St. Charles’ Episcopal Church – St. Charles, IL
The Third Sunday After Pentecost – Worship in the Park
June 1, 2008 – Formation Graduation
Guest Preacher: Kim Ingraham, Ludtke Scholarship Recipient
It’s hard to find words to sum up 18 years of your life. Because really, in asking me to describe what St. Charles’ Episcopal has meant to me, that’s the task I have. This church and this community have really been huge parts of my life since my baptism and I believe both have really helped to shape me into the person I am today. Sunday School, High School Youth Group, the Mission Trips, and simply being part of the parish here have all been experiences that have made St. Charles’ so important to me.
I can remember Sunday school from the time I was very little. Sitting in a circle on the floor singing Shalom or playing with that little pasture and all the miniature wooden sheep. I loved all the fun arts and crafts that I could do on my “chalky”, from dying Easter eggs to making ornaments for my Christmas tree. Being involved as a child gave me a way to look forward to coming to church; because I knew I could go down to Sunday school and enjoy myself with the friends I had made. Looking back now, I realize that Sunday school is so instrumental in exposing kids to church in a fun and creative way. I think I’m very blessed to have had that opportunity as a child, because it put down the foundation for my growth as a Christian at a very early age.
The high school youth group, while similar to Sunday school, took my religious education to a whole new level. I think I have been most impacted by St. Charles’ Episcopal Church through this particular group. When I was a child, I really didn’t have a choice if I was going to church or not, since I went wherever my parents took me. In high school, however, I always had a choice to attend every week, and since I loved youth group so much, I almost always chose to come. Through this group I made a number of friends and it was always refreshing to have new faces and a different group of people to hang out with than my normal school friends. Sharing prayers and concerns every week made us a close knit group that I always knew I could depend on for prayer. Through our various concentrations throughout the years, I also have learned a great deal about Jesus, the Bible and my faith. I am convinced that the youth group here at St. Charles has made a huge impact on my life. I know that coming to church every Sunday and being involved in the youth group activities helped me to make faith an active part of who I am.
The opportunities that I have been privileged enough to have through this church have been experiences that I will never forget. The first was the pilgrimage, where I got to travel with the youth group to Iona, Scotland, a small island, where I was able to take a spiritual journey and grow closer to God. I honestly don’t know of many 15 year old kids that can say they’ve had an experience like that. Perhaps even more rewarding for me, were the two mission trips to Prestonsburg, Kentucky. The first year we spent a week helping a family with household maintenance and clean-up. The second year we worked for Mrs. Debra Legget, to make her home livable again after her son mistreated it. We cleaned and painted the entire house, built a wheelchair ramp, and demolished a chemical-ridden wall. Mrs. Legget was truly one of the most sincere and wonderful women I have ever met and I am so blessed to have met her for only the short week that I did. These mission trips were so rewarding for me because I was able to see the impact I was having on other peoples’ lives. Through all the support we received from this parish, the youth group was able to go and help some truly deserving people. On a local level, I was also able to contribute to Hesed House and Trinity Soup Kitchen. Because of St. Charles’ Episcopal Church, I now understand what it means to serve. There have been so many examples in this parish for me to look up to; because everyone here takes every opportunity they can to help the community in some way, you know the saying, “we’re a small church with a big heart.” Every member of this parish is a great example of a big heart. I know that I am now the kind of person that loves to help others, and I think I will always seek out ways to do so. I believe that this is based on the wonderful foundation of service that I have been given as a member of this parish.
The youth programs here are fantastic, and they have really played a huge role in my life, but the entire St. Charles’ Episcopal community is what really makes this church such a great place to grow up in. I have always believed that this church is like a family, and the love and support I’ve received from all the members my entire life means so much to me. Some of my friends go to the huge churches in the area, and don’t get me wrong, I believe they’re great churches with a wonderful community, but that’s just not how I grew up. The church community I know is small and intimate, where I can walk through Ludke Hall on most given Sundays and know a large percentage of the faces I see, as well as be able to go over and strike up a conversation with any of them. The loving, caring, close knit community that is St. Charles’ Episcopal will forever be a part of my life because I had 5 times the normal amount of people looking out for me at once. Especially when it came time for college decisions, I could always count on the prayer and support from members of this parish.
I am incredibly honored to have received the Ludke Scholarship. I will be using the scholarship to attend Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, where I will be studying biomedical engineering. I believe I am very blessed to be receiving a generous award from this wonderful parish. Thank you so much for being such a welcoming and supportive community that I know has had a huge impact on my life.