Over the weekend of May 15–17, 2026, Cairn University hosted its annual JAM weekend (Junior High Adventures in Ministry), a summer evangelism event run by Dr. Matt McAlack, professor and director of the youth and family ministry program at Cairn, in conjunction with Child Evangelism Fellowship.
Since 1994, JAM has equipped teenagers to share the good news of Jesus and given them an opportunity to actually do it. This year, 310 students and leaders from 17 churches participated. When the teen groups arrived Friday evening, they were led in a time of worship and taught how to share the gospel with others. On Saturday, over 240 children flooded the campus for Kids’ Day. Each child was paired with a teen “buddy,” and together they enjoyed lunch, games, a petting zoo, inflatables, crafts, music, puppets, Bingo, and more. At the end of the day, each teen personally shared the message of Jesus one-on-one with a child. Many children chose to put their faith in Christ after these conversations.
This year’s theme was “Unshakeable Hope.” In a world full of uncertainty, today’s teens are craving something real. The messages of the weekend, given by alum Eddie Jurimas ’14, centered on the reliable truth of the gospel and the hope we can have in Jesus Christ. The teens not only needed this message, they were eager to share it with others:
“Some people sell teenagers short. They may see future potential, but don’t realize how powerful their influence can be right now. From the beginning moments of JAM, the teens were very engaged in the gospel training and excited to share the message with their buddy the following day. On Sunday morning, over 25 teens stood to share their testimonies and give glory to God.”
The space for youth groups is already full for 2027, but if you want your children’s ministry group to participate in next year’s JAM weekend, you can register today at cairn.edu/kids-day.
