Leveling up our skills at “TMDV Camp”
Jan 29 — Written by Sheri Xiong
What exactly was “TMDV Camp?” Short for Tech, Music, Design & Volleyball Camp, the five-day event took place at the Acts2 Training Center in Elgin, Illinois. Attendees received hands-on training in one or more skills of their choosing, led by our best in-house instructors along with students and alumni from the Berklee College of Music.
About 300 middle and high schoolers, college students, and post-college members from across our nationwide network attended the camp. We left with new or elevated skills ranging from beginner guitar and advanced video editing to volleyball and design. If volleyball feels like a random addition, you’re not wrong—but it is a surprisingly helpful skill in ministry contexts.
Setting the tone for the camp, lead pastor Ed Kang opened with a message on the Good Samaritan in Luke 10:25-37. He shared how developing skill in one area leads to greater capacity for kingdom work. The message helped frame the purpose of the camp and encouraged a growth mindset going into training.
While the focus was on skill development, the camp was about more than training—we experienced life together as a church. Each day began with morning devotions with sharings from Kelly Kang, the senior pastor’s wife. Training sessions followed in the morning and afternoon, with lunch, breaks in between (to combat the post-lunch food coma), and ending with dinner. Evenings were spent in project worktimes or band practices plus fellowshipping over late night runs to Steak ‘n Shake or basketball in the gym.
For a lot of us, the impact extended beyond the training sessions. One mentor from Foundry, Idalys, who participated in the vocal training track, shared, “I really appreciated our teachers, who were Berklee College of Music students. I learned so much about singing, and seeing their commitment to their craft made me want to practice more.”
The mantra heard often throughout the week was, “Everyone starts somewhere!” By the end of camp, that mantra rang true for almost all of us. Regardless of where we began, by the end, we had grown, even if just a little, and had a ton of fun doing it together. We’re grateful to have spent the final days of 2025 getting trained and equipped for the year ahead. Until next time!
