By Kaelyn Johnson and Molly Venant
Indiana Wesleyan University ministry team leaders and campus stores worked together to host the Fusion Youth Conference on campus this past weekend.
Churches brought their high school students to Fusion, a musical and spiritual event that occurs annually during the first weekend of April. This year, the event began with a concert featuring Bethel Music and the Christian rapper KB as the speaker.
Charlie Alcock, executive director of youth ministry events, said his team began seeking artists and speakers for Fusion in September.
Alcock said the event emphasizes student leadership. He said the team consisted of three student executives, 24 student leaders and about 200 volunteers.
Along with the leadership team and volunteers at Fusion, the stores on campus also helped make the event special for attendees.
McConn Coffee Co. barista Elaina Wright said the coffee shop had longer hours because of the event.
“We (were) open longer … before and after the concert on Friday night, and then we (were) busier during our normal hours on Saturday,” Wright said.
Wright said McConn also created special drinks for this weekend centered around the concert.
“McConn is offering two new and different drinks,” she said. “We have the Bethel Raise a Lattelujah and KB’s Church Clapacccino.”
The IWU bookstore also had longer hours. Anna Mallery, manager of the bookstore, said the business extended its hours until 9 p.m. Friday night. She said it also opened at 9 a.m. on Saturday instead of its usual time at 10 a.m. to gain more sales.
Merillee Welch, manager at Trader James, said the business extended its hours as well. The new hours ranged from 11 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. on Saturday to increase traffic flow.
Trader James student employee Lily Rader said she worked during Fusion weekend.
“There were a lot of high schoolers, so it was quite busy in here, especially after Fusion ended, because I got a lot of different customers wanting different things,” Rader said. “It was a little disorganized, but all the high schoolers were really kind along with their youth leaders.”
Fusion impacted both high school student attendees and youth leaders.
Hope Notter, a leader from Connection Pointe Christian Church in Brownsburg, Indiana, led a group of sophomore girls at the event.
“I just felt such a tangible presence of the Holy Spirit while they were worshiping and everyone was very engaged and raising their hands and just connected to the word in that way,” Notter said.
Aubrey Hurlbert, youth pastor at Wooster Nazarene in Ohio, said she appreciated the time of worship at the concert with Bethel Music.
“Friday night at the concert, there was this moment where we were led in a time to cry out to Jesus and it was a really sweet time of worship,” Hurlbert said. “I looked over and three of my kids were on their knees in the middle of the row with their hands up to the sky. Just pure worship that was so heartfelt and that was just such a beautiful thing.”
In addition to the worship night, Fusion consisted of eight different seminars with speakers from all over the country.
Tony Rogatto, pastor of Connection Pointe Christian Church and an IWU alumnus, came to Fusion as a breakout session speaker. In his session, he taught students how to continue seeking God in a hurting world and how to embrace pain.
“I have a passion for the next generation, obviously being a youth pastor, and so any opportunity that is before me to get to encourage students or offer any practical advice that I’ve learned from life experience in God’s work, I’m always excited to do that,” Rogotto said.
Rogotto said he appreciated that the students could choose to attend the breakout sessions they wanted.
“I think that there’s been a spiritual impact from just them being able to attend the breakouts they want to focus on, and even just from a standpoint of being in a genuinely Christian environment, seeing like, ‘oh, this is what a Christian college looks like,’” he said.
Alcock said the weekend impacted the ministry team leaders in terms of their spirituality, organization, and their leadership skills.
“They’re just beginning to feel the full effects of a ministry of this magnitude,” Alcock said.
