Children’s, Youth & Young Adults Ministries Plan 2027 Initiatives at Annual Coordinators Retreat

Hagerstown, Md. — Coordinators from every ministry under the Children’s, Youth & Young Adults umbrella gathered Aug. 7-9 at Mt. Aetna Retreat Center in Hagerstown, Md., for the annual Coordinators Retreat, where teams outlined new initiatives, events, and plans for the coming year.

Ann Reynolds, Children’s Ministry director, led the Adventurer Club team’s discussion of the upcoming Leadership Convention, where Adventurer Ministry will offer the Adventurer Director Certification on the Ministry Development track. 

The team also introduced an online Club Yearly Application, replacing the paper form clubs have used in the past, a change designed to move local clubs further into the digital space. Coordinators also selected the theme for the 2027 Adventurer Family Weekend, which organizers plan to reveal in the coming months.

Kenya Reyes-de León, youth and young adults director, led the Pathfinder, TLT, and Master Guide team’s planning session, which covered the upcoming Pathfinder Camporee and the ministry’s first-ever Master Guide Camporee, scheduled for October. The team also discussed plans to implement local TLT trainings and workshops across clubs. Separately, Pathfinder coordinators reviewed a Director’s Handbook now in development to support local club directors and evaluated nominees for Pathfinder of the Year and TLT of the Year, both of which will be announced at this year’s Pathfinder Camporee.

Reyes-de León’s youth and young adult teams also discussed Generation Now 2027, local youth events planned throughout the year, and the 2027 Young Adult Retreat, which will focus on relationships. The teams reviewed upcoming Youth & Young Adults certifications and announced a new Local Mission Trip week set to launch later this fall.

“Every year this retreat reminds our coordinators that they’re not planning alone; they’re building something together for the young people in our churches,” said Kenya Reyes-de León, youth and young adults director.

For more information, please visit the Youth Ministries webpage here.