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Retreat to fucos on time with God

By Rebecca Burcham copy Editor 5 min read

Kairos. It’s a Greek word that translates to “God’s time.”

Students at Waynesburg University will have a chance to see what happens on God’s time during a Kairos retreat scheduled from Oct. 24 to Oct. 26.

The trip is being sponsored through Campus Ministries, and has a cost of $25.

Joshuah Dains, a senior business management major and president of Student Senate, is leading the coordinating efforts for the retreat. Dains has five other students working with him to plan the retreat, along with the director of Faith and Mission, the Rev. Carolyn Poteet.

The purpose of the retreat can be found in its name: Kairos, or “God’s time”

“It’s a retreat focused on you spending time with God, [being] in His presence, in the moment, and not worrying about what’s coming in the future,” said Dains.

Dains emphasized the sense of self that will be brought up on the trip.

“You focus on yourself as an individual,” he added, alluding to the intention of the retreat. “And then you incorporate that into your family and friends and the impact they have on you and your relationship with God, and your faith.”

Dains called Kairos a relational retreat, where students can focus on developing community and a better relationship with God during a time when nothing else is fighting for their attention. As for the activities planned for the weekend… Well, those are being kept under wraps.

“It’s basically pretty secretive,” said Dains. “People, whenever they come into it, they don’t know what’s happening. They don’t get a schedule for the weekend, they have no idea what types of events are happening. Everything is about being in the moment.”

Dains said that this trip is focused on no sense of time.

“[The purpose is] to be present, and not worrying about what’s happening at 4 o’clock [that] afternoon,” added Dains. “It’s not trying to anticipate things.”

The retreat will be held at Lantz Farm, in Jacksonburg, West Virginia. Lantz Farm, which is owned by Wheeling Jesuit University, is used for many events and retreats, including Kairos.

“It’s basically a retreat center type setup that will allow the students a place to come together and have activities in a formalized setting,” said Dains. “It will also afford them the ability to go out in nature, to walk around a bit and reflect on their thoughts.”

While Dains has never experienced Kairos himself, he knows how powerfully the retreat can affect an individual’s life. One of Dains’ best friends attended a Kairos retreat during a time in her life when she was questioning her faith.

“She was at that awkward point, like ‘I don’t know where my faith is right now, or where I want to go with it’,” said Dains. “She was trying to figure herself out. So she went on this retreat and she came back, and she’s like ‘Josh, this was amazing. It opened up my eyes.'”

Dains said the experience his friend had was the final point in her faith walk.

“It was kind of like that climax point in a relationship where you understand things, and things make sense,” added Dains. “So after hearing about her experience and how it affected her, I was like ‘Okay, I think this is something that we can do here’.”

Dains said that he wanted that same type of personal impact to reach Waynesburg students: for every individual to realize they are loved by God, by their families and friends and by their campus community.

Poteet hopes that the retreat will allow students to connect with their faith in a way everyday life might not allow.

“Sometimes it takes stepping away… from the hustle and bustle, and focusing on God and on what God says about us,” said Poteet. “I’m hoping that it will be a breath of fresh air for students to have this opportunity to stop and reflect and pray and meet with others, and hopefully grow in their faith.”

Dains added that showing people love and helping them grow as individuals amidst everyday stresses and doubts is what Kairos is all about.

“For students who really want to test their faith and go out there on a limb … this could really be a better way to explore your faith,” said Dains.

The retreat will be student led, with several faculty members going along for administrative purposes. Dains has been working on coordinating the event since last semester, to ensure all of the student leaders are prepared.

The Kairos retreat is open to any sophomore, junior or senior. Those participating in the retreat will leave campus on the specified Friday evening and return on Sunday afternoon.

According to Dains, up to 20 students will be taken on the weekend retreat. A registration form is required for any interested students who would like to attend. Spots for the retreat are first-come, first served.

Registration forms are available on the door of Poteet’s office in 106 Stover, and must be submitted to Poteet – with the $25 fee – by Oct. 3.

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