STUDENT
DIRECTORS
SUTTON TYNER, DIRECTOR
I love the Oaks Retreat because it has taught me so much about dependence on the Lord throughout my time in college! While serving at the retreat, I have been able to witness firsthand the way the Lord is moving in the lives of so many people at Auburn, from incoming freshman to counselors and staff! Personally, serving with the Oaks retreat has redeemed so many of my doubts and fears and taught me deeper dependence on the Lord through prayer and listening for the Holy Spirit! It has also been such an uplifting source of community throughout college and exemplifies unity in the body of Christ so well!
MASON COOPER, DIRECTOR
The Oaks has been incredibly impactful during my time at Auburn. I attended to retreat as an incoming freshman and the Lord showed me the incredible and authentic community that was available, and how I could live my life with Jesus in college. I’ve wanted that same experience for incoming students ever since. I’ve served as a counselor and on leadership every year and thought of no better way to end my time at Auburn than to usher in another class that gets to hear the good news of the Gospel and why Jesus is worth being Lord over their lives. Getting to serve another year alongside other college students that love the Lord so much that they would want to serve this ministry is such a privilege, and getting to see staff grow in their own faith as they serve is an incredible blessing.
COUNSELOR
TRAINERS
&
HEAds of
PRAYER
CHET LOWMAN, COUNSELOR TRAINER
I came to the Oaks excited my freshman year, but I had no idea how much it would shape my college experience. It was one of my first experiences at Auburn and showed me what real Christian community looks like. Because of that, I knew I wanted to give back and invest in incoming freshmen. Being a counselor was such an awesome experience, and now as a counselor trainer, I’m excited to pour into this year’s counselors as they pour into new students. I can’t wait to see the impact that starts at the Oaks 2026!
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LIZZY BROWN, COUNSELOR TRAINER
As a freshman going to the Oaks, I was presented with a statement that who you are in college is who you become for the rest of your life. Due to the Lord’s great grace, the Lord used the Oaks to gift me with discipleship and the community who proved the truth of that statement and displayed what it meant to “waste your life” for the sake of the Gospel. I was irreversibly changed through the Oaks retreat and trust that he will do immeasurably more than I could ask at the retreat this upcoming year.
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COLBY AXELBERD, COUNSELOR TRAINER
I want to give back to others in the way people have given to me. The oaks has blessed so many and I am honored to be apart of it this year.
KATHRYN KIRKLAND, COUNSELOR TRAINER
The Oaks is a ministry that impacts every life in Auburn. It’s so sweet of the Lord to invite everyone in to see what He is doing through every ministry and church with students coming together to welcome in the Freshman classes. Like how cool is it that one of the first things they get to see before they start school is what life with the Lord is like in college.
EVAN CARSON, HEAD OF PRAYER
God really used it to minister to me as a freshman and to teach/grow me as a counselor. I want to keep coming back to it with open hands and to help create those moments for others!
SYDNEY CAMPBELL, HEAD OF PRAYER
I love The Oaks! It is such a cool opportunity to serve the incoming freshman and give them a glimpse of what it looks like to pursue the Lord in college! And it's SO much fun!!!
PUBLIC RELATIONS
TEAM
NATALEE NORWOOD, HEAD OF COMMUNICATION
The Oaks is simply a reminder of the kindness of the Lord in my story. As a freshman, He began to soften my heart to the reality of the weight of the sin and separation from Him I was living in. As a counselor, He used it to provide a community I prayed for and the opportunity to walk alongside freshmen in a year full of change and uncertainty!
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ANNA RYAN SHARP, HEAD OF MEDIA
The Oaks
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OPERATIONS
TEAM
DAVID PARKER, HEAD OF FINANCE
The Oaks is so special to me because of the deep rooted Christian community that is formed from the retreat. Coming into college I was seeking deep Christian community that I could grow and foster throughout my time at Auburn and the oaks was able to provide me with that and provide me some of my closest friends here at Auburn. I am serving the oaks to help provide the opportunity for incoming freshman to experience the same deep community that I was thankful to experience in my time at the oaks as a freshman!
