The dates were (Friday-Saturday) 28-29 January2011. The location was the newly constructed Hope Lake Lodge Resort at Greek Peak NY as 130-160 faithful from the New York State Deanery participated in all or part of a two-day “Family Conference and Retreat.”

His Grace, Bishop +Michael, was present for all the festivities, gatherings, fun, and fellowship. He also hosted a “clergy family” dinner on Friday evening for the priests, their wives (Matushki), and PKs [priest’s kids] of the deanery.
  
Following morning prayers on Saturday morning, the youth (who clearly outnumbered the “grown-ups”) welcomed a challenging and inspiring talk by Father Thomas Langdon, a student at Saint Tikhon’s Seminary recently assigned as “priest-in-charge” of the mission parish at Oneonta NY.   “You can choose to bow to the idols of this world, where they sacrifice our children on the altar of their lusts and drown out innocence, or…. You can be a champion of Christ and a light of hope amidst the darkness and confusion here below.”  Father Thomas continued, “You can walk in despair and defeat without a fight, or… march with the saints and angels at your side. You can seek after worldly pleasures and elusive happiness, or … seek true fulfillment, and riches that never fade or grow old.”

Time for fun and fellowship was interspersed between gatherings, meals, discussions and prayer-time. A large, three-story indoor water-park became a center of indoor activity, while the snow covered slopes of Greek Peak provided outdoor fun as participants went tubing down the mountain.

After lunch on Saturday, Bishop +Michael spoke to all of the participants, but with special focus on the youth.  He shared three main points:  1) Jesus knows and understands our struggles and challenges, our joys and sorrows, because He was born, grew up, and lived as human being for us.  2) Jesus loves us, and the Church loves us.  3) We need to love Jesus, and love the Church.

His Grace also met with students enrolled in the Diocesan Diaconal Formation Program and their spouses.  His message to them focused on “service and witness in ministry.”