2026 Middle School Huddle

April 17-18, 2026

Rock Springs Ranch

Junction City, KS

The 2026 Middle School Huddle was held April 17-18 at Rock Springs Ranch! The keynote speaker was Rev. Seth Meyer, pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Winfield.

This year’s theme was “Hesed – Steadfast Love, Lovingkindness, Mercy.” What is Hesed? It’s God’s faithfulness, His mercy, His righteous kindness, and His steadfast love to all nations, languages, and peoples of all times. Hesed is Jesus, the Word made flesh for you. The Old Testament talks about God’s steadfast love, lovingkindness, and mercy. Rev. Seth Meyer helped the group dig into what Hesed means to us.

The event was filled with God’s Word, fellowship, group challenges, tasty food and a break from everyday life. The band from Concordia University, Nebraska was a blessing! Although there was a chance of severe storms, the weather ended up being beautiful as the group played group games and a scavenger hunt throughout the Rock Springs campus. We look forward to the 2027 Middle School Huddle!

The Middle School Huddle is a Kansas District youth event that happens annually during the month of April. It is specifically designed for youth who are currently in grades 5-8 and aims to foster faith in Jesus Christ through time of worship, learning, and fellowship with one another. This event takes place at a retreat center, where kids gather over the course of Friday evening and into Saturday afternoon for spiritual growth.

The event is organized by a dedicated team of youth leaders who develop a theme centered around God’s Word that addresses God’s answer to a specific life issue that the youth are currently struggling with. The spiritual goals of the Middle School Huddle are to promote discipleship, practical faith application, and community fellowship as they gather together as one within the body of Christ.

It is the expectation of the Kansas District that congregations have a current background check on file for all adults attending District youth events, just as any adult serving with minors in a congregational setting should.

The District recommends running background checks through MinistrySafe. The District has partnered with MinistrySafe to provide free child safety resources and training to all member congregations and schools. Background checks through MinistrySafe do have a cost per individual screened.

To access MinistrySafe, visit https://safetysystem.ministrysafe.com/auth/sign_up and use the coupon code KSLCMS (you will be asked to put in billing information, but won’t be charged unless you run a background check). Contact the Kansas District with questions about MinistrySafe.