Winter Blast
Winter Retreats to Connect Youth Groups Together
Connect
Challenge
All-Inclusive
Michigan Winter Youth Group Retreats
Join us for a winter weekend and experience fun activities like our climbing wall, snowtubing, broomball, horseback trail rides, laser tag, and much more!
2024 Dates, Speakers, Bands
Session 1
January 5-7
Middle School Only
Speaker: Ben VanderKodde
Worship Band: 10 Talents
Status: Closed
Ben Vander Kodde has worked full-time at Grace Adventures in Silver Lake, MI, since 2000 and now serves as Vice President of Advancement.
He speaks, trains, facilitates, and coaches on Grace's campus and wherever God leads. He loves to learn from God's Word and share it with others.
Session 2
January 12-14
Middle School and High School
Speaker: Jason Wavle
Worship Band: 10 Talents
Status: Wait List!
Session 3
January 26-28
Middle School and High School
Speaker: Aaron Chip
Worship Band: Modern Day Cure
Status: Wait List
Aaron Chipp is a pastor, songwriter, and founder of the worship collective, Modern
Day Cure. He has served in ministry for over 15 years as a pastor and worship director.
Aaron’s heart is to see people encounter the power of God and to see them changed by the
truth of God’s unchanging word with his bold, relevant, and humorous teaching style.
Originally from Michigan, he now lives in the Greater Nashville Area with his wife of 15 years,
Tamar, and their two boys, Brave and Justice.
Session 4
February 2-4
Speaker: Aaron Chip
Worship Band: Modern Day Cure
Status: Wait List!
Aaron Chipp is a pastor, songwriter, and founder of the worship collective, Modern
Day Cure. He has served in ministry for over 15 years as a pastor and worship director.
Aaron’s heart is to see people encounter the power of God and to see them changed by the
truth of God’s unchanging word with his bold, relevant, and humorous teaching style.
Originally from Michigan, he now lives in the Greater Nashville Area with his wife of 15 years,
Tamar, and their two boys, Brave and Justice.
Session 5
February 9-11
Speaker: Jason Magnuson
Worship Band: Paul Riemersma
Status: Wait List!
Jason Magnuson has been in youth ministry for over 15 years in a wide variety of church and non-profit contexts. He is currently the youth pastor at Hopevale Church in Saginaw, MI. Jason has his Masters of Divinity from Cornerstone Theological Seminary, and seeks to apply that training to raise up the next generation of church leaders through discipleship and leadership training from a Biblical worldview.
Session 6
February 16-18
Speaker: Antonio "Tone" Marshall
Worship Band: Nate Morris
Status: Open
Antonio Marshall is the new Chaplain at Olivet, where he graduated and played collegiate basketball.
He has a passion for youth sports and runs a nonprofit organization called MANonFIRE, where he uses his experiences to help the next generation find freedom in Christ . Antonio enjoys being married to his lovely wife, O’Malley, and hanging out with his three kids, Daxton, Barrow & Haynes.
Session 7
February 23-25
Speaker: Chuck Connell
Worship Band: Paul Riemersma
Status: Wait List!
Chuck is a youth pastor in Whitehall, MI. He has a heart for sharing God’s love and spreading joy throughout the world. When he is not busy inspiring the youth in his community, you can find him having a blast with his incredible wife Courtney and two super cool sons Isaiah and Matthew.
Chuck is looking forward to sharing stories and creating memories with you all that will last a lifetime! His hope is that he would inspire, encourage, and empower you to take your relationship with Jesus to a whole new level.
2024 Retreat Rates
Resources: Promotional Material
Cancellation Policy
Upon registration, a $25.00 Non-Refundable deposit is due per reservation.* Any cancellations will forfeit that deposit.
Canceling spots within 45 days of the retreat, you are obligated to 60% of your retreat fee
Canceling spots within 14 days of the retreat, you are obligated to the full retreat fee.
* If any of your participants has COVID-19 or is quarantining because of COVID-19 exposure and needs to cancel their reservation, we will work with your church for a partial or full refund of that participant’s fees.
2024 Theme: Crash
Theme Overview
Life moves at the speed of light and we jump from one season to the next, one activity to the next, and sometimes it feels like we can’t even take a breath. The danger of living life at a breakneck speed is the inevitable CRASH. Galatians 5:7 tells us that we can be running a good race and still be cut off to keep us from obeying God’s truth. Jump on the racetrack at Winter Blast to examine how to identify crash factors and live in a way that brings honor and glory to God.
Lip Sync Battle!
Get your youth group together and start practicing because we are bringing back the lip sync battle on Saturday night of Winter Blast! You will be “singing” and dancing to songs that were one-hit wonders in honor of the bands that have…well…crashed and burned. Feel free to bring props, fun outfits, and anything else that might add to your performance. You will be judged on group participation, creativity, organization, and the wow factor! The winner from each weekend will get to emblazon their name on the legendary Adventure Cup!
Tentative Schedule
Friday
7:00 Registration / Move-In
8:00 Session 1
9:00 Small Group Time
9:30 Evening Activities
11:15 Cabin Time
Saturday
8:30 Breakfast
9:45 Session 2
10:45 Small Group Time
11:30 Large Group Game
12:30 Lunch
1:30 Free Time Activities
6:30 Dinner
7:30 Session 3
8:45 Small Group Time
9:15 Evening Activities
Sunday
9:30 Breakfast B
10:30 Session 4
11:45 Small Group Time
12:15 Pack and Depart
Grace Adventures has been an incredible partner with my youth group for the last several years. We are a high-energy group that loves lots of flexibility and options. Grace Adventures has come alongside us to curate amazing weekends that work specifically to our group’s needs. I am so thankful for this facility and their great staff and will always love working with them.”
– Leader, Grace Community Church