The Ride - Discovering our Christian Legacy, is a confirmation retreat experience designed by Glisson as another resource available to congregations in making disciples for Jesus Christ.  The 2009 version of The Ride will offer experiences of the church down through the ages.

"We can't know who we are as the Church until we know who we've been as the Church."  Though we know this to be a true and important part of the confirmation process, it's difficult to make church history come alive in a warm classroom on Sunday afternoons.  Leave it to Glisson to make both the history and the issues of our faith come alive.  This year's confirmation retreats will forego keynote addresses for travel "back in time" in our VW time machine for actor-portrayed experiences of our Legacy including:

• A guided tour through the catacombs for Early Christian worship.
• The Glisson Chapel transformed for a Catholic mass set in the middle ages.
• Participate in the crowd joined in Luther's protest against the abuses of the church.
• An outdoor worship experience with John Wesley on horseback.

These experiences will spark conversations about topics as varied as "Worship - entertainment or participation?", "Social Justice", "Roles of Laity and Clergy", & "Diversity of Faith Expression".

Central to the weekend are workshops discussing the commitments of church membership - prayers, presence, gifts, service and witness - led by leaders of our North Georgia Conference.

Glisson's purpose in offering these Confirmation Retreats is to stand alongside your congregation as it works to fulfill the baptismal covenant that our children "may be established in the faith, and confirmed and strengthened in the way that leads to life eternal."  For over 83 years Camp Glisson has offered summer experiences that make lives of discipleship real, transforming North Georgia's children and youth into the disciples and leaders God calls them to be.

Our underlying goal in the design of this year's Confirmation Retreats, has been to create an experience that will enhance confirmation classes of any size from any size congregation.  This retreat experience will fit well for classes at the beginning, in the middle, or near the end of their confirmation process.

Two weekends are available in late February of 2009 and they will be filled on a first come/first served basis.  Meals, lodging, programming materials, program leadership, t-shirts, snacks and sales tax are included in the $125/person fee.  Each church must provide adult leadership to attend with their group.  Group leaders may contact Camp Glisson at info(at)campglisson.org or (706) 864-6181 for a Confirmation Leader's Packet and for more information.