We Are Not Alone!

In the crisp November air about an hour west of San Diego, we gathered at a rustic campground called Lake Morena in the small desert hillside village of Campo, to ponder "We Are Not Alone". This was the start of the first teen retreat in San Diego in a very long time. But it was not the start of the adventure for teenager Celie and I. We arrived in San Diego in the wee hours of Friday morning after a horrific travel adventure starting in Portland, Maine which involving delayed flights, missed planes in Newark (even though we made it to the connection 5 minutes prior to departure, grrrr), flying to Los Angeles instead of San Diego and driving a one way rental car down with a most unusual guy I've dubbed Hawaiian Doug (and his girlfriend). In any event, Celie and I made it to my Aunt Pearl's house around 1:30 am and did finally get a nice night's sleep. Friday morning Celie and I went with my Aunt sightseeing around northern San Diego, viewing the beach areas, scenic hilltop overlooks and doing a little shopping (Celie's new peach sun hat!). We went over to the Swedenborgian Church of San Diego for a early dinner late Friday evening to meet up with the other teens from San Diego. Here we met Gio, Genette, Michael, Eugene, Irene and Jonat along with some adult leaders, Rev. Carla, Fernando, Mark and Austin (part of the team of night vision sky watchers with Greg and Dejuti). From here we drove west up the hills to Campo to join our other leaders, Peter and Barbara who coordinated the renting of tents, sleeping bags, and pads from REI, set everything up and provided the food for the weekend. We hastily unpacked, bundled up in some warmer clothes, then set our eyes upon the starry sky. With the aid of some high tech gear including night vision scopes, viewing screens and magnification we watched for ufo's and looked at Jupiter and it's Galilean moons, Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto. We did spot a few strange lights in the sky that traveled faster then normal satellites and showed some erratic movement. Aliens, space junk or other flying objects, I cannot be sure, but it did make for some interesting viewing and discussion. At the rising of Orion, we retired the space gear, gathered for a warmup around the campfire with stories and songs, then snuggled into our bags and blankets for a chilly evening's sleep under the heavens. We awoke to the early morning bright sunshine and the rustlings around the campground to a crisp, refreshing morning. Thank you Peter for the espresso in bed! Grilled Einstein bagels over the campfire (a theme that perpetuated the entire weekend as Barbara secured a garbage bag of them for free!) and the warming effects of desert sunshine led us to a short walk to our morning session among the giant rocks along the reservoir that is Lake Morena. Here Rev. Carla introduced us to the presence of angels through readings from the Bible and Swedenborg and the teens responded with artistic work reflecting the love of the Lord and the angels. We returned to the campsite for lunch bagels on the grill and a bit of relaxation. During our afternoon session, in the heat of the midday sun under the leafy canopy of a Highland Oak we stretched to the farthest reaches of what it means to be truly human. We watched video about incredibly powerful and free energy sources, discussed time travel and how we might interact with aliens from a distant planet if they introduced themselves to us now. The teens put on a quick non-verbal skit demonstrating how they might communicate what it means to be human to a completely foreign intelligent life form. The skit focused on human emotions and each of the seven teens worked together to convey a different emotion through gestures, body language and facial expressions. After recreation which involved some more familiar and identifiable flying objects (Frisbees), and a dinner of dogs and not-dogs on the grill, we began our evening program. Rev. Carla prepared a soul satisfying outdoor candlelit communion service under the stars, then we returned to the campfire for music and S'mores. Peter, Jonat, Gio and Celie kept us singing all weekend with their wonderful guitar playing and we enjoyed a great guitar and drum sing-a-long this Saturday evening that lasted late into the evening. After the teens departed the circle for a little "tent talk", I sat and stirred the fire awhile and enjoyed the stillness of the cool night and the rising of the winter constellations, before closing down the camp and retiring myself. Sunday morning we woke early again and quickly ate our bagels as Gio created a new campfire recipe - the roasted banana graham cracker marshmallow breakfast sandwich. After packing up and rolling the sleeping bags (thank you Barbara and your neighbors for all your help with the gear), the teens just had enough time to practice a couple of songs to share at the Worship Service back at the Swedenborgian Church of San Diego before driving back to the city. They decided to play, "Hallelujah", "Let It Be" and the popular song, "I'm Yours" (view their performance on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krqGUiNilDs). The teens also shared angel readings and some of their artwork that they created with the congregation. After the worship service, we said our good-byes to most of the teens, then Celie, Jonat and I wandered around Balboa Park for a couple of hours. After dropping Jonat back home, Rev. Carla met Celie and I and took us out for dinner, sightseeing and souvenir shopping in Seaport Village. From here, Celie and I headed to the airport to catch our red eye flight back home to Maine. Exhausted, but feeling most fulfilled and joyful, we found ourselves back home early Monday morning without any major airport delays this time around. So, now home, I take time to reconsider, our theme, "We Are Not Alone". While I am not entirely convinced that beings from another world reside here on this planet we call earth, I am certain that we are not alone. The teens in the SCYL prove to me every day that friends are nearby to help us, to hold us, to comfort us, to forgive us and to love us. The care, the smiles, the laughter, the music and the understanding that the teens show to each other in this church helps me to remember what is truly important. I know that the friendship they share is from the Lord, the one God that made the heavens and the earth, as well as the entire universe. As long as I keep that single truth in my mind, I am never, ever alone.

