Next-generation leaders equipped through Chesapeake Youth Department events

Chesapeake Conference holds annual young adult retreat and Master Guide campout

Two recent Chesapeake Conference Youth Department events brought together young adults and Master Guide candidates for weekends focused on renewal, skills development, and spiritual growth.

From April 25–27, Chesapeake’s annual Young Adult Retreat was held at Mt. Aetna Retreat Center, centered on the theme “Primal: What’s Your Question?” Nancy Cabrera, a member of Spencerville Church, served as the weekend’s speaker, guiding attendees in exploring the existential questions that shape their lives. Additional highlights included a scavenger hunt hike, prayer activities, and vision boarding sessions to help participants apply what they learned throughout the weekend.

The following weekend, from May 2–4, more than 90 candidates in Chesapeake’s Master Guide University program gathered in West Virginia for a leadership campout. Attendees practiced core Pathfinder leadership skills such as fire-building, knot-tying, camp cooking, and tent setup. They also discussed and reviewed the history of early Adventist pioneers.

Kenia Reyes-de Leon, Chesapeake Youth and Young Adult Ministries director, said the Master Guide campout’s goal was to equip participants to lead confidently in their churches—especially at local church campouts, which she described as powerful opportunities for young people to build intergenerational relationships and form positive, lasting connections with their church.