This past weekend the Toronto Church of Christ hosted a youth retreat entitled Winterblast! With 108 in attendance from the Toronto, Hamilton, Montreal and Halifax churches, the weekend was a great encouragement for all who attended.
The depth of spirituality and relationships in the teens has grown significantly over the past few months, and to be able to see this first hand over the course of the retreat was truly inspiring. Many of the youth leaders from around the church were able to free up their weekend in order to help Winterblast run so smoothly. It was a great reminder just how blessed we are to have such a sacrificial and talented group of volunteers serving our teens in the church. Having the Locks and Robbins with us for the retreat was a blessing on so many levels. Both Mike and Kevin taught lessons that left a lasting impression on the teens, and Barb and Lisa provided a much needed maturity and encouragement for the young ladies that attended.
Great fun was had by all in the form of late night snacks, early morning QT's, teen vs. leaders ball hockey, hardcore tobogganing, snowshoe soccer and a camp wide karaoke contest! In addition to the main speeches, the teens participated in cabin QT's and d-groups, prayer times and a youth-led worship service on Sunday morning. It was during the service that we were able to see first hand all the incredible ways that God had worked in the teen's hearts over the course of the weekend. After an extended time of singing, we had an "open mic" communion service where teenager after teenager came up to share about all that they were taking away from the retreat. You would have been so proud to hear the level of faith and conviction in the teens as they shared so passionately about their love for God and for each other.
In true Kingdom style, the weekend was capped off with many families picking up their teens from the buses and then rushing off to see Jorge Medranda baptized into Christ! Jorge is the fourth teenager to be baptized in what we believe will be a monumental year in the Toronto Youth and Family Ministry!
Thank you for your continual prayers and support.
In Him,
Kevin Hoecke
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