The One and Only Senior Trip

Front Row:  Cyndi Reep, Teresa Reep, Tommy Weaver
Back Row:  Jacob Lupfer, Cindy Franklin, Ben Thompson, Nate Hill, Matt Stewart
The clown is NOT Jill Souther!

I got into a bit of trouble here yesterday when I mentioned certain graduating classes that had a special impact on my life and ministry at the First United Methodist Church of Kissimmee and failed to mention some others.  Someone (choosing to remain anonymous, although my money is on Erica) commented that the Class of '03 was small (Caitlin Esry, Erica Souther, Josh Fry and Eric Jakobsen) but faithful.  And they were right.  So was the Class of '02 (Amber Herrick, Sarah Crudele, Adam Hill, Andrew Rogers and friends) and the Class of '00 ( or should I just say John Holmes- I think he was it for that year!).  I also heard from Catie Cook, reminding me that she too was a part of the class of 2001.  But the comment that really caught my attention came from another anonymous person who said the the Class of '99 was the most special.  And after a moment of reflection, I couldn't argue with that statement.  The Class of '99 was indeed special.

For many years I had been aware that we in student ministry do a poor job of marking significant events in the lives of our students.  Rites of passage like drivers licences and moving into high school often go unmarked when they should be celebrated.  At various times I offered to take students to dinner when they turned 16 and other special times.  Our Senior Roasts were often the highlights of  the graduation season for our youth.  I had always wanted to do a senior trip, but it was one of those things I had never been able to fit into my schedule or theirs.  In early 1999, I decided to change that.  I began talking with that phenomenal group about a trip, and after some serious planning we picked a weekend and decided to go to Atlanta.  Not everyone could go, but as you can see from the picture at the top (I could have sworn Erin Bay & Jill Souther went too- am I nuts?), we had a good group.  And we had a blast.

We went to an Atlanta Hawks game (that's where we met the clown).  We toured the World Of Coke and Underground Atlanta.  While there we ate lunch at Hooter's, which at the time seemed scandalous!  Nate made us go see The Matrix, and (at least) Teresa and I feel asleep.  We visited the Hard Rock Cafe.  And we celebrated the memories and friendships that had made the previous 5 years so special.  It was a wonderful weekend.

I realized that this was something I should have been doing for years, and was excited to begin a new tradition.  I didn't know at the time that 1999 would be the last class I would see graduate during my time at FUMC-K, and the only Senior Trip I would ever lead.  I didn't fully understand how important such a trip could be until early 2000 when I announced I was leaving.  The aforementioned John Holmes, one of our only active seniors that year, was devastated that he would not get a senior trip- even if it was just the two of us.  Relationships formed in the name of Jesus are amazing and powerful, and far too often underestimated.  Tomorrow I will tell you about another trip (from another church with an entirely different group of people) that also demonstrates the significance of those bonds.  But for today, I say thank you to the Class of 1999 for their leadership, their friendship, and the amazing part they played in my spiritual growth during our years together.    I also want to welcome you all to my Hall of Fame.  Come on down to Tampa and we'll do it again...

Because of Jesus,