CHIC 2012

CHIC (Covenant High In Christ) is a denominational gathering of high school students in our denomination that takes place every three years. This year's CHIC is July 15-20, 2012 (Thornapple's trip dates are July 14-22) at the University of Knoxville, TN.

100 students and staff from Thornapple are at CHIC!

To view the main denomination's CHIC website, keep up on the events, and see photos taken throughout CHIC, click here (see link below for Thornapple's CHIC photo album).

Please keep our students and staff in your prayers during their CHIC experience!

During CHIC week we will post pictures and journals on this page.

Prayer guides are available at the Welcome Center at church or you can request one by e-mailing Marny Danz at mdanz@thornapple.org.  

To view the Thornapple CHIC 2012 Photo Album with lots of CHIC pictures, click here.

Journal entries:

Sunday, July 22:

I had no idea what to expect at CHIC. The first day was absolutely crazy! I could not believe how many people were there. Mainstage was my favorite part of the day. I loved praising God in such a unique way. My favorite speaker was Francis Chan. He really could relate to teenagers and was hilarious. Too many words for this trip! I’m so lucky to be able to go to CHIC again!

-Courtney Kellogg

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When I signed up for Chic, I hadn’t known what to expect. At first I had pictured log cabins and campfires, but it surely wasn’t that! I had come to Tennessee confused and empty, not surwhere my relationship with God would go, if you could even say we even had a relationship. My faith hadn’t been mine, it had been my parents. I went to church and believed in God, but I was always too busy, thinking about other things, or distracting myself so I couldn’t talk to him. When I did, I never listened to what HE had to say. Chic really helped me personalize my relationship with God. Wednesday night was unbelievable; life changing. I felt like it was just God and I in that auditorium, no one else. I heard His voice for the first time and felt the greatest sensation of peace and calm. I feel like I’m ready to change from my old ways, and I know that God will be there to help me.

-Sabrina VanderKlipp J

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Saturay, July 21:

Hello everyone, this is Kara Josephson, Luci Ohlman, Gillian Giem, and Celeste Anderson sitting on the bus leaving the campus of CHIC; sad to be leaving but excited to spend time together as our church community. We have had such a great experience with incredible speakers, amazing bands, and thunderstorm dance parties. The theme of chic was FIVE – first question was “What are you looking for?” Second question “Who do you say I am?” Third question was “Do you love Me?” The fourth question was “Do you want to be made whole?” And the last question was “Who shall I send?”All these questions are asked by God and they challenge each one of us to reach out of our comfort zone and grow in our relationship with God. The CHIC band was SO incredible and moving. It had a great combination of musicians and singers, their amazing talent filled the stadium with a unified love for Christ every night. The very last night we celebrated our awesome week together as a youth group eating pizza and partying in the rain, and then enjoying the display of lightning and thunder. It was a wonderful end to this life changing conference. Although, the last day of CHIC was just the beginning of the rest of our lives!

Love to everyone at home, we will see you soon! J

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Hello Thornapple friends and family,

Currently on the bus, departing from the University of Tennessee, we all reflect on the unforgettable spiritual experience we just witnessed. I leave here with a few simple words in my mind – words which I can personally carry with me for years to come, ever present reminders of what CHIC means for me at this point.

Power. To be a part of the thousands and thousands of Christians with arms raised high, eyes wide open, and voices crying out, is to feel the power of God working through His children. The force of His presence in that place is enough to drop any man to his knees. Together we worshipped unlike I had ever worshipped before.

Perspective. Each night a different speaker truly forced us to confront realities, no matter how difficult it was for us. Many came to realize that nothing can be masked in front of the all-knowing God. Sins were confessed and attacked head on with the power of God’s mercy and the support of our brothers and sisters in Christ. And with the diversity of people we met at the conference, I was able to expand my perspectives of this world. From international issues to injustices in our own backyard, I feel that God has put our minds on red alert to what needs to be done for His creation.

