You may not know this, but every year we pick a theme verse to guide our summer - it is one of our favorite traditions! We choose this verse carefully as a team based on where we feel like the Lord is leading us for the summer ahead. (Fun fact: we picked out Philippians 4:6-7 for 2020 way before the world shut down - how perfect was that?)
We use the theme verse in lots of different ways throughout the summer. Our incredible ministers break it down in Morning Assembly talks and Sunday sermons, and we look for little opportunities to bring up its message in our daily routines at camp. It also gives us a specific verse to pray through as we’re preparing for camp to start!
And with that, (drumroll please!!), we are finally ready to reveal our 2021 theme verse, and friends, it is a good one.
“Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” Ephesians 4:32
So why did we choose this verse? We knew we wanted to focus on kindness. Not only is it the first tenant of our new Honor Code, it is the foundation of how we live together in the Greystone bubble. Being kind is all about considering others first, and going out of your way to be just a little more gentle, helpful, and thoughtful. We think our world could use more kindness, and that starts at Greystone!
There are SO many great verses about kindness in the Bible, and we went back and forth, but Ephesians 4:32 was the clear winner, most of all because it puts our focus back on Jesus. We can be kind because He was kind to us first. That is where we get the power and strentgh to be tenderhearted and to forgive - only through Him!
We will be looking at this verse all summer long, and cannot wait to see the good the Lord does at Greystone this year as we strive to be a community defined by our kindness. In the meantime, join us in praying through this verse before you arrive! Pray that God would show you His forgiveness and tender heart to you and your family, so that you can have the strength and desire to be kind to others as a reflection of Him. We love Ephesians 4:32, and we know you will as well!