The Joy of Almont and Fryeburg Summer Camps

Almont Summer Camp is over now. It was an exhausting and beautiful experience. And, as you can see and hear from the video, it ROCKED! The large teen group (close to 20) made Almont so much more fun! 10 new people (9 teens, one adult) were initiated into the Survivors (the Almont teen group). The weather was perfect for most of the week and despite the vicious mosquitoes, we were able to spend much of our time outdoors. With around 120 campers most days, this was critical to maintaining camp spirit. The camp theme was King David. Chapels, lectures and classes were filled with interesting and intriguing discussions about his life.

Now Fryeburg Assembly is in the second week and the teen group here has also steadily increased. From the brief visits I have made, the teens are having a great time. The Saco river is open for swimming after being closed for high water most of the first week of camp. The first week theme was 40 days and 40 years and the second week is Path of Spiritual Growth Through Daily Life. I hope to visit more as Fryeburg camp approaches it's conclusion on August 16th.

Cody, Nina and Holly are three teens that were able to attend both Almont and Fryeburg camps this year. It's great to visit with them and get their opinions on the two experiences. They are very different camps, but also have much in common. Both offer an amazing opportunity to live in community with people of all ages seeking to learn, grow and play together in an environment of love to God and your fellow neighbor. I hope that all of you who were not able to attend either Almont or Fryeburg can visit one (or both!) of these camps next year and experience the excitement, energy and joy of summer church camp.

I hope to get a post on Paulhaven too, as although I have not attended for quite a few years now, I know what an incredible place and camp that is as well.

Off to Almont Summer Camp

Tomorrow I depart for Almont Summer Camp with my daughter Ava and teens Nina and Holly. This is my 45th consecutive year. We will be driving to Rochester, NY for an overnight with my cousins, then continue on to Almont to arrive sometime late Friday afternoon. I then pickup my wife Shelley and other daughter Zsa Zsa from the airport in Detroit on Saturday morning. This is an exhausting but extremely satisfying time of year for me. It is work and vacation, which is difficult to do. The busy camp days teaching the 7th - 9th grade class, trying to spend time with the teen group (called the Survivors) and playing with my family (immediate and extended) along with all the great conversations with friends wears you out. But spiritually, it is the most fulfilling week of my year. Church twice a day, lectures, class and wonderful discussions lead to a real time of enlightenment. I love Almont and am so happy to be introducing the summer camp to these two teens from Maine. I'm sure Nina and Holly will have great times with all of their SCYL friends. I'm also sure that they will share their experience with all of you, either here on this blog, in Clear Blue Sky or in person. But most of all, I hope they find the camp to be as meaningful and inspiring as I do and that they want to return year after year.

The Good of Life

The July edition of the Chaplain's Corner by Pastor Dave, SCYL Chaplain (the second in a trilogy of truth, good and love)

Almost every Christian sect talks about the need to be born again. This is Biblical, because Jesus says that we need to be reborn to enter the kingdom of God. For many Christians, this all happens in an instant when one accepts Christ as one’s personal savior. But for Swedenborg, actual personality change takes place. One’s ideas grow, and one’s actual emotions change, and a person’s motivations and intentions change. This cannot take place in an instant—that is if the change and growth is real. For Swedenborg, the process of rebirth begins in infancy and continues even to the very last days of life here, and even continually ever after in the next life.

Spiritual rebirth, then, is a lifelong process. It starts by our learning truth and doctrine from church, personal study, and experience. This stage in spiritual growth is especially evident in youth and early adulthood. Then, a person is delighted as he or she learns knowledge. Knowledge as an end in itself is the primary goal in this period of life. Later in life, one wants to learn about life and how to live better. At that stage, knowledge is acquired with the goal of living a better life. Truth tells us how to act and we are essentially doing truth, when we do good from what we know.

But there finally comes a time when we are doing good from a love for good. At this point, truth takes a secondary role. When we are so completely accustomed to doing good from practice and habit that it is second nature to us, we then act from our heart, not our head. We feel what it is to be good, and we do good because our heart tells us what it is to do good. This is a very advanced stage in spiritual growth. It comes late in life. Confucius describes this process almost identically with the way Swedenborg describes it. In The Analects of Confucius, we find,

The Master said, At fifteen I set my heart upon learning. At thirty, I had planted my feet firm upon the ground. At forty, I no longer suffered from perplexities. At fifty, I knew what were the biddings of Heaven. At sixty, I heard them with docile ear. At seventy, I could follow the dictates of my own heart; for what I desired no longer overstepped the boundaries of right (Confucius, Analects, Book II, no. 4).

