Cloud 9 Retreat 2007: An Experience of Life in the Center

As I sit in my seat, I'm rubbing my eyes. It isn't because it's early. Okay, it is early - 8AM on the Sunday of Cloud Nine. For those of you who've never gone, that means like a few hours of sleep. But that's not why I'm rubbing my eyes. It's because at least a dozen high-school students are patiently filing in the room...for fixed hour prayer. No one is making them be there. This isn't some punishment for breaking curfew the night before. They are here because they want to join the twenty or so youth pastors and leaders in connecting with God along this ancient path. And so we opened with our Call to Prayer, partnering with other Christians around the world in praising and pursuing our great God. Our prayers finished we head down to the cafeteria for a plate full of yummy camp food goodness.

For several years now, we in the Great Lakes Region have been hearing from our intrepid overseer, Ken Wilson, about learning from the larger Church, about embracing the treasures that each great Tradition holds - liturgical, justice, charismatic, evangelical. At Cloud Nine this year, I saw this vision lived out.

There were, of course, all of the youth retreat essentials - mounds of hearty food, plenty of warm coffee, well-attended workshops on dating and friendships, and clear rules about red and blue not making purple. We had great games and orange eating contests and plenty of laughter. We had absolutely rockin' worship. On Saturday evening we blew out the power to the speakers at least three times, but that never stopped the youth. They just kept on worshipping right on through the silence, with the re-amplified band having to keep up. We even had a rap concert with real break dancing!

And there's more. There were workshops on justice and hearing God and servant evangelism and discerning the pastoral call and learning about what's involved in being a church planter! The teachings in each session were clearly and thoughtfully grounded in Scripture and practical wisdom. After one session, about 50 kids skipped out on extra free time in order to try a fifteen minute session of contemplative prayer; I mean, that big room was actually quiet and people were engaged! Numerous kids dedicated or rededicated their lives to Jesus. Many experienced God's love and walked away free from oppressive lies and shame. Several young men and women spoke of newfound hope that God really cared and that He was able to heal them of debilitating illness, and one young man reported that his shorter leg lengthened to match his other leg! Praise God!

Cloud Nine rocked! The theme that God seemed to have in mind for the weekend came from a refrain in one of the worship songs, "There's no end to your power, Lord!" What's clear to me is that the young women and men of the Great Lakes Region who attended Cloud Nine this year connected with God's power through channels rooted in the liturgical, justice, charismatic and evangelical traditions. And, at the center, they found Jesus.