When I reflect on my own childhood, I recall how rare it was to simply be together. Between multiple activities, schoolwork, and the relentless pace of life, family dinners outside of holidays usually meant something serious was about to happen. Someone had passed away. We were moving again. The table wasn’t a place of peace — it was a place where the next shoe was about to drop.
That memory makes me wonder: what if gathering together didn’t come with a catch? What if it was simply good — joyful, grounding, sacred — a space to breathe and remember that God is with us?
In a book I’m currently reading, the author suggests that ministry isn’t about making life more entertaining or filling every moment with activity. Instead, it’s about creating spaces where young people and their families can encounter joy — the deep kind that comes from recognizing God’s presence in the middle of real life. That’s what we’ve been witnessing among our students lately: a joy that’s not loud for its own sake, but rooted, contagious, and overflowing. Our students are showing up — engaged, thoughtful, and full of energy — and it’s their joy that keeps reminding us that faith isn’t just something we talk about; it’s something we live and share together.
This Wednesday, November 5, from 7–8 PM in the High School Room, we’ll gather for Family Worship Night. Last Sunday, our students joined the congregation in the Sanctuary for worship. Now, we’re inviting the whole church into their space — to play, sing, and learn in worship together. It’s a simple way to bridge generations and experience the kind of joy our students are already living out.
Then, next Wednesday, November 12, we’ll host a Family Dinner and Parent Connection Night. For many families, life moves really fast — sports, rehearsals, homework, quick meals on the go. We want to provide one less thing to worry about and one more reason to pause. Dinner will be provided for everyone, and while students take part in their usual program, Pastor Jason will spend time with parents in the library — offering a space to exhale, connect, and be reminded that they, too, are seen and loved by God.
These nights aren’t about adding more to our calendars; they’re about celebrating what God is already doing — in our students, in our families, and in our church. The joy growing among our youth isn’t something small or separate; it’s a reflection of who we are together — a community learning to live the good news that in Christ, joy is never in short supply. Richard Klusmeier