Latvia, Lithuania, & Stewartstown, PA?

What a weekend! My church at Lancaster First UMC just got done hosting the Latvia/Lithuania mission partnership weekend seminar sponsored by the General Board of Global Ministry of the UMC. During the weekend, we were able to hear how our mission partnership is making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.

Coinciding with the Latvia/Lithuania seminar, our church also hosted forty-eight members of the Company of Praise youth choir from the Stewartstown UMC in Stewartstown, PA, my home church and where my brother serves as the Director of Music. The group was able to sing for our Latvia/Lithuania guests for the closing session of the seminar on Saturday night and then again for Sunday worship which included several of our mission partnership guests.

As the two groups mingled around dinner tables Saturday evneing and then following the Sunday worship services along with members of the congregation, it was special to see the unity that we all have in Jesus Christ, regardless of our language barriers and geographical distances.

When the youth choir from PA shouted out "OH" and then had the congregation respond with "IO," during worship, I knew that only the Holy Spirit could pull off such a display of courtesy!

Latvia, Lithuania, and Stewartstown, PA all present in one place of worship singing "How Great Thou Art" - that sounds like the way church was always meant to be.