Bright snow covered mountains brought faith and commitment to mind for many local teenagers this month. The Fellowship of Faith youth group took a winter retreat to the Gaitlinburg Feb. 16-19.

Blaine Davis, youth minister, said being in such a beautiful place put what he and others were teaching into perspective.

&8220;The kids it realized themselves,&8221; Davis said. &8220;One of the guys came back to the church and was telling other members about the trip. He said, &8216;You can&8217;t look at those mountains and tell me there isn&8217;t a God.&8217;&8221;

Twenty-three sixth through twelfth grade students made the trip over President&8217;s Day weekend to learn about the commitment God expects from his children and about the importance of purity.

&8220;The group took the weekend to talk about being committed,&8221; Davis said. &8220;The commitment Christ gave to us despite knowing when he came to this earth how his live would end.&8221;

Students were also able to simply enjoy moments of fellowship with each other. Davis said Ripley&8217;s Aquarium was kind enough to provide tickets at half price for the group. Students got to see sharks, eels and other exotic sea creatures. They then spent a day exploring Gaitlinburg and the 4 inches of snow that fell while they were there.

&8220;We took them out of their element and you can be surprised what God can do when distractions are eliminated,&8221; Davis said. &8220;Some kids were dealing with some stuff that was hard. It was great to see them set free from that junk.&8221;

Davis said the group tries to keep the kids connected one to another and to the church through various events. The youth group also participates in a summer camp where they experience Bible studies and other activities to help them learn more about God&8217;s teachings.

The group has recently begun to meet every Monday night at Koffee Kettle in downtown Columbiana. This event, called &8220;The Journey,&8221; begins at 7 p.m. with all local youth invited.

The group also meets for Bible study on Wednesday nights at 6:30.