The top ten memories of the Fall Retreat as told by the people who have been there. In another sense, these may be the top ten reasons why you should attend the fall retreat Oct. 3-4 at Cedar Crest Camp in Mexico, MO.

No. 5: Food

“Friday night, as everyone is pouring in, there is always a group of people scrambling around, preparing what will be the best meal any of the attendees has had since the semester began. After registration is complete and people have moved their stuff in and are growing hungrier as they toss a frisbee or football around outside, John will gather everyone inside to announce our Thanksgiving Feast – an early feast. Chaos ensues as everyone grabs a seat and forms a line to a table full of turkey (sometimes deep-fried), sweet potatoes, green beans, rolls, stuffing – all the fixings. They will grab some kool-aid (always cherry), ice tea or water as they head back to their seats. From there, it’s always a great time for everyone to enjoy getting to know people they may not usually see, have great conversations with friends and prepare for the next 21 hours.”

- Chris Swift (3 retreats)

“The Fall Retreat meals were all about the fellowship. The Thanksgiving feast was not just about eating a meal together but also about making the food and serving it. I remember being part of the cooking team, and it was a great feeling to have such a large and delicious meal prepared for everyone with my own hands. Then getting to sit down and enjoy it with my friends was indeed a time to give thanks; we were away from the usual atmosphere of school and the city and the rest of the world with all of its stressers and out with each other and God. I attended six fall retreats through the years and it has been exciting to see how the mealtime has progressed as the church has grown. The sound of the bell calling everyone to come and eat is still vividly in my memory today, and I am hungry just thinking about it!”

- James Peppers (6 retreats)

“The memories I have about the food at the Fall Retreat is that it always seemed special, it seemed like The Rock always wanted to go over the top to make sure that you new that they cared that you were there; normally at retreats you never see stuff like Sloppy Joe’s or vats of mystery meat, usually you see huge turkeys or mashed potatoes and gravy.

“The Thanksgiving feast was always just a huge spread of one or two massive turkeys, huge vats of real mashed potatoes (not instant), numerous fruit and cream pies, also the obligatory vegetable or two. Of course as food is being served and people are walking throughout the line to get their plates filled, you have the four or five guys that think they should get the legs of the turkeys, and usually only two or three remain, so sometimes hard feelings abound as well. Overall, it just seems like a real home cooked meal made by people that care about you and want you to not just get full from the food, but really enjoy the meal and the quality of the food.

- Chad Clooten (1 retreat)

I was always most excited about being a part of the food planning team. I love to cook, and it is even more fun when you are cooking for large groups….I guess I like the challenge. One year in particular, I remember sweating over a VERY large pot of gravy for biscuits and gravy….using gallons upon gallons of milk…it could get a little hot in the kitchen at times. It was fun to see people excited about serving their community and to me the kitchen is a great place to do that.

- Andrea Ferrell (3-4 retreats)