Spring Break 2023: Learning, Growing, Serving

It has been a busy past few weeks for many of the ministries of HPUMC. Camp-to-Career embarked on a powerful Civil Rights Pilgrimage to Little Rock and Memphis. The college ministry of HPUMC, Wesley House, went on its annual Spring Retreat, and HPUMC Youth returned to Blueprint Ministries in San Antonio for their impactful Spring Break Mission Trip.

Camp-to-Career Spring Break Civil Rights Pilgrimage

Each summer, the camp portion of HPUMC’s Camp-to-Career Ministry offers kids ages 9-17 a chance to be outdoors and dive into God’s word in a fun, safe space. However, camp is just the beginning.

During spring break of their senior year, those who have “aged out” of camp (18 years and older) embark on a Civil Rights Pilgrimage through Little Rock, Arkansas, and Memphis, Tennessee from March 13 to 16.

The first stop for the students this spring was Little Rock Central High School, where they learned about the historic desegregation of the school in 1957, when nine African American students (the “Little Rock Nine”) attended the school, paving the way for others but facing physical and verbal attacks as they did.

Participants continued learning at the Little Rock Nine Monument at the Arkansas State Capital and the William J. Clinton Library & Museum. Then, they headed to Memphis, where they learned at the National Civil Rights Museum, visited the Stax Museum of American Soul Music, and drove by Slave Haven Underground Railroad. Each day, and each location, offered opportunities to learn and reflect.

Many of the students on the trip have been in Camp-to-Career for many years, some since the camp portion of the program as kids, while others joined the important trip as fully-fledged high school seniors. Through this powerful trip, all students were able to dive into difficult history and their heritage in order to understand the importance of their journeys.

Youth Spring Break Mission Trip

From March 12 to 17 this spring, middle and high school students made their way to San Antonio for HPUMC Youth’s annual Spring Break Mission Trip, helping restore homes in underserved neighborhoods with Blueprint Ministries. Friendships were formed and strengthened daily as teams of students and volunteers ventured out to serve by roofing, painting, and flooring homes.

This mission trip featured a partnership with Munger Youth of Munger Place Church, a satellite campus of Highland Park United Methodist Church. Across both campuses, 71 students and 17 adult volunteers took part in this trip, and they laughed, bonded, and worshiped together as they served each day. The HPUMC Youth Ministry looks forward to bringing together all campus youth ministries in the future.

The theme for this year’s trip was Frequency, which addressed all of the different “frequencies” that students are facing today—messages from all around them. All week, students learned about the power of prayer. As students heard from Rev. Chelsea Peddecord, Pastor to Youth, each night, they were met with the following questions and more:

• Am I praying the right way?

• What if my prayers are not answered?

• What frequencies seem to be really loud when you’re trying to hear God?

• What if the frequency feels like it is not there, or maybe you feel like your voice is on full blast, but God is on mute?

Faith was deepened and doubts were addressed on the trip as students learned Biblical ways to play and how to pray with confidence, regardless of the other frequencies in their lives.

Wesley House Spring Retreat

The college ministry of HPUMC, Wesley House, went on its bi-annual Spring Retreat this spring. This off-campus retreat is a full weekend in both the fall and spring semester that cultivates meaningful friendships and challenges students to take a step further in faith. Students on the trip this year were able to experience relaxation, worship, community, and good conversation.

The group had lots of refreshing outdoor fun, swimming and kayaking during the trip. College students can often feel weighed down by classes, tests, and social pressures, but this retreat allowed them to step away to rest, pray, and fellowship.

These impactful spring trips of HPUMC allowed students of all ages to learn, serve, and grow through a spring break Civil Rights Pilgrimage, a mission trip to restore homes in underserved neighborhoods, and a relaxing retreat to connect with friends and the Lord in the midst of college chaos.