|
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
CAC Retreat 2000By
David Schultz Starting on the 8th of September, Lake Barkley State Resort Park in Kentucky served as host to more than the usual frolicking deer population. A group of approximately five dozen CACers joined in the romp. CAC stands for College And Career, and a few churches with Sunday school classes representing this oft’ forgotten bracket of youth and nearly so, were invited to participate. This event was billed as a chance to enjoy a time of leisurely recreation, good godly discussion and the company of similarly categorized individuals. The category can be broad, but the resulting well-rounded mix was a surprisingly compatible mesh of persons and personalities.
The accommodations were unexpected as well. This was not a bad thing. I found the lodge and associated rooms were more than acceptable. The only other trips I’ve made to state parks involved wrestling matches with insects whose appetites were stronger than the fabric walls of my temporary residence. Then again, this was the first outing to a state park in which I wore a grass skirt. (Unless this occurred while I was in college, in which case, I cannot be held responsible.) I probably confused more than the insects, but the theme was Hawaiian, and by Jove, I wasn’t going to just walk away from the prize for best attire. In retrospect, if these were my fifteen minutes of fame, there may have been better applications. The retreat could have easily lasted another day given all of the scheduled activities. After a tasty dinner with a Hawaiian flair, we had an introduction, some crowd breakers and a time of worship. For the few laggards who had not yet joined in the merriment, a video scavenger hunt got the juices flowing. That is until, in my particular team, the leader promptly dropped the spanking new camera while attempting to recover our first item on the list. It did not, however, seem to phase the lodge employee that we were interviewing at the moment. He acted as though the sudden attention he was receiving was perfectly normal behavior, and he had witnessed this same ritual out near the lake just a few days back. Only those people may have been ganglier, with larger heads, fancier cameras and slightly greener pigment. After proving our responsibility with the first camcorder, another quite generous team lent us theirs after they finished. And, of course, at this point the batteries had finished as well. We then listened to four presentations on “The Future of the Apostolic Movement in the 21st Century,” where the speakers discussed an insistence on maintaining basic doctrine to the need to reach outsiders to pursuing principles over rules. The following discussion veered briefly into a clinic on cloning, but was soon rescued and brought toward thought-provoking debate. This blend of bantering created a setting conducive to self-evaluation. A chance to really evaluate what one believes he should fight to preserve or change in his growing walk. Again, for those whose collars of modern distractions seem to be pulling them in less introspective directions, this would be a good thing.
“CAC Yak” wrapped up the evening. This was a group discussion responding to a number of questions that had been posed by like-minded individuals. Participation was a shocking 100 percent, and the responses varied from humorous to heart-breaking, to outrageous and controversial. Among the most piercing were confessions by a few who felt spurned by fellow colleagues in Christ, after making serious mistakes in their lives. This generated considerable discourse on the ideal functions of said colleagues. By the time the Yak had wrapped, it was nearing 1:30 a.m., and those with 9-5 jobs were answering the sweet lullabies of their night’s resting place. Others of course, had no use for sleep. Friday’s events were nearly at a close, but before the final sanctioned group gathering, a few lucky girls found themselves as hostesses to a large majority of the crowd. This was after a few intrepid souls uncovered the location of the leftover snacks, God bless them. Saturday brought about a new day with agonizing choices. After breakfast, and a heartfelt devotion from ninetyandnine’s own Cara Baker, attendees had a choice of hearing two out of five possible sessions geared toward today’s young adults. I was fortunate enough to hear a lesson by Kent Curry on the pathway to success (choose only two areas to pursue), as well as a glimpse into the down-to-earth practices of a real prayer warrior, given by Donna Butler. Other topics included witnessing to non-traditional Pentecostals, Cultivating Convictions, Taking Chances and Thriving in College. Like all good teaching, it was practical and challenging. A short break was followed by a buffet luncheon in the main lodge, and three hours of leisure time before the final hurray. ninetyandnine took advantage of the afternoon by conducting an historic first face-to-face meeting of the entire staff. Less fortunate individuals had to pass the time mingling by the lake or playing football or badminton.
The 4 p.m. ice-cream social brought the weekend to a close. Overall, I consider the event a smashing success. It turned out to be a great opportunity to meet some perfectly likable characters, enjoy good accommodations in a great locale and put pressures on hold, while allowing some fresh perspectives to gain a grasp in the weary corridors of my mind. I’m looking forward to next year. ninetyandnine.com
ã 2000, David Schultz -------- David Schultz writes one article for ninetyandnine.com each year whether he wants to or not. The staff is looking forward to next year’s article. Have an opinion on an article? Let us know how you feel! Click feedback & fill us in. |
|
|
