VAY Winter Retreat 2025
Foundations of Faith
Have you ever wondered: What’s the purpose of my life? What happens after we die? Is there really a God? Why is there so much pain and suffering if God is good?
This Winter, join us as we explore the book of Romans—a letter that changed history and still speaks powerfully today. Bring your questions and doubts. You are invited into an honest conversation, and our prayer is that you’ll discover God is more good and more present than you ever imagined.
12.26 – 12.29 | ECCO Conference Center
Retreat Details
Mark your calendars for December 26–29, 2025, at the ECCO Conference Center in Oakhurst, CA! With only 145 beds available, this intimate retreat offers space for genuine connection, personal growth, and deeper faith.
Don’t miss this opportunity to explore God’s design for relationships in a life-changing way. Reserve your spot today and invite your church community to help support young adults in attending. Together, we’ll take steps toward building a future rooted in love, respect, and biblical truth.
Registration Logistics
1. Ensure that there is a church representative from your church. This will be the primary point of contact for all participants from your church regarding registration, room assignments, and payment.
If you are unsure or would like to submit a representative, please reach out to Vivian Tran to confirm: [email protected]
Attendance Criteria:
- Must be college or post-college age
- Active participant in a local church or guest of an active participant
- Demonstrates a genuine interest or desire for spiritual growth
- Pastor approval
- Committed to learning
- Willing to engage in community activities
3. Complete the reservation form and an email will be sent to your pastor for pastoral review and approval (using electronic signature or paper form).
4. The Point of Contact Person will be notified upon approval to coordinate room allocation and collect the registration fees for all participants and send it to VAY as ONE CHECK PER CHURCH on Monday, 2 weeks before the camp (12/08/2025), and to help us with administrative logistics.
Pricing
This will cover the entire cost of camp, not just lodging.
($31.50 is our operating cost, the rest is for meals and lodging)
$275
Dorm
3 Nights 8 Meals
Blanket, Bedding, Washcloth
Bunk Bed
Shared Baths in Room
Limit 46 beds total
$325
Lodge
3 Nights 8 Meals
Blanket, Bedding, Washcloth
2 or 4 Beds Per Room
Private Bath in Room
Limit 90 beds total
$415
Cottage
3 Nights 8 Meals
Blanket, Bedding, Washcloth
1 Queen Bed Per Room
2 Bathrooms in Cottage
Limit 4 beds total
Please do not pay until your room has been assigned. Rooms are still being assigned, and none have been finalized yet.
Please note you will pay your church rep, who will then submit all the payments in a single payment.
Our Speaker
Nghia Trần
Main Speaker
Nghia Tran is a church planter and Campus Pastor with Resonate Church in Northern California, an Evangelical Free Church, and a member of the SEND Network. For the past year, he has focused on planting a new gospel-centered, multi-ethnic church in the Bay Area, which launched in October 2025.
He previously served as the English Pastor at Newark Vietnamese Alliance Church and as an Associate Regional Leader of Northern California Vietnamese Alliance Youth (VAY). He spent nearly a decade in international student ministry at UC Berkeley.
Nghia and his wife, Elaine, have been married for 12 years and have two children: Nathan (6) and Emily, born in 2025. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Integrative Biology from UC Berkeley and a Master of Divinity from Gateway Seminary with a focus on Christian Counseling.
Retreat Schedule
This year, we’ve intentionally designed the retreat schedule to include fewer workshops and more free time. This approach allows participants to enjoy unstructured moments for personal reflection or spiritual renewal and build deeper relationships through informal interactions and conversations.
26
Dec 2025
4 PM Check In
6 PM Dinner
Session #1: The Message
27
Dec 2025
8 AM Breakfast
Devotion
Session #2: The Big Problem
12 PM Lunch
Free Time and Optional Activities
6 PM Dinner
Session #3: The Religious Problem
28
Dec 2025
8 AM Breakfast
Devotion
Session #4: The Solution
12 PM Lunch
Free Time and Optional Workshops
6 PM Dinner
Session #5: The Invitation
29
Dec 2025
8 AM Breakfast
Closing
Session #6: The New Life
11 AM Check Out
Coming Soon! Workshop Highlights
If you are interested in leading or co-leading a
Join Us in Empowering Young Leaders
We invite you to play a pivotal role in shaping the future of our young adults by promoting the Winter Retreat. Encourage your church community to participate and consider offering scholarships to make this transformative experience accessible to all. Together, let’s invest in the next generation’s understanding of God-centered relationships and leadership.