The Youth Group Retreat - Memories That Last a Lifetime

By Mark Dubler
Executive Director, Otyokwah Camp & Retreat Center

Some of my best memories growing up were of my church youth group.  We all loved our Youth Pastor, and each week I could see friends that I couldn’t see at school since they lived in different parts of our city.  Youth group gave me a chance to get out of the clicks of my own school, get involved in service activities that really mattered, and to learn more about God with kids my own age and with older kids I really looked up to.

And, some of the best times I had with my youth group were our Fall and Summer retreats.  Every year we would travel to beautiful camps, bunk up in an old and rustic cabin, eat a ton of food, and spend countless hours talking about life and about God.  God’s Word came alive for me during our youth group retreats, and I remember talking to God in honest and very personal ways.  Those youth group retreats changed me forever.

Now that I’m older, with children of my own and with a lot of friends that also have kids, I really love to hear the stories of friendships, encounters with God and His word, and all the fun this new generation of youth are experiencing.  I even love being a parent volunteer, when I can, because it gives me the chance to “become like a child” again, which is what Jesus said would be one of the secrets to understanding His Kingdom.

Young people ask so many great questions!  They are honest, unedited, and many times, uninhibited with the ways they seek after God.  And it’s always refreshing, and it helps me to be honest and simple again in my faith.

Parents know it’s good to have their children get away from the normal peer pressures and busyness of crazy schedules, but if you are a Christian, you also long for your kids to take time for their own soul and spirit.  Youth group retreats are a way for kids to get the best of both worlds.  They will enjoy all the benefits of getting away, and just like me when I was young, they may very possibly have their lives changed forever.

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Mark Dubler is the Executive Director of Otyokwah Camp & Retreat Center and a Youth Group Retreat expert. Check out our great discounts for first-time groups at  Otyokwah Camp & Retreat Center.