The Words of the Schuler Family
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The Words of the Schuler Family |
On the weekend of March 26-28, 2010, the New England young adult community came together for a retreat at Morning Garden in Gloucester, Massachusetts. The theme of this retreat was our connection to: God's words, Prayer, and the Community. These are not often thought of together, but the workshop seamlessly demonstrated how they all relate to each other and together enable us to feel more deeply connected to our faith.
Masao Okano presented on prayer, focusing on the idea of creating a sustainable prayer life, which should be open, honest, and an expression of your unique character. "Just as God is infinite, so are the ways in which we can communicate with him," he explained. Everyone was given time to write out a prayer to God, challenging them to break out of the routine prayer rut that many of us find ourselves in. Some participants were so inspired they wrote a poem about their feelings to God. Afterwards, people got into pairs, and prayed aloud for each other. This was also breaking from routine. As one participant described, "We both realized that it was rare for us to pray for someone else so specifically."
Tommy Noda presented on his experiences with creating a habit of reading Hoon Dok Hae and how it is important in daily life. His presentation was described as "balanced and honest" and had everyone in stitches with his candid descriptions of his daily schedule, from confessions of reading Hoon Dok Hae while waiting at red lights or using the bathroom! The presentation was followed by an activity in which participants drafted "elevator answers" to critical church questions, such as "Who is Reverend Moon?" and "What do you believe?"
Emilie Schuler gave tips on how to have more meaningful conversations in order to promote bonding and a greater sense of community. Participants were paired off in order to practice the concepts while getting to know someone new.
The presentations were all given by members of our young adult community, making them very accessible and relatable. As one participant remarked, "It wasn't as heavy as a Divine Principle workshop yet it was still spiritually nutritious and fun. It had a good balance of relaxation and focus." Participants had lots of time between presentations to socialize, relax, and play games, and the presentations themselves were very interactive. "It helped me not only go deeper with God and prayer, but I also felt like I got better acquainted with a portion of the BC community."
The retreat included lots of break time to play games and have fun with each other. By far the most innovative part of retreat was the "home stay." Each retreat participant went to stay with a host-family on the second night, getting to know a family in the community and having inter-generational dialog. Participants loved the home-cooked meals (something that college students and STFers don't get very often!) and the relaxed evenings they spent with the families, talking about testimonies and life experiences. It was the perfect way to introduce college students from far away to community members, and give STF a warm community welcome.
Overall, the retreat was a great success, and we look forward to having another soon. One participant summed it up thus: "Like the ocean deep and vast, words can't easily describe it without experiencing it. I can't put it into words but I felt this was one of the most memorable events I've been to in years."
For more information about our Young Adult Ministry or to sign up for e-mails about future events, contact Masao Okano. To view all the photos of the workshop, and other albums of our Young Adult Ministry activities, go to flickr.com/youthministry.
Written by Emilie Schuler with photographs by Masao Okano.