By Nora Barnaby, SCYL Clear Blue Sky Editor
Top row: Leah, Micah, Trent, Isaiah, Bedo, Charlie and Athena.
Middle row: Ellie, Ben, Grayson, Abby, and Maudie.
Front row: Nora, Zsa Zsa, Lilly, Serena, Caroline, Lilly, and Val.
This Winter Retreat we got to explore the topic of Heaven and Hell: Here and Now. I personally thought this was very cool and sparked a lot of interesting discussions between the adults and teens. We had a packed house with nineteen teens! Everyone had a lot of fun playing Werewolf, Catchphrase, as well as putting together a few puzzles that were out for people to work on whenever they wanted. Kurt, Rev. Renee, and Rev. Kit led some amazing sessions. We talked about Emanuel Swedenborg, the organization of Heaven, realistic Angels, the World of Spirits, and so much more. Our new officers for 2025 were elected and I am so excited to get to work closely with them all this year. There was a beautiful Exodus service led by Renée and Kit. We ended the weekend with bowling at Hideaway Lanes. This is always a highlight for everyone. We get pizza and have so much fun bowling with our friends. The teens all stayed up really late the last night to savor the moments spent with our favorite people. However, it has to come to an end eventually. Monday morning bright and early we clean everything up to make sure it’s ready for the next group, and we say goodbye to our friends. This was a great retreat, and I can’t wait for the next one.
Read the full issue of the Winter 2025 Messenger
Meet Kurt Fekete
Kurt Fekete has been the Youth Director for the Swedenborgian Church of North America for over twenty years. He also serves as vice president of the denomination,
