Australia beach retreat (Covid-safe!) promotes community and conversation

Eighteen people, the beach, games, talks, very little sleep and a whole lot of fun!

Campus minister Carly Kies summed up The Garden’s recent Beach Camp in Brisbane, Australia, with these words, and added that “our venue was COVID-19 safe and we are down to 0 new cases a day here in Queensland!”

The group gathered in a nearby retreat center on the beach for this important getaway.

“Retreats are where some of the most meaningful interactions happen,” she said. “They help solidify community, form new friendships and deepen old ones. There is something about being removed from our normal context that brings us all closer together and sparks conversations that otherwise may not happen.”

Team leader Eric Schlipf and wife Emily Abernathy gave meaningful talks throughout the weekend, focusing on the ministry’s theme for the semester, “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life.”

“The talks were very discussion-based,” said Carly. “Students engaged with them very thoughtfully.

“Everyone had a fun, meaningful time,” she added. “We came back exhausted yet refreshed and renewed.”