The Saskatchewan Anglican, Nov. 2005

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November 2005

An awesome time at Youth Discover Christ 2005 By Jacqueline Carverhill SASKATOON - This is the second year I have attended the annual Youth Discover Christ (YDC) conference, held at Camp Kinasao, Christopher Lake. I had a blast! The band that provided our musical ministry was Anthony Packwood from Calgary - they were awesome. They were jamming all day and night! I also got to hang out with fellow Anglican teens from all over Saskatchewan. Everyone was so nice and respectful towards each other. The theme this year was “Go Deeper” which meant we worked on “going deeper” in our relationship not only with God but also with other people. During the weekend, we learned from Father Terry Wiebe (aka “Rev”) how to do the centering prayer, which is a very powerful way of praying that can bring you very close to God. I also learned that you have to listen for God and to not be the one that is always talking, because if you are then God doesn't have a chance to “say” anything. During this workshop, we were also given the opportunity to share our personal experiences of prayer. Some people talked about what they saw and of having had actual physical sensations such as their wrists burning or smelling flowers. Some people were so at peace that they fell asleep! It was all very powerful. Another important aspect of the week

end was using our senses. We were encouraged to use all five senses when we were praying or reading scriptures from the Bible as well as in our daily interactions with each other. We were taught to relax our bodies and minds and to leave behind all our troubles from home or school. These are some of the reasons why I love YDC so much, because you can learn so many things about your relationships with others and with God and how to see God in others. You can learn different ways to pray all while having fun with your friends. YDC also gives kids time to relax and forget all their worries. I'd recommend it to anyone! Thanks be to God and to Bishop Rod, Diocesan Council and the various parishes for supporting this ongoing ministry. Special thanks to Father Wiebe, the camp chaperones/volunteers (Gwendolyn, Anita, Sheila, Diane, Mary Theresa, Tina, Mandy, Phyllis, Martin, Gerry, Yvonne), Kinasao cooks (Felix, Sharon, Charmaine) and the Anthony Packwood band (Anthony, Brian, Scott, Shauna, Anne) for a very memorable YDC 2005. Editor's Note: Jacqueline is a grade 8 student at the Ecole Canadienne Francaise de Saskatoon. She attends church at St. John's Cathedral.

Campers, along with board members Les and Pat Martin, gratefully accepted a $10,000 cheque from Bishop Rodney Andrews on July 22, raised by the bishop's Tractor Trek toward a new water system. Photo - Yvonne Mitchell.

The Reverend Terry Wiebe and his daughter Mandy (one of the YDC counsellors) sport clown noses following a session on Clown Ministry at the Youth Discover Christ conference Sept. 3 & 4. Photo Dianne Otterbein.

Why DC? Because ... By Dianne Otterbein SASKATOON - Recently, I had the pleasure of discovering why "Youth Discover Christ" at their yearly conference deep in God's Country. My girls have attended for three years now, but this was my first time there. Past years, both have returned home full of the Holy Spirit and loads of what I would call fresh faith. A few parents have questioned the apparent change in attitude. This year, I experienced the joy for myself and returned home a little fuller of the Holy Spirit and admittedly more tired than I have been since, oh . . . the days they were born. Perhaps YDC renews their childlike senses and gives time and space to enjoy just "being" and "feeling." The most helpful advice I have ever been given on parenting teenagers (and people who have lived through it are full of advice on the subject) is simply, "when you like them the least is when they need you to love them the most." Kids seem to want to be where there is unconditional love. My "job" over the weekend was to offer a workshop about Clown Ministry.

Being a rather young clown, I had a lot of fears about being around teenagers all weekend. It may come as a shock to hear that teenagers can be unpredictable and at times hard to understand. So, "Buttons" came with these ideas while "Zippers" (her much wiser clown friend), worked hard to make her understand that "not all teenagers are scary and many are actually kind.” “All you have to do," he says "is treat them as you want to be treated." That turned out to be sage advice coming from one young clown to another. "Why DC?" Well, because Jesus is right there, all the time, coaching us, watching us play, fall, even fight. He is the master of unconditional love and He will continue to strengthen us grown ups to see him in our kids. While I like to think I am still a young spring duck, I have managed to co-parent two incredible teenagers and watch in wonder as the next two quickly gain on them. I guess I'm allowed to offer a little advice of my own - they may start out waddling, but with you and God behind them, they'll be able to fly!

Tractor Trek benefits Camp Okema - new water system now in sight By Anna Irish CAMP OKEMA - Bishop Rodney Andrews brought a special contribution to the closing program of Okema's Small Fry camp on July 22. Having toured the diocese of Saskatoon by John Deere tractor in June, he had come to camp to present the Okema Society with the $10,000 the Tractor Trek had raised towards the

camp's new water system. Before presenting the cheque, Bishop Rod shared the story of the Trek with the campers, staff and parents who were celebrating the close of another successful week at camp. He told them about driving the tractor from community to community, and the opportunity he had to tell people across the diocese about camp

Okema. Board members Les and Pat Martin were on hand to receive the cheque with some of the small fry campers, who together thanked the Bishop for the moneys raised. The next step for the Okema Society is to raise the rest of the moneys needed for the new water system, hopefully in

time to install it before the 2006 camping season. The system is expected to cost around $30,000, and is needed to fully comply with new standards recently put into place in the province. The board hopes to receive some money in grants, but any donations towards this or any other of Okema's projects would be more than welcome.


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