Congregations L.I.F.T.

Congregations Unite for Youth Program

By L.I.F.T. (Living in Faith Together)  Congregations of Bethany, Faith Messiah, Peach and Trinity of Burlington and rural West Burlington

The congregations of Bethany, Faith, Messiah, Peace, and Trinity, located in Burlington and rural West Burlington, have united to provide a Christian education program for the youth of our congregations called Living in Faith Together (L.I.F.T.).

“We are aiming our program directly at elementary-age youth,” said Cyndy Fabel of Faith.

Pr. Erick Swanson of Trinity adds, “Partnering together makes sense because we are better together than by ourselves. We are created for community.”

The idea for L.I.F.T. started with a conversation that Pr. Cindy Johnson, pastor at Peace in West Burlington, had with Pr. Swanson. She noticed that First Lutheran in Ottumwa had a children’s program on Wednesday night and expressed “Why can’t we do something neat like what’s happening at First?”

Inquiries to the congregations of Bethany, Faith, and Messiah were met with enthusiasm and the planning began! The first order of business was a road-trip to First Lutheran in Ottumwa. Pastor Ralph Kister and Youth Coordinator Geri Kearney welcomed our group and gave a great tour that included time to experience their children’s program by sitting in on some classes.

Following the Ottumwa field trip, Christian education leaders and youth leaders from the five congregations began meeting and planning how to implement a program that would serve the needs of the youth in our community.

L.I.F.T. became a reality as we decided on a once-a-month gathering for students, age pre-school through fifth grade, to take place on the third Wednesday of the month. The gathering would begin with a supper and fellowship time. Then the students, grouped by age, would travel to three centers: Music/Prayer Requests, Bible Study/Drama, and Crafts. The evening would conclude with a brief gathering at the end for prayer and worship will cap the evening.

On September 12th, a rally to celebrate the start of L.I.F.T. that week featured the music of New Faith from Bellevue and included supper and worship. The gathering was punctuated with laughter as friends visited and children danced and played games.

Our first L.I.F.T gathering was on September 16 and featured guests Pastor Dirk Stadtlander and his wife Sarah who currently serve as missionaries in Senegal. Pastor Stadtlander told stories to the students and Sarah taught the students a praise song sung in Pulaar, the language of the people the Stadtlanders serve. By the end of the evening, the children were singing praise to our Father in the language of Senegal. In addition to singing, the youth also made Senegalese prayer boxes for the craft project. The festivities of L.I.F.T’s first gathering concluded with prayer and fellowship

Sherry DeHague, Youth Coordinator at Bethany, sums up L.I.F.T.’s ministry goals, “You know, we could have each done our own thing. Working together just makes us stronger. This truly is an excellent example of ‘God’s work. Our hands.’”

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