Reunion Adventures by Lavera Wade

I have been a member of Community of Christ now for nine or ten years.  I discovered Reunion the first year and look forward to this adventure every year.

I love being in God’s creation, the sound of the wind in the pines, that special early morning soft smell of the woods, a call of a small bird, and the somewhere whiff of coffee, new friends and some I have come to love, as the years have gone by.

This year I was signed up to attend Cascade Reunion. 

I was asked if I would put together the Sunday Service for the Samish reunion and someone would use the outline for the service.  A few weeks later I heard a friend needed a ride to Samish and thought why not.

What a treat.  My new road trip buddy and I dashed off early, heading toward the west side.  Traffic was light.  We made our first stop at a small gas station about an hour out.  No road trip is complete without snacks.  We watched the traffic pile up in the eastbound lanes as we flew over the pass and onto 405.  I decided then to come home the backway over the North Cascade highway.

Arriving at Samish I was greeted with hugs from good friends and the news that our cook this year was Tyler Marz a chef, the meals were to die for. 

David Anderson was the guest minister, and I very much enjoyed the adult class, and the guidance he provided on the spiritual practice of dwelling in the word.  The young people attending were a delight to spend time with around the campfire. Several of them promptly agreed to serve during the Sunday night service.

Due to other commitments I had to dash home after only a couple days, the trip through the back-country home included amazing vistas, almost no traffic, and interesting discussions on NPR.

A few weeks later I was off to Cascade Reunion.  Again, the opportunity to find peace in God’s creation, as I listened to stories of faraway places, and devoted disciples as David and Carolyn Brock shared adventures of many years of service in the church.  More guidance on spiritual practices, silly campfire songs with amazing youth, and lots of hugs and conversation with dear friends.

On the way home my spirit was filled but sad, as the attendance at both reunions was minimal and the budget was made only by the generosity of everyone who attended. 

The end of August I will be attending the Women’s Retreat at Cascade, and in September the Mission Center Conference in Whitehall.  I look forward to these events because I know my spirit will be filled.  The hymn, “As We Gather” so beautifully calls us together.  As we gather may your spirit work within us, as we gather may we glorify your name.  Knowing well that as our hearts begin to worship, we’ll be glad because we came. 

This hymn was written in 1946 when so many more gathered.  It calls us today.