Heaven and Hell

At the end of Convention this year churches, groups and Associations put on short performances summarizing a work by Swedenborg. The SCYL was responsible for Heaven and Hell. Janice (lyrics/vocals) and Ethan (music/guitar) wrote an incredible original song about the afterlife and other members of the SCYL performed a skit to go with the song (starring Cody awakening in the afterlife; Nina as punk rock God; Rachel, Celie and Alice in a heavenly community; and Holly and Sam in a hellish community). Here are Janice's lyrics to the song and the video of the SCYL performance of Heaven and Hell.

I Will See You Soon

[Chorus]
No matter no matter who you've left behind.
They will join another time.
Say I will see you soon.

We are as we are.
Unchanged the same remains.
We are who we are.
Where we are is where we are.

Look at their insides.
Glowing with generosity.
Dazzling dancer won't you dance for no other.
Every pour sweats of beauty.
No they don't stray.

Chorus

In the darkness those who rebel.
Satisfied to be unsatisfied.
We wouldn't think they were happy but they are happy.
Happy to be unsatisfied.
They have a fight to fight
Revenge for their losses.
Vengeance for their pride.

Their was a little boy his heart filled with joyful sadness sick
and couldn't get out of bed.
He looked at his mother as she stroked his head.
Closed his eyes and was taken towards the sky.
Between two worlds he saw a whole new way of life.
Before him all his options.
A day in a new world another in the next.
Now he walks that path.

There was a little bit of everything there.
There was a little bit of everything.
There was.
Take this take that.
I love you I hate you thank you.
Which do you love.

Darkness and light both shine just as bright.
Morally which is in the right.
Which do you wish upon.
Which do you belong.

Chorus

I know I'm a little confused.
I know that this is something that I couldn't choose.
I know which I belong.
But do I fit.
This big question remains which do I have to take.
One day I'll break the struggle.
One day I'll be sure I touched the sky.

The most beautiful place within me.
Is where I will be.
This is my tranquility.
This is where I'm supposed to be.
So I say.

Chorus
Say I'll see you soon.

Convention 2009!

Wow. What can I say. These 5 days in Seattle were perhaps the best experience I have had with the SCYL teens since I began my position as youth director 8 years ago. Just an amazing time, with an amazing group. The talent, maturity and enthusiasm was remarkable. Fun outings, meaningful worship and accepting community. What more can I add? You teens were incredible at Convention. Thank you, each and every one of you for just being who you are!

Here's my memorable moments in no particular order (you can comment or email me with your own).

• The boat song and all Steve Mason did to help us write and perform it
• Rachel at the zoo - just so much excitement and joy
• The care you all took to try to help Jake in his wheelchair
• Disc at the Quad
• Listening to Ethan strum the guitar and solo (his disc throwing isn't bad either ;-0 )
• The pool table and the fish that Alex scares
• Seeing Mt. Rainier on the last day and watching the sunset color it red and orange
• The candid lunch discussion I had with some of the teens at the Ram
• The scary chain wall basement garage nightmare on elm st. thingy
• Riding planes with the teens. It makes delays so much more fun!
• Colors of the Wind trio - Nina, Celie and Alice
  
• Janice rocks - everything she does is golden. House of the Rising Sun, Heaven and Hell song she wrote and performed with Ethan's great guitar rhythm, "I will follow you into the dark" with Nina was raw and moving as always
• The EMP - my drum solo, hand drumming
• Watching the teen girl's fountain play to MJ's music
• The EMP security guard struggles to record Nina's hair color on the accident report
  
• Riding the buses and helping the deaf group find their way to UW
• The Limo ride to UW
• The heartfelt response and respect that so many adults shared with the teens
• Seeing Jake and Sam vote in the Presidential election
• Holly's quiet leadership and grace
  
• Cody on the bass
• Alex taking charge and stepping up whenever needed
• All the love, gifts and beauty that you shared with each other in community
  

Former League Presidents Nancy Little and Trevor

With Convention 2009 just 2 weeks away, I thought it timely to present this month's featured former League Presidents. They were very active in the League and submitted a 1979 Convention photo with their stories. Although we have other married retreat couples (including me) these are the only two former League Presidents who are currently a married couple: Nancy Little and Trevor

Nancy served 1983 - 1985

Trevor served 1976, 1979 - 1981

Where are they now?

Nancy: When I was President of the League it was mid-'80s and it was the ANCL back then. Yes, I'm married to a former president. I met Trevor in 1979 at Convention in Urbana, OH. He remembers meeting me earlier than that but I don't. If we met earlier than 1979 it was probably at Blairhaven in S. Duxbury, MA where he was lifeguard for a few years in the '70s and I was a camper. We've been married for 10 years.

