Celebration 26 is a weekend of Christian faith and community building for more than 140 participants and staff members. Numerous students gathered at Camp Buckner in Burnet, Texas Aug. 31 to Sept. 2 for this high school retreat.
Celebration is a three-day retreat organized and run by students for students. Organized by Westlake Hills Presbyterian church, but open to all, the retreat is full of activities aimed towards building greater faith-based communities and participants’ relationship with God.
“[Celebration] really deepened [my faith] a lot because, before high school, [my faith] was there, [but] I didn’t really know a ton,” senior Phoebe Lingan said. “Getting to go to Celebration my freshman year, I was like, ‘Wait a second, [my faith is] a big thing, and it can be bigger.’ It has really become the foundation of my life, and Celebration has just grown that.”
The weekend included worship, talks and testimonies by students, along with a variety activities to build relationships between students. The weekend follows an overarching theme that is decided by that year’s moderator. Lingan was the moderator of Celebration 26, and she chose the theme of peace.
“I read a devotional, and the key point was peace is not the absence of trouble, but it is the presence of God,” Lingan said. “I really liked that, because a lot of times people think peace is no stress [and] quietness, but this really counteracts that. You’re never gonna not have stress through your life, but you will have peace through God and comfort and support with him, which gives you peace to go throughout your life.”
Occurring annually over the Labor Day weekend, Celebration is an opportunity for students to take a weekend to focus on their faith amidst the beginning of the school year.
“In the middle of school, it can be hard to go back to God, but [Celebration] helped reconnect me,” freshman Grace Assir said. “You’re surrounded by so many different things and it can be easy to get overwhelmed.”
Students attend Celebration for their first year as a participant, going into the weekend without much knowledge of what will happen. The following years, students can apply to be part of the staff for Celebration, providing a new perspective on the retreat for staff members.
“I know that my participant year, freshman year, [Celebration was] really exciting to just see everything happen,” Lingan said. “Then, when you’re staff, [you’re] serving and showing that kind of same excitement to others and seeing that excitement in other people.”
Celebration 27 will occur over Labor Day weekend in 2025, led by Junior Livia Neas as the moderator.
