By Audrey Wilder, Director of Young People’s Ministry
Sunday, September 13, Wesley Forest Camp welcomed the Young People’s Ministry Council and churches from across the Susquehanna Conference for a fun day of team-building and fellowship. This event was just the first in several that YPMC will be offering during the 2015-2016 school year. Strengthening Your Faith Family was designed to help youth leaders and their students to work together to build solid foundations for ministry in the upcoming school year.
Student leaders from YPMC led games that challenged youth groups to work together, from building the tallest structure using spaghetti, tape, twine and a marshmallow, to launching water balloons over a net into Hula Hoops, to human hungry hippos, everyone had a fantastic time. The Wesley Forest staff also assisted youth groups through several elements on the low ropes course. We even caught a few of the youth leaders joining in the fun.
Closing worship was lead by The Rise Worship Band, out of Altoona. An offering was collected for the Bishop’s Partners In Mission. Julia Briselli, student leader on YPMC, offered a reflection on the importance of strengthening the bonds with your faith family. She shared that because of the strength of her youth group, everyone had been able to stay hopeful and positive in the face of their youth director being diagnosed with Leukemia. This powerful testimony spoke to the importance of our faith families in times of trial as well as times of blessing.
The Bits & Pieces events are far from over. The YPMC is still planning three more events:
- Becoming A Leader: Sunday, January 31, at Fishing Creek Salem UMC
- Serving Jesus by Serving Others: Sunday, March 13, at Mission Central, Altoona District Hub, Covenant Helping Hands Hub, Shoemaker Hub, and Gethsemane Hub.
- What’s Next?: Sunday, April 24, at St. John’s Newberry UMC.
