Unite West Leader Packet

A Covenant High School Event Gathering Groups from Across the West Coast for Worship Connection and Fun

July 18-23, 2022

Biola University

$385 Per Person

unitewest.org

Unite West is a collaboration with the  Alaska, Pacific Southwest, and Pacific Northwest Conferences of the Evangelical Covenant Church  in partnership with Christ In Youth

What to Expect

  • Five days and nights of fun, worship, and friendships

  • Evening sessions with dynamic worship and powerful speakers

  • Morning sessions with strong teaching leading into personal and small group times

  • Afternoon activities such as sports tournaments, swimming, seminars, and more

  • Sleep and Eat in Biola University Dorms

  • Resources for Beyond the Event

A Day In The Life of Unite West:

8:00 AM Breakfast

9:30 AM Morning Session

10:45 AM - Devotions 

11:00 AM - Small Group Time

12:00 PM - Lunch

1:30 PM - Recreation 

5:30 PM - Dinner

7:30 PM - Evening Session

9:15 PM - Youth Group Time

11:00 PM - Back In Dorms

Theme: Broadcast the Gospel

Jesus came to earth with a message. The message of a new and better Kingdom that would be free to anyone who believed in Him. His message was broadcast in many ways – conversations with his friends, sermons to the crowds, and miracles healing the hurting. Jesus also proclaimed His message through stories – tales with hidden meanings and deeper application to life. Jesus’ parables tell us so much about who He is and life in His kingdom. When we hear Jesus’ stories, we are forever changed. Our lives are given purpose, meaning, and a mission. Changed lives become a BROADCAST about him to the world.

Speakers and Worship

  • Up to date details at unitewest.org

Efrem Smith - Monday Night Speaker and Tuesday/Wednesday Morning Speaker. Efrem serves as Co-Lead Pastor of Midtown Church in Sacramento, CA. He is an internationally recognized leader who uses motivational speaking and preaching to equip people for a life of transformation. He consults on issues of multi-ethnicity, leadership, and community development. Efrem is the former president and CEO of World Impact: an urban mission, church planting and leadership-development organization. He’s the author of several books, including his latest, “Killing Us Softly.” Efrem is a graduate of Saint John’s University and Luther Theological Seminary, and received an honorary doctor of ministry degree from Ashland Theological Seminary, and most recently earned his Doctor of Ministry degree in Church Leadership and Reconciliation Theology from Fuller Theological Seminary.


Luma Haddad - Tuesday Night Speaker. Luma has served as the Young Life Urban Area Director for San Diego South Bay for 21 years. She directly works with teenagers in Junior High and High Schools and with teen moms. She is passionate about her work with youth and empowering them to know who they are in Christ. She is also a public speaker and has spoken to many audiences of teenagers, women, and youth workers all over the United States and in the Middle East. Luma is a first-generation Arab American. She was born in San Francisco, lived in Amman, Jordan, and graduated from Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego with a major in Broadcast Journalism. She resides in San Diego with her husband Rami and her children Jordan (14) and Yasmeen (10).


Susie Gamez - Thursday Night Speaker. Susie is a pastor, speaker and reconciler. She is Canadian by birth, Korean by heritage, Mexican by marriage, and American by immigration, but above all she is a Kingdom citizen. Susie is passionate about matters surrounding justice, equity, reconciliation, and the Gospel which encompasses it all. Born in Toronto, raised in Vancouver, Susie moved to Los Angeles after college. Thinking she might pursue a career in journalism, she got a degree in Communications and Sociology. In her last year of college, she attended a college missions conference called Urbana, and sensed God calling her into full-time ministry instead. Susie and her husband Marcos started dating while they were students at Fuller Theological Seminary, where they both got their M.A. in Intercultural Studies. They decided to fully commit to the “intercultural life” by getting married and having 4 beautiful children together. After serving as a youth/young adult pastor and church planter in South Central L.A. for 14 years, Susie continues to preach around the country and now serves as Teaching/Preaching pastor at Midtown Church.


