Simpson Youth Academy

08/10/2026

SYA pop-up event with new scholars! Hosted by our amazing partners at Walnut Hills United Methodist Church. We prepared for the school year with this reminder:

"Do not be conformed to the patterns of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." (Rom. 2)

07/27/2026

Simpson Youth Academy summer newsletter with new student refelctions is availible now! Featuring youth from Polk City United Methodist Church + Immanuel United Methodist Church + Broadway United Methodist Church.

SYA was thrilled to host our Summer Residency in June 2026, welcoming forty-three young people on Simpson's campus! This included twenty-three new scholars and twenty alumni, as both these groups participated in their own tracks during the nine-day gathering. The new cohort of scholars now embark u...

07/15/2026

SYA has collaborated with the Iowa Conference of The United Methodist Church for the last decade. And we are thrilled to take a further step in that partnership: in June the Conference voted to approved SYA as an Associate Organization of the IAUMC. Thank you to the Conference and so many others that make this work possible. We are excited to continue partnering to nurture young Christian leaders!

07/02/2026

SAVE the Dates for SYA! Parents & pastors, mark your calendars for next year's residency. And current students, check out the offerings for this year!

06/30/2026

That's a wrap on the SYA summer residency 2026! We are proud and in awe of the brave and incredible work of our students. And we are excited to track with them throughout the year as we offer calls, retreats, and leadership opportunities in their local communities. THANK YOU to every gifted and generous person who makes this life-changing work possible!

06/27/2026

SYA day 7! At SYA we want to equip students to push beyond surface-levl interpretations of Scripture and challenge them to connect messages from the text to pressing issues in their worlds.

One way we do that is through Bibliodrama - the activity of embodying a Bible story like it's a play. We spent two hours on day 7 reading, analyzing, and acting out Matthew chapter 1 - featuring King Herod, his soldiers, Mary, Joseph, Jesus, Angels, and many more. It was chaotic, inspired, funny, catalytic, Spirit-infused. They made to connections to present day issues like bullying, mental health challenges, manipulative religion, social media, and much much more. Pray for these amazing young people as they enter the home stretch of the Residency.

06/26/2026

SYA day 6 was a big one! We walked downtown Des Moines to learn about gentrification, served at Central IA Shelters & Services, introduced the concept of social holiness, journeyed the prayer labyrinth with Mara LeHew Bailey and connected with scholars and supporters from a host of partner congregations including Immanuel United Methodist Church + Grinnell United Methodist Church+ Episcopal Diocese of Iowa + bishop Betsey Hawley Monnot. Also, the alumni track has begun!

06/25/2026

SYA day 5! Scholars spent the day focused on practicing deep listening - to God, themselves, & one another.

"Where does your deep joy meet the world's deep need?"

06/24/2026

SYA day 4! We spent the day exploring how Christians can response to climate change & ecological degradation with an immersion trip and great conversation with local farmers from the Iowa Farmers Union. We also enjoyed some yoga with the fabulous folks from The Haven Indianola.

These scholars are doing great!

06/23/2026

SYA day 3! Today we focused on the Christian pracitce of welcoming the stranger. For worship our students *somehow* found an old door and displayed it on the altar, inviting worshippers to write the name of someone who had welcomed them at a critical time in their lives. Thank you scholars for your ministry!

"Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me." - Matt 25