Hi Parents,
We are just a few weeks away from one of the most important and exciting things we do all year—META Retreat—and we cannot wait!
METAMORPHOSIS
Feb 27 – Mar 1 🚨
This is our annual student ministry retreat, and it is truly one of the most impactful weekends of the year for our students—both spiritually and relationally.
META includes:
Big games & activities
Late-night bowling 🎳
Inflatables & rec games
Three main worship + teaching sessions
Small groups, host homes, and tons of time together
Details:
Dates: February 27 – March 1
Cost: $50 (this covers everything)
Theme: Unity
Speaker: Henry Lough (who is incredible and a close friend of mine)
This weekend is always a blast, but more importantly, it’s a powerful time for students to encounter Jesus, grow in their faith, and build deeper friendships within our ministry.
⏰ IMPORTANT: CHECK-IN TIME
Check-in for META will be from 5:00 to 5:30 PM on Friday.
Please plan to arrive on time—this is very important for our schedule, transportation, and host home logistics. We will not be able to delay departure, so please help us by not being late!
👉 Registration is open now, and the last day to guarantee a t-shirt is February 11th (tonight!).
We strongly encourage signing up by this date so we can finalize numbers for shirts, food, host homes, and activities.
If your student hasn’t signed up yet—SIGN UP NOW! You do not want them to miss this weekend.
(Also—if anyone might be open to hosting a group at your home for the weekend, even last minute, we would love to hear from you! Host homes are a huge part of what makes META special.)
🌍 Slovakia Missions Trip 🌍
(High School & Older)
Dates: July 6–14
Who: High School students & older
This trip is an incredible opportunity to step out of your comfort zone and partner with Church Planters of All Nations to bring the gospel to others across the world.
Estimated Cost: ~$2,000 (TBD)
Spots: Limited and filling fast
If you’re interested or want more details, reach out ASAP to jpalmer@discoverrbc.org.
February Programming
We’ve missed being together these past few weeks! With all the snow and weather uncertainty, we’re so grateful for your flexibility and understanding as we’ve navigated cancellations. We truly have missed seeing your students and being together as a group.
Back in January, we kicked off the year with an awesome bonfire night and spent a couple weeks talking about healthy habits as we start a new year in our faith — focusing on rhythms, priorities, and what it looks like to walk with Jesus in everyday life.
Coming Up:
For the next two weeks, we’ll be diving into a short apologetics series with Stuart Corle. We’ll be talking about why we believe what we believe, addressing tough questions, and helping students think clearly and confidently about their faith.
Then on February 25th, we’ll have a Night of Worship to prepare our hearts for META — a special night to slow down, worship together, and focus on what God wants to do in our students’ lives during the retreat.
Apologetics Resources for Parents:
If you’re interested in diving deeper into apologetics as a parent, here are some great resources Stuart recommends:
Stuart’s Top 3:
Cold Case Christianity (and other “Cold Case Detective” books) – J. Warner Wallace
I Don’t Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist (book & podcast) – Frank Turek
Culture – John Stonestreet (also host of Breakpoint)
Other excellent resources:
Michael Card – Inexpressible: Hesed and the Mystery of God’s Lovingkindness
Gregory Koukl – Street Smarts and Tactics
Nancy Pearcey – Total Truth
Sean McDowell – Understanding Intelligent Design
C.S. Lewis – Mere Christianity
Hillary Morgan Ferrer – Mama Bear Apologetics
freethinkingministries.com
Also, keep an eye out for details soon about a Tuesday night book study later this spring with Stuart for parents and students who want to take a deeper dive into apologetics together.
Looking Ahead:
Parent Night – New Date!
We’re so sorry we had to miss our Parent Night due to the snow, but we’re excited to announce a new date:
📅 March 18th - 6:30 pm - Room 201
While students are in the Loft, we’ll meet together as parents for a night focused on culture, discipleship, and practical tools to help equip you as you lead your students at home — and we’ll have some fun too. Go ahead and put it on your calendar!
Thank you for trusting us with your students and for partnering with us in what God is doing in their lives. We’re so grateful for you and are really excited for what God has in store this spring — especially through META.
Your friend,
Ian Turner
Student Ministry Director