2009 Stuck in the Middle Recap

Last weekend we took our middle school students back to Stuck in the Middle, a GREAT conference for 6^th-8^th grade students.  This was one of the best year’s ever.  The Josh Weaver Band was a HUGE improvement over last year.  Alan Mercer, Sean Meade, and Andy Jack all did a great job during the main sessions.  The late night activities were decent.  The Comfort Inn and Suites was the best ever, right across the street. 

 

The best part:  Our kids came away with their highlight being Andy Jack’s seminar on contemplative prayer and the discovery room where they participated in a number of different prayer stations.  GREAT stuff!  Cant’ wait to go back.

 

If you’ve never been to Stuck, it’s worth your time.  For more pics go here!

 

Here is the recap article I wrote for our church newspaper:

 

First Church middle school students spent Friday and Saturday, February 20 and 21, in Kansas City for a weekend conference for 6^th-8^th graders called, “Stuck in the Middle.”

 

“I liked ALL of it!” said 6^th grader Drake Walden.  “The music, the fun stuff…I just liked it all.”

 

The main sessions focused on four chapters of God’s Story.  The first chapter was illustrated by a beautiful pot that stood for “the way things were” and how God created the world and everything was good.  The second was about “the way things are” and how sin had entered the world.  The speaker took an identical pot and broke it which gave students a great picture of our brokenness and need for a savior.

 

The third chapter had another identical pot that had been broken but was glued back together.  This was about “the way things can be” and how Jesus puts our lives together.  said, “When your pot breaks,” said seventh grader John Willome, “[God] can rebuild you and make your life better.”  The last pot was identical to the first and illustrated “the way things will be” and how Jesus will give us new bodies in the life to come. 

 

After the main session on Friday night students were treated to a concert along with a scavenger hunt and games.  Saturday was packed with more main sessions, a comedy concert, and “Learning Labs.”

 

The favorite of most students was called, “The God Hunt” where they were taught different forms of contemplative prayer.  Seventh grader Tatiana Mooradian said, “We went into this small room and were encouraged to relax and close our eyes and talk to God and think about bad and good moments in our lives.  This was a time when we could ask for help for the bad moments and thank God for the good moments.  It was really cool.”

 

A number of other students went another Lab called the “Discovery Room” that was set up with different prayer stations.  Eighth grader Bryce Saunders felt like he “was there with God in the room and that He was praying with me.”  Zack Maxwell, 7^th grader, said that when he was praying, “it felt like He was there.”

 

The last session Saturday ended with a “blessing of shoes” that no matter where these students walked, they would be ministering wherever they go, as ministers on staff at “God’s Church.”  For students at First Church, “Stuck in the Middle” was another great step in their faith journey.