The King’s Council organized the school’s annual Fall Retreat over the weekend of Sept. 15-17 at Camp Tecumseh in Pittstown, N.J.

King’s students, alumni, staff and faculty attended the weekend getaway that focused on the theme of Refinement. Two main evening sessions featuring motivational speaker Gian Paul Gonzalez helped attendees delve into the topic of refinement and how to incorporate it into the upcoming school year. Gonzalez, mostly known for inspiring the New York Giants to a Super Bowl victory through his “All In” sermon, talked about refinement through his life experiences as a process that God ordains to bring us closer to Him.

“The theme of refinement served as the bedrock for, which spiritual formation events at Fall Retreat were built upon,” said Rafa Oliveira, Director of Spiritual Life on the King’s Council. “The notion that God is unearthing a masterpiece within the students in our student body and our community as a whole was the foundational idea behind the theme. Further, the theme reflects the good already present in our community while also addressing its imperfections, and because of that, it serves as a helpful framework from which to view what is happening around us.”

On Thursday evening, the retreat opened with a time of worship. During each worship session, the Fall Retreat worship team sang “Refiner by Maverick City” as the theme song for the weekend. The lyrics “I want to be tried by fire/Purified/You take whatever you desire/Lord here's my life" reflect what refinement means to the Christian walk.

The SAAC hosted two co-ed soccer exhibition matches, one on Thursday night with the Athletics Department soccer players and one on Friday afternoon with the whole student body. The White Team, coached by Edwin “Chivo” Perez, won the Thursday night game 11-10, and the Blue Team, coached by Malik Syed, won both unofficial four-team games on Friday.

“I loved the new addition of the soccer games,” said Rachel Wells, a sophomore of the House of Queen Elizabeth I, who played on the Blue Team for all of the games. “I’m so thankful for the time I was able to spend with girls in my house.”

Friday morning consisted of breakout sessions hosted by various staff and faculty on different topics relating to refinement.

After the breakout sessions, attendees had Friday afternoon free of scheduled events for different activities such as boating, hiking, quiet times, playing various sports and socializing.

“I had so much fun in nature with my friends and being able to get away from the city,” said Olivia Kleinau, a junior of the House of Clara Barton. “It was a wonderful time of bonding with friends as we went on walks and practiced for drama comp.”

On Friday night, the houses participated in the annual Drama Competition, where each house created and performed a skit based on the theme. The House of Dietrich Bonhoeffer took first place for the second year in a row, followed by the House of Ronald Reagan in second place and the House of Barton in third.

“My favorite part of drama comp is how everyone works together, and we all get super excited about what we’re making,” said David Rovis, a senior of the House of Bonhoeffer. “Getting the concept was a bit hard, but once we started rehearsing, all the funny, dramatic moments happened naturally. It was totally a collaborative effort since every guy brought something unique into the skit. As we rehearsed, we had fun together, and we invited the audience to do the same, which resulted in lots of laughter, and turns out, first place!”

“My favorite part of Fall Retreat was drama comp,” said Anna Turner, a sophomore of the House of QE1. “It was so entertaining seeing what all the houses chose to do with the prompt. Even though it was a competition, everyone was super supportive of each other, and me and the other girls in my house totally cheered our faces off!”

The night ended with a live concert featuring BOUT SEVEN, a band of King’s students Luke Gainey and Moses Kazanjian.

Luke Gainey from BOUT SEVEN | Photo by Avian Hall

As Fall Retreat came to an end, Student Body President Mattilyn Winburn reflected on the hard work the Council put into making it successful.

“The task was definitely not easy,” said Winburn. “The prepping and planning were meticulous and time-consuming, but I’m so grateful for a team willing to work with me over the summer to get it all done and whose spirits remained high and joyful the entire time. The weekend truly wouldn’t have happened without them. Walking around the camp, seeing everyone smiling and having a good time, engaging with the speakers and with each other — it was so easy to see the fruit of our labor and be reminded that this is what servant leadership is all about. We didn’t do this for ourselves. We did it for the students, and it most definitely paid off.”

Melinda Huspen is the Campus Editor of the Empire State Tribune. She is a junior at The King’s College studying Journalism, Culture and Society.

The King’s Council Hosts Fall Retreat At Camp Tecumseh