This week Lubbock Christian University hosted the first ever National Hispanic English Youth Conference (NHEYC), the second of the series of summer camps that will take place on LCU’s campus this summer. The NHEYC began as a national ministry of the Churches of Christ and Iglesias de Cristo to reach out to English-speaking Hispanics. Regional church leaders from Hispanic congregations in Lubbock, San Angelo, and Midland spearheaded the event on LCU’s campus. “The NHEYC's mission is very similar to that of Lubbock Christian University's. We both strive to transform the hearts, minds, and hands of students, and so having the NHEYC on our campus seemed like a perfect fit,” explained Dr. Brian Starr, LCU executive vice president. “This camp is aimed toward filling a need of spiritual growth in youth who are bilingual. We saw their vision as a helpful move forward in making sure that Churches of Christ are fruitfully ministering to the youth of this large and rapidly growing segment of our society. And we wanted to be a part of it." About 35 local Hispanic students and 35 adults stayed on LCU’s campus and enjoyed meals from the Aramark Dining services for NHEYC. The attendees joined pastors and university staff in worship, encouragement, and classes, aimed at building bonds and enabling spiritual growth. The conference’s keynote speaker was Dr. Daniel A. Rodriguez, Professor at Pepperdine University and author of the book “A Future for the Latino Church: Models for Multilingual, Multigenerational Hispanic Congregations.” Starr expressed his hope that this conference would strengthen Churches of Christ, especially those with a large percentage of Spanish-speaking members in the South Plains area. “We share the optimism of the leaders of NYEYC that this conference will grow through time, and continue to strengthen the church for many years to come," Starr said. NHEYC is just one of several opportunities for teens that LCU provides each year. For information on more camp summer camp opportunities hosted by LCU in the next few months, <link http: lcucamps.com>click here.