On February 6th, 2015 the Remnant Fellowship High School youth group received a tweet from @rfyouth stating that there was a group gathering at the Fischer’s. “Yes!” I yelled as I fist pumped the air. Why? Because the Remnant Fellowship Church youth group gatherings are the most exciting events to attend! Each one entails a fun evening including encouraging testimonies, jam sessions, games…but most of all, a time for High Schoolers to have an uplifting and pure night. You never leave that night feeling down; you ALWAYS leave with a smile on your face and so many stories to share with your parents.
I waited all day in anticipation…
Anyway, that entire Saturday, I waited in anticipation for the joy-filled evening that was to come. 3 more hours… 2… 1… And finally, the time has come to put on my shoes and brace the cold walk out to my car. I turn on a Michael Shamblin song (who doesn’t love to rock out in their car?) and drive the short trip over to the Fischer’s home. It’s 6:00pm on the dot and there are already tons of cars filling the driveway. I turn off the car and quickly run into the detached garage; careful not to spill the brownies I had made for that night. I open the door and am completely bombarded by tons of my friends, hugging me and telling me that they were so excited that I was there. I quickly shout out my replies and then go to thank the Fischers for hosting.
Now, I am no one special and that is not the reason there is so much love… That is the exact greeting EVERYONE got as they entered the door that night! The love we have comes from our relationship with God that we learned to have from Remnant Fellowship Church and Gwen Shamblin!
Prayer, Periscope & Amazing Friendships!
But I digress… After the initial greetings, and most everyone has arrived, Mr. Don leads us in a prayer and a little itinerary for the night. His son, Andrew, then pulls out his phone and “Periscopes” the entire evening. This one little App allows our Remnant Fellowship Church friends from across the country and the world to live (video) stream and feel like they were there with us. It is such an amazing tool to help further our friendships. After listening to my friends talk about how amazing the message that morning was and how convicted each and every one of us were to be completely under authority, we proceed to get out our instruments and have a jam session.
Personally, these are my favorite because you get to watch your friends use their gifts to praise God! I squeeze down onto the floor and get into a comfortable position then preceded to sing along with all of my friends. Theresa Radebaugh, Andrew and Rebekah Fischer all lead us in singing. Â Addison Martin and John Quinn play the guitar. Mr. Dustin Hertz plays on some old beat up drums but makes them sound like new. I am in awe of what we have been given and cannot help but sing!
Nothing but JOY
I stop for a minute to look around the room. There are people standing and sitting, some parents but mostly teenagers, but one thing that everyone has in common is the smile on their face. Everyone is facing towards God with their hands in the air and eyes closed. I know at that moment how blessed we truly are. I close my eyes and have a huge smile on my face.
The rest of the night is a blast. As the heat starts to rise in the garage, people start to trickle out into the cold to play basketball or to cool off. Laughter resounds through the night sky and I am sure that this night is an evening that pleases God.
Eventually, the time comes when the numbers started to dwindle and some eyes are getting heavy. So I say my goodbyes and my thanks to the Fischers. When I start getting sad about leaving I remember that another time of fellowship is just around the corner and there is so much to be thankful for.
The night of February 6th is just a small image of what every single youth group gathering is like. I am in awe of God and this amazing truth that He has allowed us to hear from an incredible leader, Gwen Shamblin, that allows our age group to be so different. I absolutely love that all of my hundreds of friends from all over the world and I get to be so connected through our relationships with God. At the end of everything, I know that this night was truly so blessed and such a joy to be a part of.
By: Alexandra Rickman