Purpose. God has a plan, a calling, a purpose for each of us. One of the most significant things that we learned at CHIC was that He has the power to use each and every one of us. Now equipped to hold up our white flags and surrender our lives to His work, we run back into the world we left at home all with a sense of what we must do. It is not the last day of CHIC, but rather it is the first day of the rest of our lives. Onward we go, blessed and filled with all the love that is our Savior.

Forever His and Forever TOV,

Ashley Dwarshuis

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Howdy ya’ll,

First of all, I’d like to give a shout out to my dad, HAPPY LATE BIRTHDAY! We are currently leaving Fazoli’s, which was much better than the cafeteria food that we ate all week! We are about 20 minutes away from Horns Creek, where we will be white water rafting and hiking today and tomorrow! These five days have been amazing and completely life changing. Everyone seemed to be touched by God in different ways this week, but on Wednesday night I felt God’s presence throughout the room and I feel that everyone else did as well. It wasn’t just communion; it was much more than that. We were given the opportunity to pick up “white flags” which represented surrendering yourself to God. There were so many emotions swirling throughout the room, sadness, happiness, relief, joy and love. My goal is to bring those emotions that I felt towards God that night into my daily life. We have now arrived at Horn’s Creek safe and sound! Thank you for all the continuous prayers and thoughts this week!

Much love,

Tori Fowler

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This morning we left the campus of the University of Tennessee in a somber mood. An emotion which can only be compared to leaving the site of a miracle was upon all of us. As I’m sure you know, at CHIC there were five questions posed to us. Throughout these questions we learned more about ourselves and how to live our lives. These questions were presented with such in-depth thought and emotion that many of us are forever changed. We saw an improbable, impossible God this week. I personally watched as people all around me confessed sins and pledged to give up sex, pornography, drugs, lies or whatever else was keeping them from God. However words, pictures, stories, or mementos cannot describe what happened this week. Many of us will never be able to share the depth of our experience and so I will not try to anymore, because what each of us experienced was a personal communication with God. A realm no parent or friend can or should enter. At the core, this week was about talking to God. The air, at times, was filled with an electric feeling that I can only believe was the Holy Spirit. No matter what happens I will always remember that feeling, and as I clean my slate, confess my sins, and begin the rest of my life I can say that today is day 1. The day I began LIVING for God. As I was taught this week, “the greatest evidence of God’s existence is the changed life, so let my life be a confirmation of the father’s existence”. I hope those of you who know me find the explanation of CHIC you desire in the life I now lead.

In His Grip,

Matthew Greydanus

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Today we left. I felt a happy and a sad feeling at the same time. Sad because it felt like home happy because we would be sharing the word of God. I had a lot of fun meeting new people, and bands. It was like a blast but every day I got closer and closer to God and now I can share my story.

Robert Pott

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CHIC… There’s a lot I could say about the whole experience. But I won’t, there’s too much. You’ll have to wait.

Yours truly, Granthew Mortenson

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CHIC is something you must experience, words won’t do it justice.

Adam Heiss 

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CHIC was absolutely amazing. It was something I’m positive I will never forget. As a struggling Christian in this world of sin and pressure, it was amazing to have God just be in the air I breathe. I have to say that the most inspiring day had to be Wednesday. Our speaker, Judy Peterson, presented us with the question “Do you want to be made whole”, and I had thought it was an interesting concept yet I also found it very hard to grasp until the moment she held up a mat. See, the story was of the man in the town square that could not walk to be healed in the fountain’s waters and Jesus healed him with the words “Take up your mat and walk”. The man sat upon a mat, much like we sit on a mat of things that have happened or currently are happening in our life. We sit on these experiences and often they disable us. Judy held up a mat with amazing things that shocked many of us. We departed for a small group discussion before we came in for communion but were challenged with the question “What things on our mat can you surrender to God”. I really struggled with this question until the moment we came into communion. I heard the voice of God ringing in my ear when the CHIC band began a small period of worship. There’s someone in my life I need to forgive and I now know that Jesus wants to take my hand and help me with a situation that I know I cannot do my own. CHIC was and is going to be the most amazing moment in my life that I will never ever be able to explain in its fullness. You would have just had to be me, just had to be there, just had to live it for yourself.

