News by Carolyn Stent "The retreat was how we met each other."

Back to Table of Contents | Back to Main Index Previous News | Send mail to The Voice Stugo resurrects the all-school retreat Next year's Christian Life Conference will be followed by the first all-school retreat Multnomah Bible College has held since the early '80s. The retreat, scheduled for Sept. 13-16, will be three days of free time for students, faculty and staff to enjoy the facilities at Wild Horse Canyon in Central Oregon and to develop relationships with one another. Soon after the winter retreat in January, Wild Horse Canyon staff told Dean Bob Bailey, Stugo's faculty adviser, that Multnomah would have to reserve the center's facilities for more than two nights. Stugo formed a proposal, requesting that Multnomah underwrite part of the cost of winter retreat. Dr. Strickland, academic dean, responded with a suggestion to replace the winter retreat with an all-school retreat earlier in the school year. Dr. Strickland, Stugo president Robyn Sheldon, and Dean Bailey met several times to discuss the options. Dr. Strickland then took a proposal to the Academic Dean's Council. The council agreed to include an all-college retreat in next year's schedule and budget. President Sheldon said that because the administration would be underwriting the retreat, she wanted to ensure that the retreat remained in Stugo's hands rather than become an extension of orientation. She said, "The retreat really is [Stugo's] opportunity to best fulfill our mission, which is to provide opportunities for spiritual and relational growth." Dr. Strickland said he hopes the retreat will link students and faculty together more quickly. "I would like to see students connected to such an extent that when there are [school-related] challenges in their lives, the last resort for them is to drop out of school," he said. In this way, the relationships and sense of community formed at the retreat should boost Multnomah's student retention rate. Ron Draper of student ministries said he remembered when Multnomah planned an all-school retreat after the Spiritual Life Conference each year. The retreats alternated between Trout Creek Bible Camp and Canby Grove Conference Center. Later this became a one-day retreat at Blue Lake in Gresham, Ore. "The retreat was how we met each other," Mr. Draper said. "Two or three of my friends that I still have contact with were seniors when I was a freshman." He said the retreat also built camaraderie among the students because the freshman class challenged the senior class in various sports. He also said he enjoyed the worship and the Spiritual Life speakers. "We continued on with the spiritual life atmosphere, which set the tone for the school year," Mr. Draper said. A committee will soon begin meeting to work out the logistics of the retreat and to promote it. The committee will include Dr. Strickland, Dean Bailey and members of next year's Stugo team. Back to Table of Contents | Back to Main Index Previous News | Top Of Page Send mail to The Voice| Journalism department website © 2002 The Voice. No part of this publication may be reproduced in written or electronic form without prior written consent from the journalism adviser of Multnomah Bible College. All rights reserved.