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| Anne and Tim Hughes |
What does the Lord require of you? At Silver Lake it’s all about spirit... enthusiastic singing in the dining hall, inspired “Fred speeches” inviting conferees to help clean the bathrooms, “Oooh, Aaah, ORT Report!” to reflect how much food waste we as a community are throwing away after a meal, and testimonies like this from the mother of a first time away-from-homer:
“‘Mom, my favorite activity was the big dance….and not the waltz kind - the kind where everyone dances in a mob, Mom!’… This from a kid who would never consider dancing under different circumstances! and ‘No offense Mom, but I didn’t think about you at all at night!’ Music to my ears!”
The spirit is evident in the return of so many talented deans and counselors, and the brave new ones who take the plunge, welcoming young people into a conference for a week of Outdoor Ministry together, with all the joys, challenges, fears faced and sharing of oneself that this setting can provoke. We received 1,050 conferees this summer, spending a week or more at Silver Lake, playing in “God’s Backyard”, ages eight to eighty (thanks to Family Conference and Alumnae Camp). Jesus went into the desert to go to camp, we head for the hills - and the Lake at the bottom of it - for our time to find God, our neighbors, and ourselves.
More than $9,000 in Silver Lake scholarships was given to families to help bring young conferees to Silver Lake in 2006, and over $7,000 was awarded in 2007. The offering collected at the Friday night worship at General Synod, and the Spring Annual Meeting’s offering for Silver Lake scholarship funds helped make this generosity possible.
Spirit abounded at the Connecticut Conference Spring Annual Meeting on May 12, held for the first time at Silver Lake. More than 400 delegates, clergy, exhibitors and visitors gathered on a blessedly beautiful day. There was much fresh and new to share and show, including the re-designed Silver Lake logo, the finished back deck and colorful plantings around the Health and Welcome Center, new thermalpaned windows in the Cedars and Glen buildings, a new roof on the Arts and Crafts Grotto, our Artists-in-Residence sharing their inspiration and creativity, and our spirited and multi-talented “called as servant leaders” summer staff, present for the glory of God and the love of young people.
The 2006-2007 Retreat season saw many full weekends in the fall and spring, five full Confirmation retreats led by lay and clergy leaders from across the state, our annual “Christmas at the Lake” gathering in early December, the March Maple Sugaring weekend, Earth Day clean-up of the trash rack area, site preparation for new cabins, and ongoing readiness for Silver Lake’s 50th Anniversary Reunion Celebration in August, which promised to be a Jubilee gathering of biblical proportions!
