Last Mission of Summer

September 1, 2022

By Rebecca Makowski

Early in August, Galilee hosted its final premiere event of our packed summer schedule: the Galilee SummerServe camp. With a different emphasis from other premiere events like Vacation Bible School or Youth@Galilee Summer Venture, the SummerServe camp (now in its ninth year) creates space for students in 4th – 8th grade to learn, grow, build relationships, and serve outside of the church walls.

Watch a recap video of SummerServe.

Along with Galilee regulars Suzie Leftwich, Lisa Collins, Jordan Markwood, Amy Kuo, and Amy Utterback, I had the opportunity to work with seventeen teens and pre-teens as we learned the joy of serving others. Our week was full of gratifying activities:

  • We baked cookies and wrote notes of appreciation for  first responders in our Loudoun community and had terrific visits with policemen and firemen at their stations
  • We made blankets for the Linus Project to deliver to children in hospitals and care agencies
  • We assembled hygiene kits for the United Methodist Committee on Relief, which will be ready for those dealing with sudden disasters
  • We picked up trash on the grounds of two area schools (on two very hot days, so give these kids some kudos)
  • We manned food drives at two local grocery stores to benefit Galilee’s Backpack Buddies ministry 

Each year, the Galilee SummerServe camp has a theme song that forms a soundtrack to our sessions of Biblical learning. These students know all too well the turmoil and strife happening in our world today, so it seemed appropriate to focus this year on lyrics that address these problems and feelings. We chose Matt Maher’s “And All the People Said Amen,” which goes:

You are not alone if you are lonely

When you feel afraid, you’re not the only

We are all the same in need of mercy

To be forgiven and be free

It’s all you got to lean on

But thank God it’s all you need

If you’re rich or poor, well it don’t matter

Weak or strong, you know love is what we’re after

We’re all broken but we’re all in this together

God knows we stumble and fall

And He so loved the world He sent His son to save us all

And all the people said Amen

(This song serves as the music for the recap video of SummerServe).

Galilee’s SRV was the last teen/preteen event of a rewarding summer.

Click on a pic to enlarge:

Galilee offers regular activities and programs to teach your children about God and faith. Learn more at our Children’s Ministry and Youth Ministry pages.