More than 400 teenagers attended the East Coast Conference’s annual retreat at Lake Champion, a Young Life camp, says Johnny Agurkis, pastor at Covenant Congregational Church in North Easton, Massachusetts, and an organizer of the event. To see more moments from that weekend, please visit Annual Youth Retreat.
Highlights of the weekend included talks by Judy Howard Peterson (accompanying photo), campus chaplain at North Park University. Sharing from her experiences, including multiple miscarriages, Peterson exhorted the students to find “the beautiful” in other people and even the most painful situations. “To a person, every single parent has said their kid was impacted by her,” Agurkis says.
Artist-in-Residence Kelly Kennedy crafted pottery onstage while telling students the importance of purity. Clay pots that are impure will not withstand the fire of the kiln, said Kennedy, whose Arts and Souls ministry is based in Missouri.
“It was just mesmorizing at times,” says Agurkis. “The kids really connected with it.”
One of the best-attended seminars was “When Drama Is Your Mama,” which was presented by Bill Paige, the special assistant to the president of Young Life. Paige shared how students can keep from having every situation become “a massive ordeal.”
The students enjoyed multiple indoor and outdoor activities, including Frisbee golf in the snow, ropes courses, and a talent show.
