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Seventy-five students stepped into liturgy, Scripture, movement, and quiet, and found clarity, community, and renewal.

By Peter Mansour, Assistant Director of Ministries

From January 2 to 5, 2026, OCF welcomed students from across the country to a reimagined College Conference branded as UPSTREAM. The program was developed by our national programs team, which I lead, in collaboration with our Student Leadership Board, in response to patterns we have been observing for some time. In an academic and cultural environment shaped by constant screen use, relentless productivity, and little space for silence, we have consistently seen students arrive tired, overstimulated, and unsure how to slow down.

Why UPSTREAM, Why Now

What many are longing for is space, space to unplug, to adopt a slower and more intentional rhythm, and to begin the year grounded in rest. UPSTREAM was intentionally designed around these needs.

A Retreat Rhythm: Prayer, Scripture, Movement, and Shared Meals

Seventy-five students gathered at St. Crispin’s Conference Center in Wewoka, Oklahoma, where they entered a retreat structured around liturgy and prayer, time for reading Scripture and other spiritual texts, physical movement through hiking and exercise, shared meals and discussion, and opportunities to learn meditative crafts and reflective practices. Throughout the weekend, I watched students gradually settle into the rhythm of the retreat. Many arrived carrying a sense of fog and fatigue, and over time, I saw that fog begin to lift as space was made for attentiveness, presence, and renewal.

What Students Said, and What They Carried Home

At the conclusion of UPSTREAM, I consistently heard from students that they were leaving feeling lighter and seeing more clearly than when they arrived. One student shared, “For me, it was a really unique opportunity to separate myself from the outside world and focus on my spiritual life. I also come from a smaller parish, so I did not even know how big the college community was within Orthodoxy. It was awesome getting to meet new people who also seek to live out the faith. Overall, every aspect of this weekend brought new insights, spiritual healing, and the beginning of a new year set with the intention of constructing a life of service and love.”

Several students I spoke with also shared how meaningful it was to experience depth without rush, observing that “the effort to make things welcoming yet challenging in a good way, with open time for recreation or self-study and confession, was a great idea,” especially in contrast to the crammed schedules they are used to.

One student summed it up simply: “I really enjoyed the lack of rush.”

UPSTREAM affirmed for me that when we create intentional space for silence, prayer, and rest, students respond with longing and openness, and they leave with a renewed sense of direction. UPSTREAM gave students a reorientation at the very beginning of the year toward Christ, toward one another, and toward a healthier rhythm of life rooted in the Church.

I am deeply grateful for the generosity and trust of our donors, whose support makes it possible for OCF to continue responding thoughtfully to the real spiritual needs of students and to form them as attentive, grounded members of the Body of Christ. Because of you, students can carry these rhythms back into their campuses, parishes, and daily lives.

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