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 Anaheim ’07 youth
convention goes “Everywhere”
More
than 1,000 high school students and youth workers attended
Anaheim ’07, the national Mennonite Brethren youth convention
held March 31 to April 3 at the Anaheim (Calif.) Hilton
Hotel. Anaheim ’07 was filled with firsts.
- The convention
had a hands-on format that decentralized the general
sessions.
- Tabor College,
Fresno Pacific University and MB Biblical Seminary,
the three U.S. MB educational institutions, hosted the
convention and representatives of the schools served
as co-chairs of the event.
- Anaheim
’07 was the first national MB youth convention held
in an urban center. Previous conventions had been held
in mountain settings and at full-service conference
centers that were adequate but offered limited programming
versatility.
- The program
sported new features including a Prayer Labyrinth and
a variety of late night options.
 Online coverage of Anaheim ’07
is organized along the lines of the convention itself. Unlike
a typical conventions speaker-focused convention, the Anaheim
’07 program gave equal “weight” to three events: general
sessions with speaker Roy Crowne, three-hour ministry track
sessions designed to develop students’ gifts and interests,
and Tourformation, an all-day field trip intended to expose
students to needs and service opportunities in greater LA.
These three components highlight core Anabaptist values:
incarnational ministry, spiritual nurture and formation
in community, engaging the world with the gospel and every
believer’s call to ministry.
Anaheim ’07 was a convention
about “Everywhere.” It took place in a variety of settings
and so we recruited a team of student reporters to help
tell the Anaheim ’07 story. You can read electronic versions
of the news stories published in the May issue of the Christian
Leader. You can also read essays written by our student
reporters.
The news stories will tell you
what happened and the essays will tell you how the students
responded to what they experienced. Our coverage is grouped
into five sections: overview articles and articles concerning
the three main events: general sessions, Ministry Tracks
and Tourformation, and post-convention events.
Thanks to our student reporters
(pictured left to right): Back row: Zach Buller, Memorial
Road MB Church of Edmond, Okla.; Stephanie Hicks, Copper
Hills Community Church, Glendale, Ariz.; Jenny Adrian, Buhler
(Kan.) MB Church, Grant Stutzman, New Hope Bible Church
of Grants Pass, Ore.; David Vogel, Hillsboro (Kan.) MB Church;
Korinne Ernst, Neighborhood Church of Visalia, Calif.; Abby
Faul, Harvey (ND) MB Church and Shay Stucky of Bushtown
MB Church in Lenoir, NC. Front row: Jacob Pena, Mission
(Texas) MB Church; Julia Baker of College Community Church
in Clovis, Calif.; Katie Kirkindoll of Neighborhood Church;
Whitney Allen of Parkview MB Church in Hillsboro, Kan.;
Thaddeus Nichols of Hesston (Kan.) MB Church; Amanda Faber
of Ebenfeld MB Church in Hillsboro, Kan.; Nicole Simmons
of Bushtown MB Church; and Suzanna Quiring of North Fresno
MB Church of Fresno, Calif. Not pictured is Clint Kroeker
of Henderson (Neb.) MB Church. —the editors
—Connie Faber,
Christian Leader editor
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