College Students Gather to PAUSE - Word&Way

College Students Gather to PAUSE

During an icy weekend in February, students from colleges in the region gathered at Windermere Baptist Conference Center for the annual PAUSE college retreat sponsored by CBF Heartland, a regional body in the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. Meeting Feb. 9-11 with the theme “Community, Reconciliation and the Mission of God,” some students and retreat leaders stayed over another day after a winter storm blanketed the roads with ice.

Students worship during CBF Heartland's PAUSE college retreat in February. (Chris Chappell/Windermere Baptist Conference Center)Students worship during CBF Heartland’s PAUSE college retreat in February. (Chris Chappell/Windermere Baptist Conference Center)This year’s retreat featured guest speakers Edem and Pamela Dzunu. Members of Third Baptist Church in St. Louis Mo., the Dzunus founded Baobab People, a community organization brings together people from diverse backgrounds to encourage cross-cultural understanding and to work towards racial reconciliation and healing.

Ian Langford, a junior at Missouri University of Science & Technology said “the whole retreat felt really different than retreats typically do.”

“We spoke about dealing with issues in a civil and radicallypatient way,” he added “It was a fantastic break from life. Even though we almost got snowed in, it felt like we left too soon. It was also a good time getting to know believers from other schools and in other communities.”