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We know you desire for your graduating seniors to continue walking closely with Christ in college…our retreats provide an avenue to help that happen!
Youth Leaders,
You have invested so much into your students! We see that and want to help you serve your graduates well as they leave home and transition to college life. Our mission is to help you pass the baton to a church and Christ-centered community in their college town that can help your student not only keep their faith but live vibrantly for Christ and bear fruit for His name in college and beyond. Keep reading to learn more about our retreats and see how they could help you serve your graduating seniors.
The Oaks Collaborative
What You Have Done
You’ve spent years building community for them and discipling your students: teaching them the Gospel, walking with them through highs and lows, and helping them build a foundation in Christ. Then they graduate…and sometimes everything changes.
What We Do
We come alongside that investment by helping students find Christ-centered community before college even begins. We host 3 day, 2 night retreats a couple weeks before classes start, that help them connect to churches, campus ministries, other freshmen, and upper classmen before the craziness (and temptations) of those first two weeks on campus hits them.
Overview of the Retreat
Through our 3 day, 2 night retreats, they will:
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Meet upperclassmen who will walk with them into this new chapter
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Connect with local churches and campus ministries committed to serving them
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Have a lot of fun and make their first core college memories
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Build friendships with other like-minded incoming students
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Start college known and rooted in Christ centered community
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Check out a glimpse of our retreats here.
Upperclassmen Leaders
Our retreats are led by upperclassmen at that campus who are living for Christ in college and actively involved in a local church. These upperclassmen have been where your students are, they’ve been praying for your incoming students, and want to help them start college rooted in Christ and surrounded by Christ-centered community. And it’s not just an event for them - each upperclassmen leader is committed to following up with their incoming students and walk through that first year with them.
Ministry Partners
During the retreat your students will meet our local ministry partners through the ministry fair, and hear from them during the main sessions. Our goal is to help incoming students get plugged into a church and know about parachurch ministries early so they can plug in quickly once they arrive on campus. You can find a list of our ministry partners at each campus on that retreat's website or view our ministry partner agreement here to see what churches/ministries are allowed to partner with us.
Main Sessions
All of our main session are led by local ministers at that campus. Main sessions focus on our goal for students to be rooted in Christ, strengthened through Christ-centered community and equipped to bear fruit in college. Through the course of the main sessions students will hear the gospel and testimonies from upperclassmen, be encouraged to be honest with themselves about where they are at spiritually, be challenged to live for Christ in college and embrace the importance of the local church, they will also be able to ask anonymous questions and get biblical answers about things they are anxious about or struggle with, and by the end they will be encouraged to come to campus ready to live missionally for Christ in college.
Retreat Locations
This map shows the colleges our retreats serve! We know that there are community colleges and other colleges near these universities and those incoming freshmen and transfer students are also welcome to attend our retreats!
If you have questions, reach out to us at info@oakscolab.com.
Don't Just Take Our Word for It, Hear From Others
Hear from three students as they share how the retreat impacted their freshman year and how different they feel their college experience could have been without it.
Hear from a lead pastor about how partnering with a local retreat has not only impacted his church, but his children's freshman year and college experience.
Resources to Help You
Share with Your Seniors
Thank you for taking the time to learn about our retreats! We wanted to provide you with a few resources to help you share with your group! Need something else? Let us know at info@oakscolab.com.
Presentation Slide | Printable Flyer
Students who find Christian community early are far more likely to stay rooted and grow in their faith during college.
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