{"id":166,"date":"2007-06-11T13:03:42","date_gmt":"2007-06-11T18:03:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/marktime.org\/?p=166"},"modified":"2009-01-27T13:41:00","modified_gmt":"2009-01-27T18:41:00","slug":"2007-all-church-retreat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/marktime.org\/?p=166","title":{"rendered":"2007 All-Church Retreat"},"content":{"rendered":"

This past weekend, Carolyn and I attended the Presbyterian Church of Lawrenceville<\/a> Annual All-Church Retreat at Camp Johnsonburg<\/a>.<\/p>\n

We arrived early on Friday in order to avoid rush hour traffic on the way there.\u00a0 This enabled us to choose our room in the lodge (a good move) and to sit in outdoor lounge chairs when everybody else arrived.\u00a0 Most of the group arrived in time for dinner Friday night, followed by tie-dying preparation.\u00a0 Friday night itself was hot and muggy and sleeping was not easy.<\/p>\n

Saturday was lovely but still a bit humid.\u00a0 We started the day with breakfast.\u00a0 Carolyn and I were both signed up for Low Ropes (group building and personal challenge activities near ground level).\u00a0 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).\u00a0 At that point anybody participating in the Leap of Faith had to leave in order to get there.\u00a0 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.<\/p>\n

\"Low
\nHere we are crossing the dangerous chocolate river on floating marshmallows.\u00a0 I’m the one in the green shirt and Carolyn is right behind me.\u00a0 I’ve mentioned Jill Cifelli here a number of times – she’s the woman in gray standing in line.<\/p>\n

The Leap of Faith is a zip line suspended above a low spot in the trail – forming a bit of a valley.\u00a0 Somehow the Ropes course staff managed to run 30 of the 35 people signed up through in the morning.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 For this activity I was rewarded with praise and sweat (lots of sweat).<\/p>\n

After lunch on Saturday we finished tie-dying and I got my chance on the Leap.<\/p>\n

\"Leap
\nThis is me in flight.<\/p>\n

\"Leap
\nThis is me waiting to be unhooked. (A thought bubble would say “Hurry up – this harness is giving me a serious wedgie!”)<\/p>\n

It cannot be taken more than one pill in 24hours in this manner you can also save money. sildenafil canada online<\/a> Talent appraisal for organizational development is the major focus of training programs. “A get viagra<\/a> 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<\/a> 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<\/a> Both their person life and professional are disturbed. <\/span>After the Leap I assisted with the kids who were doing High Ropes.\u00a0 The High Ropes course is run between trees about 20-30 feet off the ground.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 The other option is to climb an inclined ladder to a platform, and then crossing more cables and wooden boxes to the final platform.\u00a0 Both starts lead to a zip line at the end.\u00a0 Our church is apparently populated by monkeys – the kids did the High Ropes course mainly with no fear and very quickly.<\/p>\n

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.\u00a0 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.<\/p>\n

Saturday after dinner, we made banners depicting our concepts of faith and God that will hang in the Fellowship Center at church.\u00a0 After that, the traditional campfire complete with S’mores.<\/p>\n

Saturday night sleeping was easier due to lower temperatures.<\/p>\n

Sunday morning after breakfast we had worship outdoors by the waterfront.\u00a0 One of the parents in the group played a carved flute and pan pipes for the Prelude and Postlude.\u00a0 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).\u00a0 Worship was nice, and ended just before the rain started.<\/p>\n

It rained the rest of Sunday morning, and after lunch we headed on home.<\/p>\n

It was a nice weekend.\u00a0 I was more relaxed than usual as a result, and I’m having a tough time with “re-entry” into the work world today.<\/p>\n

One thing that was a bit odd was that Carolyn and I were the only family without kids.\u00a0 I believe that this retreat used to be the “Family Retreat” and in recent years has been the “All-Church” retreat.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 I did get to meet about 15 families that I didn’t know (or know well) before.\u00a0 Hopefully the retreat will attract more younger singles or couples without kids in the future.<\/p>\n

I tried to serve as a goodwill ambassador (a title vested on me by one of the parents) for the camp to the church.\u00a0 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).\u00a0 I hope they do – they’d both make great Johnsonburgers.\u00a0 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.<\/p>\n

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.