Dear Friends and Members,

It is said that it takes a village to raise a child.  While we could talk much about the loss of this cultural axiom in our modern day, I wanted to talk with you about the opportunity Shepherd of the Hills has to make a positive impact for its own youth and the youth of our community.  

Our parental and communal instinct is to shield our children from the hurts and dangers of this world.  Despite our best efforts the reality is that both while they are youth and certainly into adulthood they will experience the fears, stress and trauma of this world.  

What we can do is give the gift of resilience to youth as they learn to live and thrive in the midst of adversity.  This is even more important in light of the summer they experienced last year.  

July 7th-11th from 9AM-Noon, Shepherd of the Hills will be providing a vacation Bible school that focuses on helping youth deal with fears, finding relief from stress and developing coping mechanisms.  Welcome to Camp Courage! A place of hope and healing.  

I’m so excited as a pastor to be part of giving this gift to the youth of our community, but also continuing to develop that resiliency myself.  During this week we will all gain spiritual tools and practical tips to deal with adversity while having fun and reveling in the joy and hope we have in Jesus.  See you there.

In the Love and Peace of Jesus,

Pastor Rust