Brandon Westgate – Ward, Colorado … The Rocky Mountain Conference (RMC) Greater Summit teen prayer retreat took place at Glacier View Ranch (GVR) in Ward, Colorado, January 12-14.
Jonathan Carlson, RMC director of camp ministries at GVR, commented, “Youth summit was exactly what GVR was designed for; a place for young people to meet and experience the love of Jesus Christ. That is exactly what happened.”
Eighty-five participants came from as far away as Grand Junction, Colorado, Cheyenne, Wyoming, and Lincoln, Nebraska. While the weather was snowy, windy, and cold, our teens had an absolute blast.
Jade Teal, RMC Youth Department assistant director, planned the event and did a fantastic job of facilitating and directing the participants so that everyone knew what was happening and when and where those things were taking place.
Greater Summit is focused on three areas:
Encounter: This was the worship time with praise music, prayer, and opening the Word. The speaker for the weekend was Virgil Covel, the ministerial director the for the Kansas-Nebraska Conference, who shared relevant stories to both challenge and encourage the teens.
Engage: This was when the teens wrestled with some real questions about life and faith with their adult sponsors. Many great conversations took place, and the teens were invested in this time with one another.
Enjoy: This was the time our teens spent in activities. Some of the outdoor activities included snowshoeing, hiking, snow tubing, making snow forts, and more. Other teens were more interested in indoor activities like swimming, making crafts, filling out cards for shut-ins, or just enjoying a cup of hot chocolate with new friends.
Carlos Santana, Campion Academy chaplain, had this to say: “The Greater Summit was an amazing experience for our Campion students as well as for myself. The spiritual programing was on point for what the youth may struggle with during this time in their lives.”
“The breakout Engage sessions were a highlight of the spiritual programing,” he continued. “Giving students the opportunity to share their testimonies and thoughts on the various topics we covered was such a blessing for us! The activities were well planned and fun, and even though weather didn’t cooperate, there was always something to do for our kids.”
Santana finished by saying that he was certain that “… all of our students would benefit from attending Greater Summit.”
RMC staff members are already planning for next year’s Greater Summit, and they are certain it will be just as epic as this one!
—Brandon Westgate is the RMC Youth Department director. Photos supplied.
