Spring Retreat 2025

We are beyond excited to invite your students to Spring Retreat on April 11-12, 2025—our biggest in-house student ministry event of the year! This retreat is designed to be a high-energy, spiritually impactful weekend that will challenge students to grow in their faith while building meaningful relationships with their peers and leaders. And this year, we’re taking things up a notch by bringing both High School and Junior High together for an unforgettable experience!

Throughout the retreat at First Free Church, students will engage in powerful worship, dynamic teaching, small group discussions, incredibly fun activities, and team-based challenges that push them to grow in their faith and community. Our theme for this year will focus on what it truly means to follow Jesus in everyday life, helping students deepen their walk with Him in a way that lasts beyond the weekend. Whether your student is new to their faith, exploring what they believe, or ready to take the next step, this retreat is for them!

Why We Do A Spring Retreat

At First Free Student Ministry, everything we do is rooted in our vision to help students Know God, Own Faith, Find Family, and Live Worthwhile. Our Spring Retreat isn’t just another event—it’s a core moment where these values take huge steps forward. Over the years, retreats and camps have been some of the most spiritually defining experiences for our students, and this year, by combining Junior High and High School, we have an even greater opportunity to see God move in powerful ways.

Why Combine Junior High & High School?
Retreats and camps have been pivotal, intentional, and powerful moments where students have encountered Jesus, taken bold steps in their faith, and built lasting community. These experiences have not only transformed individual lives but have also moved the vision of our ministry forward—deepening students’ understanding of what it means to Know God, Own Faith, Find Family, and Live Worthwhile. Because of the spiritual momentum these events create, we are shaping our ministry calendar to have three specific, strategic moments each year: Spring Retreat, Summer Camps & Conferences, and Fall Retreat.

By combining our Spring Retreat into a unified experience for Junior High and High School, we are intentionally strengthening these three key moments—creating a rhythm of opportunities for students to step away from the distractions of life, focus on their relationship with Jesus, and experience deep community. Each of these gatherings plays a unique role, but together, they form an intentional path for students to grow in faith, build friendships, and live on mission throughout the year.

Combining these two groups will also allow our ministry to allow our students to experience that:

• Junior High students need godly role models in their peer groups. JH Students will have the chance to look up to high school students who are actively pursuing Jesus, seeing firsthand what it looks like to live out their faith.
• High School students are leaders- even when they are participants. High school students may not always realize it, but they are shaping the faith of our junior high students. Since we know that JH students are watching how HS students worship, engage, and step out in faith; this retreat gives us a unique opportunity to cast a vision for high schoolers to lead—not by title, but by examples as participants. Our prayer is that every High School Students attending the Spring Retreat as a students will take steps to grow in their own faith, and in doing so, they model to our Junior High Students what it looks like to worship wholeheartedly, participate fully in small groups and activities, and take bold steps of faith. Their personal pursuit of Jesus has the power to inspire and challenge their younger peers to do the same.
• Stronger community builds a stronger faith community. By bringing both junior high and high school students together for this key event, we are cultivating a student ministry that isn’t divided by grade levels but united by a shared vision. It’s more than just an event; it’s a step toward building a culture where every student is known, loved, challenged, and supported in their faith journey. Together, they form a ministry that is stronger, more connected, and focused on pursuing Jesus and making Him known.

Better Together

Merging Junior High and High School for Spring Retreat also allows us to maximize our resources, build momentum, and make this event better than ever before.

• More momentum – When we move together as one, we build spiritual and relational energy that carries beyond the retreat and into the rest of the semester.
• More fun – By pooling our resources, we can provide better activities, stronger programming, and a more exciting experience—all at a better price point.
• More impact – With a larger group, we create an environment that feels alive with energy and possibility, making it easier for students to invite friends and feel part of something meaningful.

While much of the retreat will be experienced together, we will also have special windows of time and activities specifically designed for Junior High and High School students. This will allow for age-specific conversations, unique challenges, and tailored experiences that meet students where they are in their faith journey.

A Moment That Matters

Spring Retreat isn’t just a weekend—it’s a moment that launches students forward in their faith. It’s a space where they encounter Jesus in a powerful way, where friendships are formed, and where students walk away with renewed purpose. Whether Junior High or High School, every student has something to receive—and something to give.

This year, we’re stepping into something bigger. We’re not just doing a retreat; we’re building a movement. And we want every student to be part of it.

2025 Theme: “THE WAY”

Theme Big Idea: 
Following Jesus isn’t just about knowing information—it’s about walking in and living out in His way.
Theme Key Scripture: 
John 14:6 – “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.”
Focus: 
Helping students move from passive belief to active discipleship by practicing the way of Jesus.

Overview:

Many students see faith as private, something between them and God causing many students to grow up knowing about Jesus but struggle to truly follow Him in their daily lives. But Jesus didn’t just call His disciples to just know him but to follow Him and live that faith out in their daily lives. This retreat’s theme will challenge students to move beyond passive belief and into active discipleship. Jesus didn’t just invite people to believe in Him—He called them to follow Him, to walk as He walked, and to live the way He lived. The Way will teach students that Christianity is not just a set of beliefs but a way of life, a personal faith, modeled after Jesus. Each session will explore a different aspect of what it means to walk in The Way of Jesus. This series naturally leads students into understanding their faith as something that moves outward, not just inward.

*New* Overnight Host Homes: 

One of our student ministry values is connection and building intentional events that allow students to connect with their peers and leaders in a safe, faith based environment. Because of this value, we are adding an overnight host home experience to help build deeper relationships between students, their small group leaders, and their peers—connections that simply can’t be replicated in any other setting. Each host home will be background-checked and homes toured by our student ministry team to ensure safety and the best possible environment for your student. Homes will be assigned by grade and gender (for example, one home for 6th-grade boys, another for 6th-grade girls, and so on), and adult small group leaders will be staying with them. While fostering fun and meaningful connections is essential, ensuring the safety of our students remains our highest priority

If your family does not typically participate in overnight events, please know that while this experience is highly recommended for fostering deeper connections, it is not required. Students are still encouraged to attend the retreat and fully engage in all activities, even if they do not stay overnight. We ask that if you do NOT want your student to participate, to please reach out to us at texr@efree.org when you register your student.

We can’t wait to see what God does in the lives of our students through this retreat! If you’re ready to have your student be part of the best weekend of 2025, lets get them registered below!