As Christmas approaches, YEF is joyfully preparing for this year’s Christmas Retreat, which will be held from December 23rd to 25th. This annual gathering is a precious time for members to step away from the busyness of the season, meditate deeply on the meaning of Christ’s birth, and draw closer to God together. To help our members enter the retreat with hearts already softened, strengthened, and spiritually awakened, YEF is planning a smaller pre-retreat fellowship series beginning next week.
This short, mid-week program will serve as a warm-up to the Christmas Retreat—a simple but meaningful space for fellowship, reflection, and preparation. While the retreat itself will carry deep messages and worship, these days beforehand are meant to gently guide members back into a posture of devotion and joyful expectation. Participants may include regular members like Rachel, Korri, Amia, and potentially Celeste, if she is in town and able to attend with transportation. Seminole students are also welcome to join, depending on their holiday schedules. Others, such as Noah, may already be back home for the break, but the door remains open for all who are available.
Rather than an intensive set of sessions, this pre-retreat time will resemble a light version of the Bible camp held during the summer. The focus will be on preparing the heart, not overwhelming the schedule. Possible meeting days include Wednesday to Friday, shaped flexibly around each student’s availability. Each gathering may include:
- A short, reflective Bible study
- A time of prayer and sharing
- Simple fellowship activities or going out together
- Space for deeper conversation and personal check-ins
- Encouragement toward spiritual readiness for Christmas
Our hope is to create an environment where students can breathe, reconnect, and enter the retreat already attuned to God’s voice. So as we prepare for these meaningful days, we turn to Scriptures that remind us why the birth of Jesus remains the center of our faith and the source of our joy.
The YEF Christmas Retreat has always been a time of spiritual renewal, deeper understanding of the gospel, and joyful fellowship. By dedicating a few days before the retreat to prepare our hearts together, we pray that each member can enter December 23rd–25th with peace, focus, and a sense of anticipation for what God will reveal.
As we walk toward Christmas, may God grant each participant a heart that is open, soft, and eager to receive the fullness of Christ’s grace. Through these moments of fellowship, prayer, and reflection, may every student rediscover the wonder of Emmanuel—God with us.