Middle School Retreat

“The Holy Spirit was moving this weekend. This was the first MSR for 7th graders and they were praising God, engaged with the speaker, and heard from them how they saw God in their lives.” — Adult survey response

Dates & Schedule

FRIDAY, APRIL 12 - 6 p.m. - Registration

SUNDAY, APRIL 14 - 11 a.m. - Check out & departure

Location

Hidden Acres Christian Center - Dayton, IA

2024 Theme

"Nothing Else" is all about putting Jesus and the gospel message above everything else. It means that nothing is more important for a Christian than following the teachings of Jesus and understanding the gospel. This theme encourages students to strip back their faith to just Jesus, making him and the values he taught the most important thing in their lives.

Communicators

  • Speaker - Bradley Rees

  • NWC Worship Band

    For years, the Middle School Retreat has been planned, organized, and led by Northwestern students. This includes the band on stage that leads worship during each session! We’re lucky to have this great group of musicians to help bring glory to God throughout the weekend.

Registration

Cost:

Partner Church - $125 / person
Non-Partner Church - $150 / person

This includes lodging, meals, a t-shirt and all event programming

Registration Timeline

January 17, 2024: Youth Pastors can create their group for registration. (Click YOUTH LEADER INFO button in top right corner to learn more.)

February 1, 2024: Registration opens for partner-group students and adult leaders.

February 21, 2024: Registration opens for non-partner-group students and adult leaders.

March 6, 2024: Registration closes for all participants.

Replacement students (gender-based) for cancelled students are allowed at this time.
No more online participant payments after this date.

March 13, 2024: Payment invoices are sent out to churches.

No refunds available after this date.

March 20, 2024: All final payment is due. NO CHANGES (replacement students for cancelled students) after this date.

No refunds available after this date.

(Refunds for inability to attend the event because of unforeseen circumstances will be dealt with on a case by case basis.)

Steps to Register

  1. Click the Register Now button. This will take you to Brushfire. Then click “Register” at the top of the page.

  2. VERY IMPORTANT: Click “Register as a Group” and then “Join a Group Instead”.

    • Select your church group.

    • Type in the passcode for your group.

  3. Type in the Access Code for your group (if applicable) and click the check button.

  4. Choose the Students (or Adults) Registrant Type, choose your payment amount, choose quantity, and hit continue.

  5. Fill out the event registration form.

  6. IMPORTANT: You’ll receive a confirmation email to sign the agreement form and upload a copy of your insurance card.
    NOTE: YOU ARE NOT FULLY REGISTERED until you complete these steps.

Leader Resources

Adult to Student Ratio

We require one adult for every seven students (1:7) per gender. If you do not have seven students, we still require one adult per gender.

  • Adult leaders must be finished with their sophomore year of high school and exemplify mature, Christ-like behavior, and have ministry to youth as a primary interest.

  • Adult Leader & Children Notice: Regarding your family, we do not allow children/infants to attend events.  If your child is registered as a participant within the targeted age group, that is totally okay!

Transportation

Each youth group is responsible to plan their own transportation to and from camp.

Promote

Click on the button below for all promotional material available for this event!

Middle School Retreat is a fun weekend for middle school students, 6th-8th grades and their leaders. Cultivate Co-op partners with college students to plan a weekend filled with worship, large group sessions, breakout sessions, recreation and games.