With all the planning that goes into putting a retreat together, it is easy to forget some of the activities that will help draw everyone out of their shells.

Food For Thought

For a younger crowd, you may want to try creating an unusual meal that is fun. This could be an over the fire dinner (not hot dogs and marshmallows). Camp Kebobs are a new approach to an old idea. Give each person half a potato, a quarter pound of meat and half an onion and one kebob stick. Next, cut the meat into one-inch squares and then cut the potatoes into thin slices. Next, cut the onions into lengthwise sections and spear the food in this pattern: meat, potato, onion and keep up this pattern until all the food has been used. The goal is to squeeze all the food onto the kebob. Now, dip the food into cooking oil. Now, have the participants cook the food over a bed of live red coals that have been raked to the side of the fire and be sure to rotate them for even cooking.

A Treasure Hunt

This is a sure fire idea for a good time. Get a small chest or book bag and fill it with treats (candy bars are always a good bet). Double wrap the bag and bury it in a secret location about six inches under ground. Now, hand out maps to each team, but have the directions skewed - in rhyme, or code instead of your typical "right and left" directions.

You can set up clues all through the woods - tack them up high enough so they can't be removed. You could also put up the clue and have the finder return and relay the answer to an adult in order to get the next clue. You can also add higher stakes to the game and have each team carry an object like an egg. In order to win, the egg cannot be broken. The winner of course gets the treasure and a good, adventurous time will be had by all!
Want to put a high tech spin on this? Try geocaching. Participants can learn the basics of using a GPS while trying to find the treasure.

By the Book

Try dedicating the weekend to learning about one book of The Bible. It could be the Book of Jude Weekend, or any other book of the bible. You wouldn't be able to adequately cover the whole book in two or three days time, but try taking a chapter at a time and have classes in teaching the truths of the chapter and how it relates to the lives of the participants. You could start the evening with Mark 1, then the next morning with Mark 2, followed with an afternoon of Mark 3, then spend private "God and I" devotional time on Mark . The final gathering would be a discussion on all four chapters.

These are just a few of the activities you can try while visiting with us on your retreat. Feel free to give these a try, or come up with your own. The most important activity of all is to have fun!