Plan A Youth Retreat This Winter

Sunday school doesn’t have to be confined to an hour in Sunday morning for the youth of your church. One way that many churches and Sunday schools have found to add to their Christian education programs for their young people is to hold a special retreat.

Retreats are usually held over a weekend (beginning Friday evening and ending early Sunday afternoon). The retreat can be held at a special retreat center, a cabin or even at the church.

The programs used for the retreat are usually designed to concentrate a considerable amount of study on one particular subject such as peer pressure, the danger of drugs, family relations, etc. Leadership for the retreats can come from within your own church or you can use leaders from outside your church, such as a neighboring pastor or Sunday school teacher. A number of special planning and program materials are available and can be used to design a special retreat study.

In a retreat, the education and study time should be of primary concern, but remember, youth need to have opportunities for fun and fellowship, too. In addition to the study time, be sure to include games, time for relaxation, outdoor activities and, very importantly, lots of good food.

When is the best time to hold a retreat for youth? In most areas, youth have fewer school and sports activities in February and March than any other time of the year, so you might want to consider holding such an event during these months.

(This article appeared in the "Winter, 1990-1991" issue of "The Herald.")