Coming home
Here are a few things to avoid when coming home from the retreat or camp. The first is with parents. Give the parents a heads up on what to expect when kids come home. Teenagers are already moody. When kids are picked up or dropped off back home, well-meaning and loving parents are going to want to re-connect with their kids. That is great! However, these kids may have pushed themselves to the limits of what their bodies will handle when it comes to sleep. Staying up late and waking up early combined with caffeine and emotional experiences at the altar can yield really cranky teenagers. Really cranky teenagers and a will-intentioned parent can end up in a car ride filled with fights.
The best advice I can give is to proactively cut this off. Welcome them home, pray for them, and be warned that they may have a lot of energy to burn at the onset. They're going to be excited to see you too, and may just start talking. Parents should welcome, but not expect, immediate conversations about how great things were. Don't dive right into all the things that the student needs to get accomplished when they get home. Give them a chance for a nap if they want it.
After a week of camp, it's really easy for a student to rationalize (even some adult leaders will do this--guilty as charged) not going attending church on the subsequent Sunday. "I was just at church for a week-- that's like ten weeks of regular church!" Challenge them to not skip. Show up and lead by examples of their faith and commitment. Along with that, talk deliberately to a few students to see who are willing to share their testimony from camp. Even better-- record it, and make a montage of testimony clips-- and share these with the larger congregation.
Despite the concept of "church night" being a dying concept, most youth gatherings meet on Wednesday nights. Ours does not. We meet on Sundays. If you do meet on Sundays, and you are coming off of a weekend retreat, do not cancel your gathering. Make it known that you are going to gather-- it is on, and it is time! This gives the immediate opportunity for them to continue the worship and depth that they had while they were at camp, and to bring that energy and enthusiasm for God back. This is a living testimony to those who did not or could not attend. Furthermore, it shows that "camp experiences" -- those things that are done when away -- aren't limited to those places. God is not bound by geography.
Conclusion
Retreats, lock-ins, camps, and conferences can be an experience, with students and leaders immersed in a culture of spiritual development and movements of God. While they can be physically exhausting, they are simultaneously restorative as an experience. While not revolving a student ministry around camps and retreats, these are excellent support to what you're already doing.
