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)

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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. 6: Worship

“Some of my favorite memories were the extended worship times in the beautiful, old barn-chapel. There’s something about singing to God so close to His creation that touched me in a deep and different way. I especially love the first night of worship, where you truly experience leaving your life behind for a few hours and experience God in all His fullness instead. Surrounded by a hundred other of His children, all raising their hands to praise the King…it’s a piece of what Heaven will be like.

“Here’s a piece of what I wrote in my journal at my last fall retreat:
‘Ah, the fall retreat, where so much goes through my head and my heart. Move in me this weekend. Flame this little ember into a fire. Worship here reminds me…when I see you face-to-face, my words will lose significance and I will fall on my knees in awe. It’s not about me — more fully than I can imagine, it’s not about me.’”

- Kate Kromann (4 retreats)

“I think the memories I have of Fall Retreat worship time revolve around being exhausted (unfortunately). It was always so much work for the worship team to get down there early, set up, get play lists together for four different services, and finally play the sets. I think the best thing was whenever that first service kicks off on Friday and all of the work doesn’t matter, and we realize that the weekend is about growing closer to God more than anything else. Worship time is as special as how willingly you allow God into your heart. The reason it can be so special is the chance for a large group of extremely willing people to let God in for connection because He is always knocking.”

- Jeff Smith (3 retreats)

We asked our upcoming Fall Retreat speaker a few questions.

Give us a short summary of your testimony.
I began following Christ as a freshman at Ball State. I had grown up in a religious home, but had never seen people my own age living for him. When I encountered that with some of the folks on my dorm floor, it made me begin to question if there was more to faith than what I had grown up hearing. I began reading the Bible and talking with others about what it meant to follow Christ, and I gave my life to following Jesus the first semester of my freshman year. I’ve been terrorizing the Devil ever since.

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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. 7: Speakers (read our interview with this year’s speaker, Neil Kring)

“Each year the speaker has been amazing! A cool aspect is the fact that the speakers always give their best and most powerful talks, so they are always really impactful and creative messages. Last year, our speaker, Noel, was really impactful to me because each of the talks he gave related to a person in history. I really love history, and this wasn’t just a boring history lesson, it was really powerful to see how he used real life stories to help us learn about Jesus and relate on a more personal level. It is cool to see how much we can learn from other people’s stories!”

- Cassie Clooten (4 retreats)

“I’ve always remembered speakers as spiritual leaders who join us for the weekend, not as a guy who we only interacted with at the talks, but someone who was there to share life with us. Eating with the group at meals, and hanging out with everyone in the evenings around a campfire, or whatever we end up doing. I love being able to hang out with the guy who comes to share life with us and that’s very much what happens. We get to see his life in action.”

- Jeff Huhman (4 retreats)

What recommendations do you have to combat cold and drowsiness during the talks?

1. A heart desiring to hear from God. If you truly want to hear what the Lord has to teach you during this retreat, it will be much easier to stay alert! 2. Get at least “some” sleep – have fun, but do go to bed in time to get a few hours of decent sleep. 3. Plan for the weather – each year it changes, plan for the possibility of cold or raining weather – bring a sweatshirt, jacket, etc. 4. Get up in time to eat breakfast!! And have some coffee if you need it!

- Cassie Clooten

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. 8: Weather - Rain, snow, sleet or hail, the fall retreat goes on, meaning memories are made:

What memories do you have of the weather during the fall retreat?
“The weather at the Fall Retreat has usually been nice during the day time and much cooler at night…which is perfect for the bonfire! Hoodies are a great thing to bring to the Fall Retreat, and a warm sleeping bag!”

- Melissa Molder (4 retreats)

“Cold, cold, cold. It has always been cold. Sometimes people will talk the week before, like ‘Have you heard? It’s suppose to be warmer than we thought this weekend. Maybe we won’t be as cold after all.’ But really, it is always cold. I think there is just something about Mexico, Missouri. So bring your hoodies, stocking caps and sweatpants because you’ll be cold. (But only bring one pair because you don’t really change your clothes anyway).”

- Aimee Paule (3 retreats)

The Rock Fall Retreat is less than two weeks away. To get you ready, we’ll be posting stuff every day on columbiarock.com. To start you off, here’s a look back at past Fall Retreat promo videos we’ve done.

And if you haven’t registed for the retreat yet, do it at our Fall Retreat page.

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The fall retreat is one of the most anticipated things we do at The Rock, and it’s coming soon on Oct. 3-4 in Mexico, Mo. It’s a great opportunity to get away from campus and be together as a church. We’ll be worshiping together, listening to talks from our guest speaker and getting to know each other better. Get more info and register at our Fall Retreat page.

The Rock is meeting tonight (Friday) for one week only. Join us at 7:07 p.m. in Middlebush Aud. as we continue our Real Spirituality series.

The Rock recently put together a storybook about current and past members of The Rock. We are passing it out at The Rock and on campus, and you can also check it out online now. It looks pretty cool.

You can also find out more info on some of the people profiled at our
Rock Storybook page.

Get your own – Open publication