The 2024 Youth and Young Adult Retreat was the first of its kind since the coronavirus pandemic. These events have had a profound impact in the conference’s history, but were disrupted because of the pandemic. Now that this event is again taking place, it is clear why this is such an important part of the conference’s mission.
About 150 people attended the event, which took place at Camp Wawona April 19-21. David Dean, who spoke for the event, focused on the book of Acts, emphasizing mentorship, discipleship, and the importance of young adults in the church. Anil Kanda, Youth Director for the Central California Conference, explained, “The Book of Acts talks about how the church needs young adults and how mentorship is really important; discipleship is important in the book of Acts.”
A prayer room was opened up for those attending, and this had a significant impact on the spiritual environment of the event. “We really emphasized going into the prayer room. We simplified the services. I didn't want it to be filled with so many things. We wanted time for reflection, leaving room for the Holy Spirit to work,” said Kanda.
The event led to a baptism and six other young adults choosing to be baptized. “I did the baptism in a river nearby, and it was ice cold,” said Kanda. “But a cool part of it was there was a couple walking by, and the man said, ‘I've been alive for 57 years, and you tend to lose hope in humanity. This is really cool. It gives me hope again to see young adults commit themselves to Jesus.’”
Project 2:42 is another result of this event. It is based on Acts 2:42, and focuses on developing small groups for young adults. This could mean a prayer group, a bible study group, an outreach group, a fellowship group, or something else. The goal is to invite other young adults to these groups and share God’s love. Twelve of these groups were created at the home churches of attendees.
The next youth and young adult retreat will be taking place Dec. 6-8, and featuring speakers David Ascherick and Jennifer Jill. Learn more at https://www.facebook.com/groups/1394323847488372/ or cccsda.org/youth.
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