Memorial Weekend Retreat

by Cody

The Memorial Day Retreat was such a blast. Just don't kill me, I'm the leprechaun! Millions of friendships sprung up and we have enough inside jokes to last us until the next retreat. I barely slept the entire weekend it was so fun. The theme for the sessions was regeneration and stuff but we tried not to listen to the adults too much lest the interfere with all the laughs going around. There was a game of ultimate Frisbee, we went bowling, played and listened to a lot of music, and just generally hung out. I had a blast and so did everyone else. I can't wait until next year!

The 2008 Memorial Day Retreat is Days Away!

See below post for more information!

Fryeburg New Church Spring Sleepover

The spring sleepover at the Fryeburg New Church was great fun. About ten teens gathered at the church in the late afternoon. It was a cold rainy day, but we rallied together and went outside and did some landscaping and trash pickup around the church grounds and parking lot area. We planted some small pine trees and put up a sign too. After that we went inside to warm up with some hot chocolate. After a spagetti dinner, we did our last session on death and the afterlife. We discussed values, interests, talents and where we feel most ourselves. Looking at these qualities on earth is a good way to determine what we might do and where we will might end up in the afterlife. Swedenborg wrote, "The life of our dominant love never changes for anyone to all eternity because we are our love..." (Heaven and Hell 480). Alex certainly had some interesting responses to these questions (I'll never again look at a bear skin rug quite the same!). I can't wait to check out his pad in the next life. After our session, we played a couple of rounds of Sardines and ate Nina's runny brownie mix before piling up the bean bags for a movie (The Golden Compass). Sunday morning we worked on coloring in the notes the big music banner that will be displayed on music Sunday May 18th. After worship, we headed home excited to get back together again for the next retreat that is only days away!

Memorial Weekend Retreat is Coming Soon!

Our retreat theme: Saved!

A Swedenborgian Perspective on Salvation

We have all heard of people being saved. Perhaps friends or family members have told you that they have been saved. Most religions deal with salvation, redemption or deliverance of some form or another. They offer us a roadmap to a better place. But, religions differ vastly on how someone is saved and what sort of salvation is promised.

Even if we only look at Christianity, we see many different concepts of salvation. Emanuel Swedenborg has a unique understanding of it, but for many Christians, salvation is a process of confessing and believing. AllAboutGod.com summarizes being saved as, “Do you understand that you are a sinner, and believe that Jesus Christ came as the one and only Redeemer of sin? Are you ready to receive God’s gift of His Son, Jesus Christ? If so, believe in Christ, repent of your sins, and commit the rest of your life to Him as Lord.”

In contrast, Emanuel Swedenborg writes in AC6353, “The truth of the matter, however, is that the Lord does not deny heaven to anyone.” Does salvation depend on what religion you believe?

If you’ve ever wondered what it means to be saved or how someone becomes saved, this retreat is for you. If you’ve ever thought people who say they are saved are crazy, this retreat is for you, too. If you could care less about the whole idea of salvation, this retreat is definitely for you. If you believe that you’ve been saved, you’re all set, but feel free to come and share your experience.

Our retreats are open to teens ages 13 – 18 of all faiths and beliefs. At our retreats we offer life skills and spiritual sessions based on the principles of the Swedenborgian church. We strive for a safe, secure and inclusive environment to discuss and share relevant and meaningful ideas and challenges teens face today. We work, play and learn together as a community. We have fun! For teens and parents new to SCYL retreats please don’t hesitate to contact Kurt with any and all questions and concerns (email: kfekete@hotmail.com or call Kurt at: (802) 345-0169). Kurt will answer your questions or, if appropriate, put you in contact with a League officer in your region to help give you as much information and encouragement as you need!

The cost of this retreat is $60. But please do not let finances get in the way of attending!! There are scholarship funds available for help with teen travel and the cost of attendance. If you need financial help to attend contact Kurt and we can easily and confidentially help to cover costs. We want to make sure that all teens interested in coming to the retreat get there!

What to bring…

Clothes for indoor comfort and outdoor warm and cool weather.

Warm sleeping bag, pillow, toothbrush, shampoo, etc.

Outdoor shoes that you don’t mind getting wet and dirty.

Musical instruments.

A towel and personal items.

Sports equipment, cameras.

$15 spending money for outings.

Last, but not least…..a friend!

See you there!