Spiritual Seasons

The October edition of the Chaplain's Corner by Pastor Dave, SCYL Chaplain

The season is now changing in Edmonton, where I live. We are in the fall and winter is approaching. Swedenborg tells us that in the spiritual world there are also seasons. The angels go through the same four seasons we do. But the seasons there are governed by the states of the angels. They move through a pattern of greater love and clarity of wisdom, which is their summer, to a state of less love and more obscurity. There is a purpose and use for these changes of state. From a state of less love and wisdom, a person can appreciate and enjoy love and wisdom when they are more intense. The lower states also help to clarify what is good and what is less good, thereby making the understanding more aware of how to be good. This alternating process brings angels into a more keen sense of heavenly life and the love and wisdom of which it is composed. Swedenborg tells us that for the higher angels, the spiritual seasons are very mild. Kind of like the weather in Florida, I would imagine. Here in the material world, we are brought through similar states. We can watch our changing states if we are sensitive to our souls' migrations. We, too, can become more aware of love and wisdom as we consider our states in this life.

2010 Columbus Day Teen Retreat at Blairhaven

The Columbus Day 2010 teen retreat at Blairhaven was.....








an amazing collection of SCYL friends including a large group from the Midwest who braved a daring and challenging drive involving a broken down van named Clifford in Ohio and still finding a way to get all the way from Indiana to the East Coast, picking up teens along the way.

wickets and mallets on a sunny Saturday afternoon as the 2010 killer croquet tournament amused and confounded many.













engaging conversations, presentations and acting as everyone participated in the theme "Ages and Stages: Your Changing Roles in the Theater of Life."

sometimes a bit too muddy for me as the second annual mudfight happened for a brave few at sundown on Sunday night.

only a bit scary on brownie movie night as we watched the hilarious "Fired Up!" and the equally hilarious "Drag me to Hell" (nice movie for a church retreat, huh) which was slightly gross and a bit disturbing but quite humorous and not very scary.

magnificently bright and sunny for our outing to Duxbury beach for an hour at the ocean as several teens from the Midwest had never seen the sea.

exciting disco glow bowling, an inspirational teen led worship service, acting like babies and the elderly as Rev Kevin took us on a movement adventure through life, and eating, laughing, playing, and loving in community as only a SCYL retreat can do!

Thank you teens, ministers and leaders for an awesome retreat.

What Has That SCYL Director Been Up To Anyway?

Happy Halloween! Wow. has it really been a month since the last post. And "Where are the Blairhaven pictures?!", exclaims SCYL President Nina. Well, it really has been a month since the mast post and I really have tried to make sure that I post something to this blog at least once a week. It not that there aren't thing to write about. Truth be told, it is actually because there has been so much going on that I haven't have much time to write. So, I thought it might be nice for you to know what I have been doing when I'm not with you teens. I mean, haven't you always wondered what exactly the youth director does when he is not directing youth?

