Impacting the Leaders of Tomorrow

"It was AWESOME! The singing, letting God into my heart, the competition, and getting to
know other people, it’ll change me a lot. Now that I’ve come to this school and have a place to
experience God even during school, I have a place for Him in my heart.”

Brice Brazell, a 6th grader at Irmo Middle School, is one of 500 South Carolina middle schoolers who enjoyed FCA’s middle school retreat this November in Garden City, SC.

Every year at SC FCA’s weekend-long middle school retreat there is a lot of singing, a lot of learning, eating, competing, making friends, and challenging oneself… but only a LITTLE sleep!   Workers say it’s all worth it. “You can say a lot from a distance, but when kids see your relationship with God up close, it means a lot. They see a different meaning.”   Marques Kyles, a baseball player at Limestone College, is one of many college students from all over the Palmetto State who volunteer their entire weekend to ‘camp out’ with and lead small groups of ten kids, called ‘huddles.’   Huddle leader Julianna Smith, of Clemson University, knows God appointed this time for each kid. “Little specific things that other people don’t pick up on mean so much to specific kids because of what’s going on in their lives.”

Teachers see first-hand how the FCA retreat affects their students. “The boys wanted to come back and bring others. They were excited about it. This year I’ve seen new leadership among the kids,” says Barbara Maxwell, a Johnsonville Middle School teacher, who came to the retreat. Johnsonville Middle brought about one-fourth of its student body to the retreat and saw 17 salvations. “FCA is a great place for those kids trying to find their places in life and they come up here and feel loved and accepted.”

This 10th annual SC FCA middle school retreat saw 150 salvations! “It was great! It definitely opened my eyes up to why I need to become a better Christian.   I’m going to try to help some of my friends, encourage them, and put God in front of everything,” said Cory Cribb, a 7th grader at Johnsonville Middle.   Each life is an important addition to the kingdom of God and a Christian representative for the world of tomorrow. “It made me a better Christian, and I want to read the Bible more because I realized it can be fun,” Sue Medlock, a young warrior, and 7th grader at Wardlaw Academy. 
 
* FCA is able to give scholarships to some kids who otherwise could not afford to go to this retreat. Find out how you can help make a difference in a student's life.*