Slater, who attended MODGNIK every year for seven years, admitted it was always the highlight of his year. Aside from the “unbelievable” facilities at Rockbridge Alum Springs, a Young Life camp and retreat center near Goshen, Va.—complete with ropes course, zip line, skate park, tennis courts, “incredible food”—MODGNIK always gave him a different angle to look at the gospel.

Nineteen year-old Nathan Slater can often be seen walking around the University of Mary Washington campus wearing a shirt that reads “MODGNIK.” He’s always ready with an answer to the questions he inevitably gets: “It’s ‘KINGDOM’ spelled backward . . . God’s kingdom is an upside down backwards kingdom.”

MODGNIK is more than a purposeful misspelling—it’s a retreat that draws more than 1,000 students and youth leaders from churches all across Virginia, West Virginia, East Tennessee, and North Carolina. Started in 2002 by the vision and efforts of several PCA youth pastors in Virginia, MODGNIK has since grown to include youth groups from 26 evangelical churches, PCA and other.

Intending to set the notch above traditional youth retreat teaching, MODGNIK leaders have developed a seven-year curriculum that illustrates the myriad ways that God’s kingdom is countercultural and invites students to consider their calling in this “backward” kingdom.

Over seven years, youth will be challenged to think about “the new heavens and the new earth;” God’s kingdom and how it relates to culture; reconciliation in the kingdom; gender roles in the kingdom; conflict in the kingdom; and the Christian’s calling. Movies, TV, music, romantic relationships, and unbelieving friends were topics of discussion at the two 2011 retreats (spring – senior high; fall – junior high).

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[Editor’s note: the original URL (link) referenced in this article is no longer valid, so the link has been removed.]
(Editor’s Note: MODGNIK is an official ministry under the oversight of the Discipleship and Evangelism Committee of Blue Ridge Presbytery (PCA). The Presbytery oversees the work of the MODGNIK board which has a majority of elders from Blue Ridge Presbytery as well as leaders from nearby churches/presbyteries.)