A Moment of Reflection
Gabrielle
I
am a sophomore at Niles High School and a member of
the First Presbyterian Youth Group.
A
few weeks back, I was asked if I would reflect upon
what First Presbyterian Church means to me and share
my thoughts with you.
My
earliest memories are exploring the never lands of the
church basement with my dad and two brothers while my
mom was in her office as Christian Education Director.
Did you folks know that on occasion, there are dead
bats in the boiler room, a full set of boys' and girls'
showers, and a large space beneath our feet here in
the sanctuary that my dad had convinced me was the catacombs
holding the bodies of all the former church members,
but I later found out was a rifle shooting range.
More
recently, I recall all the Vacation Bible Schools that
I attended as a student, and now participate in as a
helper. If you've never sung "Jump, Shout, Sing"
and been out of breath at the end of the song, you just
don't know what a song service is.
One
of my most recent and meaningful memories is of my first
mission trip to Jamaica, Queens, New York. Giving of
my time and energy to help people I never dreamed of
meeting, finding this way cool hat in one of the 300
sidewalk shops in town, and oh yeah: the church van
breaking down at the front door of Yankee Stadium just
before the cross town rivalry game between the Yankees
and the Mets. What a way to end a 14 hour drive.
More
important are the people who have become my extended
family since we live over 3 hours from our grandparents
and other family members. Mrs. Richardson has always
lent a listening ear and a comforting shoulder when
I needed someone to talk to, and Mr Etskorn who never
fails to greet me with a smile, a cheerful hello, and
a hug. I look forward to looking up in the stands and
seeing him during my basketball games this winter as
he is my self-proclaimed biggest fan.
As
I have taken the time to meditate on what First Presbyterian
Church has meant to me, I can't help but to be encouraged
as I look forward to what the church will mean to me
in the future as I create even more memories and develop
even more relationships that I know will last a lifetime.
It
has been very interesting for me to reflect upon these
memories and the people who mean so much to me and I
would like to encourage all of you to take some quiet
time this week and look back as far as you can remember
and think of those church memories.
