Video: Hundreds Of Northeast Mississippi Teenagers Take Part In ‘Super Summer’

CLINTON, MISS. (WCBI) – Hundreds of teenagers from across Northeast Mississippi spent a week of their vacation learning how to become better leaders in their church’s youth groups.
“Super Summer” drew more than 14 hundred students, and adults to Mississippi College.

For Baden Honeycutt, skipping Super Summer was not an option, even with a wife at home, expecting their third child.

Honeycutt is a soccer coach and teacher at Mooreville High School and has been part of the Christian youth leadership conference for eight years He says it helps him as a youth worker and as an educator.

“It also helps us as teachers to realize who has leadership, who is going to be the one who will stand out and step up for you,” Honeycutt said.

Super Summer began 30 years ago in Mississippi, with a hundred or so students. This year, more than 1,100 ninth graders, through seniors who have just graduated, met for the weeklong conference at Mississippi College in Clinton.

Sue McAllister has been involved since the beginning and says Super Summer is unique for many reasons.

“They realize they can become leaders, and that means become servants so they begin to serve, love one another and follow hard after Christ,” McAllister said.

Students are divided into color coded schools, according to their grade and how many years they have attended. Their schools meet individually tackling age appropriate topics. Each evening, everyone comes together for worship and Bible Study.

Purple Schoolers get to go off campus. They have been coming to Super Summer, all four years. They went to “We Will Go Ministries” and helped out in downtown Jackson. It’s an opportunity to put what they have learned the past four years into practice.

David Lancaster and his wife Amy started the inner city ministry as a way to reach the hurting and hopeless. Purple Schoolers worked on missionaries houses, and also in the community garden.

“We hear a lot of people talk about being radical with our Christianity, but I really want people to see this should be our normal so I want people to say, ‘ I can go back and do this where I live, I can go back and meet my neighbors , I can go back and reach out to people around me, with who I normally am,” Lancaster said.

Students and staffers say they are shown practical ways to live out their faith wherever they go and whatever circumstances they face.

“I think the best thing about Super Summer is getting to be with other believers, who have the same mentality as you and are striving to do the same things in life,” said Reagan Newton, of Tupelo.

“When you come to Super Summer, it gives you this heavenly fire, that tells you to go out and spread the Gospel, it reminds you of that drive to go out and spread His Word,” said Bobby Ware, of Pontotoc.

“I think it’s the encouragement, not only at Super Summer during the week, but I stay in contact with my group throughout the year, they’re reminding me to be a better person, say no to temptations, bad habits,” said Lauren Knight, of Tupelo.

“Tragedy struck town of Hamilton, and this week has spoken to us, even in the midst of tragedy, God is still good,” said Ethan Foster, of Hamilton.

Soon, work sill start on next year’s Super Summer.

Super Summer is sponsored by the Mississippi Baptist Convention Board.

www.mssupersummer.com

www.wewillgo.org

www.micahfries.com

www.highpointmemphis.com

www.joshmaze.com