RMCNews with James Murdock–Aurora, Colorado … A group of youth and young adults from the Boulder, Denver South, and LifeSource churches gathered in Aurora, February 28, for fellowship and a friendly game of Frisbee Golf.

What began as a physically-distanced pizza lunch soon turned into a dash to bundle up before setting off for the Bird’s Nest Disc Golf Course, still covered in six inches of snow from a prior storm.

For some, the gathering was an experience that has been tremendously missed during the pandemic.

“It had been a long time coming for many of our local church youth groups, and on a frigid Sabbath afternoon in February, we finally scheduled a time to come together to begin rebuilding the bonds of fellowship that had been divided during the COVID era,” Murdock, associate pastor of the Boulder church said.

For a majority of the group that gathered, Frisbee golf was a brand-new form of recreation, so the announcement that the activity would not be remotely competitive was an easy request to oblige. The goal for the day was not to count strokes or revel in who could hole-out with precision; instead, the purpose of the event was to create a space where community could thrive once again in-person.

Shanked drives became reason for laughter rather than ridicule. Missed putts drew encouraging words to motivate one more try rather than drawing snickering and levying judgment. More often than not, the stories after their rounds had concluded dealt more with how much fun they had throwing snowballs than the score.

After spending time on the links, the groups of wind-whipped and frigid “frolfers” returned to the parking lot to exchange their muddy discs for a cup of cocoa and a cookie to thaw them momentarily before retreating to their vehicle where heat awaited.

One question lingered in the air before we waved goodbye–“When are we doing this again?”

RMCNews with James Murdock who is the associate pastor of the Boulder church; photos supplied