April 21-23, 2023
5th Grade Students and Parents/Guardians
$110 per participant
Registration is open, link and directions are here:
Give your child the tools to ask questions,
so they don’t live with the silence.
Created By God is a comprehensive, faith-based study of human sexuality for 5th graders and their parents or guardians. The Created by God curriculum was developed by Dr. James H. Ritchie. Students and adults will attend sessions both together and separate, all aimed towards creating opportunities for your child to learn, grow, and to open up conversations about the physical changes they are experiencing.
Retreat Objectives:
- To offer reliable information to young persons about human sexuality- anatomy, attitudes, growth and development, relationships, reproduction, responsibility, and safety- built on a foundation of faith.
- To create arenas of intimacy where young people feel free to ask all of their questions.
- To nurture communication skills between parents and preteens.
Our staff of children and family ministers will spend time with both adults and students over four active learning sessions. Students will experience the curriculum in mixed-gender small groups. Adults will be led through a series of workshops, forums, and discussions dealing with raising students in the 5th grade and beyond. Scripture, worship, and fun games and activities are woven throughout the study. Some sessions will combine adults and students opening lines of communication. Families sleep in private rooms, bedding and towels are included.
Surprise! Two Retreats in One!
For years families, who have completed the Created by God retreat with their 5th graders, have requested a similar weekend for their students getting ready to enter high school. We have now added Sex: Church vs. Culture Retreat to run along side of this retreat! If your family has a student who is currently in grades 8 or 9, they can come to this retreat. Just like Created by God, a parent or guardian must attend with the student.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who can come to Created by God?
Created by God was designed for 5th graders, as they prepare to enter middle school, but 6th graders are welcome, too. Typically, a family group is one parent and one kid of the same gender. We also will see groups with two parents and one kid, two kids and one parent, a guy and his mom, a girl and her dad… all of these will be here and are welcome.
Where will we stay?
Our Programs and Lodging will all be on our Conference Center side of the property. Here, families will stay in hotel-style rooms with their family unit. Bedding and towels are provided. Most rooms contain two twin beds. We have some rooms that adjoin and we try to save those for families of 3 or more. If you have an RV or trailer and would like to see if we have space in our campground that weekend, email Mindy@wwumccc.org .
Will the parents and kids be together all the time?
There will be things that parents and kids do together, like worship, meals and some activities. Most classes are separate with parents attending their sessions and students attending theirs. There are two rotation groups of students. If you are attending with other members of your church or a friend group, the kids will be in the same rotation group. Since this weekend will also have families attending Sex: Church vs. Culture, there may be options for Created by God Parents to attend classes designed for Sex: Church vs. Culture Parents, if the topic is more helpful for what your family needs right now.
Will the two student groups, Created by God students and Sex: Church vs Culture students, do classes together?
The breakout sessions are completely different and students from the two groups will not mix. There will be times when everyone will be together, adults and students, like worship and meals.
My family contains a kid who can attend Created by God and a kid who can attend Sex: Church vs Culture. Can I bring them both at the same time?
Yes! This is sort of what we were hoping would happen! We are planning for the two programs to run simultaneously, using the same schedule. Classes would be tailored to each program and families would be able to attend together.
Created by God – Sample Schedule (Subject to Change)
Friday
6:00 PM Check In
7:30 PM Opening Session & Icebreakers
7:45 PM Parent Session: Overview and Q & A
7:45 PM Student Session 1- God’s Image
8:30 PM Worship
Saturday
7:30 AM Morning Devotion (Optional)
7:45 AM Breakfast
8:30 AM Parents & Children: Gathering
8:45 AM Parent Seminar 1: CBG Now and Later
8:45 AM Student Session 2: External and Internal Terms
10:30 AM Parent Seminar 2: Effective Communication & Emotional Intelligence
10:45 AM Students Break / Snack
11:00 AM Student Session 3: Growth and Development
12:00 PM Lunch
1:00 PM Parents & Students: Intimacy
1:45 PM Challenge Course, Review, and Skit Rotation
3:45 PM Break / Snack
5:00 PM Skit Presentations
6:00 PM Dinner
7:00 PM Game Show Rotation
8:00PM Student Session 4: Fetal Development & Parent Debrief
9:00 PM Q&A Time
9:30 PM Worship
10:15 PM Milk and Cookies
Sunday
7:30 AM Morning Devotion (Optional)
7:45 AM Breakfast
8:30 AM Parent & students: Seminar 4: Social Media
9:30 AM Break
9:40 AM Student & Parent Closing Session
11:00 AM Depart
More Questions?
For information on retreat content email Kali Grenus at kali@wwumccc.org
For information on registration email Mindy Standifer at mindy@wwumccc.org