Journey Retreat
First Talk - Day One, evening

7:45 P.M. First Talk: Life’s Journey

Opening Song :

"I’m sailing away, set an open course for the virgin sea.
‘Cause I’ve got to be free, free to face the life that’s ahead of me.
On board I’m the captain, so climb aboard.
We’ll search for tomorrow on every shore.
And I’ll try, O Lord, I’ll try, to carry on.

I look to the sea, reflections in the waves spark my memory.
Some happy, some sad, I think of childhood friends and the dreams we had.
We’ll live happily forever so the story goes,
But somehow we missed out on the pot of gold
But we’ll try the best as we can, to carry on.

A gathering of angels appeared above my head.
They sang to me this song of hope and this is what they said:
“Come sail away, come sail away, come sail away with me…”

When I think of the word “journey,” I am reminded of a grade school teacher I once had who loved to talk about the adventures of the early American explorers. She had a real talent for giving exciting descriptions of storms at sea, threatening savages, frightening nights alone in the wilderness, endless wagon trains, blinding blizzards, and hungry buzzards! In the end, though, she always delighted in telling us how, despite all kinds of obstacles, the explorers always reached the goal of their journey by discovering a new land, building a new city, or establishing a new colony.

In many ways life is an exciting journey. As we sail the ship of life we encounter picturesque sunsets, experience exciting new adventures, and meet a host of interesting and loving people. Life’s journey s also filled with many obstacles. Like the early explorers we sometimes feel shipwrecked, abandoned, alone, or lost. Life sometimes seems like a ship that’s being tossed in a zillion directions, and sometimes we’re not too sure who we are, what we’re doing, or where we’re going. No matter what we experience along life’s journey, it seems that there are always people who help us through the good times and the bad, people who help us, as Styx sang in the opening song, “to carry on.”

I’d like to take a few moments to share with you a small part of my life’s journey.

At this point ask the candidates to look at the “map” you’ve prepared. (A smaller version appears on the next page of this outline.) On the map there are four main areas: water, islands, and two main lands. The speaker should relate experiences from his or her life using the following elements of the map:

A. Mainland: The point of departure on life’s journey. State a little about your origins – childhood, family background, favorite things during your early years, etc. Mention one person who helped you during this period of your life. Be specific in mentioning who the person is, how he or she helped you, and how you feel about this person.

B. Water: As you grew you “set sail” and explored on your own. Relate an experience from your life in which you made a decision on your own. Was it a positive or negative experience? Who helped you, and how? Again, be specific.

C. Islands: Mention how sometimes you’ve had some negative experiences. Note a specific failure or disappointment you’ve had. Relate how you felt shipwrecked on a desert island as a result, but mention a specific person who helped to “rescue” you and put you “back on course.”

Mainland 2: This represents where you are right now in your life. Mention some of the goals you have set for yourself as you continue your life’s journey, and mention a specific person who has recently helped you or is presently helping you to achieve your goal.


At this point, ask the candidates to draw a similar map in their notebooks and to “chart their course” through life in a similar way. Allow ten or fifteen minutes for this exercise.

When the candidates are done, conclude the talk:

I hope that charting your life’s journey has helped you to recognize that there are many, many people who help us to “carry on” through the good times and the bad. I also hope that, in completing the “map” of your life, you’ve discovered that you and you alone can determine where your life will take you.

I am free to face the life that’s ahead of me. Like the early explorers, all of us are free to determine what it is we wish to do with our lives. No one forced the Pilgrims to board the Mayflower. They could have stayed back in England, but they would have never reached their goals if they did. They made up their minds to do something and they did it.

No one can live my life for me. Like the captain of a ship, we must make many decisions about where we want to go and what we want to do with our lives. No one can force us to do something we don’t want to do.

Give an example of someone who once tried to force you to do something you didn’t want to. How did you overcome this? What made you decide to say “No”?

Finally, I must open myself to those who help me along life’s journey. While the captain of a ship determines where the ship will go, he or she must rely on his or her crew for assistance and advice. There are many people whom we rely upon during life’s journey – people who love us and who give s the hope to carry on.

No matter what life’s journey brings us, we always have the opportunity to “search for tomorrow on every shore” and to reach the destinations in life we hope to reach.

Closing song

 

MY LIFE’S JOURNEY
After the talk, candidates will break up into their individual groups with team leaders for Small Group Session 1.

Small Group Session 1

Begin by asking the candidates for their reactions to the talk. Go around the circle and offer everyone the opportunity to speak.

Ask for a volunteer to share his or her “map” with the group.

When the person is finished, have everyone in the group give the person “a hand.” Then say:

"In looking over my own map, I was reminded of the many people who have helped me out on my life’s journey."

Mention one of the persons you remembered. Be specific in mentioning to the group how he or she helped you out. Ask each person in the group to mention one of the persons he or she remembered and to state why this person is so special. Conclude by saying:

"As we review our life’s journey I think we’ve seen that there have been many people who have helped us by the hope and love they’ve given us. In many ways these people are the “crew” which has supported and backed us as the “captain” of life’s ship. I’d like to ask you to close your eyes and to picture one of the persons who helped you at a difficult time during your life’s journey. (Pause for a few moments. Speak the rest of this slowly and reflectively.) Maybe it was your mom or dad, (pause) a brother or sister, (pause) or a classmate or friend. (pause) encouraged you to look at yourself more positively, (pause) or challenged you to be a better person. (pause) Saying “thank you” to those who’ve helped us on our journey is something we sometimes forget to do."

Ask the candidates to open their eyes. Pass out paper and envelopes.

Let’s spend a few moments writing a letter of thanks to the special person we’ve just thought about. In your letter. . .

Allow 15 minutes for this. When everyone is finished, ask the candidates to place the letters in envelopes, to seal them, to write the person’s name and their own name on the envelope, and to give it to you. Explain that the letters will be returned at the end of the retreat. Ask if anyone from the group to offer a reaction to the assembled groups. The reaction may be a personal reflection on the talk or a sharing of the special person they wrote to.

9:45 PM Reactions

Everyone regroups. One of the Rectors settles everyone into place and asks for one candidate from each group to offer responses.

10:15 PM Break, snacks

10:30 PM Reflection, Reconciliation in Church

There will be a separate outline for this. It will be distributed at the retreat itself.
Team meeting – DON’T FOOL AROUND – BE ON TIME SO WE CAN GET THROUGH THIS!

8:00 AM Wake up candidates, breakfast

8:30 AM Team meeting

 

 

Department of Youth, Young Adult, and Campus Ministry
Orthodox Church in America
PO Box 675 Syosset, NY 11791
http://yya.oca.org
yyacm@oca.org

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