We had an excellent time in Gatliburg on our annual trip to Winterfest. For those reading this who are unaware of what Winterfest is, it’s the largest gathering of teens from the Churches of Christ in the nation. Nearly 13,000 people were there this past weekend to share in worship, education, and entertainment. There are great speakers, worship leaders, actors, and other performers who together make up the Winterfest program. The teens that come on the trip grow closer to each other and always seem to return with more dedication to knowing and serving God. I’ve always been impressed with the work that goes on through The Winterfest Group. We learned about several mission trips supported by Winterfest as well as various Christian colleges and Christian organizations. The youth group and myself are very thankful for the support provided by the Roseville Church. Without your generous donations and encouragement, going to events like this would be impossible.
This year’s theme for Winterfest was “Love God. Love Others.” The theme scripture for the weekend was Matthew 22:34-40. In this passage, Jesus states the two greatest commands: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” and “Love your neighbor as yourself”. This weekend, it was stated that our responsibilities as Christians boils down to these two commands. If we love God and love others, worship and service will be natural outcomes. Loving God means being fully dedicated to Him. It means that people recognize God living in us. Loving God should naturally lead to loving other people. When we realize what God has done for us (particularly through the sacrifice of Jesus), we should be excited about sharing God’s love with other people. This means putting aside our differences and our comfort as we do everything in our power to serve the people living in our world.
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