Photo and Commentary (c)2023 by Maylan Schurch
Friday, June 30, 2023
Washington Conference’s first post-pandemic camp meeting happened June 20 – 24 on the campus of Auburn Adventist Academy. Camp meeting is where you meet a lot of people you know, and even some cars whose license plate frames warm the heart.
One day I was hurrying through a camp meeting parking lot, bent on some errand or other, and I noticed the frame you see above. For privacy I’ve whited out the plate numbers, but they weren’t the point. The frame’s message was: “SAGE Spirit — Gotta Have It!”
SAGE is the acronym for “Seniors in Action for God with Excellence,” and refers to a Western Washington-wide organization founded back in the mid-1990s by one of the members of my church. Bob Grady. With the indispensable assistance of his wife Carrol, he marshalled dozens of senior citizens off to a series of globe-enircling mission projects, plus many more local projects.
It was awesome to see all those seasoned, experienced saints face sometimes baffling challenges in pursuit of each mission’s goals, and return home with sparkling eyes, golden suntans, and an “I’m going to do this again” attitude.
The “SAGE Spirit — Gotta Have It” message was probably originated by Bob himself, an experienced missionary and church leader. It epitomizes his own attitude perfectly. And it captures the missionary zeal of the Savior Himself, who under the care of His Father and the power of the Holy Spirit, changed the history of a planet.
SAGE came to an end recently, and Carrol has passed to her rest. But through their legacy, the spirit–and the Spirit–live on.