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Katelyn Lamb, Content and Assistant Editor
This year’s Spiritual Life Retreat will take place from 5 pm Friday, February 28 – 2 pm Saturday, March 1. The event is the product of the Campus Ministries branch of SGA and seeks to provide both spiritual, physical and recreational refreshment for students. However, Campus Ministries Exec. and main event planner, Eric Smith, notes that this event will be quite different from other SGA activities. “This is not an event where we will compete to stay up the latest,” said Smith, “but it will be a time of spiritual renewal and rest.” While the goal of Spiritual Life Retreat is more solemn than other student government events, Smith is quick to assure students that “we are going to have an incredible time together.”
Students attending the event can expect both space and time to rejuvenate. The retreat will be held at Camp Bond, and writer and speaker Jason Sivewright will be leading sessions. Sivewright has previously spoken at Nazarene Youth Conference and a variety of summer camps. Smith endorses his ability to connect with college students and describes him as a “very articulate and exciting speaker.”
The theme for this year’s retreat is “Savaged to Saved.” Smith defines this focus as the recognition that our world is savaged and broken but, in the midst of it all, there is a faithful God who is actively working for redemption. Realizing the fallenness and pain around us is the first step to being a vessel of the Lord’s grace and healing; this is a crucial lesson the leaders behind Spiritual Life Retreat hope to impart to its participants.
Highlights from previous years include worship, engaging speakers, campfires, free food, group games and the opportunity to grow with God and fellow students. This year, though, Smith is excited about the retreat’s agenda, stating that “we will be doing several things a little different than in previous years. We are trying to be creative and purposeful in everything that we have planned for students in order to make it a fun, exciting and memorable experience.”
The event costs $10 or $5 with a Crimson Card and includes a t-shirt, transportation, lodging and food for the weekend. To learn more about the speaker, follow this link (http://jasonsivewright.wordpress.com/) to Jason Sivewright’s blog. Contact Eric Smith or the Campus Ministries team for further information. Spiritual Life Retreat is a unique opportunity for students to get off campus, spend some intentional time with the Lord and friends and experience saving grace in a savaged world. Don’t miss it!