JHYM Retreat Staff Notes

Listen, Listen, Listen to My Heart Song

JHYM Retreats   *   Jan. 8-10, 2010   *   Westport Meeting 

Join us for this annual retreat where we all share music that expresses what we feel and know of that of God.  A wide range of music workshops in the afternoon and a coffeehouse Saturday evening celebrate how diverse, powerful, and personal music is for each of us.  It is a rare gift to be heard and to hear others within a safe and loving community – please come!

WE ARE:  Anne Anderson, Kara Price Bachand, Buddy Baker-Smith, Gretchen Baker-Smith, Jeremy Baker-Smith, Katey Baker-Smith, Dave Baxter, Jim Campbell, Josiah Erickson, Stephen Haynes, Felice Lopez, and Ed Rodley.  I want to especially welcome Jeremy (making his debut with us in the kitchen) and Josiah Erickson (JLynn’s dad) – both of whom grew up in NEYM’s retreat programs -- as first time staffers! 
AS OF TODAY, WE HAVE 34 JH’ers, including 3 first-timers to JHYM (all have been part of JYM) registered.  I expect we’ll get a few more yet, too. Such blessings! 

The JHYM Retreat program’s goal is to provide a safe and trusting community in which we seek to find that of God in ourselves and in each other.  Our charge, as ministers of the Spirit, is to help our young people create a sanctuary.  What I appreciate more as the years go on, is just how rare and astounding a “safe and trusting spiritual community” truly is for young teens.  What we “do”, with the Grace of God, is provide them with an experience in building a spiritually grounded community that they then take with them, and hopefully build on, for years and decades and a lifetime to come.

Timelines

Arrival:  I will be arriving around 4:30pm.  Registration is at 7pm, and the JH’ers arrive en masse at that time.  If one or two of you can come by 6:30, and most of the rest by 7:00, we will be in fine shape.  We share a light supper and aim to start the evening’s program around 8:30/8:45.  Please let me know your E.T.A.  Thanks!

Wrap-up:  Sunday Morning Worship is at 10:00, followed by lunch, cleanup and goodbyes.  If most of you can stay until 1:00, we will all be on the road by 1:30.  If you need to leave earlier for any reason, please let me know.

DIRECTIONS TO WESTPORT MEETING ARE ON OUR WEBSITE.

 
**IF YOU HAVE A CD PLAYER, IPOD SPEAKERS OR ANY PERCUSSION INSTRUMENTS THAT YOU CAN BRING, PLEASE LET ME KNOW. 

 
Our Theme:   This is our 6th annual JHYM Music Retreat.  We’ve tweeked the structure and flow, but the essence of it has remained the same – because it “works.”  Music is an incredibly accessible, universal route between the hearts and souls of our junior highers (and staffers) and God.  The format, particularly Saturday morning’s small group -- a major piece of the weekend’s program -- continues to be one of our most successful ways of helping young people to spiritually share in community.  It has been a true collaboration, and I am deeply grateful to JHYM staffers and to the Holy Spirit for all we’ve learned and grown here.

Listen, Listen, Listen to my heart song (the first line of one of JYM and JHYM’s favorite rounds) is an invitation and prayer for our weekend together.  I believe that one of our deepest yearnings as human beings is to be heard, known, and unconditionally loved as both unique and universal Children of the Light.  Away from anxiety and worry, in a safe, loving, worshipful circle in which we can share from our personal collections of  ‘soul music,’ our hearts and spirits are more open to hearing the heart song of God between and around us all.  Nurturing these personal, grace-filled Openings to the Spirit, and a deeper assurance of God’s Presence as being always available, always within, are what I understand to be the work and joy of our ministry.

SMALL GROUPS

Small Groups will meet 3 times over the course of the weekend: Friday evening, Saturday morning, and Saturday evening.  Info on the Friday and Saturday night small groups will be in your staff notebooks. Please read the following on the Saturday morning small group, though, as it is a major piece of the retreat.

