|
|
|
News and Information Just what IS the DDYC?
Coming alongside and mentoring young Christians, as they grow into their teens, is vital to their development as leaders. Our diocesan Youth Commission (aka, the DDYC) carries out this “apprenticing-style” of mentoring as the adult members assist the student members develop as leaders. The 12 students and eight adults on this commission are all equal members, and all share in the planning, development, and presentation of five major diocesan youth events held throughout the year. Many of these students and adults also serve as pages at our annual diocesan convention. And the DDYC chair — always a student — has an opportunity to address the convention. This is a busy, hardworking group — not unlike the students in leadership and their sponsors at many of the churches in our diocese. So, when I recently came across the extraordinary book, Do Hard Things: a Teenage Rebellion Against Low Expectations, by teenagers Alex and Brett Harris, I was delighted to find kindred souls who also believe that young people can and will rise to meet high expectations placed on them. Indeed, I consistently witness this with our youth commission. I’d love for every teenager and adult in or diocese to read this book! Our culture has come to see the teen years as a vacation before adulthood — the status quo is one of laziness and recreational pursuits. This book provides a radical alternative — one of going above the status quo in all areas of life, from school to social outreach to making significant changes in the world. I’ve seen the students on our youth commission stretch to learn new tasks, take on more responsibilities, and develop new skills as they mature into leaders of the Church and the world. We coddle no one — yet, they
For more information, contact Deacon Pam Dunbar (214-826-8310, 800-851-8497, or pdunbar@episcopal-dallas.org). Our 2008 – 2009 DDYC events are:
All Saints Camp: A diocesan resource for Christian growth
All Saints’ staff members strive to demonstrate Christ through everything they do and say. This year, they worked with 291 campers from 54 diocesan parishes during their “By Water and the Spirit” themed summer camp. One mother wrote, “Our daughters, Marissa and Caris, went to All Saints this summer — one as a counselor-in-training and the other as a camper. Despite the heat, they LOVED every minute of their camp experience. Caris came home talking about how much closer she feels to God and how her relationship with Jesus has grown. She loved the girls in her cabin, her cabin counselors, and Father Mike and Toni. Everyone encouraged and nurtured the campers. I will continue to pray for All Saints’ staff. The impact your actions have on our youth is bigger than you can know, and this mother thanks you from the bottom of her heart” All Saints is also a perfect location for conferences and retreats. Just an hour north of Dallas, the camp occupies more than 600 acres of gently rolling terrain and five miles of Lake Texoma waterfront. Its water-lapped shores, wetlands, magnificent cliffs, oak and juniper trees, beautiful native flowers, and many species of wildlife create an ideal location to luxuriate in God’s magnificent creation. Just this year, lay members and clergy from around our diocese participated in over 50 conferences and retreats, such as Cursillo, Alpha, and vestry retreats. Groups from outside the diocese also participated in 267 events held there. With two well-equipped conference centers, ten well-maintained outdoor worship sites, a large dining hall, and six cabins — including one for special needs — All Saints can accommodate up to 144 overnight guests.
All Saints is a resource built by and for our diocese. Donor and volunteer support has created it, and that support continues to sustain and grow the camp. Grants from the Gaston Episcopal Hospital Foundation have helped meet the camp’s safety and health needs. Donors’ “campership” gifts have enabled financially challenged young people come to camp. Grants from the diocese have provided waterfront activities. Additional gifts from the Episcopal Foundation and other generous donors have built a new “Leap of Faith” high ropes challenge course, which with the help of trained staff members, provides leadership training, team building, improved group dynamics, personal development, and spiritual growth. For more information, contact Christine Tokarz, executive director, (ctokarz@allsaintstexoma.org or 903-267-6372) or go to www.allsaintstexoma.org.
|
|
he only way that young humans learn to be successful adults is by spending time with 
Join the young people in DDYC as they encourage all of the young people in our diocese to redefine the teen years in the Church as a time to grow leaders — to “do hard things,” as the Harris brothers proclaim — and claim their future, now, for the glory of God.
hen a Christian camp focuses on children’s needs in every aspect of its program, the result is Christian education at its best. A faith-filled, fun community where children feel nurtured can have an enormous impact on their growth and development. 
All Saints’ JOLT (Journey on Lake Texoma) program continues to provide high quality, in-depth, environmental education for students within and beyond Texas. This year, staff members have helped over 1,500 students gain a deeper appreciation for their natural surroundings and develop team-building skills. They come from public and private schools — including Parish (Dallas), St. James School (Texarkana), and St. Luke’s School (Denison) — 4-H clubs, and scouting programs. In partnership with the Parks & Wildlife Department, JOLT is also reaching out to schools and groups that, before now, have been unable to participate because of