Weekend Programs

Silver Lake Conference Center provides several opportunities for individuals and groups to participate in specialized programs of Christian Education and Spiritual Renewal each year. We invite young people from throughout New England to meet others and to learn from these programs as they develop their faith and build relationships. Each special weekend program is designed around a specific theme and age group.

Action Weekends

Held in April or May (Spring Action), and October or November (Fall Action), these work retreats are designed to provide an opportunity for young people in 9th grade and beyond to work together as Silver Lake is readied for the summer and winter months respectively. Many hands make light work! Action weekends also provide a great opportunity to meet new friends, re-unite with old friends, and work hard. They are recommended for all young people who are contemplating being on the summer staff. Actions are also a great time for former staff and alumni conferees to come back to Silver Lake and help out.

Registration for high schoolers is available through our online registration; cost is $45; a complete health record is required. Adults are asked to RSVP to slcc@ctucc.org. There is no cost to adult volunteers, though donations are accepted.

Maple Sugaring Weekend

Held during the maple sugaring season (early March) each year, this weekend is designed to provide 6th, 7th, and 8th graders with the opportunity to learn about tapping maple trees, boiling sap to make maple syrup, and to discover new ways to appreicate our environment and to care for all of God's Creation, in nature's resurrection: Spring! Registration is available online; the cost is $115 per person; a complete health record is required.

Harvest Camp or Christmas at Silver Lake

In the fall, we will offer either Harvest Camp (November before Thanksgiving) or Christmas at Silver Lake (the weekend after Thanksgiving) as a weekend conference. The weekend provides a program for 5th & 6th graders and a program for 7th & 8th grades, each with their own deans and counselors. Whether we're celebrating the harvest and giving thanks or preparing for the birth of Christ,  the fall retreat weekend offers a wonderful opportunity for young people to re-unite with friends made during the summer conference program or to experience the magic of Silver Lake for the first time. Registration is available online; the cost is $115 per person; a complete health record is required.

Confirmation Retreats

Unity in the Body of Christ

"There is one body and one spirit, just as there is one hope to which God has called you." Ephesians 4:4.

The Connecticut Conference of the UCC provides five to six Confirmation Retreats at Silver Lake annually. If your church's Confirmation Class is too small on its own of if your class could benefit from a retreat experience with other classes, these retreats were designed for you. The purpose of these retreats is not to teach confirmation all in one weekend but to help build community and to help begin the process of asking the questions that are key to the Confirmation process. The curriculum resources used are appropriate for young people in 7th - 9th grade.

The Conference provides the resources and the leadership for each retreat and each group is required to bring adult advisors to facilitate the program: One male adult for every eight male youth participants and one female adult for every eight female youth participants.

Each retreat begins on Friday at 7:00 pm and ends at noon on Sunday. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are provided on Saturday, and Brunch is served on Sunday. While specific retreat dates are announced annually, they are generally held in the following months: January, February, March, April, November, and December. Pre-registration information is available by contacting the Conference office at 860.233.5564.

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