GodSearch
Join us for a Youth Retreat Weekend ("youth"
means grades 7-12) on the beautiful St. Mary's River
near the Chesapeake Bay. St. Mary's Parish
in St. Mary's City, MD is the setting for two days
of fun, fellowship, exploration, and spiritual growth. This is an
ideal place to experience the power of God in creation,
the beauty and wonder of the Bay area, and the tranquility and peace that
can encourage personal spiritual reflection.
Come experience Trinity Church, with its 360 year history. Experience St.
Mary's City, the original (1634) capital of colonial Maryland and site
of the first act of religious tolerance, An Act Concerning Religion
(1649).
Above all, experience God's presence in this place through fun, learning,
worship and more! Activities are listed below, and our staff will be happy
to provide you with details.
Friday Night
Meet youth from other areas, be energized by games and singing, and participate
in a workshop exploring biblical characters, called Bibliodrama.
First we will gather, get to know one another a bit through some mixer
activities, make some music and then do the Bibliodrama. After a
time of personal spiritual reflection, and a little more singing, we'll
end our evening with a candlelight Eucharist in historic Trinity Church
(located on a point in the middle of the St. Mary's River). Of course,
there will be liberal time for breaks and free time which will round out
the evening. After the Eucharist we will retire to our sleeping bags on
the floor of the parish hall. It may be roughing it a little, but you'll
be comfortable enough.
Saturday Morning
Up for a quick breakfast (please bring your own) followed by a tour of
the church grounds and a scavenger hunt in the cemetery (can you find the
burial place of the first Royal Governor of Maryland or the "Hidden" tomb?)
After a brief closing service, pack up and you may head out to explore
some of the regional sites or participate in a few of the many regional
activities available that day. Several of the special events are listed
below, and our staff will be happy to provide you with more details. Stay
over for the optional second night (for a small additional fee), and roast
marshmallows on a bonfire at Church Point (weather permitting).
Some Details:
Dates
Please call our office to receive a complete listing of available weekends
and the special Saturday community events and activities you may want to
enjoy.
Time
The weekend begins on Friday evening at 7:30 with the advisor's meeting.
Plan to arrive between 6:30 and 7:00 pm for registration. The GodSearch
part of the program ends at 10:00 am on Saturday, with the exception of
our Skipjack Weekends (more details below.)
Optional Saturday Night
If you wish, your group may spend Saturday night in the parish hall for
an extra fee of $10 each. The group may return after 7:00 pm, and must
leave on Sunday morning by 8:00 am. Bonfires at Church Point may be arranged
by special request.
Skipjack Weekends
Your group may choose to spend 3 hours sailing the Patuxent, Potomac, or
St. Mary's Rivers on Captain Jack Russell's authentic Skipjack! Called
The
Dee of St.
Mary's, Captain Jack's boat is one of the few privately owned
skipjacks in the State of Maryland certified by the U.S. Coast Guard to
carry passengers for hire.
Dredge for oysters, trap crabs, haul the sails, and command the wheel
as USCG Captain Jack Russell shares the lore of the Chesapeake gathered
during his 40
years of commercial fishing, oystering, and crabbing.
Captain Jack's skipjack may be available for chartering on Saturdays
this fall. If you would like to take a Skipjack tour, let us know
as soon as possible and we will
try to make the arrangements. He reserves his boat on a first
come first served basis, so please let us know right away! There
is an additional charge of $15 per
person for the skipjack cruise.
Historic St. Mary's City
Historic St. Mary's City, located next to Trinity Church and near the campus
of St. Mary's College of Maryland, is a living history museum and education
center. The settlement was founded in 1634. It was the first capitol of
the Province of Maryland and the fourth permanent settlement in British
North America. Today, Historic St. Mary's City is recognized as one of
America's best preserved archaeological and historic sites and is registered
as a National Historic Landmark.
On a Tidewater landscape lightly touched by the modern world, the colonial
past is brought to life. Costumed interpreters and recreated buildings,
the result of painstaking archeological and historical investigation, lend
an air of authenticity. Here, a town that disappeared from most maps and
history books more than two centuries ago is recapturing the imagination
of visitors, students, and scholars.
Weather
GodSearch will be offered rain or shine. If rain is forecast, bring foul
weather gear.
Food
We have a refrigerator, a microwave, and stovetop for heating food up,
but not for cooking. We will provide coffee and tea. We urge you to eat
your evening meal before arriving at GodSearch. There are several reasonably
priced restaurants in nearby towns. Please bring snacks and simple breakfast
items with you.
What to Bring
Comfortable clothing, modest sleep wear (we're all together on the parish
hall floor), sleeping bag, pillow, toiletries, sunscreen, sun glasses,
rubber soled water shoes, or an extra pair of tennis shoes to get wet.
What Not to Bring
Valuables, Electronic Devices, Drugs, Alcohol.
Reservations
Reservations will be accepted only when we receive a completed application
form and a deposit (click on the form and print). Tuition for the
Friday evening and Saturday morning program is $35 per person. You will
be promptly informed by letter (or email) when your application is received.
We will do our best to accommodate your preferred dates. If we cannot accommodate
any of your choices, we will not accept your deposit until we have contacted
you and agreed upon an alternate date. If we cannot find an alternate date,
your deposit will be returned to you. You may
change your reservation number without penalty up to 30 days in advance.
GodSearch is limited to a total of 35 persons (including adult sponsors).
You may depart from your reserved number of spaces by 2 without notifying
us. There must be one adult chaperone for each ten students.
Deposit Policy
Once we accept your deposit, it is nonrefundable.
If you fail to show up or cancel with less than 30 days notice, your deposit
is forfeited. This is necessary due to our need to fill spaces each weekend
in order to meet our costs for hosting the program. Your deposit may be
credited to another date if you cancel with at least 30 days notice, or
if we mutually agree on a cancellation due to very severe weather.
The balance of the tuition fee is due the night of your program.
Enrollment
If enrollment for a particular weekend is 15 or less, we reserve the right
to cancel that GodSearch weekend. Under these circumstances, the deposit
will be returned to those who made the reservation.
A penalty of $25 will be charged for any checks returned due to insufficient
funds.
To Contact Us:
GodSearch on the Chesapeake
St. Mary's Parish
P.O. Box 207
St. Mary's City, MD 20686
phone: 301-862-4597
fax: 301-862-2507
email: trinitysmcmd@olg.com
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