Sometimes students need a recharge or a nice getaway from the stress from their assignments and exams, said a junior mechanical engineering major.

“Campus Collective’s Fall Retreat did just that,” said Evan Abshire, a member of Campus Collective, one of Marshall University’s campus ministries. “CC’s Fall Retreat was a nice weekend getaway that was built around legalism and liberalism. It was a loose schedule that let students embrace the nature as well as learn about God.”

One of the ways CC’s Fall Retreat did this was by having Joey Stevens, a youth pastor at North Mount Zion Church, go to Howell’s Mill with CC and have multiple sermons about struggles people face, said Rachel King, a sophomore Marshall student and member of CC.  

“He discussed how struggles are a part of life that everyone will experience,” King said. “He personalized it by talking about how despite the two rare diseases he has and the struggles he faces when raising a child with autism, he has been brought closer to God through these challenges he has faced because of how Christianity helped him overcome these challenges. The sermons about struggles were relatable to every student there because of the challenges we face. Every student struggles with challenges they are afraid they might not overcome, so it is nice to hear a sermon that is relatable to that.”

CC Fall Retreat’s main purpose was to not only embrace Christianity as a whole, but also to embrace the nature around them and get to know people no matter their spiritual background, King said.

“We gathered up many people and went to Howell’s Mill,” King said. “We were out with nothing but people and nature. We all collectively had the same goal: get closer to God, as well as meet new people that are eager to grow spiritually.”

Abshire also said the goal of the people who attended the retreat was to focus on faith.

“Everyone’s intentions there were to learn and grow their faith with Christianity,” Abshire said. “CC’s Fall Retreat is like no other. I have heard horror stories about other fall retreats of how some people cannot go because of small things like tattoos so I am very blessed to go on a trip that is open to everyone that is willing to grow.”

Aaron Dickens can be contacted at [email protected].