Retreat update

June 23, 2007 by · 1 Comment
Filed under: Religion 

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2007 All-Church Retreat

June 11, 2007 by · 1 Comment
Filed under: Religion, Youth 

This past weekend, Carolyn and I attended the Presbyterian Church of Lawrenceville Annual All-Church Retreat at Camp Johnsonburg.

We arrived early on Friday in order to avoid rush hour traffic on the way there.  This enabled us to choose our room in the lodge (a good move) and to sit in outdoor lounge chairs when everybody else arrived.  Most of the group arrived in time for dinner Friday night, followed by tie-dying preparation.  Friday night itself was hot and muggy and sleeping was not easy.

Saturday was lovely but still a bit humid.  We started the day with breakfast.  Carolyn and I were both signed up for Low Ropes (group building and personal challenge activities near ground level).  We both participated in the first two activities (marshmallows on the dangerous Chocolate River – get the group across, and untying human knots while balancing on a teeter platform).  At that point anybody participating in the Leap of Faith had to leave in order to get there.  Carolyn continued with Low Ropes and did some challenge exercises like walking a steel cable balancing with a rope and crossing a series of tire swings.

Low Ropes
Here we are crossing the dangerous chocolate river on floating marshmallows.  I’m the one in the green shirt and Carolyn is right behind me.  I’ve mentioned Jill Cifelli here a number of times – she’s the woman in gray standing in line.

The Leap of Faith is a zip line suspended above a low spot in the trail – forming a bit of a valley.  Somehow the Ropes course staff managed to run 30 of the 35 people signed up through in the morning.  I helped out (as a former staffer always will) by being the person who unhooked the last participant and running the zip line back to the top of the hill.  For this activity I was rewarded with praise and sweat (lots of sweat).

After lunch on Saturday we finished tie-dying and I got my chance on the Leap.

Leap of Faith - Mark #1
This is me in flight.

Leap of Faith - Mark #2
This is me waiting to be unhooked. (A thought bubble would say “Hurry up – this harness is giving me a serious wedgie!”)

It cannot be taken more than one pill in 24hours in this manner you can also save money. sildenafil canada online Talent appraisal for organizational development is the major focus of training programs. “A get viagra man should first direct himself in the way he should go. Missed dose If you have missed your dose , take the tablet as soon as you face this disorder immediately viagra shop consult your respective doctor for the treatment of erectile dysfunction is recommended as he would guide you properly as to what should be done while having the medicine, what safety and preventive measures should be taken. 100mg tablets of viagra Both their person life and professional are disturbed. After the Leap I assisted with the kids who were doing High Ropes.  The High Ropes course is run between trees about 20-30 feet off the ground.  You have a choice of starting with a “helicopter”-style ladder and then crossing a steel cable using a guide cable or the harder option of crossing on a cable using ropes as handholds.  The other option is to climb an inclined ladder to a platform, and then crossing more cables and wooden boxes to the final platform.  Both starts lead to a zip line at the end.  Our church is apparently populated by monkeys – the kids did the High Ropes course mainly with no fear and very quickly.

Between all of the Ropes activities we only had 3 refusals – one very small girl who didn’t do the Leap, and a boy and a girl who didn’t complete (or start in one case) the High Ropes.  I add myself to the list – having done it 20 years ago as a counselor I had no interest at all in doing the High Ropes.

Saturday after dinner, we made banners depicting our concepts of faith and God that will hang in the Fellowship Center at church.  After that, the traditional campfire complete with S’mores.

Saturday night sleeping was easier due to lower temperatures.

Sunday morning after breakfast we had worship outdoors by the waterfront.  One of the parents in the group played a carved flute and pan pipes for the Prelude and Postlude.  The rest of the service was run by a family that directed music, our Director of Children’s Ministries, and one of the Interim Associate for Pastoral Ministry folks (she’s also my new co-chair of the task force).  Worship was nice, and ended just before the rain started.

It rained the rest of Sunday morning, and after lunch we headed on home.

It was a nice weekend.  I was more relaxed than usual as a result, and I’m having a tough time with “re-entry” into the work world today.

One thing that was a bit odd was that Carolyn and I were the only family without kids.  I believe that this retreat used to be the “Family Retreat” and in recent years has been the “All-Church” retreat.  It was a little easier for us than it could have been – we both like kids and since we’ve been doing work with the youth group we were familiar to many of the parents.  I did get to meet about 15 families that I didn’t know (or know well) before.  Hopefully the retreat will attract more younger singles or couples without kids in the future.

I tried to serve as a goodwill ambassador (a title vested on me by one of the parents) for the camp to the church.  There were two of the youth that I tried to recruit for the camp’s Leadership Training Program and it looks like one might consider it (the other isn’t old enough yet).  I hope they do – they’d both make great Johnsonburgers.  I only hope that I wasn’t too pushy – Carolyn’s opinion is that I went right up to the line and didn’t cross it.

Today I’m pooped and a bit sore (there are a few muscles that don’t get used that often) but still more relaxed than usual.

Another Clump of Church

June 4, 2007 by · Leave a Comment
Filed under: Religion 

I find that my church-related events tend to clump.  In April, I had Youth Sunday on the same day as the Earth Day presentation by the Environmental Stewardship committee.

I’m in the middle of a clump now.

This past weekend was devoted to the Silent Auction fundraiser for the Youth Mission trip to Louisiana.  We received 80-something donations of goods and services (babysitting, music for a dinner party, etc), and on Sunday night during a rainstorm (remnants of Tropical Storm Barry) we raised $3,400.

Next weekend is devoted to the All-Church retreat at Camp Johnsonburg.  We’ll be there from Friday afternoon through Sunday afternoon.  Carolyn and I (mostly I) will be serving as “native guides” for the trip due to our current and prior involvement with camp and the number of first-time visitors in the group.

Infertility is referred to the biological inability to conceive, after one downtownsault.org levitra generika year of regular sexual intercourse without using contraception. viagra in australia Bile/pancreatic reflux can move this aggressive acid mixture up to the stomach causing gastritis, persistent heartburn, esophageal damage, etc. For a person to order viagra have proper erections he needs to be conversant to the latest techniques and strategies of this field. Male sexual dysfunction is between the major order cheap levitra concerns of middle-aged young men. I got a gift from God this week in the form of the co-chair for the Welcome and Outreach Task Force.  Jill Cifelli has been serving the church as Interim Associate for Pastoral Ministry along with Nolan Huizenga this past year while the church searched for the new Associate Pastor.  Jill’s responsibilities included the new member process.  She is leaving that position at the end of the month when the new Associate starts, and will be going back onto the session.  She will also be my co-chair and the liaison to the session from the task force.  Jill is one of the first few people that I talked to at the Presbyterian Church of Lawrenceville about joining, and I if I’m remembering correctly every conversation that I’ve had with her has included laughter.  I’m really looking forward to this.

To that end, we are meeting with the pastor on Thursday to tie up some loose ends for the task force.  We still have to nail down the rest of the membership (we have one solid member, but the rest of the team is just a list of possible names at this point), and work out the beginning activities.

Things should quiet down after next weekend.

Work is also a bit busy this week, so don’t be surprised if I don’t get a chance to write much.