Westminster’s Christian Retreat returns

On Nov. 13 and 14, the Christian Leadership Council organized Westminster’s regular Christian Retreat. Led by Upper School chaplain David Charney, 77 Wildcats went to Camp Grace, near Macon, Georgia, to study and grow in their faith. 

The Christian Retreat did not involve listening to what some may consider to be unenergetic sermons. Instead, it was a place where the students could connect with each other on a deeper level than they can on campus and have meaningful experiences that build their faith and individual relationships. Some of the activities were ice breakers and community-building activities, such as singing, a dance party, a rock-paper-scissors tournament, and GaGa ball. However, each of these activities had a twist. For example, the rock-paper-scissors tournament was designed so that if one of the contestants lost, they had to support the winner of their round. GaGa ball was similar to a game many students played in Middle School, Four Square, but the main difference was that, instead of just trying to bounce the ball into an opponent’s square, you were attempting to hit their legs and get them “out.” Some other extreme activities were large swinging, during which the students were pulled up onto a zip line-like structure and were sent swinging across the length of wire.

“Sounds fun, yeah?” said Charney.

 Following a schedule created by Charney,  retreat students began their morning with a meeting, followed by lunch, small groups, five hours of free time, and then dinner. After dinner, they were given a chance to participate in another meeting and have a sing-along. 

During meetings, the Wildcats were taught by high school director of the Passion City Church, Zach Tinner. As the lead speaker at the event, Tinner was able to teach the students more about the Christian faith than what students learn at Westminster. 

“I signed up for the retreat because, when I went on it freshman year, it was such a fun experience with my friends, and I got to meet new people in different grades,” said junior Margaret Rogers. “The Christian retreat is an amazing chance for people to learn more about Christianity and to build friendships. I hope those of you reading this sign-up next year, and for our seniors, I hope you find something similar in college.”