“You just gotta go!” That is usually the response one gets when a student is asked, "how would you describe Leadership Lab?"

Leadership Lab is June 20-25, 2022, in Rock Island, Illinois. For more info, read below, visit www.leadershiplab.net, or contact Marissa Metevelis at Leadershiplabdirectors@gmail.com.

This ministry is a collaboration of the 3 synods of Illinois. Each summer for one week about 325 high school and college age students gather for a week of worship, learning, small group activities, and faith development. Those previous mentioned aspects are why youth leaders and pastors convince them to go; but why they come back-that's another story. Students return for of the depth of friendship they develop within their small group over the week, they come back to worship in a new and fresh way, they come back because for some it is the one place they truly connect with God.

This year after 2 years of virtual Leadership Lab, we are excited to be back on the campus of Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois, for the week of June 20-25. We are geared for students who are in 9th grade all the way through age 22, and we have an adult track designed to teach youth ministry skills to lay leaders.

Las Vegas churches have been attending this event since 1997, in 2019 Pr Jacqui and her child Franky joined us, Casey Goslin from PHLY, and Taylor Welch from Synod council both joined us virtually in 2020. Within our synod, Campformation has been a huge part of faith formation for youth, and Leadership Lab can be an extension of that ministry. Granted, GCS churches have an extra burden of travel costs, but once churches are exposed to the high quality programming and the response they get, churches become supportive of this endeavor.

Along with worship and small group activities, students learn about their leadership style, they learn how to plan icebreakers for their youth group, they learn how to plan a Bible study for others their age, and they learn how to problem solve and brainstorm within a group, they are challenged to have conversations with new people and pray for others as well. Lab is the equivalent of 28 hours of youth group, a half a year of worship, and 14 meals with friends and leaders.

Registration closes May 1, cost to attend is $400 with various discounts, including an introductory price of $275 for up to 2 students in a church. Please visit www.leadershiplab.net for more information or reach out to Marissa Metevelis at Leadershiplabdirectors@gmail.com. If this is not the year for you, please consider adding this to your future programming, 2022 dates: July 17-21.