Happeners from Happening #13 beam outside Powell hall at the Claggett Center, February 2020

By Katrina Schultz, St. Martin’s-in-the-Field, Severna Park

The first time I went to Happening three years ago, I remember being anxious the whole way down to the Claggett Center because I knew that spending a weekend with people that I did not know talking about my feelings and my faith was something that was way out of my comfort zone. From the absolute first moment that I walked into Powell Hall, I was greeted with a smiling face and a welcoming hand and from that moment on, I became a part of a community that will forever be a part of me.

Happening, while it is only one weekend, has the ability to change your relationship with not only the people around you, but your relationship with Christ. By listening to other people’s faith stories and talking about discussion questions in small groups, I began to realize how much God’s presence is in my everyday life—I just had to take a second and feel Him. Going to Happening gave me a safe space where I could open up about my faith with some of the best people. Being around not only kids your age, who are going through similar struggles at home and school, but who also have a relationship with God and who share your Episcopal values is something that not every high schooler has the opportunity to do, which is why it is so important that every teenager who has the chance to go to Happening absolutely should.

Happening will forever have a special place in my heart because I met my best friends, became a part of a community where I can truly be myself, grew my relationship with Christ, and realized that this community of Episcopalians is one that I want to be a part of for the rest of my life. There’s no feeling quite like being in a room of high schoolers singing worship songs at the top of their lungs, arms wrapped around each other, smiles on their faces, and Christ in their hearts. And that is exactly what Happening is.

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