By: Chuck Viosca (Region 5 Coordinator on the Leadership Council)
Over three decades ago, I went on my first TEC retreat. I enjoyed the experience and bonded with many newfound friends on that weekend. Over the next several years, I grew in my faith as I continued to work TEC retreats and stay active in the TEC community. I even invited my parents, who were involved in youth ministry, to attend a TEC. They later worked TEC retreats as well, and it became a means of bonding more closely with them. I also met my future wife while working a TEC, and we have been blessed with four wonderful children, three daughters and a son.
Fast forward to today, and my son and oldest daughter have now both made and worked TEC weekends. We have even worked TECs together, which I feel is a special blessing. It means a lot to me to be able to share that experience with them. They have both commented on how special it is to be a part of something that my wife and I were involved with before they were even born. They find it fascinating that they got to experience some of the same things we experienced when we were their age. It is a great source of bonding for us now.
But, above all, they are grateful for now being a part of the TEC community. It is a place where they can work on their own faith life, which gives me comfort. I had concerns that they may feel that they would be in my shadow, especially when they meet people who have known me for decades. But my daughter feels that it is wonderful for a stranger to come up to her and feel an instant connection because of their long-time friendship with me. And my son has pointed out that there are so many new people making each new weekend that he is forming bonds with people I have yet to meet. This makes me happy because there is room for them to grow in the TEC community on their own. All in all, it is a community that my children feel is very welcoming and in which we now have a deeper connection because of TEC’s history with our family.
I have seen many other families attend TEC with similar, positive outcomes. But, I have also seen the opposite. My best advice is to encourage your children, but be patient. Wait until they are ready before they go on TEC. Let it be a time of their choosing, not yours. In the meantime, introduce them to people in the TEC community and let them experience the friendships you have created. This July, my middle daughter will attend her first TEC retreat. Of course, she does not know what to expect, and she is anxious. However, she knows her mother and I have made lifelong friends as a result of our TEC experience, which gives her comfort. She hopes that she will make similar, lifelong friends. I pray she is blessed with exactly that.
