by Maddie Webb, Contributing Writer
Two retreats will begin today for men and women on campus. The women will drive to their retreat in Cedarmore Camp in Bagdad, Kentucky, while the men will head to Camp Calvary in Mackville, Kentucky.
According to 3rd Glide Spiritual Life Assistant (SLA) Jeanine Campbell, who attended the retreat last year, “multiple women spoke and shared their testimonies [last year].” Campbell will attend retreat this weekend also in order to share in this time of spiritual growth and development alongside her female peers.
This year’s retreat will have over 160 women in attendance. However, in contrast to last year’s retreat, this year features only one woman speaker. Hosting a single speaker will allow students to delve deeper into the theme of the weekend and will allow the same message to be expanded upon and reinforced as the weekend progresses. InReach Staff asked Reverend Nicole Sims to lead the weekend as the main speaker. She will talk about being “Equipped for the Journey.”
Although the premise of the event will remain the same, changes such as this are being implemented to enrich the experience for all who attend. The food will also be different for the women’s retreat this year, as it will be catered. A group of women, composed primarily of the wives of former Asbury staff, have also been asked to make dessert for the event.
Shirley Hamilton, a member of this group and wife to former Old Testament professor Victor Hamilton, will provide cookies for the women’s retreat. “Our group meets once a month to pray for the college,” Hamilton said. “The ladies were asked if we would be willing to bring in baked goods and so we are each bringing something in for the retreat.”
For the men’s retreat, 75 guys will gather at Camp Calvary to worship alongside each other for a weekend of spiritual and relational growth. In contrast to the women’s retreat, three speakers will be featured at men’s retreat. Asbury professors Chris Bounds and Kevin Brown, as well as Clint Baldwin from Word Made Flesh, will all be presenting on the theme of “Man to Man.”
In the past, professors and alumni who have shared in the experience have come in and cooked for students. Guest chefs this year include Sean O’Conner, Joel Sigler, Rich Wright, Roy Lauter, Kyle Sieberts, Anthony Shelton, Andy Reynolds, Nathan Miller and Greg Haseloff. Meal highlights include pizza, nachos and steak.
“Men’s Retreat has always been one of the best things we do all year. We often have staff and alumni come back to help and support the retreat since it was so meaningful to them as students,” said Coordinator of InReach Programs John Morley. “We intentionally create space for the guys to do whatever they need to do over the weekend to renew their spirits and hear from God and we do it together.”
