Regarding the December student leaders' retreat

Hi guys,
 

The team planning  the program met in Homeland, on Monday evening. We had a blessed [very long] time of fellowship and trusting God for His leadership regarding the retreat. By the end of our time together, we agreed on the following-

Objective of the retreat

1.      To build the core of the movement we are part of- We would like the students to be excited about Christ, and His great commission so that their lives and leadership will lead towards genuine movements everywhere.

(We intend to redirect the emphasis from a corporate sense of growth, to individual growth and firm personal convictions. Movements will then automatically rise as an outpouring of  the leaders’ authentic faith)

2.      To build student-student and staff-student relationships
3.      To receive, as SLM, the national plan that God places in the students’ hearts.

Program


Friday
4-5p.m.            Staff team prayer and devotion (Laying a spiritual foundation for the retreat and breaking strongholds)
5-6p.m.            Students arrive
6-6.30p.m        Introductions and welcoming
6.30-8p.m.       Fun bonding activities creatively directed towards relationships. Session to end with people praying for personal and each other’s time in the retreat
8-9p.m             Dinner
9-10p.m           Writing your personal testimony/walk of faith


Saturday
6-6.45              Waking up, personal grooming
6.45-7.45         Personal quiet time – John 3, Ephesians 1
8-8.30              Breakfast
8.30-9.30         Corporate QT review: Teaching on salvation and Q&A’s on Assurance of salvation
9.30-11.00       The call to discipleship and the SLM vision (Acts 2:42-47) –Balusi
11-11.30          Students to spend personal time evaluating their personal walk as disciples, and seek God for ways forward
11.30-11.45     Tea Break
11.45-12.45     Respective teams to evaluate and discuss  how we can make our team setting a growth environment for each of us.
12.45-2p.m      Lunch break
2-4p.m.            Team building proper. Fun games and bonding, aimed to loosen muscles and tighten inter-campus relationships and accountability.
4-4.30              Refreshments and rest
4.30-6.30         How to build a national movement. Students put in random teams to brainstorm ideas we can pursue as a national movement. Presentation and selection of the ideas
6.30-7              Break
7-8                   Dinner
8-10                 GLS clip and group discussion
10                    swatch

Sunday
6-6.45              Waking up, personal grooming
6.45-7.45         Personal quiet time – The reliability of scripture, handouts from Practical Christian Living
8-8.30              Breakfast
8.30-9.30         Corporate QT review: Teaching on scripture’s fidelity, Q&A’s
9.30-11.30       Execution plans for the National movement ideas identified on Saturday
11.30 -12.00    Review
12.00               Thanksgiving- Praise and Prayer
12.30               Closing

Some of the realizations that informed our decisions

1.      Art vs. Heart: Our movements have been largely activity-based. Though we have been able to successfully establish small groups, organize prayer campaigns, evangelistic events, social justice events, and the like, we realize that not all our student leaders have made this their own personal lifestyle. They have learnt the art (how to do) these things, but of themselves, they do not necessarily own these ideas enough to want to do them even after their leadership tenure is over (heart)
As a result, we have developed great leaders, but most are still wanting as disciples of Jesus. It hasn’t happened by default. That’s why we are taking this deliberate move to emphasize on the individual walk with God, apart from leadership and success in ministry.

2.      Know them by their fruits: We dared to judge ourselves harshly, asking what our fruits speak of us. A few of the leaders, who we’ve produced into the ‘beyond’ in our campus vision, haven’t born a great testimony to our service. This could be because, their success was more pronounced outwardly, based on our expectations, and not deep enough to become their personal convictions.
3.       
4.      Student initiative: As we move towards a more Student-Led approach, we would like the students to be the ones that invite us to resource their projects. We realize this will need us to be very secure. It also leads us to serve the students’ agendas, rather than the students serving ours.