Contributed by Sunmi Rinkema and Soogin Ogden

The young adults of the Chicago Family Church have been making consistent efforts to maintain their lives of faith and instill healthy, spiritual practices in their daily lives. The Recharge Retreat, held from January 21-22 in St. Charles, Illinois, offered young adults an opportunity to reflect on their own spiritual journey and make new goals. It was an intimate group of about 12 participants, bonding in the love of God and True Parents.

The Recharge Retreat was organized by the Chicago Young Adult Ministry (ChiYA) and facilitated by Tasnah Moyer, coordinator of the STF GPA (Special Task Force, General Peace Academy) Alumni Association. As a young adult herself, Tasnah connected with the struggles that many young Unificationists face in this era of spiritual confusion and relayed this through reflections about her own life of faith and personal challenges. Her vulnerability and openness created a raw and nonjudgmental environment.

Over the course of one and a half days, Tasnah imparted valuable wisdom and knowledge about how young adults can maintain a healthy life of faith. She broke down complex ideas into step-by-step instructions. Each 40-minute session was interactive, always beginning with questions to reflect on throughout the presentation and always concluding with group discussions. Some of the topics covered were “The 7 Healthy Habits of a Life of Faith,” “Re-Exploring Our Relationship with True Parents,” and “Prayer.”

Here are reflections by a few of the participants about the weekend retreat:

The Recharge Retreat was a follow-up to last year’s Thrive Workshop, a weekend workshop held in early March 2016 with the aim of providing support for young adults looking to expand their faith. The love and genuine relationship shared among the young adults inspired the desire for a more consistent young adult community.

The Chicago young adults have begun implementing a model of community support called Trinities, in which three to four young adults commit to meeting a few times each month to grow in faith together. While Trinities were not required to attend this year’s Recharge Retreat, many Trinity members were represented and could apply the retreat’s content to develop deeper understanding of the Unification faith.

ChiYA is a growing ministry that is organized and operated by young Unificationists who are eager to know God and True Parents. With the support of Tasnah Moyer and parental figures in the church community, ChiYA has made great progress over the years and thrives on the investment of each young adult member.