Saturday Morning Small Group:  “Sharing Soul Music”

For many of us, the kind of music we like is a statement of who we are.  This is especially true for young people.  What we are trying to do in this small group is ask JH’ers to hear beyond the identity, and to try to experience the music as a tool into a deeper place-- precisely because the chosen music has been exactly that for someone else.  Thus, it is essential that each person feel safe and honored to share in a way that is heard via hearts rather than opinions or critique. 

Start with a round of check-ins, not only to see how each person is, but to also make sure you don’t have stumbling blocks to worshiping together.  Take whatever time you need. 

Explain the format:  Each person (JH’er and staffer) has about 8 minutes to play their piece of music and to share something about why they chose the selection they did – why it qualifies as their “soul music.”   This is an extended worship sharing, with everyone in the group working together to maintain a centered space.  Begin with some Silence and use the Silence between for savoring and re-centering.  Allow and/or encourage time for reflections and/or questions before going on to the next person’s turn, though make sure it never turns towards a critique in any way.  It may be helpful for a staffer to serve as timekeeper so that everyone is assured of time.  I will provide clay for tactile listeners.

Snacks will be provided for each group to share during this time (you’ll have to come to agreement on the noise/format, etc for this – good Quaker group process)! J 

At the end, I would ask that you have a bit of Silence in gratitude for what was shared, affirming the group’s presence one to another.  This small group always runs close to an hour and a half.  Take whatever time you need.  The schedule is open until lunch prep at 11:45 and lunch at noon!

Saturday Afternoon Workshops

JH’ers have the opportunity to attend two 45-minute workshops on Saturday afternoon.  Over the years there has been a wide variety of topics including round singing, peace songs, songwriting, improvisation, painting to music, dance, jazz, hip-hop, Bob Dylan, and Stomp.  We have had Shape Note Singers, folk singers, songwriters, and a healer using Tibetan gongs come.  The workshops are lots of fun and great for deepening our community and joy.  Thus far I have lined up the following staffers and workshops:

Buddy   STOMP

Jim    Singing (with goal of performing something at CoffeeHouse)

Kara    Orianthi (guitarist)

Stephen  Improv/Live Music

Katey & Jeremy HipHop

Ideally, I need 2-3 other workshops.  PLEASE BE IN TOUCH WTH ME ABOUT WHAT YOU FEEL LED AND ABLE TO OFFER.  Staffers who aren’t leading a workshop are essential in helping with them – so all of you will be involved and appreciated!

Coffeehouse Saturday Night

After our 3rd small group we’ll hold a Coffee House in the Community House and share music, stories, skits, dance routines and more!  It is really fabulous, and a time for staffers to share their talents, too.

The Quiet Room

(A space to chill throughout the weekend.)  I think we’ll use the FDS Nursery.

Other Information about the Retreat

In order to keep these staff notes shorter and more accessible for my well-seasoned staffers, I’ve created a new resource called “Detailed Information for Staffers” that includes information on how small groups work, quiet hour, free time, staffing expectations, etc.  If I haven’t emailed it to you, you can find it on our website and/or in your staff notebook.  Thanks!

“FREE TIME”

Junior Highers want free time, but most of them want it with structure so that they can be in community.  This is my mantra: “free time” is not staff free time.  All of us on staff need to initiate group games (Apples to Apples, Egyptian War, JYM Ball, Graveyard Tag), inspire craft projects, encourage the creation of new Who’s Who Book pages, and engage stragglers into the mix in any ways we feel led – or the young people themselves lead.  With JH’ers, it can be especially important to gently, continually nurture inclusivity.  Please consider your gifts and leadings  – and go for it!

Staff Assignments

Retreat Nurse:  Ed

Craft Table Elders:  Felice and Anne

Name Tag Czar:  Josiah

Photographers & Roving Staffers:  Buddy and Kara

Free Time Staff Elder:  Dave

Coffee House Elders:  Jim & Kara

Registrar:  Dave

Retreat Cook:  Jeremy

Cook’s Souz Chef:  Katey

Cook’s Elder:  Stephen

Final note:   Do know, dear Friends, my gratitude and love for each of you. 

Gretchen Baker-Smith, JHYM Retreat leader

508-997-0940 (h)   *   hellogretchen@gmail.com   *   508-287-6441 (cell)