DWU campus pastor, Anthony Purcell, gets the crowd excited at the fall ecumenical youth gathering. (photo by Dave Stucke)

On Wednesday, October 23, over 300 middle and high schoolers, along with the adults who support their faith journeys, gathered on the Dakota Wesleyan campus in Mitchell, South Dakota, for an ecumenical youth rally. The evening's activities were the revival of a tradition and the result of intentional collaboration. 

"The event idea started with partnership in the connection," described Rev. Anthony Purcell, DWU campus pastor. "Downtown First UMC in Mitchell put one on last fall and asked us to join, and when we participated with them in that work, reflection on how DWU used to put on an area ecumenical youth rally surfaced! Some of DWU's community were excited by the event with First last year and so began exploring how we might resurrect that tradition."  

The event was planned and led by the DWU Campus Ministry team. 

"We had to have certain teams planning worship, planning games, and planning food," described Keesha Letcher, one of the student leaders in campus ministry. "It was a process in which we needed all of campus ministry to play a role. This was not something that one person could handle on their own. It was a group effort."  

That group effort paid off, as the response from attendees was tremendously positive. 

"I enjoyed the peer involvement and the amazing worship," said Ava Laffey, president of the Dakotas Conference Council on Youth Ministry, who attended the event with her youth group from Alexandria United Methodist Church.  

"I think everyone found their way to connect to God that night."  

That sentiment was echoed by adult leaders as well. 

"Our conversation on the way back centered around how much fun was had," shared Rev. Clay Lundberg, pastor of the United Methodist Church in Canton, South Dakota. "The overall message of being who you are, exactly as God made you, rather than comparing yourself to a celebrity, influencer, or even a friend is a message we cannot hear enough times." 

Speaker Scott Erickson challenge youth to embrace who they uniquely are and not compare themselves to others. (photo by Dave Stucke)

That message was provided by Scott Erickson, artist, author, and performance speaker. His message centered around our calling as those made in the image of God to share our unique gifts and be a part of bringing about goodness in the world. He reminded attendees about the unhealthy effects of social media and comparison culture when it comes to appreciating how God created us and the unique calling God has on our lives.  

"Scott Erickson gave a great message that had a lot of themes students are currently struggling with and need to hear," said Anna Mutzenberger, campus ministry student leader and Dakotas Conference Elisha intern.  

"I think he did an amazing job of talking about social media the right way," shared Letcher. "It's a big issue that kids face, especially at that age. The experience, for me, was great, and I think the students would say the same." 

In addition to the speaker, the evening included food and fellowship, a time of worship led by campus ministry students and youth from Mitchell Fusion, and some fun activities, including Silly String Pictionary.  

"The Silly String Pictionary was a definite highlight," said Pastor Clay. 

Canton UMC was just one of the many churches that brought youth to the event. In addition to teens from various churches in Mitchell, youth groups from Sioux Falls, Huron, Iroquois, Plankinton, Alexandria, and Gregory-Burke-Herrick journeyed to attend the mid-week gathering.  

"I thought the event was super awesome!" said Nate Meyers, another Elisha intern and student campus ministry leader. "It was so neat to see kids from all over the state come together and be so excited for the Lord." 

For leaders like Pastor Clay, this gathering is hopefully a stepping stone of faith growth and involvement.  

"Unfortunately, the youth from my church have not been willing to commit to an entire weekend event like DakYouth or even an overnight event like Winter Connection," described Pastor Clay. “This one-night event is the perfect way to 'dip a toe into the water' to see what a DakYouth or Winter Connection event could be like." 

Pastor Peggy Hason, who brought youth from Madison UMC, echoed that sentiment and expressed appreciation for what DWU has to offer in helping strengthen those connections in their faith journey. 

"Getting the youth comfortable as they prepare to make the next steps is important," said Pastor Peggy. "DWU has some resources that individual churches don't have, so it's great they can offer them." 

Student leader and Elisha intern, Nate Meyers, leads the crowd in games and fun as a part of the area youth rally at DWU. (photo by Dave Stucke)

Offering opportunities for young people to grow in their relationship with God and others is an example of the larger mission and vision of DWU campus ministry, summed up in their motto, "It's better when you're here." 

Events like this become an opportunity to spread that ethos and plant seeds of faith beyond themselves. 

"It is important for campus ministry to do these types of things because we are helping inspire the next generation of Christian leaders," said Nate. "If they see us helping serve Christ, they may be motivated or inspired to serve Christ in their own circles." 

These student leaders reflected on what an event like this would have meant for them during their middle and high school years, both for their journey of faith and their college decisions.  

"Being able to see what worship is like on a college campus would have made me so excited as a high school student," explained Anna. "I was really worried about what my faith life would like in college and having that example would have eased a lot of those worries." 

This positive experience of discipleship and community will no doubt fuel future events and outreach like this youth rally. 

"I think it's important for campus ministry to reach out to more than just our own campus," emphasized Keesha.  "Serving those in the greater community allows us to grow as a campus and show the love of God to more than just our peers." 

"We're hopeful, I think, that God worked through Scott and the event to plant a calling in each attendee to be Kingdom-oriented co-creators," added Pastor Anthony. "If nothing else, we hope the event gave them a chance to experience the Spirit in connection as one Body of Christ in worship together." 

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For more information about future events or about campus ministry at DWU, contact campus ministers, Pastor Anthony Purcell or Pastor Taryn Ragels. 

To receive more information about Dakota Wesleyan or schedule a visit, contact the Admissions Office. 

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Another way to encourage young people in their journeys of faith and education is through United Methodist Student Sunday special offering. United Methodist Student Day is Sunday, November 24, 2024. Find more resources here.