Student’s excited for Fall Retreat and return of Darian Lockett
by Chris Ross

Every fall, the students of The King’s College escape the bustle of New York City and head to CitiVision Retreat Center for the annual Fall Retreat, nestled just below the Adirondack Mountains in upstate New York. This year’s retreat will be held September 19-21, and former King’s theology professor Darian Lockett will be the featured speaker.

The retreat’s focus will be on the Interregnum theme, “Behold the man: Jerusalem Rome, New York,” according to Assistant Dean of Students David Leedy. The theme is meant to trace Christ’s influence through the three main historical cities of the world. And while the weekend is mandatory for freshman, it is popular among upperclassmen as well.

Many of those upperclassmen are especially excited about Lockett’s return. He was a favorite during his two years at King’s, receiving the “Professor of the Year” award in 2006. Lockett and his family moved to California in the fall of 2007, when he accepted a teaching position at Biola University in La Mirada, California.

Lockett’s three messages, meant to build on this year’s Interregnum theme will be, "Beholding the Man in All of Scripture," "Beholding the Man in the Eye of a Sinner," and "Beholding the Man in the Eyes of True Disciples."

“Much of what we will focus on will be the connection between the gospel and the Christian life and mission,” he said. That message, Lockett said, is especially important for students of The King’s College: New York City’s many distractions make it hard to read the Scriptures with a view toward the most nourishing life.

Lockett’s desire is that students leave the retreat with a renewed call to obey God: “Posing the analogy that the gospel relates to the Christian life like music to a dance, I hope every student leaves the retreat with ears tuned to the music of the gospel which animates their dance of Christian obedience.”

The weekend, however, will include more than just Lockett’s messages. The retreat will have four main sessions (which include worship time and preaching), optional small group sessions, and Saturday afternoon free time (filled with events such as a ropes course and ultimate frisbee). The weekend’s climax will be Saturday night’s House drama competition, where Houses present skits based on the Interregnum theme.

The varied schedule will give students opportunities to get to know each other in different settings. Junior Matt Kaal said he loves being able to enjoy the outdoors while getting to know his peers in a location other than the city. “I’m looking forward to the authentic community which arises in a uniquely pastoral setting,” he said.

And even though she’s never experienced a King’s retreat, Freshman Kalina Hillard is excited too: “I’m looking forward to meeting new classmates and getting out of the city.”