Washington, DC
Youth Retreat 2007

This year's Washington, DC, Youth Retreat was held June 15-17 at the Pearlstone Conference Center and Retreat in Reisterstown, Maryland. It was a wonderful time of prayer, study of the Word of God, and fellowship. The young people were able to experience first hand that it is fun to serve the Lord. This year, a group of youths from the church in Hempstead, New York, attended the retreat also.

The attendees arrived at Pearlstone on the evening of Friday, June 15—just in time for dinner. After dinner, they assembled in a lounge area that became our “upper room” as they eagerly anticipated all that God had in store over the next two days. The Friday evening session began with songs of praise and adoration to God. There was a time for personal testimonies and one young man testified of how God wonderfully saved him at a previous retreat. This was a great reminder of what God can do as His children trust in Him. The theme for this year's retreat was, “How Deep Are Your Roots?” and the Scripture was Luke 8:4-15. The youth leader from the Washington, DC, church gave a brief introduction which focused on the seed that is mentioned in the theme Scripture. Using examples, he directed the youths' attention to the potential that is in a seed. Spiritually, the seed is the Word of God, which has the potential to produce the will of God in our lives. The session ended with a season of prayer.

The next morning after breakfast the young people gathered for the first session, which focused on the seeds that fell by the wayside. One of the young adults led this session. She pointed out that nothing is wrong with the Sower or the seed—meaning that nothing is wrong with Jesus or the Word of God. The problem lies with the ground on which the seed falls—the hearts of those who hear the Word. The seeds that fell by the wayside depict the hearts of those who do not understand, or those who refuse to believe the Word of God. Through their unbelief and ignorance, these individuals make it easy for Satan to deceive them. She concluded this teaching by encouraging the youths to live holy lives and bear fruit for Christ.

The next teaching session focused on the seeds that fell upon a rock. Another young adult conducted this teaching session and pointed out that most of the people that fall into this category are not strangers to the Gospel. Rather, they are those who have come in contact with the Gospel at some point in their lives and may have even received God's gift of salvation. However, they do not allow the Word of God to take root in their hearts. He concluded by saying that Christians should feel free to cry out to God and tell Him how they feel, especially when tests and trials bring them to their wits' end.

Daniel Tetteh, the youth leader from the Hempstead church, taught on the seeds that fell among thorns. He brought out that Christians are saved to attain full maturity in Christ (Ephesians 4:13) and to bear fruit (John 15:5). The seeds that fell among the thorns could represent the hearts of Christians at any spiritual level. Even after getting the three basic spiritual experiences, it is possible for any Christian to be choked by thorns. The thorns could be the deceitfulness of riches, the love of money, or the pleasures of life. Daniel concluded this session by advising the youths to always seek the Kingdom of God first, and to make sure they are bearing fruits for Christ.

By now, the youths had a lot of information from the Word of God to digest. They divided into small groups and the key points from the sessions were highlighted, questions were answered, examples were given for application of the key points, and they had free-flowing conversations regarding the teachings.

The early afternoon was set aside for team-building activities and games. These activities included a three-legged race, an egg-and-spoon race, and a relay race. Some of the games played were volleyball, football, and table tennis.

The evening session opened with praise and worship songs. After prayer, several youths gave their personal testimonies, which were a great encouragement to all. The final teaching session was given by one of the youth ministers from the church in Washington, DC, and he focused on the seeds that fell on good ground. There were three main points: 1) the heart condition; 2) keeping the seed; and 3) fruit with patience. He compared events in the lives of Saul and David, the first two kings of Israel , to illustrate the three points. These two men had very good beginnings, but at times they both failed God. In the case of Saul, he drifted so far from God that his heart condition, which had previously been good ground, deteriorated to ground that could be characterized as “the wayside.” David also went through a period of tests and trials. However, he trusted in God, kept the seed, and produced fruit with patience. The minister brought this teaching session to a close by asking, “What type of heart is God looking for?” The answer was found in Psalm 51—God wants a broken and a contrite heart. As we read this Psalm of David together, the Spirit of God moved and everyone went to prayer. God poured out His blessings and youths were saved, sanctified, filled with the Holy Spirit, re-anointed by the Holy Spirit, restored, renewed and healed.

Around 5:00 a.m. on Sunday, the group from Hempstead was on its way home, where they arrived in time for Sunday school. The remainder of the youths had breakfast around 8:00 a.m. and then departed for the church in Washington, DC. Everyone's desire was that God would continue to uphold the youths of this generation, who have resolved to live holy lives for Him.