The following post is from Lauren Robertson, a student at the University of North Carolina and one CBF’s Collegiate Congregational Interns (CCI) at Mount Carmel Baptist Church in North Carolina. This blog is included as part of a series of posts from CCI-ers who will share about their summer experiences.
Like most of the world knows, Chapel Hill, N.C., is a very unique place, but if you drive just a few miles away from UNC’s campus you might find Mount Carmel Baptist Church. This is a special church!
The last three weeks in June, Mount Carmel decided to change their kids’ summer ministry a little bit by running three CAMPS instead of VBS for various reasons. The CAMPS were 3-day camps focusing on Art, Cowboy/Cowgirls and Sports. All these CAMPS were Christ and My Passion Camps focusing on the message of Colossians 3:17 “Do whatever you do, whether in word or deed all in the name of Lord Jesus.”
Various members of the church volunteered their own talents by teaching the kids about pottery, watercolors, horses, roping, soccer, basketball and many other things. While sharing their talent, each volunteer would share a chunk of how they live out their passion for our King and encourage the kids to use their own talents in the same way. It was unique in how the gospel and people’s gifts came to life.
With a simple verse like this and teaching so many different things over three weeks, viewers might be skeptical of its effectiveness on kids from Kindergarten to 5th grade. From where I stood and what I saw though, I saw God work and reveal himself in many cool ways teaching the kids and even me.
In 1st Corinthians 3, Paul writes about how he and Apollos could plant and water the seeds, but only God can actually grow them. We are God’s workers and God is God. I saw a little bit of that through a 2nd grade boy.
In the closing session on the last day of the 2nd week of camp, a little 2nd grade boy was sort of put on the spot. He was asked what Colossians 3:17 meant to him. His response blew me away!
He said something like, “This verse tells us that we are to always live for God, and that God is not just in church, but God is everywhere. And everywhere we go, we should do everything for God.” What he stated had not been explicitly said to him at any time during the camp. In this 2nders head though, all the little things he had heard in the opening/ closing session and volunteer’s stories morphed into a beautiful clear picture of who God is.
In my heart, I saw this as a way God truly helps people grow. People planted the seeds for God to grow in the boys life and God grew his understanding of who God is. In addition, God works in all people. I think often times, we might doubt how much children can understand especially in terms of really grasping how God is, but our God already does the impossible and I know He can grow any seeds planted.
Secondly, and more personally, Colossians 3:17 further came alive and relevant in my life in new ways. Often times, when working on the same thing week to week, we get in a routine. Once in this routine we have the tendency to just go through the motions and forget why we do what we do.
Colossians 3:17 clearly reminds us what our response to the gospel should be. When God is first and we experience God, everything in life then has a purpose. God loves us so much,so our response in turn should be loving and serving him, but how do we do this through the little things?
Acknowledging who God is alone can move mountains! No matter what the job might be: greeting people on teaching Sunday School, Sunday mornings, cutting up the kids snacks, driving to church or whatever, all is meant to be done in the name of the Lord.
Our God never ceases to amaze me in his works!
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