‘Grounded’ Youth Event Surpasses Expectations

All Saints, Winter Park, hosted the third annual “Grounded” youth event for the Episcopal Diocese of Central Florida on March 7- 8. Youth groups from throughout the diocese took part in the conference-style youth retreat event designed for youth leaders and youth to hear, engage, connect and experience the gospel of Christ.

“Our goal was to provide a space where the communication of Christ’s love for sinners is primary,” explained the Rev. Stephen Feibelman, youth minister at All Saints and organizer for the event. “It is in this space that we believe students will begin to recognize this gospel is not something reserved for later in life. Grounded invites students to consider how God is at work in their lives right now – just as they are. We also hoped it works as a launching pad for churches with little or no student ministry.

“This year’s event surpassed our expectations!” he said. “It was a great, powerful weekend. It was incredibly moving to see students from the area worshipping the one true God. That encouraged me.”

Although the same number of students attended this year as in 2024, there was more involvement from the churches in the diocese, with six parishes – All Saints, Winter Park; All Saints’, Lakeland; the Cathedral Church of St. Luke, Orlando; Holy Trinity, Melbourne; Christ Episcopal, Suntree-Viera; and St. Michael’s, Orlando – sending 50 students in all.

The theme centered on anxiety, pressure and stress.

The Rev. Jared Jones, rector of Holy Cross, Sanford, one of the three diocesan youth  ministry coordinators, and Feibelman were the speakers. Jones spoke Friday night on the idea of stress and anxiety and how students (and adults) often feel like they’re living in a pressure cooker.

“I had a pressure cooker on stage,” he said. “We add different things into the pressure cooker that begin to build and build the stress and anxiety, and then oftentimes we add God into the mix, and it just gets more pressure. But God wants to take the pressure off. He wants us to ‘cast our anxieties on Him because He cares for us’ (1 Pet. 5:7). Stephen spoke Saturday morning on the importance of community and relationships to take away stress. I spoke Saturday night on how the gospel takes the pressure off.”

The weekend featured large-group sessions and worship, with music provided by North Point Worship. There was free time and a rapid-fire quiz emceed by Jones.

“The multiple worship services, music, games and plenty of opportunities to connect with one another reinforce the importance of coming together in fellowship and support,” said Brooke Barlow, youth minister at Christ Episcopal. “I’ll definitely be taking our students again next year!”

Each youth group had a room set aside at All Saints to spend time together after the sessions and discuss what participants had heard, seen and experienced God doing.

“We really think it’s important for Grounded to support youth groups by giving them time with their individual groups instead of just being absorbed into the big group the whole time,” Jones said. “Our hope is that youth ministries will leave the weekend feeling like they got a big-group experience but also time to build relationships with their youth ministries.”

Gabrielle Acosta, youth leader at Holy Trinity, Melbourne, took six students. “While no one made a formal commitment of faith during the weekend, I believe seeds were planted, and I’m excited to see how their faith continues to grow,” she said.

Jones’ favorite part of the weekend was the opportunity to mentor diocesan youth leaders. “I felt like the youth leaders really flared up about how stress and anxiety are affecting their students,” he said. “I see God at work in the ongoing work that our youth leaders do daily in our diocese. The youth leaders, paid and volunteer, are showing up in our students’ lives day in and day out and having an impact. We do these events only out of the hope that they will be helpful to our leaders. We exist to serve them, not the other way around.”