How are we to love God and love others well when we don't even like ourselves?  Where does the source for loving ourselves really come from?

That is the primary topic we want to tackle in this year's 2 day retreat.  Jesus summarized the law this way in Matthew 22:  “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’   

Many young adults are living trying to please everyone around them and painfully aware of their failures.  The result is a generation that has little compassion and kindness toward themselves. How do we reset to what God has to say about us and how does that change our lives.

Loving God - with Pastor Tom Westendorf

The Bible says: "God is love, (1 John 4:8).  What does that mean, especially as it applies to His relationship with us and we with Him?  Let's explore this together, and by God's grace, find real peace and joy in his amazing love for us, secured in Jesus and which is simply like no other love!

Loving Yourself - with Dr. Karen Fischer and Pastor and licenced counselor Mike Helwig

Building on the conference theme “Being Loved”, Dr. Karen Fischer and Rev. Mike Helwig will create a framework for Christ-centered love for self. Jesus sets the stage in his summary “love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:39). Tending to our own needs is not about selfish escapes or indulgence. Rather, Christian love places the focus on a servant’s heart. This focus sees the value of being loved in order to love others well. The speakers will blend Christian truths with helpful tools from clinical practices for tending to our daily human needs. God has designed us so beautifully. Even in a fallen world and in our brokenness we can learn skills for healing and even flourishing. The conference schedule also calls for gender specific break out sessions. Both speakers will take time to guide their respective genders in deeper conversations around the concepts presented in the key note.     

Loving Others - with Pastor Michael Ewart - You're Not the Main Character (And That's Good News)

Our culture tells us to prioritize ourselves. Protect your peace. Set your boundaries. Curate your life. But the more we turn inward, the more anxious, fragile, and lonely we become. When you're the main character of your own story, everything is about you -- which means everything can hurt you.

Jesus offers a different way. "Love your neighbor as yourself" isn't just a nice idea -- it's an invitation into freedom. When we step out of the spotlight and into our role as supporting characters in GOD'S story, we discover that loving others isn't a burden that drains us but a calling that actually fulfills us.

In this session, we'll explore why loving others feels so hard in today's world, what Jesus actually meant by his command, and what patient, resilient, hope-filled love looks like in dating, friendships, and everyday relationships. Along the way, we'll be confronted and comforted by Paul's description of love in 1 Corinthians 13 -- not as a wedding poem but as a field guide for real life with real people.

You're not the main character. And that's the best news you'll hear all day.