As I sat in the congregation listening to the final Spirit Bound performance, I was suddenly struck by the beauty of team work that has gone into making this ministry possible. Anne was right when she said that Spirit Bound wasn’t just about her, but about the whole group.  It takes people who plan the trip and organize the buses, recruit churches to host the group, organize the money (including the tons of fundraising), organize the home stays, the hotel stays, the lighting crew, the sound system, the photographer, the tech team who hauls, sets up, and takes down all of the equipment, and of course, the band.  Those are just some of the jobs that happen out of the spotlight that made Spirit Bound happen.

Then I saw people in the hallway, the people who were cleaning up from the potluck, taking down the tables and chairs they set up, cleaning the dishes, vacuuming the floors, and taking down the decorations they put up.  Fay, Don, and Barb led a big team of helpers who spent a lot of time and energy to make the Spirit Bound homecoming successful.  I can’t thank them all enough.

Whatever happens next after Spirit Bound comes to a close will take passion, commitment, a whole team of people working together, and a lot of time and energy! This sounds like the definition of servant-leadership: faithful disciples of Jesus Christ using and putting their gifts together with others in service to the Lord.  It takes work!

Thanks to all of the people who have worked so hard to make Spirit Bound such a powerful and successful ministry over these 24 years!  Thanks to all of the people who have worked behind the scenes as servant-leaders in the church to make every ministry, program, and mission of the church possible!