I am excited to tell you we are finally able to bring a Chosen Retreat to the West Region of the state! Thank you for waiting with open hearts for this event. We have scheduled the retreat for May 2-3 at Bismarck Capital Christian Center. Every session will be tied to the theme of being chosen by God. We will focus on His awesome love that created us, adopted us and desires to be in a relationship with us through His Son. This is absolutely core to a girl’s ability and desire to walk in purity and security. Without this identity it is otherwise impossible to be free from the entanglements of the world. Lies are shattered by these crystal truths. And wounds are healed in the knowledge of everlasting love. Such will be the content of this retreat.

Registration: $15/person - Includes Friday snack, Saturday breakfast and lunch.

Lodging: Camping out at the church.  Why not a hotel?  This is more fun!

Click Here to download the required forms:

West Chosen Schedule

West Chosen Registration Form

Have you ever had the desire to be something great? To be a woman that other people strive to be like? For those of you who attended one of the CHOSEN Conferences, hopefully God showed you ways that you can do just that. Maybe He even challenged you to live a life of Modesty. I want to encourage you all, that in a society where modesty is becoming less of a focus, it doesn’t mean we have to conform to the world’s idea of what a woman should be. We can be strong, motivated and beautiful women who are full of MODESTY! For those of you who weren’t at the Chosen Conference in Jamestown, Modesty is defined as:

Modesty: The freedom from Conceit or Vanity

Vanity: Something vain, empty or valueless

Therefore Modesty means The Freedom from something empty or valueless!

When God calls us to be modest, he is trying to give us freedom from things that leave us having an empty and valueless feeling about ourselves. The world wants us to think the opposite. That modesty means hiding behind ugly clothing and never having any fun. Instead, if you throw out modesty, life will be one big party. The sad truth is, we may very well get more attention if we dress with less clothing, talk in a way that leads guys on and our actions say we are okay with living our lives from one party to the next. But it’s also the sad truth that it will cost us. We will feel more alone, more empty, used and completely valueless by giving into that way of thinking. There is nothing wrong with wanting to be accepted, it’s something we all need and want. But at what price are we willing to pay to get it? God has such great things planned for us. He chose us before we were born and set us apart for something great. (Jer.1:5) Nowhere in the bible does it tell us that God wants us or anyone else to feel empty and valueless. In fact it’s just the opposite. He wants us to have the freedom to be something Great! By choosing to be modest in our speech, our actions and yes, in the way we dress, we are saying that we want God’s best plan for us! To have the Freedom to be something GREAT!

Young girls across our state and nation receive messages from magazines, television, movies, music and their friends concerning lifestyle choices. Common topics include body image, conduct in relationships, self-worth and family dynamics. Yet these common topics do not get to the root issue: a relationship with Christ. ND Youth Ministries partners with ND Women’s Ministries in echoing the words of Paul:

“I am as concerned about you as God is. You were like a virgin bride I had chosen only for Christ. But now I fear that you will be tricked, just as Eve was tricked by that lying snake. I am afraid that you might stop thinking about Christ in an honest and sincere way. We told you about Jesus, and you received the Holy Spirit and accepted our message. But you let some people tell you about another Jesus. Now you are ready to receive another spirit and accept a different message.” (1 Cor 11.2-4, CEV)

Media and other means try to convince students that “morality” is enough to appease God or even so far as to say that God doesn’t care about lifestyle. The facts are startling and call the church to action beyond instructions on purity, modesty or morality:

• MTV is watched by 73% of boys and 78% of girls ages 12 to 19, and it is profoundly influential in the lives of its young fans by glamorizing drug and alcohol use, sexual promiscuity and violent behavior. (Parents Television Council, 2004).

• The social and economic strains facing a rural student in every category of risk are every bit as bad if not worse that those facing inner city youth. In fact, rural children fared worse than non-rural in 34 out of 39 critical statistical (i.e. depression and suicide, alcohol and drug abuse, sexual experimentation and teen pregnancy, family instability, poverty, etc.) comparisons. (National Rural Small Schools Consortium).

• One of every 3 girls has had sex by age 16, 2 out of 3 by age 18 (Moore, K.A., Driscoll, A.K., & Lindberg, L.D. A Statistical Portrait of Adolescent Sex, 1998).

Christ desires a deep meaningful relationship that provides identity, security, and worth—a betrothal. With a lifestyle rooted in belonging to Christ, students can make godly decisions about drinking, drug use, sexual promiscuity, modesty and language. For this reason, NDYM offers a conference for female students emphasizing God’s role in the great betrothal. Regionally held, this conference will highlight numerous local speakers from various backgrounds that will focus on a relationship with Jesus Christ from which purity, modesty and godly choices flow.

North Dakota Youth Ministries sets out to change the lives of young women across our fair state. By looking at our relationship with God in the context of belonging to Christ, we can discover great freedoms and characteristics to the faith. Jesus has made a divine proposal to each of us and it is up to us to accept or decline. However, if we choose to accept we must live a life belonging to Christ. To find out more about what that means for daily life and the next steps, sign up for the retreat nearest you.