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Summer camp at Grace Point was amazing this year . Youth from all over the diocese as well as from other states came to be a part of a loving, community where fun was had by all. Camper's from age 6 to 87 enjoyed crafts, games, the pool, boats, archery, the flying squirrel and more. |
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UPCOMING EVENTS |
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Happening #89, NOV 20-22
Grace Point Camp | 9th-12th Grade
Winter Camp, JAN 15-18
Grace Point Camp | 9th-12th Grace
Diocesan Convention, FEB 19-20
Youth Presence | 9th-12th Grade for Delegates
New Beginnings #10, APR 9-11
Grace Point Camp | 6th-8th Grade |
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HAPPENING TEAM AND OBSERVING RECTOR APPLICATIONS ARE OPEN! |
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Thanks to all who helped make this summer a success. Camp dates for summer 2027 are coming soon! Make sure to follow Grace Point on Facebook and Instagram for the latest news. |
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Happening #89 is scheduled for November 20-22, 2026 at Grace Point Camp & Retreat Center. Registration for participants and applications for team and observing rector are now open. Learn more below.
What is Happening?
Happening is a spiritual awakening and renewal weekend where high school students (Grades 9-12) have a face-to-face encounter with the love of Jesus through Christian community. This is done through a series of talks, given by youth and adults about their experiences in faith and in life.
This weekend is honest and up-front. The weekend follows a format of talks, each followed by small-group discussion and activities. Topics covered throughout the weekend include prayer, faith, Jesus, and out individual calls to ministry in the world. Scattered between the talks and small group sessions are lots of fun songs and games, and worship through liturgies that youth may or may not have experienced before. We come together for praise, for reconciliation, for healing. Of course, there are a few fun surprises throughout the weekend!
Who can attend?
Participants: Open to all high school students grades 9-12. First-time participants attend Happening as “Participants”. Once you have been through Happening once, you are eligible to serve on Happening Team. The cost for participants is $175 by October 1 or $215 after October 1.
Team: Happening Team is a dedicated group of high school students (Grade 9-12) who plan and lead Happening weekend. Adults are part of team as chaperones, but the youth make it all “happen.” The cost for team is $110 by October 1 or $150 after October 1. Applications are due by September 30, 2026. |
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Good Shepherd Pilgrimage |
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This past June, students from Church of the Good Shepherd Lookout Mountain traveled to Montana for a week-long Pilgrimage. The Pilgrimage was the culmination of two years of Confirmation classes & local service projects aimed at handing over control of a student's faith to themselves. So, over the last two years, our students have had to prioritize, participate, volunteer, and commit to a faith-seeking life under the guise of “confirmation classes”. The beauty of the J2A (Journey to Adulthood- yes, it’s still around) program is it is structured in such a way that it allows the students to ask the questions in the context of their lives as their lives progress, and (sometimes, but not always) find the answers together. Read more... |
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Summa |
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SUMMA was a phenomenal, eye-opening, and fun experience for me. When I did debate in high school I hated it, people were aggressive and the topics were boring. However, SUMMA does the exact opposite, it is about interesting theological topics and the motto “Speaking Truth in Love” promotes a more kind debating approach centering “Faith Seeking Understanding”. SUMMA’s approach made the camp an amazing experience from start to finish. Read more... |
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Diocesan Mission Trip |
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This summer, I had the opportunity to attend a mission trip with the Episcopal Diocese of East Tennessee Youth Community. We traveled to Fletcher, North Carolina, to assist with Hurricane Helene relief. We partnered with Towel Ministry and the Diocese of Western North Carolina, organizations that had also been impacted by the hurricane. Read more... |
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St. Peter's Mission Trip |
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The St. Peter's youth went to North Carolina this summer for their mission trip. We worked with the Appalachia Service Project (ASP), where we helped rebuild homes for families affected by Hurricane Helene. While we were there working with ASP we built a new ramp for a family, ripped up old carpet and placed new flooring down. During this mission trip we bonded with other youth groups and with our home owners. Read more... |
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Good Samaritan Pilgrimage |
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This July, the Good Sam Youth went on a trip to Selma, AL. While we typically do a mission trip with lots of service work, this trip was closer to a pilgrimage, with some service but heavily focused on listening, learning, reflecting and discussing the history of Selma, the South, and our United States as a whole. Read more... |
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Youth Selected for Diocesan Youth Council (DYC) |
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Congratulations to the following youth who applied for and were accepted to DYC!
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Brock Beeler, Austin Blackledge, Addison Borders, Bea Burbank, Gracelynn Garland, Jonah Geasland, Buddy Jackson, Fletcher Kent, Micah Kramer, Ian Mahone, Addy Reynolds, Maggie Riebau, Sophia Santola, Riley Walser, Georgi Wilson
These youth representatives will serve on the Diocesan Youth Council for the 2026-2027 academic year, helping shape priorities and programming for ETNyouth. Many thanks for being willing to serve! They will go on retreat in September to begin their work. Please keep them in your prayers. |
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Program dates to be announced soon!
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The leadership for both ChattEY and KnoxEY are working hard on dates for the upcoming program year. We will announce those on the ETNyouth Instagram, website, diocesan Circle, and this email newsletter. |
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As many of our East Tennessee family knows, Jesse Adkins departed the diocesan staff in July. During this interim period, three lay leaders have stepped up to help organize and lead events for ETNyouth: Jamie Holodak (St. Peter's, Chattanooga), Julie Novak (formerly of St. Timothy's, Signal Mountain, now in the Knoxville area), and MacKenzie Teal (St. Paul's, Chattanooga). You may contact them, collectively, by emailing youth@etnyouth.org.
As part of this next chapter in the life of ETNyouth, we are integrating the life, activities, and work of ETNyouth back into diocesan online spaces. While the separate Facebook and Instagram pages will continue, the separate ETNyouth website will be brought back into the diocesan website. You can still find the upcoming Happening #89 information on the ETNyouth site, but future events and information will be available on the diocesan website. ETNyouth also is now a part of the DioET Circle platform. We're building out resources and collaborative spaces on our Circle in the coming weeks.
The DioET Circle is an all-in-one space for the various ministries and interests across our diocese. It's a private social network with enhanced tools for collaboration and instruction. Love books? There's a space! Into Centering Prayer? There's a group for that! Love taking care of the earth? There's a ministry area for that as well! We just ask that youth under the age of 18 use the "Join as Youth" button below. All those 18 years of age and older, please use the "Join as Adult" button. Joining as a youth adds a youth tag to your profile so that participants know who they are addressing. |
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For more information on our communications transition, please email Bro. Andrew at amorehead@dioet.org. |
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Follow ETNyouth on Social Media |
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