Students Enjoy Retreat During Fall Break

As nearly the first six weeks of the semester came to a close on the weekend of fall break, many students signed out of their dorm rooms and headed for home for a well-earned rest. But for those who stayed on campus, another option was made available. It was called the L.I.F.E. Retreat.

At 1:30 p.m. on Friday, a bus left Southwestern for Camp Arrowhead near Glen Rose for a three-day weekend, which included the camp, The Promise, and a trip to the Texas State Fair on Sunday.

David Knight, vice president for student services, chaperoned and helped plan the trip along with the student association officers and spiritual development. Knight said the goal for the retreat was spiritual rejuvenation. “L.I.F.E. stands for Living In Faith Every day,” said Knight. “We wanted to give students a chance to get away and relax, get the chance to know each other and us better.”

Upon arrival, Southwestern students got settled in their cabin and then were able to explore the camp, participate in volleyball, basketball, wade in the river, and swim in the pool. After several hours vigorous play and fun, at around six the students piled into the bus to head to the Promise, a well-known musical passion play in the area, to open Sabbath.

Once the group returned to camp, several of the students gathered together and sang worship songs with guitar and cajón accompaniment, and were eventually joined by the rest of the students. “From my window of observation, and as a faculty member, it was good to see the students taking charge,” said Knight.

Sabbath activities were laid back, beginning with Sabbath school music and Bible games, followed by a sermon by a guest speaker. The rest of the afternoon students had the option to relax or go out and enjoy the camp.

Knight commented on the attitude of the group, saying he was pleased by the amount of spiritual discussion outside the formal worship setting of church throughout the weekend. Emily Laughlin, nursing major and freshman at Southwestern, went on the retreat with a few friends.

“Sabbath was a really neat experience for me because I was able to sing and praise God with people that I hadn’t known very well before. You could tell God’s spirit was there in the room.” Sabbath ended with more songs and games after sundown.
On Sunday morning, the group left for the Texas State Fair and spent the day enjoying the rides, shows, and food. Matthew House, a sophomore, said he thoroughly enjoyed the weekend. “L.I.F.E. was awesome because I got to chill with a lot of people I hadn’t seen around Southwestern before. I walk around and see these people on campus, and this weekend I actually learned some names!”

The school plans to do L.I.F.E. retreat again next year. Knight says it has not been decided if L.I.F.E. will be held at Camp Arrowhead again. “The intimacy of Camp Arrowhead is great, because everything is so close together. We are also considering Riverbend as a possibility. Either way, the retreat was great, and we will make it better!”