Trinity Youth: Confirmation, Workcamp And Pilgrimage

Offered A Summer Of Spirituality, Outreach And Inspiration

Summer 2008 has been a very busy time for the youth of Trinity Episcopal Church. Students celebrated ten months of study toward Confirmation with a formal ceremony in early June, nearly 50 young adults then spent a week in Rhode Island as part of this year’s workcamp journey, and another group headed West for an inspirational pilgrimage just last month.

New Confirmands

A spiritual journey of study, reflection, and mentoring that began last fall with the assembly of the candidate 2007-08 Confirmation Class concluded on June 7 when 32 young adults were confirmed in the Episcopal Church by Bishop Suffragan Laura Ahrens.

These young adults after much discernment along the way of the Confirmation Process (confirmare means “to strengthen”) made a spiritual decision to affirm their faith and take upon themselves the promises made for them at Baptism. By being confirmed in the Episcopal Church with the laying on of hands by the bishop, which signifies the strengthening gift of the Holy Spirit, they commit to live the promises they now take upon themselves as adults in faith.

Among those who celebrated the 2007-08 confirmation journey were Myles Quincy Adams-Shepherd, Thomas Peter Anderau, Taylor Marie Benson, Elise Amelia Benedict, Hutch Bermingham, Matthew Evan Bodwell, Katherine Olson Bowen, Kevin William Breuninger, Anna Alexandra Chamiec-Pauneto, Taylor Louise Cutolo, Meagan Elizabeth Gonzalez, Caroline Jane Gottleib, Christopher James Haylon, Jacqueline Marie Hoolehan, Margaret Sarah Hoolehan, Alec Andrew Hooper, Christopher Everson Jennings-Fischer, Jack Hulton Kneisel, Katherine McMorran, Kathleen Sheild Melville, Megan Archer Melville, Kait O’Brien, Dan O’Connor, James Radcliffe, Jr, Ryan Robert Schmidt, Gretchen Ilse Streett, Ellen Massey Tabler, Jillian Norene Thompson, Sarah Katherine Walton, Kathleen Elizabeth Whitaker, Dan White, and Steven Andrew Zarifis.

Also joining the youth were Chris Hoolehan, received, and Lyndon Thomas, renewed.

The early June service conducted at Trinity Church was one of the largest classes in Trinity’s history and one of the largest classes across the Diocese of Connecticut.

Following their Confirmation activities, the youth spent the next few weeks preparing for Trinity’s annual Workcamp Outreach project and upon return, they readied themselves for their Pilgrimage Inspirational journey.

A Week In Rhode Island

On Sunday, June 29, 44 Trinity Church parishioners, ages 13 and up, piled into vans and a large truck and headed East.

The vans, driven by volunteer adult chaperones, carried high school students ready to make a difference in a stranger’s life. The truck followed, carrying tools, paint brushes, sleeping bags, and air mattresses.

The group’s destination was Davisville Middle School in North Kingstown, R.I. By the end of the afternoon, teams from churches as far north as Prince Edward Island, as far south as New Jersey, and as close as Southbury joined the Newtown team. The evening was busy with preparation for a week of hard work.

During the next five days approximately 400 workcampers bunked on air mattresses in classrooms, ate together in the cafeteria, and made the middle school their home and interdenominational place of worship.

Crews of six workcampers — one person from six different churches — spent each day painting houses, building wheelchair ramps, and repairing porches in the North Kingstown community.

The activities not only required physical stamina (the groups worked from 8:30 to 3:30 Monday through Friday) but also teamwork. The adults in charge, although working right alongside each young camper, were not necessarily in the role of task leadership or problem solving.

Back at the school each afternoon, campers blew off steam on the school fields and courts, caught up with friends from their own youth group, cleaned up and chowed down before the evening program of worship and devotions. Even with lights out each night at 11, no one could sleep through the 6:45 wake up call on the school’s PA system.

The Newtown Trinity Workcampers brought their experiences back to the 10 am Sunday service following their Saturday return. They told stories of bonding with their crews, and learning more about other people and themselves through this experience. Some shared funny stories about becoming closer as a youth group. Each workcamper spoke of the residents served in tones of awe, respect, and care: as though the camper him or herself had been the one served, or the receiver of a gift.

Adult chaperones expressed their gratitude and respect toward the young workcampers and their parents, describing the responsible and helpful spirit they had witnessed. High school seniors were sorry that this would be their last year as a youth workcamper. At the age of 18, however, they do have the chance to apply for volunteer staff positions next summer.

Group Workcamp Foundation, established in 1977, is a 501(c)(3) volunteer service organization that provides an ecumenical Christian component to its programming. Trinity Church has sent annual summer teams to various Group Workcamp locations for the past 16 years.

Parishioners Larry Coleman and Curt Symes, with 16 and 13 summers of service respectively, lead and organize each trip. During workcamp they, along with Trinity parishioner Boyd Schlaefer and other staff ,oversee dozens of residential sites during the week of camp. Along with leaders from other churches, these “Red Shirts,” as they are called, keep the mission organized, equipped and effective.

