Aug 29, 2017
by Emily Watt
Children’s Conference 2017 was a week filled with growth, fun, and relationship building. Forty-nine students were registered for Children’s Conference, from Pre-K to Jr. High. The program was put on using Group Publishing’s Maker Fun Factory Vacation Bible School kit. This kit tied into the theme of the General Conference because it helped students to understand that each person is made uniquely for the specific life that he is meant to live and to reach the people around him for the Lord.
The morning started with a Welcome message from Director Emily Watt and a short video that introduced the message for the day. A volunteer student would then pray for concerns that other students brought forward, and for the day itself. Afterwards, Joe and Karissa Bornemann would lead students in a half hour of music and worship. Students rotated through several different centers that focused on a global daily theme and a daily verse. These centers included Bible Discovery (led by Keli Watt and Elianna Chroniger), Imagination Station (led by Lauren Telford and Joe Bornemann), Snack Factory (led by Dusty Davis, Logan Curran, and Cane Davis), KidVid Cinema (led by Michaella Osborn and Dustin Tio), and Soundwave Sing and Play (led by Nathan Crowder and Abigail Noel). At the end of the morning session, students would come back together in the main auditorium for a closing talk and prayer.
Throughout the week, students were asked to present ideas for the Program Presentation, allotted for Sabbath morning. They brought forth some amazing ideas, including confetti cannons and beach balls. The director was highly entertained by their ideas and encouraged the students to create a program that would be as much fun as humanly possible for everyone involved. She is proud of the program that they created and thrilled by the pride that the students took in their creation.
In the afternoon, students participated in recreation that also featured lessons that tied into the daily theme. Elementary Recreation was coordinated by Victoria Richards, Caleb Gammons, and Randi Gammons. Gabi Osborn and Jevy Martin coordinated Jr. High Recreation.
Each day was wrapped up with Kid’s Campfire, which was put on by a group of highly able and excited high school volunteers, including Annie Lloyd (who worked extremely hard as the coordinator), Isaac Floyd, Becca Uhlich, and Brock Hannah. While supervised by the director and other adults, these students in particular created schedules, organized students, and worked hard to create a loving and fun environment for students while their parents were in Evening Worship. They deserve a very special round of applause for their willingness and their enthusiasm towards this program.
Children’s Conference seeks to educate and train the future leaders of our Conference using community and solid teaching. This applies to the students who are enrolled in the program, as well as the volunteers. As the director, I would like to extend my gratitude to the parents who enrolled their children into the program, the children who made this week as special as it was, and to the volunteers who dedicated their time and energy to the future of the Conference. I loved watching the students become engaged in the curriculum and form relationships with other SDBs from around the nation. I simply cannot wait to see what Children’s Conference 2018 will hold.
