Overview

November 18-20, 2022

A pay-what-you’re-able retreat for high school students and their leaders, centered on worship, leadership development, and small group discussion while learning about PC(USA)’s Matthew 25 vision.

Questions?
Call: 540-434-3829
Email: colleen@massanettasprings.org

Resources

Worship with Matt and Sophia

Come All You People (Uyai Mose), Zimbabwe

Este Momento, Argentina

Gloria a Dios, Peru

I’ll Lift My Voice to Sing Praise, Togo

I’m Gonna Live So God Can Use Me, USA

Spirit I Have Heard You Calling, USA

Take O Take Me As I Am, Scotland

We Give Our Hands To You, Botswana

Critical thinking with melva

Beyond the Privilege Walk by Jey Ehrenhalt, Learning for Justice

Privilege Walk Exercise from Peggy McIntosh’s concept of White Privilege

Privilege Walk with Participant Evaluation via the Dolores Huerta Foundation

Storytelling with Ekama

The Story of Me, Playlist by Ekama Eni

Preacher

Rev. Cecelia D. Armstrong

is a cradle Presbyterian who held membership at Calvary, New Life, Belle-Terrace Presbyterian churches in Detroit, MI, Atlanta, GA, and Augusta, GA, respectively. She was educated at Spelman College, the University of Southern Mississippi, the Interdenominational Theological Center, where she attended Johnson C. Smith Theological Seminary, and is currently enrolled at the University of Dubuque Theological Seminary pursing a Doctor of Ministry degree. She was ordained as a Deacon, and then an Elder, before she accepted the call on her life into ministry.
Pastor CeCe served Grady Memorial Hospital as a chaplain and Beth Salem as supply pastor. As an ordained Minister of the Word and Sacraments, Rev. Armstrong served as Solo Pastor of Grace in Lantana, FL and now is the very proud Associate Pastor of St. James on James Island in Charleston, SC.

Worship Leaders

Registration

REGISTRATION HAS CLOSED! As of 10/31/22, registration for this event has closed. If you have a group hold, know that any remaining spots have been released and no one else may register.

PAY- WHAT- YOU’RE- ABLE

Thanks to generous support through Synod and Presbytery grants and the Great Community Give, we’re offering this program as a pay- what- you’re- able.

The cost of Keep Awake! is $195 per person, and we hope families, congregations, and presbyteries will support participants as they can. However, the group registration will be separate from the payment, and we invite groups to contribute whatever amount feels appropriate given your context. Whether that contribution is $1 or $195, all programs, lodging, and meals are included. When we say pay- what- you’re- able, we mean it!

Questions? Contact Colleen Earp, Program Director, at colleen@massanettasprings.org.

to register your group

These instructions are for the group leader.

Step 1: Fill out the form below with general group information and estimated numbers to reserve spaces for your group. Please note: you must bring 1 adult for every 7 youth. We will then generate a “group hold code” and send it to your leader. If you have questions, Sarah Grace Hall is serving as conference registrar. She can be reached at sarahgraceh@massanettasprings.org or 540-434-3829.

Step 2: Once you receive the “group hold code,” share it with your group and send them to the “Participant Account” link below. Parents/guardians will be able to register their youth and adult advisors will be able to register themselves using that “group hold code.”

Participant Account

Step 3: As a leader, you will be able to log into a separate account to view who has registered and completed all forms. The “Leader Account” link is below. To register yourself, use the the SAME username and password at the participant link above.

Leader Account

Step 4. Pay- what- you’re- able! Send or bring a check for your entire group, or make a credit card payment by phone, through our DONATE button on the top right of the page, or on site when you arrive. Please include “Keep Awake!” in the memo somewhere— this information will only be used to help us plan for the future of pay- what- you’re- able events.

What to Expect

Conference Schedule

The schedule may change depending on registration numbers and other planning factors, but this draft version gives an overview:

FRIDAY: no meals served

6:00-7:00 check in, settle into rooms, explore site

7:00-7:30 welcome, orientation to site and program

7:30-8:00 opening worship

8:00-8:30 break, snacks

8:30-9:30 workshop (waiting to hear back on a detail about this which I think will set the whole schedule in something closer to stone)

9:30-9:45 break, travel time

9:45-10:30 back home group time (we'll prepare a debriefing guide, or you can use this time however works best for your group)

10:30-11:00 get ready for bed, lights out

SATURDAY

8:00-8:45 breakfast

9:00-9:30 morning prayer service

9:45-10:45 workshop block

11:00-12:00 workshop block

12:30-1:15 lunch

1:15-3:15 rest/free time (with some low-key recreation options-- GaGa ball, basketball court available, maybe some art or prayer space, board/card games, etc)

3:30-4:15 small group discussion time

4:30-5:30 workshop block

6:00-6:45 dinner

7:00-7:45 small group discussion time

7:45-8:15 break, snacks

8:15-9:30 evening vespers

9:45-10:30 back home group time

SUNDAY

8:30-9:15 breakfast

9:15-10:00 pack up, clean up, check out

10:00-11:00 worship with communion

Staying at Massanetta

Participants will stay in Richardson. Linens are provided. Richardson Suites have two bedrooms with 2-3 twin beds each and a shared bathroom. Adults and youth stay in separate suites.

Massanetta Springs is a hilly site with older buildings. If you need accessibility support, please contact the Program Director to discuss how to make this as comfortable a stay as possible!

What to pack

Dress code: pack comfortable clothing that will allow you to participate fully in a fun and meaningful conference! Please DO NOT bring clothes that run the risk of “wardrobe malfunction” or exposing any underwear. Make respectful choices about logos and symbols on clothing. Conference leadership as well as your own church leaders reserve the right to send participants back to their rooms to change if their clothing will prevent them from actively participating in the conference.

Please bring:

Bible

Toiletries

Water bottle

Raincoat/umbrella

Alarm clock/watch

Prescription medications

Sturdy, comfortable shoes

Clothing appropriate for the weather!

Please do not bring:

skateboards, scooters, rollerblades; alcohol, tobacco, or drugs; weapons of any kind; anything flammable or explosive; unnecessary technology or valuables.

Background

Our Centennial Celebration in 2022 gives us an opportunity for Massanetta Springs to both reflect on the past 100 years, and to plan to step boldly into our next century of ministry. One of the tangible steps into that future will be an event themed around the PCUSA’s Matthew 25 vision.

This new event, called Keep Awake!, will focus on the tenets of PC(USA)’s Matthew 25 initiative: dismantling structural racism, eradicating systemic poverty, and building congregational vitality. The name, which comes from Matthew 25:13, was chosen by the planning team to emphasize the urgency of this work. It is our hope that this will become an annual offering at Massanetta Springs.

Keep Awake! will be a retreat for high school student participants with an emphasis on leadership development. The program will include young adult leadership, similar to Middle School Conference’s model of high school students guiding and supporting middle school participants. In the coming years, we will be able to raise students up through the program, first attending as participants and then coming back after high school to offer leadership and mentorship.

Learn more about Matthew 25

Planning Team