Re:United
Will They or Won’t They?
You are no doubt familiar with the strange mixture of anxiety and excitement, anticipation and hopefulness that you experience when you walk in to an auditorium that is just about ready to start the program that you’ve been waiting nervously and dreaming about for years. It’s a little like a high school prom, in that, you dread the “will they or won’t they” tension but can’t help imagining a magical scenario where everyone is having a life changing moment.
That is how I felt being involved in the planning for this years’ ECKCM: I knew it would be magical, if we could just nail down a few necessary details. Absolutely no one wanted to have another “virtual” camp meeting, watching blank squares of first names or “iphone user” with a very enthusiastic but harried leader trying desperately to make the program engaging. Even my church, who were the twice-rescheduled hosts, didn’t want an online ECKCM.
Believe me…we tried to find a venue. I personally called several summer camps, universities, and private conference sites trying to shoehorn an in-person gathering of 500 to 1000 people in four months. I got a lot of polite laughs on the phone. Just as we were fearing the worst, through what I am sure was divine guidance, we had come up with a compromise plan for a weekend mini-camp meeting at two locations, Collegedale, Tennessee and Spencerville, Maryland.
Why are there so many “J’s”?
Friday afternoon, the EM team strolled into our gymnasium…guitars, MacBooks, notepads, and other musical instruments in tow. It was Julie, Julie, Josh, James, Jeremy, John, Justin, Jacob, Jane, Jbrian and Jimmy, I think...I could be wrong. The months of stressful preparations were now giving way to the excitement and anticipation in the air: we were finally Re:United.
It was clear immediately that this is what you wanted—to meet, to mingle, to get to know, to celebrate our uniquely Korean-American yearly pilgrimage, and to be touched by the Spirit in a way that validates why we keep doing this.
About 7 church youth groups of around 30 young people came from five states and braved the meager sleeping arrangements in our classroom floors for a chance to be part of the weekend EC camp meeting. On Sabbath, we had nearly 150 people worshipping God together. Pastor Beett Kwon challenged us through his messages to aspire for more in our relationship with God. We sang praises together, we ate together, we played together, and we shared our beliefs together.
Do Not Give Up
There are many situations where the Bible teaches us to not give up. We are encouraged to not give up and to wait upon the Lord when we need strength (Isa 40:31); we are to be steadfast in our faith and trust of the One who loves us too much to leave us. There is, however, one other thing we should not give up:
And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. (Heb 10:24-25)
When we gather, we experience in a small way what is waiting for us on that fast-approaching Day: a reunion of people brought together by the Spirit of God, through the salvation wrought by Jesus’ sacrifice. I say, let’s keep meeting toward that Day.
David Kim is Associate Pastor at Washington-Spencerville Korean SDA, Good Hope Adventist Church