Winter Retreat Worship Service Poem

Balance Your Peace and Love

Peace,
without who am i,
or who are you.
War solves none,
just does more,
evil.

Love,
something,
something I found,
we found really,
when we're born,
it gained never lost.

Balance,
Peace and Love,
seize and dove,
it creates us....

as one

~ by Josh

Almont Winter Retreat

Winter retreat at Almont was incredible. Despite many of us being sick (including me) with persistent lingering colds (some have renamed the retreat Snotfest 2009, yuck!). The retreat was lively, full of life and energy. Coma couch got a workout, as usual. Did you know that this was the first Almont winter retreat for thirteen teens? Ten teens who attended had never even visited Almont before. It was wonderful to see the "longtime" SCYL teens greet the new teens and help to welcome them into our community. It is hard for someone to break into a new group and I really appreciate all that everyone did to make the new teens feel comfortable and accepted. It is my hope and prayer that teens new to Almont will find it to be a positive environment where the soul is nourished, the spirit is lifted - a place where lifelong caring friends can be found. And I hope new Almonters come back year after year, to SCYL retreats, summer camps and other events. This is my experience, and it has made all the difference in my life. And it is the SCYL spirit of acceptance and your care for one another that perhaps I value most.

What memories did I take home from this retreat? Bowling and pizza, bringing that nasty Satan into the light, frozen Ultimate, watching the joy that is Coma Couch, talking about Old Testament laws and how they apply today, Catch Phrase, discussing marriage and same sex relationships, Foreigner in the van, and singing grace at interstate service plazas. What did you take home from this retreat? Please add your comments to those of Nina and Rachel here and let everyone know!

My mind is flooding with memories of all the fun things we did— getting all dressed for everything (especially bowling), sharing stories while washing dishes, freezing during Ultimate Frisbee, devouring popsicles and garlic bread, bonding with the girls at 3 a.m., and having a raving dance party in Pfister lounge with glow sticks! ~ Nina

The four days I spent there were so filled with love and laughter and happiness and excitement and back-breaking, rib-cracking hugs. ~ Nina

Upon arriving we were quickly acquainted with the beloved tap water, we had all managed to forget about. From this point on, everything is one giant blur; once other people started showing up we were on retreat time, which means that an hour feels like it's three. ~ Rachel

The sessions were really intriguing. I especially enjoyed Sage’s topic of same sex marriage and of course the closing worship service that ended with all the teens singing along to Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believing.” I found that moment to be truly touching. ~ Nina

...i'd say the amount of fun and everlasting experiences can be measured by the number of people who keep coming back and the new ones who have been convinced into coming. ~ Rachel

Almont was incredible, and I thank all the teens and staff for making it such a beautiful place. ~ Nina

Happy New Year!

Sorry that I have not gotten a post up recently. I've been very busy. I promise Almont winter retreat pictures and stories very soon. Keep checking in. Hope you are healthy, happy and enjoying the new year.

Christmas Lights

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

In the dark December days, there is a blessed light. The whole month seems to be filled with Christmas cheer. Lights go up on houses and trees. Decorations go up inside houses. People seem happier. The dark December days are lit up with the cheer of Christmas.

Our church calendar is also brightened with the coming of Christmas. We think of that little baby in the manger, of innocent shepherds, of the chorus of angels singing praises to the newborn Christ child. This is a season that especially honors the family. In this season, motherhood is placed in the center of religious observance. Christmas is especially about that special bond between a mother and her child.

Christmas demands a great leap of faith. Our theology teaches that in Christ’s birth, God came to humanity. The word Immanuel in Hebrew means “God with us.” And that is what this church teaches. The miracle of Christ’s birth is that God took on a human form. God came to a world that was darker than December nights. The Word of God had been replaced with rituals and customs of men. Inhumanity reigned free. Horrible acts of cruelty were commonplace.

Into that darkness a light was born. Into an insignificant manger, a baby and his mother celebrated the miracle of birth. Into a quiet manger, a baby was born who would transform the world. This is what Christmas means to me. It means all of the above: cheer, Christmas lights, giving gifts, the bond of mother and child, and the coming of God into the darkest night, in the darkest age of humanity. This Christmas season, let Christ come into your hearts. Let Christ’s Spirit fill you with joy. Let Christ’s love shine through you. Celebrate the coming of Immanuel, and let God be with you.

