The Mission

We had an excellent time at Winterfest this year. I believe everyone that attended was uplifted and renewed by the worship and teaching that took place. We had a safe trip with no criminal infractions to report. I want to thank everyone who supported this trip from the bottom of my heart. Without your prayers, encouragement, funding, and general assistance, this trip would have not been possible. For parents, I know it isn’t easy to let your kids travel halfway across the United States without you. I want to say that you made the right choice as I believe trips like these change lives and create lifelong memories. I also want to thank the teens for giving up their weekend to get closer to our Lord and savior. Finally, I want to give special thanks to the chaperones that came with us to Winterfest. I know these trips can be expensive, time consuming, and generally exhausting. You are all irreplaceable and this trip wouldn’t be successful without you.
For those who don’t know, Winterfest is the largest gathering of teens from the Churches of Christ in the world. About 13,000 people traveled to Gatlinburg, Tennessee for this year’s event. In several sessions, those in attendance are provided with entertainment, worship, and powerful lessons. This year’s theme was “The Mission” and was focused entirely on Jesus Christ. In the first session, we learned that we must know Jesus through studying the scriptures. In the second session, we were told that our character must reflect that of Christ and we must be Christ in this world. In the third session, we discovered that we must see Jesus in others, treating others as we would treat Jesus. Finally, we were left with a message centered on evangelism, the sharing of the gospel. In Matthew 28:19-20, Jesus gives us our mission. We are to share the gifts of salvation and the knowledge of Jesus Christ with the rest of the world. We must never waiver from this assignment. There is no time to waste in sharing the gospel.