Youth Leader Summit
October 23-25, 2023
“The Youth Leader Summit is the perfect moment of rest, connection, and renewal I needed after the holidays. It was great to kick off the year with colleagues explaining how to think and love deeply in youth ministry.”
A weekend retreat where you can come together to worship and learn leadership skills while doing fun recreational activities!
The Youth Leader Summit seeks to be a supportive and informative gathering for all who work with young people in the church—youth directors, parents, pastors, educators and/or advisors are all welcome! Together, we will spend three days and two nights digging into some of the current issues facing youth ministry while also sharing joys, concerns and best practices. There will also be time for individual and group worship, play, rest and relaxation!
Working with and serving students in middle and high school, plus their parents, in our communities of faith requires no small amount of creativity, vision, persistence and joyful patience. In fact, youth ministry demands all the energy, intelligence, imagination and love that we can muster.
We want to honor our partnership in ministry with you by offering this annual event. Mo-Ranch wants to pour some love and strength back into you! We believe you need and deserve some dedicated time away with your colleagues to recharge and regroup.
Youth leader Summit Keynote : Justin Forbes
After graduating from Flagler College in 2002, Justin spent ten years in youth ministry responsible for building and leading teams that worked with middle school, high school, and college-aged students that covered a broad spectrum of racial, socioeconomic, and religious backgrounds. In 2012, Justin decided to pursue further education by attending Princeton Theological Seminary. It was at Princeton that Justin discovered his love for teaching, and developing future leaders in Youth Ministry. Justin continued his education completing his PhD in Divinity at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland. He joined Flagler College in 2015 and serves as the director of the Youth Ministry Program, the Center for the Study of Religion and Culture, and Assistant Professor of Religion. Justin has been married to Bethany Forbes for just over twenty years and together have six children.
Workshop Leader : Amber Cloud
Amber graduated with a degree in Deaf Education from Stephen F. Austin. She then obtained my Masters of Arts in Youth Ministry through the Center for Youth Ministry Training (CYMT) at Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary earlier this year! Amber is currently serving as the Director of Youth Ministries at Trinity United Methodist Church in Huntsville, AL. In her freetime, you can find her somewhere outside! Some of the things Amber enjoys the most are hiking, traveling and paddle boarding.
Cost and Housing
Attendees will be housed in Guest Lodge.
This conference is free. Meals included, starting with dinner Monday until breakfast Wednesday.
Questions? We’re happy to help! Contact us at 1.800.460.4401 ext. 246 or registrar@moranch.org.
Packing Suggestions
- Comfortable/casual clothes
- Comfortable walking shoes (close-toed shoes recommended)
- Flashlight (it is very dark here at night)
- Bible
- Journal
- Toiletries
- Sunblock, sunshades and hats
- Rain jacket
- Water bottle
- A clean face mask for each day, and or full face shield.
- Beds are ready upon arrive; hotel rooms do not have mini-fridges, microwaves, TVs or hair dryers, so please plan accordingly.
- Towel are in rooms, and river towels are at the river and pool.
Transportation
Mo-Ranch is 90 miles one-way, or a 2-hour drive from the nearest airport (SAT), allow 3 hours travel/check-in time for departures. We recommend generally scheduling arriving flights before 3 p.m. and departing flights after 3 p.m. to be sure you do not miss any of your event. If you are in need of shuttle service to Mo-Ranch, call Kars for Hire in Kerrville at (830) 890-8200 at least 15 days in advance to arrange transportation from San Antonio International Airport.
Bookstore
Make sure to stop by the Presbyterian Mo-Ranch Assembly bookstore during your conference to pick out a souvenir!
Questions
We’re happy to help! Contact us at 1.800.460.4401 ext. 246 or registrar@moranch.org.
