3 pastors, 25 adult leaders, and 80 students piled into busses and went to Camp Hickory in Ingleside Illinois this past weekend. Here’s a list of 10 things I was reminded of this past weekend…
10.) I don’t like cliques of people. I don’t mind groups of friends, but when they become exclusive, it drives me crazy.
9.) I like cold weather more than I thought. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a fan of the long Chicago winters, but I like the change of seasons and it was nice that it was chilly for our fall retreat.
8.) Just because I’m a leader on the trip doesn’t mean God isn’t going to work on me. He rebuked, encouraged, and taught me a lot this past weekend. But hey! Isn’t this supposed to be for students?!?
7.) Getting away is a good thing for students. Taking a group of students off-site, even if it is only one hour away, is helpful. I appreciated having a little more exposure to a few students over the course of the weekend.
6.) Campus ministry is hard. All three campuses joined for this adventure. Since we don’t see each other very often, breaking down pre-formulated groups was no easy task, nor am I sure we did a great job at it. It seems as if this will always be a challenge, especially on shorter trips.
5.) I like games. I know. It sounds so stereotypical of a youth pastor to say that he thinks games are important, but…THEY ARE! I love creating them, leading them, and watching students interact. Some of my games were great, while others nearly tanked; but all in all, it was good times!
4.) The Old Testament is valuable. I went to Bible School. I know the OT is valuable. Really, I do. I just don’t always live like it is. Jameson Ross and Eric Ferris brought the Word this weekend as they spoke about Spiritual Autopsy and dissected the characters of Daniel, Nehemiah, and Samuel. It was sweet. And, more importantly, it really hammered home the importance of the WHOLE Bible to our students. Good job guys!
3.) Jesus changes lives. My students took some big steps this weekend. The things we talked about really hit home for some of them. It was awesome to see God break them, encourage them, and prod them forward. I love watching Him work and being a small part of it all. It was also great hearing the voices of students really sing praises to God. This escalated over the course of the weekend. The more students listened to God, the more solid the worship became. It was encouraging to see and hear it.
2.) Kik is great. It was such a joy to have her on this trip. Her hands, eyes, ears, and heart throughout the weekend were so valuable. She interacts with students extremely well, she made close connections with a couple of girls, and she and I had great conversation. I really appreciate her.
1.) I love our Student Ministry Team. We’ve been through a lot since I came on staff & we’re all drastically different; but, I think we’re starting to find our groove. Though this weekend wasn’t perfect, it was awesome to see us all use our strengths to pull it off. It was sweet.
All that to say, it was a great weekend.
It really was a great weekend. Thanks for letting me be a part of it.