The name Momentum Ministry Partners comes from the foundational principle that we are a true partner of the local church. We love cheering on students and youth groups and watching God work through the local church. Last weekend, Momentum had the opportunity to observe local churches gathering and students’ lives being changed through Collide Winter Retreat in Northern Indiana. Multiple youth groups from Indiana and Ohio gathered to be challenged from Scripture and engage in dynamic worship. A friend of Momentum, Jordan Howerton, lead worship for the weekend.
“It was the exact thing I needed at the time. The sessions were so relatable and understandable…and made it really easy to apply to my life.” —7th Grade Student
“Collide has been one of the best weekends I can remember. Seeing what the Lord did in the lives of the young middle schoolers, as well as what He did in my high school friends, was amazing to see. I loved it!” —12th Grade Student
“Right from the start, Collide 2022 was all about going back home and putting into action a fight plan. Throughout the weekend our speaker reminded us that if nothing changes, nothing changes. To make changes we simply need to ask, what is God telling me? And what am I going to do about it? God’s Spirit was working in our students’ hearts to make real practical changes in their lives as they continue to pursue Jesus.” -Youth Pastor
Shawn Mason is the youth pastor at Community Grace Church in Warsaw, Ind. Six years ago, Collide started when he and a fellow youth pastor dreamed of having a small camp for northern Indiana churches. They started with two churches and 53 people. This year was a record-breaking year with seven churches and around 240 in attendance. About Collide 2022, Shawn said, “This was one of the best years for Collide. We weren’t sure if it would survive through Covid, but this year God put our doubts to rest. The leadership team worked tirelessly to make sure Collide happened as well…Our goal has always been this: to provide a winter conference where churches come together to push their students towards and in their relationship with Jesus Christ, and that’s exactly what we saw God do this year!”
Eric Miller, Executive Director of Ministry at Momentum, spent the weekend with Shawn and the youth groups in attendance. He said, “I loved getting to see these students and youth groups challenged to take next steps in their faith. That’s a huge part of why Momentum exists, and any time that’s happening, I love getting to be a part of that! For me, the best part was getting to see how the youth pastors and youth leaders invested in their students over the course of the weekend. Everywhere you looked there were spiritual conversations happening and discipleship taking place. It’s my prayer that continues long after the weekend concludes, and the fruit of what God did continues well into 2022!”
A version of this story originally appeared in a newsletter from Momentum Ministry Partners. Find more information about Momentum on their website here.