Middle School Ministry Campference

We had a great time this passed weekend at the MSMC (Middle School Ministry Campference).  This is an event put on by The Youth Cartel at SpringHill Camp in Seymour, IN.  This event is for Middle School/Junior High pastors and volunteers.  This is the second year for the event, and it is an extremely unique event.

The weekend started off on Friday with a message from Mark Dowds.  Mark shared with us about working with conflict in ministry and our lives.  He walked us through role playing and communicating with each other.  This was a great start to our time together.

One of the best things about this event is that every person there is in a similar situation as you.  We are all trying to work with junior high students to help them come to a saving relationship with Jesus Christ.  This creates an environment at this event where everybody has a voice.  No person is seen as more important than another.  In some situations the biggest learning can happen around the dinner table instead of during the main sessions as communication and learning never stopped.

We were led in worship for the weekend by Johnny Scott (formerly of CIY Believe).  Johnny brought his passion and programming knowledge and shared it with us all.  As he led us in worship we were led directly to God.

We discussed topics from Sticky Faith to Balancing Social Media in Life to GWAP (Games With A Purpose).  I will tell you though that my biggest learning happened in some of those one on one conversations.  I was able to talk to several different people about ways they communicate with parents.  In my own ministry this is an area that we are trying to work on, and I can’t think of a better place to get ideas than at the MSMC.

Marko ended our weekend with a talk about Hope.  This was a powerful message that brought many of us to tears as we thought about the Hope that we have and our drive to share that with our students.  I would strongly suggest that if you haven’t had the chance to attend the MSMC in the past 2 years then check it out next year.

This event is held at a camp so the price is all inclusive (lodging, food, and all event access).  All of the presenters and leaders of this event are also participants in the event.  This means that if you want to talk to them then you can just sit down with them anytime during the day and bounce ideas or plans off of them.  This is an experience you won’t soon forget.

So plan on joining us next October for the next MSMC.  If you attended this event I would love if you would share your most meaningful part with us here in the comments.