Catalyst and Getaway

Hello, friends!

Right now, as you’re reading this (so long as you’re reading this between May 11-21), students from all over the Central Region are gathered together for Catalyst, our end of the year conference. Spanning 2 weeks, Catalyst is pretty much college students + lake + Jesus = Holy Spirit time. Without a doubt, Catalyst is my favorite of all the Area/Regional things that we do in InterVarsity. Here are a few reasons why:

-          You can’t beat the location! Not only is Camp Winderemere a great camp facility but it’s also super close to Mizzou! Proximity is one of those things that really matters when it comes to a Spring conference. We can have Seniors come after their graduations because it’s only a 90 minute drive. It’s a lot harder to get lost when you only have 90 minutes to drive. It’s also a lot easier to make it on time and experience the whole conference. It’s pretty great.

-          It’s a chance to hang out with the Regional Team. No doubt, I love these guys. There are still a number of staff who have been on staff since I joined in 2007 and I am honored to call these folk my friends as well as colleagues. Catalyst is the one time of the year that we all get to come together and do work. I love it!

-          Jesus shows up. This will be my 10^th Catalyst, including 2 as a student and 8 as a staff. Without fail, Jesus always shows up at this thing. Students give their lives to Jesus for the first time. Others recommit themselves. Some students experience significant healing. It’s pretty much 5 days of Holy Spirit madness, in the best way possible.

-          You never know what to expect. There was that one year we got struck by lightning. There was the other year that a tornado was spotted in the area. There was the year we had a student dealing with some demon possession. If you have any doubts about the existence of Spiritual Warfare, go to Catalyst one year. It’ll change your mind. =0).

Ah, before I forget, there’s another Spring Time conference happening right now besides Catalyst, which is International Getaway. Catalyst and Getaway share a location (go Winderemere!) but their purposes, populations, and structures are very different.

Getaway’s goal is simple: At the end of the year, get as many international students as you can to camp where they can build relationship, have fun, and hear about the Gospel. While Catalyst is mostly Christian students, Getaway is mostly non-Christian students. Where Catalyst follows a relatively basic conference structure, Getaway is more free-flowing, allowing for more relationships to be built. Both serve their purposes very well and while I am only going to be at Getaway for a few days (since it overlaps with Catalyst), I am excited to see what God is going to do there.

Friends, we are going to need your prayers these next few days as we lead Catalyst and Getaway. Here are a few ways to be praying:

-          Pray for the staff, that we will lead in a way that listens to the Spirit.

-          Pray for the students, that they will have soft hearts and be prepared to hear from God

-          Pray for the logistics, that we will not get bogged down in the details but that God will take care of those things, leaving us free to worship.

Have and excellent day!

~Adam