Missionary Life: January 2016

From December 31, 2015 to January 5, 2016, over 3,500 college students gathered at the Hilton Anatole Hotel in Dallas, TX to learn the essentials of evangelization. Student Leadership Summit 2016 (SLS) is unlike any other large Catholic conferences because it's main purpose is to teach the art of evangelization to students who desire to share their faith with others. If you read my "What it means to Win" article a little while back, you may remember me mentioning the concept of "Win, Build, and Send." Most large group Catholic conferences are focused on the "Win" and "Build." SLS focuses on the "Build" and "Send" aspects of the Christian life. Students attended a talk (Training Session) and then later during the Power Sessions, taught that skill to their small group. The philosophy behind this is simple - it is good to know a skill, better to experience that skill, best to be able to teach that skill.

Here is a typic day for a student at SLS:

8:30 - 9:30am - Prayer
9:30 - 11:30am - Mass
11:30 - 12:30pm - Training Sessions (Prayer, Discipleship, Bible Study)
*During the Training Sessions, students went to one of three available talks.
1:00 - 3:00pm - Lunch
3:00 - 6:00pm - Power Sessions
*During Power Sessions, students taught each other what they learned from their Training Session.
6:30 - 8:30pm - Dinner
8:30 - 10:00pm - Keynote Speaker (Curtis Martin, Dr. Ed Sri, Pat Lencioni, Jennifer Fulwiler, etc.)
10:30pm - Varied Event (Dance Party, Matt Maher concert, Adoration)