Michael Carrion - Friday Night Speaker. Rev. Carrion serves as Vice President of Church Planting and Leadership Development at Redeemer City to City in New York City and is the regional coach for church planting and development for the Evangelical Covenant Church. Rev. Michael Carrion, is the founding pastor, and now Bishop of The Promised Land Covenant Churches in the North and South Bronx, and the founding chairman and superintendent of the Bronx Academy of Promise K-8 Charter School. He also serves on the board of the National Latino Evangelical Coalition and is currently on the Mayor's Faith Sector Advisory Council. Michael has been married to his wife Elizabeth for 30+ years. They have five adult children and three grandchildren.


Evelyn Perez - Thursday/Friday Morning Speaker - Evelyn serves on staff at Maranatha Covenant Church and in Latino Ministries with the Pacific Southwest Conference. She was a part of 30 for 30 with the ECC and serves on the ECC Executive Board. Born in Guatemala and now living in Richmond, CA with her two boys, Evelyn has a passion to see young people experience the power of the Gospel in their lives.

Recreation

  • Sports Tournaments

  • Ultimate Frisbee

  • Student  Center

  • Swimming

  • Seminars

  • Service Projects

  • Elective

Move App

The MOVE app is available on every smartphone platform. The app contains devotions for each day, the weekly schedule, and other pages just for fun! This app will guide your group through their week at Unite West

The Alternative

Unite West provides an opportunity for students to share their talents (singing, instrumental, bands, skits, poetry, comedy, etc.). Students sign up for limited spots and perform on the main stage.

Good Morning Unite

Good Morning Unite is designed to wake students up through funny videos, engaging interaction, and whatever crazy ideas MOVE can come up with.

Unite/MOVE Store

The Store is the place to purchase apparel and resources!

Packing List

WHAT TO BRING:

☐ Bible

☐ Journal and pen

☐ Bedding/Sleeping Bag to fit a single bed

☐ Clothing for five days

☐ Comfortable walking shoes

☐ Beach towel

☐ Personal toiletry items

☐ Prescription medication

☐ Modest Swim Suit

☐ Spending money

☐  Sunglasses

☐ Sunscreen

☐ Sweatshirt/light coat

☐ Water bottle

WHAT NOT TO BRING:

☐ Alcohol

☐ Any weapons

☐ Controlled substances

☐ Firearms

☐ Fireworks

☐ Immodest clothing

☐ Laser pointer

Event Rules:

  1. Respect others and yourself.

  2. No guys in girls' dorms beyond the front lobby and vice versa.

  3. Alcohol, tobacco, vaping, drugs, and weapons are absolutely prohibited.

  4. Everyone must be in their dorms by the designated “In Dorm Time.”

  5. For security reasons, no students with backpacks are allowed into the auditorium or cafeteria.

  6. Follow the schedule. Be where you are supposed to be when you are supposed to be there.

  7. During sessions, stay in your assigned seating. Please follow the posted seating chart.

  8. Do not leave the auditorium once the speakers begin talking.

  9. Respect the campus – no TP, water balloons, shaving cream, sidewalk chalk, etc. No practical jokes!

  10. Do not move furniture as you will be charged for any assessed damage.

  11. Do not dial 911 unless it is a true emergency.

  12. Absolutely no fireworks at any time during Unite West or while on campus property.

  13. No food deliveries of any kind to the campus.

  14. Students may leave campus ONLY with adult supervision; those staying behind must have an adult present.

  15. Wear clothing appropriate for a youth group event.

The Unite West Leadership Council reserves the right to send participants home who are violating these rules

Leaders’ Information

Vision

Unite seeks to be an event that is Christ-centered, transformational, and fun designed to amplify the call of Christ on students’ lives to become kingdom workers. Unite West will exemplify the Covenant values of making and deepening disciples, loving mercy and doing justice, developing leaders, and serving globally.

