“We use Glen Lake Camp for several retreats throughout our programming year. We engage in several different ways:
Our 3rd-5th graders attend Bible Camp weekend hosted by GLC
We host a fall retreat for our Confirmation Class
We host a Youth Fall Retreat
Our Youth Group attends Winter Camp hosted by GLC
We host a spring Jr High Retreat for our 7th & 8th graders and our Confirmands
And, Summer Camps at Glen Lake with all ages!
Glen Lake Camp supports us in so many ways.
Camps hosted by GLC allow us to plug in with our kids & students and engage in relationship building vs. fretting about all the details of a self-hosted retreat. Both Bible Camp weekend and Winter Camp allow us to bring our kids & students and connect with them and extend the learning that is provided by GLC. God is so present in the little moments of connection that happen through hosted retreats.
When we plan and execute one of our own retreats, GLC is such a gracious host. It is so easy, too! We reserve a lodge space that helps us create a cohesive base for all of our fun and learning. We are able to run games and team building right in the center lodge space or educational space provided. We can stay up for a late night movie with popcorn within the lodge space. We can also tailor our curriculum and learning to tie in to our overall theme for the semester or year. With a self designed retreat we still get the benefits of being on the GLC campus: we canoe in the lake, play in the MAC, eat in the Dining Hall, play gaga ball, work through the Challenge Course, and just enjoy being on this holy ground. God is at work and we get to see first hand how God moves through our students and kids during a retreat.
One of the unexpected benefits that we’ve seen over the years of participating in and hosting retreats is the connection to Glen Lake Camp that our kids and students have made. Some of our kids and students don’t go to a week of Summer Camp and it might be their first time attending anything at Glen Lake. Being on campus for a retreat allows them just a taste of all the fun elements of camp and begs them to come back for more. They begin to look forward to the next time we head down to Glen Lake Camp.
We have had so many students that have participated in the ELI program and have gone on to be Summer Staffers. They attribute coming to Glen Lake for retreats and summer camp as a part of their deep faith journey. They have grown in this holy place where they have encountered God.
We are so very thankful to be able to partner with GLC to help us extend our programming and learning. We love to be able to escape even for a weekend for time away. There is something special about being at Glen Lake Camp!” Betsy Spencer Director of Family Ministries First United Methodist Church of Arlington
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