 Local Youth Ministries Supporting Each Other (LYMSE) Next session: September 23, 7:00 to 8:00 pm CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FOR THE NEXT LYMSE SESSION |
 Fall Retreats in an Election Year:Rebuking the Wind and Waves |
| Junior High Yearly Meeting (JHYM) Fall Retreat for 6-8th graders October 4-6 Portland Friends Meeting Portland, ME Junior Yearly Meeting (JYM) Fall Retreat for 2nd-6th graders November 8-10 Woolman Hill Retreat Center Deerfield, MA to register for events, go to the Youth Ministries Retreats page on the NEYM Website |
 Rebuking the Wind and WavesWhen I realized that I had scheduled a JYM retreat on the weekend after the election, I gulped. Would we be able to tune out the world just two days after learning the results? Would the staff be ready to answer questions the kids might be asking – questions that adults might be still asking themselves? Did I need to plan multiple contingency schedules to respond to different scenarios, results, and reactions? And what about JHYM – should I be planning a retreat that addressed the rhetoric and controversies that would be undoubtedly swirling around us by October? I conceded that I didn’t have a crystal ball, and realized that I had to plan something that would ‘work’ regardless of the outcome, making space for any outcome and any emotions we may be feeling. Something steadfast. Something hopeful. And it occurred to me that this ‘something,’ this theme, this message, should be the same – unchanging – whether it was a month before the election or two days after. Because our values won’t have changed. God* won’t have changed. Our faith – whether emboldened or shaken – is always relevant. As I meditated on the concept of this no-matter-what faith, I remembered the story of Jesus calming the storm. He was on a boat with his disciples when the storm started. In response to the disciples’ fear, Jesus uttered the famous line, “O ye of little faith.” Jesus had not been afraid. In fact, his mood and behavior hadn’t changed since the calm sea had rocked him to sleep hours earlier! It was only because they woke him up in a panic that he felt the need to do anything at all. And they say he “rebuked the wind and waves,” calming the sea, along the with the fears of the crew. Wind and waves always exist in our lives. Sometimes they are political and societal. They can also be emotional, spiritual, relational, medical, or financial. But we can have hope no matter what. We can have faith no matter what. And this election season is a great time for us all to be reminded of that concept, which we can carry into the rest of our lives. Wherever your child is on the politically savvy spectrum, whatever else they might be struggling with in their life – and even if they are blissfully ignorant of any hardship in the world right now – this theme can speak to them and provide comfort in storms of the present or future. We will explore the aforementioned scripture passage in that open-ended, metaphorical, individualized way that Quakers do. We will play team-building games that are ocean and/or ship themed. We will talk about how to be grounded in our lives. At the retreat in Portland, we will experience waves on a ferry ride. At Woolman Hill we will visit the preserved home of war tax resisters who rebuked the winds of injustice by living simply. Please join us by registering today! In Peace, Kara Price Children and Family Ministries Coordinator New England Yearly Meeting *Sometimes I use the word God to refer to that divine light that exists within and outside of all of us. Sometimes I use other words. The volunteer staff use a variety of words too. Retreats are an opportunity for all of us to ‘listen in tongues’ and learn from and about each other’s spiritual journeys in a mutual respectful way. Similarly, scripture is one of many ways that we can access the divine and explore concepts of faith at this and other retreats.  THANKS FOR A WONDERFUL SESSIONS!CHILD CARE STAFF Rainer Humphries (Coordinator) Carol Baker (Assistant Coordinator) Brooke Burkett Jennifer Hogue Jerry Carson Mary Lee Morrison Pamela Drouin Paula Rosvall Peter Colby JYM STAFF Kenzie Burpee (Coordinator) Leah Kelley (4-6th Grade Leader) Joli Reynolds (K-3rd Grade Leader) Annie Bingham Craig Jensen Emily Smith Isaac Bingham Luke Coletta Lizzie Szanton Martha Schwope Mary Chenille Rebecca Edwards Sophie Jones Tyler Green JHYM STAFF Emily Edwards (Coordinator) Merritt Bussiere-Nichols (Asst. Coord.) Buddy Baker-Smith (Asst. Coord.) Abigail Adams Amy Greene Ari Schifman Brennon Schifman Chloe Grubbs-Saleem Chris Fitze Dave Baxter |
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