Give it to God Day

Today staff burned, broke, and buried things on campus to commemorate the one year anniversary of the first resident COVID positive case on campus.

We gave it all to God and put COVID behind us. We gave closure to our team and are looking forward to moving beyond COVID.

Watch the short recap of the day below and read the meaning of the stations below.

Stations for the Give it to God Day

• Break Station:  We will release worry and stress from inside our bodies and minds.

Sometimes we must give ourselves permission to let go. We often hold tension we don’t even recognize. Choose and item or two and smash them to bits. Feel free to name the item. It is okay if you are angry. It is okay if you are sad. Take the things that are stressful, causing hurt, worry, or pain and let them go as you smash your items.

• Burn Barrel: We will burn a mask, gown, you can write a message and throw it to the flames.

As humans we NEED to acknowledge our experiences. All of us went through some hard things during this year. Some were here at work, somewhere at home, and some were inside that no one knew about. Grief and sorrow can be turned over. Bitterness, anger, wrath are all things that NEED to be turned over. We all feel these emotions but the difference between them and grief and sorrow is these things will eat you alive. Bitterness, anger, and wrath have been described as drinking poison and expecting someone else to suffer. It just doesn’t work that way. At the burn barrel, take the opportunity to take everything weighing on you, churning in you and unload it into the flames. The wonderful thing about the flames is once those things go in, they are destroyed. No need to pick them back up, leave them in the ashes.

• Tree of Life: Leave our mark.

EVERY SINGLE STAFF PERSON who worked during this battle has made a difference. You have been a force for good. You have made a difference in the life of those you have served. Leave you mark at the Tree of Life to represent mark you have made on the lives of our residents.

• Rock Garden: You can paint a rock and a name or memory to our garden.

We don’t want to forget everything that happened this year. There were some AMAZING things that happened! Leave a memory of some great that happened. We will NEVER forget those we lost to COVID-19 leave a rock to honor their memory. Staff formed bonds that will stay with us for a lifetime. Leave a rock to honor a staff member who was a rock to you during our time of battling COVID.

• Time Capsule: We are burying a time capsule with pictures, letters, and mementos from the year.

History was made during this time. What do you want others to know about what we went through? Leave an item that will tell future generations about our story.  

• Tree Planting: The Wildfire Black Gum Tree is known for its strength, resilience, and the beautiful color the leaves turn in the fall. The perfect tree to represent the staff at Sayre Christian Village.

The final station will be a tribute to our staff. As the leaves turn in the fall displaying beauty, we will remember the courage, kindness, and absolute selflessness with which the staff of Sayre Christian Village served across campus.

What our staff accomplished was uncommonly extraordinary and only an extraordinary tree will do to honor their dedication and service.