retreat.

[FaithThroughItAll]

[color=blue][font="Geneva"]Hey guys,
I am trying to plan a big spring retreat for my youth group and I was wondering if anyone had any good ideas for themes or any good activities/skits we could do? Also, if anyone knows any good praise and worship songs to use that would go along with the theme, that'd be awesome too. The retreat usually has well over 100 people attending and they are all reletively new in their faith (we're Catholic, so it is for like confirmation). Thank you all so much!
Peace and God bless you,
Danielle[/color][/font]

[Old_Joe]

The beauty and peace of God's Will.

[onathing1]

I'm part of a group that does retreats for confirmation students at different churchs....i've done everything from writing and skit to giving talks and singing....If you need any ideas PM me and I can give you some, just tell me what you need exactly and maybe I can email it to you.

[scardella]

Do you have a theme?

[FaithThroughItAll]

not yet

[Guest Rick777]

Get a good speaker!!!!!!!!! Even if its just one thats good enough. People will always remember a good speaker. Good food, lol. Show you really care. Show an interesting movie maybe.... I know a lot of people are oppossed to watching movies during retreats but I think if its a good, moving inspirational movie people will respond. I recommend a movie called Romero starring Raul Julia.Its about Archbishop Oscar Romero of El Salvador who fought for a cause and was assasinated during mass. In some of the retreats I've been a part of that movie was shown and the young people responded.

[scardella]

I think you need to think/pray about what direction you want the retreat to go towards. You've identified your audience, now, try to pick something appropriate to them.

[Totus Tuus]

I like the retreats up to the mountains that they talked about on Life on the Rock a couple of weeks ago. Those sound AWESOME, but they might be out of the budget if you were planning on doing the retreat at your church.

[FaithThroughItAll]

okay thanks

[Extra ecclesiam nulla salus]

if you can afford it get Rober Sugenis as a speaker

[Fides_et_Ratio]

umm, if it's a Confirmation retreat... why not make the theme the Gifts of the Holy Spirit?

[FaithThroughItAll]

yeah but it's not like that i mean of course that is the underlying theme but we like to make the theme names fun...for example we have had light the fire, sink or swim, make it count, etc...



we like to link the theme to a song...like for sink or swim we used the song dive by steven curtis chapman...and make it count we used switchfoot's this is your life...

[Anthony]

[quote name='Old_Joe' date='Nov 14 2005, 02:28 PM']The beauty and peace of God's Will.
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That's original!!

[Extra ecclesiam nulla salus]

some songs:

all that is gold

Rise up

a voice cries out of the wildrenss.


all great.

[Tink]

[color=#ff0066]Hey, I'm a team member of Antioch, a sweet youth group in Michigan/Indiana/Texas/DC, and we do retreats based on theme songs as well. Recently we've done You Are the Lord (Matt Maher), Burn For You (not sure of the artist, perhaps Audio Adrenaline), Mighty Good Leader (Audio Adrenaline), He Lifts Me Up, In The Light, Can't Keep a Good Man Down, Pressin' On, Underdog, etc. PM me if you'd like ideas on skits, talks, or activities, I know of tons![/color]

[FaithThroughItAll]

[quote name='Extra ecclesiam nulla salus' date='Nov 27 2005, 10:52 PM']some songs:

all that is gold

Rise up

a voice cries out of the wildrenss.
all great.
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could you give me some more info...i think i know the second one is that off third day's new album??


but let me know about them all please thank you!!!

[Theoketos]

Suggestion: Skip the praise and worship music. Confirmation kids are bored and put off by it. Plus most of it is theologically bankrupt.

[DAF]

[quote name='Theoketos' date='Nov 28 2005, 12:52 AM']Suggestion: Skip the praise and worship music. Confirmation kids are bored and put off by it. Plus most of it is theologically bankrupt.
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Yeah, I would wholeheartedly agree. At least that was my experience at one of my first retreats. And if you do, play it in the background of something more important.

Something I would definitely reccommend: ADORATION! I don't know about the reast of you, but often times Adoration is the most moving part of the whole retreat becasue you get to calm down, and talk to the guy that you're doing all this for.

[missionseeker]

[quote name='onathing1' date='Nov 14 2005, 02:37 PM']I'm part of a group that does retreats for confirmation students at different churchs....i've done everything from writing and skit to giving talks and singing....If you need any ideas PM me and I can give you some, just tell me what you need exactly and maybe I can email it to you.
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Me too. We are doing "fool for Christ". At the first class, we did this prayer (some of it was cheesey but you can tweak it) about how Christians are foolish for following Christ who was a convicted criminal. I may still have it . If not, I can get if you're interested. Our song is going to be Jesus freak. I have no idea about it cuz I don't listen to that music.

One of our activities which will be good for any theme is to have the candidates draw a picture of some one (representedany way they want to) they are really having a hard time with or mad at and putting them all on (a) dart board(s) that has a picture of Christ's face on it covered by a paper (unbeknownst to them of course) (you could just get some cork bulletin boards) and having them throw darts at it. Then when they stop, peel back all the pictures and underneath they'll see Christ.

[DAF]

Oh, that last post gives me an idea. You could have them write letters to Jesus. They recount all (or at least alot of ) their sins, write them in a letter to Jesus, and then seal it up. You can have them burn the letters or whatever, but it's a good experience to be face to face with what you've done.

And then...*drumroll* CONFESSION! You need to definitely have a few priests available to hear confessions from people who have been moved to take advantage of it.