Yesterday we said goodbye to our Jubilee Team, who have served Ferncliff this summer in a huge variety of ways. We are so grateful for them and their service here, and so we offer up this prayer for them and for this Summer of Jubilee.

As we end our Summer of Jubilee, we give thanks to God.
We give thanks for young adults willing to spend a summer in service.
We give thanks for shared kitchens and potluck meals.
We give thanks for fern-printed masks, and the never-ending pumps of hand sanitizer.
We give thanks for organized supply lines and bags stamped with the days of the week.
We give thanks for Ferncliff-branded tape and stickers on the outside of a Camp-In-A-Box.
We give thanks for mowed grass and vacuumed floors.
We give thanks for animals fed, watered, and pastured.
We give thanks for video editing and campers reached virtually.
We give thanks for pools – when they work and when they don’t.
We give thanks for Blue Hole swimming, and boating in lakes or ponds.
We give thanks for closets and sheds, all clean and organized.
We give thanks for training days and games played with new friends.
We give thanks for setting goals, revisiting goals, and achieving goals.
We give thanks for FarmCorp volunteers and the garden in summer.
We give thanks for Tom and Steve, and the ways they let Jubilee Team help with maintenance.
We give thanks for books read and those we were too busy to start.
We give thanks for the laughter of day campers and the eye rolls of 11-year-old girls.
We give thanks for socially distant bible studies and playing games in masks.
We give thanks for radio calls to Camp Support, and for zooming around on golf carts.
We give thanks for Nurse Jaime and for lifeguards.
We give thanks for missing socks and found life jackets.
We give thanks for sanitizing spray, gloves, and goggles.
We give thanks for hikes through the woods, and the adventures we found along the way.
We give thanks for Forest Church services on picnic blankets and in boats.
We give thanks for camp activities – many still the same and probably cleaner.
We give thanks for deep roots and new leaves.
Amen.

 

 

 

Note: You’ll notice in the picture above that our Jubilee Team lived together (a team of 8 and a team of 5) and did not have to wear masks or socially distance within their house.