Former League President Rev. Dr. David Fekete

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

This month's featured former League President:

Rev. Dr. David Fekete
Served 1973

(current SCYL Chaplain)

[Dave at age 19]

When I became President of the SCYL, things were pretty dismal. I was elected at Convention in 1973. There were maybe 7 of us, and that represented about how big the SCYL was then. Church membership was falling off at alarming rates. There was no League Journal. There were only us few. It looked to us like the SCYL was going to die out.

I decided to revive the Journal that year. We gave it the title Clear Blue Sky, because we had hopes for a new, greater future.

[Dave preaching at age 13 in the Almont Chapel]

That summer I was hitch-hiking across the US and Canada. People were doing that back then, but I certainly wouldn’t recommend it today. I decided to visit all the leaguers who were spread across the country and get in touch with them. I also got their addresses so we could send them Clear Blue Sky and keep those in touch who were spread out, though there weren’t many. We published a Journal each month from Detroit, where I lived then.

We had Christmas retreats at Almont then. But the only minister there was the Detroit minister, and most of the leaguers were from the Detroit church. We got a few from New England. As it is today, we all had a great time together. We enjoyed religious sessions and having fun with each other.

[Rev. Dr. Dave today]

It is thrilling for me to see how the SCYL has grown since I was president. You now have significant numbers and close ties of friendship. The SCYL is a strong organization now. The hopes we had way back in 1973 of a vibrant youth group are realized today. And the SCYL is growing stronger by the day.

Fryeburg Youth Group Christmas Sleepover

Our Christmas sleepover was great last Saturday night. Eleven of us gathered at the Fryeburg New Church to swap gifts, eat spaghetti, talk Swedenborg, play Sardines (of course), Apples to Apples, Psychiatrist, and other reindeer games. Hungry Hungry Hippo and the Rudolph play set keep us entertained. Holly and Celie came from Portland and joined the Fryeburg teens. Ian was the only boy, so that was quite interesting (he did not stay overnight, but left late and returned in the morning). As it was the first snowfall, once it got dark the teens made a little snowman and snuck around outside the church hunting each other and attacking with snowballs. This raised suspicion amongst the local residents who called the police suspecting foul play or a b&e in progress! A police officer crept in the church at 1 am and quietly came downstairs to observe what was going on (a rousing game of Apples to Apples). When we heard the upstairs door open and close, of course we suspected a ghost. When the officer came around the corner, all the girls screamed! I'm surprised he didn't pull out his gun. Lee and I straightened out the situation and then we had a good laugh. We went to bed around 1:30 am and then got up to a bagel breakfast and worship. This was a really fun overnight. I hope even more teens can join us for our next sleepover in the spring.

Teen Profile: Dorothy

Awhile back, in April actually, I got the chance to get to know Dorothy at the annual Kitchener/Waterloo Spring retreat. I was amazed at her talent as a writer and artist. She is 19 now (first drawing here is a self portrait of her) and is happily finished with High School and moving on to bigger things. Dorothy gave me a little profile of herself so I could share a bit about her and her wonderful work with the other teens in the SCYL.

Dorothy is 19 years old and attends the Church of the Good Shepherd church in Kitchener, Ontario. She loves Zelda and Manga. Dorothy has been writing a Zelda Fan Fiction trilogy for more then 4 years now. Along with her writing, she creates amazingly edgy and imaginative illustrated characters and scenes. Her Swedenborgian faith influences her Zelda stories greatly. She particularly draws inspiration from imagery in the book of Revelation such as the 7 headed dragon (Rev 12:3), 7 headed horned leopard beast out of the sea (Rev 13:1,2), the horned ram that speaks like a dragon out of the earth (Rev 13:11) and the two edged sword (Rev 1:16). We I emailed Dorothy this week to get her permission to share her artwork on this blog, she mentioned to me that she is rewriting her fan fiction as her style has matured. She plans to rework her links to Swedenborg's writings by making them more accurate and impacting. I can't wait to see what she does. If you like Manga, Zelda or just appreciate original art check out her work here:

http://www.link-reborn.deviantart.com/.

Dorothy is a gifted artist and her stuff is awesome. I think you'll be impressed. Feel free to leave her a message, comment or review. I'm sure she would love to hear from you.