Schedule

Arrival:  July 18  

  • Plan on enjoying the Welcome Party from 2:00 PM -5:00 PM

  • First Meal is served at 5:30 PM.  First Session Begins at 7:30 PM


Departure:  July 23rd

  • The final session ends at 11:00 PM July 22nd

  • There is no program or no meals served July 23rd


Early Arrival and Late Departure

  • Sign up for extra nights by following this link.

  • The fee for extra nights is $28.00 per person per night. Payment will go directly to Biola.

  • No extra meals or programs will be provided.

Registration

Who Can Come to Unite West?

  • Students in high school 2022-2026.

  • This includes students entering high school in the Fall of 2022 as long as they are age 13 by July 1, 2022.

  • This includes students graduating in 2022 and previous graduates who are under 18 on July 1, 2022.

Included:

  • 5 nights lodging

  • 13 meals

  • All Programing

Group Registration Only

  • Each group leader will register their group through our program partners at CIY.  Don’t be surprised when you see CIY and MOVE mentioned on the registrations site, follow-up materials, and the Medical Release Form.

  • Participants must register with a group from a participating Covenant church.

  • Group leaders will create an account on our registration site via the registration link (coming soon).  At any time the group leader may sign in and purchase tickets. Participant names are not needed at this time.

  • Every participant will need to fill out a Digital Medical Release Form provided by CIY.

  • Group leaders will provide names of participants to Unite West and CIY two weeks before the event.

Fees:

  • $385 per person.

  • $65 non-refundable deposit is due for each ticket upon registration.  A second non-refundable deposit of $65 is due by 3/1/2022.  The final payment is due 6/27/22.

  • After May 1st the price will increase to $410 per person.

Accommodations:

Biola University:

  • The entire Unite West event will take place at Biola University. 

  • Biola University is located at 13800 Biola Ave, La Mirada CA 90639

  • Read through the top 10 questions about the campus. Including dorm info, cafeteria-style, rec options, and more.

  • There is plenty of parking available.  Parking permits will be provided upon check-in.

  • Check out the Biola Campus Map.

Housing:

  • Group leaders will provide attendee information to CIY 21 days before the event via a provided link.

  • Leaders will be housed with other leaders and students with other students. 

  • CIY houses attendees based on their biological sex. If there are any questions or concerns, please contact us at (417) 781-2273 or customerservice@ciy.com.

Adult Leader Expectations

All Adult Leader Requirements:

  • Each adult must successfully complete a national criminal and sex offender background check, abuse awareness training, and Unite West training which includes the Intercultural Development Inventory Assessment.  Background checks and Abuse Awareness Training will be conducted in partnership with MinistrySafe.org.  More details, including costs, are to come in April 2022. 

  • Each group leader must complete a form verifying that all of the adults attending with their group have completed the requirements listed above.

  • We require every leader to read and sign our Adult Code of Conduct before attending our event. Copies of the Adult Code of Conduct will be made available to Group Leaders after registration.

  • All adult leaders must attend our morning leader meetings.

Counselor Requirements:

  • Counselors are adult leaders attending to care for students with their group.  They are expected to spend most of their time with students while participating in all program activities.

  • One counselor is required for every 10 students in every group.

  • Counselors must be age 21 before the event and be committed followers of Jesus.

  • Counselors may bring their own children who will be housed with them with the understanding that no childcare is provided. Further, it is our expectation that children do not detract from our programs.

Event Staff Requirements:

  • Event Staff are adult leaders attending to help with program and logistics.  Event staff will be given jobs and responsibilities to help with our program and logistics.  They will also get to participate in the evening sessions.

  • The Event Staff opportunity is designed to provide a place for young adults who are too old to attend as a participant and too young to serve as a counselor.

  • Event Staff must be age 19 before the event and be committed followers of Jesus. 

  • Please do not count Event Staff toward your counselor to student ratio, or count on them being able to spend time counseling your students.

Transportation

Getting There:

  • Groups are expected to provide their own transportation to Unite West.  

  • Please plan your departure and arrival times according to the schedule above.

  • Biola University is located at 13800 Biola Ave, La Mirada CA 90639

  • Long Beach Airport (LGB) is the closest airport just 14 miles from Biola.  John Wayne (SNA), Los Angeles (LAX), Ontario (ONT) and Bob Hope (BUR) Airports are all about 30 miles away.

