A Primer on TEC

For 5 years, we've thrown the word TEC around here quite a bit. We've even petitioned for it, and encouraged you to spread the word. That doesn't mean that we've given you a clear idea of what it is.

TEC is a youth retreat, for those of you who didn't find this website through TEC. It stands for Teens Encounter Christ, and it is a 3 day, summer camp style, bring clothes and a toothbrush gig. TEC is a Catholic retreat, but it is absolutely definitely not only for Catholics.

But hey, Jake, if I'm not Catholic, how can I get anything good out of it?

How can you take anything BAD away from it? The message of Christianity is universal. Love, spread the love. It's basically that simple. (and horribly more complicated, as these things go) I attended my first TEC retreat as a Non-Catholic. I've since converted, self destructed, drifted, and ended up in an odd, odd place somewhere. But the point isn't that you'll convert, you can go, have a good time, and go back to your life with the lessons you've learned. Happily.

Now I'll level with you. If you've never been to a Catholic service, there will be some awkward moments. Just kinda chill through it, don't take communion, and enjoy it. It's a beautiful type of reflection in and of itself. Just accept that anything new is awkward.

Once you accept that, and decide to go, do yourself a favor and decide to participate. Don't just sit around quietly. Enjoy yourself, talk, share stories, meet new people. Literally everyone on the retreat is worth meeting. The team are the team for a reason, the old farts leading the retreat are doing that for a reason as well.

And as the example in this blog demonstrates, don't be afraid to be your honest self. It will make it much more enjoyable. Much more beneficial.

So here's the best honest advice I can give you. GO. Serve on a TEC weekend.
There's a weekend coming up in January, and again in February. You can find out all of the details over at the Mid-America TEC Website

If you do go, I can promise you this. 3 days that you will never forget, and lifelong friends.
It's definitely worth a shot. What's growing closer to Christ worth, after all?