The Dakotas Conference had a huge presence this past week in Orlando, Florida at YOUTH15.  There were 240 youth and adults from across North Dakota and South Dakota who travelled to reach out in mission work and be inspired to "Go On".  One in every 20 of the 5,000 that attended YOUTH15 were from the Dakotas Conference.

What does it mean to ‘Go On’? The Wesleyan Movement began because of the foundational idea that faith produces inward and outward holiness. In other words, the faith you have calls you to put it into action. When you go on to take action because of your faith, it is one way to show God that you do love your neighbor. Learning about God, Jesus, the church, etc. are all good things – but when you go on to serve others because of what you’ve learned – that’s when you become a disciple who can change the world.

YOUTH 2015 is the national gathering for United Methodist youth groups and their leaders. YOUTH 2015 will be from June 24-28, 2015 in Orlando, Florida.  Attendees experienced the breadth and depth of the United Methodist Church, were sharpened by one another, and equipped to experience and express their faith in new and vibrant ways.What does it mean to ‘Go On’? The Wesleyan Movement began because of the foundational idea that faith produces inward and outward holiness. In other words, the faith you have calls you to put it into action.

Here are some of the highlights from YOUTH15

• There was lot going on, and the simple act of walking through this immense hotel and convention center can be draining-- averaging something like 5-6 miles of walking each day). But all that exhaustion seems to drain away when we enter the worship space and 5,000 youth and adults shout out for Jesus.

• Hope and pray that this is the beginning of a movement of what can happen with 5,000 folks get excited about Jesus and GO ON out into the world to spread the love of Jesus Christ.

• That isn’t to say that some wonderful ministries haven’t happened during the week together. During the week…

  • 25,000 pounds of potatoes were bagged and shipped to local hunger agencies at our potato drop.

  • 80,000 meals were prepared and bagged to alleviate hunger through Stop Hunger Now.

  • 31 people donated hair to Children with Hair Loss.

  • Well over 500 teddy bears were donated to be shared with emergency responders and others to use with children in crisis.

• Flat Bishop Ough travelled to Orlando and was spotted in many places including the main stage making announcements.

• Dakotas youth spent three days, over 3,000 hours in the mission field serving places like Camp Challenge teams were helping special needs campers and Community Food and Outreach Center.

Well done YOUTH15!