A quick look at the Grace Point Camp and Retreat Center calendar reveals very few dates lacking reservations.

“The camp has become a grace-filled and meaningful part of so many of our parishioners’ lives,” said the Rev. Bo Lewis, camp vicar, “especially given the limitations in its facilities and its services. The variety of people requesting information is remarkable.”

Ecumenical enrichment

On a hot, muggy July day at Grace Point, young teenagers were anxious to jump in kayaks and canoes and paddle around Watts Bar Lake. Good idea for high summer in East Tennessee.

What made this unusual was that while half the group was from nearby Oak Ridge, the other half was visiting from Northern Ireland. In addition, half were boys and half were girls, and half were Protestant and half were Roman Catholic. Counselors also reflected these distinctions.

The group was on an overnight stay at Grace Point as part of the Ulster Project, an ecumenical effort coordinated since 1975 in cities around the United States and in Northern Ireland to break down ancient barriers and help Irish teens realize that peace in their country is a viable option – before friends or others persuade them to become involved in the political violence there. More than 6,000 youth have been involved over the years.

Mary Tuskan’s son was a teen host in the early ’90s. “I’ve noticed a huge difference in some of the group sharing that was done in 1992 versus 2003,” the counselor from St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Oak Ridge said. “More kids are saying they’re going to integrated schools. They hang out more with Protestants and Catholics mixed than the group that came over in the early ’90s, so there has to be some impact. There have to be some changes going on.

“The kids have even said to me, ‘Things (in Northern Ireland) aren’t as bad as you make them out to be,’ ” she added.

Tuskan and Michael Gormley, one of the two Irish counselors, ran through a litany of entertainment and enrichment activities undertaken during the month: whitewater rafting, ropes courses, lots of water sports – swimming, tubing, boating – Dolly-wood, hiking, movies, a talent show, a lock-in, cookouts, parties and the overnight retreat at Grace Point. That night, the group was to try country line dancing.

The meat of the Ulster Project shows in a series of “discovery” sessions, which are “an extremely important part of the project,” Gormley said. “They have four sessions during the month where they explore those issues as a group with respect to everybody’s views and how to celebrate differences.”

“This is a very simple, personal way to promote Christian values without proselytizing,” said Gay Marie Logsdon, an Oak Ridge chapter member and parishioner at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church. “It’s just person to person, kid to kid.”

Youth Camps

This year’s youth summer camps at Grace Point drew near-capacity groups for most sessions, which served youth across the spectrum of school age.

Sessions shared a basic schedule, with some variations for campers’ age: breakfast in the Commons Building, worship at the point, Bible study and team-building in the morning. Then after lunch and a little quiet time, campers stormed into a range of activities including canoeing, kayaking, swimming, arts and crafts and more.

Second Session campers (rising 8th- and 9th-graders) favored “jug fishing,” an activity in which they lured catfish by suspending chicken livers on a hook and line attached to a gallon milk jug, then released the fish. Pie-in-the-face bingo was also immensely popular: Each bingo winner chose a human target at whom they threw a chocolate-pudding-and-whipped-cream “pie” on a paper plate. Games often ended in a free-for-all where all were winners – and targets.

One counselor said Grace Point’s serene environment and sturdy facilities allowed for an ideal combination of faith, fellowship and fun.

Time to relax, reflect

New clergy of the diocese held their monthly Fresh Start meeting at the Retreat House in June. Bishop vonRosenberg celebrated the Eucharist, then lunch became a picnic on the screened porch. To mark the importance of Sabbath time, the afternoon session was held on a pontoon boat, which took clergy for a long ride on Watts Bar Lake.

“Seeing Grace Point from the water is one great means of relaxation and renewal,” one attendee said.

Summertime events

Some of the other summer visitors to Grace Point have included the youth group from St. Timothy, Kingsport, on a 2-night retreat; members of Good Samaritan, Knoxville, for a parish picnic; the diocesan Youth Action Council for a day meeting; Trinity, Gatlinburg, parishioners on a 3-night retreat and campout; deacons for a picnic; an EFM day retreat; and a Volunteer Ministries day meeting.

A look at late-summer and early fall reservations show an ETSU campus ministry overnight retreat; a Diocesan Quiet Day; a Good Samaritan youth lock-in over two nights; a St. Raphael, Crossville, parish picnic; a St. Andrew, Harriman, picnic; and a St. John, Johnson City, event.

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