministry Team Leaders, Treasurers, and more. Truly, we are blessed.

I notice this, celebrate this, and invite you to ask God with me, “Since you have given us exceedingly, abundantly, beyond all we might ask or think in this area of our common life, what are you leading us to?”

Meet Ellen Vosburg, Youth Ministry Coordinator & Ministry Intern

Ellen Vosburg began working for Church of the Savior as our Youth Ministry Coordinator on August 1st, and she also serves as Savior's Ministry Intern (2018-19). As Ellen begins her work on staff, she answered some questions so we can get to know her better.

Where do you live and where are you from?
I live in downtown Elmhurst with my husband, Dawson, and miniature schnauzer, Andromeda (or Drom). I am from rural Oklahoma, where I played tuba in the marching band my junior year of high school.

What do you do when you’re not at church?
I love to read, and I expend most of my mental energy angling for ways to spend more time reading books. My husband and I enjoy cooking together and finding fun new places to eat. We also spend a lot of time with family and friends; we like to play games and eat ice cream together.

What's the best book you read during the last 5 years?
Pnin by Vladimir Nabokov. This is the first and only book I’ve read by Nabokov, and I was expecting to hate it, but I absolutely loved it. Nabokov’s creative command and deployment of the English language is gripping, and I found myself weeping over the circumstances of the main character at the climax of the book (which is rare for me).  

What's your favorite quote?
"If equal affection cannot be, let the more loving one be me." — W.H. Auden
 
How does youth ministry connect to the life of the whole congregation?
The spiritual formation of young people is vital to the life of the church, not simply for the future but for our present life together. I think teenagers who love Jesus and have a strong conviction for serving the world through the church can inject any congregation with an extra special gift of passion. They’re an important part of what it means for us to all be part of the family of God, and it’s a privilege to participate in this time in their growth. 

How can people get involved in youth ministry?
Tell me you love teenagers, and I’m sure there would be a place for you! Young people need all kinds of adults to surround them and invest in their faith, so there are a myriad of ways to be part of youth ministry, no matter who you are or what you are particularly gifted to do.

Expanding our Ways of Connecting with God

A few weeks ago, Savior hosted one of our three annual silent retreats. These retreats offer us a chance to slow our busy minds and set aside time to connect with God.

For our most recent retreat, Savior's Pastor of Adult Formation, Sandy Richter, put together a wonderful resource for expanding our ways of connecting with God. This booklet has images for the practice of visio divina, a guide to centering prayer, and a series of reflections on the Psalms and the natural world.

For anyone unable to come to the retreat, Savior is making this booklet available here. Some of you may be familiar with all of the practices described, others with none of them; regardless, we hope that these suggestions help to expand the ways in which we connect with God.

Click to access the retreat booklet.

Image: Christ in the House of Mary and Martha, Johannes Vermeer, c. 1654-56.