Massanetta Story: A Golden Thread

Tristan, pictured above,  is the Director of Youth Ministry at University Presbyterian Church in Chapel Hill, NC.

It’s hard to describe the exact impact of Massanetta Springs.  Sometimes God shows up to people in an instant “Aha!” type moment and their life is forever changed.  But more often, God’s love slowly envelops people.  Perhaps first they find Massanetta to be a place where it’s easy to be themselves and make friends, and as an event (or the years) go by people realize that It’s not just Massanetta the place, it’s that God that shows up here again again weaving a sort of golden thread through their lives.  Stories of God shaping people over time are too numerous to count in our 100+ years of ministry, and each one is different.  But they are all woven together by the radical love of God in Jesus Christ that people find at Massanetta.

Perhaps you’re one of those people God has stitched together a story for at Massanetta.  Maybe you love someone who has that story.  It could be that your own pastor, Christian educator, or youth director was shaped by this place.  Year after year God weaves together faith stories here at Massanetta, and each one has something in common with the others.  They are all made possible through the generosity of people just like you.  When you make a gift of to Massanetta Springs before December 31, 2024, you create holy stories of lives impacted at Massanetta Springs.  Stories just like Tristans…

Tristan is the Director of Youth Ministry at University Presbyterian Church in Chapel Hill, NC, and attended his first middle school conference as a sixth grader. 

Growing up in the church as an only child and the son of the music director, Tristan found good community and close friends. He heard stories about Massanetta from others a few years ahead of him, and was excited to go when it was finally his turn as a sixth grader. He remembers playing a lot of basketball during free time and connecting with other kids; he also remembers the theme and the song for the conference. When he returned as an eighth grader, he recalls being deeply moved by communion at a closing worship, with a sense of urgency about needing to soak it all in before it was over.

Tristan, third from left, pictured outside of Hodge Lodge during his time as Youth Advocate for the Middle School Conference when he was in high school.

“There’s that cliche of, ‘Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened… I had this big realization that my reaction was borne out of love.” Tristan recognized he was departing from Hudson Auditorium for the last time as a middler. He felt connected to conferees, Advocates, and leaders, as if by a golden thread. He knew he’d be back– and back Tristan came, first as an Advocate himself (then called Enablers), and later chaperoning a group as a youth director for two summers. Then, he joined conference leadership as an Advocate coordinator. 

In participating in a vespers service for the Advocates before the conferences began, Tristan noticed that “golden thread” again, feeling connected to all of the leaders around him– those who came before him, and those he was helping raise up. Growing up, he didn’t expect he’d end up in youth ministry professionally. The sense of connection Tristan experienced at Massanetta was an important part of his faith formation, helping him recognize his faith as his own as he had other peers to develop that identity with. He’ll continue to come back, helping share that love and connection he felt to God and others around him with the next generation of leaders at Massanetta.
Will you help weave that golden thread of God’s love by making a gift of to Massanetta Springs before December 31, 2024? When we all join together in generosity, we invest in providing the time, space, and loving hospitality that allows so many stories like Tristan to grow over time.  Every gift of every size makes a difference. Your gift will make a difference.