Team Charger Challenge

Refreshing Mountain with Hanover Community!

It is retreat season again! Team Charger Challenge traveled to Refreshing Mountain in Lancaster County Pennsylvania where we joined Hanover Community Church to serve them in their weekend retreat. Both students and leaders were excited for a great weekend! We kicked off the night with pizza. One student named Alex amassed over ten slices!

Brett kicked off the weekend on Friday night with the first Be 4 Real lesson. This message covered authentic living before and after Christ. We parked in Matthew 11:28-30, which says, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” After this time, students and leaders broke into small groups where they discussed what they just experienced. The night ended with games in the gym where students were free to release their energy!

On Saturday we led team building for the youth group, which consisted of many good and hilarious times! Still not sure who was more dominant Pepsi or Coke? Peanut butter or Jelly? One of the coolest parts about the weekend is that students were encouraged and even given time to have alone time with God. This time consisted of prayer, reading scripture, and just sitting silent before God.

Flick kicked off the second Be 4 Real message with a video from Matt Chandler. We then moved into ‘Walk the Line’, which was very powerful! God moved in amazing ways and knocked down doors for many students and leaders. One thing is for sure, Hanover Community Church has each other’s backs! We were encouraged all weekend by the quality of leaders and how much this team loved their students. Not to mention, the students were awesome! Small group time was next, which served to be one of the most valuable pieces of the weekend.

Up next: free time! Most of the students and leaders participated in a football game out on the field. Some of the leaders still might feel like they took a few years off their life! Saturday evening ended with T.J. sharing his life story and reality that God needs to be on the throne of our lives. Many times we can fill our “couch” with things such as school, sports, relationships, etc. These are all good things, until they become idols and place God on the backburner. The night ended with awesome community via small groups, bonfire, capture the leader, and other games!

Sunday morning was a time set aside for reflection. Many students shared commitments they made or how they were going to change. They also has the opportunity to thank those who had impacted them this weekend. Once again, it was awesome to see the love the students and leaders had for one another. This weekend we saw true community lived out!