The Trinity 2008 Youth WorkCampers included Myles Adams-Shepherd, Tom Anderau, Elise Benedict, Hutch Bermingham, Matt Bodwell, Kevin Breuninger, Grace Campbell-Galie, Anna Chamiec-Pauneto, Spencer Erhardt, Chris Haylon, Nicki Haylon, Jackie Hoolehan, Maggie Hoolehan, Chris Jennings, Tory Mead, Kalli Melville, Megan Melville, Mac Morlock, Kait O’Brien, James Radcliffe, Olivia Rowley, Austin Ryder, Lucas Santiago, Bronwyn Schlaefer, Mariel Schlaefer, Ryan Schmidt, Gretchen Streett, Lora Streett, Ellen Tabler, Jillian Thompson, Sarah Walton, and Steven Zarifis.

This year’s adult chaperones were Shep Adams-Shepherd, Hannah Albee, Peter Anderau, Paget Haylon, Rick Haylon, Jan Neuberger, Beth Thompson, Sue Vogelman, and Dennis Walton. Group Workcamp volunteer staff members were Larry Coleman, Boyd Schlaefer, and Curt Symes.

A meeting for next year’s trip, including a slide show of the 2008 Rhode Island Workcamp, will be held at Trinity Church on Sunday, August 24, following the 10 am service. Signing on for next year may impact others as it did for Chris Jennings, a Trinity sophomore from Newtown High School, who said, “I learned that there are people out there who are a lot less fortunate than I am. Knowing that I can really help them out meant a lot to me.”

Lora Streett, a veteran workcamper and Trinity Youth officer, summed it up saying, “Everyone grew spiritually from their workcamp experience this year.”

A Spiritual & Inspirational Pilgrimage

In July, 27 youth and five adults traveled to South Lake Tahoe, Calif., to participate in Trinity’s J2A Pilgrimage “Inspiration.”

According to the pilgrimage manual Trinity’s members use as their guide, “Pilgrimage is a time we set aside to journey in the footsteps of the faithful Christians who have gone before us. By mindfully walking in their footsteps, we put ourselves in touch with our tradition, our roots, our God.”

The pilgrims chose their Lake Tahoe site last year for its profound natural beauty created by God. The group more recently chose “inspiration” as their theme and one of them, Steven Zarifis, created a visual image to go with it.

Other preparations for the pilgrimage included fundraising, travel planning, and research on the pilgrimage site. A number of parents were involved in the process including chairperson Chris Hoolehan.

The pilgrims left Trinity on July 12 at 2:45 am for an early flight from LaGuardia to Reno, Nev. They then drove in rental vans to South Lake Tahoe where they stayed at Manzanita Lodge.

Pilgrimage activities included hiking, liturgy, swimming, visiting Tallac historical site, spending an afternoon and having dinner with Washoe Tribe youth, spending one day and evening in Virginia City, Nev., kayaking, and shopping.

The youth also bought all the food for the week and set up, prepared, and cleaned up after the meals at Manzanita Lodge.

Along the way there was time for seeking and finding God in new ways. Every pilgrim carried a journal. Time was provided to record each day’s events and personal reflections. Tiny mementos, drawings, and photos were added.

Time was spent talking and in silence, in prayer, and in reflection among the wondrous nature of Lake Tahoe.

A music-filled eucharist in Fallen Leaf Chapel marked Sunday, and Wednesday evening another eucharist was held in the lodge.

Trinity’s pilgrims are ascending J2Aers (Journey to Adulthood), soon to be YACs (Young Adults in the Church) who have completed four of the six years of the J2A Program. The Journey to Adulthood is a complete youth ministry program of spiritual formation for sixth grade through high school senior year. It uses Bible studies, prayer, rites of passage, outreach ministries, and both serious and playful activities to underscore its core principles.

The 2008 pilgrims were Myles Adams-Shepherd, Tom Anderau, Elise Benedict, Taylor Benson, Hutch Bermingham, Matt Bodwell, Kevin Breuninger, Anna Chamiec-Pauneto, Taylor Cutolo, Meagan Gonzalez, Caroline Gottleib, Chris Haylon, Jackie Hoolehan, Maggie Hoolehan, Chris Jennings, Katie McMorran, Kalli Melville, Megan Melville, Kait O’Brien, Dan O’Connor, James Radcliffe, Gretchen Streett, Ellen Tabler, Jillian Thompson, Sarah Walton, Kathleen Whitaker, and Steven Zarifis.

Accompanying the pilgrims were Pastor Kathie Adams-Shepherd, J2A teachers Tim Vogelman, Maureen Trotto, and Carol Zimmerman, as well as Doug Russell.

“We are just really excited to spend the time together. It’s like we’re one big family,” Kalli Melville said in reflection.

 “Pilgrimage is less of a journey to an outward location than it is a journey to a place within your psyche,” added Kait O’Brien.