Wendy and Jacob share their experience as co-directors for the North Star Retreat
October 26, 2026What does it mean to be a leader?
The North Star Retreat was put on alongside The Oaks Collaborative, a nonprofit organization that partners with local churches and campus ministries to host retreats for incoming college students across the United States. In the Twin Cities, this was a unique opportunity to collaborate with other ministries on the UMN campus, and many of the student leaders from Foundry College Church got to participate as part of the leadership team, crew, or counselors. They fully took ownership of the retreat, making decisions on schedule, activities, small groups, and so much more. The leadership team learned how to lead teams, make decisions, be held accountable, and both give and receive feedback. They had the support of a couple mentors who acted essentially like consultants, but otherwise, they were on their own!
Two student leaders from Foundry, Wendy and Jacob, served as co-directors for the retreat, which included work like: interviewing staff, running meetings, coordinating with the leadership team, reviewing plans, logistics, etc. In other words, lots of planning and constant communication!
We asked them to share a little bit about their experiences:
Why did you choose to help out with the retreat?
J: I chose to sign up for a leadership role for The North Star Retreat because its vision really spoke to me, especially as I recalled an interaction with one of my friends during my freshman year. I remember having a conversation about purpose and meaning with this friend, and what really broke my heart was that she’d come to realize that she had no deeper purpose or significance in her life, and was lost as to where to go, or what to pursue. Because of this interaction, I really wanted to help provide a Christ-centered community for students coming into college so that they could root themselves in Christ, being certain of His love and purpose for them, and extend that same love to the people around them as well.
W: I came into college without any Christian friends who were both my age and gender, and it wasn’t until the spring semester that I finally experienced what I had desperately wanted when I first arrived: sisters in Christ with whom I could be vulnerable. Even though I was plugged into a church, I struggled to relate to other students and often found myself limited to shallow conversations. When I first heard about Oaks Collaborative as a junior, I immediately recognized how much I would have benefited from a retreat like this before entering college. A pre-college Christian retreat would have jump-started my journey toward building deeper, more meaningful relationships with Christian peers who were entering the same season of life and could grow alongside me in faith. Having older brothers and sisters in Christ who had already navigated college life would have also given me people to turn to for guidance, encouragement, and spiritual support as I entered an unfamiliar environment. So, I wanted to be part of the team that would bring this retreat to life at the University of Minnesota so that incoming students can experience the Christ-centered community, meaningful relationships, and spiritual encouragement that I wish I had when I first entered college.
What did you take away and learn from the experience?
J: While I initially jumped into retreat planning with the vision of helping incoming students, I was personally blessed by seeing fellow students being so intentional, pouring their time and effort into the retreat, praying constantly throughout the summer, and sacrificing their own time and money to be present during the retreat. On top of that, I was able to learn how to provide constructive feedback, taking care to do so in a manner that encourages growth, rather than simply pointing out shortcomings or allowing myself to become frustrated. Overall, I was reminded of how beautiful it is when we come together to serve Christ as one body, holding one another accountable and pouring out all that we have to offer.
W: A takeaway I had was that God is always going before me and behind me. I often worried about how many students would sign up, how efficiently people were getting their work done, and how the retreat would actually run. But as I prayed over the retreat, the students, and the staff, I began to see more and more of God’s heart for them and for us. I was anxious that the students and staff wouldn’t be impacted by the retreat or form meaningful connections with one another, but I realized that if I cared so deeply about these things, how much more did God? As students began to register and we heard the freshmen’s stories, I saw how God had been drawing each of them to Himself. He was far more invested than I was in their relationships with Him and with one another. This led me to examine my own heart and recognize how much I had viewed the retreat as something that was entirely “up to me”—as if I could make or break the entire experience. In reality, God had been going before me and behind me the whole time, and I was invited to trust Him and faithfully participate in the work He was already doing.
Thank God for all that he was able to do! Not only was this retreat a blessing, both for the team and the students participating, but many of those new freshmen have since continued to be part of our community and even our recent Fall Retreat! If there’s one thing we’ve learned is that truly God is always at work, pursuing each person, and what a privilege it is that he invites us into that work!
Check out the full recap of the North Star Retreat and pictures!
