While most events have been canceled recently, the youth of the Presbytery of the Alle­ghenies (POA) enjoyed their first retreat in over a year. Much preparation took place so that the Sprinter retreat could happen on a weekend in March, even in the midst of a pandemic. Will and Sarah McChesney, longtime POA youth leaders, worked with coordinators, cooks (headed by Tania Thompson), parents, and students to ensure the safety of everyone. Even with all the work and planning, it was only by God’s grace that the retreat was still able to take place.

The leaders and students were all excited to be at Christ’s Castle, a retreat center owned by Life Ministries in Franklin, Pa., the long-time location of Sprinter retreats. Although the size of the student body was half that of former Sprinter retreats, the energy and excitement made it seem full and engaging. The time and fellowship spent together at the retreat showed a true example of what it means to have real Christian joy.

Originally from Glasgow, Scotland, Ian Gillies, a student at the Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary (RPTS), spoke at the retreat. Ian spoke on the theme of God’s faithfulness, focusing on Psalm 126. He expounded on this theme in each of his talks, entitled Rejoicing in God’s Faithfulness, Testifying to God’s Grace, Pleading for God’s Help, and Trusting in God’s Promises.

As a result of these talks, Halle O’Neill, a sophomore, said she was “reminded to delve into the depths of God’s faithfulness; a kind of faithfulness that is almost too amazing to believe (‘we were like those who dream’ [Ps. 126:1]). I was reminded that the church absolutely does not need my pride—that it only needs my humility; for only then will His love and faithfulness shine through me.”

During his talks, Ian impressed on the students the importance of unashamedly being different from the watching world and representing Christ to it, the beauty of genuine humility, and the true Christian joy we will reap after sowing tears. Nolan Curran, a senior, said that out of everything he heard during the weekend, “the faithfulness of God really stuck with me. Especially during the really crazy times we’ve been going through, it was a wonderful reminder of how great God is.” God clearly worked through Ian while he spoke. His accent and unique sayings—such as the students’ favorite, “that’s a cracker of a question”—also made the time together more enjoyable.

As in past years, the students broke off into discussion groups with counselors after each talk. This time proved helpful to delve deeper into the topics, to ask questions, and to grow in understanding. Each group also came up with a question to ask Ian concerning something specific they wanted to learn more about. Most were insightful and thoughtful, although some made Ian laugh and shake his head! Discussions continued late into the night as counselors worked with their groups of boys or girls to think more deeply and openly about their personal faith and devotions.

A few impactful testimonies were given during the retreat. Martin Monteith, a student at RPTS, talked about his early life outside the church and the wonderful story of his relatively recent conversion. He went on to tell of all the work done by God in his life, even when he didn’t have a relationship with the Lord. On the Lord’s Day morning, Rev. Ed Blackwood and his wife, Nancy, joined us to give their testimonies and stay for worship. They spoke on their coming to faith, growing up in Christian homes, and how God worked through Nancy’s illness to help them grow closer to each other in marriage and in their walks with God.

Bria McChesney, a senior, said, “Hearing personal testimonies gives the youth a chance to hear how God has worked in the lives of our elders, counselors, etc. It’s a great chance to share the speaker’s joy as he tells us about the change God brought about in his life.” These testimonies, although different, were meaningful to all who heard them. God made it obvious through Martin and the Blackwoods that, no matter one’s life situation, He has a plan and He works it to completion.

The Youth Leadership Team (a group of older students who attend retreats and help the McChesneys and counselors lead) planned several events in preparation for the retreat, including group games. On Friday night, the team put together a large game to help release some built-up energy: Zombies vs. Survivors, an original game played in the dark with glow sticks. The survivors ran around trying to find glow-stick “food” while the zombies sought to tag the survivors and turn them into zombies. In the first round, the survivors succeeded in finding 20 glow sticks; in the second, the zombies managed to tag everyone! Although there was not much to be seen in the dark, excited shouts and laughter echoed into the main room from all corners of the castle. Kids ran around, grabbing red glow sticks and yellow tape to signify what team they represented, some excitedly recounting how they had been tackled and tagged by zombies.

On Saturday, different team-challenge games helped participants get to know one another. One game required the players to lower a long tent pole to the ground; however, they were only allowed to balance it with their pointer fingers, and they couldn’t drop the pole. Shouts and groans could be heard amid the laughter when the pole tipped and fell from their fingers. In another, the whole team had to flip a tarp while still standing on it.

Dodgeball escapade, which included a large portion of the youth, required them to capture balls without getting tagged in the enemy’s territory. “Oh Taste and See” was another original game where foods were eaten by blindfolded teammates and they had to guess what they were eating. Some of the foods included banana peppers, alfredo sauce, ginger candy, pork rinds, and dill-pickle flavored sunflower seeds! Many funny faces were made as kids gingerly placed the unknown foods in their mouths and were met with surprising tastes.

Other games took place during free time, including soccer, volleyball, spikeball, basketball, dodgeball, and “trash can.” Kids raced around the retreat center, hoping to catch a part of each game. Tournaments were also held all day Saturday, with many gathering around to watch. Nathan Degraaf and Dan Thoman won the spikeball tournament; Ryan Sheldon won box hockey; Mitchel Hall won pool; and Nathan also won table tennis; all in intense finales.

Each morning, young people were encouraged to have their own devotional time. A time of prayer and praise took place each morning as the earliest event. Although a smaller group attended, the singing and prayer created a joyful environment. Saturday night, a dozen or so juniors and seniors fellowshiped in the prayer tower of the castle. They spent time singing (which sounded quite good!) and praying about the church, the country and the world, their futures and college choices, as well as personal requests.

“A huge takeaway from this retreat,” said Emma Reese, a senior, “would be spending time in prayer together, praying for each other’s lives and other specific requests in the body of Christ. It was a very beautiful time.” Sunday morning, each student received bookmarks with the acronym RREAP: Read, Review, Evaluate, Apply, and Pray.

“After an entire year without a retreat of any kind, this year’s Sprinter retreat was a breath of fresh air,” said sophomore Dan Porter. POA leaders are hopeful that a fall retreat can also take place this year. Lord willing, they will see several familiar faces as well as some new ones.

Now that students who attend retreats know how it feels to have them canceled suddenly, they have a much greater appreciation of the privilege they have in these times of fellowship. Katelyn Matthews, a sophomore, said that “Sprinter is always such a refreshing and encouraging time. It’s so special because in no other event do you have fellow Christian teens gathered together to grow in their faith and their relationships though lectures, games, and raw late-night chats.” Hopefully students will value future retreats to the full extent that this past one demanded.