So, where am I now? I'm about to start graduate school for a Masters in Library Science at Simmons College in late January. The main campus of Simmons is in Boston, MA. They have a part-time program on the campus of Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, MA, which is 20 minutes from my home in Hatfield, MA (Western MA). Since school doesn't start for another 6 weeks at least, I'm enjoying the "time off". Lately I spend lots of time on my latest passion, crochet. I learned to crochet last winter and I'm hooked! I'm on Ravelry if anyone's interested.

I'm still involved with our church on a national and state level. I'm currently the president of the Alliance of New Church Women, North America. Visit our blog at www.womensalliance.blogspot.com! The Alliance's main purpose is to raise money to support church programs. We raise money for camps, youth league, missions, new churches, etc. I also serve on the Executive Committee of the MA Association of the New Jerusalem (that's the state level). We meet once a month, generally at the "other end of the state". Since 2003 I've been the Registrar of the Fryeburg New Church Assembly in Fryeburg, Maine where many of the East Coast Leaguers have attended camp in August or a retreat.

I loved being a part of the League! I had so much fun at retreats, conventions, and camps! I've made life-long friends and even met my husband. Some of my closest friends are people that I met through the League. Lee Dyer (we knew her as Muff Richardson back then) of Fryeburg, Maine - Alex's mom - she's one of my closest friends. We met at that same convention in Urbana, Ohio in 1979. We see each other every summer at Fryeburg. There are many more close friends that I've made because of my involvement with the League.

Trevor: I was one of a small group of teens who banded together at then League president Julie Rankin's instigation at the first "modern era" retreat at the Fryeburg Church in the beginning of the 70's with the specific purpose of revitalizing the League. We re-started the League Journal (renamed "Clear Blue Sky"); re-started League houseparties (renamed "retreats"), re-started local Leagues (called "local Leagues") at more than a dozen churches across the continent, came up with the Regional Officers concept, and strongly promoted teens attending Convention... all things (I think(?)) that are still vital in today's League.

Trevor and Nancy Now

Trevor giving the League President's address on the floor of Convention in 1979

(with Nancy wondering if he is ever going to finish)

A Jolt of Love: Reflections on the 2009 Memorial Day SCYL Retreat

by Rev. Dave, SCYL League Chaplain

I never fail to be impressed with how quickly and how deeply bonds of trust and friendship develop at teen retreats. They meet for only a few days only a few times a year, yet many feel that the friendships they form at retreats are more meaningful than those they form over years in school. And I found myself imperceptively drawn into the sphere of mutual love that all the participants are drawn into—staff, ministers, drivers, and the teens. This was made apparent to me when I departed and faced the world again. The sensitivity, the kindness, the openness are all dear qualities that can be so lacking in our interactions with the world.

I find that it is the religious center of the retreats that open up sacred space for such intimacies to develop. Teens find God in their own way, and that opens their hearts to each other. They have commented on how much they like the whole retreat, meaning the Frisbee games, mutual interaction, and the religious sessions.

Eighteen teens participated in the 2009 SCYL Memorial Day weekend retreat at the Fryeburg New Church Assembly. This year we had four ministers who led sessions. Our theme was “The Bible: What’s In It For Me?” The ministers talked about how Bible stories relate to a person’s spiritual development through correspondences. I presented the first session on the creation story. Rev. Ken Turley presented on the story of Samson and Delilah. Some of the comments that emerged were why Samson ended up telling Delilah the real secret of his strength after she had betrayed him two previous times. Rev. Lee Woofenden talked about the story of the flood and related it to self image and God’s forgiveness and love to everyone. Sunday morning we rode up to the Fryeburg Church of the New Jerusalem for the worship service where we listened to Rev. Ken discuss the story in Revelation 14. At the worship service, two teens (Janice and Nina) performed a beautiful acoustic guitar duet of “I Will Follow You into the Dark”. Later that afternoon, Rev. Jen Tafel and Kurt Fekete led a session in which the teens randomly picked a Bible story for them to interpret on their own through art, drama, or any other way they wished. The staff were treated to paintings, a puzzle they created, a song they wrote and performed, and personal interpretations they came up with themselves.

The retreat ended with a communion service conducted by Rev. Jen and myself. Teens participated by reading the Bible and a poem Rev. Jen brought to the service. They also provided guitar music and vocal harmonies as an introit and during communion. And there were tears. Tears of love and tears from those who would be moving on in life as they passed the teen age into adulthood.

The dear friendships that develop at these retreats carry on outside the several meetings held throughout the year. Teens renew their friendships at Fryeburg Assembly and Almont summer camps and stay in contact through the internet, sharing pictures and words. In every sense, charity comes alive at retreats and this year was no different. The presence of God filled the retreat participants with affection and mutual care—from new teens to drivers and staff, and in me. While I put considerable time and work into my own contribution to this Memorial Day retreat, I came away gifted with much, much more than I came with. I feel truly blessed to join in the spirit of youth retreats as their Chaplain, in this very important ministry.