Sara Thandazile Weber, Pretoria
It was time once again for a chilly weekend of singing, church services and sport. On 27 June, the FELSISA congregations and young people from near and far gathered to celebrate the annual synodical Youth Day in Lüneburg.
It all began on Friday evening. With shivering and chattering teeth in the freezing tent, Rainer Johannes led the choir rehearsal. After a while, we could almost forget the cold and simply enjoy the various songs, ranging from hymns to folk songs. Well, almost – it really was very cold and we rehearsed for a long time!
Afterwards, a delicious evening meal awaited us – many thanks to the Lüneburg congregation for preparing the food for us. The rest of the evening was spent around the campfire. There were plenty of stories and experiences to share with those we hadn’t seen for a long time. Many of us enjoyed dancing and singing to great music once again.
The long Saturday began with a wonderful church service. The youth choir accompanied the congregation with the hymns. And although many of the hymns are now so familiar that we can almost sing them by heart, they are still just as moving as when we first heard them.
The theme of this Youth Day was Isaiah 40:1: “Comfort, comfort my people, says your God.” Many of the hymns centred on the fact that, as God’s children, we can call out to Him and may—and indeed should—ask Him for help, strength and refuge. He is our redemption, healing and salvation. He comforts us.
After a short break, the children’s choir continued with the programme. The various youth groups then introduced themselves with their individual performances and creative banners. This year, the banner from Lüneburg was particularly poignant, as it paid tribute to the late Miko.
After the polonaise, the sports activities began. First came the relay race, followed by volleyball, “Ball-übern-Strick” and “Pille”. As the afternoon wore on, the sun warmed up the large, boisterous crowd, and a festive atmosphere prevailed.
The various teams played with enthusiasm and joy, and thoroughly enjoyed themselves. Whether purple, blue, red or green, everyone took part, supported one another and cheered loudly for their friends.
The event most people were eagerly awaiting was, of course, the tug-of-war final. As always, it did not disappoint. Lüneburg clinched the victory in a close final.
In volleyball, the girls and boys from Kirchdorf won; in “Ball-übern-Strick”, Arcadia came out on top; and in “Pille”, Lüneburg was the winner.
After a successful and exhausting day, everyone went into the St. Peter-Paul’s Church for the closing devotion. We gave thanks to the Lord that we were able to experience this wonderful fellowship and tradition for the 82nd time. We’re already looking forward to next year in Kirchdorf!
