spaghetti luncheon

Last Sunday, the seniors at my church hosted a Spaghetti Luncheon to raise awareness about their upcoming mission trip to Wales (Cymru if you speak Welsh). The kitchen prepared enough food for 350 people, and we ran out just as the seniors were serving the last tables in Fellowship Hall. As folks were eating, one of our seniors, Alexia, explained the rationale for our trip - only 5% of the Welsh people attend church regularly and only 1% are Evangelical Christians.

The Spaghetti Luncheon was success on many levels. First of all, we were able to raise awareness about our trip and cultivate a base of prayer warriors and financial supporters who will undergird our work. Second, we were able to remind folks about our church's longstanding tradition of sending the seniors on an international mission trip as the capstone of their experience in the Student Ministry. Third, the seniors had a chance to serve their church family in a very practical way. As one speaker remarked, it's always nice to see teenagers hard at work! Finally, we provided our congregation with an opportunity for intergenerational fellowship, something that many of us have been craving.

The seniors have chosen Isaiah 6:8 as their theme verse for the trip: "Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, 'Whom shall I send?  And who will go for us?' And I said, 'Here am I. Send me!'" I am grateful that each of these 15 seniors has responded to God's call to go, and I look forward to seeing what God will do in and through their lives as He sends them to Wales.