Alyssa Ridenour
reporter@greenepublishing.com
On Thursday, April 29, Echo Student Ministries from the Madison Church of God left for Winterfest in Tennessee. The group returned on Sunday, May 2. While on the retreat, the students stayed in Pigeon Forge, Tenn., where the youth leaders cooked them breakfast, lunch and dinner while they immersed themselves in the Word of God.
The students went to Winterfest with over 8,000 other youth from states across the east coast. While there, they encountered the presence of God through worship, enjoyed powerful services and had time to focus on their relationship with God. “You can see where their lives were changed,” said Pastor Jason Justus. While on the way to their destination, they made a surprise pitstop at Clingmans Dome, the highest mountain in the area. On the way back to Madison, the youth were surprised with another stop, this time at The Dillard House Restaurant, in Dillard. Ga.
The students enjoyed the trip, where many of them faced their emotional baggage and took it before the Lord, while also enjoying the beauty of His creations. The students had the opportunity to see bear, elk and a vast expanse of mountains and rolling hills.