By Craig Fritchey
For two years, we had canceled our in-person 26 Below Retreats, geared for high school, college, and career young adults. We entered this year’s conference season wondering if there would still be interest. We knew that, before the COVID-19 pandemic, God had used the 26 Below Retreats to inspire youth to be devoted to Christ and to call workers to the harvest. But much had changed post-pandemic. So we asked the Lord to send a new generation to this year’s retreats—and He answered!
None of our three regional events (Northeast, Midwest, and Southeast) reached the historical 200 or more attendees, yet each one launched a new era of 26 Below with a solid group of veterans and newcomers excited to follow Christ.
Besides providing the usual powerful ministry during plenary sessions, we desired to give the next generation a platform to share the Word. So each 26 Below retreat featured one plenary speaker along with seminar speakers from the younger generation. Each one also included wonderful times of singing, sweet seasons of missions-focused prayer, a youth-led Breaking of Bread, fun activities (such as our annual Psycho Dodgeball tournament), and a missions presentation by John Peasland, CMML’s executive director, highlighting unreached areas.
In 1 Chronicles 28:9, King David instructs his son Solomon to build the temple of the Lord. He ends his instructions by saying, “And you, Solomon my son, know the God of your father and serve him with a whole heart and with a willing mind, for the Lord searches all hearts and understands every plan and thought. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will cast you off forever.” (ESV) From this passage, we pulled inspiration for this year’s theme, “All In: Whole Hearts. Willing Minds.”
Northeast 26 Below
Speculator, New York
This regional event, held in mid-January at Camp-of-the- Woods, exemplified the new era: more than 75 percent of registrants had never attended 26 Below. Missionary in Special Areas Jerry Mattix (Missionary Prayer Handbook Day 26) taught on the kings of Judah, showing the differences between those who followed the Lord with a whole heart, half heart, or no heart. Throughout the weekend, Jerry and his wife, Sarah, shared about their ministry with at-risk women in the Middle East.
Attendees could choose one of three breakout sessions: Jose Cabrera (Cru, New York) shared tips on how to present the Gospel to high school students, Julie Kurian (Discipleship Intern Training Program, Texas) led a discussion on biblical womanhood in the 21st century, and Sarah Mattix modeled how to share the Gospel with and minister to those struggling with mental health and trauma.
Midwest 26 Below
Dayton, Iowa
At this late-February gathering at Hidden Acres Christian Center, nearly 80 percent of attendees were over 18 years old. The older crowd contributed a more serious tone to the weekend. Steve Caldwell (Discipleship Intern Training Program, Texas) used his personal testimony as a launch pad to share passages of Scripture that, through the years, had helped him surrender areas of his life to the Savior. His testimonial approach to ministry struck a chord with many.
Husband-and-wife duo Nick and Maggie Weaver (The Bible Chapel of Shawnee, Kansas) led men’s and women’s breakout sessions on biblical manhood and womanhood. Nick also took one of the main sessions, using Paul’s commendation of Timothy in Philippians 2 as an example for young people to follow.
Southeast 26 Below
Travelers Rest, South Carolina
Our smallest regional event, at Look Up Lodge, turned into a landmark weekend for those who attended. At the end of March, CMML adviser Dr. Steve Price (Kansas) took the main speaking duties, using character studies of Joshua, David, Paul, and the Lord Jesus to illustrate an all-in life.
Outgoing missionary Carlos Cruz (recently commended to the work in Colombia by Overbrook Gospel Chapel in South Carolina) and grown-up missionary kid Cullen Tuttle (son of Micah and Amy Tuttle, MPH Day 30) also shared with the group. Using examples from the kings of Judah, Carlos asked, “Do you merely do things for God, or do you have a heart devoted to him?” Cullen juxtaposed the lives of Eli’s sons, Hophni and Phinehas, with the life of Samuel, reminding listeners, “You are either all in for Christ or all in for yourself.”
Spreading the message nationwide
To share the content of our 26 Below Retreats with other parts of the country, we will host our second Nationwide 26 Below, a hybrid event, on October 21, 2023. Youth groups around the country that register will receive a “retreat in a box”—games and activities, discussion questions, 26 Below T-shirts, and access to three special messages from 26 Below speakers. For more information about Nationwide 26 Below and 26 Below Retreats in 2024, visit CMML.us/26below.
Please pray that the youth in our assemblies will be “all in,” and that a new generation fully committed to Christ’s cause will take the Gospel to the unreached corners of the earth.
Craig Fritchey, CMML assembly relations
Originally published in Missions magazine, June 2023. For more content, sign up for a free subscription (US) to Missions at CMML.us/magazine/subscribe.
