November 22-24, 2024
Mark your calendar for this 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.
The 2024 conference will focus on the theme of dismantling structural racism.
IMPORTANT DATES
On or about Monday 6/3/24: registration opens
Monday 10/7/24: group holds expire, extra spots made available to wait list
Wednesday 10/23/24: last day to guarantee t-shirt sizes
Monday 11/11/24: final day to register
Questions about registration?
Contact Cherokee Adams, Registrar: cherokee@massanettasprings.org
Questions about the program itself?
Contact Colleen Earp, Program Director: colleen@massanettasprings.org
Our Centennial Celebration at Massanetta Springs in 2022 gave us an opportunity 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 was to be an event themed around the PCUSA’s Matthew 25 vision.
This new conference, called Keep Awake!, focuses 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. We plan to offer this event annually.
Keep Awake! is a retreat for high school student students and their leaders. It emphasizes leadership development. The goal is for this program to 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.
The planning team that brought these ideas to life included Ekama Eni (The General Theological Seminary, New York City); Hiram Perez-Cordero (Ruling Elder, Atlanta, GA); Rev. Jimmie Hawkins (Office of Public Witness, Washington, DC); Rev. John Molina-Moore (National Capital Presbytery, Washington, DC); Laura Haney (Camp Hanover, Mechanicsville, VA); Rev. Loli Reiter (The Presbyterian Church of Seffner, FL), supported by our Program Director, Colleen Earp.
This program has remained pay-what-you’re-able in part thanks to a Presbytery Initiative Grant through the Synod of the Mid-Atlantic, with support from leadership in National Capital Presbytery, New Castle Presbytery, Charlotte Presbytery, Presbytery of the James, Presbytery of the Peaks, Shenandoah Presbytery, with additional encouragement from Coastal Carolina and Abingdon Presbyteries.
Preacher
Rev. Crystal D. Varner Parker
Rev. Crystal Varner Parker is a life-long Richmonder, born at MCV, now VCU Health, which meant she was destined to be a VCU Ram. She is the Pastor of Providence Forge Presbyterian Church, and has worked in churches and the non-profit sector for over 18 years. Crystal will not shy away from discussing the “why” behind her ten year interlude in non-profits, especially if you’re ready to dig into the topic of sabbath keeping. She is a champion and advocate for public schools, a Girl Scout Leader, and active in supporting her local community.
Crystal is a graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University (Go Rams!) where she received her Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies, minor in French. She then went on to attend Union Presbyterian Seminary (then Union-PSCE) to receive her Master of Divinity, where she focused much of her coursework on the Hebrew Bible. As a lover of languages, she has studied deeply or dabbled in 9 languages, but she has her sights on studying more.
Worship Leader
Jerusalén Martínez Zarco
Jersalen is a friend of Massanetta who has been involved in our Middle School Conferences, and is excited to lead music for Keep Awake! She mainly plays guitar, but also dabbles in percussion, ukulele, and bass, and especially loves Latin music as well as discovering new things. Jerusalen loves how music gives freedom, and allows us to express ourselves.
Mexico will always be home to Jerusalen, but she has lived and served in North Carolina for some time now. Her home church is Primera Iglesia de Fayetteville, where she is a ruling elder and has previously served as a deacon and a member of the worship committee. After several years of serving on the staff of the Presbytery of Coastal Carolina as the Associate for Youth Ministry, she is now studying and working in sports medicine at East Carolina University.
conference artist
Rev. Nate Taylor
Rev. Nate Taylor (he/they) is the Associate Pastor at Salisbury Presbyterian Church in Midlothian, Virginia. He is passionate about wonder as a way to grow our love for God, love for each other, and love for ourselves. He met his wife Natasha through their common love of camp and conference ministry. His creative side is rooted deeply in playful experimentation and embracing failure. Being a child of the 90s and partially colorblind, he favors bold colors with lots of saturation. His mantra is to be so authentically yourself that everyone else feels safer to be themselves.
Co-Directors
Melva Lowry
Co-Director
Laura Haney
Co-Director
Workshop Directors
Rev. Jermaine Allam-Ross, PCUSA Center for Repair of Historical Harms
Rev. Larissa Kwong-Abazia, NEXT Church and Courageous Spaces
Amanda Pine, Presbytery of Eastern Virginia
Rev. Nate Taylor, Salisbury Presbyterian Church, Richmond, VA
Rick Ufford-Chase, Center for Jubilee Practice
Rev. Bill Buchanan, Youth Mission Co., Asheville, NC
Rev. Christina Cosby, Office of Public Witness, Washington, DC
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.
Conference Schedule
The schedule may change depending on registration numbers and other planning factors, but here is a general idea:
FRIDAY: no meals served
6:00-8:00 check in, settle into rooms, explore site
8:00-8:30 orientation
8:30-9:00 worship begins
9:00-9:45 get to know your small group
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 worship continues with scripture and sermon
9:45-10:45 workshop block
11:00-12:00 workshop block
12:30-1:15 lunch
1:15-3:15 rest/free time (some activities available)
3:30-4:15 small group discussion time
4:30-5:30 workshop block
6:00-6:45 dinner
7:00-8:00 workshop
8:00-8:30 break, snacks
8:30-9:15 worship continues with communion
9:45-10:30 back home group time
SUNDAY
8:30-9:15 breakfast
9:15-10:15 pack up, clean up, check out
10:15-11:00 worship concludes and we are sent out!
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 or more, all programs, lodging, and meals are included. When we say pay- what- you’re- able, we mean it!
important dates
On or about Monday 6/3/24: registration opens
Monday 10/7/24: group holds expire, extra spots made available to wait list
Wednesday 10/23/24: last day to guarantee t-shirt sizes
Monday 11/11/24: final day to register
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, call 540-434-3829 and ask for the Registrar or Program Director.
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.”
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.
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.