2022 Silver Lake Award Celebration

3/8/2022

Rev. David Peters is the 2022 Silver Lake Award honoree!

The Silver Lake Award, nominated by the Silver Lake community, recognizes someone whose life has been visibly shaped by the core values of Silver Lake Camp & Retreat Center and who, in turn, live their life and faith in a way that reflects the formative experiences they have had at Silver Lake. This person truly takes Silver Lake home with them beyond Low Road.

We celebrate Rev. Peters’ ministry to Silver Lake on April 24, 2-4pm at Farmington Gardens in Farmington, CT.

“It is a blessing to celebrate David Peter’s commitment to Silver Lake.” says Silver Lake Executive Director, Ryan Gackenheimer. “He has instilled his time with a deep faith, sense of joy, and commitment to growth. This has happened across his ministry including at Silver Lake and even to the island of Puerto Rico with Silver Lake.”

Rev. Peters’ Silver Lake experience started as a camper in the early 1970s. He served on camp staff, both summer & year-round, in the mid 1970s – early 80s. David lead several summer conferences as a dean in the 80s through the 2000s, including the Puerto Rico Conference, a February mission trip for high school students. Rev. Peters has also served in several governance roles for youth & outdoor ministry in the historic Connecticut Conference.

David has taken Silver Lake’s core values beyond Low Road to serve the wider church and community. He has served on a wide variety of association, conference, and denominational leadership boards. David serves the greater Roxbury community as an EMT, and holds board positions on local housing and public health organizations.

Rev. Peters considers Silver Lake both foundational & transforming. “Silver Lake is the type of place and experience that has the ability to change one's life in deep and meaningful and lasting ways. So many ways that I approach life, my relationships and my work as a minister have been shaped by Silver Lake, the people that I worked with there as well as those who attended.”

Rev. Peters adds, “In practical ways Silver Lake helped me to see that each person is a unique, gifted child of God and that the fun of life is working to put that puzzle of "person and gift" together into a wonderful thing. Themes that come to mind are Hospitality, Environmental Conservation, Interconnectedness, the sacredness of nature, and the beauty of youthful questioning and discovery.”

Over the decades, David’s leadership & presence at Silver Lake has been inspiring & joyful! “Over my summers on staff, we looked forward to the weeks when David deaned; he led lovely campfire services for the staff—he was (and is) a very kind, thoughtful man who brought us into community in a meaningful way.” says Silver Lake Alumna & David’s camp family “granddaughter”, Pam Batchelder Johnson. “I feel so grateful for David and Susan’s continued relationship with Silver Lake over the years, shaping it into the place it is today and providing important continuity.”

Silver Lake requires all guests to our site and participants at our in-person events to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19. Those who are not able to be vaccinated due to a medical condition or due to age may show proof of a negative PCR test taken not more than 3 days before the event.

There is plenty to celebrate! Please join us April 24, 2-5pm at Farmington Gardens in Farmington, CT for the Silver Lake Award Celebration & Fundraiser, honoring the Rev. David Peters.
This will be an afternoon of connecting with those who love Silver Lake Camp & Retreat Center, & those who love David Peters!

The event features and a live and silent auction, hors d'oeuvres, cash bar, and an opportunity to donate directly to the Silver Lake Scholarship Fund.

Tickets are $60. Pre-registration is required. Information and registration at silverlakect.org/silverlakeaward.

Written by Brian Lapis
Silver Lake Award Planning Team Member