TLDR: Carleigh Schluter was the Rector for Happening #181 this last weekend at Camp Allen. Read on for a brief description of Happening and highlights of this weekend.
The mission statement for Happening reads as follows: “We can build our lives on the firm foundation of spiritual reality, based on faith in Jesus Christ, through a relationship of prayer, nourished by the Church and the sacraments, living in the world and heeding the call to be an Apostle; bring others to Christ.” A Happening weekend is a Friday evening through Sunday afternoon retreat in which high school youth learn, reflect on, and respond to 9 crucial pieces of this mission statement. Most of the talks are presented by youth who have already attended a Happening weekend and a Lock-In. The Lock-in is a weekend event for youth who have already attended a Happening weekend and want to serve the “happeners” with all the logistical activities that take place behind the scenes: They clean dishes, sweep and mop rooms before or after activities, set-up for special Saturday evening activities, etc.
The team for each weekend is composed of “Gofers,” in charge of giving the youth talks, and keeping the excitement levels high during the retreat. Family leaders are kids who facilitate the reflection time after each talk. Spiritual Directors, usually Deacons or Priests, remain available for all youth and team members throughout the weekend and lead several important components of the retreat. The BIG is usually an adult whose job it is to pray for, support, and be a resource for the Rector. The cooking team are in charge of all snacks and meals. The music team do all the worship and teach new songs to the attendees. The Social Media Coordinator is a youth with some communications experience who acts as the weekend’s photographer and technology person. The College Team (two or three college age people) assist in various support capacities, including, finding supplies for the Gofers, finding blankets or pillows for attendees who may have forgotten them, doing store runs for supplies, etc. Finally, the most important role in Happening is that of the Rector. This is a youth who has been involved with Happening for a while and who is chosen to lead a particular weekend. They are the orchestra directors who make sure all parts are working in tandem, and the schedule is moving along as intended. The success of the weekend depends in large on the organizational capacities and leadership of the Rector.
The mission statement in the first paragraph contains all the talks of the weekend: Masks and Reality (Spiritual reality), Faith, Jesus Christ, Prayer, Church, Sacraments, World, and Apostolate. Like a well-constructed house, each talk sets up a foundation for the next until all attendees arrive at a clear understanding of the Christian Gospel. It is possible to build a deep spiritual relationship with God in his Son, Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world. This relationship is lived out in the world, in our own context, and it is nourished by life in the community of the Church and the celebration of the sacraments. It is through a life of love and service in the Church that we heed the call to be an Apostle of Christ. This apostolic life has as a purpose the honoring of God in all we do, serving others, and bringing others to Christ.
Carleigh Schluter did a phenomenal job as the Rector for Happening #181 this last weekend at Camp Allen. Her siblings, Creighton and Reagan, served on the College/ young adult Team, and her parents, Rich and Traci, were the cooks for the weekend. Carleigh chose Olivia Schattle as one of her Family leaders, Kyra Helmick to be on the Music Team, and your Rector as one of the Spiritual Directors. There were fifty kids registered for this weekend, which means that we had about 77 people in total between the team and the attendees. It was a glorious weekend of kids ministering and serving kids. I was particularly moved by the entire Schluter family ministering together, side by side. What a great testament to their support of Carleigh and their love for the Lord. I was also moved by my interactions with the youth from around the Diocese. Many of them are deeply committed Christians who minister in their churches as acolytes, attend youth groups and Sunday schools, and enjoy volunteering in VBS and various service projects. If this is the future of the Church, we have very little to worry about. We will be in good hands.
Please continue to pray for Luke Claman, Amber Wheeless, and Zechariah Menz (Sr. Veronica Noel’s Grandson,) members of Saint Dunstan’s who attended this retreat. May the Lord continue the great work that was begun this weekend and may they find clear ways to serve the Lord in the Church and in the world.
May our Lord continue to bless you,
Fr. Roman+