Well, it has been a very busy month for me and I am happy to tell you all the exciting things I have been doing. I'll skip all the really boring stuff, like doing the SCYL accounting, revising forms, writing and reading emails, updating mailing lists, sending out information and stuff like that. I'm guessing you're not interested in that. But there are a few things coming up that I am working on that you might like to know about.

First, I am prepping for a big trip out to San Diego to camp with the teens at Morena Lake State Park. Although I have camped and I have going to campgrounds with teens on a retreat, I've never really camped in a tent with teens before. And I've never camped in California in the desert mountains. It should be a great experience and I'm really excited to try out the night vision gear along with all the other fun things that go with camping. I hope that the local youth leaders will have Ramen noodles available. It just isn't camping to me without Ramen. And of course, S'mores. Celie will be joining me from the East and maybe Chris and possibly even Caleb too, as we gather with our West coast friends. I'm looking forward to seeing Jon again and meeting some new friends as well.

I've also been getting ready for the spooky Halloweeny Swedenborg candlelit Fryeburg youth group. We have chosen "Emanuel's Manuals" as our theme this year and we will be looking at a different book of written by Swedenborg each month. Of course, for Halloween we've got to read Heaven and Hell with an emphasis on spirits and demons! I'm looking forward to doing this by candlelight in the attic of the church. Ooooohhh, so scary.

I've been getting so excited for this year's Winter retreat at Almont. The flyers went in the mail yesterday. Look for your coming soon. If you are not on the mailing list or do not receive one in a week or so, please let me know. If you've read this far, you deserve a sneak peek into Winter retreat. Our theme this year is "Dreams and the Whisperings of Angels". I think this year's retreat will be big. I'm working hard to bring in "stranded" teens from around the country. Hopefully some of them will make it.

The last issue of Clear Blue Sky for 2010 is in the works. If you have something to submit, there is still time. Send it to Holly or me asap! We'd love to have it.

Oh, and Cody made the changes that Holly, Nina and I suggested to the movie you teens made during the Memorial Day weekend retreat. I haven't watched it yet, but hopefully it will be done for Winter retreat so we can all watch it. We talked about cool ways we could roll it out to the rest of the people in the church, including maybe having a special movie feature presentation at Almont summer camp.

Lastly, I've begun work on a very special retreat. In the Spring of 2011, a retreat will be hosted in England! I will be working hard to get funding to assist as many teens as possible from the U.S. and Canada to be able to go. It will run April 17 - 21 which luckily is the week of Spring break for many schools out here in the East. The folks in the UK have a Spring break then too. How cool is that.

Anyway, that is all that fun stuff that I have been up to. Of course, what I like doing best is hanging out and talking with you. Feel free to call me or email me anytime. See you soon!

You Can Come to the Camp Retreat in San Diego!

Hey all you teens. You have an opportunity to travel to an upcoming retreat! The Swedenborgian Church of San Diego is hosting a camping retreat in the beautiful desert hills of Campo, CA., Nov 5 - 7. You'd have to miss 3 days of school, Thurs, Fri and Mon. (Thurs and Mon would be travel days). The SCYL can pay for most of your travel and retreat costs. You'll probably only have to come up with $100. I will be traveling as well and then there leading this retreat. Interested? Please let me know as soon as possible. Travel from the East is really inexpensive right now. I don't know how long this will last, so please email me or call me soon. This is going to be an very exciting, very fun retreat with Rev. Carla who is promising exciting night vision gear to make this extra special.

2010 Survivor Service Rock of Ages

Some of you may not know that the teens at Almont are called Survivors. When a youth reaches the age of 13 (or the first year they attend Almont summer camp) teens get initiated as Survivors. Friday evening they attend a special Survivor candlelight worship service. It is always a very moving and touching experience for Survivors young and old, as well as the younger children, adults and parents of Survivors in attendance. This year Nina, SCYL President, opened the 2010 service with a duet of the hymn "Rock of Ages" with Survivor Advisor and professional singer, Tammara. Unfortunately I missed the beginning of this amazingly beautiful performance, but I did manage to catch the last minute on video. It is a dimly lite service and I was in the back of the chapel, so you won't see much and you'll need to turn the volume up to hear it. Nevertheless, since Tam and Nina have such wonderful voices it is certainly worth a listen. I just wish we had a better recording of this!

