High, Low, Buffalo
One of my favorite traditions in our Youth Group is something we call High, Low, Buffalo. Each person shares a highlight from their week, a hard moment, and a “buffalo,” which is just our word for something wonderfully wild and unexpected. It is a small practice, but it does something beautiful: it reminds us that real community happens when we are honest with one another about the full picture of our lives.
Recently, our youth hosted a Bake Sale to raise funds for their summer trips, and let me tell you, this congregation showed up in the most wonderful way. So, in the spirit of High, Low, Buffalo, let me share mine.
- My High was watching so many of you come out and pour your love and generosity into our youth through the Bake Sale. The laughter, the energy, the kindness in that room filled my heart completely.
- My Buffalo was the number of people who outbid themselves to get their hands on those desserts. You know exactly who you are. And honestly, we love every single one of you for it.
- My Low is that Open Table is on break for the summer, and I will genuinely miss that sweet time of fellowship around the table. We look forward to welcoming it back with open arms.
Every dollar raised at the Bake Sale goes directly toward our youth and their upcoming trip to Lake Junaluska, M28 Camp from June 24 through 27. This year’s theme is drawn from Ephesians 5:14: “Awake, O Sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” It is a bold, beautiful theme, and I believe with my whole heart that it will meet our students exactly where they are.
I want to say something about trips like this one, because I think it matters deeply.
There is something that happens to a young person when they step away from the noise of everyday life and into a space created entirely for encountering God. Walls come down. Distractions fall away. Questions that have been quietly brewing finally find room to breathe. And in that space, in a worship service, around a campfire, in a late night conversation with a friend, something shifts. I have watched it happen more times than I can count. Students who came in uncertain leave with conviction. Students who came in weary leave with fire. Students who were not sure faith was really theirs come home having claimed it for themselves.
And they do not just come home changed. They come home ready. Ready to lead, to serve, to invite their friends, to ask harder and better questions about what it means to follow Jesus in their everyday lives. These trips are not extras. They are not simply fun getaways. They are spiritual turning points, and the fruit of a single week at Lake Junaluska can be felt in a young person’s life for years, even decades, to come.
That is why I want to ask something of you today, with great love and with great hope. Would you prayerfully consider making a financial contribution to help send our youth this summer?
If something is stirring in your heart as you read this, I want to gently encourage you not to let it pass. Your generosity, whether large or small, is a direct investment in a young person’s faith, their future, and the mission of this church. And if you feel called to go a step further, we would be so honored to have you personally scholarship a student whose family might not otherwise be able to afford the trip. There is no greater feeling than knowing your gift opened a door that would have otherwise been closed.
To make a contribution or to sponsor a student, please reach out to me. I would love to hear from you and I will make sure every gift lands exactly where it is needed most and that you know the difference it made.
What feels like a simple act of generosity on your end may be the very thing that allows a teenager to sit in worship at Lake Junaluska and say, for the first time or perhaps the hundredth, “Yes, Lord. I am awake. I am ready. Here I am.”
And the summer does not stop there. We have so much ahead and I cannot wait to share it all with you.
- Super Splash Sundays bring fun, fellowship, and faith under the summer sun.
- Wednesdays in the Word will find us gathering for dinner at local restaurants while we study the book of Philippians together. Come hungry in every sense of the word.
- River of Life gives us the honor of hosting a mission trip for churches across South Georgia, which is the church at its very best, rolling up our sleeves and serving alongside one another.
- And Youth Week is back, and I could not be more thrilled to welcome this beloved tradition home.
It is going to be a full, faithful, joy-filled summer, always moving, always growing, always pressing deeper into what God has for us. If you know a Middle Schooler or High Schooler who is looking for community, for purpose, for a place to truly belong this summer, please share this with them. There is a seat at the table with their name on it, and I would love nothing more than to welcome them in.
Please keep our youth and their leaders in your prayers, for safe travels, open hearts, and divine appointments at every turn. These young people are not simply the future of this church. They are the church, right now, today. And together, through your prayers, your presence, and your generosity, we get to walk alongside them as they discover just how extraordinary that calling truly is.
With so much love and gratitude,
Stephanie