In Love,

Miss Kae(lyn) Marie Smith <3

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CHIC was unbelievable! It is too much for words. You will need to wait until CHIC 2015 to see what we mean.

Joshua Smith

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I came to Knoxville with a picture in my mind of what CHIC would look like. I thought that it would be fun, that there would be crowds of people, and that worship would be incredible. But until you actually experience CHIC for yourself, the descriptions don’t do justice. My favorite part of our 5 days at the conference was definitely main stage. When I went inside the stadium for the first time, I was speechless. There were thousands of students and staff all piling into the arena. Worship was incredible! I felt the freedom to use my hands as an act of worshiping God. All around me, students were pouring out all they had in worship-singing to God at the top of their lungs with passion. The speakers were equally amazing. Each one spoke a powerful message that touched my heart deeply. God changed me at CHIC. On Wednesday night there was a cross standing in the arena. I realized that God is so great, powerful, large, and loving, and because of that, I had the freedom to let go of my fears and anxieties. Though leaving Tennessee will be hard, I cannot wait to live out what I have experienced at CHIC!

-Anna Raisch

Thursday, July 19:

Hey, this is Pete Slack and I'd like to tel you guys about how amazing my week has been so far! As some of you may know, I am a graduate and every CHIC, Steve takes all the graduates down early to help set up. Although there was some work invovled, we had an absolute blast hanging out with each other. Then, on Monday, it was my birthday! I was so blessed to be able to celebrate my birthday with 6000 people that truly love God! The even better part? It's my second birthday that I've celebrated at CHIC! The last thing I have to add is that yesterday, we had this amazing speaker named Francis Chan (you might have heard of him) helpped us tackle the question "Do you love me?" (the context is that Jesus is asking us this). He did an absolutely incredible job of helping us figure out how we can live our lives to show that we truly love Him. At the end of his absolutely remarkable presentation, he prayed for us. As he was praying for us, he walked off the stage and by the end of the prayer he was gone and the CHIC band had started to sing. He never stayed to receive an applause! I thought that was so amazingly humble of him, and it completely blew my mind! Well i suppose this journal is getting a little long, so I'll end it at this... I am so blessed that this conference is available to us! Love, Pete

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Salutations, Colin speaking here. I am pleased to inform the residents of downtown ada and the surrounding suburbs that the trip has been going quite swell. The bus ride included periods of intense heat followed by waves of refreshingly cool breeze due to the air conditioner. The first night was filled with restless sleep and a constant will to simply spread out. The morning, however, was a refreshing surprise because of the spectacular views from the nearby deciduous covered Appalachian mountains. After a short break and a bit of driving, we arrived at the University of Tennessee and found our dorm rooms in Reese Hall. After unpacking and discovering our suite mates, we ventured down to a blur of moving bodies and excitement at the Hub. The games and merriment consisted of a DJ blasting dance music, inflatable bounce games, full size swimming pool with high dive, arts and crafts tent, awareness mission tents, and the tent of comforting, delicious free food. The day finished out with the first mainstage performance in the basketball arena. The Chic Band played a phenomenal show containing classic worship songs mixed in with their own music created just for us. We met our three mainstage constants as far as speaking, Pastor E, Propaganda, and of course the DJ. They help to transition from band to speaker and do a stupendous job. Our speaker was Harvey Carey on sunday who elaborated on the search of Jesus in our own lives through the scripture referring to Mary Magdalene at the tomb. He was so full of energy and a great speaker for the approximately 6,000 at CHIC this year. We went to bed pretty early that night after small groups and got prepared for the rest of this life changing week. At breakfast the following morning, my friend, Adam, and I embarked on a mission to start talking to new people. In accordance, we sat down with two new kids for the morning meal. During the conversation, we came to find that they belonged to the covenant church near Strathmore, Alberta which is also the previous church of Andrew Peterson. It’s a small world after all. We went through the middle of the day going to two seminars or focus groups. The speakers are evading my memory, but they spoke to the level of sin in the world today and the gravity of it. We then returned to the Hub after lunch and played a few pick up soccer games and had a wonderful time in the pool. Mainstage was next on the list and the band was Lecrae and Bianca Juarez. Lecrae was awesome on the main floor although I didn’t any of the lyrics. Bianca wasn’t a bad speaker but I had trouble following her path as she wrestled with the question of “who jesus is.” The following day preceded similar to the first full day but we competed in the ultimate frisbee tournament which our team lost to the TECC graduates plus Evan and Tom Winer. Evan, Grant, Adam, Alex, Nick, Josh, and I went to go sing in a gospel choir because the Hub was shut down due to barreling tempest. We then went to mainstage which included Skillet and Francis Chan. Francis was by far the best speaker. He talked about Sin in our relationship with Jesus and how much we love him. Skillet then came out and performed a rocking concert. However, their amps only went to ten not eleven so they didn’t beat the loudness of Spinal Tap. The main floor was rocking and even a little mosh pit started during the middle of the performance. The great thing about CHIC is the people. Everyone I’ve met has been very nice and friendly. That is what makes this experience spectacular along with the furthering your own relationship with God which remains the ultimate goal.