The Idea of God

The September edition of the Chaplain's Corner by Pastor Dave, SCYL Chaplain

What does it matter how we think about God, or what image we have of God? Some people wonder why we would argue about ideas like “the trinity” or other concepts of God. “How do these concepts affect my regeneration?” they ask. Swedenborg writes, “We may gather how important it is to have a right concept of God from the fact that this concept is the very core of the thinking of everyone who has religion. All the elements of religion and of worship focus on God . . .” (DLW 12). God is at the heart of all our religious concepts.

But further, how we live out our religion depends on how we view God, too. Swedenborg sees God as the risen Jesus Christ, and because God is the Divine-Human, we all are humans, too. “It is because God is a person that all angels and spirits are perfectly formed people” (DLW 11). We can see how we are to live by studying the life of Jesus. We can form a personal relationship with God when we see Him as the Divine-Human Jesus Christ. Can you form a relationship with anything other than a person? Can you form a relationship with pure energy, as some like to think about God? Can you form a relationship with the creative power of the universe, as others might think of God? I think not. I find my relationship with God becomes heartfelt when I pray to the Divine-Human risen Christ. I find I know how to live my life in a religious way when I meditate on the life of Jesus. This is why the concept of God is so important.

Summer Camps

The season of summer church camps is over. What an amazing camp season is was. Almont and Fryeburg camps were overflowing with friends living in community. When I was a teen, I spent most of my life looking forward to those 2 weeks of summer camp. The friends I met, the lessons I learned and the blessings I received there have lasted a lifetime. And the best thing is I continue to make new friends, learn new lessons and receive blessings each and every year I return. Perhaps this is the best part of summer camps. The fact that you can attend for life. Our family camps are pretty rare events these days. Most camps and retreats target certain age groups and activities. But at family church camp, you can return year after year and see old friends and meet new interesting people your whole life long. These places are unlike anything else that exists. You leave your school, college, youth events and work behind and often lose many of the friends that you meet there. Church camp is place you can always return to. It is like a big annual reunion where you can reconnect with everyone that you love. And your have those wonderful spiritual teachings and moments to support you and help guide you on your path. Church camp changed my life and continues to re-energize me every year. It is my heavenly community and perhaps it is yours too. I wonder how we can gather up the excitement, energy and passion that we experience at summer camp and spread it over the entire year. Then we would truly have a taste of heaven on earth.

Convention Rainbow

This is the Convention rainbow created during the SCYL worship service. The rainbow was made up of post-it notes with messages from the congregation about what they are seeking. The teens wrote a poem about what the rainbow colors correspond to.

Red is for the Lord's love which pushes and empowers all.

Orange is for the charity of helping others on their journey towards their call.

Yellow is for the truth and faith which guide our way.

Green is for your strengths and talents to help you grow each day.

Blue is for intelligence, the light that directs your love.

Purple is for the wisdom, God's gift from up above.

Convention 2010!

Well, another Convention has come and gone and all that remains are the collection of memories from that wonderful event. I sometimes like to wait a bit before I write about an experience to see what sticks. So, now after 10 days has past since we all departed St. Paul, I sit and listen to Mozart and Chopin and wait for images and thoughts float to the surface.

I see teen girls on the lawn of the quad at St. Thomas finger painting the ocean.

I see Cody playing Frisbee keep away with Holly, Janice, Jon and me.

I see the faded red Clifford anxiously awaiting its next call into service.

I hear the laughter and screams of teens on rides at Valleyfair and the Mall of America (can you see any SCYL girls in this video?).


I feel myself bobbing in the refreshing waves at the wave pool.

I hear the beautiful duet of Nina and Janice covering Sea of Love in the dimly glowing candlelight.

I see the teen girls coming to get Jon in his room shortly after his arrival to welcome him into the group.
I see colored seeking stick notes being formed into a rainbow.

I see teens gathering together to sing Hallelujah.

I remember Junchol's talk about the Buddha and the emotional exchange about the trading card raffle dilemma.

I feel the cool, clammy air in the cave and think about the spirits floating about there.

I see teens lined up at the bar!

I remember Cody calling Jon "Whatever" when we picked him up at the airport.

