By: Jodi Simon (Wichita TEC)
Family gatherings at our house often involve conversations about TEC, and the reason for that is that over 1/3 of us have made a TEC! My husband and I will be celebrating 48 years of marriage this fall and have been blessed with a very large family: 5 married daughters and 17 grandchildren, two of whom are also married; so yes, that is 31 people… so far!
My TEC history may be a bit different than most because it was my children who brought me into TEC rather than the other way around. My oldest two daughters went on TEC during their high school years, but I still had three younger children at home, so although I was supportive of their involvement, I didn’t feel called to make a weekend myself (even though I was a Parish Youth Minister at that time and was constantly being encouraged by our Diocesan Youth Director to try it). It wasn’t until my fourth daughter went during her high school years that I gave in and signed up for a weekend, and here I am, 19 years later, still very involved and actively serving on or directing weekends, serving on our local Core Team, and finishing up my final year as a member of the TEC Conference Leadership Council. I guess you could say I am a staunch believer and supporter of the TEC movement!
Along with myself, the other 12 TECers in our family are my husband, four daughters, five granddaughters, one grandson, and one grandson-in-law… for a total of 13! Actually, other than one daughter and the son-in-laws, all of the remaining family members are 16 and under, so it is my hope and prayer that they all follow the TEC path that has been laid for them by their parents and grandparents. And who knows, maybe even the adults/parents who have not yet gotten involved will end up like I was… brought in to TEC through their children.
I have been blessed to serve on actual TEC weekends with all but four of the other twelve and have also had the pleasure of attending several TEC Encounter celebrations with a few of them. Spending time with family and serving on a TEC weekend or enjoying an Encounter gathering with them is just about as good as it gets! And the real bonus is that their faith is growing and becoming stronger through their involvement with TEC, and isn’t that what all parents and grandparents are always praying for?
I imagine there are quite a few families out there who have been blessed to experience TEC with children and grandchildren, but if you haven’t yet, it’s never too late! And don’t think the younger people won’t want you around… I have found that they actually get quite a kick from us “more mature” people and some of them may even start calling you their TEC Mom or Grandma, which in my books, is a beautiful thing! I love the community built between my own family and my extended “TEC family” and am excited to see it continue growing.
