This week I’ll be heading to Montreat, NC for Oasis 2026, a spiritual retreat for those who work with children, youth, college, and young adults. We’ll gather for worship, small groups, and fellowship–all aimed at those who work with the “younger end” of the church spectrum. The theme focuses on rootedness and I must tell you that I have felt very rooted in my home this past week with all the winter weather events.
It’s strange how being so rooted in your home can make life feel so uprooted. We often take our weekly rhythms for granted. Going to work or school or worship. Taking the kids or grandkids to sports games and music rehearsals. Running errands. Going to appointments. Going out to eat. When these simple things are disrupted it can give us a new way of seeing how “ordinary” life is actually what makes life so extraordinary.
I was reminded this weekend of how extraordinary this church community is as we gathered on Zoom for worship. Seeing your faces and hearing your voices—whether spoken out loud or typed in the group chat—reminded me of all the ways this beloved community expresses God’s love to one another and to our neighbors. We celebrated that our church made a gift to the Dwelling, where downtown churches came together and met real needs of unhoused people in our community. We shared prayer requests—remembering folks in our lives who need prayer. We shared prayer for those in Minnesota—praying for those who are demonstrating real love for neighbors by offering their mutual aid and support to one another while facing a federal invasion of their city.
On the Zoom call I also noticed a former youth, Isabelle Yates Hinson, in attendance and reached out to let her know how good it was for her to join us. She shared gratitude and joy for the extraordinary reach of First on Fifth. Each one of us reaches for more than we know. Together, we reach even farther. While I look forward to getting back to an ordinary rhythm of work, school, and worship—I’m reminded again this week that God shows up even (and often!) when we feel uprooted.
Rooted or uprooted—God shows up,
Pastor Kyle