I recall our discussions about what we are seeking.

I remember how cool, resourceful and organized Liz was in the airport on our return trip.
I think about lining up for a picture in front of the wrong Clifford and wonder what the people who owned it would have thought if they saw.

I will never forget Nina's emotionally touching President address and how the SCYL truly is a home for many teens.

I love the community that you teens have created and wish every person could find a place where they feel they belong. I pray that through the SCYL and Convention experiences some of you teens do discover this sense of belonging. You are all amazing and I treasure the opportunity to work and play in your presence.

SCYL fundraiser tshirts for sale this summer at Convention, Almont and Fryeburg camps. Fun to make, fun to wear and you help a teen attend a youth program! Lots of BIG sizes, lots of little sizes (especially for girls) but not too many mediums this time around. Get yours soon before they sell out.

Teen Profile: Alice

Hi! I'm Alice and a ton of you probably don't know me because I haven't been to a ton of retreats partly because I live so far away from where they happen. I have lived in Olympia Washington (yes that's relatively near Seattle) my entire life and have been to Almont summer camp every other summer since I was five. This last winter I also attended Almont winter retreat which was great! Olympia is a pretty great town with a lot of local and youth theater. I spend most of my time doing homework (pretty lame huh) and hanging out in my house with my cats and reading and playing piano and, oh yeah, homework ;). When I have free time I enjoy playing frisbee and doing other various activities with my friends. Today I am going bowling with them (since I learned how at winter retreat) and then watching Star Wars movies. I also enjoy singing and learning French!

Downtown Olympia

The most exiting thing I've done recently is without a doubt my trip to France over spring break. This trip was with Kids in Koncert which is a youth choir in Olympia that is connected with the summer theater program I have been involved with every summer since I was five. This year, the choir was made up of kids ages 9-19 and everything in between. This video is of my choir and I singing at our final concert (the only one in Paris). You are probably wondering why you can't understand what we are singing. That is because it's in French. However, you might recognize the song because it is from the musical Les Misérables which was originally a french musical but was made popular when it was produced in English in London. It has since been translated back into French and a ton of other languages and is one of my personal favorites.

Most of our time in France was spent in Rodez, a small town in southern France (6 out of 7 days) and I had an amazing time. All of the kids stayed with host families which was amazing and the parents who came along stayed in a hotel. I was sorry to come home but we eat a lot more cheese now...

Now I'm busy finishing up my sophomore year in high school and am exited for summer when I will, among other things, be performing in The Sound of Music, learning to drive, going river rafting with some friends, and visiting my half brother, his wife and their 1 year old son in Nevada.

Memorial Day Retreat

There was heaven and hell at this retreat and it was amazing. Those of you who were there, know all about this. Those of you who weren't, well, you will soon see why! The teens made a movie. Making a movie might have been one of the coolest things we've ever done at a retreat. Instead of our usual sessions, teens worked together to created an original story that reflected an aspect of our Swedenborgian faith. Then they set up and filmed scenes. I know that some teens may not have been into it as much as others, and that some people may have missed our regular sessions; but, I think this was one of the most creatively exciting things the SCYL has done in a long time. The main movie theme that the teens worked on centered around love and relationships (including same sex and harmful), and how the decisions you make here on earth effect your future soul after you die.

Emily and Nina in "Heaven"
The main character, played by Nina, reflects on her past in her diary as she nears the end of her life. Scenes dramatize characters here on earth who later die and reappear in the afterlife. The scene of the ladies in hell definitely creeped me out. Adults may find the movie edgy and controversial. Some in the church may even find it a touch offensive, but it does represent the best of heaven and the worst of hell (both here on earth and in the next life). It is deeply personal, emotionally charged, and it reflects how teenagers look at, struggle with and vision relationships. Most importantly, it is uniquely teen and is not something that adults created or coerced. Teen energy and life force drove the production and it shows. I also think everyone gained some spiritual insight into the nature of heaven and hell. For me, this retreat helped me remember how real and seductively dangerous demons and hellish influences can be. The decision to choose hell over heaven is very tempting and the teens did an amazing job depicting this in their movie.

