
Approximately 200 students and sponsors from 12 churches gathered for the Southern District Junior High Youth Conference at Cross Timbers Church in Edmond, Oklahoma, Jan. 28. The theme was “Be.”
Grant Shewey, youth pastor at Hillsboro (Kansas) MB Church served as speaker, helping students understand what it means to be Christ-like. In Session One, Shewey discussed the kind of life Jesus lived and what kind of life Jesus calls his followers to live. Session Two focused on practically showing others what it looks like to reflect Christ.
The event also included workshops, with topics such as being a missionary, worship, understanding spiritual gifts, being an influencer and making sense of the Bible, as well as a panel answering students’ questions.
“Overall, the students were incredibly engaged,” Shewey says. “I helped lead a panel during one of the workshop opportunities. I was very encouraged by the depth of questions students asked about topics such as the accuracy of the Bible, salvation and repentance and Jesus being fully God and fully human.”
Joe Weaver, Cross Timbers worship pastor, and the Cross Timbers worship band led worship.
An offering of $266.28 was collected for the Hope Pregnancy Center in Edmond.
Free-time options included bingo, inflatables, dodgeball, 9-square, board games, video games and crafts.

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.