Parking:

  • There is plenty of parking available.  Parking permits will be provided upon check-in.

Promotion:

Insurance:

  • CIY is the primary organizer for this event.  As such they will carry the primary insurance policy. This is why registration and medical release forms are all being done through them.

  • Each group is expected to have its own church insurance policy to cover their group before, during, and after our time at Biola.

  • Any insurance claim will be worked out between CIY’s and the local church’s insurance.

COVID Protocols

  • We will follow all federal and state social distancing requirements in place at the time of the event.

Partnership with CIY

We are excited and grateful for the opportunity to partner with Christ in Youth for this event.  CIY hosts MOVE events across the country every summer.  Unite West will be a custom MOVE event.  This means the theme, schedule and program will be similar to MOVE events.  

We will be selecting up-front leaders from our Covenant churches who will be representing all three of our partner conferences.  We will also be carefully selecting all speakers, teachers, and worship leaders to ensure they are Covenant friendly.  We will be ensuring that all our up-front leaders fit our vision for equal racial and gender representation.  We will also represent the Covenant through our offering project, connections to Covenant entities (NPU, Merge, etc) and themes important to our denomination.

CIY will handle registration, food, lodging, setup, speaker and worship team logistics, on-campus activities, and the theme.  The CIY team is a great group to work with.  We hope you will see our leadership team and CIY as one big team helping to put together this great event.  For more information on CIY, please visit their web page.

Contact Us

Unite West is being planned in a collaboration between the West Coast Conferences of the Evangelical Covenant Church. Our Executive Planning team is composed of the Conference Coaches listed below.  


Each conference is approaching transportation, scholarships, and additional connection opportunities individually.  Follow the links below to visit your conference web page for more information.  Please contact your Conference Coach with questions, concerns, or comments.

Alaska Conference

Mark Lantz 

marc@cyak.org

Pacific Southwest Conference

Matt Aalseth

matt.aalseth@pswc.org

Pacific Northwest Conference

Erik Cave

erik@pacnwc.org

History of UNITE

Beginning in 1956, hundreds of high school age Covenanters gathered together as the Covenant High Congress. This event has morphed through the years moving from regional camps centered on small group Bible study, large group gatherings with speakers, music, and recreation to outgrowing such venues. This legacy has become what was known as “CHIC” by the tens of thousands who have attended, and continue to support this ministry.

 

CHIC acted as a catalyst in students’ lives, helping them see the big pictures of God’s Kingdom and inspiring them to dive deeper into their faith – together. Through dynamic speakers, relevant messages, small groups, Base Camps, and worship, CHIC Inspired students to live transformed lives – even giving of their time and resources to impact local communities and the world.


Plans were made for an event in 2021 named UNITE, which was the theme for 2018.  The new name allows us to continue to live out who we are as Covenanters, by joining God in God’s mission to see more disciples among more populations in a more caring and just world. The UNITE event planned for 2021 was canceled due to concerns over the COVID 19 Quarantine 

Conference UNITE Events

In the absence of a national event, conferences have banded together with the support of the ECC to offer regional events in the spirit of CHIC and UNITE.  Each event is being planned independently with varying levels of collaboration with other conferences. For more information follow the contact information below.

Engage

July 18-22

Arvada Covenant

Unite East

Date July 25-29

Salisbury University

Unite North

July 14-17

Bethel University

Unite West

July 18-22

Biola University

Gather Together

July 9th

North Park University

Visit https://unite2022.org/ for full details.

Evangelical Covenant Church

The Evangelical Covenant Church is a rapidly growing multiethnic denomination in the United States and Canada with ministries on five continents of the world. Founded in 1885 by Swedish immigrants, the ECC values the Bible as the word of God, the gift of God's grace and ever-deepening spiritual life that comes through faith with Jesus Christ, the importance of extending God's love and compassion to a hurting world, and the strength that comes from unity within diversity.