Keeping it cool at winter youth conference
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The four S's of youth conference could be listed as such: Spiritual development, Scripture study, Social activities and, of course, bottles and bottles of SPF-30 sunblock.
It's true — most young men and women in the Church associate their ward or stake's annual youth conference with summer and sun. It's great fun, but the timing of such warm-weather events can bring with it a few challenges. Sometimes a youth conference conflicts with summer work schedules or sporting events. And a multi-vehicle/multi-day road trip to a distant lake, beach or campsite can be pricey for leaders and parents alike.
A ward in Magna, Utah, recently participated in a winter youth conference — opting for ski beanies and gloves over swimsuits and flip-flops.
Over a four-day period, the youth leaders and young people from the Spencer 3rd Ward, Magna Utah Central Stake, came together for a conference anchored in service, gospel learning, testimony building and fun. Bishop Craig Bliss has already witnessed the benefits yielded from the slightly unconventional youth conference.
"The winter conference has had a positive impact on our youth," he said. "Our youth are closer. Some of the inactive youth have become more involved. And we've seen a difference in our Sunday activities."
Bishop Bliss said the scheduling of the ward youth conference allowed for maximum participation. Staging a youth conference in December meant fewer conflicts with family vacations and summer jobs. The activities throughout the conference were also close to home, so the ward remained inside its budget without having to cover costly expenses for gas and food.
The Christmas season, he added, "provided a lot of opportunities for great service."
In all, some 20 youth participated in the conference — about 60 percent of the young people in the ward. Counted among the participants were young people who had not been regulars at Sabbath and Mutual activities.
The Spencer 3rd Ward youth conference began on Thursday, Dec. 3, with an evening visit to the Oquirrh Mountain Utah Temple to labor at the baptistry. The excursion helped define the conference's message of spiritual development and service as the youth and their leaders worked and worshipped together inside the temple.
The next night the youth gathered at a member family's home to roast hot dogs and marshmallows on a backyard barbecue pit. They huddled close together, sang Christmas carols and enjoyed one another's company.
Saturday marked a day of service and learning. The young men and women visited with residents at a nearby retirement center. Later, they went door-to-door in their neighborhood collecting food items as part of the Dec. 5 Church-endorsed food drive. Despite the snowy weather, the young people were warmed by the opportunities to help folks in their community who might be lonesome or hungry.
Later that afternoon, the youth and their leaders traveled across the Salt Lake Valley to This Is The Place Heritage Park. There they learned about how the Mormon Pioneers celebrated Christmas and attended classes that focused on the gospel values promoted by the Young Women Personal Progress program. They also enjoyed a meal together, discussing the activities of the past three days.
Sunday services at the ward meetinghouse allowed the young people and the leaders to share their testimonies and review the many gospel lessons learned during the winter youth conference.
"It was a tremendous meeting," said Bishop Bliss.
Like any successful youth conference, the winter event was well planned. Bishop Bliss said the youth began organizing the December activities in August during Bishop Youth Council meetings. Several parents were also able to participate in one or more of the youth conference events.
