HISTORY

In 2005, urban youth leaders were inspired by the Holy Spirit to find an affordable alternative to high priced, suburban focused conferences that didn’t speak the language or reflect the diversity of their youth ministries.  After brainstorming ideas, they realized that the only way to do this was to empower teenagers to plan a relevant conference that would meet their need to connect with Christ and break down the traditional walls that kept churches from working together to minister to youth. The Where U At? Urban Youth Conference was born and first event held in the spring of 2006.

Over the years over 50 different churches, schools and para-church organizations have participated in this life changing conference where they’ve seen deliverance and genuine transformation in the lives of their students.  Over 1400 youth have been impacted by the conference from Grand Rapids, Holland, Muskegon, Kalamazoo, Chicago, St. Louis and Detroit.  Many of whom have come back to help lead and serve in areas where they are gifted, from hospitality to worship, drama to tech teams.

The name Where U At? was chosen because of its connection to Genesis 3:1-8 when Adam and Eve tried to hide from God because of their sin.  So many of us do this same thing – hide behind meaningless things, jeopardizing our true identity as children of the King in order to cover up our sin. The goal of each conference is for participants to ask “Where am I at?”.  Our hope is that teens will be able to identify an answer and boldly take the next step to grow in their faith.

With the help of Youth Unlimited, who had a breadth of experience in planning dynamic youth conferences, Where U At? became the answer to our prayers as youth pastors and leaders who serve a diverse audience of teens and felt called to lead a conference with alongside them that would break down the walls of denomination, race and neighborhood distinctions within our cities.

FUTURE

Our goal is to continue to see Where U At? grow and transform to meet the needs of churches and youth serving organizations.  We hope that you will consider how you can become part of the legacy that God is leaving through humble servants who have a desire to see Christ as King in our cities.