Convention - Part 1

2011 Convention was one to remember! Twelve teens, including five SCYL Officers gathered at UC in Cincinnati, Ohio at the end of June to worship and play together with other Swedenborgian and gather in celebration of the theme "Behold, I make all things new". The UC "Bearcat" campus was beautiful, with an open stadium where we were permitted to run on the field anytime, lots of moist grassy areas to explore, and unusual outdoor artworks and buildings abounded. Off campus was a good deal sketchier so we traveled as a group in daylight hours when we left the UC grounds. For the Wednesday evening icebreaker, the teens took old scraps that we found around campus and created new works of art. Then they combined all of the items that they created to make an original skit "Thom Servo". On Thursday, the teens spent most of the first days preparing an amazing worship service following an order of worship from darkness to light which consisted of a series of "pods" (psalm reading, skit, musical performance).

The teens started with an "intropod" with the gloomy psalm 13 read by Rachel, Danny's moving performance of "Where is the Love" with a series of tearful face pictures running on screen in the background, a prayer of despair by Jess and a dark meditation with Cody solo on the bass. From the here the service followed a series of centropods that moved along more and more cheerful. Centropod 1 used troubling psalm 6 read by Anna as inspiration. Ruby, Liz and Danny performed the skit "Stages of Grief" and Celie, Danny and Audrey performed the song "Warning Sign". Centropod 2 used moody psalm 119 read by Liz as inspiration. Jon, Anna and Jess performed the skit "Love Triangle" and Celie, Bekka and Holly performed the song "Landslide". Centropod 3 used hopeful psalm 139 read by Jess as inspiration. Jon, Bekka and Audrey performed the skit "Insecurity Anonymous" and Celie, Holly and Audrey performed the edgy song "Arms" accompanied by Cody on the bass. The teens closed with an "endopod" with beautiful psalm 98, Bekka reading from Divine Love and Wisdom and reading Cody's prayer of happiness, Danny playing a cheery guitar meditation with a series of happy face pictures running on screen in the background, followed by Rachel leading the Lord's Prayer and the whole group singing "A Whole New World". The entire worship experience was moving and filled with the blessed gifts of the talented teen group. I am so proud of you teens. You, once again, worked together to create an original, creative service in celebration of the Lord.

Most astounding of all, was that all this was delivered after three teens, Lori and I spent most of the night before in the emergency room of University Hospital (the number one trauma center in Ohio that lived up to it's name) with an ailing teen who was rushed there by ambulance at 11:30 pm with chest pain. The rest of the teens stayed up until after 3 am rewriting the entire service in case the teen in the ER could not perform in the morning. You are such a fantastically wonderful group. I am so grateful for each one of you and care about all of you so very much.