More than 360 high school students, leaders, program team members, support staff and partners gathered in Hesston, Kansas, for the Southern District Youth Conference (SDYC) hosted by Hesston MB Church Nov. 19-21, 2021. The event, attended by 18 churches, included sessions, workshops, worship, free-time and late-night activities.
According to the event booklet, the theme, “Resilient,” was intended to help students discover the balance of remaining loyal to Jesus while navigating unavoidable and inevitable difficult pathways.
With four messages based in the book of Daniel, speaker Ryan Schadler—a Hesston alum and former member of the University of Kansas football team currently serving as the Wichita (Kan.) Young Life College Director—spoke about Daniel’s resiliency and uncompromising faith in the midst of challenging circumstances.
Hosts were Dalton McAlister, Dani Klein and Emma Heide, while Presence Worship led worship.
Students could choose two of 14 workshops to attend.
Saturday’s free-time and late-night options included various sports tournaments, gathering for coffee, playing board games, going to the driving range, Bingo, inflatables, hayrack rides and video games.
An offering of more than $900 was collected for Multiply’s Ukrainian MB Summer Camp ministry.
“We had a great weekend,” says district youth minister Russ Claassen. “Our purpose was to glorify God in our teaching, worship, fun and fellowship. I believe we were able to accomplish this as far as it was up to us. Jared Menard and the rest of the planning team did an incredible job of organizing and setting us up for a great weekend.”
At SDYC, Kyle Goings from Ridgepoint Church in Wichita, Kansas, concluded his term on the Youth Commission. Derrick Austin from Cross Timbers Church in Edmond, Oklahoma, and Michael Klaassen from Parkview MB Church in Hillsboro, Kansas, were affirmed as new Youth Commission members.
Janae Rempel Shafer is the Christian Leader associate editor. She joined the CL staff in September 2017 with six years of experience as a professional journalist. Shafer is an award-winning writer, having received three 2016 Kansas Press Association Awards of Excellence and an Evangelical Press Association Higher Goals award in 2022. Shafer graduated from Tabor College in 2010 with a bachelor of arts in Communications/Journalism and Biblical/Religious Studies. She and her husband, Austin, attend Ridgepoint Church in Wichita, Kansas.
