A Lenten Devotion by Liz Garrigan-Byerly
God’s faithfulness is to all generations.
Psalm 119:90
A few weeks ago I met an older man, Don, who, when he learned that I was a UCC pastor, asked if I knew Horace Seldon. When I said “no,” he was a little incredulous; it would be like an Edwards Church person saying they didn’t know Jeannie the ministry dog. How could I not know this UCC celebrity?
He went on to explain that he met Horace at the Deering Camp, a UCC summer camp in New Hampshire. Horace was a UCC pastor and involved in youth ministries in the conference and took Don under his wing, inviting him into leadership on the youth council. The man told me this with tears in his eyes; those experiences were clearly significant in his life. Don left his home town, and his home faith, for college, a career and an adult faith outside of Christianity, but he continued to stay in touch with Horace. “You know they closed that camp,” he said to me with great sadness. “Poor choice. But I took Horace back up there before they sold it. I could barely get him out of the car, he was so frail, but it was worth it.”
I was so moved by this man and his story, and it made me think of our Lenten theme. Trees are not only connected with their contemporaries, but also with their ancestors and descendants and all those to whom they are connected. Those roots—and the literal trees—of the camp that connected Horace and Don nurtured hundreds, probably thousands of kids during the ministry of Deering Camp. And it didn’t end when the camp property was sold. With that money, the UCC created a fund that supports a national staff person for outdoor ministries and provides scholarships for UCC camps. The roots of faith that nurtured Horace, nurtured Don and everyone Don’s own faith has nurtured, including me, a stranger.
What a gift God’s grove is to us all. Amen.
Thank you, Holy One, for connecting us and nurturing us and loving us from generation to generation. Amen.