"Spiritual" meetings

mmatt95

HI guys, i was just wondering about ur experiences with spiritual meetings. In Europe for example we got this european meeting every year, and all kinds of bisschops come and youth from all countries, and we get a lot of lectures. But from my experience, most people that go there are not benefitting spiritually at all, and are probably just going to have a good time and they certainly do not attend any of the services (vespers, midnight praises etc).
Besides a lot of bad things happen, which i don't want to mention in detail....

this is not applied to everyone though...there are people who go for the good reasons :)

Anywayz, i was just curious about ur opinions and experiences about this :)

-matt-

CopticSoldier

If you want replies you gonna have to start telling those stories. ;)

God bless,

CS

mmatt95

LOOOL, i'll just have to wait a little bit for that ;)

it's not yet time to take drastic measures lol

mike_henain

Well I agree, last convention I was asked from one of the guys in the Church in another province: "Do u have any hot chicks in ur youth group"
Me: :o
Them: Do u??
Me: Why? Are you here for the chicks??
Them: Do u think we actually came for the Services and Sermons...

Ya... ::)


That's how it is!!

Mike

mmatt95

God bless...see, i knew it lol

anyone else....??? ;D

Unknown

hey all,
i just got back from a family convention in CT and it was great! we all had a blast and everything was awesome
my church doesnt do co-ed conventions, so when we do go to co-ed ones, it has to be with your family, so nothing happens... u know wut i mean
but going back to what Mike said, it happens all the time
i was talking to this one guy that i met a few years back, and he's matured quite a bit when it comes to his face... but it gets annoying when all the girls ask u to introduce him to u and wanna hang out wiht him the whole entire day, its somewhat shallow in my thoughts and on the guys part, im sure he's bored and would rather hang out with his other guy friends...
but we dont have co-ed field trips or overnight sleeping conventions unless ur with your family, such as this one... and i like it that way
we may be able to go on few coed fieldtrips in the future... but until then, im thankful that the "spiritual meetings" remain as they are... at least until u get to college

mike_henain

Hey SMS, welcome back!! And yes, I do agree with you, for everything there's a bad side and a good side, it depends on which one u'll go with....

Mike

markbotros

Any meeting must be with Father's care. One must know that
that God knowes everything and see. Then we have to thank
HIM for HIS forgiveness and allow us to be in these Holy places.

mike_henain

True Markos, very true..

Mike

egyprincess

i went to the same convention with SMS and i have to say, it was lot of fun. i also benifited spirtually. but most of us go to meet new pple or to see our friends from other churches. i go for both. but yes there r pple that go only to have fun or for the opposite sex.

for example, in the east coast of america we have a retreat called ECCYC or Easter Coast Coptic Youth Convention. its split up, high school girls, high school guys, college-guys and girls, and i believe there is one for servants, not sure. anywayz. more pple go to the college one than the high school one. fact- most of the pple there r trying to get engaged. dont ask. thats wat ive heard and i find it very amusing and weird.

btw, the high school retreat is so much fun and i believe thats due to the fact that there r no guys. lol

wfhanna1

NO GUYS
girl you are missing a lot ;)

sleepymusician

Not really Wasim. I've been to ECCYC, and it's awesome. Even the servants there tell the bishops and priests that the high school girls go last so that they can leave a "sweet flavor" in their mouths...lol

However, I do know what egprincess is talking about because once you're in college, everything becomes co-ed again, including these retreats, and there are people who look forward to it and those who don't, but the people who look forward to it are more than those who aren't looking forward to it, and they're all looking forward to it for bad reasons...

sleepy

egyprincess

guess wat one of those reasons r?! to get engaged. college ECCYC has a nickname of engagment ECCYC. y? cause they say that most of the pple there r there to get engaged. (btw, i think that very stupid, my opinion)

wfhanna1

ok what are the directions to that convention again jk jk
but that happens all over the state the same wih the midwest high school and college conventions

egyprincess

i guess so, but its really sad that it does. in my opinion

sleepymusician

Yea, it's really disturbing that the main reason people want ot go on these retreats are to get engaged...

sleepy

Unknown

dont stereotype....... ;D

egyprincess

hows that sterotyping?

wfhanna1

SMS meant don't stereotype that everyone who goes to the conventions want to get engaged.

sleepymusician

I wasn't intending to stereotype anyone. I said the MAIN reason people want to go to these conventions is for the engagements. I didn't say all. That's first. Secondly, it's the truth. I've heard, and seen it with my own eyes. That's not being stereotypical, that's being honest to the bone.

sleepy

unconditional_love

ok guys khalas, point made, move on. thanks..
talk about solutions maybe?
just move on *thumbs up*

Unknown

well u guys... eccyc has been split up into two groups for the undergrads n the grads, so that way, the grads could meet n get to know each other in the proper atmosphere, n the undergrads dont have to be harrassed by the older ppl and so that they can do their own things and have their own fun like we do in high school...
if im not mistaken, it was HG Anba Moussa that said that these conventions were made so that we may meet people... not for the purpose to get engaged, but just to meet people for ur future, ur friends, ur brothers ur sisters, future suitors, etc etc

sleepymusician

[quote author=unconditional_love link=board=1;threadid=415;start=15#msg7806 date=1090808466]
ok guys khalas, point made, move on. thanks..
talk about solutions maybe?
just move on *thumbs up*


unconditional_love, we are moving towards a solution. SMS and I are no enemies and we're just stating out opinions like everyone else, no need to be so harsh.

And SMS, I know, I didn't mean anything, I never said it was wrong, I just said that it's disturbing that that's the main reason many people go. I've personally met many people from ECCYC, and we've become very close so I can relate to what Anba Moussa said, just not for the wrong reasons...lol

sleepy ;)

Unknown

i get what u mean
andi dont think unconditional love meant nything by it cause i was writing up my post while she posted hers, lol
so no harsh feelings... but shes right, lets move on with our lives lol

sleepymusician

I have no problem with that...lol
Sorry if I offended you unconditional_love, apparently, I wasn't showing love...lol (no pun intended)

sleepy

unconditional_love

LOL ;D

sleepymusician

Peace made? lol
GOOD!!! ;)

sleepy

unconditional_love

yah ;)

irini nem ehmot = peace and grace

youst718

i know you guys wanted to end that discussion and move on.. but i do know a couple people who have been to the college eccyc and most of them hae come back with the saying... "bring your own debla(engagement ring)".... thats the "motto" that they've come up with at the college ECCYC

unconditional_love

okay :o
well lets stop this "trend" and make conventions' purpose what theyr really for.. to edify us spiritually.. and to answer all our doubts and questions.. for ex: one thing i do is go over my Bible and see where ive had questions i marked b4.. and i ask the Bishops at the convention..

its a good way to clear any doubts u may have had about a certain part in the Bible

any more suggestions r welcome :)

flo

Hi mmatt95,
r u going to the one in france in august?
i know exactly wot u mean, i went to a uk conference in feb and there was lots of 'coupling' going on.
its really annoying cos it really puts me of going.