NAPF Mixes Prayer

with Holy Fun

by Amy Hicks

“Knowin’ and believin’ are two different things.” This line from the movie Left Behind was used by Jesse Smith, this year’s speaker, to begin the 2001 National Association of Pilgrim Fellowship (NAPF) Conference. Almost 220 high schoolers and adults, from 13 states, converged on the campus of Michigan State University in East Lansing, Michigan. They would spend much of their time from Saturday, June 23, to Wednesday, June 27 exploring the depths of their faith as they were challenged to “DIVE IN.”

Jesse Smith (California), the 2000 NAPF guest speaker, returned to the Conference this year to build on last year’s agenda. Jesse began with exploring the idea of Christianity. In his first session, he implored everyone to determine where he or she was on his or her own path with Christ. You may know what the path is, and even where it is, but do you walk on that path? Are you a Sunday Christian, or do you follow Jesus each and every day of your life? As the whole group sessions, and eventually the small groups as well, continued, all were challenged to look at their own lives, examine their own path, and determine if they were ready to dive into a life where Jesus is King.

Em Wright, Stanton, Michigan, nears the finish of the inflatable obstacle course.

Maybe the most powerful session was the fourth, entitled, “Going Deeper.” During this session, Jesse gave a very simple, easy to remember, method for prayer. It follows the acronym ACTS. The “A” stands for Adoration. Spend some time praising God for who He is. The “C” is for Confession. Confess your sins to God and ask for His forgiveness. The “T” is for Thanksgiving. Thank Him for all the things that He has done for you. Finally, the “S” stands for Supplication. Simply speaking, supplication means to ask God for His help.

The final session, “Where Do I Go From Here?” concentrated on always taking your faith a step further. One of the quotes used in this session speaks volumes, “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

The Conference was not all about deep insight. There were many opportunities for fun and fellowship. Each morning, before Morning Watch, and each evening before Vespers, a praise and worship session was held, run by the NAPF officers and Harvest Ministries, who provided inspirational music of all kinds throughout the day and evening. This year’s Dr. Embarrassing, played by Penny Everson (Boston, Massachusetts), added a light humor and started the day out with a smile from everyone. There were several different social events.

Tim Gorman, Royal Oak, Michigan, gets stuck upside down on the Velcro wall.

One specifically occurred on a beautiful, sunny Sunday afternoon. Six different games were set up, and small groups competed against each other in a series of Inflatable Games. These games included a Human Foosball, a Velcro Wall, a Bungee Run, the Joust, and an inflated Obstacle Course. The final game was Water Volleyball. This was a cooperative effort as each team had a bed sheet. Working as a team, the small group members had to hold the sheet and catch a water balloon “volleyball”. Then, as a team, using the same sheet, they had to fling the water balloon back over the net to the opposing team. What a refreshing way to spend a hot summer day!

Monday evening played host to the annual NAPF/HOPE talent show. The talent was first screened by Michelle Simino (Portage, Michigan) and Rob Fredrickson (Green Bay, Wisconsin). Hosted by Kelley and Sarah Youmans (Jackson, Michigan), this year’s show contained 23 acts of all varieties. There were pianists, soloists, guitar players, dancers (of many varieties), singers, and comedians. The acts were endless, and the talent was phenomenal.

The last night of the Conference held to its true form, with the farewell banquet. Following the banquet, the Installation of Officers ceremony was held. Installed were President David Gorman (Royal Oak, Michigan), First Vice President, Steve White (Glendale, Wisconsin), Second Vice President, Ryan Hite (Franklin, Indiana), Secretary, Laura Grover (Salt Lake City, Utah), Co-Director Wendy Brown (Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio), and Co-Director Lynn Merkel (Gurnee, Illinois).

When adults and youth dined together, suggested questions and topics encouraged interaction.

The most interesting and exciting event at this year’s NAPF Conference was the inter-generational evening spent with the adults from the NACCC Annual Meeting. Since the NACCC meeting was being held across the street at the Kellogg Center at Michigan State University, the evening seemed destined to happen. At 6 p.m. Sunday, the adults ventured across the street. The NAPFer’s and HOPEr’s were already seated, two or three at a table, leaving plenty of room for the adults to join them. Each table was equipped with lists of questions and suggested topics to help conversations between the age groups. Most tables, however, had very little difficulty conducting their own discussions. By the time dinner was over, the ice had been broken and everyone was at ease as they traveled across the street, back to the Kellogg Center for entertainment provided by the improvisational comedy team CPR. After about an hour of side-splitting humor, the mood turned more serious as all three groups of individuals sat together for an evening worship service. It was an incredibly moving experience.

Carl, Pete, and Ringo (CPR) kept both generations laughing for an hour with their boisterous good humor, featuring ridiculous charades. (Do you know about cow tipping? The youth all did.)

As we close this chapter, and begin looking forward to next year’s Conference in Spokane, Washington, let us remember the simple lessons of this Conference, designed by the officers and Co-Directors Wendy Brown (Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio) and Steve Erkel (Otsego, Michigan). Each day of your life, examine where on the path you are. Do you have to tell people that you are a Christian, or will they see that for themselves?

Amy Hicks belongs to Horton Congregational Church, Horton, Michigan.

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