Nina, Audrey, Izzy and Molly in "Hell"

Celie and Cody took the video clips home and as editors extraordinaire, are working to pull it all together with into something meaningful and understandable. In addition to working on the main feature, the teens were also captured on video discussing religion, retreats as well as some singing and playing guitar. I can't wait to see the finished products as I am sure that several different versions will be created for different audiences and purposes. In one version, selected readings from Swedenborg's works concerning choice, freedom, community, heaven and hell will be added between scenes. I am so proud of all the teens and how hard everyone worked on this project. Everyone did something - writing, directing, acting, coaching, makeup, scene, set design, etc. Thank you all for making this a Memorial Day retreat to remember. Prior to the retreat, I wrote in the retreat flyer, "I have witnessed time and time again your imaginative, inspiring and original creations. You are gifted and beautifully spiritual. You are amazing! Bring sheet music, instruments and your own unique talent. It is time to share your gifts with the world." You clearly have done this and I am blessed to have been a part of that experience. You guys rock and continue to astound me!!!

Teen Profile: Naomi

Buongiorno, hello, my name is Naomi. I'm not very good at writing letters and stuff about myself, I always think of what I should have said after I submit my writing. So bear with me. I live near a pretty cool city called Cleveland. It's a lot of fun, has an awesome independent theater, beautiful parks and museums, and frikin awesome pizzerias. I am passionate about films, watching them, not being in them. Music can easily change my mood, from one extreme to the other. Umm....weird, different, and odd anythings are what I prefer. Conformity is a waste. Going to retreats opens my mind about the world every time I go. Spending time in nature and with my bestiest best friend make me super-D duper happy. My bestiest best friend and I job hunt all the time, we've filled out many applications and done many odd jobs, but never have time to splurge at concerts....the biggest dream I have is to spend a week or more in every country in the world and learn whole or part of the languages in the process. Second to that dream is to go to Lollapoloza when MGMT and Green Day are on tour which would be this summer btw, but it is way too expensive at the moment.

Both of these paintings were done when I was in 8th grade (2007-2008) and both done in watercolor.

This painting with a cigarette in it was basically my inspirations and feelings of that school year (which was the best year ever besides kindergarten). The floral makeup and pop art represented my feelings of confidence and peace.

The girl in the melting kimono is my favorite painting that I had ever done, I have written this sentence 5 times and cannot find a good way to describe it any better than the fact that it's simple, eerie, and has the 3 best colors in it: grey, purple, and blue.

In that art class I sat with 3 really artsy kids and one who was not at all. One of the artsy kids was depressed most of the time, the other one was a bubbly shy girl who loved the color pink, and the last chick was a mixture of the two. Those girls and my crazy art teacher, made that year the best year I've ever had in art. Why are all art teachers crazy by the way?

Convention Registration

This Friday, May 14, your Convention registration is due. If you would like to go to Convention, please contact me asap so I can help you.

Kitchener Teen Retreat

You may think that a retreat with only 4 teens might be a disappointment. You would be wrong. What the group lacked in numbers it made up for in spirit, enthusiasm and deep connectedness.

Four boys, Cameron, Malcolm, Joshua and Joseph, met at 9 am on Saturday morning at the Church of the Good Shepherd in Kitchener, Ontario. Last year, 30 teens assembled at this same retreat, so one of the first things that we did was talk about the good things about a small gathering. With a small group, you can often be more flexible, have deeper, more meaningful discussions, go on different (more costly) outings and establish closer relationships. Rev. Alison, Rev. John, Steve and I were the leaders and our theme was "Wild or Tame: Finding Yourself in the Animal Kingdom". In the morning, Rev. Alison led us on a meditation to find our animal guide(s). During the guided meditation, Rev. Alison played soothing music and purified us with a sweetgrass smudge. Burning this most sacred herb brings in positive energy and helps to create the peaceful environment to allow your spirit animal to appear. Three of the teens visioned animals, Josh an eagle, Malcolm a turtle, and Joseph a wolf. Cameron did not vision an animal, so he was called, the seeker. Alison shared many resources with us and encouraged us to find personal meaning or message from our spirit animal by looking through Native American and Celtic druid books.

