| Page 1 | Page 2 | Page 3 | Page 4 | Page 5 | Page 6 | | Close Newsletter 2002 |
Text Box: On April 27, 2002, 14 members of Alpha Sigma traveled up to Camp Lambec on the shore of Lake Erie for the group’s first-ever retreat and service project. During the fall 2001 semester, there was a great deal of concern expressed over the unity of our group. Following my election to the office of chaplain in December, several members approached me and suggested that the group set aside a weekend to travel off campus for a retreat or organize some sort of service project. Enthusiasm for this idea grew rapidly as I shared the idea with the officers and several other members. I and many others believed that this would be a great opportunity for our group to strengthen its overall identity, its fellowship, and its spiritual unity. I discussed the idea with a friend of mine who works as assistant camp director of Camp Lambec, a Presbyterian Church camp in North Springfield, Pennsylvania. He informed me that the camp gladly hosts groups such as ours for weekend retreats. Should we do work for the camp, we would be able to stay there overnight free of charge. The idea was well received when discussed at our meetings. Twelve current members and two new members signed up to go on this trip. Early on the morning of April 27th, the fourteen of us carpooled up to Camp Lambec. Upon arriving at the camp and eating a sack lunch, the service project portion of our retreat began. For about five hours, our group worked diligently helping the camp to prepare for its upcoming summer season. Work projects included repairing a wooden fence at the camp’s entrance, installing a light post behind a cabin, cleaning and preparing the camp’s bath house Text Box: floor for repainting, installing new playground equipment, hanging wooden paneling on a renovated cabin, sweeping out all main cabins, and clearing the camp’s grass fields of branches and debris. Following an afternoon of hard work, the members enjoyed a picnic consisting of grilled hot dogs, pork beans, kielbasa, potato chips, and s’mores. An early evening rain shower drove the group indoors to the meeting room of our cabin for the praise, worship, and prayer portion of our retreat. The group spent an uninterrupted 2 ½ hours singing hymns, studying Scripture, and praying. The retreat ended with a Sunday morning devotional, and the group left to return to campus. This was truly a great experience for me and for the group. All the members that came exhibited a great hunger to serve God and proudly represented Alpha Sigma in the hard work that was done for this camp. The camping staff was incredibly grateful for both the amount of work we did and the quality of work completed. As for myself, this weekend retreat was the most enjoyable and fulfilling function I’ve experienced as a member of this housing group. The vision of group unity most definitely became a reality during this event. We shared our praises and our needs with each other, prayed for each other, and supported and encouraged each other as we discussed our Scripture lesson. My hope is that everyone who came experienced the same feelings of Christian fellowship, spiritual unity, and group pride as I did. And I hope that our members will organize retreats in the future, making this a regular Alpha Sigma tradition. -Jim Arter (‘03), AS Chaplin Text Box: Alpha Sigma Goes to Camp Text Box: Give Back to Alpha Sigma Text Box: have dues of hundreds of dollars per semester. Our AWFs, used for patio parties, athletics, and decorations for events, sometimes just don’t go far enough. Alumni donations are an important part of Alpha Sigma’s income. Sometimes even a small sum will make a big difference to our thrifty group. I encourage you to consider donating to Alpha Sigma. Enclosed in this newsletter is an addressed envelope if you choose to donate to Alpha Sigma. Checks may be payable to Alpha Sigma. Text Box: Alpha Sigma has many plans and activities for the future. Unfortunately for us, too often these activities are too cost prohibitive. As I’m sure you’re aware, Alpha Sigma has always tried to make the most of our money, such as going to Aldi’s for food and getting discounts for events when possible. Our group events are set up to make sure all members can attend, and sometimes we must dismiss good ideas because not everyone can afford it. We try to keep our Activity Waiver Fees as low as possible, unlike fraternities and sororities who Text Box: Page # Text Box: Volume 6, Issue 1