Meg, Ezra, and I just got back from a wonderful week at the Lake of the Ozarks. Vacation? Well, maybe for Ezra, but definitely not for Meg and me. We were actually helping to staff TWO student conferences for InterVarsity, Catalyst and Getaway.
I was thinking about these conferences on our way home yesterday and the thought that came to mind was how different yet effective both of these conferences are at reaching their student populations. Both conferences had a really good week.
Getaway is tons of fun because it is first and foremost, a conference for international non-Christians. They spend the entire week not just studying stories about Jesus and having great conversations but also spending time together and really having fun. Around half the group that attends is non-Christian so the tenor of the conference is very much one of exploration.
Catalyst, on the other hand, is a conference designed more for students to experience a calling of mission from Jesus to go back to their campuses as missionaries. It has more of a "training" feel to it with seminars and informational meals and stuff like that.
Of course, that isn't to say that either conference only does one thing. There are students who go to Getaway and are developed as missional leaders on campus and there are students who go to Catalyst and make decisions to follow Jesus for the first time in their adult lives. That also isn't to say that one style of conference is better than the other. It's just one of those things where different conferences scratch different itches.
The important thing is that Jesus is at both conference and we saw that this past week. At Catalyst, 2 students made decisions to follow Jesus and a number of students made decisions to start something new on the campuses starting next year. Getaway had over 50 students from 18 countries come. Most made significant steps towards Jesus and one student called it "the greatest experience in the US so far."
What was our role? A little bit of this and a little bit of that. Meg led 2 seminars for students interested in reaching international students at Catalyst and she was in charge of leading the Family Group (small group) leaders at Getaway. I once at Getaway and once at Catalyst as well as leading 2 seminars at Catalyst.
Here's a video that a student made recapping Getaway. Enjoy!
Have an excellent day!
~Adam
~Adam
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