Every student at Asbury has the opportunity to attend a Set Apart Retreat. Held on every break, the trips are free, funded by the Price Foundation, and act as an opportunity for students to draw closer to God. These retreats take place in either Tennessee, Florida or Colorado.
A few years ago, Asbury began offering two opportunities over spring break; one in the first half of the week and the other in the second half. Each trip is unique in its own way, with students learning content relating to their lives.
“We discussed a lot of the true life that is being revealed in the Bible. From God, we no longer fill ourselves with earthly things, but rivers of living water that give life,” said Joy Wan, an attendee of the first trip.
The spring break retreats go to Doe River Gorge Center in Hampton, Tennessee. Nestled in the mountains, the center is a beautiful spot to relax and recharge. The daily schedule includes worship, sessions hosted by speakers from inside and outside of Asbury, leisure activities and small group time.
“We had a workshop on prayer, where we learned about how to cancel the ground of the enemy through prayer in the name of Jesus. There was also a workshop on Bible reading, discussing the importance of feeding our spiritual life with the regular diet of God’s word,.” said Wan.
The retreats have a variety of activities for students to participate in. These included a train ride through the mountains, hikes and river games. None of these are required, though, allowing the students time to rest and catch up on homework if they need to.
Each student on the trip is also assigned a small group led by a chaperone from Asbury.
“Throughout this time, students are paired with Asbury faculty and staff members in seven-to-one ratios, allowing for deeper conversations,” said the Asbury website.
These discussions give students the opportunity to share their thoughts and emotions and many students said their time was impactful.
“I was able to find peace and freedom in the Lord from this trip. As I walked by the Doe River, I found myself fascinated with his creation, and it reminded me of the rivers of living water that give life,” said Wan.
As life gets busy for the students of Asbury, it can be easy to disconnect from all that the Lord is doing, but these trips are a way for students to reset and return to what’s important.
