All Youth Retreat

STUDENTS, LEADERS, AND PASTORS JOIN TOGETHER AT LAKE WILLIAMSON CHRISTIAN CENTER FOR ONE GOAL....

TO ENCOUNTER JESUS.

All youth in grades 6-12, plus 6th grade parents, are invited to join us each Fall at Lake Williamson Christian Retreat Center in Carlinville, IL. The heart behind this annual weekend experience is to create an environment for students to encounter Jesus Christ in a powerful way. These two and half days are filled with fun and life transformation - including community building, ropes courses, bonfires, indoor/outdoor recreation, and interactive worship. 

Descriptions of the grade specific retreats:

SEEING GOD THROUGH MY EYES: 6TH GRADE RETREAT

Our Triune God is awesome, complex, and wonderful! 6th graders and their parent or faith mentor are invited to spend the weekend exploring who our God is and how He shows His love for us through a variety of activities and lessons.

WHATEVER: 7TH GRADE RETREAT

Whatever life brings, whatever choices we face, and whatever the future holds, God calls us to live as faithful Christians empowered by the Hold Spirit.  7th graders will spend the weekend exploring what it means to live as a Christian in the midst of the world around us.

CHANGES AND CHOICES: 8TH GRADE RETREAT

Sexuality is probably not a parent's favorite topic to talk about with their youth.  However, we believe it is important for the changes and choices surrounding this topic during adolescence to be discussed from a faith-based perspective.

BRIDGE TO COMMITMENT: 9TH GRADE RETREAT

Our 9th graders are typically just finishing confirmation instruction and being welcomed into the Sr. Youth community at the same time. At this retreat, the confirmands prepare to publicly affirm their faith and prepare to set a pattern of life in Christian community.  While they have faith conversations as a grade level, they will also be welcomed to the whole Sr. Youth group with joint times of worshiping together, recreation together, and meals together.

CHOOSING TO CHANGE ANYTHING: 10TH & 11TH GRADE RETREAT

Every other year, the theme for sophomores and juniors changes. One year, we revisit the "Changes and Choices" conversation from the 8th grade retreat. As they experience life in the high school setting, they are facing new changes and choices on a daily basis. At Concordia, we believe it is extremely important to partner with homes to continue the challenging conversations that come with the topic of sexuality. God created us as sexual beings, so we always want to discuss sexuality building on the foundation of faith.

On alternate years, we create a theme based on the current experiences and relevant topics at the time. This gives us an opportunity to dive deeper into an area of our life as our life context changes. These themes will be announced as the retreat information is sent out.

COLLEGE READY: 12TH GRADE RETREAT

Seniors are getting ready for college at an accelerated pace. This retreat is designed to explore major transitions that will take place as they consider college and to discuss the impact that our faith has on these transitions. We discuss, budgeting, dating, roommates, and choosing a college. More importantly, we discuss the challenge of transitioning to a new faith community. We want our graduates to know the God goes with them where they go!