The ACYO Blog
ACYO Junior Retreat: God’s Plan for Us
On March 23rd, Junior ACYO members from all over the Diocese traveled to Hye Camp for an educational weekend about “God’s Plan for Us”. The weekend started off Friday night with ice breakers and games. On Saturday, discussions were led by Der Avedis Abovian and Dn. Matthew Ash on the weekend’s topic. The first discussion, “free will”, sparked many questions about right and wrong decisions in our everyday lives. The second discussion focused on the goals of each participant. After focusing on five goals, each ACYO member was asked to determine which one of their goals were individualistic or collectivistic.
During the third discussion, ACYO members were placed into four groups and asked to come up with a resolution on everything they learned throughout the weekend. Below you will find each group’s resolution. Saturday’s events concluded with a camp fire with lots of laughs and stories. Even though leaving was bittersweet on Sunday, the Junior ACYO members gained more knowledge about “God’s Plan”.
Group 1
Whereas:
-We have free time
-We are capable of fulfilling these duties
-The community needs our assistance
-We have the opportunity to make an impact with our free will
-It pleases God to see his creations cooperating for the greater good
Also, whereas:
-We offer our services to help in old age homes, pet shelters, the special needs and/or hospitals
Therefore:
We resolve to make the effort by utilizing our free will/time and the desire to please God by volunteering and aiding those in need in our communities
Group 2
As members of the Armenian community, we propose as a whole that we abide by the 4 pillars of ACYO: Education, service, fellowship, and worship. We can accomplish this by the following guidelines:
-Make the good choice to follow the pillars
-Always strive and prosper
-Create a united community with our Christian faith
We will advise our Armenian youth to join our community and our journey to a closer relationship with God. Whereas, to attract non-attendees to attend church services and activities.
America is one of the most individualistic countries and the Armenians living here are influenced by this culture and routine. They forget about their own heritage and traditions. Armenians have the choice to come to church. Would you rather sleep in on a Sunday morning or watch a movie than participate in Church? This is the choice that the Armenian youth shall make referring back to free will. People shouldn’t be afraid to take action, because then you’ll be missing in action.
Group 3
As individuals we will spread the word to others. That will create a collective environment. Therefore, more youth will attend church and learn about God. God will be proud of all of us. We will spread the word by posting flyers about ACYO and other events such as: meetings, Bible studies. We will also help serve on the Holy Altar or sing in the choir. Inviting friends will also help spread the word.
Group 4
We the members of this ACYO junior retreat resolve the following:
-Whereas, we are made in God’s image and likeness
-Whereas, we have 100% free will because God has 100% free will
-Whereas, God created everything good
-Therefore, when exercising free will, one should ask themselves if God would approve of the choices one makes.