One of the highlights of Vine Church’s recent Vision Night was the release of a secretly-produced video of the happenings around the church when Lead Pastor Sándor Paull leaves for vacation. It’s fun and completely untrue.

What do you get when you mix 163 middle school and high school students, more than 50 adult leaders representing our network of churches, powerful teaching and awesome worship? You get lives changed through Echo, the annual youth retreat held recently at Hidden Falls Retreat Center near Bedford, Ind.

Vine Community Church Youth Pastor Josh Franklin says the reaction of the youth participants is very inspiring.

“The way that students come expecting God to work in them has continued to grow and amazes me every year,” Franklin says. “Seeing our students from churches in our network genuinely asking God to move in them and in their generation is a humbling and encouraging sight to see.”

Many of the students, including eighth-grader Joshua Kearns of Carbondale, call the event powerful.

“I thought that the best part of Echo was the services. I felt the power of Jesus rushing through me,” Kearns says of his first-ever retreat. “After going to Echo and being prayed for and everything, I think that I now have stronger faith in Jesus. I am definitely looking forward to the Summer Retreat!”

The observation of Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday is more than just a day off of school for the children who participated in Vine Community Church’s annual Joining Hands for the Dream event. Children’s Program Director Jennifer Quinn said the event, which drew more than 60 children, is a time of helping students learn about King’s dream for our nation and the Biblical basis for that dream.