Wow, what a week!! Vocatio is now over, but we have much to look back upon. I pray that all of the high school youth and counselors who joined us, got a lot from this event. "It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me" ( Galatians 2:20)is the Word of the Lord that guided us through this event. Professors from each discipline of theology demonstrated how this verse plays out in one's daily life.
We had great opportunities for the Service of Word and Sacrament, as well as many times to reflect on what it truly means that "Christ lives in me."
In addition to our time on the Seminary campus, we also ventured out to get a sense of the local St. Louis flavor, and the history of our church body.
Sunday took us to Forest Park, the nation's largest city park and site of the 1904 World's Fair. Our time in the park included a cook out, and the geocaching! What an adventure!
On Monday, we ventured to historic Perry County, and learned much about the Saxon immigration. Dr. Gerry Bode led us in a great discussion of what the contributions of these men and women mean to our church today. If you are a history fan, even if you are not, you will enjoy a visit to Altenberg and Frohna, Missouri. The curators are great and they will give you a great taste of Lutheran history.
After receiving a better understanding of our Lutheran heritage, we were not done yet. Our team of youth broke into groups, and we repaired log cabins, planted a sorghum field, built a chicken yard, and painted tables. I slept well that night!
We also took in a tour and a show at the Muny, the nation's oldest and largest outdoor theater.
On the last night we thought we would do a little singing of our own with some karaoke. Do we ever have talent!?!?
I want to say how much I enjoyed each and every one of you who attended Vocatio. Thank you for your feedback, and we will work hard to make the event even better next year.
Kyle "Maverick" Castens
