Each year during our four day weekend for Martin Luther King Jr. Day, many churches around Chapin take part in retreats for their youth groups.This year Chapin United Methodist Church and Riverland Hills Baptist went on mountain retreats, and Chapin Baptist Church enjoyed what they called an “in-treat.”

The intreat for the youth at Chapin Baptist was called Amplify. This group of 62 people never actually left Chapin, but students still describe the experience as a vacation. Junior at Chapin High School, Hannah Davis, tells us she had a great time at Amplify. Hannah and other students stayed in various hosts’ homes of adults and families who attend their church.

Hannah said one of the greatest parts about her weekend was the game The Amazing Race that the attendees participated in.  It is a memorable feature of Amplify that had all the students on a wild goose chase. Students were faced with various challenges that tested their breaking points like: chugging a frosted lemonade from Chick-fil-a, dressing up in costumes in local laundromats, and even taking a plunge into Lake Murray
in January.Once the Amplify event was over, students said they felt revived, and like they had made a lot of new friends.

The youth ministry at Riverland Hills Baptist Church took a ski trip for the extended weekend. They traveled to West Virginia to enjoy their retreat at a ski resort called Winterplace. This group of around 100 students enjoyed 2 full days of skiing. Trey Haselden, a sophomore here at Chapin, traveled with this group. He said, “I had a lot of fun skiing and got closer to Christ.” Trey said that his favorite part of the trip was when it snowed on the second day of their trip.

The youth group, “Fusion” at Chapin United Methodist took a retreat that they called The Big Chill. They went to a mountain resort and enjoyed a weekend of worship and fun with their friends.The group stayed in log cabins in Gatlinburg, and they spent their weekend shopping and skiing. Junior, Madison McLean,  said that while he was at The Big Chill he got to grow closer to God and his friends.  

These three youth ministries had a great time over their long weekends. No matter what the retreat, students come back from them refreshed, raving about their new friends, their growth, and how much fun they had.