Our Drive-In Movie was a total success — we had a full (socially-distanced) parking lot with over 60 people in attendance, no technical difficulties (except for the sun not setting fast enough), and an excellent showing of The Princess Bride.

This whole event would not have been possible without the hard work and creativity of Austin Patton, Director of A/V Resources, who built our drive-in movie set up from the ground up, and Brenda Kegans, our wonderful and beloved Youth Ministries Admin. They found a way to make the event feel more like our normal Kick-Off with color-coordinated swag bags and individually-packed ice cream floats. I also want to say a special thank-you to all the other staff and our parent volunteers who helped us with parking, handing out swag bags and floats, and gently reminding students to keep their masks on ????.

But I’m going to be honest: I didn’t really spend much time watching the movie.

Even though it’s a classic, even though it’s one of my all-time favorites, even though I was shocked and dumbfounded when several of our teenagers admitted they had never seen it — because I spent most of my time walking around, talking and joking and laughing with all of our students and parents that I had missed so much.

This fall, everything is going to be different. It’s going to be weird, and at times it’s going to be really hard. We still find ourselves in a season of unprecedented ambient and acute anxiety, and we don’t know how or when it is going to end. I wish we had a definitive timeline or even any way to know if the plans we’ve come up with are going to be the only ones we have to try.

But on Sunday night, for the first time in a long time, I was at peace. Not because things aren’t still stressful and unknown, not because I wasn’t exhausted at the end of it (I absolutely was) — but because this was a reminder that some things are still the same: that God is still present and at work in this place and in these people, that we can still find laughter and community and acceptance here, and that things will be ok (as long as I get to see our teenagers in person every few weeks).

Things aren’t the same as they used to be. But the things that are still the same are the things that really matter. We are so glad that y’all are still here, still part of this framily, still a part of our lives. We hope that you’ll join us for more of our virtual or in-person events, which you can find details for on our Youth Events page!

Matt Britt
Associate Director of Youth Ministries