On Saturday during the weekend of Portland special meetings, all the young people were invited to youth focus after a day of activities at the Corn Maize on Sauvie Island. The evening event started in the Fellowship Lodge with a fall meal of barbecue chicken, macaroni and cheese, corn on the cob, French bread, and garden salad.

After a time of eating and socializing, the people at each table were assigned a number for a game. Jeopardy Bible Trivia was projected on the screen at the front of the room and classic theme music started playing over the conversations and strategies that were already being created by teams. The categories included Bible Verses, Bible Places, and Bible Characters. Soon, Chris and Jessica Oilar explained the rules, and then volunteers from each team competed against each other. Statements such as, “Where Jesus was born,” were followed with contestants slapping a music stand as a buzzer and then giving the answer in the form of a question: “What is Bethlehem of Judea?”

After the game, everyone got in line for banana splits with all the toppings: strawberries, chocolate and caramel sauce, and even toasted marshmallows. Everyone cleaned up their messes from dessert and gathered for a time of music led by Caleb Copko, who was accompanied by other singers and guitars.

After prayer requests, Randy Lee, visiting from Medford, Oregon, began the message by having everyone recite the Lord’s Prayer, found in Matthew 6:9-13. The room filled with voices reciting the prayer that many had memorized in Sunday school. Brother Randy talked about a taste of Heaven, asking the young people if they would like to experience that. He recalled his own childhood and teenage years, and explained how the hard times would have been impossible without the Lord by his side. The night was closed with a word of prayer and an invitation to stay and pray as well. The evening was a refreshing time of fellowship for everyone there.