Montreat Youth Conference

The Davidson Presbyterian Churches (Davidson and Davidson College Presbyterian Churchs) attended the 2007 Montreat Youth Conference, during week 6, July 29-August 4. We lived together in the Elizabeth Lord Huske House, cooked tasty meals (including a taco party with Cook's Memorial Presbyterian Church and a luau). We also played and worshipped together as we explored the theme Turning the Page. Marianna made the fabulous slideshow/video (above) of pictures and memories from Montreat Youth Conference Week Six, featuring our fabulous group. Check it out.

Out of this trip came a commitment for the youth from our oh-so-close churches to do more together to strengthen our community. The first dual activity will be the screening of Invisible Children. (See the link to the left.) While at Montreat Evon, Brijan, Marianna, and Shelli went to see the documentary Invisible Children, which was shown because 1/3 of the conference offering was going to them. The entire group has been convicted by that experience and the World on Fire video by Sarah McLachlan. Check it out at http://youtube.com/watch?v=6SkdyRcK9KM. Wanting to reach out into the world together, we will show Invisible Children on a Wednesday evening in October and raise funds for those the world turns away from. Read more!

Signed, Sealed, Delivered (day 4)

Today we got up, got packed, ate breakfast, loaded the bus. Then we met with our encounter groups for the last time (boo), worshipped together in Hudson Auditorium, and headed for home. We lucked out with a little extended Massanetta reunion at Wendy's in Harrisonburg (lucky for us less lucky for Wendy's). Then we snoozed (except Shelli who was drinking Diet Coke like crazy) and reminisced on the way back to Davidson.



It was a really great conference. Once again, we say, "It's too short."



(Art on Holly and Hannah R.'s window.) Read more!

Signed, Sealed, Delivered (Day 3)

What we did today: breakfast, lunch, and dinner (imagine that they feed us here) theme III and IV, encounter groups x 2, two more workshops, recreation with hair don'ts art, and slip n' slide; the big dance, an anointing service, laying on of hands for one another in our closing devos.

Where did we see God today?

• Kasey- Anointment
• Hannah C.: having fun at the dance
• Tori: Moon and stars at anointment (Shelli too!!!) (Additional commentary by Tori: I absolutely ADORED the music. Numa Numa, and Revolution are definitely the best energizers (in my opinion) and Stewert playing the guitar/piano was very uplifting!!!)
• Holly: the entire day. Saw God singing in Hudson and in the oil at the anointing.
• Hannah R: entire day. :] Workshops. Saw God in the quote from both of the movies.

(H & H show off their shaving cream art. C shows how yucky you can get making shaving cream art - when it is a full contact sport.)

What we want to remember about the day to bring back with us:

FUN CITY: new people; new dance (the one we made up using pirate moves - aaar!); Massanetta is the best!!, sharing last moments with good friends. Holly: I want to bring back personalities and spirits of the others I met. Hannah: meeting people and the dance.

MEANINGFUL: (delivered from) Watching movie clips from Akkealah and the Bee and Coach Carter - middle school is when you find out who you are. We're moving from faith from our parents & Sunday school teacher to thinking 4 yourself. Things we want to be delivered from: pressures, poor faith, from always thinking change is bad. We want to be delivered to: leadership, really thinking on our faith, not always depending on others but instead helping them.

FAITH: How Massanetta just brings everyone together. Massanetta is a magical place. Holly and Shelli: Holy ground is made from God. It is not one particular place but where we are thinking about God and spending time with God. That space is Holy Ground.

Biggest Groan of the Day: Massanetta is tooooooo short. It should be a week.

(Having fun at the dance.)

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Signed, Sealed, Delivered (Day 2)

(In these pics: The Water Bottle Club. The We Wish We Were In The Water Bottle Club. Leaky bucket ract in station recreation. HC. and T show their muscle by the canoes.)

What we did today:

theme I (that means energizers, music, and keynote), chillin' with our encounter group, workshop 1, station recreation on the lawn, free time, theme II, workshop 2, a totally superific scavenger hunt, devotions

Today we talked about what it mean to be signed and sealed by God:
Here's what we think:

Signed – To be signed is to be approved by God. It means that ‘I am who I am’ and God loves me for me. To be signed by God makes me feel: accepted, whole, special, proud, unworthy, relieved, privileged.

Sealed – To be sealed is to marked by God as God's very own. (You know in Pirates of the Carribean how official letters and promises were marked with wax and sealed with the impression of a ring or king. God does that - makes a mark on us saying we are from God.) If I am sealed by God, it shows God's commitment, promise, we are bound together.

Words of wisdom from Holly. "Something that is sealed is ready, totally complete. It has everything in it it needs. God makes us ready to go into the world."

And God says, ‘I will be with you…’ (Exodus 3:12)

Where we Saw God today: In people's enthusiastic spirit and people having fun, in Matt & Brian's Song x 3 (Matt and Brian are two enablers who sang for us during theme II), in the cross on the hill on the scavenger hunt, in sifting through the grains of sand in the spirituality workshop and knowing that God is in the details.

What we most want to remember about our day:

FUN: scavenger hunt (We decorated a plastic shoe box. Then we ran all over campus following clues and doing crazy things to the stuff that goes inside. In the end, we filled our box with things to go to a child who needs school supplies and toys. We decided that we're delivering ours to the Ada Jenkins Center. We're pretty certain we were the best and therefore we all won a sundae on the way home.)
MEANINGFUL: God loves us and always will. God loves you for who you are - not what people tell you to be. When asked who God is, God says, "I am." That makes me think that God is everywhere and too big to be defined. You can be what you want and still be loved. Nothing separates you from God’s love. Read more!

Signed, Sealed, Delivered (Day 1)

What we did today:

8:30 AM - Arrived at the Congregation House to meet up with our new friends from Bethpage Kannapolis, prayed, climbed into the car and drove a long time.

Got stuck in a traffic jam.

Stopped at Subway in a gas station with four little tables and a line 20 long. We ate in the car.

Stopped at Target to buy Christ Kin (secret pal) presents. We snuck around (sort of), picking things out under the cover of midnight (not really.) Pretty much, they're not a secret any more.

2:30 PM - Arrived at Massanetta, got registered, found our rooms (upgraded to less scary than last year), hung out.

At the conference we went to:

• Opening with skits and singing and energizers


• Dinner with pizza and apples and pretend dippin' dots


• Opening worship


• Encounter groups - lots of games and mixin' and minglin' with our small groups


• Fun time of game playing and ice cream sundaes


• Devotions

Tori says, “Massanetta is the coolest place in the world. Everyone is so energetic and so welcoming. And I can’t wait to see what is so come. I’m so excited. I’ve just been here one day, and I already want to be an enabler.” (In Massanetta language, Enabler is a high schooler who leads theme, activities, encounter/small groups, etc.)

Where did we see God today:

• In all the people singing and clapping.


• In the beautiful mountains that we drove through on the way here.


• During worship, especially singing.


• In people coming together and making new friends.


• In the way old friends can be reuinited.

Who's on this great adventure: Tori Rinker, Kasey Moore, Hannah Clark, Hannah Rothrock, Holly Burgess, and Shelli Latham. (That's us looking so happy to be standing in the sun before our first journey into Hudson Auditorium - minus Shelli.)

Read more!