Text of Sermon given by Julia Denton
Youth Sunday March 7, 2004

    Well…my name is Julia Denton and I am youth here in the young adult program at St. Catherine’s, for those of you that are visiting today. And today I am giving the sermon so here it goes….
    I want you all to take a look at the gospel with me. The one verse that vividly sticks out in my mind is verse 34. “Oh Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings but you were not willing!”
    That is what I am going to talk about is Jesus taking the children under his wing like the hen gathers her chicks. I was one of those chicks when I attended my first Happening #32, September 29-October 1, 2000. At first I was apprehensive about going but Kim Smith was determined to make me go. So I went to Happening and left there not wanting to leave. At Happening I was taken under the wings of seventy-five high school students who taught me that it was okay to be who God made me to be. I didn’t have to wear a mask for people to like me or not like me and that was okay because God always liked me. This weekend was where I could get away from all the demands of the world and just be myself.
Through these high school students I was able to see God because of their love for me and their acceptance of me after just meeting me. What a great way to spend your birthday weekend.
    Having gone to Happening has really taught me a lot about who I am as person and it has strengthened my faith in Christ. I wanted to keep that faith strong so I decided I would become one of those high school students on team and show my love of Christ to new “chicks.” Now I was the one taking the chicks under my wing. I was there to guide them through their spiritual journey, just as I was led.
    Usually when the weekends are over, the team always says that that was the best Happening, but the Happening that sticks out the most for me was this past Happening  #41, February 13 – 15, 2004.  Once again I was there to take new chicks under my wing but this time I had the opportunity to have my mother under my wing. I was extremely touched that she wanted to come to Happening to see what I had experienced the past four years of my high school career. She was there to support me but most of all our relationship together grew stronger with Christ. Wow, what another great weekend at Camp Mikell on Valentine’s Day.
    I came home from Happening and I was completely bummed because I realized that I had to come back to all the realities awaiting me. It was hard to come back with a feeling that you haven’t let everything go. I should know.
Back in September I made a few bad decisions that I have had to live with and that have remained a burden in my life for the past couple of months. I was having a hard time forgiving myself for what I did because I felt that someone in my family was still struggling like I was. So this one day after Happening I was struggling really hard until I received an e-mail from one of the candidates, “chicks”, that was in my family group and I would like to share that with you.
Hey Julia! This is Katie Reynolds, from your family group. I got your email from Pip and decided to see how you were doing. I was just thinking about the Amazing weekend I had at Happening. I have been on such a spiritual high ever since I left Camp Mikell, and it’s a feeling that I want to keep with me always. I also want to thank you so much for everything you did for our group, Agape. You were an awesome FGL and you and J.J. both have inspired me to want to be one at 42. Julia, you taught me so much this weekend, and despite what you were going through with your Dad and all, you were still there to be strong for all of us. I admire you for your devotion to our Savior, and hope that some day I will be able to spread Gods love like you have. So once again...thank you. Hope to keep in touch. I love you!! God Bless.

-Katie Reynolds

Philippians 4:13


    As I read that e-mail, tears came to my eyes. Had I actually touched someone’s life? And then right then and there I knew that I had completed the work that God gave me the privilege of doing. I took someone under my wing and showed them God’s love. I felt that my burden had been lifted off my shoulder because I finally realized that God had forgiven me.