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hey everyone it's cam and Anna yaaaaaaay. We are pleased to inform you that chic has been a superbly outstandingly awesome experience. It has made us dig deeper into our spiritual lives and relationship with Jesus Christ through great speakers and music, along with the fellowship of others. It has been great to get closer with all the people in our youth group and just having a great time. We have also been given the chance to hear numerous others share their stories and faith journeys with us. The activities and worship are overwhelming in a good way..to the point where we get like 4 hours of sleep a night. Yay for Mtn. Dew! We have been so blessed to be a part of this week. Keep praying for safety, fun, and most importantly, and deeper, more developed relationship with God. The End

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Tuesday, July 17:

I loved listening to Harvey Carey! He was a very inspirational guy who made us ask ourselves "who are you looking for?" The chic band made there own lyrics and got us pumped for the week ahead. Bianca Juarez made us think deeper on the question on "who is Jesus". Can't wait to see what the rest of the week has in store for me!

-Mya

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It's only day three and currently I am writing this while being crowded in the hallway with the rest of my doormates due to a severe weather storm warning. Anywho, today has been a fun filled day while learning about God. We had seminars and finished off the afternoon with some kayaking...IN THE INDOOR POOL! Mya and Toria occompanied myself as we took on the treacherous pool waters. Learning how to flip the kayak and be able to get out of the kayak without drowning was a challenge, especially while wearing kayak skirts that suction you into the kayak. As you can tell its never a dull moment at CHIC and I'm excited to see what else will happen this week!

-Katie Hollemans :):)

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CHIC is absolutely splendiferous thus far! :] It is only day three and it has been beautiful to see how God has moving here! I was inspired by both Harvey Carey and the Chic band on Sunday night who challenged us to search for Jesus. Harvey spoke about Mary Magdelene's courage to do the seemingly impossible because her faith in Jesus was so resolute and deep. Monday night courage appeared to me again from Bianca Juarez who asked us to ponder who we thought Jesus is in our lives and how that affects the way we live our daily lives. It challenged me to focus on Jesus as my partner in romance and have the courage to fall more deeply in love with God every day no matter what the costs. Today courage popped up during a focus group that referred to justice issues- specifically human trafficking. I have often felt inspired over many justice issues, but eventually the passion fades to the background and I don't act on my passion. I want to be courageous enough to act on the issues I feel passionate about and be a missionary right at home! It is unbelievable how much injustice goes on in my own back yard. I hope that I can be a Michiganary in my daily life!! CHIC has made me so jazzed and happy and in love with Christ! I cannot wait to see what the rest of the week holds! Love you mom, dad, and my love bug Keira :]

