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2nd CEDA Student Symposium

Empower 7:9 Turning Confrontation into Conversations

What is Empower 7:9

“After this, I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb.”– Revelation 7:9

We strive to embody this verse by creating an environment of unity where diversity is celebrated.

Mission Statement

Making a conscious effort to empower and equip students to have difficult conversations and be waymakers in a Christ-driven manner while leading the way in diversity, equity and inclusion from a Biblical perspective as they promote unity in the body of Christ with our differences.

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Dialogue

Be ready not only to learn but also to actively engage in discussions.

handshaking

Fellowship

Creating unity amongst Christian educators is a primary goal of the symposium. We believe we can do the work better together.

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Training

Our goal is to empower educators to enact tangible change.

During the conference, we will…

handshake

Acknowledge

that God created us to have different identities, backgrounds, and experiences

Graduation hat

Educate

ourselves about how to approach diversity from a Christian perspective

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Apply

our newfound knowledge to create change and empower others to do the same

About the Planning

We are a collective of High School students under the leadership of Dr. Sonia Avilucea, Mrs. Jenny Brady, and Ms. Bri Yancy who have been empowered to recognize the part that we can play in promoting unity in diversity. Each of our respective schools functions with Christ at the center while equipping their students to lead lives of faith and leadership. Empower 7:9, now in its second year, is our way of sharing this passion with other students from our communities by inviting them to learn and to contribute to our work towards Biblical belonging. In cohesion with the adult symposium, the student symposium will focus on Imago Dei as we better understand its impact on all other identities.

Speakers

Dr. Bryan Loritts

Trillia Newbell

Dr. Jay Ferguson

Schedule

Day 1 – Monday, June 6th

12:00-1:15pm

Lunch (hosted by Joshua Expeditions)

12:00-1:15pm

Lunch (hosted by Joshua Expeditions)

Bryan Loritts

12:00-1:15pm

Lunch (hosted by Joshua Expeditions)

Day 2 – Tuesday, June 7th

8:00-8:30am

Devotional: Matt Thomas

8:30-9:30am

Plenary 2

Trillia Newbell

9:45-11:15am

Students plan activities and speakers

11:30am-12:15pm

Lunch (provided by Baylor/CEDA)

12:30-5:00pm

Students plan activities and speakers

Day 3 – Wednesday, June 8th

8:00am

Devotional: Joel Hazard

8:30-9:30am

Plenary 3

Jay Ferguson

9:45-11:00am

Students plan activities and speakers

11:15am-12:15pm

Lunch (provided by Baylor/CEDA)

12:30-2:00pm

Student Symposium debrief to adults

2:15-3:15pm

Students attend adult Family Group presentations

3:30pm

Wrap-up

Empower 7:9 gave me the platform to learn more about God’s creation of diversity and what he wants from us as brothers and sisters in Christ. I was able to take what I learned back to my school community and apply it in my classes and in my daily interactions with other students and my teachers and administrators.

Callie

Class Of 2022

Attending Empower 7:9 was pivotal in my faith because it emphasized that it’s possible to celebrate diversity from a Biblical perspective. It was extremely fun and enlightening to be around other passionate young Christians and share our perspectives on a variety of topics.

Sydney

Class Of 2022

The student symposium gave me a space where I could freely wrestle with the ideas of diversity, equity, and inclusion from a Biblical worldview. We came together and had a great discussion on how Christians can better address the sociological issues created through the divisive structures of contemporary identities: us and them.

Nick

Class Of 2021