(405) 425-5070
Members of the Freetown Road Church of Christ get ready for the North Texas LTC.
National
Photos by Erik Tryggestad

At massive Dallas LTC, small churches connect as they train


DALLAS — Everything’s bigger in Texas, and the North Texas Leadership Training for Christ convention is no exception.

This year 4,213 students and their families — representing Churches of Christ in Texas, Oklahoma and New Mexico, to name just a few — jammed the hallways and the elevators of three convention sites in the Dallas metro, including the massive Hilton Anatole. (Plus, Lads to Leaders hosted its own convention in Dallas at the Gaylord Texan.)

Freddy Rendon

Freddy Rendon

At the Anatole, children lined the tables of a banquet room — big enough to house a couple of commercial aircraft — for the LTC Bible Bowl.

In another banquet hall, church members staked out tables and covered them with coats, boxes of M&Ms, drama scripts and costumes. The tables served as bases of operation for many of the small, local congregations that participate in LTC.

Dressed in a coat and tie, Freddy Rendon paged through his well-worn Bible — last-minute prep for his Scripture-reading event. The high school junior also participated in song leading, speech and art.

His involvement in LTC, which dates back to about sixth grade, has made him more willing and confident to take on leadership roles in the youth group of his congregation, the Freetown Road Church of Christ, a 200-member congregation that meets about about 30 minutes from the Anatole in Grand Prairie.

“I think LTC is one of the ways they can see you work, see you making progress,” Rendon said of the support he gets from his fellow Christians. He plans to take that foundation to college — hopefully Texas A&M, he said.

Trevon Buchanan

Trevon Buchanan

Many of the groups clustered around the banquet hall tables represented multiple congregations. Individual members of small, rural churches joined teams from bigger, suburban congregations.

At one table, about 10 youths from the Westside Church of Christ in Texarkana, Texas, and friends from a nearby church geared up for a weekend of Bible bowling and drama skitting. The 160-member church launched its LTC effort about 10 years ago, said youth minister Trevon Buchanan, and in four short years it grew from four participants to 18.

“I think we, as a church, don’t get together enough,” Buchanan said. “I love for my kids to see other kids their age living out, by example, what we as the church need to do.”

Filed under: Leadership Training For Christ LTC National News Partners Top Stories

View Comments

Don’t miss out on more stories like this.

Subscribe today to receive more inspiring articles like this one delivered straight to your inbox twice a month.

Did you enjoy this article?

Your donation helps us not only keep our quality of journalism high, but helps us continue to reach more people in the Churches of Christ community.

$
Personal Info

Dedicate this Donation

In Honor/Memory of Details

Card Notification Details

Credit Card Info
This is a secure SSL encrypted payment.
Billing Details

Donation Total: $3 One Time