Wow, am I tired. I just got back from a four day retreat up in Michigan, on the lake about an hour south of Grand Rapids. I was there with over a dozen men and women in their twenties and thirties who came together for fellowship, discussion, support and fun, all in a New Church context.
I had a blast, but as the second oldest one there I have to admit that I am now worn out. I'm looking forward to sleeping in my own bed tonight.
We talked about and practiced holy gratitude, and also discussed topics such as relationships, what it means to be "in the church", reconciling the more practical teachings of the church with what some might call the more "out there" parts. We also had a lot of fun. I particularly enjoyed leading vesper services each night, culminating with a very intimate and reverent holy supper service. I am a big fan of the contemporary praise and worship music found in some New Church congregations, but I don't get much of a chance to enjoy it in the congregations I normally serve, so I was really happy to be able to sing and hear so much of it these past three nights.
I also really appreciated that there was such a wide range of experience in the group, with single, dating, divorced, married, and married with children all represented. Also we had people raised in the church, drifted away and then returned, discovered it as young adults, and even those still exploring, all there and participating. It was wonderful, too, to have the varying perspective of those from large church congregations, from small ones, and also from places where there is no established congregation to speak of.
Best of all was the spirit of gratitude, support, and love everyone shared. I also really liked that everyone was so serious about better understanding the Lord and improving their spiritual lives while still being able to practice what I think of as "holy playfulness". There was a lot of sincere conversation well-salted with a lot of warm laughter.
If you ever get a chance to attend one of these retreats put on by the Young Adult Connection (a part of the General Church of the New Jerusalem), I most certainly would recommend it.