The four boys gathered with Rev. John in the afternoon to take an in depth look at Psalm 23. John explained how there are 150 Psalms in the Bible and that Psalm 23, one of the most beloved, is about God being our shepherd, or guide. The teens then were given freedom to create their own poem or song relating the strength of the Lord as reflected in animal guides. The boys wrote a wonderful poem that they titled "Psalm 151"

Psalm 151
By Cameron, Malcolm, Joshua and Joseph

I am a seeker who cannot find a guide.
I am slow and very knowledgeable like the earth.
I am a spiritual light to whom all people come.
I inspire energy, healing and aid.
I am a guardian of rituals, loyalty, and spirit.
I am a Seeker, I am a Turtle,
I am an Eagle, and I am a Wolf.
We are your guides.

Later in the afternoon, we were joined by Tanya, a modern dance and martial arts leader. Tanya taught us how to "score" a performance and then helped the teens create an original modern movement of the Psalm 151 poem. She provided encouragement and advise on how to bring the poem to life. Then she added music to play in the background during the movement and reading. After a couple of rehearsals in the sanctuary, the teens felt ready to share their creation with the congregation at the Sunday worship service.

In the evening, we were treated to a showing of "How to Train Your Dragon" in 3D. Then we went over to the Groleau's home where we joined with their boys (Rochelle is away) to enjoy their trampoline, fire pit and marshmallows, snacks and video games (plus lots and lots of yummy coffee for me!). We returned to the church around midnight with just enough time to play a little Sims 3 before bed.

Sunday morning, we gathered for a quick breakfast, cleaned up and prepared for worship. During the worship service, Josh played the keyboard during the Offertory. Then the four boys, Cameron, Malcolm, Joshua and Joseph performed Psalm 151 to close the worship service. I enjoyed the seeking of Cameron, the slow, deliberate turtle plodding of Malcolm, the wolf roaming of Joseph, and loved watching Josh fly like an eagle (I caught a video of it during rehearsal to share with you). I left the retreat feeling enlivened and free. It was an enlightening experience for me and I truly feel blessed to spend some time getting to know each of these teens better. Their talent and spirit inspires me and I look forward to visiting with them again soon.

The Book of Eli

The April edition of the Chaplain's Corner by Pastor Dave, SCYL Chaplain

I just saw an interesting movie called "The Book of Eli." The movie takes place in the world after a great, probably nuclear, war. It is about a special book that Morgan Freeman carries with him and reads from every night. The evil ruler of a city wants that book desperately. He knows its power. He knows that if he has the words from that book, he can control people and find more cities for him to rule. We soon realize that the book is the Bible.

The Bible is unlike any other book. It is God's word. And words from the Bible have founded civilizations. Moses founded the kingdom of Israel with words in that book. Christianity was founded by words Jesus taught in that Book. The words of the Bible have power.

Swedenborg tells us that when we read the Bible, angels and God Himself becomes present. Our heart warms and our mind becomes clear. But the Bible was written so that people could relate to it. It is written in some places in "appearances." That means God "appears" however the people thought God was like when the Bible was written. So the Bible says that God is angry, vengeful, and harsh in places. But God actually is none of these things. God is infinite love, and can't even look upon the human race with a stern countenance. He "appeared" that way to a harsh, vengeful people.

The Bible is also written in "correspondences." Correspondences are a symbolic language like poetic metaphors. Water means truth. The Sun means God and God's love. Mild animals like sheep mean good feelings. We don't need to think about these correspondences when we read the Bible. We need only read the story the way we would read any story, and the angels with us will understand the correspondences and fill us with love and enlightenment.

The Bible is just as powerful as the movie makes it. It would be good for everyone to take some time out of every day and read some of it, like Eli did.

Nina and Holly

collage by Holly

Hallelujah

Fryeburg Youth Group Spring Sleepover

Izzy on the Sax!

