The Freedom of John 8:32

INSIDE THE IMPACT RETREAT

Author: Jonathan Scheffrahn, Youth Pastor

Impact 2025 was our annual Grace Youth Ministry middle school retreat, a time set aside on Friday night and Saturday to ask God to make a real impact in our lives. This year, our theme centered on truth, anchored in John 8:32, which says that when we know the truth, we can experience true freedom. The challenge, though, is that we’re constantly surrounded by so many voices claiming to speak the truth, yet they can’t all be right. So, we focused on helping students learn how to tell the difference between objective and subjective truth claims, using curriculum from Elizabeth Urbanowicz to explore the laws of logic. Along the way, we had a ton of fun, including taking on a high ropes course that really pushed us both mentally and physically. It was such a joy to watch students encourage one another, cheer each other on, and work together to overcome fears and finish the course. We believe we win when we invite Jesus into both our lives and our friendships, and Impact 2025 was definitely a win.