Winter Youth Retreat

Believe it or not, the Feast of Epiphany and the Holy Cross Annual Winter Youth Retreat will be here before you know it. This year, Pastor Christopher Maronde will be presenting on the Psalter as God's Prayer Book. Youth confirmation age on up are encouraged to attend.  Cost is $30.  For more information, see below or contact Pastor Kevin Johnson at 515-721-6675.
It would be great to see you and your young people there.  All ages are invited to attend the prayer offices and presentations.

Retreat Description: 
The disciples once asked Jesus, "Lord, teach us to pray," and two thousand years later, we are still asking the same question. Jesus gave us the Lord's Prayer as His answer, and God in His abundance has also given to the Church an entire book which not only contains prayers but also teaches us to pray: the Psalter, or the book of Psalms. 
Saint Athanasius once suggested that in order to properly utilize the book of Psalms (often called the 'Psalter'), the Christian must first read through the book in its entirety, then select from the book the psalms needful for each situation in life. While the Church and individual Christians have utilized individual psalms throughout history for all the various situations that arise in this world of sin, we have not paid nearly enough attention to Athanasius' first piece of advice: to read the Psalter as a whole. 
Pastor Maronde will lead us in an investigation of the Psalter not as a collection of canonical psalms, but as a canonical collection of psalms, not a random 'container' for inspired texts, but a collection that has been intentionally put together, with the psalms placed next to one another for important reasons. By understanding how the Psalter is put together, we can better know how to utilize individual psalms as we all seek to learn how to pray.

About our Presenter: 
Pastor Christopher Maronde serves as the pastor of St. John Lutheran Church in Hastings, Iowa, and St. Paul Lutheran Church in Oakland, Iowa. He also serves as the director of the Lutheran Institute of Regenerative Agriculture and on the Board of Regents of Luther Classical College. He is a PhD candidate at Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where he is working on a dissertation on the shape of the Psalter, particularly the interaction of lament and praise from one end of the Psalter to the other. Pastor Maronde is married to Bethany and has three daughters, Samantha (12), Rachel Lauren (6), and Charlotte (2). In addition to theology, he enjoys reading classical literature (Shakespeare and Jane Austin are favorites) as well as immersing himself in the world of JRR Tolkien.

Schedule:

Friday, January 6 
6:00 pm Registration 
7:00 pm Ice Breaker / Games 
8:00 pm Vespers 
8:30 pm Presentation I - How is the Psalter put together? 
9:30 pm Games / Free Time / Snacks 
11:30 pm Compline 
12:00 am Lights Out
 
Saturday, January 7
8:00 am Registration / Breakfast
9:30 am Matins 
10:00 am Presentation II Psalms 'talking' With One Another 
11:00 am Games 
11:45 am Lunch / Clean Up 
12:30 pm Presentation III – Lord, teach us to pray: what can we learn from the Psalter? 
1:30 pm Ask Pastor 
2:30 pm Vespers

Cost is $30 per person. Confirmation age youth and older are encouraged to attend. If you desire to stay overnight at the church, bring a sleeping bag, tooth brush and pillow. Board games are encouraged. Any questions, contact Rev. Kevin Johnson at 515-721-6675 or pastor.holycross@yahoo.com.


Cover Art Credit: By [1], Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=7009092