The Fryeburg Youth Group hosted it's Spring Sleepover last weekend. Teens gathered at the Fryeburg church on Saturday at 4 pm for a big, exciting overnight. We had a surprise teen guest (Cody) come all the way from Indiana to join us! It was fun to watch the reactions of everyone who saw him. I'm sorry that teens that couldn't attend youth group and everyone out here in Maine didn't get a chance to visit with him (but he'll be back for Memorial Day). It was a nice sunny day, so we started by going to the Snow School park to play Frisbee, swing and climb. People keep showing up and there ended up being 14 teens! Then we went back to the church for dinner and to practice music for Sunday worship. Izzy went upstairs to practice the Sax for the prelude and postlude while the rest of the teens gathered around Nina and her guitar to practice "Hallelujah" and listen to her solo of "I'll Stand By You". After a pasta dinner, we went over to see Rev. Sage at the Parsonage for dessert. She had a giant peanut butter cake for us and Nina brought and made her own brownie batter that was "Nina safe". Around 9 pm we went back to the church to for a spiritual session where we watched and discussed YouTube videos "God as a DJ" and "I've Converted to Every Religion (Just in Case)". After a bit more music rehearsal we played a games of "Sardines" and "Mafia". We all went to bed around 2 am, but I heard the girls up until the wee hours of the morning telling stories and giggling. We woke Sunday morning with just enough time to take a walk up to "On the Run" for coffee and snacks then back to the church for a bagel breakfast before worship. Some of the teens colored the little kids Sunday School page (I love that Celie enjoys this!). Then at we went upstairs for worship. All of the teen music was wonderful and I am happy to be able to share the videos for everyone to see and hear (more on the way!). Many teens commented that this one the best sleepover ever. Almost as good as a retreat. I thought so too. I left feeling positive and happy. No small part due to your teenage energy, discussions, music and beautiful creative spirit. Thank you! What a great lead in to the upcoming Memorial retreat.

Former League President Rev. Sage Serene Currie

We continue our profile on former SCYL Presidents ~ Where are they now?

This month's featured former League President:

Rev. Sage Serene Currie
Served 1995

It was a sunny day in May when I naively hopped into a car headed for the Blairhaven retreat center with Rev. Jim Lawrence and three teens from Fryeburg, Maine. A few weeks earlier my mom had seen a flyer for an SCYL Memorial Day retreat and asked me if I'd wanted to go. The only teen in the Portland New Church at the time it must have been an angelic influence that led me to say "Sure," and to get into that car with that strange bunch of characters I'd never met before in my life. I should have been scared, or at least tentative about the whole thing but somehow I wasn't, and I went, and my life has never been the same since.

I spent that first retreat mostly as a quiet observer, watching the kids around me, and the ministers, and the way they all related to each other. Everyone was so loving towards each other, and open with how they felt, this was so different from the way my friends at school seemed to relate with each other. People were odd, and creative, and fun, and I fell in love with them all.

Now this is perhaps where my story gets a little weird. After I returned from that first retreat my parents got a call from my homeroom teacher at school. "Mr. and Mrs. Currie, um, I don't know exactly how to ask this but, did something happen to Sage? She's going around and telling all of her classmates that she loves them?"

It was true. I returned home from that retreat in a kind of blissful state and tried to spread that joy and love to my school community. I have memories of that week and they're pretty funny now. I remember my joy was a bit contagious to some of my classmates and we all got a little bit closer, and some people thought I was a freak. Maybe I was a freak, and maybe I was just doing my best to share the Good News of Swedenborgian Community to my 7th grade classmates!

Well, I'm still sharing that Good News 20 years later, as a minister in the Swedenborgian Church, and pastor now in Fryeburg, Maine. Funny how that circle has some how become complete as it was those Fryeburg teens so long ago that first introduced me to this church that I love.

I went on to go to every Memorial Day and Winter Retreat that happened between my 13th and 18th birthday, attended every session of the Fryeburg New Church Assembly, Convention in St. Louis and San Francisco, and at 18 served as the President of the SCYL.

When I was 23 I was hired by Convention to serve as the SCYL Coordinator and organized and led teen retreats until entering seminary in 2002. Being a part of the SCYL has had a huge impact on my life. Having a place where I could be fully myself, where there were adults who cared about and respected me, and being in an environment where I could ask big questions about why we are here and what God is all about gave me a grounding that helped me through the challenges of coming of age, and finding my place in the world.

My biggest learning from the SCYL, was that there was a place for me that would always be there, that I was loved, by God and by the church. And that the angels would keep guiding me along the path, just as they did that sunny day in May.