One hundred and fifty secondary students from Northside and six other schools attended the Faith+ Conference at Northside Christian College on Wednesday, June 5.

The annual conference began in 2022 to challenge and encourage our secondary students, to help their faith grow and to show them what is possible when they are brave enough to put their faith into action; hence, Faith Plus. Last year, two other schools participated; the number grew to six this year, and there are more interested in coming in 2025.

The day began with worship, led by Josh King and then Alumnus Tyrone Thomas, who challenged the students to live God’s way and not to ‘miss the point.’

Icebreaker games, team games, MT and a Sausage Sizzle lunch, separated the five different workshops the students had chosen. After the initial icebreaker game, the second speaker, Sid Tapia, presented the students with his rather different journey through life as a skateboarder and graffiti artist and how he now communicates his love for Jesus.

The workshop speakers represented Red Frogs, Compassion, YWAM, Sport, Youth Alpha, Nexus Care, Sharing the Gospel (with Ps Matt Prater), Teen Mission, Creative Ministries and Samaritan’s Purse. They all shared ways of putting faith into action and expanded the students’ vision of how they can make a difference. It was good to see the students from different schools mingling during the lunch break, chatting and being active together.

Josh and Eliza King led the final worship and reflection time, and the groups were encouraged to think of ways to put their learning into action in their own schools.