A small potential turnout may have derailed the latest “Happening” event at Camp WIngmann, but leaders are hoping for bigger things for the next go-around.

The Rev. Becky Toalster, rector at Holy Trinity Episcopal Church in Bartow, said the “Happening” scheduled for April 28-30 was canceled because of low registration numbers.

“Happening” is a Christian revival of sorts held at spacious Camp Wingmann in Avon Park, located in northern Highlands County. The April event would have been the third “Happening” for high school youth since leaders revived the event last year after a decades-old absence. Sponsored by the Episcopal Church, “Happening” is a ministry run by teenagers for teenagers serving youth in 10th through 12th grades.

“A group of folks is now working on an alternative option for ‘Happening,’” Toalster said.

Toalster said organizers are now planning for a high school weekend retreat to be held Nov. 10-12 at Camp Wingmann, just a few weeks before Thanksgiving.

“We are still in the very early planning stages for this event and talking about the cost of the weekend, schedule of events, and who the speaker will be, but we hope to have more information to share in the coming weeks,” Toalster said.

The “Happening” events are much like “New Beginnings,” its highly successful counterpart for middle school youth; but “Happening” took a different approach.

“With ‘New Beginnings,’ you get the kids together and they get to know more about their faith,” said the Rev. Deke Miller, director of Camp Wingmann. “They talk about the basics of faith and who we are in faith.  “With ‘Happening’ they got to see Christian life lived out,” he added. “They got a vision of what the Christian community looks like.”

Unlike “New Beginnings,” which often sees returning participants, “Happening” draws a new youth group each time. Some of the “Happening” team leaders are former participants, which gives the event a sense of fluidity and credibility. “There were adult advisers, but it was the youth who were running the event,” Miller said of a previous event.

Miller said the main purpose of “Happening” is spiritual growth for the participants, but there is an added advantage: “It’s not only that they got into a deep relationship with Christ, but they developed friends here. It was about community and relationships. It was a pretty close and ever-growing community.”

The forging of relationships in a Christian community has left a powerful impact on some, Miller said. “We’ve had stories where (someone) goes back to their church to be baptized,” he said.

That sense of community, Miller believes, helped “Happening” attendees get more out of their participation and see how bringing a Christian message into a community helped them work as a Christian. “They found kids struggling with the same things they were,” he said. “They found new strengths with their relationships. They returned home with a newfound energy.”

For more information, call Toalster at 863-370-7185.