Ignite Senior High Retreat
This past weekend 35 youth and 11 young adults gathered for Ignite Senior High Retreat at St. Crispin’s Camp + Conference Center. The theme was "Songs that Shape Us". They examined the lyrics, scriptural basis, and theology of four camp songs. The program was led by Teresa Phares, Children and Youth Coordinator for the Diocese, Father Blake Woods from OU Canterbury, and Micheal Canaday from Emmanuel Shawnee.
Teresa shared a few things she loved about the retreat, “What I love about this retreat is that it gives returning campers an opportunity to re-connect with camp friends, and it is also the perfect time for first timers to attend and get to know the camp community on a less intimidating level. It is also the first time that 9th graders come to a high school event, so they can ease into the senior high camp session already having made connections with some of those older campers. I get to design the program each year, and I try to discern topics that are relevant to our youth. It really is a laid-back weekend, that feels like a retreat from the outside world.”
“One of my favorite things about this particular weekend was seeing how the youth were so engaged in the Bible studies and expressing their desire to do more! And, every time we are together at St. Crispin's I am inspired by the energy that the youth bring to our worship. They sing whole-heartedly, pray intently, and cultivate a culture where we all feel connected and a part of something bigger than ourselves.
Teresa shared what future holds for the retreat, “The Ignite retreat has grown in the last three years, and I hope that it continues to grow. More and more, of our youth are searching for communities and spaces where they can share and wonder openly, and where they can be themselves authentically. I also find that this is a transformative time for young adults, when they can come back and help lead the small groups and spend time with the youth. Our youth need role models like that in their lives. Retreats like these are what help keep our youth engaged in their faith journeys. I look forward to being creative with future programs, and continuing to welcome more youth, develop more leaders, and nurture all of them spiritually.”
We offer a similar experience for our middle schoolers in February called New Beginnings. New Beginnings is planned and led by our high schooler leaders. If you have middle schoolers who would like to attend, or high schoolers who would like to help lead it, please reach out to Teresa at tphares@epiok.org!
