Statewide youth offerings are a point of pride in the Diocese of Mississippi. Through DOY weekends, Happenings, Camp Bratton-Green, and more, kids and teenagers have so many ways to engage with other Episcopalians and grow in their faith. Once those kids enter college, Canterbury groups become spiritual resources for some. Others engage as youth leaders in the programs they graduated from. But some drift away.

That was the problem set before a group led by Kristin Tompkins in 2023—how to establish strong diocesan programming for young adults, loosely defined as college age through late 30s, that will keep them engaged once their days of capture the flag and pie-in-the-face bingo are behind them.

What’s grown from that initiative is the Young Adult Commission (YAC), which recently hosted its third annual Young Adult Retreat, an opportunity that brings people together to relax and refresh, to hear talks, have group discussions, and participate in worship together.

The first three gatherings have been intimate, with between 8-15 participants taking over Bratton-Green for a weekend. The most recent retreat, which was held February 27th – March 1st, felt like an inflection point. Gracey Belote of St. Andrew’s Cathedral, Jackson, was one of the first people Thompkins brought into the group in 2023, and she could certainly feel a change in the air this year.

“The first two years were really very experimental in terms of exactly what we were offering and how we were curating it,” says Belote. “We didn’t have a total sense of exactly what it was or what it was going to be. But now I think we have a much stronger footing.”

Other early recruits included Brent and Callie Benvenutti of Trinity, Pass Christian. Rev. Rufus Van Horn of Epiphany, Tunica, was a founding member. Chip and Cathy Davis, who direct Gray Center, were also instrumental in getting the young adult program off the ground.

Alongside Belote in planning this year’s retreat were the Rev. Gabbie Munn, Curate of St. Columb’s, Ridgeland, and Tompkins’s daughter Merritt, who graduated from Ole Miss in 2025. All three are long-time “camp people,” but despite the retreats being held at Bratton-Green, all efforts have been made to give them their own identity.

“We wanted to make sure the programming we were offering was not just one more opportunity for camp people to get together, and it just be kind of an insider’s club,” says Belote. “We’re getting good feedback from people saying that it was really nice that this feels like its own thing. It’s not just like an adult version of Happening or an adult version of DOY.”

The retreats have, as a result, drawn a healthy mix of people who came up in the diocesan youth programs as well as those who didn’t, and a variety of ages from college students to professionals in their 30s. In February, participants came from as far north as Oxford all the way down to the Coast.

The theme of the retreat was “Into the world in peace,” pulling from the language of the post-communion prayer. Three speakers expounded on that theme:

• Mac Chaney, who spoke on personal faith and the connection between one’s personal faith and their actions in the world.
• Ronnie Martin, who spoke on finding personal peace and how to connect with that and respond to the world.
• Reverend Canon Gary Mead spoke on actually going out into the world and carrying faith with us.

Each talk was paired with an opportunity for large group discussion as well as smaller conversations for reflection.

One new addition at this year’s retreat was especially well received. A wellness center from Jackson came to lead yoga, breathing exercises, and a “sound bath” (think meditation aided by the sound of gentle, harmonic gongs ringing). In the midst of some serious soul-searching, the post-lunch relaxation session set a great tone for the afternoon.

Looking ahead, the leadership group has several areas of expansion in mind. The retreats will continue on their trajectory, hopefully increasing steadily in size. YAC wishes to strive for greater collaboration with the college Canterbury groups around the state. And, eventually, if demand dictates, perhaps two retreats per year instead of one could be in the offing.

The kinship and fun shared between these Episcopalians as they transition to adulthood will surely be the throughline in whatever YAC does next. With any luck, the diocese will hopefully start to see more of the momentum generated by its youth programs carrying forward into the lives of its young adults.

The next YAC retreat will be in early 2027 at Camp Bratton-Green. If you are interested in participating or learning more, sign up for YAC’s emails by visiting msepiscopalian.com/yac.