Thursday, April 7, 2011

RECreation Weekend 2011

Live, Christian music rocked the chapel on Friday, April 1. It was the first day of RECreation weekend, an event designed for fellowship and community-building for the Waco campus and Boys Ranch youth. The Home’s religious education (RE) and recreation departments worked in conjunction to create the schedule for the weekend. And it was packed with fun-filled activities, from hearing inspirational speakers to going on a photo scavenger hunt.

Rev. Quinton Gibson, pastor of St. James United Methodist Church in Temple, and Rev. Chris Mesa, pastor of Austin Avenue United Methodist Church in Waco, kicked off the weekend by speaking to MCH residents Friday evening.

The theme of the weekend’s events centered around RE’s theme for the year, which is “Story”. The word “story” represents God’s story. The message RE hopes to share with this theme is that God’s story doesn’t end with the Bible, and they are helping youth understand how their stories fit into God’s story.

Saturday morning, teams of residents were sent on a photo scavenger hunt in Waco, set up by recreation coordinators Matthew Maron and Beth Harris. A lot of fun and unique photos were taken. Our youth enjoyed their Saturday morning hunt, and it shows in their photos! The list of items to find ranged from sweet to wacky. Winning teams’ photos are pictured below.

Winner of finding something magnificent in Waco.

Winner of most unique t-shirt.

Winner of the category "picture of love."

Runner-up for "do what a sign says."

Winner of "do what a sign says."

Winner of "biggest patch of bluebonnets."

Winner of finding the smallest house.

Overall winning team for most points earned.

Community lunches were provided for the youth Saturday and Sunday afternoons. Nancy Teagardner, director of dietician services, and her team did a great job setting up the pavilion on the Waco campus for lunch on Saturday. Youth were able to munch on their meals and enjoy the fresh air while hanging out with friends.

The weekend concluded with guest speakers Josh Ingram, a singer and songwriter, and Rev. Tonya Burton, Director of the Perkins Youth School of Theology at Southern Methodist University. Bus Seven, MCH music director Colin Campbell’s band, provided musical entertainment and worship throughout the weekend.

Kim Hammitt, director for RE, said the weekend was a success.

“Created as an RE-intense event, it’s about fellowship and building relationships among our youth,” she said.

1 comment:

Allison Crawford - MCH Benefactor Relations said...

My husband and I ran into a group of our MCH kids at HEB while they were on their scavenger hunt. They all seemed to be having a GREAT time!! Hope they were able to find a family with more that 4 kids! I should have suggested they take a picture of themselves! Although they don't always remember, they are a FAMILY when at the HOME.

Great job RE and REC!! What a fun event!!