Pastoral Blog

My family and I are spending the first part of our vacation in my hometown, Glenwood, Minnesota. This past weekend, the town hosted its annual summer celebration, “Waterama“, which, for the first time in 15 years, I attended as a spectator, and a father of three.

If you know me at all, you know that my pride for “The Homeland” runs deep. But I need you to hear what I say next apart from my loyalties and my pride. I was blown away by what I saw this weekend. This town of 2500 people put on a 4 day festival that included:
10 different athletic tournaments/competitions
a full scale musical production (Radiogals) that ran 4 nights
3 nights of street dances
special shopping days for the local business
three separate parades–a kiddie parade, a lighted pontoon parade on Lake Minnewaska, and a grand day parade of more than 100 units.
a vintage car show
arts and crafts displays
helicopter rides
and to cap it off…a very respectable fireworks show.

Again, I say this not to brag, but for inspiration. What is waiting for me when my family gets back from vacation is a season of our churches life together that I am really looking forward to: the opening of the new building. This is an occasion worthy of a celebration! This is a time to celebrate what God has brought us through, and more importantly what God has waiting for us once we open those doors. We get to celebrate with anticipation the thousands of lives that God will impact through us, His church, and the new building He has blessed us with. The 2500 citizens of Glenwood hosted a community festival for pride, and did an amazing job of it. The 1600 people that call BVBC home get to host a season of celebration, welcoming people to our new facilities, and a potiential encounter with the loving God who longs to transform their lives! Our cause is greater, and our resources more numerous. With God’s help, let’s knock this thing out of the park! I look forward to working with you all to celebrate what our great God has done and is doing.

–Sam Stein