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These past few days have been extraordinary! I've loved spending time with everyone in our youth group and fellow Jesus lovers from just about everywhere. The bus ride up was quite the rough night of sleep, but arriving to the exciting welcome party made it worthwhile. The first night of mainstage was inspiring. The speakers have been amazing and the music seems to envelop the whole stadium of 6000 people in a unified love for God! I can't wait to see how awesome tonight will be with Skillet playing and Francis Chan speaking. My hopes for the rest of the week are skyrocketing! I'm so excited to see how God will work in my life for this amazing week and how my relationship with Him will grow :) I hope I get to know everyone in our youth group better and meet more new people. Thanks to everyone who prayed for me and who made it possible for me to go on this trip. To my family, I miss and love you guys and I will see you soon :) Celeste Anderson

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hey everybody! It's Lydia and Lydia!

we have been having the time of our lives this week! We kayaked in the indoor pool today and it was super fun!! We are so psyched for Francis chan tonight as our speaker at mainstage. So far, mainstage has been our favorite part of every day! We were inspired by both of the speakers and the CHIC band!! The speakers talked about a new question every day and in keeping with the theme of 5 throughout the week we will hopefully be able to answer 5 questions that help us define our faith and live more radically for Jesus. The questions so far have been: who are you looking for? And who do we say Jesus is? The speakers have been so relatable and amazing and we can't wait for what we will learn the rest of the week!!! Thanks for praying for us! To our families, we love and miss you!!! Love, Lydia and Lydia:)

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hey everyone! It's Rachel Atkinson and Emily Kooi! It has been an amazing week so far!! Life changing definitely but the weeks not over yet. Winey, Rachel and I are waiting in line to save seats for skillet (: we have to wait for and hour and a half but it's totally worth it. We have been waiting for this week forever and it's finally here!! Mainstage, i think, has been one of the best experiences here. The week isn't over yet but meeting new people and interacting with them has been a blast! Can not wait for mainstage to start because Francis chan is the speaker for the night (: we had a thunderstorm today, yet it did not even rain! Just thunder ;) anyways I am going to pass this to Rachel to talk about what she did today or experienced throughout this week!!

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Lecrae was fantastic tonight! CHIC has been great so far and hopefully it'll just get better from here on out. There's been so much to do I'm not sure I'll get through everything in only five days! Wednesday I've got ultimate frisbee to look forward to, and rock climbing thursday. I'm sure I'll have lots more stories to tell when I get home! Dad please don't let Zoey sleep in my bed... See y'all in a few days!

~Britt

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Monday, July 16:

We arrived here at UT at about 10 a.m. after a long night on a freezing bus. Once we got here and everyone got their bags, we settled into our dorms and then went down to the welcome party on campus. There was a ton of activities going on and it was a little overwhelming but super fun! Now everyone is getting cleaned up and relaxing before dinner and Mainstage later on tonight. I can tell it’s going to be a great week(:

~Anna Ostrander

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Hi Mom, Dad and BT,

We finally made it to University of Tennessee! It’s been great so far! We arrived around 10:00 like Anna said above, unpacked and got all settled! There was a welcome party that we all attended which included, lunch, volleyball games, face painting, spray painting boards and we also went into the pool! Now, we are getting ready to have dinner and then Mainstage later on tonight! I’m so excited for the rest of the week, so far it’s been an amazing 6 hours here!

~Tori Fowler

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Ok, so I’m planning on using my armband as some computer lighting. After seeing how bright they shined during mainstage tonight, and how awesome seeing all of the people having them raised to the sky, I can’t wait to dissect it at home! :D

But besides that, the welcome party was SO sweet... DJ was pumping all day, the pool was cold and enormous, and the high dive was intense! The zorbs (giant inflatable human-sized hamster balls) were sweet as well. Cannot wait for tomorrow!

-Presto

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Sunday, July 15:

After months of anticipation, the TECC youth and staff are here in Knoxville, TN at CHIC 2012! The welcome party has been a blast! Check out the fun via the uploaded pictures. Thanks for your prayers...God is going to do mighty things this week in all our lives! We are so excited to experience all He has in store for us!

~Diane Peneycad

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