Jersey Metro (the Cru team Jenn and I are on), Lehigh Valley, and West Chester (both in PA) had a joint fall retreat with NYC Cru from October 10-12! There were over 300 students from 15+ campuses. Our featured speaker, Darryl Smith, the National Director for Cru High School, challenged us to “go against the grain”, which was the theme of the retreat.

“Fall retreat was a refreshing and wholesome experience,” Jeffrey Sanchez, a sophomore I coach from Montclair, shared with me. “The speaker taught that through the Holy Spirit, God’s people are called to go against the things that oppose God. The reality is God entrusted his people to share Christ’s gospel with other people. As a follower of Jesus persecution and rejection is expected but it shouldn’t stop me from sharing this great news.”

Overall students were truly recharged.

“Fall Retreat was simply amazing!” Joe Angotti, who I also coach at Montclair Univ, shared. “The worship and teaching, free time, men’s time, and the talent show were all so much fun. I loved it so much! I definitely experienced a powerful move of The Holy Spirit, and I am looking forward to coming back again next year.”

Students were challenged to faithfully trust the Lord and lay their Isaacs on the altar. Let’s pray that these students would be willing to sacrifice their reputation, their future plans, and their fears on the altar for the sake of Jesus and His mission to save the world. During the retreat, 14 students indicated a decision to trust Christ; praise God! Please pray that these students will truly follow Jesus and trust in Him despite worldly expectations. Check out SforzaGrams.com for more from Jeffrey and Joe about how the retreat grew them, and to see more pictures!

See more pictures on Facebook here. Or by viewing the YouTube slideshow below: