Camp Journal: 2018 Spring Events
There’s nothing quite like springtime in Minnesota, and here at Camp Lebanon, we were so ready for all the fun that spring brings! The months leading up to summer are jam-packed with retreats, starting with Men’s Advance! and finishing strong with our Young Adult Retreat. Looking back on April and May, it is hard to believe all that has happened, and all that we still have to look forward to coming up this summer!
Mother-Daughter (& Grandma)
The weekend of May 4-6, we took moms, daughters, and grandmas to the Wild, Wild West and The Circle ‘C’ Ranch. Camp Lebanon transformed into a ranch, hay bales, branding irons and all! There were plenty of crafts (nail art, succulent gardens, felted soap, white boards, saddle blankets, and more!), and activities (zipline, laser tag, and BB guns).
On Saturday afternoon, everyone gathered up on the North 40 Field for the Western Stampede, an exciting carnival full of games and prizes! There were even animals to feed and pet (including an alligator!). Then, moms and daughters (& grandmas) got to show off their talents at the YeeHaw Variety Show on Saturday night, performing skits and playing instruments to resounding applause!
All weekend long, we enjoyed stories, skits, and worship from Wendy Gordy and the Ten-Seven Band, and teaching from Lisa Abeler! We learned all about the Lord’s Prayer and making Christ the center of our lives. This retreat was truly memorable, and we are so excited to see moms and daughters (& grandmas!) spending time investing in their relationships with each other and with God!
Young At Heart (Senior Adults)
Our Senior Adults Retreat and Senior Day were so much fun – such a blessing to hear the chapel filled with joyful voices lifted in hymn singing! We had more than 150 seniors join us at Camp Lebanon on May 15th for Senior Day, and that day was full of “Showers of Blessing.” We had gorgeous weather, cloudless skies, and gentle breezes off of Cedar Lake. The morning was spent in the chapel, singing and hearing updates on the ministries of Camp Lebanon. Then our guests had a delicious meal with us, and spent the rest of the afternoon enjoying the great outdoors – hiking, boating, ziplining, and making many, many s’mores!
Our Senior Retreat itself (May 14-17) was a wonderful time of fellowship with old and new friends. We heard from Jerry David of Gentle Shepherd Ministries, and spent lots of time in deep conversation about God’s word. On Senior Day, everyone enjoyed hearing from Dick & Jane Schirmacher, who performed lovely piano pieces in the chapel! What a joyful way to being our spring – looking forward to welcoming back our Senior Adult friends at our fall retreat!
Young Adult Retreat // Spring
Few retreats at Camp Lebanon put the epic in “Epic Fun” the way that Young Adult Retreat does! Our spring event for adults age 18-35 pulled out all the stops, with live music on the Hub during our very own “Campchella” welcome event, Cosmic Bingo on Bonus Day, dance party with DJ Kirk, and our second FUNk run to benefit a charity (this year, we raised over $400 for Breaking Free!).
While there are plenty of ways to keep buys during YAR, there are also plenty of ways to relax and take it easy. Everything (aside from meals) is completely optional (including all of the fun optional options, like carpetball, frisbee golf, and dutch blitz tournaments). The retreat is all about forging opportunities for young adults to connect with friends and to create new relationships with people their own age.
There is also a focus on good teaching. Our speaker for the weekend was Steve Treichler, pastor at Hope Community Church in Minneapolis. Steve walked us through the different parables of Luke 15 (The Lost Sheep, The Lost Coin and The Lost Son). He also helped to teach seminars during the afternoon and joined our mentor panel on Saturday evening. YAR also welcomed several other teachers to come lead seminars on a variety of topics, including Mental Health, Marriage and Dating, and Millenials. It was so encouraging to see young adults engaging in these topics, investing time into learning about God and building relationships with each other. Powerful things happened at this retreat, and we can’t wait to continue hearing stories that came out of it! We are super excited for YAR // Icebreaker, December 27-30, 2018 – save the date and join us!
- Follow Young Adult Retreat on Facebook and Instagram to stay updated!
- Photos from YAR // Spring
- RSVP for YAR // Icebreaker on Facebook
- Watch this fun video of Romo’s Revenge from the FUNk 2.0
