Foundry goes to Acts2 Winter Conference
Jan 29 — Written by Esther Tom
Students and post-grads from Foundry College Church traveled to Elgin, Illinois over New Year’s to attend the Acts2 Winter Conference (AWC), hosted by Acts 2 Network.
Driving down from cold, snowy Minnesota, we packed 13 minivans for the six-hours trip to the (only slightly warmer) Chicago area. Upon arriving at the Acts 2 Training Center (ATC), we were welcomed with a warm meal, meaningful fellowship, and an energetic praise and worship session led by Reverb. For many of the mentors and students, we reunited with friends from other churches in our network. More than 1,000 attendees from over 25 churches gathered in Elgin, including students from nearly 90 colleges (can’t forget to mention that Minnesota represented the largest group).
One of the highlights for many of us was being challenged by the messages from special guest speakers: J.D. Greear, Dhati Lewis, Trace Hamiter, and of course, Cliffe Knechtle, who clearly was a huge draw for many students when they were signing up. The various speakers challenged us to fully surrender our lives to God, live single-mindedly for His greater purpose and boldly share the Gospel.
Jacob, a sophomore and student leader from Foundry, says, “A big takeaway for me was from Trace Hamiter’s talk about prayer—praying reliantly, truly believing God can work if it’s in His will, instead of having prayer in passing without any actual faith conviction.” Jacob also shared how a commitment he has now made is set aside more time for prayer and be intentional with it. Praise God for all that He has done to work in each of our hearts!
Perhaps what made AWC particularly special was the gracious hospitality from the staff at ATC and many volunteers from churches across our nationwide network who traveled all the way there just to help behind the scenes. It felt like everything was truly taken care of, and as attendees, we just needed to show up and hear from God’s word. They did everything from cooking, cleaning, setup, tech, and making some pretty awesome videos. Some of us were even hosted at homes by the staff who lived locally—talk about living out the Acts 2 life! Of course, none of this would have been possible without the months of planning by our full-time ministry leaders and network directors.
After AWC, we entered the new year feeling rejuvenated, equipped and sent out for the Gospel in 2026! At Foundry, we are committed to growing in faith, experiencing Jesus, and doing life together. If you want to get connected, fill out a connection form or join us at one of our next events!
