November 14, 2024
Last week, I was blessed to serve as one of the Adult Small Group leaders on the Youth Fall Retreat. We traveled to the Atlanta area, where we enjoyed the hospitality of Dunwoody Baptist Church. Erin Sheldon, one of the other Small Group Leaders, grew up attending Dunwoody. She and her husband Scott (another Small Group Leader on the retreat) were married in the church.
The focus of our retreat was “Taking the Next Step” and we spent time thinking about stories from the Bible in which people had to step in to something unfamiliar or uncomfortable as they listened for the voice of God. Dane crafted Small Group conversations that immersed us in the stories of Mary Magdalene, Moses, Samuel, and Paul.
We also traveled to the Martin Luther King, Jr. Center and Museum. We walked through the exhibits showcasing pivotal moments in the life of Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Civil Rights Movement. We spent time sitting in the historic sanctuary of the Ebenezer Baptist Church, where MLK, Jr. and his father (Daddy King) co-pastored. As we entered, audio from one of MLK’s final sermons was being played. We sat in hushed tones, listening to the voice of this man encouraging us to walk the paths of both humility and justice. Then, a tour guide spoke to us and pointed out where Martin Luther King, Jr. sat each Sunday. He showed us the pew where MLK’s mother, Alberta Williams King, was sitting on a Sunday morning in 1974 when a gunman killed her. He pointed to the pew near the back that still bore a bullet hole as the gunman turned his weapon on the congregation. Our youth soaked in these stories with an awe and reverence, contemplating the strength it must have taken to have continued the struggle for justice,
As we explored these stories of calling, we acknowledged that walking the road of faithfulness is not a promise for an easy life. There will be hardships, pains, setbacks, disappointments, threats, and severe losses. Yet, faithfulness is what leads to the flourishing of the human soul. We encouraged the Youth to reject worldly notions that their worth is found only in a financially lucrative career or in possessing all manner of things. Instead, like Mary, Moses, Samuel, Paul, and Martin, their worth is found in the love God has for them and in the unique, specific calling God has placed on each of their lives.
The youth also had agenda-less fun and simply reveled in being together. Dunwoody Baptist Church has a beautiful Sports Center, complete with a gym. Our youth played basketball, soccer, football, and Noah Trenchard organized a Pickleball bracket tournament (congratulations to Levi Trenchard and Thomas Wang!). An observation: hardly any of the students spent an inordinate amount of time on their phones. And it wasn’t because Dane forced them to put them away; it was a deliberate choice made by the Youth to choose community and friendship with one another. It was a beautiful thing to witness.
I am grateful to Dane Martin for leading our Youth in such an intentional, meaningful way. When you spend time with Dane and the youth together, it is so evident the respect and love the youth have for their minister and it is abundantly clear that Dane cares deeply for these students. I am also grateful to the other adults who served on the retreat: Kit Browning, Leslie Hege, Erin Sheldon, Scott Sheldon, Sam Walker, and Franklin Watkins. Our church is very blessed with leaders who care deeply about our Youth and seek for each of them to know they are loved by the God who calls them to take that next step.
