DAVIS—More than 800 college students and young adults gathered April 12-14 for the Falls Creek Spring Retreat (FCSR). The annual event, geared college-age young adults, featured messages from Charlie Blount and Cris Lowery, with worship led by Bailey Byers.
God was honored and friendships were formed and deepened as attendees participated in numerous breakout sessions, sports tournaments, silent disco, sharing meals and various late-night activities, as well as three large worship gatherings.
“Spring Retreat at Falls Creek is always something I look forward to,” said attendee Cortney Evans. “It is an amazing time of fellowship and worship with other believers. The 2024 retreat was the most impactful I have been to. I felt God’s presence in all of it.”
“The theme ‘Live Sent’ was something that really fell on my heart,” she continued. “We (Christians) have no excuse not to be living for God in everything we do. Hearing that reminder this weekend was just what I needed, and I will always be thankful for that.”
One young man was invited by his friends after being on the fringes of his local Baptist Collegiate Ministry (BCM) all semester. He expressed interest in attending, but said he couldn’t afford to go. His friends offered to pay his way, so he went. This student gave his life to Christ Friday night and returned to his cabin full of excitement. Though the BCM allowed him to attend for free, his friends saw their faithfulness and willingness to make personal sacrifices pay eternal rewards.
Cameron Sears, semester intern at the Tulsa Community College (TCC) BCM, also saw fruit from his obedience. After several invitations, one of his coworkers finally attended church with him the Sunday before the retreat. He then attended the BCM’s weekly worship service, where he gave his life Christ. At the retreat, Sears saw an eagerness to grow in this new believer. “Now his greatest desire is to understand God’s Word. God is changing lives!”
Students from other cultures attended and experienced Christian fellowship. Some also heard messages seemingly written just for them about how Christ pursues the lost. These experiences led to conversations that have continued even after the event has ended.
Elyse Guthrie, University of Sciences and Arts (USAO) BCM student, spoke about the impact of a session she attended on Scripture memory.
“This breakout really taught me the importance of (Scripture memorization) and how to use it in my everyday life,” she said. “It was amazing to see those who led this breakout and how devoted they were to learning the Word of God.”
Joe Funburg of Tahlequah, Southside brought six young adults from his church, and he expressed a similar sentiment.
“I was pleased to hear from one young man in our group about how excited he was to see how easy it can be to memorize Scripture and then easily use it in normal conversations when sharing the Gospel, he commented.”
The various breakouts sparked conversations in his group about the potential of this generation to accomplish great things for the Kingdom, the importance of having a strong biblical worldview, and ways to engage people who hold to different beliefs.
“This was a very encouraging and challenging weekend for them,” said Funburg. “They absolutely enjoyed being with other young adult believers and soaking up what Charlie, Cris and the breakout leaders had to share.
“Also, I think for our young adults, the simple beauty of being able to break away and connect with others outside of work and then be able to just soak in some great teaching and have total freedom to engage in deep worship with other young adult believers was probably one of the most beneficial things I saw. The times of pause, contemplation and prayer were awesome.
“I really appreciate that Oklahoma Baptists give this kind of opportunity to young adults in churches like ours. I hope that, in the future, more churches will encourage their young adults to participate and engage in events like these even if they aren’t in college, so they can live a full, Christ-centered life knowing that they aren’t alone.”
