By: Dennis Kurtz (Associate Director)
The TEC Conference recently offered a very successful virtual retreat experience for the whole TEC family on Tuesday evenings during the Lent and Easter seasons. Thank you to all the presenters and everyone who participated in the eleven sessions! Nearly 200 individuals joined us for all or some of these evenings of reflection.
Meeting virtually for these evenings provided a safe and engaging way to gather as the TEC family and reflect on the Paschal Mystery, as we were not able to meet in person due to the pandemic. Each session was one hour in length and focused on a particular reflection from the TEC weekend. The reflections were based on the new revised outlines that the TEC Conference released in 2018. We were blessed to have a different person each week from various TEC centers each sharing their reflections using the new outlines. After the reflection, those who joined that evening were divided into small groups to further unpack the key points that the speaker shared. Prayer both opened and closed each night’s experience. The Journey of Hope was a way that the TEC Conference could be of service to each TEC center to further build up leadership on the local level during this time that TEC weekends had be suspended.
It was the hope of TEC Conference that these evenings would be an opportunity to be community in a new way, and I believe we achieved that goal.
As the coordinator of these evenings, I found it was a wonderful way to connect with so many different people and TEC communities who make up the TEC Conference. These were evenings of prayer, learning, and sharing faith as the larger TEC family. It provided a virtual platform for individuals from across the US, Canada, and the Bahamas to meet one another and form community as well as renew and strengthen their understanding of the TEC weekend experience. It was the hope of TEC Conference that these evenings would be an opportunity to be community in a new way, and I believe we achieved that goal. New friendships were formed, and the sharing of faith enriched one another’s lives. As the TEC Conference, we hope to be able to offer similar opportunities in the future. Do stay tuned!
Perhaps this type of formation may also be a format that could work for your TEC center when gathering in person is not practical due to distance, time limitations, or the availability of individuals. Now that we are moving forward regarding the pandemic and meeting in person is possible (which has so many benefits), virtual formation may still be a tool for you in providing other unique opportunities for your TEC center. The successful nature of the Journey of Hope retreat shows us how useful virtual gatherings can be!
Each Journey of Hope reflection was recorded; the recorded reflections may serve as a resource for individuals from your local TEC center who are preparing their particular reflection for the TEC weekend. They are meant to serve as an example for the individual of how to use the outline to develop their unique reflection. If your local TEC leaders would like access to these recordings, please contact office@tecconference.org.
