Fall Retreat Brings Together Student Body, Staff, and Faculty
With excitement and anticipation, nearly 400 students were directed onto eight coach buses for a 90-mile journey from The King’s College in downtown Manhattan to New York’s Catskill Mountains for the College’s annual Fall Retreat, Sept. 8 through 10.
NEW YORK — September 12, 2016 — With excitement and anticipation, nearly 400 students were directed onto eight coach buses for a 90-mile journey from The King’s College in downtown Manhattan to New York’s Catskill Mountains for the College’s annual Fall Retreat, Sept. 8 through 10.
With its theme of Service, the two-day event brought together the students and 28 faculty and staff members to share prayer, fellowship, learning and worship led by King’s Refuge band. A highlight of retreat is the much-loved Drama Competition, for which the 10 Houses write and perform skits. This year’s Drama Comp theme was Equality and the House of Sojourner Truth was the winner.
This is an important time of focused spiritual engagement among students, faculty and staff,” President Gregory Alan Thornbury said. “While spiritual formation does happen in the classroom, this time away together at the start of the year allows us to prioritize the values that are central to our community.”
Plenary lectures were presented by Dr. Dru Johnson, Professor Dami Kabiawu and Eric Bennett, Vice President for Student Development. In addition, 13 breakout sessions led by faculty and staff allowed students to choose two among topics ranging from The Lord’s Prayer, fasting, simplicity and gratitude. These 50-minute workshops took advantage of the 200-acre setting of the Iroquois Springs camp, letting students gather around a picnic table in a gazebo by the lake and other outdoor settings.
This year’s retreat, with the largest attendance yet, was planned over a six-month period by student body president Katherine E. Thompson and her five executive cabinet members who prepared the agenda for the two days, did the marketing, ticketing, arranged for the buses and made sure full and partial scholarships were available so any student who wanted to could attend.
Sophomore transfer student Ariel Santerelli was making her first King’s College retreat. “It’s awesome how a city college takes the time to bring the student body to a place surrounded by nature to escape the busy city life and have the opportunity to bond with people we wouldn’t get to know, to open up and talk and form lasting friendships,” she said.
You can watch highlights from the Retreat here.
For more than 75 years, The King’s College has educated young leaders to integrate their faith, ethics, and morality seamlessly into their lives and careers. The only traditional Christian liberal arts college or university located in the heart of New York City, King’s prepares students for principled leadership around the world. Visit tkc.edu for more information or request a personalized visit by calling 888-969-7200.