By Chad Hershberger

Once again this January, we took a group from our synod to Winterfest, a large youth event in Lancaster. This was the third year we’ve done so and we’ve grown from just three people to nine this year!

I love energy in the hotel’s auditorium with a few hundred youth and their advisors. The worship experiences are meaningful, the accommodations were fantastic, the food was good, and the fellowship was top-notch.

This year’s theme was “Better Together.” We were reminded over and over again that as a community of believers, we are better together.

We lived this out as we did a food packing project on Saturday afternoon. The 260 people packed about 30,000 meals for those who endure food insecurity. We were able to pack those meals in under an hour!

Family time is also one of my favorite times during the event. We gathered as our “home” group of those from the synod. We debriefed on the day and shared our reflections on what we were learning and observing. It was endearing to me to see the growth that our youth and adults experienced during the weekend.

If you are in high school or are a young adult, consider coming with our synod group this year. We’d like to get a small contingent to be part of Winterfest. If you are interested in attending, please contact us at cml@campmountluther.org. Registration closes in early December.

And please reach out if you have any questions. I’d be happy to tell you more stories about my time at Winterfest.