EMILEE TURNER, OPERATIONS
I love the oaks because I see the Lord’s hand so clearly in every moving part of it. The Lord has used the oaks to continually bring me and others back to himself! The oaks is a special opportunity to get plugged in and find deep Christian community in Auburn - the biggest blessing of my college experience!
LANDON SANDERS, OPERATIONS
I chose the oaks because of its profound impact on not only my college experience but the experience of countless others. The oaks was able to show me the Christian community that I needed from before I ever stepped foot on campus. The oaks can really be life changing and I wanted to serve to give back to the retreat which gave me so much.
TAYLOR JO HAMITER, HEAD OF CREW
The Oaks is such a special ministry in the Auburn area! The Lord's love and mercy are so evident at The Oaks and continues to work all year round. Seeing the Lord work at The Oaks has continually taught me how incredible our God is and how much He pursues each and every one of us. It is such a gift to be able to serve and help freshmen find a place where they are loved. ​
HALEY NELSON, HEAD OF CREW
I wanted to serve on Oaks Leadership because I wanted a way to give back to the Oaks the way it gave to me! I served as a counselor twice and the people on Leadership were always people I could lean on, cry to, pray with, and be encouraged by. I want to be that for this next group of counselors and learn a whole new way of being the hands and feet of Jesus!
HOSPITALITY
TEAM
KAILEY MCPIKE, HOSPITALITY
The Oaks has been formative in my college experience, from coming in as a freshman to serving as a counselor. I want to help freshmen see that college can be a time for true spiritual growth and it can be done alongside like minded communities! I also want to support counselors and crew in their willingness to serve and support the incoming freshmen!
ABBY JACKSON, HOSPITALITY
The Oaks Retreat has played such a meaningful role in my life and personal growth. Attending as a freshman gave me my first real glimpse of the Christ-centered community that was waiting for me at Auburn. Since then, serving as a counselor and now as part of the leadership team, I’ve seen the Lord faithfully deepen my faith and shape me more into His likeness through the encouragement and example of those around me. To me, The Oaks reflects what the Big C Church is meant to be—believers walking together in unity with the shared purpose of making the Lord’s name known. It truly has meant so much to me.
TEAM
ADMINISTRATIVE
BAYLOR MARTIN, REGISTRATION
The Oaks means so much to me because it immediately surrounded me with accountability and community during one of the most transformative times of my life. I want to give back to a ministry that has provided me with so much during my time at Auburn. The Lord's hand at The Oaks was so evident to me during my time as a freshman and serving on staff the past few summers, and I’m so expectant for what He will do this summer!
ALECIA WALKER, REGISTRATION
The Oaks shaped my college experience in so many ways! Coming in as a freshman it showed me what the whole church body looked like and what great community could look like! Then getting to be a counselor I got to see that even more and I just couldn’t stay away from this awesome ministry! Getting the opportunity to get to give back to the ministry that has shaped my time at college is one of the biggest honors! So expectant and excited for what the Lord is going to do with Oaks this year!!!
LIVVY CHAMBERS, REGISTRATION
I love the Oaks because it is where I found out about my church & where I met some of my very best friends! I am so so thankful for the community that it brought me as a freshmen and has brought me since then during my counselor summers! I am so excited to see what the Lord does this year!
TAYLOR MCCLUNG, LOGISTICS
The Oaks showed me the importance of surrounding yourself with people who will point you to Christ through all the ups and downs of college. I found my best friends, my church, and my mentors through attending and serving at the Oaks. Serving on leadership was a natural next step in giving back to the ministry that has helped me through so much!!
MADDIE SHAW, LOGISTICS
I decided to serve with the Oaks in order to help freshman find Christian community! Coming into my freshman year that was something I longed for, and I want to be able to give back and help like-minded incoming freshman.
TEAM
MAIN SESSIONS
TAYLOR BORDEN, MAIN SESSIONS
I want to help reveal the truth and beauty of who God is and what He’s done through biblically sound corporate worship that displays the unity of the local church.
