It is with great zeal that the St. Sarkis ACYOA held its first ever off-campus regional retreat over the weekend of April 5-7, at Sky Ranch in Van, TX. About 2 hours out from Dallas, the group had a total of 25 in attendance from across the metroplex, with the guidance of Fr. Ghevond Ajamian, pastor at St. Sarkis Armenian Church. The theme of the retreat was “Է” or “I AM” and allowed the youth to grow and focus on who Christ is, especially as Armenian Christians.
During the retreat the youth were blessed with the opportunity to disconnect from the rush of everyday life including work, school, and social media to build and strengthen their relationships with one another, Christ, and the church. The retreat at the beautiful campus in Van, TX provided the chance to be submerged and truly appreciate the depth of God’s creation, glory, and greatness. The retreat allowed the St. Sarkis ACYOA to highlight the 5 Circles of the Cross, by engaging in educational sessions led by Der Ghevont and the ACYOA board, witnessing Christ to one another through enriching discussions, partaking in fellowship with various activities such as ziplining, forming Armenian “shourchbars” (circle dances), and playing sports, serving one another and creating deeper bonds as a community. All of the aforementioned were intertwined with worship from the beginning to the end of each day with the beautiful prayers and hymns of the traditional monastic night and evening hour services. The weekend concluded by truly uniting by celebrating Holy Badarak together. The retreat was impactful for all of the participants, allowing the youth to dive into scripture, analyze our Divine Liturgy, while building up one another in the Body of Christ. Pictures from the weekend can be seen here.
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